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Posted on October 29, 2009 - by Jim Hughes
West Hartford CT Royce Gracie School moves to 276 Park Road Saturday 10/31 join us for Open House
To all members of Jim Hughes and Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu New England, SuperKids Academy, and friends:
Gracie Jiu Jitsu, created by Royce’s father Helio, is all about loyalty to our family and friends, courage in the face of impossible odds, persistence in improving our position, and the love of life.
We love to learn and we love to put what we know to the test. That is the legacy Grand Master Helio has given us.
In the spirit of continous improvement, we have formulated a plan to move the West Hartford School up the street 5 doors to 276 Park Road. The soon to be “old school address is 262 Park Road.”
One of the important benefits of moving is that we will have a better buffer between the street and the front door. This is important because it improves our ability to keep the children in our SuperKids Academy Karate and Jiu Jitsu program safe. As a parent with children who train, my preference is to not have a driveway immediately outside the door. I’m not complaining here. I have really liked the space we are in. However, with the new space, we will be able section off a “safe” area where our children and families can transition to and from Karate and Jiu Jitsu class more easily.
The improvement in our position will require that we function with a smaller changing room and one bathroom instead of two. The mat area will be a little longer and a little narrower. Generally, the space will be a little more efficient all the way around. That will help us keep costs as low as possible, another important consideration.
The new Jiu JItsu school will look a little different. We are installing a rack and some equipment such as heavy bags and double end bags.
There will be a much improved observation area with more seating, a cozy little electric fireplace and a coffee machine. Please enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and a snack by the fire with a friend or training partner. We installed a very good water filter. It filters water as good, if not better than the water people buy in the store from various so called “springs.” Those little plastic bottles we all throw away will be banned in the West Hartford Gracie Jiu Jitsu school. It occurs to me that self defense has to be more about others than ourselves. It has to include a concern for our environment. Throwing bottles in the land fill hurts future generations and wastes our resources. Please get a reusable water bottle and fill it up over and over. Its the least we can do. Also, drink water close to the source.
Drink water close to the source…on that note, you will see a picture in the new school from each of Royce’s fights and what that fight reveals or “points to.” You’ll see what i mean when you get here. There are also four pictures to the right immediately when you walk in. The first is titled AUTHENTIC. Its a picture of me training with Grandmaster Helio Gracie. Royce’s father has been very kind to me over the years. He always treated me like part of the family. I have an extreme sense of loyalty to him and Royce. When you are a member with Royce Gracie Jiu JItsu and MMA, you are as close to the source as you can get. Alot of people make a lot of fancy claims. Even some of my and Royce’s prior students. Those who are on our team are in the flow and spirit of the brilliant creation of Helio Gracie, the authentic origin of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the most proven form of self defense in the world. Those who are not on our team are not. They are just doing their own thing and riding on the coat tails of the rest of us who are true to the process. More on that later.
Please join us in the new school. Invest time to just sit and reflect on the pictures and qualities they represent. Enjoying the company of new and old friends is an important part of the training experience.
We are enhancing our schedule. We are adding dedicated Royce Gracie MMA Stand-up Kickboxing classes for self defense, competition, and fitness on Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30pm. Please wear gi pants or shorts and a Gracie Jiu Jitsu t-shirt. If you don’t have any Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu stuff, see Janis and she will hook you up.
Also, we realize that we have many members who have spouses and significant others who want to work out, but who do not necessarily want to do martial arts. To support our members more deeply, Janis, Paul, and Katie have become certified to teach Zumba. Zumba is a fun way to get fit. For our current members, we are giving a complimentary one month unlimted Zumba pass. You can give your pass to your spouse or significant other to use for Zumba, or you can use it yourself. Go to www.WestHartfordZumba.com for more details.
We will officially start in the new space on Saturday October 31
Let’s get together for a house warming and pizza party Saturday October 31. We will have a childrens self defense class at 9:00am; a trial Zumba Party class open to adults and kids at 10:00 and adult jiu jitsu open training at 11.
Then join us for pizza and open house from 12 to 2.
(Also, we are going to shift the Saturday night sparring class to a 5:30 start time beginning this Saturday in the new space).
The event and food is complimentary. Please RSVP with Jannie at 800 260 0981so we can plan the food.
We really appreciate your participation over the years and hope that the changes in space and the schedule of activities work well for you. Thank you in advance for your support.
If you received this and you are not a member, get off your hiney and get signed up! Learning the best self defense in the world is its own reward, and in this day and age, if you care and feel loyal and responsible to at least one other person aside from yourself, then it is your sacred duty to be training.
See you on the mat, or at tea.
Warm regards,
Jim Hughes
Jim@gracie-jiu-jitsu.com
Posted on September 10, 2009 - by Jim Hughes
Royce Gracie MMA Tournament, RAIN or SHINE, September 12, get details here!
Have fun and improve your jiu jitsu, MMA , and self defense skills in the best tourny ever —The World Series of MMA.
Join us Saturday September 12, 2009 RAIN OR SHINE for the action packed Sting Grappling & Gi Competition. This event is for Royce Gracie MMA Members & Friends: www.WorldSeriesOfMMA.tv for details.
SuperKids-Academy Parents and all members who are parents or aunts or uncles: Please note, Paul Bratslavsky will be teaching a special class the morning of the tournamnet, Saturday Sept 12, in the ring for your kids. Please come for class at 9:00 at our outdoor arena in East Windsor. West Hartord Morning Class will be cancelled for this special event.
Then, everyone, after the tournament, drop what you are doing and get yourself to Puerto Rico September 18 and 19 for the Royce Gracie MMA Beach Seminar at our favorite hotel, La Concha in San Juan: www.gracie-jiu-jitsu.com/locations/puerto-rico/ for details.
In the meanwhile, here’s something to think about:
I hope that peace and love prevail in our world. I want that for my children. I want it for my students. But, as Royce said to me once while we were driving in the middle of the night from one place to the next: “we can live in peace BECAUSE we are willing to fight.”
Our families need us to be ready and willing to fight. And if we die doing so, we need loyal friends standing behind us willing to step up and throw it down.
Its time to test your skills. You won’t know if you don’t. That little nagging question in the back of the mind…what if…??? How will I…??? Can I…??? What if I get creamed…??? What if…I can’t do it…If I lose…if I die…???
These are familiar questions.
I won my first jiu jitsu competition years ago at the Gracie Jiu Jitsu National Tournament that Royce ran out in California. I got the bug.
By just being tenacious, I caught each of my opponents and won my division. The next day, in the absolute division, I was knocked out of the brackets in the first round when I was caught in a choke by Dave Gomez from Michigan. I learned more in the match I lost than in all the ones I won combined.
But overall, I especially learned about those persistent little thoughts that run at the back of one’s mind and how it is really just a bunch of chatter.
None of my opponents were as big as I pictured them. Nobody swung me around by my feat and spun me on their finger and crushed me like a bug under foot. Most were just like me. A little nervous. A little distracted. Wanting to prove themselves. Tuff in ways they did not understand and not so tuff in the ways they thought they were.
That’s competition. You come face to face with yourself. Its not about winning (although I recognize we all like the idea of winning). Its about stepping on the mat in a unpredictable situation and seeing how you react. You see yourself from the inside out. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Competition is the only mirror of it’s type.
A little sore, a little tired, a little under the weather? Enter anyway. The conditions for a battle are never perfect, and, in self defense you’re always at some disadvantage. Just the practice of competing even when you don’t feel too great will make you better. Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu and MMA is all around good medicine. i have a good story about entering a tournament shortly after getting lyme disease. Ill tell you sometime.
Our tournament is dedicated to Grandmaster Helio Gracie. He loved competition. But he also really disliked what had become of his art in Brazil where the emphasis shifted towards point strategies and stalling to win.
This tournament, and our network of schools, are for those who stand with me in true loyalty to Royce and his father, the direct source and the spring from which MMA sprang.
The last tournament that I personally competed in is one i will never forget. I took third place as a purple belt in the Gracie Jiu Jitsu National Tournament. It was the last one Royce ran. There were a lot of very good guys in the purple belt division. It was not like the tournaments you see nowadays where they have all kinds of divisions based on age and weight and the length of your hair. I understand why tournaments are organized like that. With many divisions, virtually everyone ends up walking around with some kind of medal one way or another. Everyone feels they are the champion. If you want 1000 people to show up to a tournament make sure to have 1000 divisions so each and every person can say they are the champion. everyone can focus on their weight and how much they had to lose to get into their “ideal” fighting shape. Then there are all manner of excellent excuses for why things did not go so well “ya, I was tired from being so deyhdrated from trying to make weight
” or, “that guy obviously walks around at 210 and somehow dropped to 159 and a half… if only…then…LET ME SAY THIS ABOUT THAT: IF YOU ARE TRAINING, YOU ARE ALREADY A CHAMPION. BY YOUR ACTIONS YOU HAVE MADE YOURSELF PART OF A UNIQUE GROUP OF PEOPLE AND YOU ARE THE CREAM OF THE CROP — WHETHER YOU COMPETE OR NOT! Whether you win today or lose. It does not matter. The only thing that matters is that you keep showing up and dont give up. Dont compete for medals or awards. Do it because its really fun and to improve your skills. It does not matter who your opponent is, how much he weighs or how much you weigh or even the length of your hair or how long you have trained. What really matters is something different. You have to find what that is.
Anyways, back to my story. Royce’s father, Grandmaster Helio, was there at the head table observing all the action. He came to me after I lost one of my matches and said “your jiu jitsu very good.” in his distinctive Brazilian Porteguese accent. I didn’t expect to hear that especially when I lost a match. After reflecting on it, it occurred to me that it is not about winning, but more about what we bring to the situation. The attitude we demonstrate, the attitude of perserverence and patience and the willingness to keep in there. The attitude of complete joy in what we are doing, especially, when under pressure and when things are not going well. There is more to the story about what happened that day, but, i will have to tell it another time.
With the help of Perry Siegel, our tournament director, we created our tournament, called the World Series of MMA and Sting Grappling, in honor of Helio Gracie. I know he will be there in spirit with us Saturday September 12.
Come and join in the only competition experience of its kind Saturday September 12 at Sofias Plaza behind Royce Gracie MMA, 122 Prospect Hill, East Windsor CT. Exit 45 off 91. Turn right. Go up the hill. Turn right just after the light and weave your way to the back parking lot. You’ll see our outdoor arena in the way back. We have a nice grassy hill overlooking the ring set up. So you might bring a towel or picnic blanket. Ask anyone who has competed. There are no other tournaments like the one we have put together for Royce Gracie MMA members and friends. Its fun. It moves at a good pace. You get a lot of matches. There is no BS. Its friendly because we are among friends.
We are running two divisions:
1. Gi (plain white, or Atama, or, Royce Gracie MMA Brand only)
2. Sting Grappling (No Gi ), wear plain board shorts and royce gracie t shirt. Any t shirt from one of our prior college MMA Challenge or World Series of MMA events. Plus, we will give you a competition t shirt when you show up.
It is organized very simply: As an absolute pool. You will be assigned a 5 person division randomly. The are no weight classes or belt divisions. You have a match with every person in your division. You earn points each time you do something productive, if there is not a submission, then the match is decided by referee decision based on points. The way the match is won determines how Grand Points are awarded. The Grand Points accumulate throughout the day and determine who advances to the finals. The finals are held in the big raised competition ring and two Grand Champions (Gi and Sting Grappling) will rise to the top.
(Note: 87 % of matches have been decided by submission in the 10 events we have run. The fighters show up to fight. We don’t have stallers and point specialist because you are actually at a disadvantage if you organize your fight plan that way. This is why I know that Helio Gracie is smiling down upon our efforts). Also, thank you in advance for not whinning or complaining. I have never once heard Royce complain about anything except my driving. So in the spirit of good all around positive Royce Gracie Attitude, and the fact that this is a family oriented event, we expect only good sportsmanship at all times.
In addition, to GRAND CHAMPION medals for the absolute Gi and Sting Grappling finalists, medals will be awarded for the top preliminary tournament point holders according to the following categories:
1. White Belt Gi
2. Blue Belt Gi
3. Purple Belt Gi
4. Women Gi
5. White Belt STING GRAPPLING
6. Blue Belt STING GRAPPLING
7. Purple Belt STING GRAPPLING
8. Women STING GRAPPLING
9. Person with longest hair (sorry, that division had to be cancelled, CaveMan Mike Sanders is back from Florida and he got his hair cut)
Any questions, talk with our Tournament Director Perry Siegel the day of the event.
Go to www.WordSeriesofMMA.tv for further details and for the link to purchase tickets. Early Registration is $40 to compete and $10 general admission
Posted on August 21, 2009 - by Jim Hughes
UCONN Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu and MMA Club classes restart for school year
Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu Blackbelt Jim Hughes and Coach Sonny Parlin, appeared at UCONN last Friday at 7:00 for the first class of the fall semester at UCONN. Students are expected to return this week and we are looking forward to a great year at he club. Sonny Parlin will be assisting Jim Hughes in running the practices. Get Sonny’s cell phone by signing up on the email list (above) and call to set up an initial trial lesson appointment at UCONN or at any of our great locations throughout New England.
Posted on July 12, 2009 - by Jim Hughes
Royce Gracie, Brazilian Jiu JItsu and MMA Legend, Appears at UFC 100
From UFC 1 to UFC 100, one name stands above the rest. Royce Gracie. Royce Gracie, the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Master, took a break from his vacation in Spain to be present at UFC 100. As most know, Mr. Gracie appeared in UFC as a fighter and dominated the field with an amazing display of his family’s then little known martial art they called Gracie Jiu Jitsu. “UFC 1 was the historic demonstration of a strategy that gave the smaller person a chance against a bigger stronger opponent” says Jim Hughes, Royce Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt stationed in Connecticut.
Indeed, Gracie’s demonstration of his amazingly effective martial art set the world on fire with the desire to learn and practice practical self defense. As a result, a new genre of martial art was born —Mixed Martial Arts or MMA. “Lets keep in mind, the foundation of what is now called MMA is Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu” says Hughes.
The father of MMA, Royce Gracie enjoyed the event immensely and will return to Spain to be with his family for the summer. He intends to conduct a few seminars while away. More details can be found at www.gracie-jiu-jitsu.com and www.RoyceGracie.tv.
Posted on June 29, 2009 - by Jim Hughes
Children’s Summer Karate, Jiu Jitsu, Martial Art, and Gymnastics
Children’s Summer Karate Jiu Jitsu and Martial Art Summer Camp Class Starts up at West Hartford and East Windsor CT Royce Gracie SuperKids.
Paul Bratslavsky, co-creator with Jim Hughes and Royce Gracie MMA, announces the opening of the 2009 afternoon and saturday summer camp. “Assistants, Katie and Janis are eager to help parents give their children a fun, safe, and meaningful summer experience” reports Mr. Bratslavsky.
Judith, a West Hartford parent from last summers martial art camp, said “my kids loved the SuperKids Karate Classes. They learned all kinds of martial arts like Brazilian jiu jitsu, judo, kick boxing, and kung fu. It was really neat because they also learned about gymnastics and tumbling and dance. I liked that I have an extended time on Saturday to get things done and have a coffee with my friends while my kids are at their Karate class. They really had a lot of fun and can’t wait for the new summer program.” More details can be found at superkids-karate.com or by calling 800 260 0981
Posted on June 22, 2009 - by Jim Hughes
World Series of MMA Sept 12 featuring STING GRAPPLING (TM)
World Series of MMA will be held Sept 12, 2009 at Sofias Plaza, East Windsor CT. A gi division, as well as STING GRAPPLING ™ will be featured and available for competitors to enter. this event is for members of Royce Gracie Network worldwide and invited guests. Go to www.WorldSeriesofMMA.tv for details
Posted on June 22, 2009 - by Jim Hughes
Happy Fathers Day! Members, Buy a Private Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA Lesson and Get 1 FREE
In honor of our parents and mentors we are extending a gift to our members of the Jim Hughes and Royce Gracie Self Defense and MMA New England Network. Please buy a a private Gracie Brazilian Jiu JItsu and MMA lesson and get one for free. You can bring a friend to your private. This offer is good for purchases for one week until June 28. STack up your private lessons now and use them anytime you want.
Its easy! go to www.gracie-jiu-jitsu.com click on the private lesson tab at the top. Make a note in the comment section of the order form that you are buying the Fathers Day Private Lesson Special. You can also give these as a gift. Just mention in the comment who it is for.
You can then schedule your time with the head coach of your choice by calling them directly or calling Janis at 800 260 0981. Josh Randorf has some available time to work with you on your stand up or ground game. He is very good at private lessons.
Bring your receipt to you first lesson and give to Josh, or, other coach you schedule your lessons with.
This offer is for members only. If you are not a member yet, what are you waiting for? Get in here and start training! Sign up in the next week (until 6/28) and get an extra bonus. Bring a copy of this email when you sign up and we will give you a free seminar class with Royce Gracie or Rodrigo Gracie next time they are in training with us. Members, refer a friend in the next week and get them signed up. they get the Royce Lesson and you get one too! plus, your get a FREE private with yours truly. You’ve got until 6/28 to refer you friends but you can use your private anytime you want (and you can bring a friend).
Have fun! Get amazingly good at Gracie Jiu Jitsu.
To your success,
jim
Posted on June 10, 2009 - by Jim Hughes
Connecticut Royce Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA congratulates Jiu JItsu and SuperKids Karate Instructor, Paul Bratslavsky, to Purple Belt in West Hartford CT
It was a jam-packed seminar June 6 and 7 and it seemed an auspicious day. The “Strawberry Full Moon” was bright in the sky and three Black belts were present: Legendary MMA Champion Royce Gracie; Pride and Abu Dhabi Champion Rodrigo Gracie; and two-time Gracie Jiu Jitsu National Tournament Champion Jim Hughes.
More details can be found at www.gracie-jiu-jitsu.com
When asked about Paul Bratslavsky, Jason said “Paul is one of most technical instructors I have ever had the pleasure to train with, I’m lucky to have him as a training partner. He is one of the best children’s instructors that I have ever seen.”
Congratulations also to new Purple Belt Paul Bratslavsky. “Paul is one of our best coaches. He really knows the art of teaching Gracie Jiu Jitsu and he is really great to train with, as we saw in his exhibition match with Charlie McShane recently at the World Series of MMA 109: The Gauntlet, in Hartford Connecticut” reports Jim Hughes. Many of his Jiu Jitsu and West Hartford CT and East Windsor CT Super Kids Jiu Jitsu and Karate class students were there to see his Sting Grappling demo”I am so happy for him” said his student Abby, about his promotion to Purple Belt.
“The guys did good,” said Royce Gracie regarding the seminar. Royce’s cousin, Rodrigo Gracie, flew in to Connecticut on a red eye flight after a long teaching tour, which included visits to Australia and Mexico. “Rodrigo Gracie has been a great supporter and mentor for me and I am very grateful for his dedication to helping us here in Connecticut and Massachusetts. He is a great example of the Gracie Family’s dedication to helping people learn their amazing system of Self Defense. Rodrigo could have stayed at home resting before his next teaching tour, but instead, he flew all night and invested 4 days of his own personal time to show up here and help out entirely out of the kindness of his heart,” says Jim Hughes.
Its not often you see 3 black belts standing in the same room. It is also rare to see 3 brown belts in the same room. Jim Harpe, Agawam MA Gracie Jiu Jitsu coach, Joe Pascucci, West Hartford Gracie Jiu Jitsu coach, and Jeff Reese, Jessup PA Gracie Jiu Jitsu coach were all on hand for the seminar and Promotion. Also in attendance was long time friend and student of the Gracie Family, Mark “Cave Man” Brunetti. Mark and his brother Steve were the original guys in Jessup PA and pioneered the way there by representing the Gracie Family in a very deep and Soulful way. There would be no Gracie Jiu Jitsu in northern PA without the efforts of Mark Brunetti, and, he has been a big influence on me personally. We were honored that he joined us at the seminar for the promotion of Paul Bratslavsky. All around, it was an historic day in a number of respects,” says Jim Hughes.
Posted on June 8, 2009 - by Jim Hughes
CT & MA Royce Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA Seminar Photos Are Up
Check out jiu jitsu training pictures from the seminar at the East Windsor and West Hartford CT Jiu Jitsu & MMA schools Royce Gracie June 2009 seminar weekend. If you had your picture taken with Brazilian Jiu JItsu and MMA legends Royce Gracie or Rodrigo Gracie, you should be able to find them in this group of photos. If you are a ROyce Gracie Jiu JItsu member in CT, MA, NY, RI, or PA looking to download a larger size photo, you can also access the photos on flickr here. Thanks very much to Royce and Rodrigo for teaching us!
Posted on June 3, 2009 - by Jim Hughes
Royce Gracie June 6 and 7
Learn Gracie Jiu Jitsu Self Defense and MMA with the father of MMA, Legendary ROYCE GRACIE:
Its open to members of the worldwide network of Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Self Defense and MMA schools. If your not a Royce Gracie Network member just send me a note of introduction and I will let you in (after I check with NASA to confirm you’re not an astronut). Come and train with Legendary Royce Gracie, the father what everyone seems to be calling MMA these days.
Here’s the Royce Gracie seminar schedule:
1. Saturday June 6: EAST WINDSOR, 2 North Road
ROUTE 140 & 5, EXIT 45 OFF I-91
10 to 12: Fundamentals of Self Defense and MMA the Gracie Family way. White Belts and above. Open to public via advance note of introduction to jim at gracie-jiu-jitsu dott comm
2 to 4: Intermediate Self Defense and MMA strategy. Blue Belts and above. Open to public via advance note of introduction to jim at gracie-jiu-jitsu dott comm
4:30 to 6:30 Advanced Self Defense and MMA principles. Blue belts with one stripe and above. RGJJ NETWORK MEMBERS ONLY.
2. Sunday June 7: WEST HARTFORD, 262 Park Road.
10 to 12: Fundamentals of Self Defense and MMA the Gracie Family way. White Belts and above. Open to public via advance note of introduction to jim at gracie-jiu-jitsu dott comm
3 to 5: ADVANCED Self Defense and MMA strategy. Blue Belts with TWO STRIPES and above. RGJJ NETWORK MEMBERS ONLY
Seminar Info
