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| A lot more were on the mat, but the seminar went on so long some ran off for tea! |
Read Evan Burgess’ review of Ben Poppleton’s seminar and interview with the first UK BJJ Black Belt. On the road to black belt, Ben Poppleton trained in Brazil in Barra, but first prepared by training ne waza with Judo Olympian Steve Gawthorpe.
Ben Poppleton, though frequenting Tenerife, also regularly tours the UK to teach with his detailed approach. I attended the night at Five Rings not sure what to expect. How would he do things? I wondered a lot about what it meant to be a BJJ black belt. It is no longer quite invincible as it had been in the past, but you can’t just turn up and get a BJJ black belt. In something so subjective as evaluating BJJ skill, it’s hard to work out what it is that makes BJJ so unique. A part of that uniqueness is that it allows the very weak, young, old and small a way to defend and defeat a stronger opponent. It isn’t quite like other sports or activities where your age automatically makes it impossible to keep up. Alex Ferguson was a great coach but didn’t have to prove it again and again on the pitch. With BJJ, you personally are on the line. So it was fascinating to see what Ben would do. Any BJJ teacher shows their personality by the way they teach, as their understanding of BJJ is based upon how their body works. Not everyone can do the same move the same way, but they can do the same move their way.
The first thing I noticed was the high amount of purple to brown belts on the mat. It was a statement in itself that so many higher ranks had turned up to the seminar. We went straight into BJJ movement, and this was shown in a rather unique way. We had to move horizontally, scooting from one hip to another. Then a more detailed stage was added, where we had to go back onto a knee and scuttle a little further. We were told to pay attention to how far we had moved. Considering BJJ is a game of centre metres, we had covered about a foot or foot and a half in this movement. After we had got this movement, a partner was added so we could see how the movement physically locked an opponent into a snap down. The shadow movement was great, and I would be surprised if anyone cannot remember how to do this after such a clear look at it.
After we had the basic move down, we were shown how to break an opponents posture, and on a minute scale how to adjust our bodies to end up in a Sumi Gaeshi position on the ground. Everything Ben was showing would have looked at home in a Japanese gym session taught by Oda himself. Of course, there was the issue of a resisting opponent. This meant we had to learn a few permutations. In a way, the whole session was like a flow chart. We were shown the most common counters or reactions from an opponent, and how to deal with them. A really great grip break was shown that could be used in almost all encounters on the ground. Essentially if an opponent had a grip of one leg and was pushing it so the mat, we’d scoot out and peel the grip with the opposite knee. Definitely something that gets people to let go fast.
Eventually, we got to the completed sweep, with a few sweep alternatives should the opponent get feisty. One of my favourite details was if the opponent tried to take your back from the sweep, you could make an x with your shins and turn their momentum into another sweep. I was lucky enough to train with two brown belts during the evening, and though I probably slowed them down, I had driven a long way so was determined to make the most of it. Being able to pick them up with the techniques showed they had great integrity.
After what seemed like a short time we lined up (must have been 1 ½ to two hours) and a black belt was awarded, then we went back to training. It was a heavy responsibility for the recipient, and it shocked the lower grades. Now there were three black belts on the mat. In the midst of our second wind of training the final line up was called, again a black belt was
awarded. It hadn’t felt a long time at all, but I looked at the clock and three hours had passed.
At the end of the seminar there were four black belts on the mat and a lot of people who’d made breakthroughs. It seems that the difference between a black belt and other ranks is not just their ability to do things, but also to fluently navigate one thing to the other. After the seminar Ben took time with a white belt to demonstrate for about ten minutes how to really make an element of the technique work. He was always keen to state you have to feel the techniques to understand them, you can’t just watch and be told.
Interview
What made you move to Brazil?
I had trained for a few years under Gawthorpe I did 10 times more ne waza than tachi waza,. So my stand up was shit whilst my mat work was improving. I’d started training with Mauricio Motta Gomes as well in Birmingham. Then he moved back to brazil. After that I linked up with Andy Williams in Huddersfield who was under Chen Moraes but he left for Barcelona. I was left with my training partners in Doncaster, and the guidance of Gawthorpe. Steve could tell that I wasn’t that bothered about learning the full judo spectrum, he could see that I much, much preferred the mat work and he just pointed out one day that I needed to decide whether I was going to have a good go at it, or just keep pissing about. The best mat work was in Japan or Brazil. I preferred the Brazilian jiu-jitsu concept more than the Japanese judo one. so I grabbed my balls and off I went.
You’re writing a book about your experiences of training Brazillian Jiu Jitsu in Brazil, is it hard to choose what to focus on? Are there some things you have to leave out?
The book? To be honest I’m just writing everything I can remember. I’m not going to leave anything out… Maybe change names, that’s all.
How can you improve your BJJ if you live in the middle of nowhere?
Not easy. First thing you need is a good training partner. Without that, you're knackered. You also need access to correct movements to be practicing. So you would have to venture to properly qualified teachers who teach well every now and then to pick up some 'homework'. Then make sure you practice the moves, .and even more importantly, make sure you, and your training partner spar positionally. So you both get a 'go' in every position. Then finally return to the qualified teacher’s academy every now and then to check your progress. In my humble opinion, this is only option you have if you’ve absolutely no access to a good academy. There’s no substitute for being right in the thick of it in a world class academy day after day after day. But if this isn’t an option I believe the points I made above are your best methods for improving.
You run week long residential training in Tenerife, how does that work?
Ben Poppleton, though frequenting Tenerife, also regularly tours the UK to teach with his detailed approach. I attended the night at Five Rings not sure what to expect. How would he do things? I wondered a lot about what it meant to be a BJJ black belt. It is no longer quite invincible as it had been in the past, but you can’t just turn up and get a BJJ black belt. In something so subjective as evaluating BJJ skill, it’s hard to work out what it is that makes BJJ so unique. A part of that uniqueness is that it allows the very weak, young, old and small a way to defend and defeat a stronger opponent. It isn’t quite like other sports or activities where your age automatically makes it impossible to keep up. Alex Ferguson was a great coach but didn’t have to prove it again and again on the pitch. With BJJ, you personally are on the line. So it was fascinating to see what Ben would do. Any BJJ teacher shows their personality by the way they teach, as their understanding of BJJ is based upon how their body works. Not everyone can do the same move the same way, but they can do the same move their way.
The first thing I noticed was the high amount of purple to brown belts on the mat. It was a statement in itself that so many higher ranks had turned up to the seminar. We went straight into BJJ movement, and this was shown in a rather unique way. We had to move horizontally, scooting from one hip to another. Then a more detailed stage was added, where we had to go back onto a knee and scuttle a little further. We were told to pay attention to how far we had moved. Considering BJJ is a game of centre metres, we had covered about a foot or foot and a half in this movement. After we had got this movement, a partner was added so we could see how the movement physically locked an opponent into a snap down. The shadow movement was great, and I would be surprised if anyone cannot remember how to do this after such a clear look at it.
After we had the basic move down, we were shown how to break an opponents posture, and on a minute scale how to adjust our bodies to end up in a Sumi Gaeshi position on the ground. Everything Ben was showing would have looked at home in a Japanese gym session taught by Oda himself. Of course, there was the issue of a resisting opponent. This meant we had to learn a few permutations. In a way, the whole session was like a flow chart. We were shown the most common counters or reactions from an opponent, and how to deal with them. A really great grip break was shown that could be used in almost all encounters on the ground. Essentially if an opponent had a grip of one leg and was pushing it so the mat, we’d scoot out and peel the grip with the opposite knee. Definitely something that gets people to let go fast.
Eventually, we got to the completed sweep, with a few sweep alternatives should the opponent get feisty. One of my favourite details was if the opponent tried to take your back from the sweep, you could make an x with your shins and turn their momentum into another sweep. I was lucky enough to train with two brown belts during the evening, and though I probably slowed them down, I had driven a long way so was determined to make the most of it. Being able to pick them up with the techniques showed they had great integrity.
After what seemed like a short time we lined up (must have been 1 ½ to two hours) and a black belt was awarded, then we went back to training. It was a heavy responsibility for the recipient, and it shocked the lower grades. Now there were three black belts on the mat. In the midst of our second wind of training the final line up was called, again a black belt was
 |
| Things weren't always easy, Ben had ten minutes with Roleta, who despite hiding his hand in his belt, didn't let up on Ben. |
At the end of the seminar there were four black belts on the mat and a lot of people who’d made breakthroughs. It seems that the difference between a black belt and other ranks is not just their ability to do things, but also to fluently navigate one thing to the other. After the seminar Ben took time with a white belt to demonstrate for about ten minutes how to really make an element of the technique work. He was always keen to state you have to feel the techniques to understand them, you can’t just watch and be told.
Interview
What made you move to Brazil?
I had trained for a few years under Gawthorpe I did 10 times more ne waza than tachi waza,. So my stand up was shit whilst my mat work was improving. I’d started training with Mauricio Motta Gomes as well in Birmingham. Then he moved back to brazil. After that I linked up with Andy Williams in Huddersfield who was under Chen Moraes but he left for Barcelona. I was left with my training partners in Doncaster, and the guidance of Gawthorpe. Steve could tell that I wasn’t that bothered about learning the full judo spectrum, he could see that I much, much preferred the mat work and he just pointed out one day that I needed to decide whether I was going to have a good go at it, or just keep pissing about. The best mat work was in Japan or Brazil. I preferred the Brazilian jiu-jitsu concept more than the Japanese judo one. so I grabbed my balls and off I went.
You’re writing a book about your experiences of training Brazillian Jiu Jitsu in Brazil, is it hard to choose what to focus on? Are there some things you have to leave out?
The book? To be honest I’m just writing everything I can remember. I’m not going to leave anything out… Maybe change names, that’s all.
How can you improve your BJJ if you live in the middle of nowhere?
Not easy. First thing you need is a good training partner. Without that, you're knackered. You also need access to correct movements to be practicing. So you would have to venture to properly qualified teachers who teach well every now and then to pick up some 'homework'. Then make sure you practice the moves, .and even more importantly, make sure you, and your training partner spar positionally. So you both get a 'go' in every position. Then finally return to the qualified teacher’s academy every now and then to check your progress. In my humble opinion, this is only option you have if you’ve absolutely no access to a good academy. There’s no substitute for being right in the thick of it in a world class academy day after day after day. But if this isn’t an option I believe the points I made above are your best methods for improving.
You run week long residential training in Tenerife, how does that work?
Tenerife only really has two seasons, spring and summer, so it’s a fantastic place for all year round training. Plus it’s not expensive like most first world paradises are. It seemed obvious right away that this all should be taken advantage of. So there are BJJ training camps in place now, where you can come alone, with mates, or family to train BJJ with me every day, and enjoy a holiday in Tenerife with the great weather and all that comes with it whilst you’re at it. Next one is in March 2018.
Do the British public know much about their own grappling heroes?
No!!! The British grappling community don’t know their own grappling heroes! I think it’s a mixture of British culture and a sign of the times. I think there’s a lot of folk in Britain that could point out in 2 seconds the favourite coloured underwear of some numpty from reality TV. Yet wouldn’t recognise Neil Adams if you bounced him on his head in front
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| Two British grappling legends, but do you know who they are? |
You have a holistic approach to your teaching and a great attention to detail. How did that develop?
My holistic approach? Personal injuries. I’d like to say that it was due to a spiritual connection I’ve always had. But that’s bollocks! The truth is that I was forced into looking at BJJ, and my life in general from a totally different set of perspectives due to injury and pain. When it comes to my attention to detail I’ve always been weird. Always obsessive well beyond what would be deemed healthy.
To find out more about Ben and stay in touch, follow this link! https://www.facebook.com/OldSchoolBJJBenPoppleton/
Train with Ben this February for a donation at this event in the South West! https://www.facebook.com/events/282630485584975/
