Students and teachers: Something that I have always been very proud of is the fact that all of my senior students are excellent TEACHERS as well as athletes. This is no accident. I deliberately teach them to teach. Quite often when I show something I ask them to teach it back to me and I play the role of white belt asking questions which they have to answer. When I teach, I always seek to teach the WHY as well as the HOW of techniques so that they understand its RATIONALE as well as its mechanics. The result is that all are very fine teachers indeed. The first student of mine who I promoted to black belt (I have only promoted a handful of people to blackbelt) was the inestimable Mike Jaramillo. He is a legend here in the basement for excellence of his game and teaching and mentoring ability. It is with great pride that Renzo and I announce he is now teaching a fundamentals gi class here in the blue basement every Tuesday and Thursday morning! Here I am giving him a beautiful Nepalese Khukuri blade I had made to my design in Nepal for all his great work and development over the years – I had it made fast and light and sharp – just Like Mr Jaramillo's Jiu Jitsu game If you are in town and wanting one of the best introductions to our beloved sport you will ever see – come by and see Mr Jaramillo's work! (Don't worry – he won't be carrying the khukuri knife – unlike me he has a warm and pleasant personality ) My sensei Renzo just awarded him his 4th degree this week – check out class and you will see how well deserved that rank is! And to all of you – when you learn something in Jiu Jitsu – teach it back to your friends as a kind of self quiz – nothing sharpens the mind like teaching. If there is no one there – teach it back to yourself. The questions you will ask and answer will sharpen your understanding and make you a better athlete on the mat.
