Many people would say that a martial-arts, national treasure has, for years, lived a quiet and unassuming life in Lincoln, Nebraska. Unlike many would-be grand masters, John Roseberry has humbly sought answers on the floor of his dojo, and has trained and taught Asian martial arts for the past fifty-five years. He has never sought fame, fortune and has consistently shunned the limelight.
I spent a lot of time thinking about this post and what I would say about Shihan's upcoming 75th birthday celebration. Keeping true to Shihan's humble approach to life and not being one to revel in the spotlight, I will keep this simple.
Who: John Roseberry - Shihan
What: 75th Birthday Party
When: Monday, March 8, 2010
Time: 7:40 PM
Where: Sho-Rei-Shobu-Kan Dojo
We are celebrating Shihan’s 75th birthday with cake and refreshments at the dojo. Sensei Pitts is supplying carrot cake. People are welcome to bring other refreshments, goodies and birthday cards. We will also present Shihan with a gift from the students.
Spread the word so students and teachers know and have an opportunity to make a conscious decision to attend. I hope we can promote this in a way that attendance for this event shows Shihan how much he is loved by his students.
2/27/10
John Roseberry - Shihan to Celebrate his 75th birthday
2/26/10
Hell hath no fury like a woman Jiu-Jitsu fighter
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When was the last time you saw a, (spoken in a hushed voice) thirty-something mother, take the plunge and dive into the world of Jiu-Jitsu? For those of you who don't know Gina, she is one of only a handful of women who have braved the gauntlet of male students to venture onto the mats of our Jiu-Jitsu class.
Our class continues to grow, so it might be easy to miss some of the female students. If you want a lesson in how to use technique rather than strength or how to leave your ego on the edge of the mat, grapple with one of the women..jpg)
Gina began her martial journey at thirty-five when she started learning Karate. She earned her black belt last June. She is an avid competitor as well, winning gold medals repeatedly in sparring competitions at the Cornhusker State Games. She has also medaled in the Kata competitions.
She has been a regular student in our dojo's sparring class since its early beginnings. Gina has studied some Judo and dabbled in almost every other discipline offered at Roseberry’s Martial Arts Center. She did a short stint helping out with teaching the A+ Positive Kids Power class at the dojo (for 3-7 yr olds).
Gina began learning Jiu-Jitsu near the beginning of 2009. She caught the bug early and has remained a regular student since. Last June, Gina was interviewed on Athena Medusa about her Jiu-Jitsu journey..jpg)
We captured some great open mat footage of Gina yesterday, so I put together a couple of videos. I think there's some real value in watching yourself grapple. Of course, we are always the most critical of ourselves. Gina expressed some of her thoughts about her performance after watching the videos, but admits that it is a wonderful tool and an awesome learning experience. She talked about how she was able to see so many things in both the videos that she didn't even realize she was doing, and so many things that she should have been doing.
2/21/10
Random thoughts, common sense information, and advice for the average Jiu-Jitsu fighter
Contrary to what your significant other might think: Cauliflower Ear is a badge of honor; Getting cross-faced is not a look you get on your face when you’re upset; Snap, crackle and pop are not the cute little dudes on a Rice Krispies box; A gi is not an outfit, get-up, or pajamas.
We know if you have ever trained in BJJ and for how long. If you’re the new guy, it’s probably not a good idea to say you have trained for about a year if you really haven’t.
If you tap out a black belt, go buy yourself a lottery ticket. You've already beaten the odds.
Here’s how to not get tapped out. Don’t do whatever it was that got you tapped out in the first place.
More advice for not getting tapped out. If you had done what you were supposed to do to protect yourself, you wouldn’t be tapping.
Even better advice. Tapping is for sissies.
When you know everything you need to know about Jiu-Jitsu, you won’t have to waste anymore of your time going to class.
It’s not a secret technique if someone told you about it.
No, you can’t use your belt to choke out your opponent. Well, you can technically, but don’t.
If you’ve never suffered an injury, you’re not a Jiu-Jitsu fighter.
It’s okay if you don’t remember how you got all of your cuts, bruises, scrapes, scratches and that blood on the front of your gi.
Stay away from any Jiu-Jitsu fighter with the nickname, Sasquatch, Hulk, Shrek, Goliath, or with the word “Big” before his name.
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