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Not in a bad way.
This guy is dedicated. I am just reading through an interview and this struck me as amazing, and ingenuitive.
Not only does he stay in the game with schooling according to "the system", but he also freed himself up from 4 or more years of brainwashing at the hands of the public education system, and freed up all his time for Jiu Jitsu.
http://www.grapplearts.com/Blog/2013...oals-and-more/
Quote:
Originally Posted by Keenan
Not only that, but he seeks the best training opportunities available to him. From training with guys in his garage, to hitting local schools to eventually moving to TLI and now to ATOS. Not many people have their life revolve around BJJ.
Damn.. Who here's wishing they'd done that too? Fair fucks Keenan.
ABSOLUTELY!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Garry
Keenan had his shit together at a young age. His parents obviously are ahead of their time too!!! NOT to many parents would be letting their kid as a 16 year old white belt leave highschool for BJJ. Very cool story!
Audio version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=LfMwETeCu78
Thanks Bobby.
I also like this part of the interview near the end:
Quote:
Stephan: As we’re finishing up this conversation I’ve got a question but it’s kind of weird to ask you this… You’ve been training so hard at a high level and most normal people can’t. Most people have a job. They’ve got kids. They’re lucky to train three or four times a week and they’re also starting out.
I’ll break this into two questions. First, what advice would you have for somebody who is just starting out? It’s their first week in Jiu-Jitsu. How could you help them along?
Keenan: It’s kind of like starting anything: the first month is going to be a little weird. Everything’s going to be completely new and different and at that point I think you should just stick to what your instructor tells you. Try not to do too much on your own. Try not to go and find the fanciest techniques. That’s probably the biggest thing. Fight the urge to go and look up cool moves.
You’ve got to build base first. I like to think that your entire Jiu-Jitsu game is a pyramid and the topmost peak of your pyramid are the fancy techniques and the cool submissions and the berimbolo stuff. Towards the bottom is the base; like understanding closed guard, and how to hold mount, and just understanding what happens when two people roll with each other.
You start trying to build a pyramid by throwing the top point of the pyramid on top first and start dropping those blocks then there it’s just going to be a big pile of rubbish at the end. So you’ve got to start with those fundamentals, thee foundation, and build from there.
I went through that as well when I started out – just looking for the cool moves – and my fundamentals suffered for my first five years or so. Who knows? Maybe that’s that the reason I wasn’t doing well. Then when I finally got my fundamentals sound, I started doing better in competition.
I’d say that’s the biggest thing as far as a beginner goes.
Stephan: Now what about somebody who’s been into it for a couple of years but again, can’t devote a third as much time as you devote toJiu-Jitsu? What advice would you have for them, especially if they want to compete a little bit, if they want to get better, if they want to eventually get their black belt? They already know that the black belt is going to take them ten years, 12 years to get…
Keenan: There’s nothing wrong with that. Jiu-Jitsu is a hobby for everyone, even the full time competitors. I do this because I enjoy it. You don’t find anyone out there doing Jiu-Jitsu because they hate it. It’s not one of those things.
Ultimately, it’s just a game. There’s nothing serious about it. We’re just a bunch of guys who found a way to fight without anyone getting hurt and that’s fun. So, we put on our big goofy gis and we basically just roughhouse for a couple of hours every day. And then there are a couple of guys who take it more seriously…
I’d compare us to professional video game players. It’s just a game and we – the competitors – have just spent a huge amount of time trying to get really good at a very unique and specific set of rules that make up our game.
And so if you want to get good at a game, you got to put in the practice. And if you have other things in your life that take away from you putting the time to get really good at this really complex thing, it’s just going to take you more time. And that’s not a big deal as long as you enjoy the journey. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.
I have fought the urge of dropping out to train full time many times, but I need to graduate so my family won't shun me for choosing to train instead of going to college.
4 more years of brainwashing?! Kurzy I thought we were friends, you gotta warn me of this kinda stuff! :confused: Am I being brainwashed right now??? &furthermore, am I going to be one of the brainwashers when I have my own classroom in the next couple of years? What symptoms do I look for, how do I treat it?!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Kurzy
I think Keenan is awesome and a testament to the idea of hard work paying off. However, how many sixteen year olds have the focus, grounding, and support system he had? Also, how many kids are dropping out of school to do bjj full time right now and have what he has to be successful? I think athletes like Keenan and the many kids who leave school early to enter the NBA or NFL are amazing, and I wish them the best, but what happens when you blow out your knee or have an injury that forever changes the course of your career as an athlete? I know you cannot succeed if you don't try, but what happens when you just don't have what it takes and have to explore other ventures? Once you leave school, the numbers prove it is very very difficult to get back. People do it everyday but it definitely is hard to futher your education (whatever that may be) when you've experienced life out of school. I guess Keenan can open up his own school or lean on his parents for support and guidance in the event of something unfortunate and catostrophic (although I truly hope nothing of the sorts ever happens). I've just witnessed one to many young adults go down similar paths and end up having it come back to haunt them. I think Keenan is an exceptional case and a great model for future kids looking to go down the similar path but for the most part is an anomaly when you truly examine his case. Hey, but what do I know, I'm just a brainwashed student :p
Im too cool for school
You tell meQuote:
Originally Posted by Josh Bodmon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jZHNjc4Xk0
at the 4 minute mark