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BJ Penn Seminar -
Sunday July 9th, 2006
10 Questions with BJ Penn
Lincoln High School - Portland, OR
Interview
by Michael Angelo, Photos by Mike Renouard
Thirty-plus Brazilian Jiu-jitsu students eagerly lined the huge wrestling mats
that covered the gym floor at Lincoln High as The Prodigy entered
the gym
accompanied
by RiseFC Promoter, Justin Kanealii, and by BJ's young protégé,
Albert "Always Bad"
Manners.
Although Albert had just lost an exciting
hard-fought
bout by decision at the main event the previous night,
he was
still on-hand this morning to assist Coach BJ with the seminar.
BJ went right to work teaching his class the importance
of passing guard. "You can never pass a guys guard if his legs are closed."
Accordingly, he started the class with several techniques on breaking a closed
guard. He followed with techniques on stacking, and passing guard from
different angles. BJ gave his students several options for each technique
he taught throughout the day, each built to maximize a fighter's position
while utilizing minimal effort against the force of his opponent.
   
BJ taught in a manner that was easy to understand, and didn't waste time
with idle chat. "Dive into the mat, the mat is like water", he would state
as he explained the body mechanics of a move rolling from inside
the stacked guard into taking the opponents back.
    
Although the techniques were not novice by any means, BJ laid them out in
a basic manner for step-by-step instruction. Rumor has it BJ is working
on his first instructional book, a rumor confirmed by his crew, as well as
his thought-out teaching approach. His Butterfly Guard Sweep Defense
is so basic, yet so effective; we were all wondering why it wasn't
common Jiu-jitsu knowledge already.
   
We caught up with BJ during a break in the action.
   
NWFS: Good to see you again
BJ! So, what's your reaction to Albert's loss last night in what was clearly the fight of the night?
BJ Penn: The fight turned out, in a lot of ways, the way I thought it would... with Keisuke being really good on the ground and trying to force the fight
to the ground. Albert did good, I'm proud of him, you know? He did awesome. You guys seen it. Of course I wish Albert won, you know what I mean? But it was a good fight.
(Laughs) It was a
frikkin' war! (All laugh in agreement) I think Keisuke got two good rounds in the beginning and Albert came on strong
in the end. Even though both guys
were dead tired already it was a great fight.
NWFS: What's next for BJ Penn?
BJ: I'm scheduled for one of The UFC shows in October. That's pretty much
set in stone.
(BJ wasn't sure of his opponent's name at interview
time).
NWFS: Who's your pick in the Matt Hughes - Georges St. Pierre bout,
and why?
BJ: I don't know... I think I might have to go with Hughes. If St. Pierre gets put on his back he could be in trouble, you know? So I think I'm going to have to go with Hughes. I think St. Pierre's got him beat in all the other aspects. They're probably just about as strong as each other. If Hughes comes on just lackadaisical and lets St. Pierre take him down, it'll be a longer night for Hughes. But Hughes is a great grappler, he knows what he's doing. I don't think St. Pierre is going to be able to stop Hughes if he takes him down & gets on top.
NWFS: Who are your favorite fighters to watch?
BJ: All of 'em. Fedor is my favorite, Wanderlei, Chuck, Minataro, all of
'em. I watch all the shows. I do enjoy watching the amateurs and beginners as well though.
NWFS: Can you tell us what you're emphasizing in your seminar?
BJ: I'm trying to give a seminar for people who've seen all the basic stuff, blue belt or above, a more advanced seminar - just because I know
this group of guys have been training for awhile, so I have to make it worth their
money - bottom line.
NWFS: How can everyone stay up-to-date on your seminars?
BJ:
BJPenn.com, check it out.
NWFS: Perfect. What's your favorite activity outside of MMA?
BJ: It was going to the bar (all laugh), but I changed that. Hanging out at the beach doing anything... checking out the waves, whatever there is to do...
NWFS: Do you surf?
BJ: (Grins ear-to-ear) Oh, I go...
NWFS: So, what's in your cd player right now?
BJ Penn: (Grins) Eighties... Totally Eighties... (all laugh...)
NWFS: If you were to give a young fighter the single most important piece of advice you could offer on making it to the big game, what would it be?
BJ: Never give up... plain and simple, never give up.
NWFS: BJ, thanks so much for your time!
BJ: Thank you bro, good luck with the magazine.
The mark of a good teacher isn't that he makes what he's teaching look easy, but he makes it easy for the student to learn, and evolve when practicing on their own. BJ was very attentive to his students' needs & made sure everyone felt they got their money's worth. If you have the chance to take BJ's seminar, I'd highly recommend it. Personally, I can't wait for the book!
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