In this exclusive interview for DSTRYRsg Erik Paulson talks about where his grappling style came from, working with different schools and his new book.
Dan Inosanto told me once that he thought Erik Paulson was the best grappling instructor in the world. He seems to have taken JKD's principles and created his own personal style of grappling. I love it! Truly expressing one's self, just like Bruce Lee preached.
At 9:40 Advice from Eric Paulson to Wrestlers: 1. Train hard 2. Don´t flop on your back all time 3. Learn how to wreslte 4. Make someone put you into their guard 5. Don´t flop to the guard, unless you have a good one. 6. Learn how to transtion in a scramble. 7. More than anythin learn how to attack, attack, attack.
I have a sneaking suspicion that Royce Gracie deliberately didn't teach Erik any ground stuff, because the Gracies' at the time did not want anybody else to learn it. I am not surprised at the way Rickon treated Erik. Rickson is seen as the spiritual guru of BJJ, but if people listen carefully to what he says about other fighters, you'll pick-up on the tone bitterness he has for any non decent Gracie jiu jitsu grappler. Case in point: The complete denial that Kazushi Sakuraba was a decent submission fighter. In an interview Rickson completely denies Kazushi has any level of skill as a grappler, and just says he is "tricky". Well if submitting two Gracies who were born on the mat doesn't prove you are a decent grappler, then I don't know what does.
Davo Yeah, that's not cool on Rickson's part. I trained at the Renzo Gracie Academy in NYC, and one of only 3 photos in the main office there was of Renzo shaking Sakuraba's hand after he lost. Renzo's arm is in a sling, with a broken bone, yet he respects Sakuraba so much that he puts that picture up in his academy. Cool Gracies exist: Renzo is one of them.
@@demichael5815 yeah some Gracies are ok... Most are not by others accounts. I don't have first hand knowledge. Renzo is maybe the better one of the lot... but even he couldn't help himself and call Saku a jiu jitsu fighter after saku fkd his arm up. Self promotion of Gracie jiu jitsu over all is a bit tedious.
Sakuraba beat 4 Gracies and Kyoshi Tamura beat Renzo in MMA with Catch Wrestling. Both Sakuraba and Tamura were trained by Billy Robinson. The Gracies are well aware of the superiority of Catch Wrestling. They know that Rufion Dos Antos and other Catch Wrestlers were beating the Gracies since BJJ started. The Gracies are schemers who wanted to monopolize grappling and make the world forget about the greatness of submission wrestling.
I thoroughly enjoyed Paulson's honesty. Getting information out of the Brazilian Instructors in the early days was akin to pulling their teeth out of their mouth or robbing them of their money. They wanted everybody to play their loyalty game while everybody just wanted to learn the art from whoever would teach it. My experience with BJJ was not a good one. I unfortunately found an instructor who was only interested in making money and not developing his students. After several years, thousands of dollars , many worthless private classes I ended up learning more from a Renzo Gracie series of tapes than I ever did in class.Can you believe I became a brown belt and didn't know what a butterfly guard or half guard was? I learned about them in Eddie Bravo's book. But yet I went on to win gold medals at two Pan American games with the little knowledge I had. Goes to show you my opponents were probably learning less than me. Anybody know if Paulson's DVDs are any good?.
Erik is a true warrior, the politics of southern California "MMA" (JKD/GJJ/Machado JJ) in those days was as ruthless as the training was. These men changed martial arts forever and forced it into modern relevancy and efficacy . Much respect to all and thank you for developing and passing on things that shaped my life and probably saved it more than once.
Erik Paulson deserves respect, him and people like Dan Inosanto, Paul Vunak, and all the JKD instructors, any instructors from any style for that matter bust there arse so others can learn, they are real masters.You cannot put a price on what they know and do.
I also saw some BJJ schools belt inconsistently. I have trained in one school for two years, never got belted. But I was tapping out blue and some purple belts easily. At my age, sure getting a new belt or stripe feels good, but I have had black belts from other martial arts before, it doesn't mean much. I just want to learn and stay in shape.
I don't undertand why in the world these Mcdojos feel like none of their students should go off and compete in tournaments if the school doesn't ok it. Competition is not a real fight I understand that but it does help the art by working on reflexes and learning from different opponents. I myself have been kicked out of schools too for this very same reason. Its very contradicting when an instructor tells students that you have to venture off on your own to grow as a martial artist but when you compete without an instructor's consent they kick you out. NEVER GIVE UP people!
My BJJ instructor also started out with Royce and the Gracies. Then he too switched to training with the Machado brothers. He also indicated that there was a lot of strange politics involved with training under the Brazilians. He was a purple belt under the Machados for years, then they told him the only way he'd be given his brown belt, was if he became part of their BJJ franchise. He couldn't afford to, and they pretty much kicked him out as well.
They made him wait 10 years for black belt when he was already belted. Very loyal but what he said about having good training partners was more important is great advice.
disappointing to hear that some of the Gracies treated him like this, but this does not surprise me after the stories I have heard in regards to Rufino Dos Santos
@GHRepresent He's not saying don't fight from your back or train it, he's saying make them work putting you on your back. Sometimes a lot of fighters pull guard and it's too their detriment.
Awesome dude. Awesome fighter. Awesome coach. Awesome advice. Dude is Awesome on many different levels. I like his approach and logic. I quit jiu jitsu because I had some of the same thoughts as him. I always felt flopping to the guard was stupid and can get u fucked up in a real fight. We fight like how we train. Bad habits like flopping to the guard can get your head caved in in the street.
Typical of the Gracie's to double cross someone. They have a long history of thuggery and no moral compass. Royce and Renzo are cool, can't say the same for the rest!
He is at the level of Josh Barnett and Dean lister on the ground and add his stand up this is where he becomes one of the most dangerous men on the planet I wish I had a instructor in brockton mass like him in the late 80s early 90s
Eric PAuLsoN, one of the great talents in the MArtial Arts today. Got to roll with him a couple of times and learned A LOT from that. (Palm Springs Wilkerson Clan a looooong time ago) ;-)
When you fight without instructor's permission and represent school's name, you have to get instructor's permission. Why? Well, you represent the school's name and if you lose or act unprofessional, you embarrass the school. I suggest, join a good MMA gym and ask up front what their policy is on competing with school's name. I have been in tough gyms where the most of the people rushing to compete are people who are terrible.
See thats my point the bouncers had to step in. If I see 5 guys comin I'd think to run wether I was me or bruce lee. Its no tellin what people got in mind for you while helps on the way. Risk and reward.
I think he got kicked out because he participated in the world combat championship as a striker he did no grappling, he got his ass kicked. He is one of the most gifted grapplers and goes in as a striker makes no sense.
@MegaContest at the time he won it (90s)and the belt(blue or purple),it wouldnt indicate a great standard,good but not world class.World class is top 5 or so mundials black belt,ADCC etc.
@cmcampbell49 aye your right and thats the mystique of most grappling arts. I just think in relation to what erik was talking about catch wrestling probably wouldnt be the most effective street method. In all honesty you wouldnt wanna grapple with a stronger heavier opponent. Even between 2 wrestlers the stronger one wins. I just think ground fighting limits your ability to run if you have to. Case in point in would be pretty hard to side choke someone while his friends are kick the shit out you
@FFBKM07 You grab something .break it or choke him out, I used it against 5 guys once in a bar fight,they punched the crap out of their friend that I used as a shield until my bouncers stepped in.
i don't like this thing about not going to your back, well in a real fight u want to be on top but sometime u don't have that choice.U Have to know how to fight and survive from anywhere, how to get out, how to attack, from all positions.
Its good to be good from all positions but not all positions are created equal. I LOVE JJU and rolling around, but if its a "real" fight, anywhere not on a mat or in a gym, the ground is the absolute LAST place I would want to be. There are too many things that you can do perfectly, and you still lose because of any reason you can think of. You pin a guy and get ready to break his arm, his brother hits you in the head with a beer bottle. You get their back and sink in a rear naked choke, then he pulls a knife from his pocket and slices you up. You do a masterful takedown, but you hit a bystander's knee on the way and KO yourself. Somebody takes you down, you reverse it but roll into the middle of the street, and a car runs over your leg. Too many things can go wrong, even when you are the superior/more technical fighter. Now, does this mean stand up is the only option? No, shit happens and you need to be prepared, like you said. But if Im given any say in the matter, Ill stay on my feet. Even IF Im gettin my ass whooped, I can still (try) to run away. You cant run away when you have someone locked in your guard :)
@dagreatcapri82 he was never one of the greatest grapplers,he never won a single major grappling title,he was a very good mma fighter at the genesis of the sport.He is one of the great coaches though,am amazing amount and breadth of knowledge.
He's missing some information. The reason Rickson kicked him out of the school was because his performance was unembarrassment. He fought that contest with long hair and was dragged around like a woman all around the ring. At that time the Gracies were undefeated and I guess they felt that it would be a bad reflection on them as him being one of there students. So he had to go they were trying to build a brand.
