White Pines Jiu-jitsu

One of the only things better than riding motorcycles is riding motorcycles to go train with good friends.

Gratitude and thanks go to the straight killers at New Level Grappling for letting me drop in.

OSS!!

Grasp your spurs and snarl at the sun!

Ride!

There is no respect quite like the respect that is earned between fighters who give their all.

There are no friendships quite like the friendships earned thru honorable single-combat.

Ryder Kinnear! Harjot Rai! May we meet again on these proving grounds!

OSS!!

Wrestling teaches us how to stand up and do single-combat with Life itself. It teaches us discipline.. willpower.. that there are no shortcuts to success. The only way through... is through! You fall down seven times? Stand up eight!

OSS!!

WHITE PINES MMA: "Catch these hands!"

We are thrilled to announce that the White Pines will be expanding its wheelhouse of martial training into the arts of both boxing AND jiu jitsu!

Our goal is to assist our students on their journey to become more dynamic and well-rounded fighters; capable of seamlessly transitioning from striking to grappling and back again as the situation requires!

So whether your goal is to become strong in the ring, the mats, or the streets... we've got you covered!

Inquire today and come train with our group in the heart of mountain country!

OSS!!

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contact: [email protected]

Happy Valentines Day to all my drillers and killers!

😍😍😍💀💀💀

When you find yourself smashed on bottom side control, remember Honey Badger:

When I first took up Jiu-Jitsu, I was not in a good place in life. But fighting became a tool to help me rise out of that.

Non-combat sports have never had this effect on me, and I wanted to articulate why that is...

If you play a game of tennis, or badminton... the worst that can happen is you simply lose that one trifling round. But in competitive fighting, you always run the risk of getting the absolute dogsh*t kicked out of you.

And what this does is it switches a part of your brain into "survival mode", which shuts off everything else. In other words, you don't have time to worry about your financial problems, or a difficult separation, or the old wounds we carry in our hearts, whatever they happen to be; when a determined adversary is moving forward and trying their hardest to smash you into the ground and strangle you and/or rip your arms out of socket.

And while for some that can be a very scary or stressful experience, especially in the beginning, I argue that there is tremendous peace and freedom to be found in simply existing within the single purpose of only that present moment...

Because as your entire world is reduced to just you and your opponent engaged in single-combat; all that anxiety, sadness, and regret and all that aggression you might feel towards others, and towards yourself perhaps most especially... it all gets forced back into perspective, allowing you to let it go, to heal, and rise past it.

Make every moment count.

OSS!!

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Photo in context:

championship round of the no-gi blue belt lightweight division.

This quote is from Musashi's "Dokkodo", a short work he composed a week before his death. It encapsulates the philosophy of facing one's fears and challenges head-on. The "hell" under the up-raised sword represents the fear and danger inherent in combat or any challenging situation. Musashi suggests that by moving forward in spite of these fears, one can enter "Paradise" or success. It's a powerful statement about bravery, resilience, and the rewards of facing one's challenges directly.

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Photo from this years "Prime BJJ Series 4" tournament, held in Burnaby. In which the Pines brought home gold in the no-gi division, and silver in the openweight. More photos and video coming soon!

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This passage from the Hagakure expresses the idea that a samurai’s spirit was so strong that he could still perform one more action with certainty, such as striking his enemy or shielding his lord, even upon losing his head by the sword. It was a metaphor meant to convey the samurai’s code of loyalty, honor, and willpower, which transcended their corporeal limitations.

Likewise in jiu-jitsu, we must also cultivate a spirit that helps us to overcome challenges, and to act with conviction regardless of our situation. Whether in training, or competition or simply living, we must always strive to perform that "one more action with certainty," such as escaping a submission, executing a sweep, or achieving our life's ambition.

This is how we honor and express loyalty to our highest ideals: by cultivating an invincible resolve that propels us into going beyond our corporeal limitations; a powerful spirit that is capable of embodying the true essence of our lineage -- a continuum of warriorship and devotion, steadfast and unwavering, both on... and off the mats.

OSS!!!

🌲🌲🌲

The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle.

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Fighting is rarely worthwhile and should be avoided whenever possible. A pleasant notion in theory, but the unfortunate truth is that we don't always have control over when we can avoid a fight. In other words, sometimes the other person can take that decision completely out of our hands. While I can communicate peacefully and attempt to de-escalate a situation, these efforts may prove to be futile when dealing with someone under the influence of drugs and alcohol or someone whose ego and pride are at stake, especially if there is an audience present and he's feeling embarrassed. Sometimes your opponent can simply decide that you're fighting, and that's it.

What then?

It's always better to have it, and not need it... than to need it, and not have it.

It's always better to be a warrior in a garden... than a gardener in a war.

OSS!

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Adult classes: Mondays & Fridays (6pm)
Kids classes: Wednesdays (3:30pm) & Sundays (11am)
Private coaching by appointment
778 909-1232
[email protected]
IG .pines.jiujitsu

"There is something to be learned from a rainstorm..."

This quote by Lord Yamamoto Tsunetomo expresses an ancient stoic principle about embracing the challenges of life with a resolute mindset.

The sudden rainstorm is a metaphor representing the unforeseen difficulties that we are bound to encounter along our journey. When faced with these unexpected difficulties, our instinctive reaction can often be to minimize their impact by attempting to avoid dealing with them altogether.

For many, this can sadly manifest as chronically self-medicating with drugs and alcohol in an attempt to numb ourselves; to drown our pain and seek a temporary solace or escape from life's gauntlet.
And yet, in spite of our futile efforts to avoid life's challenges (by quickly running down the road to avoid the rain, for example, or self-medicating to temporarily forget about our problems) we continue to experience their consequences.

The key is to cultivate an unbreakable will and a war-like heart; to be mentally prepared and resolved from the get go, embracing the inevitability of struggle in life.

Lord Tsunetomo says that by honing our resolve from the beginning, we can avoid becoming perplexed or emotionally overwhelmed when faced with unexpected setbacks. This mindset extends to all aspects of life and enables us to approach all manner of difficult situations with greater strength and composure.

We believe that Jiu-Jitsu, and the grappling arts more generally, represent an outstanding physical toolset for cultivating this invincible mind. Grappling is about surviving discomfort, staying calm in spite of discomfort, normalizing discomfort, and then eventually... mastering discomfort.

We invite you to join our circle as we seek to continue this time-honored tradition of smiling in the face of obstacles, and emerging victorious against all odds.

Let it rain.

OSS!!

WHITE PINES JIU-JITSU: introducing the little warriors youth program.

Here at the White Pines, the essence of our youth program's curriculum can be summed up by the meaning of the phrase: "respect all -- fear none."

Lets break it down.

Part one: fear none.

Every day, thousands of children across the country miss school due to fear of bullying and harassment. We take serious issue with this unacceptable state of affairs, and vow to transform every child that joins our circle into strong and capable fighters, more than adept at handling themselves against all those who would intend to do them harm. Because every child deserves to go along their way in dignity and in peace.

Part two: respect all.

However, we recognize that mere martial training on it's own simply isn't going to cut it; that it must also go hand-in-hand with the cultivation of higher, spiritual values. Values such as honor, mercy, discipline, respect, humility, teamwork, kindness, patience, hard-work... and a thousand other positive character elements! Because ultimately, our mission is not only to create better fighters, but better people.

For rates, scheduling and any other inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

OSS!

THE YOGA OF WAR: thoughts on Jiu jitsu, Community and the Divine.

Rickson Gracie said: "fighting is not a physical thing, but a spiritual thing."

The etymology of the word Religion comes from a few different sources; some of it's earliest meanings are: "divine service" or "observance"... Certainly in the sense of the word "worship" meant by the Saxons who used it to mean something worthy of giving reverence or the condition of glory; we can say that practicing Jiu jitsu is an act of worship. It's divinity is inherent, it's an act that brings us closer to the divine present not only in ourselves but in strength and combat, in the ex*****on of skill, the mastery of an art and in the practice of a warrior lifestyle.

As for Faith, the word comes from a root meaning "of trust" and "belief". There's no organized religion on Earth that puts it's systems and dogma up for debate quite like grappling and other combat sports. The sacred cows and structures of Jiu jitsu are constantly put to the test, examined and in some cases destroyed or replaced with a more evolved form.

The earliest translation of the holy Sanskrit word Yoga means "to yoke" or "to bind together". In a time when so many different options for religion are presented and everyone from comedians to professional actors are showing themselves as spiritual gurus, the question may be raised: what is spiritual truth? What kind of spiritual life is one worth following or devoting oneself to? If someone is desirous of a deeper narrative, and wishes to avoid the nihilism and meaninglessness of the modern world, where can they go for something real; something incorruptible; something pure?

My argument is they need to look no further than the grappling arts for an expression of unpolluted beautiful spiritual practice or Sadhana.

Jiu jitsu certainly qualifies as a form of Yoga in it's ancient sense, for if we examine the major themes bound together across either disciplines, a pattern emerges that many may recognize as familiar: breathwork, posture and positional control, bodily awareness, meditation, flexibility, the linking or yoking of things together; of technique to technique, the act of paying attention to the interaction between things, of cause and effect, and so on... All of those things that are integral to Jiu jitsu and of course to martial arts in general, make it clear that the term "Yoga" certainly applies to these endeavors.

For many long-time Jiu jitsu practitioners it is common to hear them refer to "their" Jiu jitsu, and their relationship to it, not as a simple martial art but as a way of looking at the world, a way of understanding things in a total lifestyle. This is a common perception in Yoga as well and there's a quote in a treatise on the subject that states: "for every man -- a different Yoga".

To dive deeper into this concept we have to answer the question... what is spirituality? Some say it is a belief in or a connection to something greater than oneself. Other interpretations put it in line with the framework of one's deepest values or convictions and still others say it's a word given to the ongoing search for meaning in one's life.

Grappling can certainly fill these shoes and it is an ongoing discipline that proves one's beliefs. Where organized religion is often more concerned with orthodoxy, i.e: correct belief, grappling is interested more in orthopraxy, i.e: correct practice. Theories by themselves in the fighting world don't hold much water until they are put to the test in practice, and someone can claim to love Jiu jitsu on instagram until they're blue in the face, but it'll be shown for what it is when they set foot on the tatami. Although no one can quantify how much of a Christian someone is based on their word, you can see it in the actions of an individual and the same holds true for fighting -- those who talk the biggest game are inconsequential to those who play the biggest game.

Jiu jitsu also allows a connection to this kind of spirituality, that is: one that allows the individual to extrapolate deeper truths and meaning from its practice and the mental exploration of this practice without dogma or discussion. In other words, it is a spiritual path that can be walked without the need for putting things into boxes or talking it to death. The simple moments of attaining the Flow state during a particularly smooth or mindless roll, the feeling of reward and invincibility after victory in competition, or the connection felt during training with a favorite partner -- these things are self-evident and wonderful without need for explanation.

Many adhere to a religious doctrine out of the need for Community -- another aspect that a good training group will fulfill admirably. This is one of the areas where gyms either attain with great success or fail miserably. Community and connection are two of the most important things to a human being and those places unable to provide this in a meaningful way for their members outside of the building itself are missing a vital factor.

Religion is also used as a form of alchemy; an improvement system for those adherents who earnestly practice the tenets of their system. Again I make the argument that Jiu jitsu solves this issue. I know plenty of terrible people who train martial arts... but I know very few martial artists who are terrible people. There's a distinct difference between the two in my opinion. Anyone can approach fighting systems as a blunt instrument, a tool to make war, and there's nothing wrong with this approach fundamentally. However those people are selecting only the fruit from the tree and are missing out on the root, branch and blossom.

A true appreciation for an adherence to the martial arts requires humility, respect, emotional intelligence and maturity, discipline, time-management, and a thousand other positive elements that the true and devoted practice of this art will foster and grow within the devotee.

In conclusion, it is my belief that an adherence to Jiu jitsu and the underlying art and alchemy of it, makes an individual who desires it to become part of something truly special: an unspoken and clandestine order of warrior-monks who use the art of grappling to answer their deep-seated need for meaning and connection, expressed without the requirement of a single word -- and this is a beautiful thing to be a part of.