By Nick Gamez-Ramos
It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I am in my favorite place about to do my favorite thing: Brazilian jiu-jitsu! We’re lined up and chomping at the bit to get started with the Jaime Canuto seminar. Professor Eliot gives a preface and introduction to Professor Jaime Canuto and his impressive catalog of achievements in jiu-jitsu. Professor Canuto started the seminar by showing some cool details on how to improve our basic push-pull triangles. This was one of the first seminars I’ve attended, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. As we progressed through the seminar, Professor Canuto began disseminating his wizardry. I quickly realized that even my basic submissions and understanding core concepts could use a ton of work. Having the opportunity to work with a world-class black belt and seasoned competitor was not only extremely valuable for my skill development, but it was also incredibly inspiring.
One of the most memorable parts of the seminar for me was when Professor Canuto taught the class a balloon sweep from closed guard. The sweep was technically challenging, but very useful. At first, most of the class, myself included, struggled to piece together the details. Seeing this, Professor brought us all back in to a circle and was able to very articulately iron out the details. I have a vivid memory of successfully hitting the sweep and then scanning the rest of the class and seeing my teammates having similar success. This is what Easton is about. It’s about learning with each other, and becoming better together.
I was also fortunate to be able to train with Professor Canuto on multiple occasions while he was in town. Of course he rolled me up into a pretzel, and it was a humbling experience to say the least. However, what made it so much fun was how nice he was after each roll. He was so eager to give me advice and help me. He is a not only an inspirational athlete on the mat, but even more importantly, he is an amazing role model off of it. I noticed how kind and encouraging he was to everyone he came in contact with. It really was an amazing experience.
Next time he is in town, you can count on me being there!
