The Impaired Grappler

Phillip Grapsas Black Belt under Pedro Sauer. Impaired with arthritis I do what it takes to stay on the mats as Stagnation Leads to Suffering. #impairedgrappling

My aim is to share my story as I work to become The Repaired Grappler in a natural way. 

I hope to inspire others to keep mobile using Gracie Jiu-Jitsu with a self defence mindset to help them find ways to grapple with impairments, metaphorically and literally.

Slaves To Consumerism

We are slaves without a cage.

Sport is used along with alcohol, advertising and gambling to keep us preoccupied and not questioning the status quo.

We are also shown a slide of hand where they dazzle us with entertainment, advertising and sport while the slow creep of total control takes over everything in our lives, one regulation at a time.

The power of the people starts with the individual. As individuals we need to take responsibility in our lives and not rely on the government’s scraps.

The more we depend on the government the more they will handle, keeping us 'protected' from ourselves while we feed on their materialistic teat. 

We are slaves but our chains have changed to consumerism and self doubt.

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Lessons From the Dark: Rules to Battle the Inner Chaos.

Be the “observer” of yourself and others. 

Be honest with yourself and the people closest to you. 

Be the person you think you are. 

You are not alone, the darkness spares none of us. 

Stagnation Leads to Suffering.

Be selfish. 

The Grass is Greener on the Inside. 

Do Jiu-Jitsu. 

Do what you have to do but do what you love as well. 

Take one step at a time and continually work towards a bigger goal with small daily steps. 

Try to do something that scares you every day. 

Live within your means. 

Practice daily mindfulness. 

Come to terms with your connection to food. 

Ask the question “Is it an ad?”. 

Hack your simulation.

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My Battle with the Darkness: Depression, Anxiety and Addiction.

This is a tale of someone who has always been middle class, skirting between upper and lower.

My tale represents an average person with a strong ethnic heritage, born into western society and should be a lesson that depression is universal within our culture.

Depression can be a cruel mistress, she will come to you from different angles, adapting every time you learn to recognise her. It requires constant vigilance to keep from tripping.

We need to address ways of smashing through depression naturally, rather than exacerbate the problem solely with pharmaceuticals.

I would never want to change or forget any of these experiences, no matter the pain or suffering endured, as it has been my greatest teacher.

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Invisible Jiu-Jitsu: The Power Of Connection

The real powerful Jiu-Jitsu comes from feel; the appropriate application of weight in the right spot, at the right angle, with the perfect amount of force, not too much but just enough to achieve desired results.

The way you look at Jiu-Jitsu is changed forever and you can find new paths that you never would have considered before.

If you understand the concept of connection and feel, your invisible Jiu-Jitsu will work in all situations

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Intersecting Perspectives

Living in a truly multicultural society and in having access to people from all over the world you get to see intersecting perspectives.

If you can focus on your intersecting perspectives first then you can build a relationship with a foundation of love and mutual respect.

Maybe when we do that we can truly be the open, caring, multicultural society we think we are, free from bigotry and hate.

 

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Inherited Consumerism

Today we are torn between our inherited consumerism and living a responsible, decluttered, low carbon footprint life, as is the new hip paradigm. However we are left wanting more, more, more. All driven by large social influences like corporate advertising, sporting heroes, musicians, Hollywood, political correctness, social guilt and more.

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Train Like You're Injured

The lessons I have learned over the past 8 years due to my impairment have put me in a good position to be able to stay on the mats ... I have found that if you train as if you are injured, you will find better and more efficient movement patterns.

You need to train yourself and also teach your training partners how to roll with you while injured.

If you practice rolling injured when you are not actually injured, you will have the confidence that you can roll with an injury.

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Train Like You're Bigger

This long-term delusion eventually shaped my method of rolling. In believing that I was bigger than I actually was, I eventually manifested a stronger or larger person's game within a smaller person's frame.

The experience of acting larger has helped me find ways of being strong without using strength.

Embracing the fear of egoless self reflection is among the hardest things a human can do and impossible to master.

Become the victor and reject the victim within.

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