Professor Ben Poppleton is a 3rd Degree Blackbelt under Professor Carlos Gracie Jnr,
He is the first Brit to receive a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from a Gracie.
As well as coaching in Tenerife, Ben regularly tours the UK teaching seminars in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. When he does so we always endeavour to get him to Lakes BJJ keep an eye out for his next visit!
To book your place Contact Lakes BJJ on Facebook or email sam@phoenixfitnesskendal.co.uk
When and why did you start training Jiu Jitsu?
I started training in judo in the mid-nineties. A friend and I did boxing and wanted to compliment it with some style of wrestling. The judo in Doncaster was a good standard and the north of England, in general, had a good pedigree for Judo and groundwork in particular. My tachiwaza (standing work) was shite, but I had a bit of a penchant for groundwork, and the first instruction I had was with blokes who were good advocates of solid newaza (groundwork). I started to train under Armlock legend Steve Gawthorpe too, so I did even more mat work. It was pointed out to me that if I wanted to ‘have a go’, it was now or never, and that the best groundwork would be found in Brazil. So off I went.
A lot of people train Jiu Jitsu, but not many can successfully pass on the knowledge in such intricate detail, like yourself, what is it that makes you such a good instructor?
I realised early on that teaching someone else is very difficult. If an individual is good at something, it tells you that they are good at teaching themselves. It has no bearing on how well they could teach another. I believe that its a misconception that the job of an instructor is to teach the individual… I believe its to actually help the individual to teach them self. People function on and at different levels and absorb information in a variety of different formats. The instructors’ job is to trigger the students’ ability to take in the info so that they can start the process of integrating it into their own physiology. It isn’t easy! Everyone in the room is a separate individual. I believe the mark of a good instructor is:
1. Having the correct information to pass on. Which I have, as I was lucky enough to have received instruction from some of the best ever.
2. Accepting that everyone picks up the information in a different way and that it is your job to find out how each individual does it.
Who do you credit the most for your passion for our sport?
Steve Gawthorpe, Roberto ‘Gordo’ Correa, Mauricio Gomes and Carlos Gracie Jnr
You have been reported saying that Jiu Jitsu is losing its brutality. What do you mean by this and why do you think the Brutality of Jiu Jitsu is important?
No one wants to see lads and lasses leaving the mats on a stretcher, but it’s also important that jiujitsu prepares us for the reality of brutality. I see many rules and regulations which do exactly the opposite. The rules save the competitor from injury, persecuting the competitor applying the technique. The defence to a physical technique needs to be a physical technique,…not a vocal one. Shouting “that’s illegal” doesn’t help matters if your adversary chooses not to listen. I live in the belief that the jiujitsu we practice should be applicable regardless of the adversary. That we should be able to apply what we train regardless of who is in front of us and regardless of their fighting style. Be it combat, against a man in a gi or without,….facing judokas or wrestlers, with or without strikes. This, in my opinion, is what makes BJJ so brutally effective, and I believe it is in danger of losing this brutality when its focus is only on a particular set of rules with particular formats. Jiu Jitsu is violent, and violence is brutal. Flow rolling is fine if you’re warming up, but it’ll do you no good against a 100-kilo lunatic hell bent on biting your face.
You have trained all over the world and now you have decided to settle and teach in Tenerife. What is it about Tenerife that made you decide on there?
Tenerife?
The climate and the relaxed living environment.
I’ve always liked the warmer weather, and I’ve got some bad injuries which just don’t play up when the weather is warm.
I can train every other day in Tenerife without suffering.
I also enjoy the language aspect too.
I have Spanish family and have spent a lot of time in the Spanish territories, and even though I could talk my way out of trouble, all things considered, my Spanish is a bit crap… The upside to this though, is that generally speaking in day to day living, I don’t pick up on 90% on what people are saying unless I tune into them… So, by default, don’t have to listen to the crap that people generally whine on about,….which is a bonus.
BJJ Camp Tenerife – Highly recommended
Professor Poppleton regularly visits Lakes BJJ to teach seminars. Keep an eye out for his next date here!
Bens Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/OldSchoolBJJBenPoppleton/
Bens book https://www.facebook.com/notes/old-school-bjj-ben-poppleton/surviving-the-gracies/1679617348726359/