Interview with Michael Jen

Michael Jen is a Black Belt in the art of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu under Joe Moreira. Michael now teaches in San Jose, CA where he operates his academy full time.
Aranha speaks with Michael Jen

When did you start training in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu?

       I started BJJ in 1991. This was before the first UFC. Actually, I never intentionally sought out to study this art. I took a self-defense class in college and the instructor did BJJ. After getting manhandled by the instructor on the ground, it didn't take me too long to see the effectiveness of the art.

I've been to California to train in the mid 1990's due to lack of diverse training here on the east coast. While I was training there, I visited Joe's academy and thought his style of teaching was excellent, but also noticed a large number of academies in that area. What made you decide to train with Joe Moreira over so many other Brazilian instructors in California?

       The first thing that sold me on Joe Moreira was the fact that he was so open and giving with his techniques. When I ask him a question, you I can tell that he doesn't hold anything back. Not only was this beneficial to my skill, but it was good feeling to know that my instructor was being honest with me.
The second thing as how Joe was not involved in the typical "BJJ politics". He doesn't get bothered by petty little things that many others instructors may get hung over about. I think that is why he and I get along so well after all these years.
Lastly, one reason I have stuck with Joe all these years is because he has shown a lot of loyalty to me as my instructor. I see so many instructors expect loyalty from their students, yet they do not show their students to same type of loyalty. Joe has supported and stood up for me in so many instances "behind the scenes" when I never asked for his help. I think that is a sign of great instructor and friend.

Some of your views on the importance of winning tournaments in order to achieve belts cause a stir in the BJJ community. Can you explain to the readers of JIU-JITSU.NET why you do not feel it is important for all to compete in BJJ tournaments?

       I really don't know why my views on competition not being an absolute necessity to achieve belts would cause such a stir in the BJJ community. This concept maybe it is shocking to some people, but it is very common practice.
For example, one of the instructors I had a chance to train with was Marco Mascimento. He is a 2nd degree black belt. Marco said that in his school in Brazil, there are quite a few black belts. Some of the black belts achieved their rank as a result of their competition skills. He said some had their black belts because of their teaching ability. Then there was the final group of black belts who were not good competitors or teachers, but had the rank because they had dedicated many years to their training and the sport. So given this fact, why does it stir up controversy when I say that competition is not necessary for promotion? I am not creating any new ideas, I am just stating what already exists!
The simple fact is there are no universal rules or regulations in regards to promotions in BJJ. Every instructor has their own criteria and reasons for promoting a student. Many of the people who disagree with my views are not even black belts in BJJ. So the bottom to line is this: when you become a black belt, you can decide the criteria to promote your students, but before then, your opinion doesn't matter!

Do you feel that it takes more than a good fighter to become a good teacher?

       I definitely believe it takes more than being a good fighter to become a good instructor. Fighting is about the execution of your physical and mental skills. Teaching is about the ability to convey information in a matter which others can easily understand. Fighting and teaching are two completely different things. Doing one does not prepare you to do the other.
This is no different than any other aspect of life. Look at our educational system. I am an adult who knows how to read, write, and do mathematics well. However, I know I am not qualified to teach an elementary school class to do the things I know how to do. Even elementary school teachers must go through a lot of training and schooling. Why? Because doing and teaching something are two different things.

I have heard you say that "new techniques" don't just come from Brazil. What are your thoughts about "new" moves?

       I want to clear the air about my comments on "new techniques" once and for all. I have stated 2 things about "new techniques".
The first is that innovation is not limited by geography. For example, I recall an interview with Renzo Gracie that I read on the ADCC News page a long time ago. The interviewer asked Renzo if he was teaching new techniques from Brazil. Renzo's reply was "no" and that he was teaching new techniques he developed in New York (where his school is located). My point is that innovation is innovation and something that is developed in one area does not make it more valid than something developed in another area. If it improves your game, then use it! The second thing I stated was that something that is new to one person may not be new to another. Given that this is possibility exists, I have told people to just be careful about believe is truly new.
I have NEVER said that new techniques do not exist or have not been created. That is something that my detractors have created by manipulating the above two statements.

Because I trained in Classical Jiu-jitsu and Judo, I feel that I understand some techniques better than people without that experience. Do you think your Judo training has helped/complimented you BJJ training?

       Well, my judo training has made me not feel like a pussy when I start my BJJ training from standing as I no longer have to just drop to the guard! Haa! Haa! ;) Actually, my judo training has helped me feel more balanced in my overall BJJ game. Throws and takedowns are part of the BJJ game just as passing the guard, the mount, submissions, etc.... is part of the BJJ game. Just as I would not develop a game that did not have guard passing skills, I did not want to have a game that did not have any decent throwing and takedown skills.

I had an opportunity to look at your website. Nice Job. I like the light saber sound, did I see you on Conan standing on line for Star Wars tickets? Anyway, tell us a little about your new association and its mission.

       I think I was standing in line watching you prance around in your Darth Vader costume. ;)
My association has been around for a little while a now and is slowly growing. I joke around and refer to my association as the "BJJ refugee camp". The reason I say that is because most of my members are people have been dissatisfied and fed up with how they were mistreated by other instructors. They are no longer looking for a big famous name to flaunt and have come to me for quality instruction, personal attention, in addition to fair and honest treatment. The mission of my association is simple- to treat students they way they should be treated, the way I would want to be treated.

Do you feel a lot of instructors are holding their students back? If so, why do you think they do this?

       Here on the west coast, there tends to be a little less "holding back" than other parts of the US. The main reason is that there are so many BJJ instructors here, especially in California, so you can't really get away with holding back too much anymore. There's a lot more competition here when it comes to business. 10 years ago, when there were not many BJJ instructors or instructional videos, the problem of instructors "holding back" was pretty bad. Personally, I think there is a lot more "holding back" in the midwest and some parts of the east coast where there are very few instructors, especially black belts. I'm not saying that all instructors from those areas do that, but rather that is tends to be more prevalent in that general area.
Why do some instructors "hold back"? One reason is money. The less they teach you, the longer you have to train with them and the more you have to pay to get more information. If person lives in an area that does not have many other alternatives for instruction, the instructor knows the student must accept whatever he teaches. Another reason is ego. Some instructors simply don't want their student to tap them or surpass them. They always want to be several steps ahead of the student and maintain superiority. I'm not sure what to call the last reason, but some instructors won't teach the good student until you have been with them for a while. It is as if they wait to see if you are "deserving" of good instruction and techniques.

You have a video series out, correct? How are sales?

       I have many instructional videos out now. Despite the bastards that tape trade or buy from bootleggers, my sales have been pretty decent. I plan to expand and promote this aspect of my business a lot more in the future. I hope to get it to a level one day that it can be my primary occupation. It's really a lot easier than running a school.

Tell us a little about what separates your instructional videos from others on the market.

       I think there's a couple things that separate my videos from others on the market.
First, I believe "flash is trash". This means that I don't try to impress my viewing audience just with flashy low percentage techniques that just look good. Though flashy techniques may be entertaining to watch, it serves very little use when it comes to the development of skill. I tend to stick with things that a student will be able to use on a regular basis and that is essential to their game rather than glorious, once-in-a-lifetime type of techniques.
Second, I believe my videos stand alone when it comes to organization and structure. Besides my attention to detail, that is what really makes my instruction stand out. There are many good instructional videos on the market that teach great techniques, however, I yet to seen anyone present material with organization and structure at my level.
Third, I am very conscious about not repeating what is already on other instructional videos. Even if I go over something that is very basic, I tend to present it in a matter that people have not seen before. I know what it is like to purchase a video and then find out it is filled with things you've seen on every other video. I try to fill my videos with a lot of information rather than a lot of talk or on a fancy production.
When I produce an instructional video, I make it to the best of my abilities. I don't hold anything back. I make a video that I would want to buy. In fact, I have had a BJJ black belt once tell me that I gave away too much in my videos!
I find that the few people who have been dissatisifed with my videos tend to be people who have purchase something that is below their skill level. On my website, I have a rating system that tells the comsumer the target skill level a particular video set is intended for. So, if a person purchases a video that is below their skill level, it is either because they did not read carefully or chose to ignore the rating.

Michael, Thank you for your time. It has been a pleasure speaking with you. Is there anything you'd like to add?

       Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts