By: Greg Lapin If you’re a fan of the 1990s action film “Ski Patrol,” you’ll remember one of my favorite sayings from the beloved, two faced villain in the movie: “Taste death, live life.”  As cliché as this sounds, there is some truth to it. We run around our daily lives in extreme comfort and without a care in the world or any fear of repercussion.  Our groceries get delivered, our food gets brought to us, our tailgates close on their own and the entire “real” world is available in the palm of our hand (sarcasm intended). Where is this all going?  Well. . . I have a solution to bullying.  I have a solution to road rage.  I have a solution to people being overtly selfish and massively inconsiderate. It’s called Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  Hear me out.  I have firemen, Police Officers, Navy SEALs on my mat and they all say the same thing: “This is the realest place I’ve ever been.”  The world is supposed to have repercussions.  That is what makes us smart, helps us learn, and makes us treat others like civil human beings.  Unfortunately, in our P.C., litigation happy world, that’s all gone out the window. […]

By: Greg Lapin Let me preface this ramble with: I am not a black belt. I am a 41-year-old, past his prime purple belt. With that being said, most would agree that I am not your average, washed up, 41-year-old purple belt. I’ve lived a life in Law Enforcement and Government Special Operations, I am extremely fit for my age and I train under some of the most monstrous Professors and teammates around. The mat is an interesting petri dish of personalities, intensities, respect, honor and humility. What are the rules of the mat? Sometimes they’re clear and others not so clear. This is my take—maybe not the correct one—but what I feel is the ultimate blend of hard rolling, respect and willingness to eat some humble pie. First date: you go visit another gym. All standard formalities are important, i.e. call the Professor ahead of time, show up early, ask about gi/gym policies, bring a white gi, be ultimately humble and respectful. Remember, you are a guest dining around a table of sharks. However, I want to focus more on the rolling/sparring aspect of things. If you’re slapping and bumping into every roll with the ultimate goal of tapping […]