Submit: To yield or surrender. To Force your opponent to "Tap Out"
I've been wanting to do a blog about the Lloyd Irvin Rape case but, I'm a huge advocate for rape defense and prevention and couldn't come up with ANY positive way to present this. I'm always trying to push "Learn BJJ to Learn how to protect yourself against rape" and unfortunately this situation only says "Join Jiu Jitsu and get raped by your teammates!" This story greatly impacts the BJJ community and as much as it is a hard situation to blog about, I feel it shouldn't be ignored!
So...with some deep thought and research I was able to come up with something positive about this rape thing....
First: Meerkatsu, Tatami, and BJJ HQ have teamed up to produce a REALLY cool t-shirt-- the design is secret for now but I will give you a hint, it has a strong woman and a wicked submission-- and all proceeds will go to rape crisis and prevention. For both mens' and womens' sizes!
In the US, ONLY ONE HUNDRED will be sold through BJJHQ's one day sale. The profits will be given to RAINN, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. RAINN is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization and was named one of "America's 100 Best Charities" by Worth magazine.
In the UK, Tatami Fightwear will be making JUST FIFTY and profits from the tee will go to a rape crisis charity over there Details on this are not out quite yet but, I will put it out there as soon as I have them!!
Second: We can help as a community by helping raise funds to help victims and raise awareness of sexual crimes!
You can do this by donating to RAINN-
RAINN is an organization worth believing in. As the nation's leader in the fight against sexual assault, they've helped over 1.6 million survivors through the National Sexual Assault Hotlines. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice.
With your help, however big or small, we will make a tremendous impact. Just $10 - the price of one lunch - will help one survivor to take the first step toward reclaiming their life.
Please take a minute to check out my RAINN Page!
http://rainnmakers.rainn.org/onebluebelt
and for more info on RAINN and other ways you can help go to
http://www.rainn.org/ Hotline 1.800.656.HOPE
Also, I strongly recommend everyone read the words from former Lloyd Irvin student, Ryan Hall.
He writes an essay on the darker side of life under a cult-like martial arts organization. He implores us to take a deeper look inside ourselves and ask questions about what it is that is important to us, as decent human beings. It's a strongly worded and deeply heartfelt message that applies not just to martial artists among us, but to everything in life in general.
Here is the link to Ryan's essay:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/121007439/Open-Letter-to-the-Martial-Arts-Community
Here are some awesome charities that help victims of sexual violence:
Women Win
Equality Now
To SUBMIT in Braziliian Jiu Jitsu: The majority of submission holds can be grouped into two broad categories: joint locks and chokes. Joint locks typically involve isolating an opponent's limb and creating a lever with the body position which will force the joint to move past its normal range of motion.[2] Pressure is increased in a controlled manner and released if the opponent cannot escape the hold and signals defeat by submitting. Opponents can indicate submission verbally or they can "tap out" by tapping the opponent or the mat. (Tapping one's own body is dangerous because the opponent may not be able to tell if his or her opponent is tapping.) A choke hold, by disrupting the blood supply to the brain, can cause unconsciousness if the opponent does not submit soon enough.