We had been looking forward to Roy’s visit with anxiety. Will this American be able to make a good show of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? How will his visit compare to earlier visits of “Brazilian” instructors? Of course, we had heard that Roy was an excellent instructor. However, what you hear is not always true.
I had the opportunity to stay in Brazil for a while and observe their culture and lifestyle. Although there are many advantages to their easygoing lifestyle, I prefer to rely on a more disciplined approach to training. I desire an instructor who can create a solid Jiu Jitsu organization here in Poland.
Roy arrived in Poland on the exact date and the precise time that he told us. In this way, he distinguished himself from the “other” instructor who had previously come to Poland.
Before the seminar, Roy taught a lot of private lessons. He showed us so many techniques that we could not remember all of them. Although the techniques were really interesting we had to explain to him that in Poland contrary to other countries it is more important quality than quantity and we would prefer him rather channel his efforts to developing our skills than to give us a lot of knowledge. Roy promised us that on the day of the seminar, he would focus on improving our skills. As he promised, Roy devoted the first day of the seminar to escaping from the mounted position and passing the guard. The techniques were mostly interesting and something new for us.
On the second day, in the morning, Roy taught us how to attack from the guard as well as how to stop the opponent who tried to break this technique. It was a very interesting combination. In the afternoon, the training consisted of striking techniques, and how to close the gap with a combination of low kicks and takedowns.
All the students who attended the seminar were very satisfied. In attendance at this seminar were representatives from all four (4) Brazilian Jiu Jitsu clubs in Poland (as well as Middle / Eastern Europe) and a large number of practitioners from Lithuania and Slovakia.
Roy also conducts training at the High Military School of Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Numerous Scouts and Army martial arts instructors attended. They were also very satisfied with the instruction they received from Roy.
I could write much more about the way Roy teaches, how methodical he is, how much he cares for his students, how he cares about their individual progress, and obviously how precisely he can analyze every subject. These were very obvious for those who were fortunate to train with him while he was here in Poland. However, I think only a few people know what kind of man Roy really is. There are two things about Roy that struck me:
First, he decided to tell me about his weaknesses and worries he had come across in his life (not everybody is strong enough to do this). Secondly, when Roy was about to leave for his train, I made a mistake about the time and location of his departure. Roy was almost stuck in Poland! (The situation was a mess, quite complicated.) During the whole mishap, Roy was trying to find a solution to the problem, and he did so with a smile on his face (and trust me, nothing about the situation was funny at all). Roy did not complain at all. He even tried to comfort me! That’s a man!! That’s a master!!!
In the beginning, there were a few people who were against inviting Roy to come to Poland and teach us Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (they preferred “Brazilian” instructors). However, they have since changed their minds. They told me to forget about what they said before and to tell Roy how much they supported the idea of him coming to Poland.
I have come to the conclusion that once Japanese and Chinese were the only ones to teach martial arts because the others non-Japanese and non-Chinese were said to “not be as good as.” However, life has shown us that this is not true. I believe Roy is the best example that the man is more important than the nation!
Summing it all up, Roy’s visit was a great success and we hope to cooperate with him in future endeavors!
Karol Matuszczak