I have been an active practitioner of Nami Ryu since 2011. I trained with James Williams Sensei at the Dojo of the Four Winds in San Diego, CA. During my time under him, I worked a lot with Jim O’Connell Sensei on the mokuroku, the curriculum from white to black belt. I also trained with Lester Cohen in kali and Systema. I eventually achieved the rank of black belt and Yudansha and took keppan.

I train with Jim O’Connell Sensei via Zoom as much as my work schedule allows.

Circa 2018, I began to dabble in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) on the side as a way to supplement basic grappling included in my Nami ryu training. Like everyone who steps on the mats, I had a great time doing it, got a good sweat and got tapped six ways to Sunday.

Those first few months, I found places to apply Nami Ryu, but due to the nature of the sparring/rolling of BJJ, was finding myself unable to apply it, or if I did, it was dumb luck.

Moving around to different cities in the country for work, I trained Nami Ryu and cross trained BJJ. Of course, I knew about how we would not want to roll on the concrete in the real world, yet again, I was getting tapped, a little less, but would only be able to find a place to apply Nami Ryu sparingly. In order for me to beat a BJJ guy, I had to use, and be better at BJJ than them.

In 2020, I got a job in federal law enforcement and got sent to a border town. I wasn’t able to practice Nami Ryu much in a dojo environment again until late 2023-2024. I trained BJJ approximately twice a week as work allowed.

Yet, I found myself using Nami Ryu in the real world with excellent results. Head tips and ikkajo worked well on my new clientele. 

Recently, as I have been working more Jim O’Connell Sensei, I have been using Nami Ryu waza/principles/techniques in BJJ practices to much greater effect. I still get tapped, frequently, yet I’m harder to tap and I have learned a few things:

1. You don’t actually have to grapple. Grappling is an agreement. But when you grapple, you are agreeing to see who is better. This becomes a contest. This violates our first principle, don’t contest for space with force vectors.

2. Proper body movement, that comes from kenjutsu/bujutsu body allows us advantages. First off, we get the ability, through this proper movement, to disengage from the opponent. Again, why are we contesting in the real world? (I have no issues with BJJ as a workout/exercise/stress relief movement thing. And there are applicable things it offers that are beneficial.) But, often when I grapple the question I ask myself is: Why am I contesting? Proper body movement eliminates the contest. We move, they are cut (it’s all kenjutsu). 

3. Same vein, our movement allows us to apply force to areas the opponent will have difficulty/can’t defend (flanking the opponent – Nami ryu’s 2nd Prime Principle). 

4. Nami Ryu Aiki Heiho is a weapons based system. We emphasize tools and the deployment of tools under the right circumstances (laws and context are important here but are out of the scope of this write up). In your Nami Ryu journey, you will constantly hear “it’s all kenjutsu.” That phrase has many meanings, but the sword teaches us how to move properly with classical movement.

5. This is an opinion, but, when other martial artists look at something and attempt to make a determination if something works or not, most of them are under the perspective of a combat sport/contest. BJJ is a combat sport. Boxing is a combat sport. Muay Thai, Judo etc. We are not. We learn to use a sword, not to get ready for a sword fight in 2025, but to learn how to move in a classical manner that allows efficient, effective utilization of energy to solve a problem. It also changes the mind “Why am I contesting?” You do need to adapt the art to your needs, but you also need to start thinking, to an extent, like these old warriors.

6. I work in an environment where I have used this stuff, sometimes daily. I carry tools for work. I train. 

7. Training in BJJ can be a wonderful endeavor, however, remember who we are, and what we are trying to change about ourselves.

I don’t recommend Nami Ryu practitioners under a certain skill level in our art to cross train in BJJ. That comes later. Yes, pressure test, but do it when you have understanding. If you try to outgrapple a blue belt who trains 5x a week and competes every other Saturday, you will probably get tapped. And the key word is that you tried to beat someone at a game they know better than you.

Don’t play the game. Don’t contest. Learn to move properly. Bujutsu body. Disengage, access a tool, or walk away.