It’s been a while since I was part of the University scene. I finished up with that aspect of my life in 1992 and I’ve never seriously considered going back. But now I’m feeling a bit like Al Pacino in the Godfather movies: “just when I thought I was out, they DRAG me back in!“

Except I’m actually sort of enjoying it this time…

You see, I’ve been in touch with Dr. Bryan Hogeveen from the University of Alberta who is doing the first study on Brazilian Jiu-jitsu culture in North America. And he’s picking my brain in a series of hour-long interviews, getting my views on grappling as a sport, a recreational activity and a martial art.

If I don’t say anything too embarrassing I may eventually put those interviews out as a series of podcasts…

The cool thing is that Bryan (the guy who is doing the research) is not only a tenured professor of sociology, but he’s also a BJJ practitioner himself. Heck, he even worked as a doorman at a bar in his undergraduate days, so he can’t be all bad, right?

Well Bryan has also invited YOU to fill out a short online survey about your training and training philosophy. And it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been training – he wants to hear from everybody.

If you’re reading this then I assume that you agree that BJJ and grappling are pretty great. But compared to other combat sports like Judo, wrestling and boxing, there’s been a lot LESS research into grappling. The better we understand our sport the more efficiently we can train and the faster we can improve.

I’m all about mixing physical training with a cerebral approach to grappling. If you have the time and inclination, then completing this short survey might get you thinking about aspects of your sport that you haven’t thought about before.

Male grappler survey:
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/104006/bjjsurvey

OK, that’s enough for now. The electrodes taped to my bald head are beginning to get itchy and I’ve got some levers to push…