Between Borders X Submission School BJJ

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Between Borders X Submission School BJJ

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Art/Culture
Words By: Luc Hinson
Photography: Luc Hinson 

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I was lucky enough to be invited down to watch, photograph and even take part in a session at the Submission School in East London run, founded and loved by Sensei Mohammed Ashif.

What appealed to me, before I even arrived was its approach and its name – to all those who had recommended it to me it was described as a project, a  part of the community but more than anything else a family. I was overwhelmed by how accepting they were to newcomers, I was made to feel incredibly welcome as soon as I walked through the door.

Their Sensei, Ashif, was an incredibly humble yet at the same time an extremely ambitious man. Ambitious for his dojo, his students, his family and the international legacy of the school. The morals and ethos behind the school made it a truly unique experience. The sport, the school and the community are all founded and built on resepct and humility. Everyone is there to learn, and share from each other regardless of belt or rank. It's simple, if at Submission School you leave your ego at the door, you'll learn and grow as part of their family. 

I’ll let Ashif explain the message and ethos in his own words, Follow our interview below.

BB: For our readers who may not be familiar with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, give us a brief intro what it is?

MA: "Brazilian" Jiu Jitsu is a martial art which derives from traditional Judo and concentrates specifically on the "Newaza" or ground fighting aspect of the original art.  The "Brazilian" in the near is a result of the spreading of the art from Japan to Brazil through immigration in the early 20th century by many Japanese including judo masters who went on to teach the local population.

To this day Brazil has the world's largest Japanese ex pat population of around 2 million.

BB: When did you get into Jiu-Jitsu and why?

MA: I started training Jiu jitsu around 12 years ago. I wanted to do something practical and useful and something I could progress in and master as opposed to just going to the gym. I fell in love with the art as it's philosophy was about using technique and strategy to overpower ones physically superior opponent. I was very light and weak back then so it was the perfect art for me on paper.

BB: What makes it different from previous sports you tried out?

MA: Prior to Jiu jitsu I want very sporty at all! Played a bit of football and tennis when I was younger but very casually and never really got to any significant level. 

Jiu jitsu had a very profound impact on me, I was a super slow learner and in my early days of training though I was very good at learning the techniques, when it came to practical application in sparring I struggled a lot to apply them mainly due to the fact that my training partners were very strong and technically superior. It was very disheartening and after about a year of hard slog I came to the point of quitting but thankfully a voice in my head reminded me immediately after that it wasn't due to wanting to be a world champion that I started Jiu jitsu but to better myself and learn the art s beat as I could. So at that point I acquired two life skills which formed the basis of the project - patience and perseverance.

Within 3 to 4 months of that moment I would receive my blue belt. I then found that these qualities were not just for when I trained Jiu jitsu but I started exhibiting them in my day to day life more and more. That was when I realised the true value of martial arts and in particular Jiu jitsu and it was the inspiration for me to start the project.

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Photogapher: Luc Hinson

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BB: Ashif, we heard the School’s got a project that goes beyond just practicing jiu-jitsu, tell us some more?

MA: Submission School has several aims beyond facilitating the spread of Jiu jitsu to those who need to benefit from it most. As I mentioned my training helped me to become a better person, a more productive person a more positive person and I realised if Jiu jitsu could benefit myself, somebody with a grammar school education and generally from a well to do background, then it would definitely help those from less fortunate circumstances.

BB: Having sat through, and photographed one of your sessions I noticed how diverse the crowd is, why do you think this in in your school?

I have always welcomed anyone who has wanted to try out training at the project and the ethos and values that we adopted have helped to facilitate many to start training whom you would never find in a regular gym. I had one guy who was so nervous about getting hurt that he first came in just to watch before coming back a month later to try out the training, he has since medalled at a national level competition.

BB: How long have you been running the school for?

The project will turn 10 years old next May. We will have been at or current dojo for 4 years this coming January.

BB: What do you hope to achieve through the school, what’s the goal?

MA: In many ways, it's not even about the Jiu jitsu, we use the Jiu jitsu training along with the values of the project to help our students to become better people. Role models for the community and future generations. It's a place for people to come together and share in each others positivity  on the mats when they train, helping and learning from one another to better themselves and each other.

In the long term, I would like for the project to be a significant player in the Jiu jitsu circuit with high level athletes being produced regularly, but most I would like it to a source of positivity and inspiration for the communities we work with and particularly the youth whom could see it as an "out" from the typical inner city sub culture that exists. 

I would also like to export the "Submission School" way of training globally specifically to the third world and hope that it can help many people to take up the art and benefit from it as I did. I am not sure if I will see the project reach its long-term vision but I am doing my best to plant the seed and hope the future generations of Submission School martial artists will take the work forward and to new heights.

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"It's a place for people to come together and share in each others positivity on the mats when they train, helping and learning from one another to better themselves and each other.."

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"in the dojo, if you feel angst before setting off to train then that place isn't for you, training should be fun and enjoyable and a place you want to be at"

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BB: What are the principal ideas and beliefs behind the school’s ethos?

MA: As I mentioned earlier Submission school was born out of Patience and Perseverance, I always hit home those two ideas as Jiu jitsu is a marathon and not a sprint, it takes time to learn understand and progress. In addition to that I expect a selfless approach to training, students are expected to prioritise helping their fellow teammates to improve and progress, in this way with everyone concerned for everyone else's progress the collective level of development is greater, as opposed to one or two "alphas" dominating over everyone else. This breeds a very positive and healthy atmosphere in the dojo, if you feel angst before setting off to train then that place isn't for you, training should be fun and enjoyable and a place you want to be at, you should want to look forward to seeing your team mates and not feel weary of having to train with so and so. As you saw the care and affection our students have for each other is genuine and not of a superfluous nature. That is one on the biggest achievements of the project to date.

BB: What are your hopes for the future of the school Ashif what does 2019 hold for Submission School BJJ?

MA: 2019 will pick up from where we leave off in 2018, we have more and more students entering competition and medalling which is a great testament to the level of jiu jitsu at the project. We have grown aseadily since summer 2017 to currently be the largest Jiu jitsu school in our locality, I would like that growth to continue and for our family to grow even further. But to be honest I really can't say what will happen as the rate of progress we have enjoyed in the last year and a half was unexpected so I guess I am viewing the sky as the limit, it would be very un Submission School like to think any other way...

This interview formed part of our ongoing series on sport and the role it plays in bringing people from all backgrounds together, so far we've worked with Football Beyond Borders & the Glasgow Gazelles, keep checking back as the series develops.

You can check out the Sumbission Schools social channels below and maybe enquire about tryign out a session! Keep your eyes peeled for the next piece in the series, and wet your appetite as we'll be making a splash pretty soon... 

Facebook: @SubmissionSchool

Instagram: @SubmissionSchool

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Words By: Luc Hinson, 1st December 2018

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CONTEMPORARY CONVERSATIONS

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