Share a part of the life of our consultants by discovering their hobbies! Jeremy THEVENIN (d²X Lyon) talked to us about his passion: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. 

( credit photo: Jits.fr; L'univers)

What is your double life?

I am an internationally competitive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt.

What is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

Brazilian jujitsu is a Brazilian martial art derived from judo that is practiced primarily on the ground and whose purpose is to submit the opponent through ground fighting techniques and submission holds. Voluntary strikes (kicks, fist, elbow, head and knee) are prohibited in official practice.

« Commonly known as "Human Chess", Brazilian jujitsu is a modern martial art that draws its quintessence in technique, timing and leverage rather than brute force, allowing to dominate opponents to the template more imposing. »

While judo focuses on projections to bring the opponent to the ground, the Brazilian jujitsu focuses primarily on grappling with particular emphasis on ground fighting.

When and how did you start?

I moved to Lyon in 2011. I couldn’t find a club to continue boxing so I decided to learn something else. I came across a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club. What is funny about this sport is that we spend most of our time lying on the ground trying to submit to each other! It's been 8 years since I started to practice this sport 5 times a week (3 times a week since the birth of my son a year ago). I am currently a brown belt. It takes about 10/12 years to reach the black belt.

What do you like about this sport?

I love this sport because it's like a chess game. It requires a lot of different physical or psychomotor skills. The technical panel is so wide that the possibilities are almost endless. This sport has no strikes, the risk of injury is reduced, and training can be done at maximum intensity.

J’adore ce sport puisque c’est un vrai jeu d’échec. Il demande beaucoup d’aptitudes physiques ou psychomotrices différentes. Le panel technique est tellement large que les possibilités sont presque infinies. Ce sport ne comportant pas de frappe, les risques de blessures sont réduits, et l’entrainement peut se faire à l’intensité maximum.

And in your daily life, how does your hobby fit in ?

I train 3 times a week for 2 hours (or less, now that I have child !). Beside training, I am a referee and a competitor. I spend several hours a week studying videos to learn techniques to perfect them or perfect my refereeing. I participate in about 5 competitions a year, which often requires traveling all weekend and preparing the competition weeks in advance.

Have you gained skills through the sport you use in your professional life?

It’s not easy everyday to start practicing a sport like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We are constantly breathless and we tend to panic when the opponent crushes us. Yet, the education provided by this sport goes beyond the tatamis. When you fight, you can not run away from reality, you have to fight and not panic.

In everyday life, when a problem arises, we often pretend that everything is fine. We don’t want to face the truth in case it will hurt us. We do everything to avoid confronting our fears and failures. We prefer to spare our ego instead of facing the difficulties of life.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teaches you to recognize your fears and failures and acknowledging them to move forward, to remain calm under pressure, respect others and yourself. Thanks to this sport, anynone can become more courageous, more focused and learn how to adapt to any situation.

Thank you Jeremy for this interview!