Robin Gieseler
5th Degree Black Belt, Professor Robin Gieseler, is one of Relson Gracie’s 10 first black belts.
Interview with BJJ Blackbelt Robin Gieseler
Robin, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. Could you please give the readers a brief bio on yourself?
I started training jiu-jitsu in ’94 right after UFC 4. I was introduced to a guy who did jiu-jitsu in my area who had trained under John Saylor and had done quite a few seminars with the Gracies early on. He soon introduced me to Jeff Hudson in Columbus. Shortly after meeting Jeff and traveling to Columbus to train on the weekends I decide to move to Columbus to further my training. I’ve been here ever since.
You’ve been in the game since the mid-90’s. What are your thoughts, good and bad, on how jiu-jitsu has changed since then?
I think it is better in some ways because of the fact that the talent pool in jiu-jitsu has gotten much bigger. I can’t comment on the progression in Brazil but America has grown quite a bit since I started back then. I do think that jiu-jitsu as a whole has lost focus on what it was designed to be...a complete self-defense system. Many schools focus their jiu-jitsu classes on competition only and I think this is a mistake.
Can you talk a little bit about your personal development in BJJ? (i.e. You started as a guard player, stalled out as a blue belt, worked on “X” to get to purple, simplified your game, etc.)
I started when I was 20 and I didn’t have any martial arts or wrestling background. I got smashed by everyone! It took me 7 months before I was able to catch someone in class (he was 15), but it was a big deal for me. I trusted in the system and I knew if I kept training, it would work out for me in the long run. I focused my first efforts on just surviving. My first goal was to last five minutes without getting caught. When my escapes and defense got better eventually it would tire out my opponents and then I could start capitalizing on their mistakes. I improved in the guard first, and then focused on finishing, and then on sweeps. Once I got better at the sweeps, I was able to focus more on the top game. It took a long time for me round my game out. I’m still working on it.
Besides Relson and Jeff Hudson, have you had any other major influences on your game?
Outside of Relson and Jeff, Caique was probably the biggest influence on my jiu-jitsu. Fredson Alves taught here for about a year when I was a purple belt and he helped me a lot. Saulo Ribiero came for seminars quite a bit and he was also a great influence. My team mates and students through the years all have helped me tremendously develop who I am not only in jiu-jitsu but as an individual.
Some people feel that jiu-jitsu has strayed from its roots of self-defense as competitors develop new techniques based around the rule system. Your school still teaches self-defense but is also well-known for its success in competition. How do you manage to balance sport jiu-jitsu and self-defense in your school?
We were taught from the very beginning that the art is first and foremost a self-defense system. That being said, Relson was an amazing competitor and he instilled the love of competition to his team. His focus has always been to learn jiu-jitsu the way his father taught it. When you have firm grasp on the basics you don’t have to get fancy to win. You can shut down a lot of the sport specific positions with solid basic jiu-jitsu. We try to develop the students to use the same techniques and concepts in sport that they would also use in self-defense. This way they don’t get confused and develop bad habits and instincts that could endanger them in a real situation.
At your school, are more guys interested in the sport aspect of jiu-jitsu or self-defense?
Only about 15-20% of the school actively competes so I would say self-defense.
You are still an active competitor yourself. How do you manage running a school and being a competitor yourself?
It is very hard but still very enjoyable. I never thought I would have the opportunity to compete at black belt when I started. I am 35 and have 5 kids now so I not sure how much longer I will be able to do it but I still have some competition goals for myself. It is a blessing to be able to compete against the best in the world so I want to take advantage of the opportunity while I have it and do my best.
When you are at a tournament that you are competing at, do you coach all of your students or do you focus on your match and let others coach your students?
I try to coach as much as possible but before my match I need to focus on myself for a while. It is tough to take myself away but I get very involved coaching my team and it takes a lot of energy.
Ohio is well-known for its wrestling. When you have a wrestler that comes to your school to learn jiu-jitsu for MMA, do you teach him the same way you would teach any other beginner or do you try to work with his wrestling base and add jiu-jitsu elements to his game?
We teach everyone the same way. They will eventually develop their own game according to their attributes. Jiu-Jitsu is a very personal art. I don’t try to teach style. Style is something that is developed by each individual through training. We focus on teaching sound fundamentals, strategy and philosophy of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
There have been a lot of high level sport jiu-jitsu practitioners who have struggled when transitioning to MMA. Why do you think this is and what can others do to prevent this?
I think this goes back to the focus on jiu-jitsu self defense that we talked about earlier. Some competitors don’t train the self defense aspect of jiu-jitsu until they decide to go to MMA competition. So they develop bad habits. Self defense is different than MMA because of the rules, weight classes and time limits so you have to develop other aspects of the MMA game as well as jiu-jitsu to be effective in that type of competition. Some transition to MMA very well. Damien Maia is a great example of this.
Since taking over the Relson Gracie Columbus school, what are some things that you have learned in regards to running a successful martial arts school?
Yes, he is a great guy!
Is there anything that you would go back and change in regards to running your school?
Yes, I would have went full time earlier.
The instruction is obviously a big part of the reason why people attend a jiu-jitsu school, but what other factors have you found to be most important for attracting new students and retaining students?
Having a structured curriculum of the basics is the biggest help in retaining students. Other than that, it is the environment that is created in the school. Do people help each other out or do they keep everything to themselves. Jeff Hudson created a great learning environment here at the academy and it is my goal in life to maintain that standard. Our motto is “as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” This way everyone helps everyone else get better and the level continues to rise faster with the right attitude on the mat.
Are there any other schools that you have tried to model your school after?
The Gracie Academy in Torrence is the nicest school I have been in.
What can we expect from you and your school in the future?
To continue to carry the flag the best we can. Always keeping firm on the foundation of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu as a complete form of self-defense. Staying true to the techniques and guiding principles of Helio Gracie as taught by our instructor Relson.
Any last comments?
Thank you for the opportunity to give this interview. I would like to thank Jeff Hudson for everything he has done for me. I have learned just as much from him about life as I have about jiu-jitsu. He is the reason I am able to do what I love today and have success at it. He continues to be huge influence and inspiration to me. [Check out Robin's school at www.gracieohio.com]
Quick Hits
Favorite Takedown: Any thing from the clinch.
Favorite Submission: Don’t really have a favorite but propably my highest percentage are cross collar choke and triangle.
How many days a week do you train? 6
Favorite music to train to: Right now, propably reggae roots.
Ratio of drilling to sparring you recommend? I think it depends on the person sometimes. Everyone learns differently, but I would suggest as a white belt 75% drilling to 25% rolling. As a black belt the opposite.
Favorite thing to do outside of grappling: Spend time with my beautiful wife and kids, hiking, and anything relaxing like going to the pool, golf, whatever.
Favorite jiu-jitsu guys to watch: Roger Gracie, Kron Gracie, Xande Ribiero, Romulo Barral, Braulio Estima, Marcello Garcia and anyone else who goes for the submission instead of stalling.
Biggest mistake that new grapplers make: Not learning in the gi. Watching youtube for techniques before developing solid fundamentals.
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