Our guide for today on this journey of communal actualization is Ahmed Albader a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, who was a member of the early movement to introduce the sports to Kuwait nearly a decade ago.
I want to set the stage for this interview. By shining the spotlight on three main points of focus for our dialogue:
1. Ahmed and his unique human journey.
2. Introduce you to the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a sport that is not as globally mainstream as it should be.
3. Provide you, the listener with insights on how this communal sport can add value to your everyday life.
Reach out to Ahmed at:
Instagram @ahmed_rb
Ahmed's shoutouts go to:
Royce Gracie
Abdulmohsen Albabtain
Sidekick Academy
Reach out to broadBand at:
Instagram @broadband.podcast
Email aziz@seedsmedia.org
Reach out to luucid at:
Instagram @luucidkw
Website luucidkw.com
For guest recommendations Email hello@luucid.co
Our guide for today on this journey of communal actualization is Ahmed Albader a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, who was a member of the early movement to introduce the sports to Kuwait nearly a decade ago.
I want to set the stage for this interview. By shining the spotlight on three main points of focus for our dialogue:
1. Ahmed and his unique human journey.
2. Introduce you to the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a sport that is not as globally mainstream as it should be.
3. Provide you, the listener with insights on how this communal sport can add value to your everyday life.
Reach out to Ahmed at:
Instagram @ahmed_rb
Ahmed's shoutouts go to:
Royce Gracie
Abdulmohsen Albabtain
Sidekick Academy
Reach out to broadBand at:
Instagram @broadband.podcast
Email aziz@seedsmedia.org
Reach out to luucid at:
Instagram @luucidkw
Website luucidkw.com
For guest recommendations Email hello@luucid.co
Fresh Off The Mats - Humans In Motion
Fitness as an Athlete
Intro [00:00:00]
Aziz: Hello, and welcome to broadband our guide for today on this journey of communal actualization is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner who was a member of the early movement.
To introduce the sport to Kuwait nearly a decade ago. I want to set the stage for this interview by shining the spotlight on three main points of focus for our dialogue, the first being Ahmed and his unique human journey. Next, I want to introduce you to the art of Brazilian jujitsu, a sport that is not as globally mainstream as it should be. At least that's an argument that I make and I make frequently.
And finally, I want to provide you the listener with insights about how this communal sport can add value to your everyday life. Without further ado. Hello, Amand.
ARB: Hi, thanks for the introduction.
Aziz: I'm really happy that we can have you here on board and and thank you so much for for, for being willing to join us.
ARB: I mean thanks for having me. I can really back what you guys are doing in terms of getting the community together as putting a light on the cultural aspect. I feel there is a gap there and believe me for us jujitsu, guys, you give us an opportunity to talk about your so we will never shut up.
So thank you.
Ahmed as young boy [00:01:06]Aziz: I want to start this dialogue by learning about your early life, who was Akhmed growing up as a young boy in Kuwait.
ARB: Okay. So if you ask my mom, she'll probably say I was a Wild child hell raiser, mischievous. I was getting into trouble, you know, but the polite type, you know, so I'd look for loopholes or gray areas and try to take advantage of those. And my parents needed a way to sort of like control all of this energy and, and they pushed me into trying, you know, Any sort of activities, sports hobby, just one after the other. And if anything, you can imagine horseback riding, archery, tennis, golf, swimming, volleyball.
My mom even tried, but I shut that down quick. Like it got to a point where I was I even had a schedule of, of my parents ins and outs and I'd have stolen the spare keys to the cars. So I used that schedule and just like steal cars when I was 13, 14 years old.
And, you know, I, I drove my parents crazy.
Aziz: Well, it's, it's really interesting cause your parents really adopted the whole let's tire him out until he just can't do any mischief approach. I mean, it's something that, you know, if you, if someone owns a puppy, they know exactly what this is because of puppies, usually wild energy, just tearing everything up in the living room, but you take them out on a long walk.
They're going to come back home and just go right to
sleep.
So that's
ARB: That was the plan.
Fatal Car Accident [00:02:42] Aziz: exactly. Now in doing my research about your early life. And you just said something that really triggered this question for me. And I learned about a devastating car accident about 11 years ago in your life.
How did that pivotal event shape your outlook on life?
ARB: so to be honest, that was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. And th the ironic thing is like, I used to steal my parents' cars before getting a license and, you know, safe, nothing happens a cautious driver, put it back, come back in one piece. But you know, this car accident happened three days after I got my license.
Aziz: Wow. That's the irony.
you finally, when you, when you finally are able to actually drive legally, now, now the anarchist comes out right now,
ARB: Exactly. Maybe I was trying to prove a point, I don't know,
so. I wake up a week later, I'm in the hospital. I know I'm in the hospital. I don't know why I'm there. And I'm just like drugged up. I don't know if this is real, this isn't a, I don't really know where I am and, and as the days go by start to, to feel my body and I feel chest tubes going in through my chest. Connected to machines and scars all over, you know, and I asked, what's up? Why am I here? Yeah. And they explained to me that I was in a car accident and I my body slammed into the steering wheel and I had internal bleeding. So I looked down and I see. Practically a zipper in my stomach. So there's staples about like 10 centimeters, more maybe 15 centimeters. And yeah, so the, they had to do exploratory surgery and there was about a 90% chance of me not surviving. And the whole time I was on that bed, all I could think about is , If I have my health, I will never think about anything else. You know, it's the basic, you can't enjoy anything if you don't have your health.
I started jujitsu a few months before that, so I made a vow to myself, if I have my health, I'll never stop training and I'm trying to keep it ever since. So that's why it was just the best thing that ever happened to me made me realize the little things.
Aziz: You know, you saying that it's the best thing that's ever happened to you? I think wasn't the response that I was expecting at all. So I'm so happy that you, you took the silver lining from the whole experience and that's essentially the story that, that you like to tell. Is the positive outlook of that story.
But you, you had just mentioned that it was, it was a long road to recovery. And you know, just started you too earlier.Road to Recovery [00:05:18] So what was the road to recovery like from the hospital bed to the G2 mats for you? Was there a physical therapist in your life that you had to see very often? Or how do you do it?
ARB: Let, let me just be clear on that. I only say that this was the best thing that ever happened to me. 11 years later, at the time I despised it was the worst thing that ever possibly happened to me. You know, I was supposed to go to school in the States with my friends. I ended up in a wheelchair.
So at the time, there were bad days and good days on the bad days I wish, you know, that 90% would have taken me, you know, I wish I would have been. Like gone and over this hell, but on the good days, you know, I'd use that pain and, and, just keep a goal in my head that I want to be stronger than ever
and you use that to propel yourself forward. So there were a few stages. Like it, it started out really tough, you know, cause most of the impact was on my chest. And abdomen. So I was, I was basically being taught to breathe again. They gave me this little tool where I had to blow in it and there were. Three balls and the first ball would trigger the second ball to rise and the second would trigger the third. And that was my goal. At first, that was my goal, you know, get the third ball up there and you had to chop it up in small pieces. If you look at yourself I'm looking at wha where are you?
Where are you? Lose hope, but breaking it up into small pieces. Okay. Today I want to lift the second ball. Then after that okay. Today I want to stand for 15 minutes. After that, I want to take a walk, you know, I want to get up off of this wheelchair and, and you just use those like small goals while having a big goal at the end.
And, and it just fits together. Nothing stronger than human determination.
Aziz: Wow. And nothing's stronger than, than the human that's been, I guess, knocked down. And told that, you know, there's a 10% chance they'll, they'll survive and, and coming back in full fighting force. So yeah. That's you, man, that's you in a nutshell.
Life in Peru [00:07:26] Okay, so, so I guess switching gears into, into, I guess, a more playful note Know, I I've asked around you and I know you speak Spanish and you learn Spanish by dropping everything and moving to Peru for sometime. I don't know if that was like the mischievous side of you, but how would you describe that journey?
ARB: So I applied to masters and my main goal was to get into a school in Spain. And not because I, I really wanted one, I already have a master's, but my goal was to learn Spanish.
So, I get accepted into September of 2016. I start. Training like crazy on Duolingo it's an app to learn languages, really easy to use and extremely effective. So I, I go on that for a few months and then I hired it too.
So I look into traveling to somewhere I can practice. So I've been training with a teacher using Duolingo. I want it, I want to use that, you know, and somewhere I can, I can actually be tested.
So I asked the guys, you know, Hey, if anyone wants to take a trip, you say South America, people go crazy. They think, what did you want to mess with the cartel? Don't go down there. It's dangerous. So, you know, I ignore everyone. I book myself a trip alone to Peru. I had over there. I mean, the minute I land, you know, the customs, the security officer starts calling his friends, you know, has never seen a Kuwaiti passport before. They're like, what the hell are you doing here? I'm like quiro hablar espanol. the thing is like, I guess I look Peruvian because our guide for one of the trips there would always introduce me as his assistant. So I speak one line in perfect Spanish and then to all the follow-up questions, I'm like, okay. And then they realize I'm Kuwaiti or they're like, you're a Kuwaiti in Peru trying to learn Spanish. Like, what's your story, but
Aziz: I mean, that's amazing. And it's something that, that really, I guess, would be a big uh, insight into your personality because you're a person who is just very open to all these new and exciting experiences.
ARB: nothing happens in the comforts on, right?
Aziz: A hundred percent and you know, I speak Portuguese and I had a very similar interaction in Brazil with customs.
You've had, and you continue to have an action packed life from serious physical recoveries to adding a third language that you can flirt in to your arsenal.
Political Protest [00:09:57]But perhaps the most action you've seen was during your involvement in a series of protests in Kuwait around 2011, 2012 w if you're comfortable with, with talking about this, but what was an important lesson that you walked away from that chapter in your life?
ARB: Oh, that's a big one. Like what I guess the less than I learned is we have an illusion of democracy. Like, you can only say what you want, if it doesn't offend someone with power. And I took a step back. I was really, really into like activism and I wanted, I wanted to see a better Kuwait. I think everyone can agree with me. No corruption, you know not really following any party or movement or anything, just, just like let's save Kuwait and time and time again, it looks like nothing much is changing. So I sort of took a step back because, you know, I was in a position where I was I was in jail with a, a member of parliament. It was my cellmate. And like, I didn't want to get mixed up in any sort of party or opposition or anything. I mean, I'm just a regular Kuwaiti demanding, a better Kuwait. And I think I have the right to.
Who is Ahmed Today [00:11:11]Aziz: Well, you know, it's things like that that make you grow and, and you've had so many different conduits and channels to grow and made you the person that you are today. And you're the accumulation of your life experience has brought us now here today together. So who was amended by the today? Talk to us about who you are today.
ARB: I mean, that question gets a lot harder with age. What I am today, I guess I would say a student. You know, a student of life, I'm not an expert of anything. What I would know I'm sure of is. I want to keep looking into things, knowledge, ideas you know, philosophy is lifestyle. Still. I can find what suits me and you know, tailor what I like and what I don't into into what is
Aziz: fantastic. I love that. And I can agree with that. I think, you know, I, and a lot of people listening to this podcast right now can mirror your sentiment and agree with you wholeheartedly.
I And I really want to talk to you about your involvement with the sport, but first I think it serves the audience well to describe this martial arts.
What is Jiu Jitsu [00:12:20] So how would you describe Brazilian jujitsu to your grandmother?
ARB: okay. So most of the time when I try to describe my martial arts to you get locked into the idea. Ah, Kara. Okay. Okay. So what, how I would describe it is, is basically a martial arts. That uses your opponent's strength against them to control and deescalate a situation. Like I like to use the term deescalation because you're mostly trying to just like calm things down in jujitsu.
Aziz: I always say that if speed, chess, yoga and wrestling had an unconventional love child, it would be jujitsu.
ARB: Oh, my God. That's I could have said it better myself. That's amazing. I'm going to use that.
Aziz: okay. And that's how I describe it to my grandma. But then I think that she would ask what an unconventional love child is. And I think that's
to avoid. So. Exactly. So maybe use that, but not to your grandma. How did you find yourself on the Brazilian jujitsu mats?
ARB: I mean, it all started when we were, we were little kids, you know, back in ask most of our group like we, we grew up together. So Yousef Albabtain his older brother. Abdulmohsen AlBabtain We knew he was training in the States, so he'd been there for like 10 more years and we knew he was training with, with like legends. So When Mohsen came back to Kuwait, you know, he, he, he rents Al Arabi stadium and, and it's, it's like basically almost free, just like everyone brings a scrapes of what they can to pay. The renters was like absolutely nothing. And we were sort of the Guinea pigs at first, you know, his little brother's friends and we knew you trained with the legendary Royce Gracie. So we want it to taste that knowledge and. At first, we were just like sort of excited, but then it got a little bit repetitive as, as anything does. And luckily that's when I had my car accident, which has kept me into it.
What made you dedicated [00:14:26] Aziz: So you said that, that, you know, It got pretty repetitive. And I can imagine that as a, as a child, who's just you know, maybe not as super focused when it comes to to life, you know, and, and loving the mischievous deeds and act
what made it so that you're dedicated digit to even when it started getting monotonous and it started to become this kind of routine rhythm.
ARB: So like the good thing was my parents were that they forced me to, to join or practice sports, but they would only force me for so long. So like they'd force me for the first three months, you know, make sure that, I wasn't quitting because of the discipline issue. It was more of a preference issue.
You really don't know if you have a discipline issue or you just genuinely don't like something, but you have to go through a certain time period for you to figure yourself out.
Killing the Ego [00:15:23]Aziz: Do you remember an early experience where your ego was put in check by jujitsu?
ARB: All the time, the first six months of jujitsu, just ego checks. Like whenever you think you're the, the, the bad-ass brawler at the gym, you know, some little scrawny, goofy looking person, just, just, you know, teaches you a huge lesson and, and, you know, you just have to take it. So, yeah. Time and time again, you're just immune. You know, you don't judge a person by the way they look, you don't think you're better than anyone you're humbled. It teaches you humility by force. Let's say.
Aziz: And that's something that is a by-product of you just go into one class. I mean, Sam Harris wrote in his blog post the pleasures of drowning that jujitsu does a great job in separating. What's true from what's delusion in that, no matter how big and strong you are, you can go on the mat and some teenager can choke you out and wipe the floor with you. And that's something that I've experienced for sure. And it's something that you've experienced. In the very first, in the very first class and, and probably you can still experience, I mean, there's some,
ARB: Oh, 100%.
Aziz: I guess a lot of the haters probably would compare to Jitsu to like some other martial art. And, and when they see two grown men in what appears to be pajamas wrestling on the floor, I think they just like, Oh, okay. I call bullshit. And I mean, the reason that I do jujitsu is something really stuck with me a specific quote from Socrates. And he says it, it is a shame for a man to grow old. Without seeing the beauty and strength of what his body is capable and that applies to women. I mean, this is not only for a quote for men,
ARB: exactly. It's like, it's like the science of how the body works. You know, how the, what sort of mobility you should have, what sort of range of motion, you know, if you exceed that range of motion, then you hit the person and I think it's genius. You know, it, it uses leverage and their movement. It's a lazy martial arts, you know, it'll get you where you want to go using the least effort possible. And that's what I love it.
Character of a Black Belt [00:17:37] Aziz: Phenomenal and unlike other martial arts, where you can reach the pinnacle and yeah. Tie a black belt on your waist after let's say three or five years, it takes like 10 to 13 years to earn your digits to black belt.
So what does that say about the character of the jujitsu black belt?
ARB: I mean, it's, it's such a long process. There's jujitsu has the least amount of belts in any martial arts and the longest amount of time to complete those belts. But like it. Most of the people that are in jujitsu, the whole system deters anyone. That's actually just in it for the belt, you know, it's too long of a commitment. So those belt chases are out within the, you know, they want the title, they want the, the glory. But you know, Gracie used to say a black belt only covers two inches of your ass. You got to cover the rest of yourself.
So they try to deter those, those, like those fighters, glory, belt hunters, and the people that stay in jujitsu are the patient ones, the ones that are in it for the belt, you know, I mean, if, if your goal is a black belt, you can buy one online right now
Aziz: that is true. That is true. Well, okayThe Blackbelt Story [00:18:51] I think this is a really good time to bring up the point that you mentioned earlier that you know, if you keep showing up, eventually they're going to have to give you a black belt.
But there's a story that I heard. While I was in class that said that, you know, originally there was no such thing as a black belt. There was only white belt. So the longer the students trained the darker the belt became, and eventually that dirty old belt was a symbol of proficiency.
And I'm not sure if there's any truth to that story.
ARB: I wouldn't doubt that story of the, the white belts. Like. Turning darker, the longer you train like for Gracie used to use the, used to do his seminars in his father's old blue belt. So I guess it's just like, you know, the blue belt, the system doesn't mean much.
Aziz: Yeah. And, and his father and button for the, for the people that don't know who Roye Gracie is always Gracie is the son of the founder of Jiu Jitsu Helio, Gracie, and Helio Gracie went his entire. Life and career wearing a blue belt around his waist instead of the, the black belt, the coveted black belt. So there could be some truth to that story,
Lessons learned that transferred over [00:19:58] Do you remember a moment in time? Where were the lessons that you learned to do to has come in handy
ARB: So at work, you deal a lot with egos and just being able to identify, you know, what's ego, what's confidence, what's bullshit. It gives you a real edge and jujitsu puts you in that position. Cause it's like, you're dealing with the realest form of the human. You can't fake that. And so those skills are transferable. When you talk with someone, you can sense the level of confidence you can, you can tell if that person is inflating himself.
Aziz: Yeah. Digital Teaches you how to read people in a, in a way that you can apply to any instance in your life.
Dreams and Realities of Competitions [00:20:45]You mentioned earlier that you have competed and you continue to compete. So when competing, what is one thing that is everything you dreamed it would be, and what is a harsh reality of the competition setting?
ARB: Oh, so it was everything I dreamed it would be you Probably the, the the award ceremony at the end, you know, having all of the, the photographers, the crowds cheering, you get your medal, you're on TV, you know your sponsors are sharing that, you know, your friends are tagging you and it's, it's an awesome sensation.
Maybe things that, that aren't so. Good or aren't so comfortable. Well, I, I probably, you know, the, the, the six months of stress wracking back and forth mental sort of distress that you're in. And I mean, competitions are tough. You're training six months for five minutes. You know, and if that five minutes doesn't go the way you wanted it to go because of any number of reasons,
that's why, what I love about the jiu-jitsu community is as you know, there's a, there's a assault quote. You don't lose in jujitsu, you either win or you learn. So, you know, that just not having a fear of losing, just, makes you so much more creative confident you know
Aziz: I like that.
Why Jiujitsu [00:22:12]
So let's get into ways that digital can add value to everyone's life. first let me ask this question. What's so right about digital that got you hooked,
ARB: I mean to me, it made sense. It's it's mainly the combination of. Activating both your mind and your body. Consider that let's say a conventional gym. You're just lifting weights. So your, but your mind is on autopilot thinking about. Everything the news, the girl, you just saw the, I don't know the weather tomorrow. Your brain's not in it 100%, but when you're playing jujitsu, your brain needs to be in it. Cause it's like chess, you know, you move that guy's hand. How will he react? So you fake one way. You make him move the other way and you try to manipulate sort of the movements while he's doing the same to you. And it's as much a mental battle as it is a physical one. So I like the activation of, and the connection of both mind and body.
Escaping Suffering [00:23:09] Aziz: Fantastic. And, and this kind of reminds me of something that Dr. Gabor Matteo described as you know, addiction kind of being a way to escape suffering. So you mentioned that it's a fantastic way to activate both mind and body. So what ways can you do to help someone get over emotional and mental hardships their mind by using their physicality?
ARB: People really dwell on those negative emotions that they're having and, and, you know, they just can't think about anything else until it's totally consuming their mind. And I think. A healthy way to, to sort of give your mind a breather, is that try to Jitsu. Cause you know, like, like I said before, there's nothing else. That'll take your mind off bullshit things like um,
surviving a choke
Aziz: Yeah. And that's exactly it. And I've had this in my personal life with my experiences. Jujitsu really helped me get through a really emotional and really distressful time in my life. And in the sense that you know, I couldn't stop obsessing and thinking about this terrible thing that happened to me, and the only time where I was in the moment and present and happy was on the mat because of exactly what you said you had to be present. Or if you weren't, if you weren't present, you're going to be put in a compromise and position.
Comfort in the uncomfortable [00:24:38] So how does the Jitsu allow its students to be comfortable with the uncomfortable? I mean, when you have a, a person that's 90 kilos and he's on top of you and you can barely breathe and you still have to think and get out of it and how what's that like.
ARB: The thing with jujitsu, the beautiful thing yeah. Is that you can go all out and train, for them as long as you like, and then whenever you're in a bad position, you just immediately tap out. It's not like other martial arts where you're getting you know, smashed on the head or kicked in the face. You know, the, the, the timeline for jujitsu can be. For as long as you like like something I noticed with jujitsu is that there is a large amount of, of older people or an older generation that's still trained and they, and they can, because you know, jujitsu is, is the gentle art it's gentle on, on your body. So you can keep doing it forever. And it gives you the sort of that
Aziz: Well, I mean, and you just said a digital is the gentle art 10 digit to literally translates to gentle art and Japanese
Women in BJJ [00:25:45]ARB: to be honest, I think women need it more than men. I mean, just having a set of skills to defend yourself would be extremely useful for women being placed in, in bad situations.
Aziz: Something I tell my sisters all the time is, you know, a person that's, you know, trying to sexually assault you is not going to stand in front of you in box. You know, the person's going to like the person's going to sneak up behind you . And once he's already initiated contact, you need to understand how to not only subdue the person, but runaway like, and how to do it in the most effective way possible. So that's why I think it's extremely important for women to, and more important than men to, for women to practice it too
Whats an important message
Message to the Listeners [00:26:32] ARB:
I would say. Find a hobby you love doing that keeps you active, that works both your body and your mind. I'm not here to preach a healthy lifestyle I'm here to preach an active lifestyle. Just, just find something that excites you that gets you active and just keep doing it. Even when it gets boring or tough, just keep doing.
Aziz: And we talked specifically about jujitsu, but I mean, you were a person who experimented with all sorts of sports and activities from horseback riding to tennis, the list went on, right. And we're not here specifically preaching go to jujitsu, but we're here saying, get out there and find your community and find your, your niche, whatever excites you.
I might thank you so much for joining
ARB: Thank you so much for having me and , hope to roll with you soon