The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Program is North America's only sports alternative program combining both academics and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu . Working out of Donnan Elementary in association with Edmonton Public Schools, the program is designed for boys and girls in Grades 4 through 9 and provides students with the opportunity to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu techniques in a safe and controlled environment. Our program helps young adults improve their "Self". Self-defense, self-esteem, self-confidence and self-discipline. Students will also demonstrate an improvement in strength, flexibility, and body awareness.
The program has been designed to help students develop character traits such as respect, rectitude, courage, benevolence, perseverance, fortitude and effort. On average, students receive between 4 to 6 hours of Jiu-Jitsu instruction per week! The remaining time is spent in the classroom working on physical and mental health related topics.
For more information on our program and how to apply click HERE to visit our apply now page.
May 17th, 2012
Professors Malin and Gummer Earn Black Belts
Professors Curt Malin and Andrew Gummer were honoured by receiving their Black Belts in April.
Both men were put through their paces and in the video above put on an extended demo, demonstrating their mastery of throws, passes, submissions and other techniques required to earn the Black Belt distinction.
The demo was attended by Professor Yackulic and many other members of the Edmonton BJJ community. Seventh-degree Red/Black Belt Master Sylvio Behring was on hand at the Black Belt Demo at Arashi-Do Martial Arts to award the pair their belts.
Congratulations to the Professors on this achievement and to the student-athletes of The BJJ Program, as they are now being taught by BLACK BELTS!
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April 30th, 2012
BJJ Program Donates to BJJ School in Brazil
Student athletes from the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Program at Donnan school recently raised funds and gathered equipment to aid another group of young people learning the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The students that they sent their donations to are from a BJJ school who live in the favelas in the heart of Rio De Janeiro.
On a sweltering day during Carnival, the students would receive their gifts from Master Behring and Professor Yackulic.
Congratulations to the students from Donnan who once again showed that serving the community (no matter where that community is) is essential to their experience in the BJJ Program.
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April 20th, 2012
AAD Second Annual Golf Tournament
Academic and Athletic Development, parent company of The BJJ Program, is pleased to announce that registration for the Second Annual Golf Tournament has opened. The tournament is AAD's primary fundraiser, and the funds will be used to issue baseline concussion tests to student athletes in AAD programming.
This year, the tournament will be held at the Northern Bear Golf Club on May 26, 2012. The tournament will be a Texas Scramble, shotgun start tournament and registration fees will cover your green fees, GPS equipped power carts, tee gift, BBQ and prizes.
There are many ways to support the golf tournament, you can register as an individual golfer, register a team of four players, sponsor the tournament, donate an item to the silent auction or volunteer to help run the tournament.
To fill out our registration form please CLICK HERE.
You can fill out the form on your computer, and print, fax or email it to Sean Beissel to register, sponsor or donate.
For any questions on the tournament, please contact Sean Beissel at Sean.Beissel@epsb.ca
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April 16th, 2012
Bully Prevention Practicum Offered to EPSB Students
Starting on Monday April 2nd, and until Friday April 13th, 800 students at Ellerslie School participated in a Bully Prevention Empowerment Practicum that was put on by Professor Malin and Professor Gummer in association with the BJJ Program.
Students were exposed to non-violent techniques to diffuse bullying situations including verbal techniques and non-striking movements to diffuse a physical situation.
The program was featured on a CTV feature which can be viewed by clicking the image above, and on the Edmonton Public Schools News page, which can be accessed by clicking HERE.
The Bully Prevention Empowerment Practicum was also featured on CBC Radio, and that feature can be found HERE
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March 22nd, 2012
Steps of Hope Fundraiser
Alan Stafford, father of a Donnan Hockey student-athlete, was recently involved in a motor vehicle accident that left him with a serious spinal cord injury.
Now several weeks removed from the accident, Alan's spinal cord injury has shown positive progression, and he and his family have celebrated some happy milestones on his road to recovery.
Alan's family and friends have seen these signs as reason for "cautious optimism" for the chances that he may one day be able to walk again.
On his behalf, Alan's loved ones are hosting an evening dedicated to his milestones, and to fundraise to support his recovery.
Academic and Athletic Development; which includes all of the sport programs at Donnan School and Vimy Ridge Academy, supports Alan during his recovery and urge all of our members to visit the website to hear Alan's story and invite anyone to attend the Steps of Hope Fundraiser on Friday, April 13th at the Sawmill Banquet and Catering Center.
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March 8th, 2012
"BJJ for Self Defense" Article in Journal
The BJJ Program has been focusing on using BJJ techniques as tools to "prevent and defuse schoolyard bullying." In partnership with Arashi-Do, Professor Malin has been running "Bully-Prevention" camps and workshops to help kids outside of the program who may require some guidance on how to deal with bullying in their lives.
The Edmonton Journal has taken notice of the work that Professor Malin and Professor Gummer have been doing, and recently published an article on their programs.
Here is a short excerpt from the article:
"Basically, it's non-violent control," Malin said. "Eventually, when people realize they can't go anywhere, you can feel the energy go out of them and they settle down . . . Parents are looking for something that's more than just words. You can tell your child to stand up for themselves but unless the victim has the skills to not be afraid of the physical confrontation, then they can't stand up to the bully."
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February 21st, 2012
BJJ Bully-Prevention Workshop on TV!
The BJJ Program recently held a "Bully-prevention" workshop where students were taught techniques to deal with bullies they may encounter or currently deal with in their lives. The students were taught defensive, non-striking techniques and taught to diffuse situations with words and gain control of a situation without having to resort to punching or kicking.
The event was well attended, and Global News Edmonton showed up to feature the event and specifically a student from the BJJ Program.
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January 26th, 2012
BJJ Program "Bully-Prevention" Workshop
The BJJ Program will be running a "Bully Prevention" Workshop on Family Day, which is February 20th, 2012.
Bullying - Can your child stop it?
Bullying is major issue children are forced to deal with, in fact over 150,000 kids a day in Canada miss school because of fear from bullies! A child's inability to stand up for him/herself is rooted in their fear of being physically hurt...the answer? Teach the victims the skills to protect themselves and the rest will follow.
Your child will be introduced to techniques which are defensive and do not include any striking. Strategies to diffuse confrontations with words and techniques to neutralize a threat and gain control without resorting to punching or kicking will be demonstrated and practiced.
For more information on the workshop and for instructions on how to register, please CLICK HERE.
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December 16th, 2011
The BJJ Program and Edmonton Oil Kings Partner to Help Bullied Child
Professor Malin has recently become involved with a family that is dealing with the ramifications of severe bullying.
"The individual who endured the bullying is a regular 12 year old boy. There really isn't anything that differentiates him from other boys and girls his age with the exception of low confidence and self esteem."
Unfortunately this was enough for him to become a target. His tormentors hurt him very badly landing him in the hospital with cuts, bruises and burns all over his body.
"I have been in contact with the family and they are coping the best they can, they are a strong family, doing everything possible to move beyond this terrible situation. During our conversation the mother informed me that her son was a "huge" hockey fan. That's where the Edmonton Oil Kings come into play. I contacted their assistant Coach Steve Hamilton, who is also a teacher and instructor at Vimy Ridge Academy in The Hockey Program and told him the story, he was quick to volunteer help in the form of a Christmas gift…a game worn jersey, autographed by the whole team!"
Professor Malin will be working with the family in the New Year, doing weekly Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lessons to help the boy and his other family members increase their self confidence and self esteem.
"The self defense techniques that we'll work on will help to keep him safe and provide a step by step plan for dealing with verbally aggressive kids in the future. I expect the BJJ training will dramatically boost his self esteem and increase his ability to make the right choices in all areas of his life."
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December 16th, 2011
BJJ Program Joins Forces With Santa
This year, in order to fulfill the compassion component of the Health curriculum, students in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Program contributed to the "Santa's Anonymous" initiative. This cause is devoted to bettering the lives of children in the community by delivering the "spirit of Christmas" to less fortunate children in Edmonton. Each child was asked to do "jobs" around the house for their parents in order to earn a minimum of $20 by December 9th. On December 14th the BJJ Program walked to Bonnie Doon Mall to spend their hard earned money on toys to donate to Santa's Anonymous.
The students raised just over $400 and we were able to spend all of it on those who are less fortunate. Taylor M. had this to say about the experience…
"It was fun; I enjoyed doing the chores at home because I knew the money was going to go to kids who don't get presents."
Amine H. who is a grade 4 student said, "I enjoyed buying presents for other kids because I think that every kid should have presents at Christmas!"
Liam D., a grade 6 student explained "I enjoyed working on extra jobs at home and buying toys for the kids because it's nice to help those who can't afford some of the things that we have."
I was very happy with the response and effort I received from my group on this assignment. The kids are becoming more compassionate and aware of difficulties other people endure on a daily basis. It was enjoyable watching them shop in a toy department 11 days before Christmas! They were arguing over what toys they should buy and what kind of person would enjoy playing with them. I expected them to have more difficulty with the donation aspect of the assignment and was proud of the students when, without hesitation, they tossed the toys into the Santa's Anonymous drop box.
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November 4th, 2011
AAD Staff Participate in Movember
Many Members of the AAD staff will be participating in "Movember" this year.
Movember is an annual tradition that was started in Australia and New Zealand in 2004, where members grow moustaches in November in support of Men's Health issues, specifically Prostate Cancer Research. Since 2007, Movember was adopted in other countries, including Canada, where it has flourished and help the total money raised by Movember grow to 177 million dollars in 7 years.
To donate to our team, please CLICK HERE.
This is the main page for the AAD team. If you would like to donate to a specific member of the AAD team, click on their name on the right hand side of the page. Please leave comments on pages, as we struggle through the awkward beginning of the month and work extra hard to grow our moustaches .
Help the AAD Movember team raise funds and awareness in support of Prostate Cancer Research.
Another way to help the cause is to buy the Movember Under Armour Storm Hoody from the AAD store. 10 dollars from every purchase will go to the AAD Movember team fund. AND if you use the promo code "AAD2011" you will receive an 15% off of your purchase.
To view the Hoody, CLICK HERE.
Thank you for your support.
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October 21st, 2011
AAD Online Store is Open
We are excited to announce the opening of AAD's online store. The store is located at the following website:
Through the store you will be able to purchase program shirts and shorts as well as other apparel that we have in stock. We have an abundance of Under Armour products available for sale. If you are uncertain about sizing you can always visit us at the AAD office at Vimy Ridge to check out sizes. You will need to see Paul Rai when you visit the office for sizing.
Please keep checking the store as we continue to add inventory to the shop on a daily basis.
To celebrate the opening of the store we are providing you with a 15% discount on all products. To get the 15% discount please use the following discount code AAD2011 when you in the checkout page of the online store. The discount code will be in effect for one month until November 20, 2011.
For any questions about the store, please contact Paul Rai at paul.rai@epsb.ca
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October 19th, 2011
BJJ Bake Sale for Borel Favela
Throughout the 2011-2012 school year, students from The BJJ Program will be asked to participate in a number of activities that will help them understand and practice "compassion." This year The BJJ Program is beginning with something new and very exciting.
The BJJ Program is going to carry out some fundraising activities in order to raise money to purchase gi's and mats for the kids participating in the Jiu-Jitsu program offered in the Borel Favela of Rio de Janeiro. This is a great opportunity for our kids to participate in different fundraising activities that require both hard work and commitment. Master Behring, supervises the Jiu-Jitsu in the favela which is taught by two police officers that helped to "pacify" the favela only a year and a half earlier. He was absolutely delighted to hear that our program was interested in building a relationship with the kids from this troubled area. Master Behring filmed a short video for The BJJ Program while he was in Brazil and showed it to the kids when he was here in late August. The video captures the living conditions of those living in the Favela as well as the dojo in which the kids are training. It was humbling for the students to see and realize that they have something very special here at Donnan and that each of us has the ability to help others in need through a little hard work and a great deal of compassion!
Our first fundraiser was an in-school Bake Sale. I asked each of the students to spend some time working in the kitchen with their parents baking something that they could donate to the sale. We ran the bake sale Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during lunch time.
After the last cookie crumbled and the final cupcake was eaten The BJJ Program raised $405 for the kids in Brazil!
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September 27th, 2011
Master Behring Visits
Under the guidance of Master Sylvio Behring members of the The BJJ Program focus primarily on the Progressive System of Jiu-Jitsu and Self Defense techniques. There are many people who train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu focusing primarily on the sport aspect of the art, forgetting Jiu-Jitsu's roots as a self defense system.
Grandmaster Helio Gracie maintained Jiu-Jitsu's effectiveness lie in each technique's application to all real life situations. Master Behring continues to uphold Grandmaster Helio's legacy by ensuring that beginner students, children and adults, learn Self Defense techniques as a foundation prior to learning the sport techniques used primarily in competitions.
Here Master Behring talks to The BJJ Program students about when it is okay to use their self defense techniques against an aggressor.
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September 1st, 2011
Training at "The Headquarters"
Professor Malin was in Los Angeles, California for a wedding and was able to find enough time to slip away from the festivities and into his gi for a couple classes at the World Headquarters of Jiu-Jitsu's first family; The Gracie Academy! Founded in 1989 by Rorian Gracie, the Gracie Academy is located in Torrance California, and is the Gracie's first academy in North America.
Professor Malin did an hour long private lesson with Rener Gracie who along with his older brother Ryron have become nationally recognized for their work to help children diffuse Bullying situations through Jiu-Jitsu training.
Said Professor Malin,"I was able to train with Professor Ryron last year in Edmonton and jumped at the opportunity to work with Professor Rener. We discussed his teaching philosophy, thoughts and procedures to teach children. It was very interesting to listen to him discuss these topics; he gave me some great ideas and advice that I'll implement right away! We also discussed the outstanding work and results he's experienced through the "Gracie Bully prevention" program. I am on the Edmonton Public School Board's Bully Prevention Committee and see bullying as one of the biggest issues in our schools today. There are so many external factors that can affect a child's success at school on a daily basis and unfortunately bullying has become a major issue. Bullying has been proven to have many negative consequences if it's not dealt with by the school and the individual child. Professor Rener talked about providing students with the skills to help them stand up for themselves, eliminating the fear of bullying and filling the students with self confidence. I'm looking forward to using The BJJ Program and Jiu-Jitsu to work with children at my school and throughout the city who are struggling with bullying!"
Professor Rener also taught some techniques demonstrating that the basics in Jiu-Jitsu are often the best techniques if executed correctly. Professor Malin worked on maintaining the Mount position and an arm-lock set up from mount before engaging in some friendly sparring.
"It was like rolling with a big spider, Professor Rener was everywhere, I was surprised how heavy he could be and felt like I was moving in quicksand. He gave me some opportunities to move and implement my game, moving deftly between stopping my offense attempts and skirting past my defenses with what seemed like no effort at all. I love sparring with individuals at that level as they provide a glimpse of how deep the "pool" of Jiu-Jitsu is."
After his private, Professor Malin was invited to shadow Professor Rener as he taught the adult beginner class. The beginner class is an hour long and focuses on common self defense situations.
"It was a great experience and I appreciated every minute of it!"
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August 30th, 2011
BJJ Program is Back to School!
The BJJ Program at Donnan School is back in session, and this year there are 12 Grade 3 students learning the basics of "The Gentle Art".
In the first class, Professor Malin taught all of the BJJ Program students the "Trap and Roll" technique, and then the students played a quick game of "Safety Scoot Racing". After the game, the students learned how to defend their mounted position and the older students played one of their favourite games: "The Spinning Ball of Death".
The staff and students of the BJJ Program are excited for another year of learning Jiu-Jitsu techniques, as well as continuing to build on their foundation of self-defence, self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-discipline.
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