“The good thing about Brazilian jiu jitsu is that if you get too big for for yourself it brings you back to earth. Humbles you.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Click here for Te reo translation From professional rugby league player to professor of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has been an 11 year journey of self-discovery for Ohinemutu man Anaru Grant Jr.
Anaru was playing for the Cronulla Sharks in Sydney when he was introduced to jiu jitsu.
"My uncle was doing jiu jitsu and had shown me a couple of things when I was home on holiday."
While Anaru was at the Sharks another club had a guy who held wrestling workshops.
But Anaru took away the lesson that if someone half the size could put a 105kg rugby league forward on his backside then that "demonstrated to me that I needed to learn this stuff".
It opened a different avenue for him.
"I left rugby league to pursue Brazilian jiu jitsu.
"Basically retired at 24. I started playing rugby league at 18 and moved up the grades." Ending up in the NRL was the dream outcome for the Rotorua rugby league player. Then another dream came up.
And for Anaru (Te Arawa, Tuwharetoa, Waikato- Maniapoto) the future is absolutely brighter than if he had stayed in rugby league.
"Basically, I could do this the rest of my life."
That is compared to rugby league where injury could put paid to a long-term career.
He is happy chasing his Brazilian jiu jitsu dream now which has taken him to competitions all over the world and secured lifelong friendships.
Then there is the personal development attained on the mat.
"You are literally face to face and have to be comfortable.
"You have to get used to being comfortable in uncomfortable situations and learn to communicate with people from all walks of life.
Anaru Grant; Head Instructor and Owner of Whanoa Mamau Parihi. Photo/Rawinia Phillips Smith
"This also helps develop greater understanding and confidence.
"But also, I like to think the mat is a leveller.
"The good thing about Brazilian jiu jitsu that if you get too big for yourself it brings you back to earth. Humbles you.
"I had my very first lesson. I was 105kg. Fit strong, so I wasn't really intimated. This fella looked like Harry Potter so I didn't think too much of it. But he had the techniques and all that and humbled me.
"A lot of people might not learn, but I could see the big picture and made sure to acquire the knowledge and techniques."
To Anaru, having a black belt shows an acquisition of knowledge. His belt has a red tab signifying that he is a professor, an acknowledged teacher.
Jiu jitsu originated in Japan as a self-defence art.
The Brazilian jiu jitsu practised at Tukaha is for tournaments and includes moves never used on the street.
Tukaha in Rotorua is one of three gyms under that name. The others are in Auckland and Brazil, run by Professor Pedro Fernandez. Tukaha Rotorua has been in the former Eastern Pirates Rugby Football Club at Neil Hunt Park along Te Ngae Road for just over two and a half years and has already had to expand.
Covid has made the last two years difficult.
Anna, Anaru's partner, said before the lockdown in 2020 they were due to go to Brazil and were of two minds whether they should go.
But a mokopuna of the founder of Brazilian ju jitsu, the late Helio Gracie, and daughter of Rickson (pronounced Hickson) Gracie, is in New Zealand. Kauan also was caught up in the pandemic. She has a gym and dance studio in Auckland.
Anaru said it has been very hard to keep interest up.
"It's been very weird, and hard in terms of keeping people interested.
"That's what tournaments do — get people to practise and get themselves ready for competition.
"It's harder to do the extra things like eat well and train like working towards an event."
Attendees of the open mat event held by Whanoa Mamau Parihi on the weekend.
The gym's kaupapa is Whakakotahi tatou and on any night of the week you can see people from all walks of life rolling around on the mat.
"Kaupapa supercedes everything. We have cops here training side by side with gang members. Champion barbecuists."
Last weekend Tukaha hosted an open mat with top exponents from around the rohe taking part. A special mention to Proffesors Wahib Salha and Brad Kora who were able to add mana and guidance to the day.
The 100 club is a competition where members try to complete 100 sparring rounds for the month.
In March had eight or nine got across the mark and Anaru produced printed T-shirts to make the achievement. Achieving the 100 — rolling hard, testing mental limits at 10 rolls a session — is hard on the body so must be spaced out over a longer period.
Membership is overwhelmingly male although there some women took part in the open mat.Then there are the kids — the tiny toa. They start at age 5.
At their latest tournament 50 tiny toa and their whanau turned up. Prizes offered included cash and T-shirts.
For Anaru, Anna and their two girls the dream is still very much alive.
He tāiki ngāpara pūrei rīki o onamata, ināianei he matakaikutu Parīhi mamau kua tekau mā tahi tau te roa o tana tūhuratanga-ā-tangata nei, koia tētehi o tātou o Ōhinemutu a Anaru Grant Jr.
He toa pūrei rīki mā te karapu o ngā mango i Cronulla i Poihākena i kōnei ka tūponohia ki te mamau. " Nā taku matua tāne kaokaoroa ahau i ako ki ētehi nukurau nōku e whakangā ana i te kāinga ka muramura ai taku ngākau ki tēnei tū āhuatanga".
Nōna i te karapu o Cronulla ka tūtakihia ki tētehi tangata, ā, he tangata ako ki te mamau hoki. Ko whakaaro ake a Anaru he rautaki pea tēnei e whakapōturingia ai te wāhanga ketuketu o āna kemu rīki.
Ben Connor and Nathan Wonsbrough who attended the open mat event at Whanoa Mamau Parihi on the weekend just gone. Whakaahua/Rawinia Phillips Smith
"Koinā kē te tino whāinga māku ka pēwhea nā ahau e toa ai i āku takorohanga rīki"
"Taku taenga atu ki te kakaritanga tuatahi – toutou ana āku hēngere! Ka puta te ngākau whakaiti"
Whoi anō ko te akoranga mātua, he ahakoa he tōtara tū wao mā te matakahi iti e tua. "Me kaha kē ki te whakawhānake i taku puna mātauranga". Ka pūare mai tētehi huarahi whakamīharo māna.
"Ko te Parīhi mamau te take i māhuetia ai te rīki". " Nōku e rua tekau mā wha ngā tau ka whakairia ōku pūtu rīki. I timataria taku pūrei rīki nōku e tekau mā waru o ngā tau, nā, ka piki haere ka kake haere ngā taumata". Ko te taenga atu ki te NRL te toi o ngā rangi mō tēnei toa nō Rotorua kaha ki te pūrei rīki. Kātahi rā ka pōhutu ake tētehi moemoeā kānapanapa.
"Anei kē taku huarahi ake ake".
Ko te rīki ki te taotu te tangata kua mutu te nama".
Nā te mamau kua māreparepa noa a Anaru i te ao kua tae atu ki ngā whakataetae mano ngerongero, engari te hiranga o te mamau ko te whakawhānaungatanga me te whakahoahoa.
Tuarua mai ko te whakapaunga wairua ki te ātea nui o Tū.
"He kanohi ki te kanohi, he niho ki te niho me māuri tau te ihi ", " Ko te whakaratarata i te wairua e hēmanawa ana me te kōrero ki ngā tini tangata nō ngā hau e wha he akoranga nui tērā".
Bianca Fafeita and Ana Moceyawa (Judo Black Belt and NZ Wrestler) Photo/Rawinia Phillips Smith
"Mā tēnei e taikākā ai te uho manawa, whoi anō mā te whāriki mamau te tangata e noho taurite ai – tino kore rawa nei te wairua whakahīhī e rangona, kātahi te ao ngākau whakaiti ko tēnei "
"Nōku e kotahi rau mā rima kiro karamu ka uru atu ki taku whakaparawai mamau tuatahi – taku pakari hoki, kāre i uru mai te wehi ki taku ngākau, nā ka tū mai taku ika, me ko Hari Pōta tōna rite, engari rā! Ko ngā momo rautaki katoa i a ia, ka whati taku ngākau – he hōhā nō etehi ki te ako, engari mārama kau ahau ki te tirohanga whānui o tēnei ao, ka tika taku ako".
Ko Tukaha tētehi o ngā whare mamau o te kāhui tokotoru, kai Tamaki tētehi ko te tuatoru kai Parīhi ko Pedro Fernandez te toihuarewa o ēnei whare e toru. Kua tata ki te rua tau a Tukaha – Rotorua e parawhakawai ana ki te karapu tawhito poiwhana o ngā Pairata ki te rāwhiti ki Neil Hunt Park, kai tāhaki o te rori matua o Te Ngae.
Ko Anna te hoa rangatira o Anaru – hai tāna i mua i te rāhuitanga mate uruta i te tau e rua mano rua tekau ko te tikanga kia rere atu te whānau ki Parīhi he ahakoa e rangi rua ana ngā whakaaro, nā wai rā ka whakaaro ake rātou ko te painga kē atu kia kāua e haere.
Whoi anō nō rātou te maringi nui ki Aotearoa nei he mokopuna nā Helio Gracie, koia hoki he tamāhine nā Rickson ( ko Hickson te whakahuatanga tika o tōna ingoa) Ko Helio te pūtawenga o te whare mamau. Ko Kauan te ingoa o te tamāhine nei, nā te mate urutā ka mau hoki ia i kōnei.
He whare kanikani tōna i Tamaki Makaurau. Hai tā Anaru, he mahi nui te whakapāohotia te rongonuitanga o te mamau.
"He hārakiraki, he uaua hoki te pupuri i te mauri o te tangata kia kāua rātou e wehe atu, koia te mana nui o te whakataetae – ka parawhakawai ngā toa kia mate ururoa rātou i ngā whakataetae, engari ko te kai tika me te whakangungu anō hoki te mahi me te whakarite i a koe mō ngā kaupapa nui, he huarahi whakaheke toihau".
He whakakōtahi tātou te kaupapa o te whare mamau nei he ahakoa te pō, he ahakoa te ao kai reira ngā tangata nō ngā whaitua rau e parawhakawai kau ana.
"Ko te kaupapa, te pikopiko o rangi, kai kōnei ngā pirihimana e whakangungu tahi ana me ngā kēnge, ngā toa o barbecuists".
I te mutunga wiki kua pahemo atu i whakamanuwhiringia a Tukaha ngā kākākura huhua ki tetehi whakataetae, whāriki tūwhera – ka puta mai ngā taniwha oreore, tae mai a Wahid i Manawatu. He whakataetae karapu kotahi rau, ko te tikanga kia whakatutukihia e ngā toa ngā whakanagungu kotahi rau i te mārama kōtahi. I te Maehe tokowaru, tokoiwa anahe i hipa i te māka ka whakaputaina e Anaru ētehi t-hāte hai whakamihi atu ki ngā matakaikutu.
Kia whakatutukihia tēnei whainga te kotahi rau – ko te whakaputa ngoi, ko te whakaū ā hinengaro ki te whāinga mātua i a koe e parawhakawai ana kia tekau huringa, ka rangona te mamae nā reira me āta wehewehe tēnei tūāhuatanga.
He tāne te nuinga o ngā mema he ahakoa i tae hoki mai ētehi wāhine ki te whāriki tūwhera. He wāhanga hoki mō ngā tamariki e kīa nei ko ngā toa rikiriki. Ka rima tō rātou pakeke e tāti ai rātou.
I te whakataetae kātahi nei kua hori he rima tekau ngā toa rikiriki i puta mai. He moni ngā perehana me ngā pūeru hoki.
He moemoeā tēnei kua pūāwaitia, e noho ngākau whakaiti tonu nei a Anaru me tona hoa rangatira a Anna me ā rāua tamāhine. Ehara ko te aitanga a Tiki!
