I started “the gentle art” in 2008.
It wasn’t the first time I had tried rolling. I dabbled in a few classes here years before, and trained with friends there in between, but it was that Summer when I signed up for a membership and made the commitment to learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ).
What a plot twisting, turning roll it’s been.
BJJ is an interesting obsession. It’s really, really hard to become proficient. And even then, when you think you’ve figured something out, you quickly find that there is always more to learn, and your teachers will come in all shapes, sizes, and let’s be real, all belt levels, ready to rip a limb and choke you into the realm of unconsciousness, until you tap, or submit.
From there, it’s all sunshine and smiles, fist bumps, hugs, and life lessons shared over this mutual obsession of efficient self-defense, but it’s not an easy road.
I have had the opportunity to train in my 20s, 30s, and now 40s, with time off due to injuries, life changes, injuries, shifting responsibilities, and injuries. I mentioned that Jiu-Jitsu is hard right? Through it all, if there is one thing Jiu-Jitsu has helped with, it’s learning to better care for the temple, so that you can keep living well but be prepared the next time the roof starts to leak.
I’ve seen the art change with each new wave of beginners, and in some ways, have had to start over after the longer layoffs. The longest layoff of my jiu-jitsu journey was the better part of five years. I’d torn my calf as a Blue Belt and didn’t have medical at the time. I was just a Blue Belt, the second belt level, and I’d already had experienced a concussion, popped elbow, misc. bumps, bruises, strains, and now/then that.
I looked at all of that and thought, well, I’m good. Thank you, I’m out.
One of my friends and training partners had often joked that “Blue was the new Black.” But one of the most amazing and curious things is that in Jiu-Jitsu, the Black Belt is when your journey actually begins. For me, I assumed it was at that point a fading dream that changed and got put on the shelf…
Queue up a time after a particularly rough patch of life smashing me, I realized that the deep breathing I took part in during those heavier moments I’d learned while getting physically smashed on the mats came to my aid through all the stressful projects at work and experiences in life. I’d also had the experience of being confronted by a dude high on something and in that moment, what I’d learned in Muay Thai, my first martial arts, and Jiu-Jitsu, those techniques kept me safe and free from harm as my body kicked into gear, using that breathing, and creating space and distance before he could engage and giving time for the situation to diffuse.
Afterwards as I reflected on that moment, I felt lucky and wondered how could I be better prepared? I was also dealing with the ending of a rough relationship and challenging sequence of life changes that came with it. Having experienced the all around benefits of training before, I knew getting back on the mats would help.
When I returned, it was arguably one of the hardest things to do. My anxiety was through the roof and it was difficult to go back after so many years away. I’d seen many walk away and never return and it’s understandable why.
Jiu-Jitsu is hard.
But so is life and if you keep showing up, what’s hard becomes easier because of the inner endurance that is cultivated, and hopefully, more enjoyable.
About a year after I returned, subsequent injuries in there as well, I received my Purple Belt, a level after so many years away, I really didn’t think would happen.
But it did.
Then, with covid forcing us all away from human interaction while I was also processing the grief of losing my Dad in 2020, my practice was pretty inconsistent until I returned again earlier this year.
And boom, just like 2008-2022, fourteen years from white belt to brown belt, it all flew by, and here I am. In truth, perhaps this is age and experience, but I recognize it’s the same, each day I’m learning all over again, but with greater intentionality as I practice how to refine and be more efficient.
Like the changing of one year to the next, it’s acknowledging where I’ve been while also embracing that this is something completely brand new and an opportunity to approach it anew.
Jiu-Jitsu, my creative and art practices, seeing a therapist, [pick your medicine here] is an essential tool in the overall health and wellness approach that I take. As I’ve rolled further with this art, through arguably harder life challenges and even more changes, I’ve found the determination to continue my growth, because it’s my growth, and not because I was seeking any sort of achievement out of it.
And that’s pretty interesting because the more that we hone our crafts, whatever they may be, the more we open up the possibility of achieving different things.
With that, do what you love, whatever that is, and provided that it does not cause harm to yourself or others.
Keep rollin’ through life and if you’re interested in putting on a gi or grappling nogi, go for it!
Oss!