Three Months of Jiu Jitsu

Tim was promoted to yellow belt and told me he had to live up to it. That was

the best news since Covid started. Remote-learning helped to keep the fire alive

for one year but could not replace sparring. We came back on the mat to find a 

couple of his mates who trained in person through the pandemic had improved

greatly. Consistency was the key. 

 

Except for a few black and brown belts, I probably am the oldest in the gym.

But I don't feel it and I train happily with kids three decades younger and get 

submitted. 80% of the students are able to submit me, but I don't compare myself

with them and frankly I don't care. After three months, my shoulders and neck

have adapted well and no longer feel lasting pain and I have learnt through

painful experiences to better protect my arms. I have paid attention to

breathing and relaxation and recent rolls have become much smoother.

 

Professor Eric adviced the white belts to simply try to survive for the first

two years and he himself did it for four years. Progress felt real nonetheless

as more than one partners confirmed. Michael said I was getting calmer. Anthony

said my transition was good. Will said my defense was strong and I was getting

better. I felt I was getting out of the initial fight-or-flight stage.

 

My experience has proved the more detailed advices from the masters, i.e., for a

white belt, the first things to develop are the defense and escapes. Against

higher-level or stronger guys, I almost always end up at the bottom. But that

doesn't mean that I have to panic. The good thing about Jiu Jitsu is that there

is almost always a way out or even to win no matter how dire the situation 

looks. Staying calm and practicing the skills to defend and escape are themselves

a victory. I am very thankful to Henry and Rickson whose instructions on the 

fundamentals are just what I need.

 

Starting sparring from standing up was dangerous, as I learnt facing off with

JR, a stocky blue belt. He caught my left leg and swept the other heel off the

ground in one stroke. Bang! I landed on my back and was stunned for three

seconds. I was not otherwise injured. From now on, I would rather start in a bad

position than in the gladiator style.

 

Not all lessons taught at Eric's school are what I need. Some are geared toward

competition but I don't want to compete. My goals are simple: health, self-defense,

Tim, and community.

 

Recent weeks, my gums at the base of upper molars have swollen up again. I have

paid attention to dental hygiene, my diet is good, and therefore I believe that

something else has to be the cause. Talking to a doctor may help.

 

[7grizzly]

回复 '暖冬cool夏' 的评论 : Thank you, 暖冬, for reading and your kind and thoughtful comments. Indeed, Jiu Jitsu relates to life in so many ways. People who think winning or losing is everything get schooled, which is good for them. Ego simply has to go. I believe this kind of experience benefits everyone.

My gums didn't hurt much either. I think you are right that it's "上火". But I've been having lots of watermelon which I thought should help. Maybe I eat too much nuts, especially almonds. I'll stop and see if it gets better.

Have a great weekend!

[暖冬cool夏]

My experience has proved the more detailed advices from the masters, i.e., for a white belt, the first things to develop are the defense and escapes.....
+1. I love the whole paragraph. What you've learned from JJ can be relayed to anything in our life. How to stay calm and not panic when we are at bottom, and how to come back if we stumble instead of running away. These are what we have been trying to imbue her with these days. I am glad that Tim picks up JJ earlier in his life.
As to your swollen gums, there might have some infections. In Chinese culture, the infection can mean "上火", meaning that you may have eaten something hot (热性的, 热气的) that triggers it. I had a root canal a few years ago, and the area easily gets swollen if I eat fried peanuts. But it will recede if I drink something cool like 菊花茶 (or even applying some cactus will help too). Mine does not have any pain though. Hope it won't bother you too much. Have a great weekend!