Jiu-jitsu Two Years

I started in June 2021, to show my kid that hardwork pays. It has for me. The

first year was the toughest as I struggled to adapt. Then it became enjoyable

and, over time, a life-style. After my promotion in Nov 2022 wore off, I've

grown into a confident blue belt.

 

I was also curious: at 48, could I do BJJ and what would I get? I was already

kettlebell-strong (for my bodyweight, of course): having reached 40kg in Pavel's

Simple and Sinister program. Running ultras in Xero sport sandals had over the

years boosted my endurance and hardened my feet. But I still feared, unsure of

my prospects if attacked. A new wave of Sinophobia started to brew with the

pandemic and Trump and violence against Asians kept making the headlines. I had

to face my fear.

 

Martial art ideals, e.g., to meet force with technique and the weak's triumph

over the strong, in addition, had always been to me a myth. I'd like to get to

the bottom of the hype.

 

A sword has to be forged from raw steel to fit its purpose. In two years, almost

every part of my body underwent ruthless stress. The neck, shoulders, collar

bones, arms, wrists, fingers, ribs, hips, knees, ankles, and toes all felt

remade, through pain and recovery. Even the edge of my left ear bulged from

scraping.

 

Still under 155 lbs, I have become wiry. The waist felt even smaller and the abs

have started to show. I stopped lifting weight after receiving my blue belt as

it had become injury-prone under fatigue from jiu-jitsu. My upper body,

including the neck, gained muscles nonetheless and I walked around with an erect

spine, broad shoulders, a jagged back, and finally, a proud chest.

 

My Jiu-jitsu journey has also been a cultural experience. I have met inspiring

people from all walks of life and learned how they treat each other. Students

are mainly white in law enforcement and the military and Asians with a Filipino

and second generation Chinese majority. When you are getting choked, it doesn't

matter.

 

Books like "The WIERDest People In The World" help greatly in understanding

American psychology on paper. In the gym, however, I get to practice the

knowledge on people young and old and male and female, and get instant feedback.

In our Facebook group, I've been observing how my mates talk to each other: they

use short and slang words (swill, parkour, wack job, etc.) and make jokes. (My

GRE-fashioned English is no good here.)

 

I still go four or five times and cannot imagine a week without jiu-jitsu. The

standard drills, rooted in self-defense, are a great exercise. Being able to

mobilize every part of my body, to defend, to escape, to sweep, to reverse, and

to attack, i.e., the full-force three-dimensional chess, has been addictive.

Watching my idols grapple never fails to fire me up.

(E.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sia_yuGN5qI

https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/jean-jacques-machado-bjj-fighter-wiki)

 

This is an investment that'll keep giving through the rest of my life.