THE WHITE BELT CHRONICLES - VOLUME 1 - # 1

For those of you who are unaware, I have started to take Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes again. I've just recently started up about a month ago after a 1 year lay off. I feel great to be back training again, and am really looking forward to continuing my quest to black belt. At age 30, my ultimate goal is to get my black belt in 10 years. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or BJJ, is what many MMA fighters employ when the fight goes to the ground. It's a mixture of locks and chokes that are geared to force your opponent into submission. It was designed to level the playing field between a smaller fighter and his much larger opponent or it can make a much larger fighter use more of his technical skill rather than brute size and strength. I equate it to physical chess.


THE ADJUSTMENT
The first thing that I noticed in my first month back to BJJ is the adjustment that the body must make to the type of training that it offers. Jiu Jitsu involves tough and rigorous training which kind of breaks down the body. You are stretching your body in different ways, relying heavily on your core, and testing your endurance.

The classes usually last for about 90minutes, and the first 30 involve the warm up which is so crucial to preventing injury and preparing the body for the training to come.

DRILLS
Post warm ups, you will learn a few techniques and work on them with your training partner. The goal is to really concentrate on perfecting your technique for proper execution.

THE ROLL
This is what I love most about BJJ, the fact that you're able to immediately take what you've learned during drills, and apply them in live sparring. From what I've learned so far, the toughest part about rolling is letting go of your ego. Your desire to not get tapped rather than simply trying to execute technique is the constant battle. I am still learning that,and from what some of my classmates have told me, it took them about a year or so to learn how to calm down. Hopefully this will take me less time.

All in all, my first month back went pretty well. I am really looking forward to month 2. If any of you are ever in the NY Metro Area, you should try to stop by Lotus Club in Astoria. It's a great place to train and learn from some excellent Jiu Jitsu Practitioners.

See Ya Wed!