Back in the BJJ saddle again
I had three goals that I made in the last 10-11 months or so: Get a job. Get in the best shape of my life. Continue learning jiu-jitsu. I had a very specific reason for these three goals and maybe I'll get into that one day. Today ain't that day.
The move up to Charlotte from Texas was and is a transition in so many ways. I have dabbled in some form of mixed martial arts since college. I put it together in 2004 when I unofficially began learning taekwondo. That became official in 2006. I kept that going through late 2010 and I stopped performing martial arts dude to work. At least that's the excuse I gave. I was a little burned out and didn't like the school I went to so I put work in front of me.
That lasted until my last assignment on a small island called Ascension. A friend of mine, Colin, wanted to train there. My buddy Sean and I went, Sean having years of jiu-jitsu training. He made me promise I'd begin training when I got back to the states. I said I would.
So about early 2014 I started training jiu-jitsu officially in Victoria, TX. I was nervous. There's that fear again. I didn't think I was in good enough shape. I watched a class and the next day I started. And kept going back. I got almost two good years in, making good friends and learning a lot about who I am.
Let me tell you: jiu-jitsu is human chess. Literally every time you step on the mats you're facing someone different than any other time. Even if it's someone you see daily. People continue to evolve in ways good and bad and that's reflected on the mats in all sort of ways.
You learn a ton about who you are, expressed physically. Mentally, in how you prepare for a very intimate battle. It's become a pretty important part of my life. It makes stress at work not matter as much. It makes you confident you can handle yourself physically in any situation. I'm a white belt. The levels of what I need to learn are as infinite as the stars in the sky. But you feel that your toolbox that you have is enough to get you through the day. And you can always come back to class to get more tools.
This year hasn't been the greatest for me training for numerous reasons that I won't get into. But today I found a class here in Charlotte and that makes me happy. I trained under a black belt and that is a new thing for me. The people I trained with were nice and helpful and remembered me by name.
Maybe I've found a new home to practice. I hope so. More to come.
The move up to Charlotte from Texas was and is a transition in so many ways. I have dabbled in some form of mixed martial arts since college. I put it together in 2004 when I unofficially began learning taekwondo. That became official in 2006. I kept that going through late 2010 and I stopped performing martial arts dude to work. At least that's the excuse I gave. I was a little burned out and didn't like the school I went to so I put work in front of me.
That lasted until my last assignment on a small island called Ascension. A friend of mine, Colin, wanted to train there. My buddy Sean and I went, Sean having years of jiu-jitsu training. He made me promise I'd begin training when I got back to the states. I said I would.
So about early 2014 I started training jiu-jitsu officially in Victoria, TX. I was nervous. There's that fear again. I didn't think I was in good enough shape. I watched a class and the next day I started. And kept going back. I got almost two good years in, making good friends and learning a lot about who I am.
Let me tell you: jiu-jitsu is human chess. Literally every time you step on the mats you're facing someone different than any other time. Even if it's someone you see daily. People continue to evolve in ways good and bad and that's reflected on the mats in all sort of ways.
You learn a ton about who you are, expressed physically. Mentally, in how you prepare for a very intimate battle. It's become a pretty important part of my life. It makes stress at work not matter as much. It makes you confident you can handle yourself physically in any situation. I'm a white belt. The levels of what I need to learn are as infinite as the stars in the sky. But you feel that your toolbox that you have is enough to get you through the day. And you can always come back to class to get more tools.
This year hasn't been the greatest for me training for numerous reasons that I won't get into. But today I found a class here in Charlotte and that makes me happy. I trained under a black belt and that is a new thing for me. The people I trained with were nice and helpful and remembered me by name.
Maybe I've found a new home to practice. I hope so. More to come.
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