Jiu Jitsu
So I did UW Judo club for all of senior year, competed a couple times, and was able to pretty much hold my own in practice against a crowd of mostly brown belts who had been practicing since they were little kids. There were a few guys who could pin me or choke me almost every time--the sensei and a few other big guys, some of whom did Brazilian Jiu Jitsu outside of Judo club.
After I graduated, I did a bunch of traveling (to Korea and China and NYC and now Chicago) so I didn't have any chance to go to a dojo. I found one when I first got to Chicago, but it was far away and the facility was way too small for the size of the group, especially for how expensive it was. So I decided to give Brazilian Jiu Jitsu a shot, given that there's a club not far from my office, and the guys who did BJJ seemed to kick ass at grappling in my Judo club. I started last Tuesday, and I've had a pretty humbling experience. First of all, the guys are much bigger and stronger than a lot of the college students I worked with in Judo. And they're way better at ground fighting. Guys are tapping me out left and right with chokes and armbars that I barely even see coming. Unlike judoka, they never show their backs (the "turtle" is a popular pin defense in Judo), and they can pull dozens of different sweeps and submissions from full guard position (laying on one's back with both legs wrapped and locked around the opponent's torso). In BJJ we also do no-gi practice on Thursdays, which takes away all the lapel choke techniques that I learned in Judo, making it a very different game.
So in short, I'm getting owned. I had to sit out during the sparring part of today's practice because I got choked so many times on Sunday that my trachea is bruised, giving me a terrible sore throat. My elbow is a bit tender from an armbar that set in too fast for me to tap in time. I had to buy concealer makeup to cover the bruises and rashes on my face and neck from grappling, because the incessant questions from my coworkers got old pretty fast.
Yet somehow, despite my bruised pride and bruised body, I still have an urge to go back and fight again. I can't sleep after practice because my mind is running through all the mistakes I made and new techniques I want to try next time. After a week, I'm already noticing an increase in my stamina, and my abs and shoulders are getting bigger. It's hard not to get discouraged when the same guy chokes me out three times in a row, but going up against guys who are better than me is the best way for me to learn, right? And if I improve my grappling skill to the point where I can keep up with these guys, then I'll be confident taking on just about anyone.
After I graduated, I did a bunch of traveling (to Korea and China and NYC and now Chicago) so I didn't have any chance to go to a dojo. I found one when I first got to Chicago, but it was far away and the facility was way too small for the size of the group, especially for how expensive it was. So I decided to give Brazilian Jiu Jitsu a shot, given that there's a club not far from my office, and the guys who did BJJ seemed to kick ass at grappling in my Judo club. I started last Tuesday, and I've had a pretty humbling experience. First of all, the guys are much bigger and stronger than a lot of the college students I worked with in Judo. And they're way better at ground fighting. Guys are tapping me out left and right with chokes and armbars that I barely even see coming. Unlike judoka, they never show their backs (the "turtle" is a popular pin defense in Judo), and they can pull dozens of different sweeps and submissions from full guard position (laying on one's back with both legs wrapped and locked around the opponent's torso). In BJJ we also do no-gi practice on Thursdays, which takes away all the lapel choke techniques that I learned in Judo, making it a very different game.
So in short, I'm getting owned. I had to sit out during the sparring part of today's practice because I got choked so many times on Sunday that my trachea is bruised, giving me a terrible sore throat. My elbow is a bit tender from an armbar that set in too fast for me to tap in time. I had to buy concealer makeup to cover the bruises and rashes on my face and neck from grappling, because the incessant questions from my coworkers got old pretty fast.
Yet somehow, despite my bruised pride and bruised body, I still have an urge to go back and fight again. I can't sleep after practice because my mind is running through all the mistakes I made and new techniques I want to try next time. After a week, I'm already noticing an increase in my stamina, and my abs and shoulders are getting bigger. It's hard not to get discouraged when the same guy chokes me out three times in a row, but going up against guys who are better than me is the best way for me to learn, right? And if I improve my grappling skill to the point where I can keep up with these guys, then I'll be confident taking on just about anyone.