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.
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