Huggies

This week at Jiu-Jitsu there are no formal classes, but I've been opening the place up so that we students can use the mat.

Saturday, I was alone. Tuesday; it was Rob, Ryan and me. Wednesday; Dave, and the other Dave, Rob and me. Thursday; just one Dave, Rob, Koko, and me. Today it's Friday; I was joined by Koko, and Elizabeth.

It has all been a great review time. The two Daves wanted to go over the White Belt curriculum in preparation for testing. Ryan, Rob, Koko and Elizabeth all wanted to work pretty much on the stuff at the first level of Blue Belt. I was happy to help anybody, and when alone went over the second level of Blue Belt material.

At the end of today, Koko and Elizabeth got up to leave. Koko has spent most of this year attending Simon Fraser University, and is about to head back. I've known her since I started training three years ago. She said it was the last time she'd see me for a while, and started walking towards me.

We do a lot of hand slapping around here, so I reached up from my seated position pro-offering an outstretched hand. She said she wanted a hug. I got up and hugged her. It might be months before I'll see her again.

Elizabeth, standing nearby then announced, “I'm not going to hug you.” It didn't exactly sound like a joke. I made it into one by saying something like, “Hugs are for people going off to University.”

I found that all very strange.

I've known Elizabeth for about two years. In all that time we've never hugged, nor have I ever expected that we should. We have been all tangled up on the ground many, many times clinging to one another, but never hugged. Why would we hug?

As far as I can tell there seems to be two kinds of social hugs performed these days. The first is the kind that I exchanged with Koko. This kind is as old as the hills, and done in a traditional hugging manner. It can be freely exchanged between ladies, or between a lady and a gent. It is extremely rare between two gentlemen.

Between guys there is this strange creature that has grown out of a cross breeding between a handshake and a hug. Imagine a two guys starting a handshake, and then hugging with their free left arms.

It's done a little differently now. The two gentleman bend their right hands up to their shoulders, and then clasp each other palm-to-palm. Their still-free left arms hug around the other dudes shoulder, and they execute one back slap or shoulder squeeze. Note; this is only done between two guys, and is never mixed gender or done between two ladies.

Maybe Elizabeth was concerned that I might want to do one of these one-armed man hug abominations with her.

No wonder she spoke up quickly to quash any such possibility. If so, I thank her.

I hate everything about those bro hugs.