Just Do It

I look out over the sea of people who are full of good intentions.

They want to get more fit, or lose weight, or do something disciplined; even to just do something cool.

Don't put it off.

I picked up Jiu-Jitsu back in 2011 when I was a mere puppy of 55. I was a good candidate, being a regular runner, and biker, and generally active. Even so, I'd almost left it too late.

I'll make you a deal. If you come try Jiu-Jitsu (which is free for the first couple of weeks), and you are concerned about getting hurt, or overdoing it, or anything like that you can have me as your partner.

I'm a pretty good tutor, but even better at being a safe partner. I'm also remarkably durable, so you won't have to fret about hurting me, either.

If you don't want me for whatever reason, I can still fix you up with somebody great to work with. It won't hurt my feelings.

Tobias is great. Nervous about working with a man? How about Elizabeth?

Make it a challenge for the New Year. Come for AT LEAST every one of the free classes.

Even if you're not sure about everything, come to all.

If it seems OK after that. Sign up for some period of time that you can get yourself to commit to, then come to every one of those.

Try and make every class until you really, really know if you want to quit, or to keep it up. Then, make a solid decision of either;

A) I will stop now, or
B) I will continue until I reach this new goal that I am setting....

Don't put it off....

Old Fart Rolls

I love hearing how Rener Gracie talks about his grandfather's later years in Jiu-Jitsu.

His grandfather, of course, was the creator of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Helio Gracie. He was still on the mat well into his 90s.

He says that his Grandfather wasn't able to go around submitting athletic people, who were only a quarter of his age. He would still roll, and would be later express his delight in keeping the youngster from submitting him. With childlike delight, he would say things like, “See that young Purple Belt over there. He couldn't submit me.”

I think that's great.

That's kind of who I have to try and be.

Physically, when rolling with the young folks, it's like they are Spider Man, and I am a regular Joe.

I end up on the bottom most of the time. This means I am usually on the defensive. Being on the bottom, and defending, against somebody with a young person's strength, speed, and cardio is a distinct disadvantage, unless I have a significantly higher-level of skill.

At our school, we have basically people with two levels of technical knowledge and training. Against the newer advanced students, I have no problem. I can dominate them from the bottom, and can escape pretty much at will.

Against those with around my level of training, this doesn't work anymore. They have all that speed, strength, and cardio, and we all know the same stuff.

Therefore, I have to cheat.

The technical material our experienced advanced students are all trained in is called BBS1, and BBS2. There is a level above called BBS3, which had only been partially released, and which we are not yet training in during our group classes.

I am doing all I can to teach myself the material that's so far available in BBS3.

Last time we were in Los Angeles, I cheated another way. I had 4 private lessons with Gracie Headquarters Instructor, Jordan Collins. We spent every second of that time working on stuff for somebody from underneath to use against physically-dominant opponents.

I also review this material frequently.

I am certainly not Helio Gracie, the genius who created our form of Jiu-Jitsu, held the rank of 10^th Degree Black Belt, and who rolled well into his 90s.

I am only a lowly Blue Belt, who is able to roll competitively with my peers, while in my 60^th year.

Christmastime

This is our last training week before Christmas, as our school shuts down for 18 Jiu-Jitsu free days.

It's too long for my taste, but I think most really like the time off. Christmas is certainly a time for other sorts of things.

I do intend nibbling away at the beginning of the break. Our last class is two days from now, on Thursday.

Friday is the first day of closure, but I will be going in at the usual open-mat time. Maybe somebody will choose to join me, but maybe not. In any case, I will drill and review. This will shrink the closure for me by one day.

Saturday morning, I will again be on the mat with whoever wants to come. I've also found a partner who is wants to train Saturday evening, and again on Sunday.

My Jiu-Jitsu break will have shrunk from 18 days down to 15.

At the other end of the holiday season our head guy, Scott, wants to have a thing he calls a, "Hundred Minute Roll," on New Years Day. I don't know what our family schedule will be that far off, but if I am free, I'll be there. That would further shrink my Jiu-Jitsu break down to 11 days.

If I am rolling by New Years, I'll certainly be back on the mat the day after. That will be a Saturday, and a good time to open things up for open-mat again.

Instead of zero sessions during the official 18-day shut down, I might just end up having trained 6 times.

There will still be at least those 11 days of no training. It might be longer if getting to the, "Hundred Minute Roll," interferes with anything else more Christmassy.