28 Days

Four weeks exactly until my Jiu-Jitsu test for Brown Belt.

In that time, I’ll do thirty sessions, more or less, on the mat getting ready.

It’s been going at that kind of pace for over five weeks already.

Burn out is a real possibility, but I’m not about to lighten up. This is too important to be left to half measures.

It’s a minor miracle that my 63-year-old body is taking it all. I’ve even been going for runs when the weather hasn’t been too discouraging.

I’ve had a ton of help along this road. My instructor Shawn is vital, of course. Rob and Sam have been putting in many long hours working with me as I drill the required test material over, and over, and over.

Marc Marins, the instructor from North Vancouver, will be the evaluator for my test. I train there regularly, and he has put on extra early morning sessions mostly for Shawn and me aimed at test preparation.

I’ve also recruited a group of people I trust at his school to be partner with me during training. At this time I can’t afford to work with anybody who might be high-risk, or even just unknown.

And along I grind.

That sounds strange, even to me.

I love Jiu-Jitsu, and the more of it I do the happier I am. Of course, some parts are my favourite, and some not so much.

Unfortunately, of all the different parts of the curriculum, my test all relates to my least favourite section.

The reasoning for this being the focus is impeccable. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is at heart a self-defence system, and that is what the test is about. They want to make sure that their upper rank people are fluent in that material.

In our system, every beginning student goes through a self-defence program before they join the advanced classes. Many of us continue to pay attention to the self-defence aspect of things, but many do not. They start rolling in the advanced classes, and never look back.

I’m sure that there are people out there who started training eight years ago just like I did, but who haven’t paid any significant attention to self-defence in the seven years since they finished their beginner program.

Hence, the focus on the new advanced belt test requirements.

I get it, and I approve, and it’s interesting, but it isn’t fun.

People often ask me why I do Jiu-Jitsu, and my answer isn’t what most people respond. I always say that it’s fun.

I enjoy learning for itself, and love the body physics of Jiu-Jitsu. I like the physicality of it. However, beyond all else, it’s just plain fun.

So I’m training on the material that the Gracies selected for testing, and I understand the reasoning, and am perfectly content to comply. It just means that this is not the funnest period of Jiu-Jitsu that I’ve ever had.

Like I said; along I grind.

And it isn’t forever; it ends in 28 days. I’ll either pass, or I won’t.

Either way, my training will return to normal. The grind will vanish, and the fun will increase.