How to begin…
When I first started BJJ, I had no idea how high of a mountain I was beginning to climb. The famous proverb “ignorance is a bliss” can be applied to my jiu jitsu journey. If I had a real understanding of what it really meant to practice this sport and how my entire life would have changed seven years later, I am pretty sure I would have sabotaged myself and quit. I had never practiced seriously any sport before, my “gym life” at 29 years old was limited to hop on the stationary bike while watching movies on iPad. It was so dull I had to keep my mind occupied with something else. I am from Brazil and had some exposure to the sport of Jiu jitsu growing up. After living overseas for six years, I felt the need to do something that would help me connect to my origins. I could have picked up any other cultural/physical activity like Samba dance, Brazilian culinary, or Capoeira. Still, instead, I went to Jiu jitsu as there was a gym just down the road from where I lived. As a white belt, I would feel guilty of going to class every day because I felt like I was a burden to my training partners since they were so dedicated to helping me out. They never made me feel this way. It was just how I felt. There was quite a bit of discomfort, and it wasn't easy at all, yet I couldn't understand why the more I trained, the more I wanted to do it. I didn't realize the chemical rush that was going on inside of me that was released upon generating endorphins through human touch, even if this is an unorthodox way of doing it so: choking each other or trying to figure out the best way to rip someones arm out.
There is such an unspoken trust when we fist bump before a roll. In short, “I'm trusting you my life” because ultimately blocking airways leads to fatal consequences, learning how to make your forearms lethal without any intention of killing anyone is the beauty of jiu jitsu: To know you can IF you have to. So if you are considering training jiu jitsu, here are some of my tips : 1 - Accept & embrace discomfort, understanding that its the price for growth. Physical and psychological 2 - SHOW UP as much as you can and go to class. I'm not recommending overtraining; that opens room for unnecessary injuries. Why is attendance so important? It's not the majority that makes it to blue belt, too many quit. Higher belts get discouraged from investing time with white belts because of that. The more you go and show your face more likely a higher belt will start devoting time to help you out. 3 - Write notes and research code of conduct, Bjj history, and solo drills. 4 - COMMUNICATE again, embrace discomfort and reach out to people. Ask for help and solve doubts or “could you please check if I'm doing XXX move correctly”. I can assure you that even the most intimidating looking person on the mat will give you the time if you ask this way. Today as a brown belt is crazy to think that seven years later, this “old” Julia of today would've beat up in any measurements my younger Julia. Jiu jitsu changed my perspective on getting older. I am 37 years old by the time I'm 40, I will be a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, and the price for that is time!. Getting older means KNOWING MORE BJJ, and I know I can make it happen because I’m in charge of my future. And I know what I want. Yes, some anxiety still raises about my future, but having this certainty that I WILL ALWAYS have BJJ and its community, NO MATTER WHAT, is enough for me to know that “it will be alright”. OSS