My experience with BJJ was z-e-r-o and when I heard that my former Kickboxing coach (more like cardio kickboxing) was putting on a month of free BJJ classes for women, I decided to try. It's a martial art that interests me, partially because of my Japanese ties, but mostly because it's something totally different than anything I'd ever tried. BJJ is my coach's true passion and you could tell from the class how much he loves the sport.
We did alot of drills practicing how to fall on the matt, lots of hip drils and movements and we learned a couple of moves & how to put them together. Lots of time spent practicing with a partner, then we were able to watch coach and his assistant grapple so we could see what the real flow of a match would be like.
Before class I was feeling:
-nervous (that I wouldn't be able to do it)
-anxious (what if I get my arse kicked?)
-apprehensive (Do I really want to get that close to someone?!)- strange how much personal space means to you, then at the same time, how quickly that feeling goes away when you just drop that fear.
After class:
-totally pumped! What a great martial art! Self-defence! Body Chess! Leverage, not strength...
I CAN DO THIS! Cool! It's amazing what little strength you really need to actually get out of a position!
-convinced that all the feelings I had/ have before the class are the reasons why I SHOULD try this out!
I had asked my twitter buddy (and MMA fighter) @JimmyVo for some info on the sport and he pointed me to a blog post of his.
http://mmastuff.ws/bjj/9-lessons-ive-learned-from-jiu-jitsu-so-far
I have to admit, at the time I read it (before I had class) I didn't quite understand it all. After seeing the art, being down on the matt, I get it. Well, obviously I don't "GET" it, cause I've only been to one class, but I can put context to the info now. Thanks for the info Jimmy :)
I had tried to surf for info prior to class, and while there's no shortage of YouTube videos and sites, I really think it's something you just have to TRY.
Check out this link for a woman's perspective on BJJ:
http://www.grapplearts.com/Women-and-Grappling.html
Some pretty insightful stuff!
I'm quite sure it's something I want to continue! :0)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
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6 comments:
Great to hear that you enjoyed it. Thanks for the shout out. Keep going to BJJ, it's a great workout and being able to break limbs and choke people out is always good to know given this time and age. It really is a great martial art where strength is irrelevant and technique is everything.
It takes courage to try something new. Way to go!
That's awesome you loved the class! My hubby is in fantastic shape because of BJJ. Looking forward to hearing about the arse kicking you're doing in class!
Thanks for reading guys!!
@Jimmy ah yes, no longer will be sister or DH be able to pin me down when play fighting! Yup, we're immature like that! YAAA!! :)
@Sarah & Julie- thanks for the words of encouragement! :)
Hello Cath ("that70sgrl"),
Found your blog through the twittering going on...looks like I have a lot of past posts to read later! Good stuff!
As I mentioned on Twitter, it takes a lot of guts to get on the mat and start from scratch...that says a lot about you...all good.
We have several women in our academy that train BJJ, smaller than me, but could totally choke me out if they wanted to! It's a terrific martial art to study and as Jimmy said, a fantastic workout.
Keep us posted on how it goes, ok?
Love your blog! It's always fun to find a new one to follow!
-F.
@Fred- Thanks!! :) Very kind of you. I guess it is part guts, but mostly I think I'm a little fitness ADD... get hooked on one thing, then wanna try something new while I'm still doing the other! LOL
I will for sure keep posting. Thanks for your encouraging words and looking forward to keeping up with your blog and arse kickin's! :)
Cheeeeers to new blog / tweet buddies!
cath
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