On Jiu Jitsu
The jiu jitsu lifestyle. I didn’t really know what that was until about a year ago.
In a previous post I recounted losing 30 pounds, but did not go into detail on what physical activity I did alongside the dieting. I used to participate in triathlons because I am a decent swimmer. Swimming was the first physical activity I turned to when I started changing my diet. I briefly worked with a personal trainer to increase my distance. Triathlons were a natural extension of that activity. Even though I did not learn how to ride a bicycle until I was 20, I took stride in having to bike long distances.
I still try to swim once every two weeks on average. Sometimes I swim once a month while other times I will go every Sunday. However, I found triathlons to be time-consuming, and the training to be too solitary despite my triathlon club’s best efforts to bring triathletes together after group training sessions. I’m not done with triathlons though. I just want to be able to complete races without overdoing the training.
Looking for something that might be a better use of my time, I turned to an older activity: martial arts. I have my green belt in Taekwondo from when I was a kid, but left the place where I was going because I was interested in other things like music and science; the sparring in Taekwondo was also a little bit weird. About a year into my previous job, I decided to visit a Muay Thai gym that a friend’s cousin suggested. I had just moved and was feasibly close to the “mecca” as he described it.
The Muay Thai gym did not last very long. With a new job, I faced a sudden change in both my commute and my routine. The commute to a new neighborhood would be almost three times as long. Still, I did it because it meant more pay for essentially the same work. I quit Muay Thai and needed a replacement. Of what came to mind, a handful of boxing gyms and one jiu jitsu club were near my new office. I chose jiu jitsu because it was the closest and the boxing gyms sounded crowded.
I went as often as possible during my first three weeks even though I was a little nervous about going. At first I didn’t know what I was doing and more experienced folks would outmaneuver me, but with enough weeks like the first three, I picked it up. I had many weeks of going almost every day because jiu jitsu was my way to circumvent the rough commute. Even on my toughest days and on my most miserable morning commutes, I could look forward to jiu jitsu after work at 6pm or 7pm. The head professor mentioned that it was good that I showed up a lot, that I would learn fast. My membership fees were unaffected by how frequently I went. Soon enough, I was holding my own against higher belts.
Lucky for me, the long commute was short-lived. We moved offices for a growing team five months later and I was no longer two blocks away from jiu jitsu. Although I now live/work near many other great jiu jitsu academies, I cannot bring myself to join any of them because I want to train jiu jitsu specifically at that one club with those people. With a new commute, I found a new routine which works for me. But sometimes I still check out jiu jitsu things on social media.
Jiu jitsu didn’t change my life, but it did help me make the most of a dreadful situation. Maybe one day I’ll give myself permission to train at another club. In my new routine I’m training judo & aikido, and playing music in my spare time. Getting back into jiu jitsu will be exciting one day. For now, I’m a fan.
Originally published at itsakap.wordpress.com on August 24, 2017.
