A few days ago, my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (bjj) training team (Gracie Barra Santa Fe) and professors (Sergio Rodriguez, Angelo Sanchez, Bobby Romero) promoted me from blue belt to purple belt. Not sure if I deserved it and I feel weird about tying my new belt around my waist. However, I have been training for a long time now and perhaps a promotion was due.
I am more than grateful, not only for the promotion, but also for my team and professors and coaches. Furthermore, I am thrilled that I am still able to train consistently. Although nowhere near as fast, strong, or skilled as some of my younger teammates, I hold my own. It’s a real blessing to train and learn and there’s no better physical activity for me. As a matter of fact, I’ve probably saved thousands in therapy because I train.
Also, I probably could have skipped graduate school with all I’ve learned from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
The main thing I’ve learned and have applied to other areas of my ife is that ego is destructive. Philosophers and psychologists preach this lesson (as do preachers, pastors, and priests). However, there is no way to understand that lesson unless someone is trying their best to kill you. Bjj is full contact. When the bell rings to start a round, there is no way that ego will help. I learned a long time ago that if I train from a perspective of winning, I will not only lose, but I could get hurt in the process.
The best way to approach a round, for me, is to suspend all that I am for those five or six minutes and focus on my opponent. What he does and how I react will define how the round proceeds. In the middle of a round, there are no politics, there are no lifelines, and there are definitely no degrees that will protect me. The only thing I have is the combination of mine and my opponent’s energies.
Only in recognizing the actions and reactions involved in bjj techniques will I find a path out of what can be very uncomfortable (and sometimes painful) situations. I may win some rounds and I lose many others, but understanding the energy of the round is the point. Nothing matters on the mat. The only thing real when facing an opponent are the ebbs and flows of what is the best martial art on the planet.
I can’t thank my teammates, coaches, and professors enough for the lessons they teach me every time I walk into the gym. They have made me a better human and for that, I am eternally grateful. Purple is my favorite color. When I started so long ago, I never thought that I’d wear it as part of my training. But I will now and carry all that I have learned with me. They say that an old dog can’t learn new tricks. But even if that’s true, being an old dog will not stop me from trying and learning. Besides, the old dog p,robably has a big ego.
