— Abraham
Excerpted from the workshop in Lincroft, NJ on Tuesday, October 15th, 1996 #594
Our Love,
Jerry and Esther
So, I’ve been studying BJJ at West Side since February 2010, and there are days that I still get the jitters before and during class. It isn’t because I train at an unsafe place; far from it. Sometimes they come out of nowhere. Sometimes I get thinking about what may or may not happen at class that night and I psych myself out.
So here is what I do to get around the BJJ jitters.
My son and I rarely see eye to eye. Quite frankly, we lock horns all the time.
But we both love Jiu-Jitsu.
On the nights when my wife can’t pick him up after class, he’ll stay around and watch mine. Last night he got to bounce around and burn off some more steam, but eventually came out to watch us all roll. We had an extra guy show up late in class which gave us an odd number. At first I thought I’d just take a break. But when I saw my son watching, I decided to ask if he’d like to roll with me. I realized, at that moment, I hadn’t seen his eye’s light up much lately.
He walked onto the mat, and we began after the customary hand slap and fist bump. We rolled for almost 15 minutes straight. Gone was the days frustrations and animosity. We got out of our heads and into the moment. It was just us, doing what we both loved, together. Afterward, my son was invited to bow out with the rest of the adults, which put a huge smile on his face.
Thanks Mark. Thanks for creating the space where this can happen.
About a week and a half ago I made the decision (after ok’ing it with my wife of course) that I am going to compete in the 2011 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Was I expecting it to feel more serious by announcing it on a blog? Hmm… yeah. But it still feels the same; like a great idea!
When I started BJJ, competition was not on the list. It felt that I was getting enough from just going to different classes and rolling with a few others. After all, when you’re getting your ass handed to you by everyone you roll with, it feels like enough.
I have the good fortune of being able to train with a wide range of people. People who have competed at the Pan-Ams and have a good idea of what to expect. People who have and do fight on a professional level as well. And those I talk with are more than happy to offer advice or work something particular.
What I like about setting a goal is that you only have the idea of what you want to accomplish. The magic happens in the journey. The more attention you apply toward it, the more the journey unfolds into things you never could have imagined.
As of today I began the Paleo diet. Kind of a healthy version of Atkins diet. It had been recommended on numerous occasions I try out CrossFit. I did two classes last week. One was with Damon Stewart at Wasatch CrossFit. Being a BJJ practitioner himself, Damon made it clear how he understood which muscle groups in particular I’ll want to focus on. I’ve canceled my Gold’s Gym membership, and will begin CrossFit in October.
For BJJ training specifically I’ll be working out 2-3 times a week, with a few Open Mat classes at other locations. This part is the most challenging since I’ll be training in the evening, and that’s when my wife needs my assistance the most with the kids. She has graciously agreed to work with me on this, for which I cannot thank her enough.
My wife asked me what I’ll do once the Pan-Ams are over. I’m much much MUCH more fun to be around when I’ve had my daily dose of endorphins. I swam competitevly for 7 seasons in my youth, and every off season I would dip into a deep depression for weeks. I know the down side of taking too much time off after a long period of work. Maybe I’ll want to continue to compete. Maybe, I’ll be satisfied with the experience and call it good.
I’m excited to meet the guy I’ll become from this journey.
I wish I could take credit for this comic genius, but I received these in a random email. Enjoy!
Dear Skunk,
Last night was one of worst experiences I’ve had this year thanks to you, and so I shall express my feelings about this to you in this letter.
Now, before I go on, let me say that I think I understand your position in this matter. You were probably minding your own business while passing under my bathroom window. And, you probably had no intention of bringing yourself to the attention of my neighbors dogs. And, I understand that your best line of defense is to utilize the mechanism bestowed upon you by evolution although it’s gotta be one of the worst out there.
So this once, I will be of an understanding nature.
But please now let me explain to you my position in this matter. Unfortunately, I had decided to leave open the one window in my home above where you would make your stand. Once you had laid waste to your enemies, the repercussions proceeded to fill my home with your noxious fumes. Not only myself, but also my wife was forced awake by your assault upon our neighbors canine olfactory senses. We remained awake until dawn on the verge of vomiting as we attempted everything we could possibly think of to remove your chemical warfare agent from our home.
And tonight, as I write this, your rotten fucking shit smell still lingers.
I hope that this will not happen again, and that you heed your own experience and decide to avoid my home and the surrounding area in the future.
But if you do not, I fear the consequences will far outweigh your wildest imaginations.
I will not be hasty and put a cap in your bitch ass. No, I want to make sure that this will not only never happen again, but that it will serve as a reminder to all of your species that there is somewhere they will never wish to place foot upon.
I will first catch you Skunk, and deliver you to our nearest veterinarian (yes, unconscious for their sake, not yours) to have your scent glands removed and your paws de-clawed.
But wait, this is just the beginning.
Next, I will request they replace your noxious fucking glands with the prettiest smelling essential oils that money can buy. This will be the kind of stuff you can only find advertised on the Lifetime channel. Either that, or whatever Paris Hilton’s latest fragrance is. Whichever would be more humiliating to you.
Then, I will use only the finest fluorescent orange spay paint to clearly tag your bitch ass with your new name in a serif font; Flower. And that, my friend, is some humiliating shit.
After all is said and done, I will release you back into the wild. It will probably not take long for your brethren to find you and begin your unending, agonizing ridicule. You will be defenseless, shunned, and will remain an outcast. Your life will be an unending torment, all the while smelling like either a cheap whore or a burned out hippy chick.
So please, take this into consideration, Skunk, before gracing us with your presence, for it will surely not be in your best interest.
Best Regards,
The Jimmy