BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu)

If you haven't heard yet, I have started taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes. You may ask, why would you do that? Simply put, it started out as a "Hey that would be fun to try!" Well, that turned out to be an understatement. My first class was an open mat class that I learned the basics and got to learn quite a bit. At this class I learned that 2 days later, Relson Gracie, who is known to be one of the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters / Instructors in the world was going to be at our the school. So I went to that class and was hooked. Just reading about the Gracie family and what they have made of the sport was enough for me to give it a go. Inadvertently I have found that Fighting in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is one of the best workouts I have ever had. I am starting to get back into really good shape and I feel like I am working out for a reason. I am a lowly white belt right now but I am like a sponge and learning stuff everyday I go to class. Each class we learn some stuff and then put it into practice when we fight for an hour or so at the end. When I say fight, I'll clarify, there is no striking (punching, Kicking), its all submission, choke holds, body positioning and offensive / defensive maneuver grappling. Once you get past the fact that you are rolling with another dude, it is actually pretty fun. I owe all of this to my friend Dan Wallen. He is the one who brought me to the school. He is one of my neighbors and an instructor at the school and boy did he real me in. He says I have some Kahonas for even giving it a try. I think I may lose my Kohanas giving it a try..... :) just kidding.

FYI: I'm already milking my first injury. I bruised a rib pretty good just practicing a move a few weeks ago. It still hurts. Boy does it take a while for ribs to heal.

Here is a link to our school site. www.fightworks.net and a site that describes more about Gracie Jiu Jitsu specificlly. www.gracie.com