Why I Started Jiu Jitsu

Welcome to my second post. I wanted to focus on this next topic so you can understand what led me to become involved Jiu Jitsu. If you’re interested, I encourage you to read on. If you’re not interested, it’s absolutely fine with me, but I guess you’ll have to come back another day and read something different.

Now,back to my topic. I suppose what led me to Jiu Jitsu is the fact that Karate and Tae Kwon Do were a little bit too difficult for me because they require good balance and high kicking. You see, I have a mild form of Cerebral Palsy that makes my leg muscles a little tighter. It can be more difficult for me to do things that other kids take for granted. (For instance, kicking.) Since I really wanted to do a martial art, I begged my Mom about it a lot. One day she read an article in the paper about a Jiu Jitsu instructor, Mr. Josh, and some of his students who had disabilities. She knew that if they could do it, so could I. So that’s how I found a gym to train at.

The reason I want to attend Jiu-Jitsu every chance I get is a different story. When I began two years ago, of course I didn’t know any one but my instructor. So, I just tried to hang in there and wait for his instructions. He taught the class an arm-bar that day. Then, came the part I was scared of…sparring (a word which means “to fight or to battle”). I wasn’t sure I wanted to fight on my very first night, but I certainly wasn’t going to chicken out! But wait…the instructor paired me with the highest ranked kid in the class! (Turns out he did this because he knew that she would go easy and not try to destroy the new kid.) Besides the actual “fighting” part, no harm came to me. I did learn right away the meaning of “Tap Out,” though. Arm-bars are painful.

What I like about “sparring” is that during each class Mr. Josh gives you a choice of whether to fight or not. Plus, during class the fighting match is not the “real deal” like in tournament fights. The people you fight with won’t try to break your arm at all because they’re your friends. Mr. Josh has three very important rules when it comes to “sparing”. Rule number 1: Respect your partner’s safety. Rule number 2: Watch out for your own safety. Finally, rule number 3: try to be victorious.

Sparring soon became what I love most about Jiu Jitsu. Not because I wanted to beat people up, but because it was a way where I could actually practice the fighting techniques my instructor taught. It’s kind of like a test of skills, matching what you’ve learned against others. Size and strength play a large part in martial arts, but they don’t mean everything. Technique and training are just as important. Not to mention that when I’m sparring, I have a fighting chance because on the ground, everyone’s equal and balance doesn’t matter.

If you are interested in Jiu-Jitsu then I am happy to tell you that you won’t regret trying out a class. You might turn out like me and try to attend every class. It is exhilarating (a word which here means “fun and exciting”) and teaches you self-defense. You will probably make many good friends in class as well. Who knows, maybe there will even be a cute girl in your group! (There is in mine!) Thanks again for taking the time to read my blog and please come back again.

~Zach~