The man in the featured picture above is Christopher Wienandt. He was 60 years old when he competed in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
“Get out there. It’ll be hard at first – harder than you could ever imagine – but it’s worth the effort. You’ll be healthier, you’ll feel better about yourself, and you’ll be part of a community of some of the greatest people in the world.”
I wish I had started it sooner but I started it right when I need to. A lot of the people that go to our fundamentals class are men in their 40s and 50s which I love to see. There also is an older lady who has either four stripes or is a blue belt I can’t remember. It’s great to see people of all ages out on the mats learning the martial art and bettering themselves.
“This picture is of my old friend Christopher Wienandt, my former teammate. Unfortunately he passed away a few years ago. A wonderful man and inspiration to many.”
tweet from Brad Springfield (seen below)
This picture is of my old friend Christopher Wienandt, my former teammate. Unfortunately he passed away a few years ago. A wonderful man and inspiration to many.
You find out who Mikey Musumeci and Gordon Ryan are.
You call out and critique moves when watching UFC and mma fights when they go to the ground.
You start wearing flip flops to the bjj gym.
You get mat burn all the time and it is now a permanent tattoo on your feet.
Your can’t move your fingers in the morning because you were death-grip fighting the night before.
You probably bruised a rib during your first week.
You eventually realize you spend money every month to fight strangers every week and after every class you shake each others hands.
You now hip-escape every time you turn over in your bed.
You question whether signing up was a good decision because you get triangled by teenage orange belts often.
You will think about bjj all the time.
You buy fitness mats made for exercising from Walmart so you can practice moves incorrectly at home with your wife.
You find out that hang-drying your washed gi is better than putting it in the machine dryer.
You discover you are worse at no gi bjj because it’s basically a different martial art.
You find out that not everyone knows what jiu jitsu is and that most people don’t do jiu jitsu but a lot of people do jiu jitsu.
You at least once consider quitting while sitting in your car after an open mat where you got choked out in front of the head instructor while they where telling you how not to get choked.
You accept that minor injuries are now a part of your everyday life.
You keep showing up in spite of the pain, injuries, fear, nervousness, and getting constantly submitted.
Have you ever received stripes in a martial art? And have you ever felt like you didn’t deserve them?
About a month ago I got promoted two stripes. I’m now a two stripe white belt in the martial art of Jiu Jitsu. I was so excited to get them I blasted it out on twitter to let all you folks know.
After the buzz I got from sharing my accomplishment and receiving your “congrats” messages, I started to question the decision, Do I really deserve these two stripes?
It first happened when I had a terrible outing during an open mat session at our gym the following week after I got the stripes. I got wrecked even harder than I usually did. I thought to myself, Why did our head instructor promote me in the first place?
I thought about it a bit and figured it was because I showed up a lot. Our head instructor went around the gym the day we got stripes and asked if we had signed in at the front before starting. I read somewhere on Reddit r/bjj that Gracie Barra does promotions based on attendance, and I recall many comments dumping on GB because of that. Any gym can run things how they want and no gym does it perfectly, but I think getting a stripe for showing up is a good thing (of course I’m biased because I got one for that, I think). The stripe can be a sign of commitment, your discipline in showing up and doing the hard work.
Okay so why did I receive a second stripe? Well the head instructor told me, after I said I was surprised I got two stripes, that “You competed and almost died!” with a laugh. We both laughed. It’s true I got beat and almost choked out, but survived the full five minute round (you can read about it here).
I got my stripes for showing up often to class and for competing. Not necessarily for how good I am at technique. But I have had other white belts and some higher belts tell me my game has improved, especially my back-defence. And that means a lot to me.
So, do I think I deserve those two stripes? YES
Jiu Jitsu is hard. Most people don’t do jiu jitsu. Most people in jiu jitsu don’t compete. And most white belts in jiu jitsu don’t stay after they get promoted to blue belt. Why? I have no Idea but I’m making it to blue belt for sure. I just have to keep showing up and getting worked by my partners. As I get my butt kicked I’ll learn along the way and eventually not get my butt kicked as bad, that’s the idea anyway. I have to roll smart and avoid permanent injury (You hear that shoulders! You better not get injured again!).
First of all, good on you! Definitely a great BJJ goal. I’ve learned competing in BJJ isn’t for everyone and most people who practice Jiu Jitsu don’t compete. So you should be proud that you want to put your body through the competition submission gauntlet.
Being a no stripe white belt when I competed was great for me (May 2022). It focused my training and goals for Jiu Jitsu. I now know I want to compete in this sport. I bet that most people who join and do Jiu Jitsu do it for self defence and exercise, whatever gets them to show up to the mats is cool with me. Also, for my hard work and dedication towards training I received two stripes at once after the competition. I didn’t know someone could get two stripes at once, I was surprised and pumped.
I lost my match 6-0. But survived the five minute round without being submitted, barely. I almost got choked out with a cross collar choke while I was in my opponents closed guard. I got put into a high full mount but then rolled out of it with eight seconds left. I survived my first BJJ match. What a feeling.
For the person who’s never competed and isn’t sure if they want to, here’s what I did for my first comp last May, about 4 weeks before competing:
-created an eating schedule -ate whole foods and cooked meals more often than not -went to every class I could, especially the ones with sparring, picked two attacks, two guard passes, two sweeps to learn -focused on defence more -create realistic goals for my first competition (didn’t care about winning but cared about showing up, making weight, trying my moves, and surviving a round) -found a supportive community of likeminded folks
Creating an Eating Schedule and Eating Healthy
I had help with this. I first did a bit of research and then someone showed me the work of Mike Dolce of the Dolce Diet. I did not do the workouts but instead focused on the nutrition aspect. It is basically eating whole foods, veggies, and fruit – and eating a breakfast, lunch, and dinner with healthy snacks in between. At least that was my simple interpretation on it. And I didn’t follow it exactly. My wife helped a lot with this part of the training. She prepared many meals and snacks for me.
The frequency I ate and portion control (that was hard!) was the main reason I believe I was able to lose the lbs in order to make my weight class. The meal schedule went like this…
-Breakfast at 9am -Snack at 11pm and 1pm -Lunch at 3pm -Dinner at 5pm -Snack at 7pm -Fast for 14 hours until breakfast the next day
I wasn’t perfect with this. If there were days I didn’t eat well I would just fast the next day, which was also challenging.
I messaged my wife just now and asked her what I ate because I forgot:
“Breakfasts was poop well pudding [a pudding my wife made that has lots of fibre – fruit chia seeds, flax seeds and other stuff] Eggs and maybe some veggies Lunch was normally some salad with a meat of beans or legumes Dinner was the same or similar to lunch Snacks was fruit. Peanut butter Bananas Smoothies but just half of one”
Here are some pics of the foods I ate…
Went to Every Class I Could
I go to a Gracie Barra academy. They have GB1, GB2, GB3. GB1 is for fundamentals, GB2 is the advanced class (three stripe white belts or higher), and GB3 for higher belts. However, the academy I go to is real chill and anyone can go to the advanced class. When there is a tournament we are going to, they allow lower belts to go to the GB3 class as they also call it the ‘comp class’ where they do competition specific training. They also have No Gi classes as well. Basically, I went to as many of all of those classes I could that had sparring in it, especially the Open Mats on Saturdays that have a full hour of sparring – 5min rounds then 1min breaks in between for an hour.
At the height of my training I was going Monday to Saturday, 8 hours a week, that happened for about two weeks. It was intense. It was a lot. Maybe too much at one point. But even during all of this I was able to take days off and relax. Besides, Jiu Jitsu is for fun and if I don’t want to go I don’t go. The mats aren’t going anywhere and I’ll be doing this for as long as I’m interested.
Create Realistic Goals
What the heck did I do during all this training? Well whatever was in the GB curriculum we would learn. But for me, since I am a white belt, there can be way too much info coming in and not a lot retained. So what I did was focus on the moves I understood and did well at. And although I didn’t perform all the moves I wanted to during the match, at least I prepared myself in a way that I didn’t overwhelm myself. I came up with a Game Plan. For example, I chose some submissions, escapes, passing guard, my guard, and some takedowns. Often times when it came to sparring I would forget to practice those moves, but again at least I didn’t overwhelm myself or put pressure on myself to have to do all those moves. I had to be realistic, it was my first completion after all.
Winning wasn’t even on my mind. Sure, I did think now and then that ‘wouldn’t it be cool if I won a match or the whole thing?!’ – but I quickly shot that down and focused on my goals. There’s no point in building myself up and creating unrealistic expectations and then end up failing badly and feeling horribly. Once I have more competitions under my belt, I can start to focus on winning matches and tournaments.
Find a Supportive Community
Did you know there is a great BJJ community on Twitter? I have no idea how I found them but I did and they are encouraging and great. I haven’t experienced anything bad from them and have in fact got a good amount of info and perspectives I wouldn’t have got as quickly if I didn’t find them online. For example, I can post a newbie white belt question and have back belts give me their advice or perspective on it, whether the questions are about certain techniques or proper mindsets to have in Jiu Jitsu. I’m glad I found them and encourage you to find a similar group online or in real life if you can.
To sum it up, when it comes to your first BJJ competition – for the Physical aspect go to as many classes as possible and eat well. For the Mental (Mindset) aspect create realistic goals for yourself considering it’s your first competition. If you try these things I mentioned, you’ll at the very least get healthier and have fun. If you have fun then the chances are that you’ll want to compete again, and that will help improve your BJJ game.
That’s me. On the bottom. Surviving.
Is There Anything I Would Have Done Differently?
There are a few things I would have done differently and will work on them next time…
-show up earlier to the comp -warm up for longer at the comp -and not worry so much about losing weight
These are minor things but overall I will follow my BJJ Game Plan pretty much the same for next time.
Overall I had a ton of fun and can’t wait to compete again this year. With my rough training formula of eating well, going to as many classes as I can, and having a few realistic goals – then I should be well prepared for my next competition.
Also, here are some reading resources that I found useful to help me prepare for my first tournament. They go over some technique but mostly mindset and expectations.
Anyways here are 85 more random thoughts on Brazilian jiu jitsu that came to me at different times in the last month or so, enjoy…
1. If there is sparring tonight in jiu jitsu, my goal is to work on my grips. I’ve been flailing around not sure what to grab and why. Also my fingers have never been so sore all the time. What a weird sport.
2. In the last few weeks the jiu jitsu gym I go to has had more dads joining. They enrolled their children and thought why not give it a try. Be more like these dads.
3. My jiu jitsu partner: “I heard a crack was that you?” Me: “not sure I didn’t feel anything” I love this sport.
4. For those who do jiu jitsu, are your fingers sore all the time? Gripping is tough on the hands.
5. I talked to the head instructor after the open mat roll at jiu jitsu today. I asked him if they ever take a team to tournaments. Good news, since mandates are lifted they will be going to 3 or 4 tournaments this year. This year is the year of the Competition for me.
6. The CDC now recommends doing jiu jitsu.
7. To combat inflation, learn jiu jitsu.
8. At what belt do I start calling jiu jitsu “jits”?
9. When the pandemic first hit, I was freaked out and I got weird. But as time went on, I kept on living my life. I quit drinking, got engaged, quit pot, started doing jiu jitsu, and I’m getting married soon. With mask mandates being lifted, I can’t wait for an amazing summer ahead.
10. Last night in Jiu Jitsu we learned a Clock choke. A nasty choke you apply to someone when you sprawl on their single leg attempt. Lots of new members so it was crowded. Glad to see more people getting into bjj.
11. I’m a four month jiu jitsu white belt and I roll with higher belts during the open mat classes because why the f**k not.
12. I’m at the stage in jiu jitsu where I tell everyone they should try jiu jitsu. White belt mindset.
13. I can’t wait until I compete in jiu jitsu and have my coach yelling from the corner what moves I should be doing.
14. Today I think I set a record for how many arm bars a person can get put in during an open mat jiu jitsu session.
15. My goal for jiu jitsu open mat class this week is to pull guard more. I haven’t been doing that at all. Just going in other peoples guard and getting smashed. Let’s see how this goes
16. I wonder what we’ll learn in jiu jitsu tonight. A takedown perhaps? A choke maybe? A lock or limb break possibly? Either way it’ll be fun.
17. Preparing to do jiu jitsu competitions means a lot more laundry to do. I’m ready for this challenge.
18. After trying a modified version of the Dolce Diet for a week, I’ve already lost a few pounds. Basically eating better, portion control, and regular jiu jitsu classes (white belt). I’ll definitely make weight for the upcoming comp in about a month. Excited, nervous, and can’t wait to get training.
19. I’m a white belt so I read and chat about jiu jitsu everyday. When does that stop?
20. When I get absolutely smashed by higher belts at the open mat jiu jitsu classes, I say “that was fun” after we roll, with a big dumb smile on my face. As long as I don’t get hurt, that’s a win for me.
21. Watching Youtube videos of jiu jitsu moves won’t make me better. Showing up and getting by butt kicked will. White Belt Mindset.
22. While watching me roll at open mat class the other week, one of my jiu jitsu rolling partners told the head instructor that I have good cardio. It’s true my cardio is improving. The real truth is that getting my ass kicked will make me better. At least that’s what I hope.
23. My Twitter account has turned into a jiu jitsu white belt account. I’m okay with that.
24. I’m lucky I wrestled for six years in my youth. So far it has helped with re-learning takedowns in jiu jitsu now. I hear that many bjj practitioners don’t focus on takedowns and wrestling. If that’s true, that’s good news for me.
25. Just learned there is a belt in jiu jitsu called, The Coral Belt. “A Coral Belt is a 7th degree belt, awarded to Jiu Jitsu masters who have been active black belts for over 30 years.” Pretty neat.
26. Future wife is baking a pie. I’m getting ready for jiu jitsu practice. This is my life now, I’m lucky.
27. Btw that pie was a shrimp pot pie. I mucked it in the car before I went into jiu jitsu. Let’s see if that was a good idea.
28. Update: it was a good idea.
29. Talked to the head instructor at the jiu jitsu gym. Looks like I’ll be joining the GB2 Advanced classes for competition training. Exciting times ahead.
30. Reminder: try Jiu Jitsu
31. I’m a white belt in jiu jitsu so I’m obligated to annoy you by telling you once again to try jiu jitsu.
32. One of the main reasons I’m learning jiu jitsu is to prepare for when the aliens come. You’ll look pretty silly if you don’t know how to pull guard when they start grabbing your gi with their weird tentacle hands. Learn bjj to save humanity.
33. “[..] the language of Jiu Jitsu is spoken by the body” Excerpt From Mentors : How to Help and Be Helped by Russell Brand
34. Today I’m going to my first Advanced jiu jitsu class. I may be the only white belt with no stripes there. But our head instructor said it is the best class for me to learn from and help better prepare for competitions. A bit nervous but also excited. Will let you know how it goes
35. White belts are supposed to tell everyone they know to try jiu jitsu. Reminder: try jiu jitsu
36. Jiu jitsu is violence in a controlled setting. A great way to see how you react under the pressure of potentially going unconscious or having a limb broken. Give it a try
37. Since I started jiu jitsu, I am sore all the time. Not sure if that will ever go away. I’m okay with that.
38. You can watch as many YouTube videos on technique and cool moves as you want. But there is no substitute for showing up, getting your butt kicked, and learning from experience when it comes to jiu jitsu. Probably relates to life in general as well.
40. Can’t wait for more of you guys to try jiu jitsu so we can talk about it all the time.
41. Tonight was my first night at an Advanced jiu jitsu class. That was fun. More time drilling moves, like a flower sweep that was cool and a triangle choke which I sucked at. And a 15min rolling sessions at the end, enough for at least 2 partners. Good competition prep for me
42. Mario Lopez (AC Slater from Saved by the Bell) trains jiu jitsu. Go Mario.
43. Weight loss for jiu jitsu competition update: Lost two pounds, still need to lose six by May. Doable, just have to keep having. my smoothies every morning and a lunch and a dinner, watch my portions and pound water (which s more challenging than I thought). Wish me luck
44. Was chatting with my older brother on the phone today. Catching up about his fam and talking about my jiu jitsu journey so far. He suggested I do the Wim Hof deep breathing exercise during the 30sec breaks in between the 5min rolling and sparring sessions. Great idea love it
45. Just told a couple of my buddies I haven’t seen in awhile that I do jiu jitsu. They were happy that I’m having fun and are excited for me. I’m lucky I have friends like that.
46. Got my butt kicked tonight in jiu jitsu by young and old. White belt and blue belt. But you know what, I’ll show up tomorrow and keep on givin‘er.
47. My fiancée supports my jiu jitsu journey. Find a partner who supports you through your new interests and journey.
48. This week I’m attempting to go to jiu jitsu 5 days. Mon and Wed the advanced class, Tues and Thurs the fundamentals class. And Sat is open mat rolling. I’m half way through and going strong. I’ll try and get strength training in but I needs some rest. Here we go
49. I didn’t feel like a real jiu jitsu practitioner until I started taping my toes.
50. I’m a white belt in jiu jitsu and i’m telling everyone to give it a try. But am I actually just recruiting for a cult? Am I in a cult? Perhaps.
51. If I didn’t have any responsibilities I would train jiu jitsu and wrestling all the time everyday. But alas I need to pay bills and stuff.
52. Unpopular Opinion: no gi jiu jitsu competitions with heel hooks and leg locks are boring.
53. There is more and more people joining the jiujitsu gym I go to. There was around 30 folks at the open mat rolling session today. I was there until the end, drenched in sweat, some of it mine. Good to see people getting healthy and learning a martial art at the same time.
54. The world would be safer if we all learned jiu jitsu.
55. Last week I reached my goal of going to jiu jitsu for five days, a total of six hours. Proud of myself.
56. Only going to the advanced jiujitsu classes this week. Since I slacked on strength training last week, I’ll go to the fitness gym instead of the bjj gym for two days. I’ve been learning a ton about my body lately. Exciting times ahead.
57. I would never be able to last 50mins of jiu jitsu rolling sessions if I still drank booze and smoked pot everyday. Quitting those and starting healthier habits was one of the best decisions for me. Give it a try and see what happens.
58. Have to make sure above all else, I have fun and enjoy myself at the upcoming jiujitsu tournament in May.
59. I’ve been doing jiu jitsu for four months. Lots of fun and learning a ton about a martial art and myself. I’m also sore all the time everyday. Didn’t see that one coming.
60. Jiu jitsu class was fun today. Lots on new faces. More and more people are joining. Think about trying a class and see if you like it.
61. I’m one of the smaller guys in our jiu jitsu gym. Last night I sparred with two dudes who were 40lbs heavier. This will make me better.
62. This week I read about Jiu jitsu, Ancients civilizations, and High Fantasy. My mind is racing with cool ideas.
63. Two weeks left in the college semester. Then I’m done my tutoring gig for the summer. Sent an email to a possible future employer today, setting myself up to be employed this summer. I have to fund my jiu jitsu habit some way.
64. More and more people are trying jiu jitsu. Try out a free class and see what the fuss is all about. You may end up loving it and find yourself a new fun and healthy hobby.
65. Trying not to snack because of the weight loss for the jiu jitsu competition. But man plantain chips are so good.
66. My fiancée wants to do a three day fast with me to help me lose weight for the Jiu Jitsu tournament. i’m a bit nervous because I’ve never done something like that, but I’m also willing to give it a try and see how it goes.
67. I’m not better than anyone else just because I do jiu jitsu. However I am a better version of myself because I do jiu jitsu.
68. Most of the people I’ve spoken to about competing in jujitsu are surprised when they hear that me, a four month white belt, is competing soon. It’s occurred to me that most people in jiu jitsu probably don’t compete. But hey everyone has different goals when it comes to bjj.
69. I learned something at jiu jitsu class tonight, I dislike pulling guard. Especially when sparring with big dudes. I think because of my wrestling background I prefer to try takedowns and try to pass someone’s guard. Also new rule: no pulling guard on dudes twice my size ouch
70. Bought tickets to a hockey game tonight because my fiancée has never been to one. Sure I may be missing an advanced bjj class, but sometimes other aspects of life are more important than rolling. Gotta have fun outside of jiu jitsu.
71. I spar with immunologists, electricians, and even students. You never know who does Jiu Jitsu.
72. I gotta stop mucking dinner right before jiu jitsu practice oof
73. Recently I’ve received 20+ new follows on Twitter, all jiu jitsu related. Welcome. I hope one day we get to try and choke each other and break each other’s limbs.
74. I don’t mind when people take my back in jiu jitsu sparring. I’m surprisingly calm. Wasn’t like that at first. But I’ve had enough higher belts tell me my defence is good that it gives me hope for the competition in three weeks.
75. I’ve only been doing jiu jitsu for four months. Decided to register for a completion in may. I figured why not. At this point in my martial art journey, I don’t need to be perfect, I just have to show up and give it my best.
76. As a new white belt in jiu jitsu, I put people that are higher belts on a pedestal because they’re better than me at jiu jitsu. I have to remember that these people are human just like me and just because they’re better at bjj than me doesn’t make them a better person than me.
77. When I first started jiu jitsu my wrestling skills hindered me. I was too explosive and burned out fast. Now I’m honing them back in and using the wrestling skills that transfer well to bjj. Like balance and body position awareness. I’m lucky I have those to use in my arsenal.
78. “sometimes [in jiu jitsu] it’s not about escaping but about finding whatever comfort you can in hell.” Excerpt From Breathe by Rickson Gracie
79. Being in a relationship with someone who supports you in your jiu jitsu journey is a wonderful thing to have.
80. Regardless of what belts I get along the way in jiu jitsu, I hope I keep my white belt mindset the whole time. Always learning never finishing
81. I have jiu jitsu feet. IYKYK
82 So apparently the black belt class is also the competition class. They have been training for the upcoming tournament for three weeks now (six weeks out from the tourney). I did not know that heh. Looks like I found myself another class to attend.
83. I just remembered, I was watching folks in that black belt class after the class I was in. When I go tomorrow, it looks as though I may be the lowest belt rank that goes to the competition class. This could be interesting
84. I’ll be honest, I focused so much on jiu jitsu and losing weight that I’ve been slacking on my strength training and haven’t been to the gym since the end of March. Real talk.
85. I’m so new to jiu jitsu that my white belt has a white belt.
THE END
“Referee calls the competitors inside the mat” (taken from the JJIA Rulebook)
I’m a four month white belt and I registered for the 2022 Ontario Open International Jiu Jitsu Competition. What was I thinking? Hopefully writing a blog post about it today will help me get to the bottom of why I would do such a thing while being at such a low belt rank.
After chatting with some people from my BJJ gym, it seems that most people who do jiu jitsu don’t compete. I thought that odd but as it turns out that is not that odd. There are two ways to look at jiu jitsu: sport jiu jitsu and self-defence jiu jitsu. I first heard about this difference in an Art of Manliness podcast episode with Rener Gracie called, “Podcast #446: How Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Will Make You a Better Man”
Sport Jiu Jitsu
Sport jiu jitsu is all about competing in tournaments and competition. There are points rewarded for certain moves and techniques. There are rules, regulations, and policies that must be followed. For example, rules like only certain gi’s can be worn and you have to make weight for your weight class.
Self-defence Jiu Jitsu
Self-defence jiu jitsu is about learning techniques and moves that will help protect you in a street fight or a potential physical altercation with a stranger. There are no rules, regulations, and policies that must be followed. Your main goal above all else it to protect yourself, not score points.
Apparently there is debate in the jiu jitsu community across the world, as to which path of the martial art you should follow: Sport VS Self-defence. That debate was here before I joined and will continue for the foreseeable future. Today I want to dive into why I chose to compete at all in jiu jitsu. Let’s begin shall we?
Where it all began
I was one of the smaller wrestlers when I first hopped onto the mats way back in the day in grade 8. I would have been about fourteen years old. Our history teacher was the wrestling coach and we practiced in the tiny middle school gym. My father had recommend I try out for the wrestling team, he used to coach it at a school he worked at before I was born. With some encouragement from my family and family friends who were also involved in the sport, I gave it a go. Turns out I was decent for someone who had never scrambled before. I was a natural.
Then there was high school. Grade 9 wrestling was so much fun. I got to hangout with older peers that I would have never had the chance to meet as the groups and cliques in high school are notoriously hard to penetrate, especially for a short skinny due like myself. But lucky for me I was good at wrestling, which means I won and pinned my opponents more often than not. But throughout high school, my natural talent only got me so far. As I climbed up the ranks as seen by my first round byes in tournaments because my higher ranking, I would find myself facing off with stronger and stronger opponents. So I joined the local wrestling club at the university in my city. That experience was great for me. Every Tuesday and Thursday evenings I would get a ride to the gym and practice with people from different schools of all ages. One time we even got to meet Canadian Freestyle Wrestler, Daniel Igali, who won an Olympic gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. That was so cool.
The local club and high school wrestling was great for me. The hard work paid off more often than not. I won thirteen medals throughout my high school wrestling career. My most proud one being a 1st place finish at a rookie tournament in Sarnia, Ontario. I wrestling in a school cafeteria. My coach said, “D, I’m going to the gym to coach your teammates, I’ll check in on you but you got this, right?” He was half-joking. I drilled and warmed up in a tiny corner of that cafeteria, with my favourite grey wrestling hoodie on. Looking real tough I’m sure. Since it was only me and one other younger teammate in the cafe that day, I really felt like I won that first place medal all by myself. I will always be proud of that.
What happened?
As high school rolled on by, like many young men, I succumbed to binge drinking and pot smoking. Those bad habits took a toll on my body. And my wrestling took a hit. I would never be as good as the young men who went to the gym and ate clean and stayed out of trouble. By the time I graduated from high school, that was the end of my wrestling career. Other areas of my life became more important to me at the time, like dating and partying. That would continue throughout my 20’s. As I meandered through life, stoned and drunk, I worked in a kitchen at a local pub to make money. My experience with that lifestyle could be a whole book, so now I’ll just say it was a wild ride. Until one day I decided to start to get my act together and go back to college, a third time. Fast forward to 2018 where I graduated from the local college. With a new diploma and eager to earn, I was lucky that I got hired from the same place I did my co-op placement, which was actually at the college I graduated from.
Since then, I’ve had the same job, they call it casual part-time contract work, or in other words Tutoring. I would love for it to be full time but hey that’s life, it’ll all work itself out as long as I keep working hard and take the opportunities that present themselves to me and also be willing to use my networking skills more often (fingers crossed I get this summer job I’m currently after).
Let’s hop a little further down the road to last September 2021, where I got the urge to wrestle again. No idea why but maybe it had to do with being locked in my apartment for two years and wanting to do something different. Still trying to figure out why I’m doing jiu jitsu.
After some emails and messages turns out I couldn’t wrestle at my old club due to c*vid restrictions. Hey you never know maybe I’ll join again in the future. I sure do like wrestling. So I sent some more messages to see if I could join a BJJ gym. A few hundred dollars later I signed up for a year membership to a Gracie Barra gym. Some say that these gyms are the cookie cutter of the BJJ world and some say they produce great jiu jitsu practitioners. Either way it doesn’t matter to me because I like the club I go to because it’s easy going. For example, we dont need to bow before we go on and off the mat. And we don’t call the head instructor “professor” which I think is stupid and will never do that. So far I enjoy it.
Where it’s going
This brings us to now. I have officially registered for the 2022 Ontario Open International Jiu Jitsu Competition in May. I’m currently doing my own training program because I need to cut weight to make my division. The program consists of eating three meals a day of whole foods, smoothie in the morning, some type of lunch usually left overs from dinner, and a dinner that either my fiancee or I make. We made a new cooking schedule that seems to be working out nicely. I’m basically doing a slightly modified Dolce Diet. I’ve lost 5 pounds but have been fluctuating up and down because hey I’m human and have the odd snack or too much food and I’m not used to having to cut weight for a competition, at least not since high school.
I train at the BJJ gym at least four hours a week, some weeks seven hours. The open mat sparring sessions are my favourite. I get beat up but also have the odd small win, like getting an arm bar on someone like a lower belt like me, or have a higher belt say my defence is good, or not getting submitted as fast as I did when I started. My plan for the upcoming tournament is simple: learn a couple takedowns I’m good at like the ankle pick or single leg. Then learn a couple guard passes. Then learn some pinning positions that lead to a submission. Pretty straight forward. A higher belt told me that if my conditioning stays good or gets better, that is what will separate me from my opponents and give me the best chance to win. Although winning isn’t my main goal, that would nice. My main goal is to make weight, then show up, then compete, and have fun. Winning would be a bonus. Getting discouraged in this sport will happen over and over and as a white belt I have to learn how to deal with the negative emotions that will come with doing BJJ.
In the meantime, I will continue having fun in the Fundamentals class, Advanced class, and the open mat sparring sessions. If it all works out then I have a pretty sweet formula for competitions and will get better if I stick with it.
If you made it this far, thanks. I guess to answer the question of this post, “Why Did I Register for a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament?” I would have to say that my past interest in wrestling and the great feelings I got from competing and all the good things that come with sports, is why I registered for a BJJ tournament. To see if I can do a sport again for fun and also be good at it. At 36 years old, why not?
Since c*vid sucks and we were kept from our loved ones, friends, and hobbies we enjoy doing (like jiu jitsu), Gracie Barra Online offered their members free access to their online courses. If you couldn’t go to your gym mats, or if you didn’t own your own set of mats at home, then online videos were the next best thing.
While perusing the site, I stumbled upon a video from Braulio Estima – 4th Degree Black Belt in jiu jitsu (also former training partner of UFC star Georges St-Pierre) on some lessons he learned when he was a white belt that helped him throughout his jiu jitsu career.
Here is a transcript from the video that I took that I thought was a good way to approach having a positive mindset when it comes to being a white belt in jiu jitsu…
“I remember there was six months that I was new to the academy and had no clue how to fight, what was my objective, and what I was supposed to be doing right, and I remember that I end up all the time on the bottom. And that’s why I ended up having the closed guard as my safe zone where I could control my opponent without being surprised. Also my main game was going to the lapel chokes and for the arm bars, a technique that I am going to share with you guys today after this okay. So, but one lesson that I had that was very important lesson for me which was How to Deal with Expectations. You know I remember, there was a seminar coming and I was sure I was going to get my blue belt, I even bought a blue belt and put it in my backpack and left it in the sitting area. The seminar goes, and I don’t even remember what the seminar was about, I was thinking about was – the belt, the belt, the belt – and the seminar finishes, the professor closes the class, didn’t give no belt to nobody. I passed in front of him a few times just make sure maybe he forgot about me. Ignored, nothing happened. I go home, I cry, you know three days no training. And I realized that expectations just makes you open up doors to frustrations and for disappointment right. Since then I decided when I’m going to train, I’m going to train to be as good as I could ever be, do my best, not expecting no belt and when it’s time will be. And I blink my eyes I’m here black belt and with a very good lesson that I took for life as well.“
I’ve gotten discouraged in this sport more that a few times. I’ve had injuries that kept me out for weeks. I’ve been choked and submitted in front of the head instructor while he was telling me how to not get choked and submitted. I’ve had to postpone my training due to the pandemic. But I’ve also had little wins, like my training partners telling me it was hard to pass my guard. Or having the head instructor praise a technique I demonstrated that I just learned. All of this combined has helped develop a positive healthy mindset towards my journey so far in jiu jitsu.
Will I keep getting hurt? Yes. Will I miss time due to injury? I hope not but probably. Will I keep getting choked and submitted? Yes. Will I keep showing up regardless? Yes absolutley.
Since joining in October 2021, I’ve had to learn to temper my expectations and be realistic about my improvement in this sport. I have to slow down my movements and be present on the mat. White belts tend to be frantic and panicky. That will lead to injury and possibly quitting. And I want to be in this sport as long as I can, and you do too.
Give jiu jitsu a try. The snow is melting, the days are longer, and it’s getting warmer. Time to get out there and learn something new while challenging yourself. And what better way than to try and not be choked or have a limb broken by a sweaty stranger while rolling around with them!
See you on the mats, fellow white belt.
UPDATE, March 21: I found this cool website called BJJ Mental Models. After listening to a podcast episode with Brailio Estima as the guest, I checked out the website https://bjjmentalmodels.com
There is a section about having a beginners mindset. Here is a great list for white belts like me to remember and help keep our egos in check:
To cultivate a Beginner’s Mind, catch and prevent your self from:
-adding your two cents to a lesson if you’re not adding any value
-getting defensive or angry when someone criticizes your technique
-getting upset when you are dominated during sparring
-avoiding sparring partners because you think they’ll beat you
-feeling the need to explain or defend every decision when you make a mistake or receive feedback.
Yesterday the Ontario government dropped all vaccine mandates and capacity limits. Hallelujah. Although many people are still effected by the pandemic (is it still a pandemic now?), I’m glad we’re going back to somewhat normal. We have to move on the best we can. And one way to do that is to get back to rolling on a mat with a sweaty stranger while you try to choke each other and break their limbs (or if you’re a white belt just surviving)!
1, Going back to jiu jitsu tomorrow! After a month off because of the stupid shutdowns/lockdowns. In celebration I will be wearing my gi all day today during my tutoring sessions and then at the gym. This feels right.
2. It still hasn’t hit me yet that I go to a martial arts school. I still consider jiu jitsu as ‘wrestling but with choking.’
3. Gyms opened up yesterday. First time back in almost a month. And no jiu jitsu during that time as well. Oh man was I out of shape. But I slept well last night and feel great today. Glad to be back on track.
4. How to Prep for a Jiu Jitsu Class: -make a delicious dinner for your fiancé -muck some stew -have a shower What else…
5. I’m back to tweeting about jiu jitsu. The world is whole again.
6. Supported students. Recorded a podcast episode. Made dinner for my fiancé. Went to jiu jitsu. Tidied the kitchen. About to read some high-fantasy. Helped others and got healthy. Little things. Today was a win.
7. I’m back at jiu jitsu and my fiancé is starting back up with a personal trainer. Getting healthier together is the way to go.
8. Joined a Twitter Spaces tonight about wrestling and jiu jitsu, great convo. I even went up to speak a bit and it was tons of fun. Hope to do it again soon!
9. I wonder what we’re going to learn in jiu jitsu class tonight…
10. Great roll tonight. We reviewed the same moves as Tuesday’s class: double leg, collar chokes. And learned a new arm bar as well. Also exchanged numbers with a fellow grappler. We are now jiu jitsu friends.
11. I just got home from jiu jitsu. My fiancé is working out in the living room with a Zoom group online and personal trainer. Both of us are getting healthy in our own way. Love it.
12. Capacity limits have us waiting outside in the cold, before being let in to the jiu jitsu gym. Whatever I got to do to get that sweet sweet rolling in.
13. I’m looking into how to sign up/register for an Ontario Jiu Jitsu Association tournament in Toronto in March. Need to see the fee, transportation, hotel, etc. The wheels are turning, let’s make this happen!
14. Update: I need an Ontario Jiu Jitsu Association membership, $150 for the year. Not bad. Then it’ll be $150 for two nights for the hotel. Much to ponder…
15. Just got out of an open mat jiu jitsu sparring class. Oh man. Got dummied by all ten partners. Arm bars, triangles, legs locks, and something called an anaconda choke. BUT I had a few higher belts says I had good defence. That’s a win in my books.
16. My hope is that doing more things in the real world (jiu jitsu, tutoring, support work, spending time with fiancé, etc) will help me tweet less in the digital world.
17. Worked out at the gym around people last night. Rolling on mats with people at jiu jitsu tonight. Let’s get back to normal being around other people.
18. Last Saturday at jiu jitsu during the open mat rolling, my partner and I were the last to spar. We looked up and saw everyone getting ready to leave. I’m glad I’m getting passionate about a sport again.
19. Last Saturday in jiu jitsu during the open mat sparing session, I rolled with almost everyone. 10 people. I only took breaks during the allotted 1min between the 5min rolls. Did that for 50mins. My cardio is getting better.
20. Not my best rolling in jiu jitsu tonight. But hey I will be back at it again on Thursday. Don’t despair, just keep showing up.
21. Cook meals for yourself and fiancé, workout sometimes, tutor people, do jiu jitsu, drink hot chocolate, read high-fantasy, record a podcast, go to bed by ten, chat with your fam when you can, and stay sober from booze and pot. Just reminding myself to keep being awesome.
22. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I worked out. Tuesday and Thursday I went to jiu jitsu. Saturday I’m going to an open mat bjj rolling session. This week has been a massive win for my fitness.
23. Unsubscribe from all your online newsletters and join a jiu jitsu gym.
24. My fiancée says while I leave for jiu jitsu: “Don’t come back injured, but if you’re injured still come back.”
25. The feeling of accomplishment after jiu jitsu class, even when I get my butt kicked which is often, is worth the cuts, scrapes, bruises, mat burns, and joint pain. Join a class today and see if you have what it takes, you may even love it.
26. You will get submitted. You will get your butt kicked. You will get injured. But you’ll also meet new people, get fit, and learn a self-defence. Go to a jiu jitsu class and try it out.
27. It’s easy to get discouraged in jiu jitsu. It’s happened to me more than a few times since starting my martial arts journey. I will keep getting submitted until I don’t. I have to focus on the long game.
28. I wonder how I’ll be submitted in jiu jitsu tonight. Can’t wait 💪
29. Tonight in jiu jitsu we learned a single to double leg takedown (easy for me because of background in wrestling and I’m awesome). Then a knee-slice guard pass to side control. Then knee-slice guard pass to collar choke. Being a white belt is fun. The world needs more white belts.
30. Whenever partners tell me I have good defence or it took awhile to submit me, that’s a win in my books. I get by butt kicked a lot, but as a white belt I look at my improvements instead of focusing on what I lack. Getting discouraged in bjj will happen, but always look forward.
Have you ever heard of benign masochism and contrast theory?
Benign BJJ Masochism
I’m still hooked on a fantasy book, but I’m easing my way back into a non-fiction book. Instead of trying to read several non-related non-fiction works, I will try and read one at a time and allow myself to digest one topic at a time. Too many non-fiction at once can cancel themselves out and I don’t retain much of the info.
I’ve picked up a new non-fiction book called The Sweet Spot by Paul Bloom. “The Sweet Spot shows how the right kind of suffering sets the stage for enhanced pleasure. Pain can distract us from our anxieties and help us transcend the self.” (source)
I’ve recently been thinking – why do I do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? I mean, you could say that since I wrestled for six years during middle school and high school, that I have an interest in grappling sports. And I do enjoy watching MMA PPVs (streaming online, never pay for them heh). But why now? Why did I join jiu jitsu at the age of 36? I do eat well more often then not and I workout but not as much as I should. I also quit drinking and smoking pot. All of those keep me in decent shape. But I’m not as flexible as I used to be. I’m not as fast as I used to be. In general, I’m not nearly as athletic as I used to be.
I’m a white belt to the max. I started training BJJ last October 2021, I’ve had a few injuries that took me out for a few weeks, and was off for almost a month because of the stupid shutdowns/lockdowns in the city. We open back up next Monday, finally. That means the BJJ gym is opening back up and I get to roll around with strangers and try not to get choked out or have a limb broken. So why the heck would anyone want to do Brazilian jiu jitsu?
After reading a few chapters of The Sweet Spot, I thought perhaps me doing BJJ was a form of ‘benign masochism.’ Which is a term coined by Professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, Paul Rozin. The term benign masochism, “[…] refers to certain types of voluntary pain and suffering, most of which don’t have anything to do with sex.” (The Sweet Spot, by Paul Bloom). Could that be why I like rolling?
But the very next paragraph it says, “It doesn’t include activities that can damage one’s body or cause severe pain—it’s benign, after all. Getting yourself crucified, as some of the faithful do in the Philippines during Easter, is not benign masochism. The pleasure and pain of saunas is usually a good example of benign masochism” and “Rather, benign masochism refers to the choice to pursue activities that are normally painful or unpleasant but not harmful. We sniff with curiosity at food we know to be rotten, touch a sore tooth gingerly with our tongue, press down on a sprained ankle. We watch movies that make us cower and cry. We eat spicy food and immerse ourselves in hot baths.”
So is BJJ a form of benign masochism? People certainly do pursue BJJ which is an activity that is normally painful and definitely at times unpleasant. But it can result in harm. For example, I bruised my ribs one week and another week tore a muscle in my pelvis – both very painful. Maybe it’s something like benign masochism, but not exactly like it. For example, like any combat or grappling sport – or any sport for that matter – people put themselves through physical pain while training, but feel great after they train. And the training adds to their overall well-being. So what the heck is going on?
Contrast Theory
“Part of the story of benign masochism, then, is that we sometimes play with pain in order to maximize the contrast with future experience, so as to generate future pleasure.” and “Sometimes the contrast that enhances pleasure comes from the comparison with an actual past experience, and sometimes it’s from the contrast with expectations […]”
Maybe one reason I put myself through jiu jitsu training, is that the positive aspects that come from training – fitness, cardio, confidence – outweigh the negative aspects of BJJ – pain and harm. Perhaps I put myself through potential pain and possible harm in order to generate future pleasure. For example, when I am driving home after jiu jitsu, even though I am tired and exhausted, I feel like I have more energy overall. I get excited and want to share my experience with others (like tweeting about all the time). And when I have a shower when I get home, the hot water runs over my mat burns and it stings a lot. But it reminds me of the hard work I put in that night at the BJJ gym. When it comes to the comparison aspect of the Contrast Theory, maybe I’m comparing my experience to a past experience of not doing BJJ and not having anything challenging in my life. Woah that feels more introspective after writing it than I was expecting. Maybe in some way I wanted to shake things up in my life?
Understanding Your Self
“Why would you ever want to escape from your self? Well, as [social psychologist] Baumeister points out, self-awareness carries a burden. In everyday life, you need to make decisions that you’re responsible for, often disappointing others. You need to put a good face forward to the world; you have to manage your desires and deal with disappointment and guilt and shame. You’re stuck with your memories, your worries about the future, and your anxieties about the immediate present. You are left with that same internal monologue, maybe a bit whiny, that you have had for a very long time.”
Before looking into BJJ, I got engaged to my fiancé, and was heading back to work in September 2021 after a summer of not working very much which sucked and I don’t ever want to do again. Now I’m happy to be working and making money and I am excited to get married this summer. But at the end of last summer, I guess something was missing. It turned out that I needed to physically challenge myself in some way. The lockdowns due to the pandemic didn’t help at all either. I needed to be around people. And what better way to do that than roll around on a mat with a stranger and sweat all over them while trying to inflict pain on each other?
Nostalgia
I had so much fun when I used to wrestle. The active life, the friendships, the results from hard work – and many more positive things I cannot recall – made my wrestling experience something I sometimes still think about. Nostalgia is another reason I joined BJJ. Again, I had such a great experience in my youth with wrestling, that I wanted to recreate the feelings of triumph and team camaraderie that I enjoyed so much. But nostalgia is a double-edged sword. I read that nostalgia seems to also be a way to counter the effects of loneliness. However, it depends because in some instances, it can increase the level of loneliness someone feels if they are already quite lonely. Nostalgia makes us feel comfortable, until it doesn’t.
Reasons
I guess one thing I can say for certain, is that people pursue BJJ for many reasons. Those reasons could be to learn self-defence, to get or stay active, to challenge themselves, to meet knew people (BJJ is great for that), and of course to put themselves through pain to get pleasure. It could be some of those reasons or all of them.
These days I cannot stop thinking about jiu jitsu. I have so much fun I think everyone should at least give it a try. Again, I’m the whitest of white belts, but I hope I stick with it for as long as I can.
I’m not sure if BJJ falls under the category of an activity that is benign masochism. I don’t completely understand Contrast Theory. And I’m still trying to figure out if nostalgia is the main reason I got back in to a grappling sport. But I do know I’m on to something and I’m on the right track to figuring out why I joined a Brazilian jiu jitsu gym.
I’m glad I wrote this post, it’s helping me parse through my thoughts about why I am doing jiu jitsu.
Why did you join? Or if you haven’t, why not?
(photo is of me in the change-room before BJJ class started. I like getting there early so I can mind-prep before we get ‘er going.)
There and Back 