Rolling on 2 Years

About two years ago I began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and what a journey it's been so far. In that short time I've seen training partners come and go, trained at 3 different places, seen a handful of drama (luckily I've never been in the thick of it), experienced losses, more bruises than I can count, mat burns, aches and pains, and have come into contact with another man's sweat in ways I hope to never ever have happen again. Despite all that, walking into Gracie Barra University and training with Caveirinha two years ago has been the best thing I've ever done.

 

Gracie Barra (GB), where it all started

I still remember my first day. Walking up the stairs to Gracie Barra, not even sure if I was in the right place, nervous out of my mind about what was to come. I got tossed around and tapped out like a true rookie that day. I was partnered up with Dustin and Jojo, who were really friendly and helpful, and I learned how to do a kimura (a type of shoulder lock). It was awesome, I was hooked, and I had to learn more. I've tried to keep up with training and learning BJJ ever since.

 

But as oh-so-subtly hinted at in the first paragraph, training has been anything but just training. Issues arose which strained the relationship between Caveirinha and Gracie Barra management and naturally that tension was transferred onto the mat. The once affable atmosphere wasn't the same, and there were several awkward moments where arguments between management and Caveirinha were well within earshot and eyesight of everybody there.

 

Those issues combined with some financial strain left me with a decision to make. Training at GB was always on the pricey side but learning under Caveirinha and rolling with the people there made it worth it. But Caveirinha was there less and less, and a lot of training partners disappeared. Reluctantly, I decided to stop training at Gracie Barra early this year.

 

I went a few months without rolling until the UFC Gym opened. And what d'ya know, all of those training partners that disappeared from GB showed up at UFC. Financially, UFC made sense too (thanks to that employer discount) and I had a new place to workout and roll. Leandro Nyza teaches the BJJ classes and he's really good. Everything was, and still is, very fundamental but he offers some unique details about techniques and I like getting his perspective.

CJJF has arrived!

 

After a few months at UFC, a buzz began to grow about Caveirihna breaking away from Gracie Barra and opening his own school. Rumor of it spread and anticipation skyrocketed but it never left the realm of rumor. It was always have you heard...somebody told me...and things like that. But then just over a month ago rumor became reality and the Caveirinha Jiu-Jitsu Family Association opened in Honolulu. I joined right away. Don't get me wrong, Nyza is good and the UFC gym is great as a gym, but to really advance in BJJ Caveirinha is the man to follow.

 

Nowadays I train at both UFC and CJJF (gotta love all the acronyms). I've come a long way since that first day. In addition to that first kimura I learned, I now know armbars, triangle chokes, ankle locks, americanas, various chokes, and techniques to move an opponent twice my size in ways that make them feel lighter than me. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more to learn, both in regards to technique and the mental approach to BJJ.

 

The day Caveirihna gave me a blue belt.
I forgot I still had a beard then.

So the techniques are cool and all, and training is loads of fun but what else has BJJ done for me? Why, after 2 years, is it still the best thing I've ever done? When I boil it all down, basically it's made me better. In almost every way. I'm more fit. I'm more flexible. I've learned to better keep my composure in difficult situations on and off the mat. My confidence has increased by leaps and bounds. It's turned me from a shy, timid, quiet person that would frantically avoid everything outside of a limited comfort zone into somebody who's finally realizing a solid belief in himself. It's like every time I successfully pull off a technique or catch a submission or defend a submission, it's a little personal victory. And those small victories seem to add up and resonate within me and build up my overall character. That's the best way I can describe it. It's crazy and it's only been 2 years!