Why I chose Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
I recently had a conversation with Gary about the reasons various people do jiu-jitsu.
Some are there to learn to defend themselves. Others are into the competition aspect. Still others do it simply as a form of exercise.
It got me thinking as to why I do it. And specifically why I do Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy, which is about a half hour drive away from where I stay, when there are other martial arts schools nearer to where I stay.
It boils down to one thing. I want to learn the most effective method of self defense.
I have been (un)fortunate enough to have had been involved in a few fight situations, be it on the school ground or outside of a night club. In every single one I have never been able to effectively defend myself. So from an early age I looked towards the martial arts as a way to equip myself for these real life situations.
Every time I have trained at a martial arts school, there are always times when I think to myself, but what if this didn’t work, what would I do next, how is this relevant to a thug in a bar or on the street. And each time I go away feeling like something is missing.
When I took part in my first intro class at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Cape Town academy I was blown away by two things. 1) Even though he was half my size, once Gary had a mounted position on me, no matter what I did, I couldn’t get him off. 2) No matter what I tried (and I’m pretty heavy) I could not keep him under my mount.
I had experiences where I had sparred with brown and black belts in traditional Japanese based ju-jitsu styles and I could always feel that I could counter their experience with my size and strength. For the first time in my life, this no longer was an advantage. Gary and James had something that none of the others had and I had to learn from these guys!
It’s been two years now, Gary and James still play with my like I am a rag doll but I understand why so much better now. It’s the reason the Royce Gracie did what he did in the early UFC’s. Its the reason Helio Gracie was such a legend and it’s the reason that James won a great victory over his second MMA opponent this past weekend.
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu works. Period.
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