Getting hooked

I'm just a regular girl, average at best. Slightly tomboyish from being raised by my father. But I never understood sports or the mechanics of it. I never understood the adrenaline rush they talked about. It just seemed like guys gravitated to these events just to drink beers, talk trash and bask in all their testosterone glory. What was the big deal anyway?

My husband has always been all about manly things. He rides a Harley, drinks beer at the local VFW, smokes the occasional cigar and never washes his old pickup truck. He's into martial arts and all that. The man never watches TV unless it's a UFC fight or some other MMA type event. When I was pregnant with our last child, he started to go to some grappling classes. No big deal to me because I was home kicking up my "cankles" and feeding my cravings. I attended his NAGA competition, but it made me nervous and kinda squeamish. He didn't win, but he broke his ribs! He took some time off and we moved to Texas. He started up lessons again at a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy to blow off steam after his college classes. Between him pursuing his master's degree and these classes I never saw him much. Paying to get beat up was a total foreign concept to me...until I tagged along to one of the seminars. I was curious to meet this mistress that kept my man out late. Just who the hell was this home wrecker-I had to know!

Relson Gracie was doing a seminar at the academy and I asked if I could sit in the shadows and see what the fuss was about. When I asked him who this Relson Gracie is... he was sort of offended. I had never heard anything about this famous Gracie family. Apparently, they are a big deal! (Shame on me for not knowing more!) This place was packed with kids and adults. It was hot and stuffy, no where to sit (because it was jam packed), and the people that were participating were in these long pants and long sleeved jackets were sweating profusely. Hell, everyone in there was sweating to death. I didn't get it. The guy was kinda old and slender. If I had passed him on the street, I'd never would have taken him for a guy who could kick my ass. Everybody was crazy about him. There were people who drove quite a distance to see him. He seemed like a laid back guy and he just seemed to flow...until he started to talk Jiu Jitsu. Then he got serious. Passionate was not a good enough description about how he talked about techniques and this "sport" that all these people came to see. It was a lifestyle for him; everything about him screamed it.

I sat there absorbing his energy and listening to his lectures and was completely taken back by it. His vibe was so positive and easy going that it was hard not to be motivated. The way he made eye contact with each person there and was hands on in helping them improve their techniques. Watching them move and execute different techniques was kinda fascinating. I was like, "I can do that." I finally got it..why he was hooked, why he chose that academy and why Relson Gracie was a big deal. Anyone could do it, big or small, male or female, adult or child. You just had to learn the proper techniques. If these tiny 5 year olds could hang, so could I. That was it for me...I was hooked.

It took me about 2 months to convince my husband that I wanted to try it. He thought it would be a good opportunity to balance out training and quality time together. The first class was free, so IF I didn't like it I didn't have to go back. For my 34th birthday he bought me 8 classes. It was great. It was the first month they started to hold female only classes. Maybe that was why he gave in, but he will never fess up to that. I didn't realize that not a lot of women get into this particular martial art until hardly any showed up consistently. I was fortunate to get to train with a girl who's my size and was more than glad help me when I needed guidance and advice. She was one tough chick. She was the only one (female)who came regularly and never hesitated to roll with the guys. She and her husband got their blue belts the night of Relson's seminar. She rocks!

Unfortunately, she has been out for a few months due to an injury. I miss her immensely! It's been four months since I started my Gracie Jiu Jitsu journey. I train 6 days a week, taking anywhere from 1 to 3 classes a day. I am now a jiu jitsu junkie. I would venture to say that I now take more classes than my husband does. It took me forever to convince him that I need unlimited classes..LOL. It took me some time to get used to the heat and heavy gi, but he bought me a light weight one and it has been awesome. Thanks to the work out and wearing a gi, I have lost about 15 pounds.

I was kind of intimidated when I started out and was hesitant about rolling with the guys, but now I welcome the challenge. If I can hang with these big guys, I can almost hang with anybody! I met some other "girls in gis" and they have been so much help. Well, so have the guys. It's a tough and dangerous sport, but what is there in life that isn't? I have altered my demeanor quite a bit since starting, but I'm still sassy. I even rock a purple gi. I have discovered a new side of me and I'm quite proud of it. And it has all stemmed from trying to sabotage my hubby solo seminar trip. Well, the joke's on me I suppose.

Now he has to deal with me trying out new moves on him when he's totally distracted. Now when he gets on my nerves and I tell him I want to choke him...he knows that I know how to do it!