I, like many people are totally addicted to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. My friends have started to shift to those who are obsessed like I. It is hard to have a conversation with someone about your instructor teaching the omoplata technique to someone who thinks you are half crazy for bragging about all your BJJ bruises and injuries.
I am so elated to share in my training that my youngest son has started training in the kid’s class that we offer at our gym. It took him a couple of months before he really started to understand the techniques and principles behind BJJ, but now he absolutely loves it. He loves it so much that I actually had to set rules about where and when the best places for doing technique are.
The number one place NOT to do technique is in the middle of a popular department store when you are shopping. My son turned to me and said “Hey Mom, I want to work on my rear naked choke defense, can you choke me real quick?” I was so happy to hear him say that that I was almost in position to execute the move until I realized that a family of four was curiously looking at us and I would most likely get escorted away by security or worse.
Second place was at the restaurant Old Chicago while waiting for our table to be ready. My kiddo turned around and asked for a hug, (as if I would deny him a hug). Well he had ulterior motives, he promptly went for double under hooks. Then he taunted me and said “Haha! I got double under hooks!” To which I then put his right shoulder in a whizzer and drove him to bend at the waist and come around and get one over, one under around his head and shoulder. I looked up to see the waitresses face covered in shock. Luckily, my husband was there to calmly explain that this is normal behavior for the both of us and where and what we train.
The third place was at a family reunion. The son and I just got done watching one of our favorite You-Tube channels, Submissions 101, and he wanted to practice the anaconda choke we just learned on the video. So I get down on all fours and he proceeds to do the technique so well that it leaves me making horrendous gagging noises. The older generation of family members immediately became concerned that something was medically wrong with me at that point. When we explained that we were just practicing, we got a lot of lectures about how young men should not treat their mother that way. To which my husband again stepped in and calmly explained that is normal behavior for the both of us and where and what we train.
So after the third incident being the charm so to speak, we bought some puzzle mats for “proper” training away from the gym. You would be surprised at how affordable mats are and if you are just doing technique, you don’t need a very large area. We bought our mats off Amazon.com and here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/
Author:
Kim Morris
Girls in Gis Writer
Kim Morris is a 4 stripe white belt with Combative Sport Center in Manhattan, Kan., under Joe Wilk. She has been practicing jiu jitsu since November of 2013. She is a wife of 21 years and a mom of two boys, ages 19 and 10.