To stick with BJJ for years, or a lifetime, you need to really love it in a way that often crosses the line into all-consuming obsession. Many of the people I’ve met in the BJJ community shape their entire lives around the sport. Their schedules are built around class. Their […]
The only thing I remember from my first competition is the referee saying, “Combate” (fight) and everything in my mind freezing – with everything I’d learned trapped within that ice. Nearly every competition since then has featured a struggle with that nervousness-induced ice. It wasn’t until I started to […]
ESSENTIAL [ uh–sen-shuhl ]adj of the utmost importance; necessary; basic; indispensable, necessary. This word is undeniably a key buzzword associated with the current pandemic. What exactly is essential? Supermarkets? Gyms? Liquor stores? In New York State, several gyms,such as fitness centers and martial arts studios, have recently joined forces to […]
Look around your BJJ class. One or more of your students could be a sexual assault survivor. About twenty percent of women, five percent of men, and nearly fifty percent of trans or non-binary folks are sexually assaulted at some point. In this article, I use “she” as a shorthand […]