I played a lot of video games growing up, including the likes of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. Naturally, I became very fascinated with martial arts and appreciated the art when displayed in film and television. The thought of possibly participating in any kind of combat sport hadn’t crossed my mind until later in my twenties. I did dabble with Muay Thai, but the fear of live sparring terrified me. After this, I did not give combat sports another thought.
It wasn’t until a UFC fight when Nate Diaz was somehow knocked to the ground. Nate began gesturing to his opponent to meet him on the ground. The opponent didn’t want any of that smoke and told him to get back up on his feet. I remember thinking “that was so badass!”. I admired his confidence on the ground and knew instantly that that’s what I wanted. Immediately after that match, I signed up for a trial class at what would become my new home.
I began my journey at a local Gracie Barra academy in July of 2018. I went in to class with my fear of sparring but also a new nervousness because jiu jitsu is an extremely close contact sport. With all of this in my mind, I was still ready to take on this new challenge. Like most white belts, I was smashed. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Without even giving it a second thought, my fear of sparring was gone and I no longer cared about being wrapped up in another person’s limbs.
It has now been three years since I have stepped on the mats for the very first time. I have come to learn a lot about myself and am proud to have learned the lessons the sport has taught me so far. I am now enslaved to this sport. So much so that I have turned my life upside down to support this addiction. This is me, forever changed and I couldn’t be any happier.
HAPA HOUR 