The Excuses We Make

[Jackson]

This thread motivates me to keep training. Thank you.

You should come back and visit.

 

[rhino]

Exactly. This isn't the dark ages.

Indeed. Or maybe it is. We should spearhead a grape-slicing crusade.

He temporarily was a security guard.
Apparently, it cut into his "do nothing" time.

Wait! For a moment I thought I must your little brother!

This thread motivates me to keep training. Thank you.

Training to choke jackson?

You should come back and visit.

So be can choke you? Okay!

 

[iChokePeople]

I'm meeting Jackson in Crawfordsville for lunch and an afternoon working session on the finer points of the bow and arrow choke and the Peruvian necktie. Kind of depends on what rhino's wearing when we find him. Chez, you in?

 

[chezuki]

I'm meeting Jackson in Crawfordsville for lunch and an afternoon working session on the finer points of the bow and arrow choke and the Peruvian necktie. Kind of depends on what rhino's wearing when we find him. Chez, you in?

In as long as Rhino and Jackson are the only ones suffering any discomfort.

 

[chezuki]

Also, is it odd that I now notice what people are wearing and think how easily I could choke the **** out of them with it if I needed to?

 

[rhino]

I'm meeting Jackson in Crawfordsville for lunch and an afternoon working session on the finer points of the bow and arrow choke and the Peruvian necktie. Kind of depends on what rhino's wearing when we find him. Chez, you in?

I'll be out of town.

In as long as Rhino and Jackson are the only ones suffering any discomfort.

I think you missed the memo. It should be just Jackson. No rhino. Never. He's delicate and litigious.

Also, is it odd that I now notice what people are wearing and think how easily I could choke the **** out of them with it if I needed to?

Yes.

 

[chezuki]

Yes.

My, what sturdy looking suspenders you're wearing...

 

[rhino]

My, what sturdy looking suspenders you're wearing...

Don't. Even. Think. About. It.

Crap! Now I have to be ready to cut my own suspenders just to keep my friends from using them to choke me. On the bright side, when my pants fall down, I've won the battle. Few people want to fight a naked guy. No one wants to fight a naked fat guy.

 

[chezuki]

Now I have to be ready to cut my own suspenders

That will end well...

 

[iChokePeople]

That will end well...

It's his way of defending any choke in which you might have used one of his arms, if it hadn't previously been severed.

 

[chezuki]

I am feeling it today. I missed a couple weeks of BJJ due to work and last nights "first class back" was brutal.

 

[chezuki]

I'm starting to see the "chess game" aspect, but I'm still quite horrible at it. I feel like I'm trying to defend a drunken king with one retarded pawn. I fall for everything... Literally EVERYTHING. Every single time I see an opening to try something I actually know, it's a trap and I get smashed. I've even fallen for the same thing multiple times in a row convincing myself that the other guy must have gotten lucky on the first attempt. It has been and continues to be, epically humbling.

A little beat up tonight.

 

[iChokePeople]

You're a stud for going out and doing it, sir. One of the really cool things about BJJ, vs. many other martial arts: Many of them advertise that they teach respect and humility. That's a common thing for martial arts curriculums. Most teach it by codes of conduct, discussion, the system of "respect" for instructors or senior students. If you show up for BJJ classes, you will learn respect and humility on the mat, for sure, by being submitted (and this really could be taken as "killed") over and over and over and over, by people who are smaller, older, weaker, fatter, geekier, you name it. For the first while, EVERYONE will submit you.

On the chess part, you'll get that. Enjoy the journey, don't rush it. Right now, you only know how to use a pawn or two. You get into positions and just have no idea what to even try. You don't even know how the second-row pieces move. But you will. And once you start to learn those pieces and start to get past surviving and into thinking, planning, setting up, executing... you'll be hooked for life. There's just nothing else like it. Then many of those traits, those ways of thinking, setting things up, being patient, surviving and waiting for an opening, they'll start to work their way into the rest of your life. You'll start to see everything you do as a way to hone your jiu jitsu, and see your experience in jiu jitsu as a way to rethink and improve everything you do in life.

I sound like a BJJ evangelist. Sorry, got on a roll there. Anyway, mad respect for what you're doing, chez.

 

[rhino]

I know nothing of BJ...J, but I do know a lot about failure. There is no better teacher than failure when combined with the determination to improve. Failure forces you to analyze what you did wrong and try new things to get it right until you do. Success is awesome, but most people don't question why they succeeded, so it's not a good impetus for improvement.

 

[chezuki]

I know nothing of BJ...J, but I do know a lot about failure. There is no better teacher than failure when combined with the determination to improve. Failure forces you to analyze what you did wrong and try new things to get it right until you do. Success is awesome, but most people don't question why they succeeded, so it's not a good impetus for improvement.

That second "j" is critical... Without it, the chokes are infinitely more degrading.

 

[rhino]

That second "j" is critical... Without it, the chokes are infinitely more degrading.

Couldn't kick you while you were down, bro'. This time. Hah!

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

That second "j" is critical... Without it, the chokes are infinitely more degrading.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

 

[jsharmon7]

Chez, I'm right there with you. Yesterday was class #10 and I finally feel like I'm starting to at least understand it and think through it. I repeatedly lose to everyone while sparring, though. I'll try to move to a different position and will immediately regret my decision as I get caught in something. The times I'm able to luck into a good position I usually have no idea what to do with it. At this point I'm doing more wrestling than BJJ simply because I don't have enough tools to go to yet. With that said, I really enjoy it. Although I'm still clueless I have learned a lot in a short time that I don't think most people outside of BJJ would know or have experienced. The simplest things about balance and position and control have been light bulbs popping on for me. I really would recommend starting BJJ for anyone reading this thread and hesitating. It's fun, it's a great workout, and everyone I've met has been really nice and super helpful.

 

[Jackson]

Chez, I'm right there with you. Yesterday was class #10 and I finally feel like I'm starting to at least understand it and think through it. I repeatedly lose to everyone while sparring, though. I'll try to move to a different position and will immediately regret my decision as I get caught in something. The times I'm able to luck into a good position I usually have no idea what to do with it. At this point I'm doing more wrestling than BJJ simply because I don't have enough tools to go to yet. With that said, I really enjoy it. Although I'm still clueless I have learned a lot in a short time that I don't think most people outside of BJJ would know or have experienced. The simplest things about balance and position and control have been light bulbs popping on for me. I really would recommend starting BJJ for anyone reading this thread and hesitating. It's fun, it's a great workout, and everyone I've met has been really nice and super helpful.

If you're as bad as me, you'll feel like this for quite awhile longer.

 

[iChokePeople]

I absolutely believe that if more LEOs were trained in BJJ, fewer people who didn't really NEED to get shot would get shot. Kudos to everyone getting on the mats and learning.