les talks fighting

Did you know the banjo was originally from Africa and introduced to America by slaves? I just learned this important fact on my latest podcast, Jack W. Lewis's "Old Time and Bluegrass Music Radio Show." This is an informative program that only plays unsigned bands.

But that's not really while we're here today. We're here to talk Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, aren't we?

See the cool chicks in today's visual aid? Do you know how hard it is to find good photos of women doing BJJ? Take it from Les, it's not easy. I've been the only woman training at Marco Alvan Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for a year. A new woman, Sandy, started a few weeks ago. She's a college student, though, so I'm not sure how long she'll be around.

Why no more women than that? I'm not entirely sure. Certainly there are plenty of women--especially in my part of Massachusetts--training in other martial arts. I have several women friends who own their own martial arts schools (one is even an all-women's school). I belong to a group of women blackbelts from different disciplines who get together to train and socialize every month or so.

But few women--even at giant tournaments--train in BJJ. Maybe it's the terrible intimacy you have with your opponent. You are always either maneuvering to lay on top of or get out from under him. He sweats, stinks, and uses your clothing against you. Some of the guys have cauliflower ears from grinding them into the mat. Most of them are big (as in much, much bigger than Les). Even the small guys (the ones only 10-30 pounds heavier than I am) are much stronger than me.

What is BJJ? Well, you could check out the link to your right, dear reader, and see what Marco Alvan has to say about BJJ. But if you'd rather just hear it from me, I'll tell you that it's a form of grappling (think "wrestling") where, instead of pinning your opponent's shoulders to the floor, you try to choke your opponent (either by cutting off her air or cutting off the blood flow to her brain) or you try to lock up your opponent's joint in a way that would cause injury if she didn't "tap out." Some people call BJJ--especially BJJ done without the traditional "gi," or uniform--"submission wrestling."

So in today's visual aid, the gal on the bottom is attacking the gal on the top in two ways: she has her legs wrapped around the gal's head and neck, creating a "triangle choke." This choke will eventually cause the gal on the top to lose consciousness due to restricted blood flow to her brain if she doesn't tap out (meaning tap her attacker as a way of saying "uncle"). The second attack the gal on the bottom has is a wrist lock--she has trapped the top gal's hand and wrist and is bending it in a way that is painful...causing the gal on the top to tap out. Cool double attack, I must say.

Today was the first day I've been back at BJJ in almost 3 weeks. First, work was getting in the way. Then the trip to sit by the Lesdad's bedside (he's doing much better, by the way, thanks for asking).

The time away did me good, apparently. A couple of the blue belt guys (some of our highest ranked and best students) commented that I was doing very well. Then, honor of honors, Marco bestowed my 4th stripe on my little white belt. Receiving a promotion from Marco isn't easy. We eat a lot of mat and wallow in a lot of sweat to get those stripes.

I've been training in BJJ with Marco for just over a year. And while I'm progressing and learning and even holding my own against the smaller guys (and even the big new guys), I feel like there is so much more to learn. This is my 4th martial art (my blackbelt is in tae kwon do--which I still teach once a week) and never have I found such a confoundedly technical style of fighting.

So when my friends look at me like I'm some kind of a kook because I like fighting, or when they think the guys I train with must be big dopes, what they miss is that, sure it's a contact sport that is, ultimately, organized violence. But it's also a chess game. A thinking person's sport.