Starting Up

I'm starting this to document my progress through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I'm using this as a tool mainly for myself but for others as well so that I can remember my journey and help others wanting to start their own. I may go off on tangents and refer to names that, if you're not part of the school, you wont know. Presently I am a white belt. I train at Relson Gracie Fernandina, a satellite school of Relson Gracie Jacksonville, located in...you guessed it Fernandina Beach, FL. We train in Elite Gym.

I started training July 31, 2008 after seeing a sign in St. Mary's, GA for BJJ. Our Black Belt instructor was Sean Beavor. The first day Ashley (my wife) and I arrived to the class in t-shirts and shorts. Neither one of us had any training. I'd seen bjj before and I'd read many books on it but as we were soon to find out nothing is a substitute for live training with people who know what they're doing.

There were quite a number of people there. Some were from Seans other school in jacksonville (First coast BJJ) and some were there for the free classes as we were. The guys from the other school were Jaylen(Blue), Ron(Purple), Eli(White), Pierre(White) and of course Sean(Black). I remember thinking after I tapped Pierre, who was a very big guy, with an omoplata that I was gonna be freaking awesome. Then I rolled with Jaylen...and got my ass handed to me. I think it was then that I realized I was not anywhere as good as I thought I was. That was the night I met who I would come to consider my close training partners, Corey and Peter.

To start off, Sean had us do 50 squats, 50 pushups, and 50 situps. I remember thinking there's no way I'll be able to do this twice a week.( for the next week I could barely walk.) That night we learned the basic arm bar from guard. Foot on their hip, raise your hips, other leg on their back swing leg over head. What I had seen so many times and even done so many times (while rough playing with the wife or friends) suddenly was more difficult. We both decided we'd show up to the next class as long as we could use our legs and we did.