The Humble and Gentle Art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Sitting in my truck at 5:45 a.m. on a Wednesday morning outside Sparta Training Academy CDA, I watched the snow lightly fall as I grappled with my insecurity and fear. Up to now, the sum total of my experience with self defense was boxing on my kids’ Wii U console and watching a few Bruce Lee movies. I was told by my good friend, Mike Schmidt, to bring water and flip flops and to trim my fingernails and toenails (so I didn’t accidentally scratch someone) but that was all I knew to expect. As Mike later told me, the hardest thing is going for the first time. So when Mike pulled up next to me it felt like a beacon in the darkness and my gut unclenched as I followed him inside.
The routine at Sparta Training Academy CDA is pretty straightforward — you show up early, sign a waiver, put on your gi, stand by the side of the mat before class begins, meet other members (everyone was friendly) and have a good workout. I was introduced to everyone before class with the admonition to “focus on instruction” (in other words, take it easy on me). We got right down to business — warming up consisted of scooting or rolling or crab walking across the mat in a line.
Next, we were instructed in a specific technique, the kimura, and had a chance to pair up and practice it on each other. Jiu Jitsu (Japanese for “gentle art”) is a martial art focused on leverage and applying techniques which allow a smaller person to subdue a much larger opponent. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu incorporates techniques from Judo, Sambo and wrestling. As Devin Rourke, owner of Sparta Training Academy CDA explained, “it’s the perfect mixture of hard physical exercise with getting to stimulate your mind because the techniques … all serve a function.” He added that “some people are concerned about injury … but, for us, that’s one of our primary tenets is making sure everyone is taking care of each other and nobody is attempting to hurt each other.” I would agree that while we were practicing the kimura and other techniques, everyone was focused on learning and teaching rather than pain or submission.
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