Day 4,386—Gracie Jiu-Jitsu—

 

        I have never done any Jiu-Jitsu, but I did Judo for a long time as a kid. They’re similar but not the same thing. Jiu-Jitsu is more about the armbars, leglocks, and chokeholds. In Judo, there are no leglocks, and you do a lot of the fighting from your feet, like in wrestling. My dad wanted us to do something to prepare for wrestling, but he didn’t want us to do Little League because of the environment. I have to agree with him on that one because if you go to a wrestling match for little kids, it is insane. Wall-to-wall parents and 50 matches going at once. I have the referee occasionally when there were some at my high school, so that’s what I am basing this description on. In contrast, there wouldn’t be more than three Judo matches at the same time, and the gyms would be silent. You bow at the start of the match, and normally, no one cheers or talks during it. Respect was always emphasized during competition. I did not find that to be true in wrestling, MMA, or any other Western combat sport, which is sad. At the same time, most of the people I competed with in wrestling were respectful, but a lot weren’t, and it always just came off as trashy.

        I saw this sign for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu this morning, close to my house, which surprised me. For a while, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was so popular because of the Gracie family competing in the UFC, but that was probably three decades ago now. I was thinking about Judo this week because I want my kids to try it. They’re 3 and 6 now, but I think my daughter is old enough to try it out if she wants, and my son might be old enough to roll around. The thought of going to practice with them, like I did when I was a kid, made me smile. There isn't a lot of stuff like that you can do with your kids. Most of the time you’re sitting on the sidelines, but I could do with them as my dad did with us.