Today was crazy, unbelievable, nuts, and AMAZING at jiu-jitsu class!
I got to class, and we did the normal warm-up stuff that we always do: run around the mat, push-ups, some sit-ups, some rolls, and all that basic stuff. Then we did our drills where we worked on our basic moves: arm locks and sweeps and the “escaping the mount” position. We were about halfway done with class when a new kid showed up. It was his first day. He had never done jiu-jitsu before.
While we were drilling some moves, I saw the instructor going over the basics with this kid and showing him what jiu-jitsu was all about, what the basic positions were, and, also, most important, how to tap out.
Then it was time to roll. Rolling in jiu-jitsu is when you are sparring against your opponent. It is kind of like a real fight, except without kicking or punching. But you learn pretty quick that on-the-ground kicking and punching aren’t as important as people think. What is more important is being in the right position so you can control your opponent and then, when the time is right, make him tap out with some kind of joint lock or choke. A joint lock is when you trap your opponent’s arm or leg in such a way that they can’t move it and then you actually move it in the opposite direction—the direction an arm or a leg is not supposed to go!
But don’t worry, you don’t hurt your opponents. As soon as they feel the tension on their arm or leg, all they have to do is tap out and you let go. It is all over. It is the same thing with a choke. You put your arms in a position around their neck to choke them, and in a second, they tap out. We also learned to ONLY DO JIU-JITSU IN JIU-JITSU CLASS WITH THE INSTRUCTOR THERE. It is important to have an instructor around when we train to make sure we are practicing safe and effective jiu-jitsu.
I rolled with a couple of the other kids in class for the first two rounds. Then the instructor called to me, “Come on over here, Marc.”
I went right over to the instructor and said, “Yes, sir?”
“Marc, this is Jaden. Jaden, this is Marc.”
I shook hands with the new kid. “Hi Jaden.”
“I want you to roll with Jaden, please, Marc.”
“Yes, sir.”
Then the instructor looked at Jaden and said, “Just relax and have fun. And remember, if it hurts or if it is uncomfortable, just tap and Marc will let you go and you can start again. It’s okay to tap. It just means you are learning. Okay?”
“Okay,” Jaden said.
We walked over to an open area of the mat. Jaden was a little bit smaller than me, but not too much. Just maybe an inch or two shorter. I held out my hand, and we shook hands.
As soon as we stepped back from shaking hands, Jaden rushed at me!! I guess he wasn’t going to relax like the instructor asked him to!!! As he moved forward, he tried to get ahold of my hands and arms, grabbing at them like a giant crab.
I pushed his hands away, and as he came forward, I ducked underneath his arms and easily grabbed ahold of his legs. Then I drove forward like I had been taught, a classic double-leg takedown!
When we got on the ground, Jaden really started going crazy. He was pushing and bucking and squirming around—but he didn’t know what he was doing. He didn’t know what to push or when to buck or where to squirm. I easily got the position of full mount on him, where I was sitting on his belly like I was riding a horse.
When I got there, Jaden pushed his hands into my chest to try to get me off him. This was something that people who don’t know jiu-jitsu usually do: they try to push you off them—and I knew just what to do when that happens. In an instant, I spun to the side and threw one leg over his head.
I held on to one of his arms with my arms, squeezed my knees together, and leaned back. As I went back, I felt Jaden squirm even more—but it was no use. I had him.
I slowly pushed my hips into his elbow joint, and very quickly, Jaden tapped out! THAT WAS IT! The first time I had ever tapped someone out! YES!
But even though I was SUPER EXCITED and FIRED UP that I was able to tap out Jaden, I knew I needed to stay calm and be nice to him. “Don’t worry, Jaden, it happens to everyone when they start out.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. That’s what jiu-jitsu does. It is like knowing how to play the piano or shoot a basketball—it is just a skill that you need to practice. Once you practice and get good at it, you will be tapping people out, too!”
“Well, that’s good. Is there anything I should have done different?” Jaden asked.
I spent the rest of the class going over some basic moves with Jaden. He was really happy and definitely wanted to learn. And now that I had actually felt the true power of jiu-jitsu, I wanted to learn more, too!