On my second day, the Professor held me down while one of his other students kicked me in the face.

On my second day, the Professor held me down while one of his other students kicked me in the face.

While that is technically what happened, that’s not the whole story.

Day two of my journey into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

This time my friend Daniel was there to help me transition to the class. He explained some basics and showed me a few tips before class started. Again Professor (The BJJ term for black belt) Matt Baker approached me and spoke with me for a few moments before class started, showing to me that he is concerned about his students and making new people feel welcome. Rolling with Prof Daniel & Prof Matt dramatically changed the sparing experience for me. It was clear that they were in complete control the entire time, the best I could do was try to deny and delay the inevitable. I learned that my stamina needs work, after only a few minutes I was sucking air.

My first class I didn’t really push myself and didn’t really feel like I was being pushed. This time was different. Prof Daniel pushed me, then passed me off the Prof Matt; who really pushed me (it was during this time while Prof Matt was rolling with me another pair of students bumped into us and accidentally kicked me in the face). I went home aching and woke up sore. I still feel a bit lost, but it was an excellent session.