Gnarly Old Guy

I will be 50 this year.  I am a white belt in the fighting style of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). My history in the sport is long but extremely intermittent.  I played for a while at this Brazilian derivative of Japanese Judo and Jujitsu when the Ultimate Fighting Championship was young.  New even.  And even back then, over 13 years ago, I would have competed in the masters category of the sporting branch of the Jiu Jitsu tree.  If I'd just stayed with the sport I'd be a striped back belt by now.  And I would own you.

My first departure from the study of BJJ, I casually left the practice as my first teacher moved to Southern California to train and compete under the preeminent Machado Brothers BJJ banner.  I thought little of dropping the practice as I went back to playing Men's Rugby and Ice Hockey, my first loves in sport.  These pursuits continued into my mid-40s, until knee and back issues dating all the way back to my collegiate rugby and hockey days began to interfere with my performance and enjoyment of those games.

The whole while I played rugby and hockey, a funny thing kept happening in my life.  I never lost interest in the fight sports, especially mixed martial arts (MMA) and boxing.  I met a Muay Thai boxing instructor who ran a school with a stable of low-level pro and amateur fighters in Tacoma, and began training there while still playing rugby. 

Then, I moved to a new neighborhood just south of Seattle and discovered that the legacy of that first BJJ school (in fact the first in the Seattle area) was alive and prospering in the shopping center we frequented in our new neighborhood. I signed on there for a year, but the school moved once again, back to Seattle's north end, and my inability to commute and train took me out of the game again for a year or so.

Then one of the several great teammates I had at this second school went and opened his own school in a place more convenient to my work and family life. I loved training at his new school.  I only left after I tired of the laziness in my practice; laziness that prevented me from getting better in the game.  It didn't help that a new opportunity to play hockey unfolded for me.

I went on to enjoy several more years of ice, despite the pain in my knees.  I also developed and carried on the life of a sports dad, as my son emerged as a super, young baseball talent.  Tracking my son's progress in baseball and completely swept up in the family lifestyle of youth sports, I thought playing BJJ and following MMA were things of my past.

And then, just a couple of months ago, I consulted my favorite physician, an orthopedic surgeon, about replacing my left knee.  Confronting the reality of lifestyle change associated with complete knee arthoplasty was stark and made me consider living the rest of my life without certain activities.  Surprisingly, he said I'd be able to continue surfing, swimming, and paddleboarding; other activities that I adore and chase with passion.  But no more kneeling or twisting impact.  No more fight training.  No more grappling.

To be continued...