That is a great question, Dubya. But not easy to answer. I first stepped onto a mat when I was about six or seven years old. My parents sent me to judo because I was asthmatic. I have no idea how long I trained as a kid. It wouldn’t have been for years, but weirdly enough, I have quite strong memories of it. I took up jujitsu when I was in my 20s. I probably did it for three or four years. Then I moved to Sydney and didn’t train at all for 15 years. I simply couldn’t find a dojo anywhere close enough. The nearest school that was compatible with my previous training was about four hours away by public transport. I started over again in my mid-40s I wanted my kids to learn and I took them to a dojo from my original school. I sat at the edge of the mat for a couple of weeks, but that drove me crazy. I put on a gi and a white belt and got back into it. (after a month or so, they told me to put my old belt back on.) I had another disruption after I broke my arm fighting a Muay Thai guy. Then the dojo burned down. And of course we had nearly 2 years off with Covid. So I’ve had a lot of interruptions, but if we put Covid aside, I suppose I could say that I have been training consistently for about five years, with a lifetime of training behind that.
Persistence, commitment and achievement. Well done!
Congratulations JB
What a huge achievement, congratulations!
That's awesome, congratulations!
Congratulations! Huge effort . . . . . even if you weren't an old guy ;) I love the barely contained smiles
Well done, you.
Congratulations.
You are now a beginner. I look forward to hearing about your progression.
Congratulations!
Bravo sir, well done. That Covid is a bitch.
Whatever doesn't kill you, mutates and tries again.
This is a very difficult achievement; well earned. Congratulations.
Congrats old fella. I never made it. Got terminally broken too early. I am in awe of your persistence.
JB, about when did you start your training?
That is a great question, Dubya. But not easy to answer. I first stepped onto a mat when I was about six or seven years old. My parents sent me to judo because I was asthmatic. I have no idea how long I trained as a kid. It wouldn’t have been for years, but weirdly enough, I have quite strong memories of it. I took up jujitsu when I was in my 20s. I probably did it for three or four years. Then I moved to Sydney and didn’t train at all for 15 years. I simply couldn’t find a dojo anywhere close enough. The nearest school that was compatible with my previous training was about four hours away by public transport. I started over again in my mid-40s I wanted my kids to learn and I took them to a dojo from my original school. I sat at the edge of the mat for a couple of weeks, but that drove me crazy. I put on a gi and a white belt and got back into it. (after a month or so, they told me to put my old belt back on.) I had another disruption after I broke my arm fighting a Muay Thai guy. Then the dojo burned down. And of course we had nearly 2 years off with Covid. So I’ve had a lot of interruptions, but if we put Covid aside, I suppose I could say that I have been training consistently for about five years, with a lifetime of training behind that.
Great answer JB. Thanks! And what sort of Jiu-Jitsu is it? I seem to remember Brazilian. Is that correct?
No, most jujitsu schools three days are Brazilian, because of the success of that style in early MMA. But mine is an old fashioned Japanese Ryu.
Congratulations and well earned