The Jiu Jitsu Hobbyist is the author name for the article writer and owner of the website Eternal Jiu Jitsu. This article details the long winding road I took to get to consistent training in the martial art Jiu Jitsu. I have been training in all sorts of martial arts on and off throughout my entire life. At the time of this writing, I’ve achieved the rank of purple belt at the age of 40 and have dedicated my martial arts efforts solely to Jiu Jitsu intending to make it a lifelong hobby that I enjoy for pleasure, health, and continuous learning. Read on to hear my origin story, where I eventually make it full-time into training Jiu Jitsu and haven’t looked back since.
My background
I grew up in one of the least populated states in the United States and as a kid had few opportunities to train. I did a couple of Karate classes, but never really connected with the art. I also did some boxing and wrestled for a couple of years in middle school. My friends and I always enjoyed watching the early UFC events and were enamored by Royce Gracie and Gracie Jiu Jitsu. We would often spar and wrestle in the backyard.
After high school, I enlisted in the U.S. Army where I was stationed in Germany and did a year-plus deployment in Iraq. In the military, I learned about physical training and weight training. I spent a good amount of time working out and powerlifting, building a strong foundation of strength that I would carry throughout my adulthood. Being enlisted I didn’t have much time for training in martial arts, but took a few Kung Fu classes and participated in a couple of Army Smoker Boxing competitions.
After a 4 year enlistment, I moved back to my home state to attend college. While attending college I trained in Judo, Karate, Kickboxing, and self-defense. After college, I fell off the bandwagon and built a career and family. Approaching 40 years old, I was at a point in my life where it was now or never to learn Jiu Jitsu and Jumped feet first in the art and have been training consistently for several years.
My first encounter with true Jiu Jitsu
In the middle of my enlistment with the Army, I got to go back home for Christmas leave for a couple of weeks. For a few days, I went and visited a high school buddy who was now in college. He had been training martial arts at a school that primarily did self-defense with foundations in Karate, Kickboxing, and Judo. The school was run by a legendary figure from the 70’s blood and guts era of Karate. My friend wanted me to drop in for training and the school was more than welcoming. At the time, I was probably in the best shape of my life. I slimmed down from doing constant PT in the Army and spent my free time in the gym powerlifting. I was strong, young, and fit coming into the class.
The night I trained at the self-defense dojo, it just so happened that one of their former students was visiting who previously left the school to pursue Jiu Jitsu and a professional MMA career. He was currently a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu and was guest teaching the class. The class and dojo were great, I didn’t know much about grappling and the techniques were both fun and challenging.
After the teaching part of the class, we then did free rolling and the brown belt asked to roll with me. I was around 200 lbs and in excellent shape at the time and the brown belt was around 160 lbs. The next ten minutes were mind-blowing to me. I was very strong and felt like I could grab and move the brown belt around, but seemingly out of nowhere I would lose position and instantly be at risk of choke or joint lock. When the brown belt got on top of me, I felt helpless like a house was sitting on me and I had no chance of escape. I knew that Jiu Jitsu was very effective in a fight, but this was the first time I felt it personally. I knew from that moment that Jiu Jitsu was amazing and I vowed to learn the art one day when I could train consistently.
Rolling with the brown belt stuck in my mind for the next few years. I was enlisted, stationed in Germany, and spent a deployment in Iraq, never finding the time to train in martial arts. I did continue power lifting and working out regularly in the military and even went to a couple of Kung Fu classes offered on base. While attending my second session of Kung Fu I asked the instructor how Kung Fu would work if a takedown happened or was attempted. The Kung Fu teacher replied that it would never get that far and the rapid strike techniques would take out a person before the takedown could be achieved. I knew that this was improbable from my experience with the brown belt and all of the fights the Gracies put out in the In Action Videos and the first UFCs. I never returned to the Kung Fu class after that.
College martial arts training
I did a four-year enlistment with the United States Army and was honorably discharged to attend college at the age of 22. I decided to attend college in the same town where I visited my friend 2 years before. After leaving the military I finally had the bandwidth to train in martial arts. At the time there were no Jiu Jitsu schools in the town, but the dojo I visited previously was still there and led by the karate legend. I decided to join the gym and begin serious martial arts training. I trained off and on during the first 3 years I was in college. I learned awesome techniques and became solid at Judo, Kickboxing, and Self-defense. I, however, didn’t master any of them and would eventually fall out of regular consistent training. I got married during this time and started a professional career. Both of these life events took precedence and my martial arts journey took a back seat.
Making a full-time comeback
I would spend the next 10+ years developing my professional career, finishing a master’s degree, and raising 2 beautiful children. Life was pretty good, but my physical shape was not good and I still had the yearning to learn martial arts and Jui Jitsu. I hit a good stride in life and eventually worked up to a stable career and family life. The bandwidth to train regularly started to open up and I decided to pursue regular training with the intent to get in better shape and learn a personal skill.
By this time the legendary karate teacher I learned from in college was very old and retired. I was still loyal to the school and it was now being run by his sons. I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that after a long Jiu Jitsu and MMA career, the brown belt who introduced me to Jiu Jitsu was now a seasoned Black Belt and had his school about a 70-minute drive from my hometown. He also still had a relationship with the self-defense school and taught a class there every week. By now there were 2-3 Jiu Jitsu only schools in my town, but I was loyal to my previous school and wanted to learn from the guy who introduced me to Jiu Jitsu so I started training at the self-defense school.
I picked up training 3 days a week. When the Jiu Jitsu instructor taught Jiu Jitsu classes we were given specific Jiu Jitsu white belts and this is where my “official” Jiu Jitsu journey began. I trained consistently and got in better shape and was learning quickly. At some point, one of the black belt’s students opened an affiliate gym only 20 minutes from my hometown. I started pulling double duty going to the new Jiu Jitsu gym and training at the self-defense dojo.
Unfortunately, the new gym only stayed open for about three months before shutting down. By this point, I had earned a few stripes on my white belt and was fully engrossed in learning Jiu Jitsu. When the gym closed down I decided to split time at the self-defense dojo and my main Jiu Jitsu professor’s gym 70 minutes away. The drive is long, but overall the teaching, partners, and culture make the trips worth it. All was going well, my skill was increasing and I was happily training at least 3 times a week then life hit again with the COVID pandemic.
Derailed by COVID
When COVID kicked off there were so many unknowns and many people succumbing to the disease. I was also working at a hospital and was around patients and other employees. My family and I decided to lock down and stay home, including stopping in person Jiu Jitsu training. I ended up taking about a year off of training. The whole time I didn’t lose any passion for Jiu Jitsu and made the plan to return to the mats as soon as it was safe to do so. I spent the year working out and studying Jiu Jitsu books and instructionals. I go more in-depth into what I did during this time in my white belt review article.
Reflection on Completing My Jiu Jitsu White Belt Journey
Coming back strong
After having the virus and multiple vaccinations my area started opening up and I decided to return to the mats. I lost a year and wasn’t getting any younger, so I decided to fully direct my training efforts on Jiu Jitsu only. When I returned to the mats I choose to only attend my original Jiu Jitsu instructor’s gym making the 70-minute one-way drive to do so. At the time of this writing, I’m still actively training and have achieved a purple belt.
How to Know if a Jiu Jitsu Gym is Right for You Long Term
The future
Jiu Jitsu has been awesome for me as an older grappler. It has become my primary hobby and now even my pre-teen son trains alongside me. Jiu Jitsu has helped me stay in shape and generally healthy, save for a few minor injuries here and there. I also love that Jiu Jitsu is very cerebral and technique in most circumstances tumps physical attributes. I want to be better on the mats, and the nice thing about Jiu Jitsu is physical attributes can enhance technique. This has made me focus on strength, mobility, and cardio much more than I would without Jiu Jitsu. I’ve also enjoyed teaching and coaching others, particularly kids. There are so many benefits to training Jiu Jitsu as a hobbyist that I don’t see myself not achieving a black belt in the future and even continuing well into elderly age.