First day in Joe’s Jiu Jitsu class
As far as I can remember I have always wanted to be a fighter, but I was always busy with dance and music lessons. Three years after high school I kinda stopped all that and just never got off my oshiri (cute Japanese word for butt) and did anything I wanted, using the excuse of work and WoW taking up all my time!
Whenever I watch MMA or Muay Thai fights I have the feeling that I am missing out and that I would enjoy competing and kicking some oshiri! Damen somehow got in touch with a Jiu Jitsu instructor (Joe, from Yamasaki Woodbridge), who teaches up the street from our house. He reviewed the class and told me that I would love the class and should try it out. I wasn’t too sure that I would like it so I procrastinated until recently. I finally decided what the heck I should just go and give it a try.
My first night taking Jiu Jitsu was sooooo much fun. The instructors name is Joe and he went out of his way to make sure that I was comfortable in his class. He let me borrow a Gi and his girlfriend, Bethany, was there. The first thing that I learned was that you need to wear shorts under Gi pants. I did not know this so just wore the gym pants and Gi top. I later learned that the Gi is called a Kimono; I prefer to call them the latter.
We started the class off with a few words from Joe and then bowed in respect. The warm-ups included a lot of running with a variation of strength exercises between. I have been lazy the last few years so I am very out of shape. Only within the last month I have started weight lifting and some cardio. I did not want to stop and pushed myself through all that I could, I eventually had to stop for a drink. I felt so disappointed in myself, but Joe told me it was ok and just do what I could. He is a great instructor and very genuine so I felt much better and got back in. I could not keep up with everything but I did not feel left out or that I needed to be at the same level as everyone else. The first martial art I tried made me feel awful and that I did not fit in with the class because I was so far behind, I never felt that way in Joe’s class. Bethany was also a great help and definitely made me more comfortable to be there.
The class consists of mainly guys, but I have been told there are more girls. Even though it is a majority of guys I did not feel that they looked down on me or thought I was slow, they were all very nice. Two of them were preparing for a competition so their drills were harder and I am sure their sparring was pretty intense. When the class started sparring Joe had Bethany, a father and son duo, and me go to one end of the room where we learned basic forms. We went over side lock and mounting. Bethany and I were paired together and she helped a lot and taught me the importance of tapping! Bethany and I then sparred a little and it was a lot of fun! I tried to spar with Joe but I was so incredibly tired and he does have 10 years of training on me.
The end of class, Joe recapped events that will happen the next few weeks and then we bowed in respect. He had us shake hands and bow to each person in class. I messed up the first few people and kinda bowed and shook hands at the same fumbled time. Everyone was so nice and supportive it was amazing! To recap, I just wanted to say that Joe and Bethany were amazing and the rest of class was great. I had a lot of fun and did not feel like I did not belong and that I did not need to be at the same level. Also, I was so sore for three days I could barely move, but it felt great and I have not felt this good in a few years. The only icky part was attending a formal party for work in heels when my thighs hurt like heck, but it was worth it. I do plan to attend as many classes as I can and look forward to the next class!
Tags: beginner, first class, jiu jitsu, learning, martial arts