What have the grappling arts done for you?

GJJNY said:
Enabled me to move like a 90yr old man first thing in the morning until my joints "warm up".

Seriously, I've met some great people, have a good time, got me in shape, upped my confidence and took away my propesnity to be a hot head.




i move like that in the morning, thats so true, need to take more fish oil
 
its continues to show me how powerful the human body and spirit is when working together, but also how fragile the body is. I havent met anyone who trains BJJ i didnt enjoy talking to. And I enjoy teaching kids(5-13) the joys of BJJ
 
It allows me to get right up close to other mens botty's legally.

LOL j/k
 
Get to teach kids & watch them learn + enjoy themsalves.
Motivation for maintaining fitness (being fit for fitness sake never motivated me).
Keeps mind active
Stress relief/break from the monotony
 
As a traditional martial artist it opened up a whole new element of martial arts training. Believe it or not it actually motivated me to get back in shape for my stand-up style as well. Basically reinvigorated me to martial arts training in general. I was burnt out and in pathetic shape.
 
met some cool people, got in better shape, learned a disclipine that is proven effective in realistic fighting situations.

Helped me to be more focused on life.
 
In the very short time I have been doing Jiu Jitsu it has changed my life alot. I have made some really good friends that I would never have met had it not been for going to the gym. I have definitely gotten into better shape, losing about 15 pounds in the 9 months Ive been doing it. It has boosted my confidence like crazy. When I went in there I was kinda nervous and all but now Im not at all. I have competed 3 times, won my first tournament and got second place in the other 2. Competing is incredible. The feeling you get from it is amazing. The first time you are really nervous but everytime you hit the mat after that it gets easier. I literally cannot wait until my next competition. I started doing Jiu Jitsu in the first place because I was into MMA for a long time and I knew Jiu Jitsu was where its at so it was only a matter of time before I started training. Before that I wasnt involved in anything really. Now I go to the gym consistantly every week and it really gives me something to look forward to. I started at a fairly young age (16) so I still have alot of years to get better and still be in prime shape for competing. I plan on doing Jiu Jitsu for as long as I can, there really is no end in sight. My main goal is to fight MMA one day but a side goal to that is to increase my rank in Jiu Jitsu as high as I can, hopefully to a black belt one day. Im sure if I keep it up I will eventually get there.
 
Lost weight(was 350 now 265), made friends, impressed chicks with a de la riva sweep to the backmount and RNC during a party, the usual.
 
It's weird, after two years of grappling I'm starting to think that my TKD instructors just might have been, completely and utterly full of shit.
 
pigpen said:
It's weird, after two years of grappling I'm starting to think that my TKD instructors just might have been, completely and utterly full of shit.

Nah tkd pwns BJJ and MT. Ever been 540 Roundhouse kicked to the head? Didn't think so, 'cause you'd be dead.
 
JABobo3 said:
impressed chicks with a de la riva sweep to the backmount and RNC during a party, the usual.
LOL! Damn gotta try that, I've only been impressing them with all the cool patches I have on my GI. Oh, BTW did I mention joint pain........
 
I think training has humbled me more than I was before just doing muay thai. I am thankful that I have never fought someone who knew what I am training now for sure I would have been choked out or something would have snapped. I think I feel a little better about my ground game. I got so much to learn though its really refreshing to train and learn something instead of teaching muay thai I become the student again.

I have met and trained with such awesome people. I mean, I train with Relson Gracie, but we had Renzo, Ralph, Ryan, Roger Jr., Igor, Gracie, Royler came for the last ROTR, I met Royce, trained with Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez, Margarida. I mean awesome people I would never have met just working out at a gym.

Last week I trained with Daniel de Lima a Gracie Barra BB from Brazil www.gbmiami.com . His credentials were just amazing. He was showing me some things that HE used in his tournaments. After Daniel tapped me out about 20 or 30 times, I got to train with another GB BB Rodrigo ???? from Seattle. He was only 140lbs but his guard and legs were so damn tight I nearly broke in half. I tapped at least 4 or 5 times to him.

Of course I am still nursing a big toe and shoulder injury but at least I am still rolling. I really look forward to training and its not like "Oh man, now I got to go train." No its more like, "Babe, I see you at 10pm ish" when it is only like 4:30 p.m. My girl makes sure my gi is clean so I'm not that stinky guy you can smell a mile away.

I have been in a magazine because I train and even though it was very small I was there and I stand out because I take a LOT of space. Hahaha. I won three first place, one overall absolute championship, and a second place, so far.

I met more people from the outer islands and here on Oahu from training and when I see them at mma events, we hang out and talk story. There is that mutual respect I think, they know I train and compete and vise versa. When we watch fights we are the quiet ones and the people making the most noise don't look like they train in anything. Its funny like that.

Even here on sherdog, met some cool people and some not so cool but hey such is life.
 
It has made me pass guard by reflex when trying to sex the girlfriend :(
 
No, but seriously it made me love sports again. Tests the brain and the brawns, and gave me a strong physical foundation to build on. Not to mention neat "ninjarolls" for those drunken party occasions.
 
hmmm well i've lost no weight, though i imagine i must at least be in somewhat better shape.
i'm more confident that the average man has no chance against a grappler.
i've totally let my standup deteriorate.

i often have bruises on the face, arms, and legs.

i curse my physique.
i am better at teh sex0rz.
 
A new life without smoking and much less drinking, a healthier, stronger and more conditioned body, a more focused and structured mind. A better life... Grappling osn't a sport, it's a lifestyle!
 
BJJ has given me direction confidence makes my knees feel better and did i mention i can beat up anyone on the street???
 
Of course all the stuff others have listed here, but here are some other things that seem less obvious.

1) I can drink, smoke, and drive a stick along a narrow mountain road, because I'm used to using all of my limbs for seperate and complicated tasks at the same time. (editor's note: Don't drink and drive, smoke natural) This is also handy for intamite situations. Heh heh, handy.

2) I've become better at other sports, even ones I don't really know how to play. Grappling gives you a formidable physical presence and an effective knowledge of how to move yourself and other people efficiently. I use a lot of things I learned in jiujitsu when I play soccer, I even "accidently" swept a guy from the guard in my last game.

3) Chess and other endeavors of strategy have also been improved. The jiujitsu strategy of allowing your opponent no avenue of attack and slowly manuvering untill you can strike a crippling blow works just as well in other aspects of life as it does in grappling.

4) Grappling is all in the hips. So are some other fun passtimes, and you gain the physical ability to pull off some tricky manuvers that will be well appreciated down the road.


And most importantly of all, when a bitch goes crazy on me in the sack I can footlock her instead of getting my teeth kicked in. Priceless.
 
1) Better shape
2) A passionate hobby to dedicate my time
3) greater self-confidence
4) stress relief
5) new friends
6) aches and pains
7) discovering grappling related online message boards
 
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