What made you start grappling ?

Spoonman7

Spoonman7

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What motivated you to start training in grappling/BJJ ? was it watching Royce Gracie dominate in the early UFC's ? I am just curious to see epoeples responses. I started grappling because all of my firends swore by it, they told it was great stuff and that I would love it, they were right. How about you guys ?
 
When I was at my old TKD schools, one of my instructors was always talking about how great Royce Gracie was and how everyone should watch the UFC. So I did and tried to emulate what I saw. I found that just by using what I could of the guard, RNC, guillotine choke, and the crappiest armbar imaginable, I was able to beat most of the other TKD students (all except for the guys with wrestling, judo, or bjj expirience).

I later went to another TKD school where one of the instructors was a purple belt in bjj and taught submission grappling at the TKD school. So I started doing that, found out that the techniques I had used previously no longer worked, so I vowed to learn the right way.
 
I had done a little wrestling in Junior High (one season, then I hit a growth spurt and everyone in my weight class was 18 inches shorter than me), but had done karate and TKD since being a kid. Buddies of mine that stayed in wrestling swore up and down about grappling vs. striking, and finally one found a Judo/BJJ club in the area and got me going. All of us joined, but I was the only one that stuck with it, as I had a talent for it.

Been doing it since.
 
At the tender age of five, i found myself on my back with hte neighborhood bully sitting on my chest. I swore right there and then, never again.
 
I did Taekwondo for five years and I had my last tournament, and lost. Immediately after, I had my green belt testing, and I broke my foot after striking some boards slightly wrong (finished the testing though and got awarded ky belt).

So I was out for a while from the injury. During this time, I used the local phonebook, just to see my options. My three options were to either stay with Taekwondo, join a very impressive Kung-Fu academy, or try out something called Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I took a few free classes from both the Kung-Fu academy and the Jiu Jitsu school, and was impressed more with the grappling. Plus, the Jiu Jitsu school offers Modern Jujitsu classes and kickboxing, under the same monthly fee, so I stuck with Jiu Jitsu.

Best decision I've ever made.
 
i always wanted to do martial arts and when i grew up my friend just introduced me to it and i loved it
 
My friend at work did it but I wasn't initially interested. I was playing hockey once a week and looking for another leaglike something I should check out. He found a school in my area (he doesn't live near me) and I checked it out. It seemed like a good workout so I kept at it.

It's only been 7 months but I'm in better shape and I'm actually starting to know something about BJJ. :)
 
My wife.

Like many others, I did more traditional martial arts growing up: Tae Kwon Do (traditional and Olympic), Kenpo Karate, etc. After UFC I grappling arts became the buzz word in martial arts, at least in the United States. Unfortunately, there was no grappling where I lived, not even wrestling. Halfway through High School I moved to a more grappling friendly place and started Judo and wrestling (I was quite eager). After school, I moved to yet another un-friendly grappling place for work and college. Things keep getting in the way and I never returned to the mat...until I got married.

My wife wanted to do something during her summer break (she is a school teacher) and signed us up for BJJ classes. Been hooked ever since.
 
Coach Couzo said:
My wife.

Like many others, I did more traditional martial arts growing up: Tae Kwon Do (traditional and Olympic), Kenpo Karate, etc. After UFC I grappling arts became the buzz word in martial arts, at least in the United States. Unfortunately, there was no grappling where I lived, not even wrestling. Halfway through High School I moved to a more grappling friendly place and started Judo and wrestling (I was quite eager). After school, I moved to yet another un-friendly grappling place for work and college. Things keep getting in the way and I never returned to the mat...until I got married.

My wife wanted to do something during her summer break (she is a school teacher) and signed us up for BJJ classes. Been hooked ever since.
Click to expand...
Nice. I want to marry your wife.
 
Commissar said:
Nice. I want to marry your wife.
Click to expand...

ha! I'll let her know.

She tends to remind me how lucky I am when guys we work out with tell me they can't go to a tournament because their wife won't let them.
 
it's a sport type martial art with no paid belts and it is trained in an alive manner, since you have the option of rolling the way that you want to and develop your own style it is truly a martial ART*
 
Oh....and I've liked vale tudo since 95' even if I did not know much about it at the time
 
honestly i started when i was young and it was because of WWF WCW wrestling

then it was out of fear of getting owned on the ground, i no longer have that fear
 
i watched a pride event at a f riends house and saw someone get armbarred and I thought it was awesome. So I then bought the gracie in action videos and got hooked

that was all about a year ago
 
I started training when my sisters bf told me about it, I started at 12 took a while off and started training again last march.
 
I saw the early UFCs when I was a young child, but after a few years I forgot about MMA and UFC.

Then about 8 years later, my brother was training MMA for a little over a year and asked me what I wanted for a Christmas present. Back then I was really into music, so I was thinking either a Foo Fighters t-shirt or a pair of boxing gloves so I could learn how to box and do jiu jitsu. Well, ever since then, I've been hooked.
 
I got into watching UFC a few months ago and found out at my church the pastors son just opened up his a bjj gym so i joined
 
I trained self defense nonsense jujitsu for a couple of years back in the 90's when I came across UFC 2 and Royce's armbar on Delucia. I was blown away but there were no gyms in my hometown. When I moved to Oslo I met this guy at a party who trained BJJ and he invited me to come train with them. I hesitated for a couple of months before I finally made up my mind and walked on to the mat for a thousand subs. 2 years ago. Nowadays I'm not the only one being subbed either.
Wish me luck at the Scandinavian Open BJJ guys.
 
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