Why I Love the BJJ Community
Why I Love the BJJ Community
A Wanderer’s Insights into the Ride or Die Family of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Last Summer, I decided to road trip across the country, forsaking all of my family, friends, and worldly comforts, and make the move out to California. Over the course of this three-week road trip, I made stops in Indianapolis, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, and Las Vegas. I also only had to stay in a hotel one night. Why? Because the BJJ community is awesome.
Every step of my trip I had people offer beds, couches, and places to train. I had meals paid for, and even had some gourmet meals cooked for me. A few people even invited me into their gyms to give seminars and support my trip. I was never short of a training partner or a buddy to hang out with if I needed it.
It can be scary to leave home by yourself and go places you’ve never been. I felt cared about by a huge support network the whole way.
The Jiu-Jitsu community is a very special thing. The people in this community take care of each other and, when someone is in need, they come together in a big way. We saw this last Fall in relief efforts following the wake of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. An auction, spearheaded by Mike Calimbas and the Fight To Win Crew, raised over 25,000 dollars, with all proceeds going to help victims of the hurricane. Athletes, instructors, and companies from all over the country donated private lessons and merchandise to be auctioned off. Even big names like Marcello Garcia, Renzo Gracie, and Gordon Ryan contributed to the effort. We also saw athletes on the Austin and San Antonio Fight To Win cards donate their purses to aid hurricane victims. It was amazing to see what this small community could accomplish when working together, in such a short time.
Over the years, I have been welcomed into so many gyms and made countless friends through Jiu-Jitsu. I have slept on couches, floors, and spare beds. I even had someone (Bobby Emmons) let me live on his living room floor for a particularly difficult month when I was in-between jobs. A couple of years ago, I went to Miami for a FIVE Grappling tournament, but couldn’t afford a hotel. I didn’t know anyone there at the time, and needed a place to stay. Through networking with friends, I was hooked up with a woman who lived in Miami. Marlene had never met me, but she welcomed me into her home and trusted this random stranger because a fellow jiujiteira had vouched for me. To me, this illustrates the bond that exists in the BJJ community.
We all come from different walks of life, but we share the same passion. We have shared blood and sweat on the mats. We have shared the frustrations and the triumphs that come with day-to-day training. Even if we haven’t physically trained together, we share the bond of knowing what it feels like to get your a$$ kicked round after round and still come back for more.
So here’s to Robert, for the life talks and for trying to emulate a 140 pound woman in our rolls. To John and Claire, for the post-training whiskey and tacos, Iowa style. To Britney, for late night walks and pie in Denver. To Anand, for a spontaneous afternoon homemade brunch in Lincoln. To David, for Wyoming mountaintop adventures. To Evan, for the cookies. And to countless others who provided shelter, solace, and laughter along this crazy, winding path. With friends like these, it’s hard to ever feel far from home.
By
NIkki Sullivan