I'm back, and I'm a Martial Artist.
Friday, February 18, 2011 at 09:08AM 
Well over a year ago, I stopped updating my personal blog, for various reasons, some personal, some professional. But now I've decided it was time to start up again... again for various reasons. Wanted to share again that for the last 3 years or so, I was introduced to submission grappling and jiu-jitsu. I started training at Hayastan-IMB Mixed Martial Arts out of curiousity and out of the need to try to really get into shape. I loved it, and it did get me into great shape, in some ways choosing that path changed my life, because it made me really keep up with a healthier lifestyle. But during that first year or so of training, I never really took it very seriously. Some weeks I stayed commited, other weeks I would attend classes sporadically. A lot of people go through some of the same motions, some take to training like crack, others love it for a while and get disinterested. I fell a little more into the latter category, some of it was due to a hectic work schedule, some of it out of laziness. One thing that didn't change thankfully was that in between not being at the gym and rolling on the mat, practicing with the other guys, I still stay commited to working out, so I still maintained a reasonable amount of fitness — for me anyway.
Then something happened. I got hurt. Actually I twisted my left knee on a takedown defense drill in class months prior, but it didn't swell and I was back to normal in a coulpe of days, and then I went on with life. But several months later, I suddenly woke to find my knee swollen, and my abiliy to apply weight on it was impossible. MRI reveal an ACL tear, and it needed to be replaced. So training stopped. Life got slower, and I was in recovery mode. Over the course of the next 2 years post surgey, I stayed in shape. Worked out regularly, and practiced some moves at home while lifting. I went back to Hayastan months later, and I decided to ease back into shape by taking a strength and conditioning class 2 days a week. It's kinda their verison of a boot camp and fight readiness conditioning because a lot of the movements are specific to combat sports. I loved it. But everytime as I left, I'd watch a lot of the same guys I trained with come in and get ready for their classes and I wanted to be among them. Sweat with them, get mashed and do some mashing if you will. So yesterday was my first day back as on official Martial Artist again. I started back with fulltime classes of Kickboxing and Submission Grappling, to go along with my Strength & Conditioning class. I'm back in the Adult Grappling program with a full belt system based on a modified teachings of Gokor Chivichyan's training organization. I'm starting back on square one. New fish. What I learned before gets relearned. What I know now is meaningless. What I'll learn in in the coming months is the only thing that matters. This time, I'm pledging as a Martial Artist with a clean white belt, to apply myself and remain focused and commited. I want nothing more than to be a capable Martial Artist, like anyone that steps into a gym or dojo. Wish me luck.
BTW, I weighed myself this morning... 190.8. Lowest I've seen in years. My goal is to be a hard and lean 185. I have a lot of work in front of me.
Reader Comments (2)
Thank you so much for including me in your roundup!
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