In 1995, I was a fan of wrestling and martial arts living in Dallas, Texas, and writing on those topics for a newsletter called "The Wrestling Lariat". Specifically, I was covering the Japanese shoot-wrestling promotions UWFi, RINGS and Pancrase, and this upstart promotion in the U.S. called the Ultimate Fighting Championships. I was impressed by not only Royce Gracie's performance inside the cage, but his family's conviction and desire to prove Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was the most effective martial art.
Through a co-worker with many years of martial arts experience, I heard that one of the Gracie cousins, Carlos Machado, was opening a BJJ school in the Dallas suburbs. Mestre Carlos was doing some personal training for Chuck Norris, and choreography for his television show "Walker, Texas Ranger." Norris had provided some space at his production studio to set up a small training facility for Mestre Carlos to take on some new students.
I had very little experience in wrestling or martial arts, and wasn't an active athlete...but I had to go try it. From Day One, I was absolutely a fish out of water. Not only was I the only martial arts novice in the room, most other students were existing black belts in judo or other arts, looking to take Machado Jiu Jitsu techniques back to their own school. Unlike today, BJJ was a secret. At the time Carlos Machado stared in Dallas, there was only a couple other Brazilian Jiu Jitsu schools outside of California (Renzo Gracie in New York, Carlson Gracie Jr. in Chicago).
People went out of their way to learn from Mestre Carlos. A number of students came from all over Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. I knew two students that would drive the 4+ hours from Houston to Dallas for Friday's class, stay overnight in a hotel, train again Saturday morning, and drive back; they did this every week for months on end. Champion collegiate wrestlers and fighters came for private lessons. I saw Pancrase and UFC champion Guy Mezger a number of times; MMA legend Frank Shamrock once.
Realistically, I had no business being there, but I was hooked almost instantly. I loved the idea of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu's efficient use of leverage and position. I didn't have to be a bodybuilder or physical freak of nature to make an opponent do what I wanted. I liked being in on the ground floor of the next wave of martial arts. I appreciated the changes that were happening to my body, losing weight and feeling stronger than I had since I was a teenager.
Those of us who were regulars at the school felt like an insulated community, a BJJ island. Nowadays, there are hundreds of Jiu Jitsu schools across the country. You go on their Web sites, look up their Facebook pages, and see them at grappling tournaments many times a year across the country. At a big tournament, like NAGA Great Lakes, you'll see 60, 70 or more schools represented. It is almost impossible to imagine BJJ as an upstart fad.
But back then, there wasn't a submission tournament outside of Brazil or the fledgling Abu Dhabi Combat Club. The UFC had shows two or three times a year, and several times the company was in danger of going out of business. It wasn't on any television outlets outside of PPV; you'd never dream it would be shown on basic cable, much less broadcast television. But we hung in, as fighters and fans, because we loved the training, and we knew that we were part of something special.
After about a year, in the summer of 1996, I received my first belt promotion...and a health scare. Several bouts of strep and tonsillitis led to a necessary tonsillectomy. After the surgery, I had some bleeding issues through my scar tissue - one of which came from trying to head back to train and getting choked way before I was ready. While I was healing, I met the woman who would eventually be my wife, and my priorities quickly changed. I didn't want to take several hours driving back and forth to the studio and training, three times a week. I had other things on my mind, and in my heart, so I quit.
I spent the better part of 15 years off the mat. I was still a fan of the UFC and other mixed martial arts, but I always made excuses why I didn't back into it. I was too busy getting out of shape to stay in shape.
Eventually, my son reached the age where I wanted him to start in martial arts. With my past love and experience in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I started my search there. And from the first day, he loved it like I did. His enthusiasm was contagious, and being around the sport again fueled my itch to get back on the mat. But that's another story, for another time....
Paul Herzog and his son Christopher have been taking judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instruction at Petushin Martial Arts since the new Rosemount, Minnesota facility opened in 2010. In addition to receiving some of the best grappling instruction in the Midwest, Paul has lost 30 pounds, and Chris has gained strength and self-confidence. If either of those sounds appealing, please contact the academy at 612-991-9116 or go to http://www.petushinmartialarts.com/ to arrange your first visit!
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