Discovery:
Today we are getting a rare treat. Cadu Francis, one of our association’s most accomplished black belts, is visiting to teach a session for Five Rings members. I have seen him on Xande’s videos that play in an almost constant loop on the screen in the gym’s front lobby so I know who to look for as I warm up on the mat. I remember joking with some teammates about how he has trouble focusing his eyes on one spot during the tapings. I realize that I probably won’t share those jokes with him. He’s a large man and has been a black belt for over nine years. As he enters with Coach Tom, I feel a thrill of anticipation for the coming lesson. I have really developed a love for this sport.
There are a lot of newer and unfamiliar faces here today. As for Jeff Glover, the big names of the sport seem to bring the folks from the morning, afternoon, and evening classes together. It’s nice to see the community as a whole. Definitely makes me feel like part of an extended family. I see one of our purple belts and am reminded that I don’t get along with every part of this new family.
I’ve only met him once before, but it was kind of humiliating. His cavalier attitude towards my inability to effectively roll with him hurt my feelings and I was too intimidated at the time to express that. Now I’ve harbored this resentment towards him and I don’t know how to fix it. Ah, well, perhaps time will present me with an opportunity to do so. Patience is another personal attribute that I’ve been working on developing.
Cadu shows us a variety of warm-ups, which are interesting because it is my first experience with some of the more traditional jiu jitsu exercises and pre-workout routines. He then moves into a flow drill, a pass (not surprisingly dubbed the ‘Cadu’ pass), and a choke that I think is impressive, but that I am finding hard to implement. I can tell that he has put a lot of thought and reflection into his presentation. He makes a point to come around to each of us and offers tips on how to implement the techniques. My partner and I work through the moves and give each other feedback.
While this isn’t the first time I’ve partnered with a female, this is definitely the first time I’ve worried about adjusting my intensity dial when rolling with one. Jessica and Lindsay are blue belts and seem to have a way of deflecting my heavier weight and redirecting my attacks so that my greater strength doesn’t always work to my advantage. Liz, at first glance, seems to be a different story. If she weighs more than a buck twenty I’d eat my gi, which means she is spotting me a good sixty-five pounds or so. On top of that, she’s relatively new to jiu jitsu. I am more than a little wary of hurting her by accident.
As the seminar progresses, it becomes readily apparent that my fear is unfounded and unnecessary. Liz is a beast! Along with the excellent lessons in jiu jitsu that I am getting from Cadu, I am also getting the unexpected bonus of one in humility. Her speed and surprising strength astonish me, and allow me to turn up the intensity dial to where it would normally be. This leads to some solid jiu jitsu ‘conversation’ (as Coach Tom likes to call it) and we are able to give each other good feedback. If I am not mistaken, from the way she moves Liz has a background in wrestling. I wonder if she competed in high school.
Cadu and Coach Tom wrap up the session and we have the opportunity to meet with our guest teacher. I get the opportunity to ask him about his jiu jitsu journey and I am struck by how humble his explanation is - “I am grateful for every day that I can step on the mat,” he says. Powerful words that remain in my mind and cause me to reflect on what I learned today about assumptions and my preconceptions about women in my sport. Male, female, young, and old; there is an opportunity for everyone to succeed and thrive in the world of jiu jitsu. It also reminds me that the journey is too short for resentment. I’m going to approach that purple belt soon and clear the air. The journey is too short and I am not who I used to be.
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