My Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Journey
Chapter 1- Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts
I decided to start writing about my journey in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) so far. I might turn it into a book someday, but for now, I wanted to start this series to explain my path in martial arts, hoping it can inspire others. Maybe you have always wanted to try martial arts or maybe you just like watching it on TV, but hopefully you can find some insight and lessons from my experiences.
Chapter 1
Every journey begins with the first step.
The first step on my BJJ journey began on September 13, 2016, when I took my first class at the Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts (OAMA).
However, BJJ wasn't my first foray into martial arts training. I started with boxing at 17 years old at a gym called Big Ron's Fight Studio on Pare Street in Montreal. I became interested in boxing after reading Evander Holyfield's biography the previous year, and I decided to train in the sport for self-defense and fitness purposes.
At Big Ron's, my dad and I took lessons on Sunday mornings for a while before I started doing lessons alone. I am forever grateful that my dad supported me in that endeavor, even if it meant stepping outside of his comfort zone. We had a great time pouring all of our energy into training, leaving the gym in a puddle of sweat, and bonding over our shared trials and tribulations in our workouts. So, if you’re reading this, thank you Dad!
In all, I trained with Ron for around five years and loved learning from him. He was a detail-oriented teacher who taught skills properly like many old-school trainers, unlike many YouTube coaches popular on social media today. Although Ron was strict and never let you cut corners, he also had a great sense of humour and made training fun. Unfortunately, Ron passed away five years ago. You can read the tribute I wrote about him here.
After training in boxing and kickboxing with Ron for several years, I was curious to learn other martial arts. And since Ron didn't teach those, I sought learning elsewhere. While at McGill, I took judo for one semester but didn't continue because it was too strenuous on my body. I also took a few Muay Thai classes at different gyms.
I tried those martial arts because I had always been a fan of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and UFC and I was interested in learning different disciplines to develop a well-rounded skillset. If I ever needed to use my skills in real life, I wanted to know that I didn't have any glaring deficiencies in my skillset that someone with more specific training and knowledge could exploit. But although I tried judo and Muay Thai, none of those experiences left me so enamored that I absolutely needed to continue training in them.
However, after completing my Undergraduate and Master's degrees at McGill, I moved to Ottawa to pursue a second Master's. When I moved there, I immediately started researching different martial arts gyms in the area to try out.
The first class I attended was a Muay Thai class at N1 Thai Boxing Academy, where I had a negative experience. I vividly remember being asked to hold the pads for the lead instructor to demonstrate a kicking technique. Not expecting him to go full force, I was surprised when he drilled his kick into my ribs and sent pain through my body. At that moment, I felt he weirdly got some inner joy from blasting me in front of the class as if it were some rookie initiation. But because of that, I never went back to that gym and rightfully so. That's not the environment I was looking for; Who would want to train under a coach like that?
So the next class I decided to try shortly thereafter was Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at OAMA. I always knew the effectiveness of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in MMA, since it was the foundation of the UFC, and continues to be an integral skillset for any UFC fighter. I was also intrigued by the fact that it was designed for smaller people to defend themselves against larger opponents. Seeing as I was average-sized, I knew I would never be the biggest or strongest guy in any room, so I needed a skillset that could help me deal with bigger opponents should I ever find myself in a dangerous situation.
I ended up training at OAMA for 6 months and I liked it there because it was a family-oriented gym with kids classes so the instructors were naturally more friendly and less intense. I enjoyed the evening beginner classes because the techniques taught were basic enough to grasp and the sparring wasn't too intense.
At OAMA, I even did an in-house competition, where I had two matches against a teenager who was likely around 15 years old, a full decade younger than me, yet with more BJJ experience. I remember getting tapped out in our first match by a twister-type submission, where my spine felt contorted. It was supposed to be a single-elimination tournament but I ended up getting another chance to compete against the same kid a few minutes later. For the second match, I was proud that I went the distance even though I lost on points. However, I was proud that I had my first competitive experience after only a few months of training.
Another key habit I picked up from my time at OAMA was taking notes after every class. I made sure to do that so as to review the techniques we had covered and solidify them in my mind. That is an important habit that I continue to this day.
In summary, I trained at OAMA for six months, and I completed 35 classes. I had to stop because I couldn't afford it anymore given that I was living alone and had my share of expenses as a student. But I still enjoyed that training experience and I learned that BJJ was the right martial art for me. I liked that it could be trained at a high intensity without having to experience head trauma, which is unavoidable in striking martial arts. It could also be taught in a relaxed atmosphere with less ego than striking gyms, which was the type of environment that I preferred.
Thankfully, my first BJJ training experience was a positive one. Had that not been the case, I might have given up on BJJ and moved on to another martial arts discipline. I had been bitten by the BJJ bug and knew it was a path I would continue someday, somehow, but I didn't yet know where…
Great article! I learned more of your journey!