Nothing's Ever As Good As It Seems...

...or as bas as it seems.  Several of my coaches have adopted this way of thinking.  I've found that it really forces you to look at a situation objectively.  People love to celebrate when something good happens, and wallow in their own misery when life takes a turn for the worse.

Anyone who's ever said "this couldn't get any worse" knows that it can always get worse.   I'm not trying to rain on anyone's optimism.  In fact, positive affirmation and simply "believing" in yourself and your goals is extremely important to achieving them.  But sometimes it's important to stay humble and not over-state the positives in our situation.  Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that nothing  is ever as good as it seems, so that we can stay focused and make the next goal a realistic one.  Otherwise, it's easy to get caught up in the moment and fail to see things for what they really are.

One reason I love my gym is that so many people do this so well, at least outwardly.  People come back from winning major tournaments, double golds, stellar performances - but unless that "win" was a world championship, there isn't a lot of celebration.  It's "well done," "thanks," and back to work.  Despite finishing all 9 matches by submission in a single tournament, as good as that seems, they know that they could go out first round next time if they don't keep it up.  Their opponent that lost, who will be at that next tournament, isn't taking a week off from training to celebrate.

Right after my injury, I had to fight hard to convince myself that it wasn't as bad as it seemed.  You have four ligaments in your knee joint -  I tore three, one completely.  How could it be any worse?  Well, one example, my knee cap could have cut through an artery sending me to the ER that day.  I could have damaged nerves.  I could have torn, fractured, or otherwise injured a dozen other things in my leg.  It really wasn't as bad as it seemed.

Look at all that important stuff that didn't get hurt!

     


But now I'm faced with the flipside, trying to remember that it isn't as good as it seems.  During my pre-op visit with my surgeon, I got some pretty good news.  It is likely only one ligament will need surgery.  I will likely be allowed to start physical therapy again very quickly.  I could be back to jiu jitsu....well, see.  Getting caught up.  Going kimura-trap-to-head-scissor before I can even jog.  Time to reel it in.  My ACL is still getting operated on, the rest of my knee still isn't fully healed, and I've got a ways to go.  Not being pessimistic, just trying to make sure my next goal is a realistic one.

Surgery tomorrow, wish me luck!

The Start of Something Epic

I must say, I'm not the "most" dedicated jiu jitsu student.  I have a career, a family, and other interests.  But it's my "thing."  It is what I do when I have a free night.  It's my exercise.  It's my sport.  It's where I set goals with like minded people and try to push myself.  I've had a hiatus here and there, but I always come back.

  

I've been doing jiu jitsu for over two years.  It's something I've gradually implemented into my life.  I started off with one or two days a week, and progressed to a point where I was doing stretches of 4-5 days a week, going to multiple classes on some days.  I'm sure my coaches wish I was more consistent, and I'm working on it, but at the end of the day I have higher priorities and jiu jitsu is what I do for fun.

Unfortunately, on October 20, 2012, in my first round of the IBJJF Miami Open, a sloppy guard pull versus my poor stance (mixed with a little bit of horrible timing) resulted in my knee bending really far in a direction it was not supposed to.  It dislocated and tore three ligaments - one completely.

It's been pretty depressing. I had just gotten myself back into a groove and was really looking forward to the competition.  Now I'm sidelined with an injury that takes months to heal - sometimes up to a year.  I was lucky in the sense that most parts of the knee that get damaged and lead to long term injuries - nerves, meniscus, cartilage - went relatively unharmed.  But that doesn't change the severity of my injury.

   

So a month after my injury, just days before my surgery is scheduled to take place, and after two weeks of pre-surgery physical therapy, I decided to start a blog about this journey - for a number of reasons, which I will share as the blog evolves.  For now, just understand that I hope it will help to keep me focused.

One last thing.  So many people have asked "so, you're not going to compete any more, right?" or "what are you going to do instead of jiu jitsu once you heal?"  In case you were wondering, I'm already planning my come-back video, background music suggestions are welcome.