Grapple.NinjaHow I Learned To Stop Planning And Love The Chaos
Introduction
Editors Note: I am stoked to share a special guest post by my former training partner and newly promoted black belt, Charles Batey. Charles has always been an exceptional training partner—unorthodox in his techniques but a fierce competitor who constantly challenged and humbled me during our sparring sessions. His dedication to jiu-jitsu is evident not only in his recent promotion to black belt, but also in his insightful and engaging blog (Jiu Jitsu Field Guides), which covers a wide range of topics with skill and depth.
In this post, Charles shares a snippet of his journey and the lessons he's learned along the way. His prowess on the mats shines through in both unpredictable and beautifully creative moments, always keeping you guessing. I admire and envy his unique approach to jiu-jitsu and life. Charles's philosophy is a refreshing reminder that sometimes, the best plan is to have no plan at all. I am sure you will find his insights as valuable as I have.
1
My elbow got popped in the very first match of my first-ever jiu jitsu competition.
I was a white belt, and up until that competition, perhaps 9 months into training, I had been injury free. Lots of pain, mind you, lots of getting smashed and pretzeled by larger, stronger, more skillful training partners, lots of bruised ribs and sore neck muscles, but this was my first “real” injury.
In spite of my rapidly stiffening right arm, I opted not to drop out of the round-robin style tournament and proceeded to lose the remaining four matches by submission. It was a woeful showing. I went home with a record of 0-5 and my first significant injury. I might have been justified in asking if jiu jitsu was really for me.
I don’t recall seriously considering quitting.....
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