For the last 6 weeks I have been training BJJ at Nova Forca’s
new headquarters in Epsom. They now have a fulltime dedicated dojo which
includes a reception area where they sell training equipment and sports drinks,
a well-equipped gym, toilets and of course a fully matted area with kick bags
and a half cage for those also training MMA.
I’ve been training at Nova Forca for almost 5 years now but
usually my training consists of a few classes in the summer when my Judo club
is closed. However this time it’s different, I am here to stay. Unfortunately I
am not able to commit any more time than once a week which does put me at a
disadvantage especially when you consider that some of the guys train 5-6 times
a week. So what I need to consider is that I need to measure my progress
against myself and not the other guys who are currently at or near my level as
its likely they will improve faster than me.
So what are my aspirations and goals in BJJ? I think I need
to be realistic here and understand that getting a black belt in BJJ will take
me forever if I’m only able to commit to one class a week but that’s ok. What I’d
like to do is to get to a decent level of groundwork ability and I think a blue
belt represents just that level. This doesn’t mean that I would quit once I got
to that level it just means that blue belt is an achievable goal if I
consistently train for the next couple of years.
This doesn’t mean that I will be giving up on the Judo
though, I will still continue to train and try and make myself a solid 1st
dan.
