So after I endured the pain of being squashed into the floor like a bug for about two or three weeks i started my apprenticeship in BJJ. my teacher was a gangster disciple member, a golden gloves boxer who had a few months of training more than me, and a two MMA enthusiasts from Hawaii. i learned the arm bar, leg triangle, kimura, Americana, and arm triangle. these five moves were the foundation upon which i would build my tower of Jiu Jitsu knowledge over the years, but starting out it was tough going. i had to get used to crawling like a bug both on my back and on top of someone who is unwilling to just let me do the moves to them. but over time i got to the point were i could do the techniques with my eyes closed feeling how their body moves in conjunction with theirs and predicting the next movement. and then my mother passed away.
my mom fought cancer for four years and chemotherapy wasted her away. she died on January 10 2010. i was lost. i was truly alone now in the federal bureau of prisons. i didnt call home to my family for 5 years. but the next day i needed something to get my mind off of the tragedy. to stop me from letting go on some idiot inmate and getting in trouble or getting more time because at the USP environment i was in there was no comfort. no pity. no one cared for my pain, or sorrow. so i dedicated myself to BJJ training like i had never dedicated myself to anything in my short life. ever. i practiced 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, for 18 months. no breaks even when my body started to break down and my joints ached and my muscles strained from being pulled into directions they werent supposed to go over and over and over. i soaked up and all knowledge that my teachers could share. then i met my master. his name was Martin, (pronounced “MAr-Teen”), he was muslim and he was a amatuer cage fighter undefeated before his incarceration. they called him the Black Mamba. he was a black belt in brazilian jiu jitsu and he brought to the table a vast fountain of martial arts knowledge and from him i learned much more than just karate. he was wise and saw in me a hunger that the others were unable to sate. so he focused he attention on me. he literally accepted me as a student. i accepted him as my master. and so for the next 18 months we trained together, he honing his own skills and me taking in as much as knowledge as he could give. i soon surpassed the other guys in skill and went un matched except against Martin in sparring matches. and so when he said he was transferring he gave me test of my knowledge and a test of how much i learned from him. we fought a good fight for 45 minutes straight. it was a draw in the end both of us never getting a lock on eachother. and he said i could learn no more from him. and it was time for him to move on and me as well. so we did. so i did.
