I just had a chat with my BJJ friend Tran Nguyen from London. He just received his purple belt (Congratulations!) and he mentioned how it was nice to receive it so that he could “save his game” like a video game.
That is exactly how I feel. I don’t really want a new belt for a new belt’s sake. I’m more concerned with getting to the “purple level” in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game. That way I can save my game and if I move, or get injured, I can come back to the game and start from there, instead of spending another couple of years as a blue belt. I don’t need the strokes from the higher graded belts, but I would like the insurance policy.
In other news, I started boxing this week, which I am really enjoying. I started because I am trying to drop a couple of kilos for the South American BJJ championships next month. I think this is the magic bullet. A friend of mine, Sergio, who is an American who has been living in Porto Alegre for a long time, is helping me train, and it is incredibly hard work. My back is pretty sore, but it is really fun.