Jiu Jitsu Doc: All About Jiu Jitsu and Medicine!: Welcome!

Hello!

Welcome to the Jiu Jitsu Doc blog! My name is Brian, and I enjoy many things life has to offer, such as movies, sports, food, snowboarding, good times with friends and family, etc, etc. Nonetheless, I do have two main passions in my life: medicine and Brazilian jiu jitsu! As you probably already guessed from the title of this page, this blog will be all about medicine and jiu jitsu!

I am currently a fourth year medical student (almost done!), and I am a blue belt in jiu jitsu. Some of you may be thinking right now, "How the heck does a medical student have time to practice jiu jitsu AND write a blog?" Yes, I ask myself that also from time to time, and it was definitely not easy. I started training in San Diego under the great Saulo and Xande Ribeiro while I was in college, then I skipped a whole year during my first year in medical school, and then I resumed training under Tom Knox of Elite Team Visalia during the latter half of my second year. Even after resuming, I was able to train only 2-3 times a week, and that was definitely difficult. But somehow I managed to do one competition last year and finally earned myself a blue belt early this year. It was tough, but I'm glad I went through it, as it helped me keep myself fit and I got to meet many good people. Plus, now that I am a fourth year student, I do have a bit more time to do some silly things, like training and blogging.

So now back to the main topic: Why a jiu jitsu/medicine blog? The more I learn about medicine and jiu jitsu, I can't help but see the parallel similarities between the two disciplines. First of all, they are both TOUGH. There is SO MUCH to learn, and even when you get your medical license or a black belt, the real learning has only begun! Yet, the challenge, discipline, and the subsequent achievements are the exact attributes that attract many people to medicine and jiu jitsu. In either field, you must put in hard work and much sacrifice to achieve success. Secondly, they are both humbling. Many people with some sort of athletic background like football or wrestling walk into a jiu jitsu school for the first time and quickly learn that it is not a joke. Similarly, most students starting medical school were once top of their classes during college, and once they start their first semester of medical school they quickly realize that they are no longer the superstar students anymore! In fact, they learn that college was actually simple in comparison! It's a tough fact to accept, but in either field, you are quickly humbled. Third, you just cannot force things. The more you try to force that one guy off of top mount, the more tired you'll become and more likely he/she will catch you with an arm bar. Moreover, the more you try to force memorize every little detail and cram like a crazy person the night before an exam, the worse you will perform on your exams. You must find your balance and flow, and figure out what works for you. Fourth, they are both expensive (lol).

I want to share on this blog some of my experience in both medicine and jiu jitsu. I would also like to share medical topics involving jiu jitsu, such as joint anatomy, body physiology, and injury treatment/prevention in jiu jitsu. I am planning on going into the field of Physical Medicine and Rehab (aka Physiatry; here's a link with explanation if you are wondering what it is: http://www.aapmr.org/patients/aboutpmr/pages/physiatrist.aspx) next year and focusing on sports medicine. Every time I come across something interesting in medicine, jiu jitsu, or both I will post it here and share with you all! This is my first blog site ever, so I promise it will get better as it goes on. Please feel free to share comments, feedbacks, or just a hello!