The Boogeyman by Lukas Kamrath
A Year Outside The Box - this is the name of the adventure my family and I are just beginning. Grappling with one of the best Mixed Martial Artist (MMA) fighters in history is definitely outside of my box.
This week in San Diego, California, I had a really fun experience – taking a Jiu Jitsu class with one of the most celebrated American mixed martial artist, Dean Lister. Lister has won many titles in MMA and has never lost by submission. He has also won two gold medals and one silver in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship. He’s a second-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and acquired the nickname “The Boogeyman” because of opponents lack of desire to fight him. Being with him in person, I quickly realized why other fighters would be afraid ... he is built like a truck and looks like he could crush someone's skull with his huge bare hands. After hearing him speak, I could tell that he is a very calm, thoughtful fighter, not angry and aggressive. That said, it was a bit unnerving when I learned that I was going to be grappling one on one with him. To be clear, he obviously did not give close to his 100% effort or I probably would not be writing this now.
Walking into the gym, I felt intimidated surrounded by about 15 men, all between 25 to 35 years old and in great shape … none looked like this was their first time in the gym. My mom and I walked into the cage, class began, and right away I knew this was not going to be easy. An instructor quickly began directing everyone in warm ups to throw ourselves onto our backs, roll over our shoulder and many other moves my body had never done before on command. “Are you sure we’re in the beginner class, mom?” I quietly whispered in her ear.
I am fortunate to live in a safe neighborhood and go to a school without violence, so unlike Dean who found the sport after being bullied as a young kid, I have never had the need to defend myself. But, I do live with a bunch of boys my age and we are usually up for wrestling or a game that we’ve created on our trampoline that includes full body tackles. I thought I might pick up a few useful pointers in the class.
Because my mom was with me at the gym and also up for a new experience, we decided that since we are currently almost the same size (I’m actually 2 inches taller :)), we would fight each other first. We are pretty well matched but after beating my mom several times, she thought that I needed some stiffer competition. I agreed. However, when I saw my mom walking over to Dean and asking him if he would take her place, a Jui Jitsu master is not what I had in mind.
It was impossible to win against him. With only the slightest movement and what seemed like the tiniest effort, he repeatedly tossed me onto my back, forcing me to tap out … that is when I managed to get a least one hand free. He would let me start wherever I wanted but after three seconds, no matter what I attempted to do, I found myself pinned or in a choke hold. See picture below for proof ;)
One of the things I learned in the brief time I spent with Dean is a defensive move that is extremely effective against any offensive attack if you are on the ground. When on your back, if you are able to get your knee between you and the person attacking you, you’ll have great leverage to keep them at a distance. Who knows, this one technique may come in handy at some point in my life and or at least to give me an advantage when messing around with my friends.
In the future, I think I am going to practice grappling with people a bit more in my league, certainly not pro MMA fighters like Mr. Lister – at least for now. Even though I lost miserably to him, I discovered something new that I really enjoy and I can’t wait to do it again. If I had not had the courage (or stupidity) to step outside my box, I would not have this great memory. If you are ever in San Diego and interested in checking out Jui Jitsu, I highly recommend stopping in for a class at his gym.