Beginning BJJ: An Unfinished Journey in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

by Patrick Doucette

What happens when a middle aged guy sees himself in the mirror and doesn’t like what he sees? The bulging belly and the double chin stare back at him and yell – “You’re losing it dude! Where’s your commitment to get in shape?”
The author faced that accusation and in response made a bold lifestyle change by taking up the study of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Documenting his progress, he describes things he has learned both on and off the mat in this personal journal of discovery. Drawing on a lifetime of experience in a variety of martial arts, he brings these insights into his training and instruction in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and shares them so the reader may benefit.
Topics include:
Critical reasons why your BJJ techniques will often fail against an advanced opponent and how you can prevent this from happening.
21 ancient warrior precepts updated for the modern day BJJ enthusiast.
Understanding the grading and ranking process used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitusu.
How to quickly advance and succeed in your BJJ training.
Very thought provoking and valuable, this book has something for everyone and is sure to inspire and encourage anyone who may have an interest in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or the martial arts in general.

Genres: Martial Arts

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 8, 2013

Reviews

[Derrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I'd had this little self-published book when I first started training BJJ. Everything he recalls about one's first experience and then the eventual discouragement that comes with being a beginner fits my case perfectly. Sadly, I gave up when it got tough in exactly the ways he describes. This little book might have helped me rethink my position/attitude.

I almost deducted a star for the author's including two quotes from himself in the "Quotable Quotes" appendix, but I decided to cut him some slack. For what he's trying to do, this book succeeds perfectly.

[Jonas · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was very disappointing. Apart from the various spelling mistakes and the boring style, the entire book is very generic and shallow. People who are interested have read these kind of tips and descriptions in the multiple 'BJJ beginner' blogs that are out there.

I expected some personal stories and insights of a middle-aged man, starting a new passion, but the author doesn't even want to tell his age.
Instead, the book consists mainly of some generic descriptions of what BJJ is and what a first-time practitioner could expect. A link to the respective Wikipiedia article plus some youtube-videos would have done the same or better, in my opinion.