Training Wheels: How a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Road Trip Jump-Started My Search for a Fulfilling Life

by Valerie Worthington

Valerie Worthington had all the trappings of successful life—a doctorate from a respectable school, a powerful career trajectory, a condo in Chicago—but it felt hollow. She was hitting all the right notes yet couldn’t escape the sinking feeling that something was, very, very wrong. After her instructor passed away, she faced the the life she had built was not the life meant for her. Training Wheels follows Worthington’s unlikely odyssey. After quitting her job and selling her condo, she drives around the country to chase the only passion that ever really made sense to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. At the time of Worthington’s adventure, jiu-jitsu road trips were rare and female practitioners were rarer still. As her story unfolds, every new gym she steps into uncovers more of her inner-self and reveals more about the jiu-jitsu community as a whole—the good parts as well as the nefarious. Worthington’s tale is both a story of self-discovery and a unique insight into jiu-jitsu culture. Her one of a kind adventure is engaging, inspiring, and entertaining, a must-read for anyone passionate about living life to the fullest and taking the road less traveled.

246 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 2016

Reviews

[Jess C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out strong and very interesting. Worthington's description of finding fulfillment on the mat as compared with her highly skilled and educated desk job is engaging. Her courage to try something new was inspiring. But centering it around winning Worlds as purple belt was not the best plotting mechanism. I think the emphasis should have been more on how she built a business around her interest and the success she has earned in making a life for herself within bjj. Since her book is not about becoming the very elite of the elite athletes (of course she is plenty decorated in her own right but it doesn't seem to be what she has focused on as a black belt perhaps b/c of age) - something Hannette Stack or McKenzie Dern might write, but rather about a quest for meaning in our often unfulfilling lives, it would have been a nice if Worthington had reflected on whether she had found the meaning she sought. If so, it would have been great if she had explained how she had found a way to support herself in her chosen activity.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a special book for me for several reasons. When I began doing jiu jitsu in 2010, Val Worthington's blog, Prancing and Sucking, was one of the first jiu jitsu blogs I read, and it was something I dearly loved. I was familiar with her story, her blog, her writing, and I've even met her! I visited her at her school in California while on my own jiu jitsu road trip, and I had the chance to take one of her classes while there. She is someone whose perspective I appreciate and enjoy. Additionally, I have met some of the people mentioned in the book!

I thought this memoir was put together very well - it focused on an aspect of Worthington's life, it was readily accessible for those who do not train, but at the same time it spoke to the jiu jitsu practitioners.

It begins with the death of Worthington's instructor, a giant in the jiu jitsu community. That, coupled with general dissatisfaction in her life, prompted her to uproot her life and go on the road, training at various jiu jitsu places along the way. There is a theme of confronting fear and embracing opportunity that is woven throughout the book. In general it reads as a mix between a memoir and a travelogue.

I love the language that Worthington uses. It's understandable, but not dumbed down. She captures so many of the feelings and frustrations I have personally experienced, and it's something I would hand to someone who I wanted to understand ME better.

It is a book I would absolutely recommend, as well as a book I will reread in the future.