Lisa Do
October 25, 2017 13:56
In order to give a proper review of GB Pearland, let me start off with a brief background on myself: I started training at GB Pearland when they first opened last year, in January 2016. Prior to training BJJ, the amount of physical activity I had was very limited; I would go to the gym during work lunch with some coworkers and primarily used the elliptical machine for about 10 minutes, pulled on some of the machines, and would stretch and chat with my coworkers for the rest of the duration. Also, I had no restraint when it came to food; I ate everything. Everything. That being said, I was still pretty small-stature, in my eyes, frail and dainty. My husband had been training BJJ for over 8 years, and not once did I care to try it, fearing I'd break, get crushed, bleed internally and/or die. Every time he wanted to practice/drill stuff on me, I'd respond to him with the latter why it was not a good idea. And then, fast forward to GB Pearland's grand opening in January 2016. Ultimately, I decided to sign up because I was interested in learning self-defense. I got curious, because again, I felt frail and dainty.
Fast forward to today. I stuck with it. Learning Jiu Jitsu has been the best decision of my life. Let me tell you, I am the smallest person on the mats, but man do I feel mighty. My goal was to learn basic self-defense, but it has ignited my desire to learn more. I absolutely love the art. Professor Marcelo has been such an incredible teacher. He's silly, cracks jokes, but at the same time pushes us hard to do our best. He has decades of experience to share. He sets a good precedent, because everyone in the school has always been warm and welcome to me, and that extends to every student coming in to learn. It's like a domino effect because every one just wants to share knowledge, play and improve. Key word: PLAY. We work hard, but play even harder. I enjoy coming in every day to train, because it's like recess. Instead of playing on the monkey bars, we get to practice arm bars ;)
BJJ has been the most efficient use of my time. Not only am I learning a practical skill, essential to life: self-defense. But, I am also getting stronger, mentally and physically. It has evolved my workout regimen by giving me a goal; now I go to the gym in order to condition myself in order to improve my jiu jitsu. I eat healthier now, again to improve my jiu jitsu. Overall, it's been a great journey pushing myself to excel beyond my prior limits. This is why I'm a firm believer that BJJ is for everyone. After seeing where I started from, to where I stand today; if I could do this, anyone can. You'll just have to work hard, which is easy to do when you're having fun too.
If you are looking for a place to learn self-defense, I highly recommend coming here. That's what I did :)