Coming from Colorado and a particularly cool summer the heat and humidity of the south played heavy on me. My saving grace was traveling from elevation to sea level, I could at least hang with the guys. The highs and lows of Jiu-Jitsu always put life into perspective as the rolls went back and forth. I had almost forgot what it was like to breath water… but the southern humidity sure reminded me quickly! After a half hour of technique the rolling began in earnest. With so many great students, I had to focus mainly on the grip fighting and abandon some of the back attacks. Still the simple and effective idea of controlling the grips helped me in every roll.

The final bell rings on the last round. I had the pleasure of rolling with Professor John on the last roll, he respectfully smashed me! It’s always an immense honor to roll with someone so skilled, polite, and who is willing to train. Hopefully I can one day repay the kindness. I have to breath deep for a few minutes before getting up. Pride of my first new gym visit rings true. I thank Steve silently for the knowledge.

The session was a blast and I couldn’t be happier with the school I chose to visit. After an hour of rolling I was ready to get back to the beach! John Salter runs a great school and I hope I represented Professor Steve and Katharo well.

Training while traveling is a great way to learn new perspectives and see where you’re at in the martial art. It also allows you to bring gyms together and help strengthen the community. It’s crazy to think less than twenty years ago people were traveling to other schools to fight each other, not learn and grow. From a time when all techniques were highly guarded to our current situation is amazing to witness. Jiu-Jitsu is starting to become more and more open, and it’s a beautiful thing. Professor Steve is on the cutting edge of growing the overall knowledge base of all practitioners and raising the overall skill of Jiu-Jitsu.