Three weeks ago, I felt prepared to take on BJJ. 48 year old, I felt my strength
and endurance were at their peaks. If not now, when? The first three weeks have
not been easy, however. My poor neck, which has received little attention from me
as long as I have lived, all of a sudden is exposed to attacks in every way.
In training, we do not punch or kick but submit an opponent mainly using chokes
and joint locks. When I am caught in a triangle, for example, the guy's legs
wrap around my neck with one of his shins at the top and his groin under my chin,
forming a yield sign. His top leg would bite down from above and thighs squeeze
in from the sides and meanwhile, to prevent me from straightening up, he can
pull my head down with his hands. It becomes a tug-of-war between my torso and
head and his four limbs. There are well over two dozens of ways to choke and
none of them is designed to be easy on the neck.
Thanks to the synergy with Tim, I sparred in all five classes this week and
noticed something interesting. My neck and shoulders would sore from the early
morning till the afternoon class. It would only feel better after I exerted
myself in sparring.
The pain has called attention to posture. In sitting, half-lotus felt more
comfortable as it induced my spine to stay straight, chin tucked, and head away
from the screen or the book. When walking, I subconciously pushed the sternum
forward and tucked my chin. At the same time, my arms rotated outward with
shoulders back. It felt as if the palms turned to face the front but looked
just normal. These little adjustments felt natural now as they made the neck and
shoulders comfortable.
So far, I have found a few ways to boost the neck. Jack Dempsey, the boxing
champ, stresses the importance of a strong neck when taking a punch, and
prescribes exercises in his book "Championship Fighting." A BJJ blackbelt
recommended a safer way on reddit using just head weight:
Lay down on a weight bench with just your head hanging off. Gently let it
fall back to the point it feels comfortable, then raise your chin as close
to your chest as possible. Start with sets of 10 and build up.
From the same position, keeping your head off of the bench bring your ear
toward your right shoulder, then back to your left shoulder. Back and forth
back and forth. Start with sets of 10 and build up.
From the same position, turn your head like you are trying to look over your
shoulder, rotate and look over the other shoulder. Back and forth, back and
forth. Start with sets of 10 and build up.
and I have been following the latter method.
As long as it doesn't hurt much, I am fine with the size of my neck which
measures 16 inches in girth. But just for curiosity, let's keep track and see if
it will expand over time as I keep training. I suspect the first few months to
be the hardest, however. I hope I would finally learn enough to avoid being
choked or just tap early.
