Today on the show I have a conversation with Chris Martin a Marc Laimon, BJJ Brown Belt, and cofounder of two Nova Martial Arts and Fitness academies in Wisconsin.
This is a timely episode, depending on when you are listening, May is stroke awareness month. In 2017 Chris suffered a massive brain stroke from a jiu jitsu choke during practice that left him paralyzed and speechless on the mat from the result of a carotid artery dissection. However, that did not stop him from getting back on the mats and he practices to this very day while still managing the two academies and running jiujitsuinsurance.com.
Chris has been spreading awareness of how strokes can affect families and communities. He also shares stories from other survivors to educate students and coaches in the jiu jitsu community, who need to be aware of these dangers.
Since his accident, Chris has been a go-to person for advice, support, and help to spread the message of safety and awareness to the jiu jitsu community. He also is working with a medical doctor and hospital to publish a medical journal article relating to the 100 + stories (strokes from chokes) that continue to surface each month.
I want to preface this episode by saying that I'm a believer in transparency, open, honest and at times difficult communication. I find that these types of crucial conversations are critical for growth. I believe we are at an inflection point in the growth of Jiu Jitsu where we need to have such conversations. I would also like to emphasize that I believe that every adult should have the freedom to choose what is and is not acceptable for themselves. As of late, I've noticed the pendulum of BJJ media may have swung back to an almost dogmatic belief in only hard training. I'm always wary of absolutes, I tend to find that the truth often lies somewhere in the shades of grey. Tim Ferris once said about the topic of nootropics (aka brain enhancing related drugs), "There is typically no biological free lunch.". I think the same could be said for constant hard training and repetitive strangulation.
Some housekeeping notes: Keep in mind that Chris's stroke did cause some ongoing neurological damage so although he sounds great on the episode there may be times where his thought process stops and jumps to other items a bit out of context.
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