Empty Stomach Rolls in NYC

Hello world! I managed to pull off a quick weekend trip to New York City last weekend. I try to drop by annually to say hello to a few friends. It was abnormally warm as well (at least 10 degrees celsius warmer than Toronto), so walking outdoors without a coat was also a blessing. I’m trying to change, but I’m naturally a very go-go-go type of traveller. I’m curious. I want to see EVERYTHING. So when I reach a point where I don’t need to check out anymore touristic destinations, I know that I’ve gotten comfortable with a place and can take it slow.

I took it so slow that I found time to drop into Clockwork BJJ for their Sunday morning beginner and mixed classes with Sebastian. The gym is located near Washington Square Park. I also brought my friend Jen along for her first class! We came in from Brooklyn and it was super accessible by transit. I found it to be a very friendly and welcoming training environment. Someone was always around to lend a hand whenever we had trouble with the technique.

I always love bringing someone to try this sport. Jen is very open-minded and I thought she did pretty well for her first BJJ class. She stood out and watched the rolls during the beginner class, but by the end of the mixed class, she and I were beginning to roll lightly. When I first started, I personally didn’t roll until after my 3rd class, and I was still pretty intimidated.

We also chatted with some of the gym regulars. We met Che, who was two months into her jiu-jitsu journey. She was telling us how she was a bit nervous starting out, but she jumped right into the mixed classes and it helped with her confidence in rolling with people of all weight classes. Now jiu-jitsu is an important part of her routine.

Empty stomach rolls wasn’t a great idea. I did not eat or drink anything in the morning after staying up until 4AM consuming alcoholic beverages. I don’t get hangovers, but trying to roll with purple belts proved to be next to death. My advice? Don’t… do… that… anyways, the meal below was so satisfying entering my stomach. Sorry, getting off track.

Next time I hope I get to stay longer so I can train more. There are so many top gyms in New York City and of course, they are on my list to visit. But in the meantime, I’m compiling my gyms to check out in Istanbul next month!