I love the Gracie Combatives course which
identifies 36 most important techniques and
organizes them in a very beginner-friendly way.                                                              
The empahsis on street-readiness appeals to me
instantly. To execute the moves, one only needs
basic level of fitness and mobility. This is fun,                                                            
too. It's almost a game.                                                                                     

I took classes for one month before deciding to                                                              
stop going down to Santa Cruz and to start
learning at home. I had the space, the mats, the                                                             
video instructions(I bought them 9 months ago in                                                             
anticipation), and most importantly, a legit
white-yellow-belt training partner. Tim warmed                                                            
up to the idea right away: "I will do anything to                                                               
help you, Dad."                                                                                              

The first class took place on the morning of Dec                                                             
17, 2017. It went very well as we both knew the
principles of the moves from a year of training.                                                             
Tim was eager to do the moves although not very
keen on sitting through the instructions. I felt                                                             
exhilarated. We both learned something new by                                                                
watching the video, playing the bad guy, and                                                                 
giving each other feedback.                                                                                  

What I want the most: through practice, to ready
Tim for the bullies, be they on the street, in the                                                           
meeting room, or half a globe away. An important                                                             
side-effect would be to keep him engaged in a 
physical activity that would keep him healthy into                                                           
advanced age. That's my job as a dad. I think I                                                              
have found a great way to do it.