Lately, I’ve been grappling with the fact that training martial arts is becoming unlikely for me. Covid killed my trust. It’s no longer safe to be in the same room with a bunch of people who struggle with wearing masks during strenuous activity.
4 July 2020, WashingtonPost: “Florida on Saturday set another daily record for new infections, reporting 11,458 confirmed cases. The state has reported multiple daily records since late June, and the rate of positive test results has climbed into the double digits. Only New York has tallied more cases in a single day, with 11,571 on April 15….Faced with the soaring numbers, governors and mayors around the country have canceled or scaled back Independence Day celebrations and pleaded with people to wear masks, maintain social distancing and only celebrate with household members.“
Jiu Jitsu Academies are open
No surprise to find 10th Planet jiu jitsu classes are in full swing. On Facebook, I found some daily class photos posted before my city’s mandatory mask order went into effect on June 29.
No social distance. One woman was holding her baby as she stood next to her classmates..
Gracie Barra jiu jitsu academies are also scheduling classes with all ages attending. Looks like business as usual on the mats without any care or concern for Covid-19. They’ve been open since the middle of May.
In early June, they posted photos of students (kids and adults) on Facebook, drilling moves with partners. But no new photos as of June 29. I’d like to see whether anyone really did wear a mask.
Too early to tell which side was right…
With Covid cases increasing at alarming rates (Florida reported more than 10,000 in one day and over 9,000 the next), will these schools be allowed to continue training with their acceptable risk mentality?
No one knows the actual number of untested positives for Covid-19. News reports state that people avoid phone calls from contact tracers. That’s not cool.
But I owe them money!
I still owe money on the six-month membership I purchased a week before lockdown happened in March. Nice timing! I froze my membership.
Since the middle of May, the school is open, running on a limited schedule.
But, is it clean? Well, they think so.
Am I willing to take the risk of training with people who weren’t wearing masks or social distancing since the school re-opened? No, I’m not.
Fast forward to now, suddenly, masks are mandated.
Okay, so now you’re wearing a mask…but, maybe you were infected last week, but not showing symptoms. If your mask drops off your face during training, I am at risk in the moment that my mask slips off my face. And vice-versa.
This is a Catch-22 problem. Damned if you do. Damned if you don’t.
Some schools won’t survive
Martial arts schools aren’t sitting on piles of cash. Without students paying monthly fees, the bills aren’t getting paid.
I feel sad and disappointed because it’s inevitable that small schools won’t survive.
In order to help preserve martial arts training for current students, I could honor the contract and pay my fees without attending any classes (because of Covid-fear). This was requested by the owners with the promise of benefits in the future.
Or I can stay in frozen membership position and wait to see what happens. Either they go out of business (close permanently) or my freeze period runs out, and they’ll start billing me by the month again.
I’m giving up my position of “waiting to go back” and deciding that I’m probably not going back.
Over the next 5 months (the length of my frozen membership), I don’t think Covid is going to be controlled or contained in a way that makes practicing martial arts in a group, safe for me.
I got zero dollars back from booking my trip to Thailand for kick-boxing. And now, I’ll probably lose money for unused membership.
But, it’s much worse for the owners who suffer the consequences of lost memberships and for the students who lose their place to practice.
Whatever is failing now, will hopefully be revived once Covid tests become more accessible and less expensive. I don’t believe, that the vaccine, once developed, will be the reason that people gain more trust.
People will need to know that today, you’re not a Covid-carrier and they aren’t either. We need an easy test to prove that. Otherwise, put a mask on.
Until that day, I’ll be training at home.
There’s an interesting Q&A on Martial Arts Stack Exchange discussing what to train when you want to stay home.
More links on taking classes during a Pandemic:
Disunity, Division and Conspiracy Theory in the BJJ Community During Covid 19 (Podcast)
Intense fitness classes can lead to rapid spread of COVID-19, report shows
Reopening your Martial Arts school during Covid-19
Source:
BJJ photos by Erik Mclean from Pexels (bottom) and Joshua Jamias on Unsplash (top)
The game I call Demon Spotting developed over time as I worked through emotional entanglements and confusing break-ups. My misery became code words. Code words became mat drills. Mat drills became winning combinations. And my confusion lifted. Consider this your invitation to play. Clarity is freedom.