Check out my story today on local Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) instructor, Gene Simco. He's a black belt in this martial art (he holds other black belts as well) and for as deadly as he could be, he's a really nice guy.

I observed a recent class that had some law enforcement guys in it. Obviously, the martial arts comes in handy on the job, but they do it competitively as well. It really is a good workout. Nobody came out of that class without a ton of sweat. Except me. Wielding a high-speed pen and digital camera just doesn't burn the calories like you'd hope, ya know?

I told Simco that I'd watched UFC stuff before in TV and I found it brutal and awful. The kind of blood and guts stuff that turned me off, or never really on to boxing, when I took a sportswriting course long ago. Some of the greatest, most eloquent sportswriting stories have come from boxing, but I just never got it.

This MMA stuff, once you understand the strategy of it, is interesting, though. Little guys, big guys, all these different skill sets...boxers trying to pummel the jiu-jitsu guys before they can get them on the floor, because then it'd be over.

Still...it's icky with the blood. Although, from what I understand, traumatic head injuries in the MMA are less  than just boxing alone. I think I'd just prefer to watch a non-punching martial arts competition, if any. Or maybe I'll stick to baseball. Then again, with all the mud-slinging and low-blows lately, MMA is looking pretty good.

Anyway, at one point in his career, Simco trained with the Gracie family. That name probably rings a bell to all you UFC fans. His site is one of the leading resources on BJJ..his web site has tons of info, books, DVD's etc. Check it out here.

For a funny recap of my one and only experience with martial arts, check out my Mommy Memoir blog today.

Hey, I heard pitchers & catchers reported...there's one name I'm looking forward to hearing more about...starts with an "S" and ends with "World Series." Er, I mean "-antana." 

Photo: That's former Pace University football safety Steven Olivier on the floor doing the flipping...he's a Deputy in the local Sheriff's dept. Um...don't mess with him. Simco is standing to the right. I didn't get the  name of the inverted person. It seemed like a bad time to ask...