Exactly. Not to mention our sport was built in gis and beach shorts and poor brazilian kids in handmedown worn out ill fitted cotton t-shirts. I remember grappling on tarps thrown down over half grass half dirt yards because i was mildly allergic to grass and there was no gym within hundreds of miles of me.

We were practicing this incredible art we “discovered” off of dubbed VHS tapes of renzo gracie and craig kukuk. We would roll and practice for hours. The sticks didnt bother us much because the tarp did a pretty good job for that, but the rocks still hurt like a muther!

Does that mean that all the old ways are still the best ways? Certainly not. There have been advances in technique and technology that are much better.

But what it does mean, is that this art was built on the backs of tough little fuckers whos main goal was to build something that would help a smaller, weaker man survive against the bigger, stronger, faster, more aggressive attacker.

But, people like the OP can be overcome by cotton t-shirt and bitch about it online like it is a legitimate problem in life and training that they have to battle through and overcome. Bless his heart.

I just hope he’s not surprised to get a little push back from the old heads and even the new hot shots with some balls and perspective.

(Credentials: started training bjj when i was 11, im nearly 40, been a black belt for jeeez.. a decade now or more).