chris hammell
vineyard manager-bien nacido vineyard

In 1995 I bought a copy of the book, Living The Martial Way by Forrest E. Morgan.  It sparked an interest in the martial arts that now make up such a big part of my life.  About 4 years ago, after dabbling in various styles, I started training on a regular basis in mixed martial arts (think UFC).  At first got beat up a lot (come to think of it, I still do), but at least it was by friendly training partners.  Most of my friends and family thought that I was a little crazy.  That’s probably true.  At any rate, I stuck with it, and eventually ended up concentrating on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as my main discipline.  BJJ is somewhat like judo, but concentrates more on ground fighting.  When I knew that this was something that I wanted to do, I set a goal to give competitive BJJ my best shot while I was still in my athletic prime.  So far, so good.

There are sacrifices.  For example, consistent physical, technical and mental training is necessary if one wishes to be competitive at the top levels.  Injury is always a risk and bumps and bruises are just a part of normal life.  Time that could be spent with one’s family or on other worthwhile pursuits is often spent on Jiu-Jitsu.  My wife makes a lot of sacrifices herself so that I can train at this level.

I still believe, however, that it is a worthwhile pursuit.  It keeps me in good physical health.  It teaches me how to cope with stress and conflict. It demands that one be disciplined and persevere through inevitable setbacks.  I have read about higher levels of self-development that, over time, can be achieved through the martial arts as well.  I also feel that it is a personal calling, something that fulfills me in a way.

What’s my super magic formula for success?  Well, I do use goal setting to maintain my enthusiasm for training so I don’t get too off track.  I try to lead a healthy lifestyle consisting of loving relationships, good food and wine, hard training and adequate sleep.  I also try to keep as little stress in my life as possible and to maintain a good attitude.

I hope to one day earn my Black Belt in BJJ and to use this art as a tool for the lifelong pursuit of self-development.  I am also intrigued with the concept of combining the noble ethics of budo with modern mixed martial arts. 

I want to thank the Miller Family for their support and encouragement, my training partners, my teachers and, most of all, my wife.  (No, I’m not kissing up just so she’ll let me go to yet another night class each week).