The members of a gym fight the financial anxiety with a martial art.
By Ioannis Papadopoulos
When the thoughts of unpaid bills and loans haunt his mind, Ronaldo Campos ties a black belt around his waist, bows and steps barefoot into the 'cage.' The ring of Jiu-Jitsu is his comfort zone, his escape from a world of responsibilities and debt.
Campos, 34, is the owner of Fenix Fight Club in Woburn, Mass. A former champion of mixed martial arts, Campos teaches the secrets of Jiu-Jitsu to about 30 students. Jiu-Jitsu means the "art of softness." It is a Japanese martial art that helps a fighter neutralize an armored opponent without the use of weapons. But, in an anxiety-driven world where one's biggest enemy is usually the economic crisis, Jiu-Jitsu can also become a relaxation technique.
"You sweat a lot. You put a lot of adrenaline out of your body. Your mind clears," Campos said. "For a couple of hours you zone out of the problems you have, the bills you have to pay. After a practice, I go home, I feel more mellow and I can sleep better."
Campos was born in Rio de Janeiro and lived in Brazil until 2001. He tried Jiu-Jitsu at age 18. He was lifting weights back then and his goal was "to get big." His friends put him in the "cage" (the ring) against a kid who weighed 140 pounds. It was a like a battle between David and Golliath and guess who won... This kid made me 'tap' [surrender] 20 times," Campos said. "Then I decided this is what I want to do."
For the last four years, Campos has been living in the United States and he is married to an American. He opened his gym last December, a brave act in an unstable economy.
Within a few months, Campos faced the difficulties of a shaky market. Most of his students were hesitant to sign a one-year contract. "Nobody has the cash in hands," Campos said. "People come here, they like what they see, but they can't commit to pay for a year. What happens if they lose their job the next day?"
Instead of signing the yearly contract and paying $80 a month, most of the students decide to follow the flexible plan of a monthly subscription for $90.
According to the 2008 "Stress in America" survey of the American Psychological Association, economic factors were the No. 1 cause of anxiety in the country. And more than 50 percent of adults in the United States report high stress on a daily basis.
Herbert Benson, founder of the Mind/Body Medical Institute in Boston, has been studying the effects of stress on the human body for the past 35 years. "When people relax, their heart rate, metabolism and blood pressure drop," he said. "They need to escape from their fears and obsessions to be healthier."
John Delano of Wilmington, Mass., tried to deal with his own financial fears by starting Jiu-Jitsu eight months ago. Today, he is a student at Fenix Fight Club and he works for City Sports, a sporting goods retailer. While he was looking for a job, Jiu-Jitsu was his weapon to fight stress. "That's the best part of it," he said. "Come here [to the gym], fight it, clear out your head, get home and go to bed."
To Campos it doesn't matter how big your debt is. Jiu-Jitsu might be your best way to fight it. "The size of the opponent is not an issue," he said. "Even a small guy can win."
Nothing like a nice fight to take away the stresses of life.
This has never been more true than it is right now. There is definately no shortage of stresses out there.