Sometimes Jae Macintosh feels like administering a triangle choke.
Other times, the Starkville-based Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter wants to help clients recover from injuries.
Break a leg? No problem. See Jae.
Elbow sprained? Give him a call.
Shoulder dislocated ? Call Jae.
What if he”s the one who broke it?
“It would be interesting,” Macintosh said. He laughed and then said, “Of course, there would be some discounts involved.”
Macintosh is working to create that dream and, so far, it is heading in the right direction.
Earlier this month, Macintosh placed second in the men”s no-gi intermediate middle weight division at the North American Grappling Association tournament in Jonesboro, Ga. His finish marked a huge improvement from 2010, when he was ousted after three matches.
Now he”s better at controlling matches, forcing opponents to adjust to his standup wrestling, and dictating the pace of a match.
“I”m happy, but, at the same time, I”d rather win first,” he said of finishing second. “I feel good to place this time, but we”ll get that extra step next time.”
Three years after entering his first tournaments, it”s not a matter of can he make you submit but when, he said, displaying the attitude he has to have on the mat.
He knows more about the sport, what he”s doing, where he needs to step, what body parts to target, and where to place his hands.
He plans to utilize the tournament as preparation for bigger events later this year.
“It”s going to be excruciating,” he said. “I”m going to have to be in better shape than I”ve ever been in.”
Macintosh, 21, the son of a college football coach, learned Jiu-Jitsu around age 5, the same time he started playing football and other sports and competing in wrestling.
Early in college, he walked on at Mississippi State under former coach Sylvester Croom. But when Croom resigned in 2008, Macintosh transferred to Northeast Community College.
That”s when Macintosh realized football was only going to take him so far, but his major of Kinesiology would be a great fit for Jiu-Jitsu. One learns about the body and how it works, and the other utilizes that information to take advantage of an opponent. Like how many pounds of pressure it takes to administer a choke, or the best angle to make a bone snap.
“Anybody can learn how to throw a punch,” he said, “but it takes a lot of time and dedication to learn how to grapple.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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