The Combat Codes (39 page)

Acknowledgements

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu allowed me to write this book.

I’m not talking about gaining the technical know-how to detail the various fight scenes throughout the story (though that knowledge certainly helped).

I’m talking about Jiu Jitsu providing me with the mental endurance to take on the seemingly insurmountable task of completing a novel. Writing every day, even if what I put down on paper was complete garbage. Grinding out the fifth or sixth or eleventh drafts through a never-ending editing slog.

The journey of a Jiu Jitsu practitioner seems similar to that of a writer. Getting better requires putting in the work. Whether it’s typing a few new pages or showing up on the mats every day, the rote ritual is where the learning is. And both endeavors have taught me that learning is where the living is.

That being said, none of this would be possible without the help of my diligent beta readers. Brian, David, Justin and Will, you gave me the encouragement to keep moving and the feedback to point me in the right direction.

Finally I’d like to thank the training partners and teachers I’ve had over the years, old and new. T
o the crews in San Francisco and Boston: you’ve made my afternoons both humbling and thrilling.

Alexander Darwin
Boston, 2015