Black Belt (!!)

 

 

So on Monday night we had a seminar with Saulo (you all know which Saulo I’m talking about) and at the end we had several momentous promotions- black belt promotions, actually, and I was one of the students promoted.

It’s funny, and a little weird- it’s something you strive for, but never focus on: first, because that sort of pressure can be overwhelming, particularly in the beginning- and second, because the process of getting to your black belt is just as important as the rank itself. More so, actually. Think about how much you learn when you start training for a competition, how your skills sharpen- all for what, anywhere from 30 seconds to 20 minutes of actual competing? We continue on this journey- we learn, we laugh, we cry, become frustrated, experience epiphanies when something all comes together and finally makes sense for us-it’s all a part of the experience that culminates into preparing you for your black belt.

Earning your black belt is a tremendous achievement to be sure, but it’s definitely not the end of the journey. There are still techniques to learn, positions to drill and commit to muscle memory, more experiences to be had- not to mention more opportunities to teach, and learn from one another. Also, while I am one of the ones who received the black belt, it’s really an accomplishment for the team and the academy in general. None of this could have happened if my teammates weren’t there with me, and I am tremendously thankful for that.

 

I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds in store- not only for myself, but for my teammates as well. I’m thrilled not only to progress, but to train with my teammates and see them make the same journey as well.

So, um, in closing- black belt, yay! 😀

Helping Teammates be Successful, On and Off the Mat

This past weekend I had the chance to pitch in and help in preparing a commercial space which will house her café, Little Spoon!

 

It was a weekend of caulking, sanding, priming and painting with fellow teammates, and it was totally worth it. It makes me happy to think that I can help a friend and teammate get one step closer to their goals on, and off the mat.

 

 

How was everyone else’s weekend? Let me know- otherwise, have a great day everyone!

 

Happy Friday: Preparatory Edition

Happy Friday everyone!

I would say nothing too much is going on around here, but that’s not entirely true. It’s more the fact that we are training, drilling and preparing for some tournaments coming up in a couple of months. So, on the surface it looks like nothing is going on, training and routine as usual but really the team is just putting in the leg work, nose to the grindstone and sharpening our skills for tournaments in the next few months. It just doesn’t make for very interesting updates at the moment.

How are you guys all doing? Training hard, getting prepared for tournaments/promotions/to better suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune in general?

Let me know- otherwise, have a great day everyone!

Happy Friday: Liebster Edition

 

So Hanni (? I’m assuming from your username) from My MMA Life was kind enough to nominate me for a Liebster Award…It’s a pay it forward/chain letter thing. It was nice to be nominated, so here are the questions she’s asked me to answer:

 

1. What sport/activity changed your life? and why.

Well, jiu jitsu is sort of the obvious answer. Before joining the sport I was overweight, (more) shy, etc. With jiu jitsu, some judo, kettlebell training I’ve shed a lot a weight and, although I have my weak moments now and again, more importantly I’ve gained a lot of confidence in myself and my abilities.

2. what is your favorite cheat meal or junk food?

Dark chocolate, peanut butter, mainly. Sweet potato fries are also pretty delicious.

3. Ideal Sunday

Get up, have a nice breakfast and a good cup of coffee, walk around outside, hang out with some friends, nap, read, a good dinner and then bed. That sounds pretty clutch to me.

4. what’s in your make up bag?

Stuff….Things…. Some different concealers, mascaras. The products I have been using the most are Smashbox eyeliner in black violet (I think? I’m terrible at this game) Benefit’s Fake Up concealer and a quad color pallet from Tarte.

5. Favorite sports equipment.

Other than the most essential piece, my gi, I like my Under Armour compression capri pants (I found them! Case of the missing pants solved!)

6. Top 5 places in the world you would like to visit, and why?

Really all the places I’m listing have beautiful scenery and an interesting history, so here we go:

-British Isles

-Greece

– Spain/Portugual

– Iceland

-Brazil hops on and off the list: on for its beautiful scenery, off because it has things like the common occurrence of raining spiders. I’m not even kidding.

7. Favorite TV show, movie or series.

Really the only show I have really kept up on recently is Game of Thrones, so that, I guess.

8. Favorite country you’ve been in and why?

The only other country I have been to is France (Paris, and the Burgundy region), which is quite beautiful.

9. If you had a super power which would it be.

Telekinesis, or teleportation, like Nightcrawler. Although I wouldn’t want to be blue like him.

10. Biggest accomplishment so far.

Really, I think starting this blog was a big accomplishment for me (I like writing- having other people read what I write has given me a lot of anxiety in the past though), reaching out to so many people and sharing our thoughts, feelings and experiences in the sport. It’s pretty great! 🙂

11. Most beautiful country you’ve ever been to, and while there what was your favorite dish, dessert, and sweets?

Again, I’ve only been to one other country, France, and while I was there I had a meal at one of the local restaurants in Paris that was just fantastic.

 

So there you have it. Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Friday: Courage Edition

Happy Friday everyone!

I favorited this tweet from @assaultgear…yesterday? Two days ago?

Anyway, just thought I would share with you all:

Have a great weekend everyone!

Article About BJJ Women Being Excluded on the Mat

So in perusing the interwebs this morning I read a post on JiuJiu‘s blog about a female who visited another academy and was asked to sit because she was the only girl in the class….

My initial reaction is “well that’s messed up.”

But now I mainly want to know why- why were these guys uncomfortable training with a female? Was this a weird fluke, or is this the norm for the academy? I would hope it was a fluke-tThe presence of women in a school is a sign of a healthy academy, for the most part (of course there are exceptions to the rule, but for the most part this holds true across the board) and not that anyone asked, but I would say the owner or primary instructor of the academy should talk to their guys about training with females. You can’t control who is going to walk through your door, or what gender they will be, but no one is helping to make a co-ed environment if you are given the opportunity to include a minority into your academy, and then you exclude said minority.

I dunno, those are just my thoughts. What do you guys think about this situation? Comment here or on JiuJiu’s blog, otherwise, have a great day everyone!

Jiu Jitsu and the Case of the Missing Pants

Guys, I can’t find my pants.

Well, not just any pants, my Under Armour compression capri pants that I like to wear in competition. It’s not really the end of the world, I have other capri workout pants like them, but that particular pair fit the best, and (I would never admit this to the other pairs…if they were, you know, animate objects) they are my favorite.

And I can’t find them. And it’s starting to irk me, enough to write a blog post about it.

Have you ever had a favorite piece of clothing or gear that you like to train and compete with, and then you seem to lose? Isn’t it kind of annoying?

Feel free to share your story, otherwise have a great day everyone!

WPJJC, and Your Favorite Foggy Brained Blogger

Happy Hump Day everyone! Sorry, my brain is a little slow this morning, so this is going to be a pretty short post.

As far as I can tell from my Facebook feed the WPJJC (World Pro Jiu Jitsu Championships) happened last night in Abu Dhabi. I’m assuming there was a video stream for the event: did anyone happen to watch the matches?

Let me know- otherwise, have a great day everyone!

 

 

BJJ Memes!

Ok, real talk people: I just spent a whole bunch of time writing a post…and it’s not very good.

So I’m going to go sit in a corner and think about if that post can be salvaged, and how: in the meantime enjoy The Science of Skill’s 4 Best BJJ Memes

Have a great day everyone!

More Great Stuff from BJJ Scout: a Study of Michelle Nicolini’s Guard

Friends, really this is half to draw your attention to this nice breakdown of Michelle Nicolini’s guard game courtesy of BJJ Scout, and half as a personal reminder to come back to this post and read in depth, and not just skim through it (and saying, “ooh, that’s cool” if we’re being totally honest here).

Check it out!