Well, that was.... weird?

I was talking to a friend today about people doing weird things mid-grapple.

I have been licked, kissed, and bitten.  

I believe he called them "unique experiences".

I never really thought they were all that strange.  Though, it may be due to the fact that they were during more relaxed fun rolls versus when we are being serious, and more importantly they were done by other women.  I am sure I would have felt much differently if a man had been doing the licking.  It could also be due to the fact that I roll with one of my best friends, and she would be hard pressed to find something to do to me mid grapple (or other wise for that matter) that would freak me out.  (I don't think she feels the same way about that as I do though.  haha!  I'm touchy feely.. and she isn't so much.  lol)  

I have had my fingers bitten (not hard) while trying to gi choke someone... licked as a escape attempt, and kissed on the cheek on several occasions where a maneuver brought my face with in kissing range of someone's mouth.  And I know I do that to Allie a lot.. . especially when we are drilling.  (Sorry Allie!  You know I love you so much I just can't help myself!)

I have heard of the "oil check", but thankfully that one has not been done to me, nor do I think I will be doing that to anyone...even Allie, anytime soon.

Hey! That's not Jiujitsu.

Believe it or not, I do, do other things.  =)

I found this song recently, and I love it.  It is a remake of a song I already loved, and surprisingly I think I like it more.  I am kind of anal about remakes of songs I love.  I tend to hate them... and I don't think there is a remake of any other song that I like, except for Mad World.  However, I did not like the original.

Anyway!

The song:



The original song is by Death Cab for a Cutie.




Also.... Happy Valentine's Day to me! I got myself something because I am pretty sure I am my own Valentine this year. =)

Duurrrh

Today we worked sweeps from guard, landing in knee on belly.  We did a couple variations of the same sweep...  but the biggest thing I took away from class was pretty much, the most obvious thing I have ever missed.

The second I tried it, I was like, "Oh my gosh, I am such a moron, why have I never noticed this before?!"

The sweeps started from closed guard.  You started by grabbing a hold of both sleeves of the person you are sweeping, and just kind of push their sleeves up into their shoulders, open your guard, and pull your knees in under their arms.  Basically to butterfly guard without your hooks in.

Trying to get peoples arms out of the way while they are in my guard is one of my biggest problems when I want to transition to another position.

It is especially easy when someone is trying to pass your guard as they are leaning away from you anyhow.  You just push them the way they are trying to go, and get your legs in.

Hello.  Anyone home?  Is that not what Ben has pretty much been telling me from day one.  Duh!

It may not work as well, when someone is hunkering down in your guard, but that doesn't happen very often unless it's a roll toward the end of class and people are feeling gassed.

Anyway, that was probably the biggest "duh" moment I have experienced since I started Jiujitsu.

Hey Laura

Good luck tomorrow!


Can't wait to hear about it!


And good luck to Jimmy too!  One of my team mates is fighting at Abu Dhabi this weekend.

Drills

Sometimes I am convinced that our instructor makes us do drills with the soul purpose of us looking stupid for his amusement.  lol

Last night we did the dragon walk with someone, a full grown someone, on our backs.  A butterfly guard drill, where you get someone into your butterfly guard with double under hooks, lean back, extend your legs moving the person as far away as you can, put them back on the mat, then scoot into them... rinse and repeat all the way across the mat.  We also did a drill in which one person stands, and the other person jumps guard, and monkies them self under the arm, around to the back, under the other arm, and back to guard.  It is not only hard to do, but hard to have someone do to you.

I do actually understand the purpose of those drills, but still.  lol

It was a good night as far as rolls go too.  Well, kind of crappy for me but in a good way.

I rolled with both my instructors and my favorite person to grapple in that school.

My grapple with a fellow student was first.  He probably has about 20 pounds on me, is my hight and around my skill level, but he is VERY acrobatic, and just generally fun to grapple.  Last night I decided to try a few new things and they all went badly for me, but I had fun in the process.  I had him in North-South, a position  I don't normally do, and he scooted himself out a bit, and somehow managed to flip himself from his back clean over my head on to my back with both his hooks in, in one fluid motion.  I was so impressed I didn't care that he had my back.

I rolled with my instructor Mario after that.  Mario has always grappled me just above my skill level, keeping me on my toes and moving.  He lets me try things, but doesn't give them to me, and if I do something wrong, he will show me what it was I did wrong... the hard way.  hehe - That being said, Mario almost never goes for submissions with me unless I am doing something ultra wrong, in which case, I want to get submitted for it.  I learn best that way.  I love grappling Mario.

My last grapple of the night, was with my other instructor Ben.  Generally, Ben is the type of grappler who is more of a reactor versus trying to force things.  If you push, he goes with it instead of pushing back.  If you lean, he rolls you over.   My roll with him last night was much different though.  He kept me locked up the entire grapple, almost to the point of frustration.

He explained afterward the purpose of his grappling that way.  He wanted us to experience other types of grappling, and it was a very, very effective way of teaching us.  If he told us before hand the point wouldn't have been made as clearly.  Just like, when someone says, don't stick your neck out like that or you will get choked... versus choking me, and then telling me.  If you just tell me, you will probably have to tell me 10 times before I even think about remembering.

My grapple with Ben had several other bonuses too.  The main one being that NAGA is just around the corner, and in my past tournaments I have gotten locked up, and I desperately want to avoid that this time around.  So, working to get out from under a large male brown belt (who wasn't even going anywhere near 100%) was a great way to prepare for getting out from under a 135 pound white belt female.  It was also AWESOME cardio, and I need that too if I want to be grappling 135 pound girls in 2.5 weeks.

He seemed to feel bad about having grappled us that way, but I understand why he did what he did, and I am glad he did it.  Thanks Ben!

Woohoo! I worked it in!

I was going for knee on belly tonight, and I got it!  Once.

Though, honestly I only rolled with two people I was willing to do it to, one of which was Rhino... and of course I couldn't do it to him.  The other was another female white belt, and she happens to be the only female I train with who is larger then I am.  The other girls are so tiny, as in they barely push 100 pounds, that I couldn't being myself to go knee on belly with them.

I was happy.  That was really the only time I have ever gone to class with a direct agenda.  I normally go thinking, I am going to try to work sweeps, or work on getting on top, and staying there... something vague... but this time I went with a plan, and was actually able to pull it off.

I didn't hold it for very long, but it was because she asked me to get off.

I may ask Fabio if he would be willing to put me with more guys since NAGA is right around the corner.   I really do not like to roll hard with the smaller girls, esp considering I have more training them most of them.

We also worked gi chokes... pretty basic ones, but I always notice new little things when we do them, and Ben showed a few of the girls an AWESOME little trick that makes the choke so super tight.  I got to use it in a grapple as well.  Yay for chokes.  The only submissions I can ever work.  lol

White gi?

I am about to get a new gi.

I keep going back and fourth on which gi I want... and I keep leaning toward a white one, but then I look at the guys white gis in class, and they look so nasty.

Blood, dirt, yellowy sweat stains... Ew.

It is that the guys don't care what their gi looks like, or is white just that hard to keep looking clean?

I'm a little slow...

... but I just realized NAGA is in three weeks!

I always seem to panic and worry the closer it gets.  Hopefully, I will be able to keep my head in the game once I actually get there.

I did okay mentally in at the NAGA in November, but I was a wee bit more nervous at De la Riva, my first competition (See below... lol)

I feel like I have so much to do!   ..Other then get down to light weight.

*Panic*

My body is currently in the process of leaving my reproductive options open, (Even though, I clearly told it there is no need!)  So it is hard to gauge where I am falling in my weight loss goal.

Knee on Belly!

We went over knee on belly/chest today.

I'd never even bothered with it before.  I thought it looked unstable, and kind of weird, but it is not in the least.  Once you center your head over your hips, and post out with the leg that is not on the belly, it is totally doable.  I never can get to work what we drilled that day into that class's grapples because it is fresh in everyones minds and people are looking for it, but Monday night I am going to go for it.

I am really excited to try it.

However, I am kind of bony, and I am already bruising from all the shins across my hips.  Woohoo, for looking like a battered woman....  lol

Why is it...

On days I feel like I need to blow off some steam the most, I am unable to get to Jiujitsu.

Or is it that, the day is more annoying when I know I can't grapple?

Either way, I hate days I don't get to class.

I have a question for you other grapplers out there....

I know a few of you have stopped by once or twice before... So, I will toss this out there in case someone happens to drop by.

What is an appropriate thing for a white belt to say to a higher belt after a grapple?

I generally say something to the effect of, "Thank you, that was fun."  Or "Thank you that was helpful."  If they had been giving me instruction during the grapple, but I always feel like saying "That was fun." is condescending is some way. .. and I have no idea how to respond to "Good roll."  lol - I say thank you, but I feel like saying "You too".. or some other sort of reciprocating comment would be stupid coming from me.  I'm just a white belt, what do I know of a 'good roll'.

I may just be over thinking things, but I want to be respectful, and show gratitude, but I also don't want to sound like a moron, or sound like I think I am awesome.

Hey wait a second, I thought I had legs..

Tonight I grappled a perfect example of a gentle giant.  His name is Ryan, but we call him Rhino.  He is an awesome blue belt.  He is kind of gigantic, but he is methodical, and fluid while he grapples.  He has ever once even come close to muscling me, or crushing me.  He is SUPER tight, but I have never once felt like he was using his strength or weight advantage in a grapple, and he is one of the few people who don't crush me inadvertently. (Using your weight is part of Jiu-jitsu, so it is the nature of the game to get crushed by proper technique.  And I absolutely do not mean to say that Rhino uses improper technique, but that he is so in control he can go a little more slowly, and be aware of his partner.  He is extremely considerate, and does so with out sacrificing technique.)

It has been a while since I have gotten to grapple him, so I'd forgotten just how fluid he is.

Anyhow, like I said before I have been working my open guard for the past couple of weeks... trying to work my sweeps, and a few submissions from there.

While I was grappling Rhino tonight he completely controlled my legs.  I don't think I had both of my legs free at the same time the entire five minutes.  ...and I felt completely gimped.  I have been neglecting my upper body.  So, my new focus is going to be using my upper body AND lower half at the same time.  lol  I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing that I have been so focused on using the lower half of my body, because I didn't use it much at all before.  And now I at least have one half of my body that I don't feel completely out of sync with.

This was a good eye opener.  Thanks Rhino!  =)

Let's call it motivation...

I just remembered that I had not seen the photos taken at my first competition.

I was scrolling through them, 90% of them were photos of people with their medals, and the banner.  The other 9% were of the one black belt fight.   That's 99%, I know.  The other pictures:

Why yes, that is me being triangled.  Thanks Second Annual De la Riva Cup, thanks.

lol

The crushee, becomes the crusher...

... for once.  hehe

Normally when someone gets me into a solid side control, it forces the air out of my lungs, and crushes my rib cage.  It sucks, but I suck it up and keep on going.  Good side control hurts, I have accepted that.

Tonight, I made a male blue belt who is bigger then me, groan that same groan I do when someone gets me in a tight side control.

I popped off, thinking I had accidentally hurt him in some way.  He laughed at me, and said, "No, your side control is tight, you are crushing me a little."

Granted, I only had him in side control because he let me have a pity guard pass, but still... baby steps, baby steps...  I will take my minuscule, little, tight side control victory.

Hello wall.... Go away!

I appear to have hit a wall in my quest to lightweight.  ... and it is pissing me off.

I haven't lost anything in three days, and today, I gained!

I am going to have to up my cardio.  I am going to run (or walk depending on if I have to take the kids in the stroller) three times a day on days I don't grapple, and twice on days I do... and once on the days I go to class twice.

Cardio three times a day, no carbs after 3:00, and even though I am eating right I am going to start counting every calorie I put into my mouth.

If I do that, and don't start losing again there is no way my body is going to give up any more fat with out doing damage.

So as it turns out, everyone was right.

I have been working my open guard for the past few weeks.  In my competitions, I got locked up in guard -  too scared to let go.  So, I've been trying to get comfortable pulling guard, transitioning to butterfly guard and going from there...which is normally spider guard or De la Riva guard....(Yeah yeah, I know.. I'm a guard girl right now..)  Or if one of the higher belts are feeling generous, a sweep.  Though, I have found myself getting sweeps pretty regularly on other white belts, and last night I found another sweep I can pull off from butterfly guard... I had someone in butterfly guard, and they stood up.  I grabbed their lapel, and swept them over my head instead of to the side like I do when they are on their knees, and landed square in mount.  I don't think I could have done that if they were on their knees.  Generally when I sweep from there, I will land side control.  I am getting a little better, and do get mount sometimes... and sometimes I land on my side 2 feet from the person I swept.  Momentum fail.  I don't think there is any where to land except in mount when I sweep over my head.  I'll have to try it again the next time someone stands up...  It could have been a fluke.

Another thing I have noticed, is my submissions.... They have always been hot garbage.  I almost never get them, and if I do manage to land one, I could never finish them.  Everyone said not to worry about it, that I should focus on positions, and my submissions would come in time.  And finally, they seem to be coming!  lol I'm starting to get triangles from spider guard, and I've even finished a few.  I have been pulling off gi chokes a lot more often now too.  I am still an arm bar idiot, and don't even get me started on the lower half of the body.  Though, I feel like I am making a little progress in the submission department, so I am happy.

So as it turns out, everyone was right.  I stopped worrying about submissions, focused on my positions and movement, and viola! .. . Viola, I am slightly less crappy then I was before.  =)

Another great night!

A few people missed the belt graduation ceremony so Fabio held a second one for those who couldn't make it.

We also took a group shot for MMA Worldwide Magazine... and I had someone sneak one with my camera too, so I finally have a shot of the team!  Yay!  Though, there were a lot of people missing.  Which seems odd considering the mat was PACKED!

Here is another shot with just the girls since a few more where there last night:

Good news!

My rib is well enough to grapple, which means, NAGA is a go!

I can feel it when I take deep breaths, bend certain ways, and when I pull things with my left arm.  But I can grapple with it.

I am on pace to make it to lightweight by February 13th.

I also found out that the April NAGA was cancelled, but there is a Grapplers Quest tournament that same weekend.  So, I can still compete for my birthday!  Woohooo!


AND - I have decided on a gi.  http://www.fenomkimonos.com/  I just have to stop dumping all my extra money into competitions so I can afford one.  hehe

I fall slightly out of the size range, but I love their gis, and I love their message.

I also got a second stripe last night.  =) .. and for the second time, I have mixed feelings...  Proud that my instructor thinks I deserve a stripe, but also undeserving and embarrassed.  It is an interesting combination of emotions.  lol

I think I popped a rib last night...

Which means no February NAGA for me.  =(

I really hope I am just just hyper aware of it right now, and it's not actually as bad as I think it is.   I'll just have to feel it out a bit, and wait.

Best case scenario, I am losing mat time with a competition right around the corner.  =(

I am going to keep trying to get down to light weight in case I am wrong about my rib.... and in the mean time stop rolling with 200+ pound men.

It was nothing he did wrong, if anything it was something he did right.  My body doesn't like supporting that kind of weight, and the the front side of my left ribcage is just prone to injury.

I think I might go crawl into bed and cry like a baby.

I live in Florida...

...and it is snowing in my front yard right now.

Crazy!

Uhh, please get your butt cheeks off of my face cheeks....

Tonight someone sat on my face.  I mean...  Here let me take a seat with my sweaty man butt right on your face. I've had my face briefly crammed in to someones butt before, and I'm sure I have brushed my butt up against a face or two, but never have I had someone just sit down on my face.  LOL


Anyway!

Tonight was great!  It was a belt graduation.  5 people got new belts, and lots of people got stripes.  It was so nice to see so many people get recognition for their hard work.  It was especially fun to watch everyone who got their new belt get thrown repeatedly.  Fabio has a tradition that when someone moves up a belt, everyone who out ranks them get to throw them... three times.  There were 24 throwers which means everyone, except Mario who only got thrown by the purple+, got thrown 72 times.  It was, for the most part all in good fun with a few over zealous take downs, but all in all, I think things like that bring everyone closer together.  And that is one of the things I love most about Fabio's school.  It is like a family... a giant manly butt kicking family... and I love them.  =)

Mario getting his purple belt!  Go Mario!!

Some of the girls I grapple with

Some people getting their roll on.

All the people on the left, are going to throw the people on the right, three times each.

Mario getting tossed by Kyle.

Mario getting tossed by PP.

Maybe I shouldn't have done that...

I was poking around with my settings and saw I could change the URL of my blog.  Since I started this blog before I became obsessed with Jiujitsu, the URL no longer made sense for this blog.... so I changed it.  Oops.

Now, it's http://jiujitsunista.blogspot.com/

And thanks, Paul, for coming up with Jiujitsunista.  I think it is my favorite word ever.

This is the last one, I swear.

I know I've posted news articles the past two days, but I just came across another one I wanted to share.

I came across this little blurb about my team, Brotherhood BJJ.

http://www.bjjlegends.com/bjj/home-mainmenu-1/item/270-new-florida-based-bjj-team-brotherhood-bjj-wins-big.html

Woohoo Brotherhood!

---

In class last night we worked take downs. Allie and I both pulled or jumped guard in the November NAGA, so they went over some pretty basic take downs that would work well for us in competition. I think the heel pick, which seems to be the most basic take down, will work well for me with my go-go gadget arms. We did one minute drills where one pair at a time went and tried to take each other down, and once we were on the mat we got back up and started again. I managed two take downs, which also happens to be the total number of take downs I have done in my short BJJ career.... in a competition or otherwise. So, I have officially doubled my total number of live take downs. hehe =) 2 to 4... baby steps, baby steps.

This NAGA I am going to at least attempt take downs. I jumped guard every single time in November, and both fights I lost, I lost by one point. Had I taken them down instead of jumping guard I could have won. So, that is my goal for February... take someone down.

Allie and I are going to get to class early for the next few weeks and just drill the takes downs over and over until a week or two before NAGA. Most of my major bumps and bruises have been from take downs and throws and we want to give our selves some time to recover.

And weight wise, I was up .2 today. Boo! That puts me .1 behind schedule.

My instructor was in the paper...

My instructor, Fabio Novaes was awarded NAGA's 2009 Instructor of the Year. There was an article in the paper this morning about it.

http://www.theledger.com/article/20100104/NEWS/1045052/1002/SPORTS?Title=Fabio-Novaes-Approach-To-Brazilian-Jiu-Jitsu-Is-Award-Winning

I might be a little bias, but I believe he is totally deserving of the award, and I truly feel lucky to be one of his students.

Here is a picture I snapped while he was being given his award at NAGA:

147 even this morning. Woohoo, still on track.

I'm pretty sure pregnant ladies don't grapple.

One of my best friends was in the paper this weekend, for having the first baby of the new year.

http://www.theledger.com/article/20100101/NEWS/1015030

It also happens to be her seventh child. lol

She is one of those women who make the rest of us look bad. She always looks great, her house is always clean, and she gives thank you cards for everything. How she manges to do that with seven kids is beyond me. I struggle to keep my house from looking like a hole, and looking like I live in a hole with my two.

Selah and I:

In other news:

I was 147.6 this morning.

Nemesis!

No, no, I am not talking about my brother in law for once.

This is my new nemesis:

The holidays are finally over... and the least fun week of the month will be over in a day or two... and so help me, if the number on the scale does not start going down... Well, bad things will happen to the scale, and I will start pounding the pavement like a crazy person.

No more excuses... no more tapping out of running after the kids are in bed... no more of Zaile's potty training M&Ms... and no more cheese trays!

I will get down to light weight. I will do it right, and I will not be a zombie on competition day. but to do that, I will have to have an iron will.

I just weighed my self... 148.2 -Thank you holidays.

I want to get to 133 ideally. The cut off is 134.9, but I need to take clothes and being a living human body into consideration so I want to give myself a little wiggle room.

Warning!

Nerd brain calculations:

15.2 pounds is what I need to lose, and if I do not weigh in the night before, I have 42 days to lose it. I need to average a loss of .37 pounds a day...

My current BMI is 21.9

I need to get it down to 19.6

I will post my weight, and BMI every day.