Monday, April 12, 2010

Gracie Barra Cerritos and Gracie Barra Santa Ana

Last week I had the pleasure of going down to Gracie Barra Cerritos and participating in the advanced class with Professor Alexandre "Dande" Santos. I know some people might think that training at another academy is pointless or even disrespectful to your own academy perhaps, but my mentality is that rolling with people other than my training partners can be beneficial. I'm currently the only female at my academy that trains in all of the classes. Besides Professor Romulo's wife and the few ladies that stream in and never stay, I have no one my size and strength to compare myself to. With the competition around the corner I figured I'd take my game and try it elsewhere and gain some or any confidence to bring onto the mat with me. I took my chances not knowing whether any girls were going to be in attendance and luckily there was a blue belt female present that was even smaller than me. After I was given a Gracie Barra gi to wear (at my academy it is not mandatory to have a GB gi) I bowed in and entered the class not even knowing the female was there until after the warm-up. I'm pretty sure she was just small enough to hide behind the pole. I was paired up with her and we worked on techniques. We learned the fireman takedown along with a counter if the person does have their grip on our collar. We worked on getting an armbar from the back and rolled. I went against the girl blue belt and 4 other blue belt guys. I can't tell you how happy I was that every guy I rolled with was either about my size and even if they were bigger, they had better technique than I. The overall feel was real nurturing and I felt that as a guest I was treated really well. As far as the teaching goes, attention to detail and support were paid attention to and when coaching Dande made me feel like everything I was doing was right, but he would add how I could do or make it better and the best way to advance my position. Definitely looking forward to going back. Thank you Dande and thank you training partners :).

Two days later I made my way down to Santa Ana to attend Professor Ulpiano Malachias' advanced class. I attempted to make it down for the fundamentals class at 5 but unfortunately leaving at 3 o clock was not the best idea and no, I would NOT beat the rush hour traffic. Cause of course rush hour traffic anywhere in or around Los Angeles starts around 2 and ends around 7 if you're lucky-- especially on the 5 freeway. After a rough 2 and a half hours of butt-numbing monotonous stop-and-go bumper-to-bumper sleep-inducing road congestion, I landed at my destination. I walked into the academy and heard "Legacy" as if I had just earned my first nickname. Jeff, Ulpiano's star purple belt greeted me behind the desk and after exchanging some words realized we had been on the same mat before at Legacy Pasadena for Braulio Estima's seminar. I think the best dude, besides the professor of course, was Mick, the suuhhhhhthern speaking, generous, outgoing, hard-working blue belt who became my partner for technique. We learned a throw, a choke from mount and its different variations. Luckily a girl walked in and became my rolling partner. Ulpiano had me work on passing her guard and although she was my size and stature that girl was strong. He coached me and had me work on pushing her leg down to the mat and getting my knee through while pressing my chest to hers-- a technique I was familiar with but needed some tuning up. After rolling a little I felt my big toe collapse under my weight. Being part monkey I use my toes like opposable thumbs and twist and turn on them and this time it stung. I've never had any type of serious injury so I sat while Ulpiano worked with Crystal investigating the damage. He asked me what was wrong, grabbed my toe to see if it was broken I'm assuming and told me it was no problem. All of Ulpiano's students are tough, even his girls. If you ever wanted to learn how to have the heart of a lion, go to this academy. Professor keeps it serious and doesn't allow whining or bitching. And that's something I do a lot. Later he taught me some nice guard passes, a sneaky submission from side control (which I've yet to use but will) and a triangle defense that I really need to work on before I can feel confident using. The students at GB Santa Ana are tough, persistent and serious about their training. I think I can take from the visit, a feeling of confidence not necessarily in my technique but in my drive and perseverance. If you want it bad enough, you'll get it with hard work. Obrigada Mick, Jeff, Crystal, Professor Ulpiano and the others I was able to hang and joke around with, see you again real soon.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

I think I'll start a BJJ blog

The idea of starting a brazilian jiu jitsu blog is like assuming you know something about bjj worth reading. I'm currently a white belt at Legacy MMA in Encino, CA under Alberto Crane and Romulo Barral. I am by no means a prodigy, an athletic superstar, a technical genius or a champion of any kind. This blog is intended to give insight, and very detailed insight at that, into my life as a female jiu jitsu enthusiast. That includes reading about my frustrations, issues with the sport (which may be common or maybe exclusive to my experiences or even just as a female), random epiphanies that none of my teammates want to listen to anymore, venting/ranting (I'll keep it to a minimum), my reviews or random shit, my visits to other gyms, my competition triumphs and losses and just my overall journey in the wonderful jiu jitsu world. I figured the first post should at least include how I came up on the sport and how it went from an interest to what is now a lifestyle for me.
I started jiu jitsu nearly a year and a half after I first became aware it existed. Although my first encounter was a great, educational one, it took me awhile to get off my lazy ass and have enough initiative to get into a gym and onto a mat. I was first introduced to bjj by an amazing guy from Maryland named Kenny. He and I became acquaintances through a music scene and in 2008, first met when I picked him up from a snazzy apartment in Hollywood. We had talked before and when he mentioned he would be out my way I offered to hang out with him and show him around. I remember being mad at him for not knowing exact directions to where I could pick him up which resulted in me blocking a whole gated entrance and having to maneuver my car into and out of traffic just for some guy I was hoping wasn't a total asshole. As soon as he got in my car and extended his hand with a smile, I was relieved. I had known he was out in CA for some martial art competition he referred to as "Pan Ams" but I dismissed it as some dude bro afterschool high school type extracurricular activity competition..thing. We drove down to Carson since, although he had already competed the day before, wanted to go down and support his teammates. I didn't have anything specific on the agenda so I obliged, interested in figuring out what the hell it was that would make him fly to the other side of the country to compete. When we got there, I just followed him around since I didn't know anyone but him, barely. First I noticed the massive amounts of people and then once we were inside the large gym, the lining of mats with barriers covered with people rooting and yelling and what I later realized was coaching. We were there for hours and I was introduced to some of Kenny's teammates, he pointed out some monumental people to which I had no idea about and I asked a million and one questions. Let's see, I learned about points, the belt system, if there was a reason for the different colored gis, what this dark substance was that everyone was eating, who these foreign people that were yelling some other language, what the other language was and where these people were from and why there were so many, and where the hell all the girls were. We checked the bracket and were able to catch one of Felicia Oh's match which was exciting. After that, I was hooked. I figured that wrestling with my jackass guy friends in 9th and 10th grade was enough experience to start and my creepy (suiting word) flexibility would be of use, finally. After that weekend I researched some gyms closest to me but wasn't ready to make the commitment for some stupid reason I can't remember. Probably had to do with the fact I was too shy and scared to walk into any gym and ask "Where do I sign up!?" I think I even added one academy on myspace, leaving a message in the add request that I was planning on stopping by to check it out sometime as if that was some constellation or step towards doing the damn thing! It eventually just got put on the back burner so to speak, and literally a bullet on my list of things to do and accomplish. In fact, it was in between getting good grades that college semester and becoming a criminal investigator so you can imagine the importance I ended up placing on it. Finally, a friend of mine had shown interest in joining a gym and I figured we'd look into gyms together. Again, I lagged hard and he joined one and left me in the dust so I knew it was time for me to start. I knew there was a gym near my work next to the subway I always went to for lunch. I lagged some more before going in since I wanted a friend to go with me. One day in July my friend Jessi and I were doing our usual swimming, eating, making plans for the night summer routine when I decided to check the online schedule and rush her out the door with me to make sure we didn't miss the last jiu jitsu class of the night. Got there, filled out a paper, went back the next day at noon and I haven't quit (or lost interest!) since then.
I'm 8 months into it and my drive to get better and more involved becomes stronger every time I train. Four days from now I'll be competing in the same event that established my interest in what is now a huge priority in my life. I don't think anyone who knows me would have expected me to be so attached and passionate about not only jiu jitsu but any sport for that matter considering I've never played a sport in my life (unless you count peewee basketball in the 3rd grade or that week of cheerleading tryouts in 11th grade which nearly killed me.) The only hobbies or activities I picked up were girl scouts until I was 18 (I know, right? most girls realized how "uncool" is was at the age of 11 but hell, I stuck around!) and playing trumpet after being in band for two years in middle school. Two things that, besides the physical aspects in girl scout troop competitions and learning to breathe from my diaphragm, have nothing to do with jiu jitsu. Since that first class I've started and continued to train religiously, obtained three stripes on my white belt, visited and trained in other gyms, some in other states, competed three times, picked up some portuguese, made plans to go to Brazil, gained much more strength and endurance, sacrificed acrylic nails, become what looks like a beaten mistress with all my bruises, forfeited my femininity (okay, kidding) and created reasonable long term and short term goals that have helped me live a happier and healthier life.
For those competing in Pan Ams this year, good luck and I'll see you on the mats. For those attending to support me, thank you and I love you and for those at all interested, the tournament will take place on April 08th, 09th, 10th and 11th in University California Irvine, Irvine - California.
100 Bren event center,
University California Irvine
Irvine, California 92697