It's a family affair?

So my wife mentioned she would like to try out Jiu Jitsu after watching me roll in the tournament. This is a pretty big deal to me as I am excited to share BJJ with her. My wife's story has it's challenges. she was a college athlete (Track Team Captain) and is tall at 5'10. I actually think her frame is quite well suited for BJJ, but she will need to work hard to get herself into physical shape for the sport.

She is a cancer survivor- having had her thyroid removed 2 years ago due to an enormous tumor that had developed there. I am grateful that the cancer had not spread, but there were consequences including depression, and an irregular metabolism which promoted weight gain- also causing depression. Fortunately, these past few months she has fought her way out of that cycle, engaging in a diet program, and calorie monitoring as well as increased physical activity.

I made the call to Professor Larry to inquire about bringing Shannon in for the trial, and discovered that family membership was financially realistic. Soon Shannon was in her first class learning how to choke people. SHE LIKED IT!

in the following weeks our enthusiasm is shining through- for our 3rd anniversary She got a new BJJ Gi that she had mentioned she liked. We also got a 4x8 grappling mat for the house (will be great for practicing position) She has been to a few classes, and already hurt her shoulder a bit, but I feel reasonably confident that she is still enjoying it, and will continue for the long run.

So now we are a family of grapplers... Here's to it!

BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU DOCUMENTARY (USA TV)

Braulio Estima - No Gi Counter Attack to underhook pass - Arm Lock

I'm actually quite eager to try this...

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First Competition... That could have gone better...

So let me preface this with the following disclaimer- I really don't think I did that great my first time rolling in competition. It was double elimination- I lost my first match after BADLY botching an attempted osotogari (here is a hint- I got my hips in front of my shoulders and damn near clotheslined myself- it is laughable). All I can say is my nerves got the best of me. My wife took a picture of me sitting on the mat prior to the match, and i look like the weight of the world was on my shoulders... just totally living inside my head.

The second match went better- instead of attempting a take down, I just jumped guard. Then it becomes a comedy of errors as he tries to break my guard and I try to sweep- always in the wrong direction. I also made the mistake of planting my hands on the mat, and when weight shifted I bent back the last two fingers of my hand- basically my pinky knuckle popped out, and my finger bent all the way back to where my finger knuckles touched the back of my hand- I looked at it and it looked like an alien claw for a second, and then my fingers popped back in- apparently nothing torn, or broken- 2 days later I have a nasty bruise across my palm, but that is it.
The match was halted so i could get some tape on it, and then we restarted from position- I then finished the match with a triangle (see my nifty new avatar.)

Here is the video of the second match

Part 1



Part 2






For the third match- I should have scratched- the hand was really bothering me once I had sat for a while, and I couldn't really grip very well with it. I made an attempt, but it was pretty sloppy- I got mounted, then frustrated, and finally choked. No fun, but i did learn several things

1. I need serious work on my takedowns

2. I have an escape from mount I want to try.

3. NEVER plant hands on the mat- if necessary, plant a fist instead.

4. I want to compete again, but next time i will put more focus into my preparation.

Blood Sport Saturday March 26th (delayed entry)

We worked on the triangle from the back lesson I got from Professor Dentinho during my "seminar". Professor Suskin stepped in to teach alongside Professor Junior. I must say we have awesome black belt resources available at Easton. Class went very well, and I was rolling with Brian who is one of our more talented Blue belts- also he is very fast, but I do have a size advantage (disadvantage depending how you look at it) as I have probably a foot of height, and 30 lbs on him.

During the rolling session I was actually putting it together pretty well- side control escapes to north-south mount, knee on belly spin to mount, but then as i was switching base to side control my nose started to bleed- end of rolling for the day. I am pretty sure i remember how it happened- it was during my side control escape wyhen I was pulling my head under and his weight landed on my face...

Note to self- turn head to the side when escaping side control.

Soap

There is an inextricable link between combat and soap. This is not only because author Chuck Palahniuk wrote the "Paper Street Soap Company" into the book Fight Club. the link has to do with the extreme hygiene needs of combat athletes, especially grapplers who spend a lot of time in direct contact with one another, and with the mats. Because of the nature of what we do there is a lot of potential for germ transfer, and infection. Anyone who has seen, or experienced a bout with ringworm or staph knows that the resulting infection can be disgusting, and potentially deadly.

For this reason I have decided to undertake the task of reviewing various anti-bacterial / anti-microbal soaps on the market. This includes, but is not limited to products marketed directly to people who train in combat sports. I am uniquely positioned to undertake this task since I am not only committed to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but I am also committed by way of marriage to a bonafide soap junkie. Having formerly managed the flagship store for an all natural cosmetics company, as well as having been the general manager of a boutique soap company that operated locally here in Denver, Shannon is well qualified to speak regarding the active ingredients in the products. As such she has agreed to assist me with the reviews I will write under the "soap" label. We will also be founding a new stand alone blog aimed directly at this subject where we will actually host the reviews which I will then link back here. Hope you enjoy the new subject matter!