Wow. Only five days short of a year and two months since my last post. I guess I've been gone awhile. I'll be honest: after that writing slump, I gave up on this blog. Time and energy seemed in short supply and sitting down to write these posts simply did not seem worth the effort. "So what changed?" you might ask. The answer to that question is hilariously long. In summary, almost everything has changed. I'm not sure what in particular changed my mind about this blog, however. I guess I just don't like the idea that I gave up on something. That I quit. Thankfully, there's an easy fix: just don't quit!
Even though I've been MIA from blogger, I've been as active as ever on the mats. The school actually changed locations, names, and owners since my last post, but class is much the same as ever! (Of course, classes are bigger than before, and much more colorful.) This week the school is actually closed for an end-of-school/beginning-of-summer break, and next Monday is Memorial Day, but with any luck I'll return to my original blogging schedule soon!
A few final updates before I go. I competed in two tournaments in the past year: Lutador in the fall and NAGA in the spring. (I attempted to compete in several others, but alas, it was not to be.) I placed 1st in Lutador (Gi-only), then 1st (No-Gi) and 2nd (Gi) in the teen expert division at NAGA. I was awarded my green belt following the first tournament and my first stripe after the second.
Showing posts with label tournament. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tournament. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
I'm back!!!
I think it's been like two months since my last post...sorry about that. I suppose I should have mentioned this in advance. I have a terrible tendency with writing (and art and occasionally reading) that for a while, anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, I will do a ton of writing. I'll write everyday or every other day or whenever I get a chance. But then I burn myself out and writing becomes a chore and I have trouble dragging myself to the computer to do it. Needless to say, I hit that point in December. Not really sure if I'm through it yet, but I can try.
I only made it to a few classes last month anyway. Between the weather and other commitments, I only actually made it to two gi classes last month. I should have guessed considering I got a new gi for Christmas that I was dying to wear. (Maybe I'll do a review for it later. I couldn't find a review for the women's before I bought it.)
I guess I never posted the results from the Newbreed tournament back in December. Short version - first place in Gi, first place in No-Gi, finally got to go against a girl!! So overall good tournament! I haven't competed any this year yet; I have a Tang Soo Do test (for 2nd degree black belt) in March that I would rather not get injured before. I think the my next tournament will probably be NAGA in July.
Class last night was good. We recently began spending a lot more class time drilling which honestly I really like. Last night we drilled a transition from side control, to scarf hold, to north south, and all the way around, then an open guard pass and a sit-up guard pass, and finally some submissions from the back. I didn't get in as many reps as usual last night because I was working with Caleb who constantly cycled through to give each pair a new technique to drill. My techniques were flowing pretty well though, which I was happy about.
Four rounds of rolling. Honestly, that was probably my best class in a while. I was caught in several submissions, but I recognized a defense for each, some of which worked and some of which didn't. My whole roll felt really smooth. Even rolling with the big guys I was doing better than usual. Hopefully this will hold up through tonight.
I only made it to a few classes last month anyway. Between the weather and other commitments, I only actually made it to two gi classes last month. I should have guessed considering I got a new gi for Christmas that I was dying to wear. (Maybe I'll do a review for it later. I couldn't find a review for the women's before I bought it.)
I guess I never posted the results from the Newbreed tournament back in December. Short version - first place in Gi, first place in No-Gi, finally got to go against a girl!! So overall good tournament! I haven't competed any this year yet; I have a Tang Soo Do test (for 2nd degree black belt) in March that I would rather not get injured before. I think the my next tournament will probably be NAGA in July.
Class last night was good. We recently began spending a lot more class time drilling which honestly I really like. Last night we drilled a transition from side control, to scarf hold, to north south, and all the way around, then an open guard pass and a sit-up guard pass, and finally some submissions from the back. I didn't get in as many reps as usual last night because I was working with Caleb who constantly cycled through to give each pair a new technique to drill. My techniques were flowing pretty well though, which I was happy about.
Four rounds of rolling. Honestly, that was probably my best class in a while. I was caught in several submissions, but I recognized a defense for each, some of which worked and some of which didn't. My whole roll felt really smooth. Even rolling with the big guys I was doing better than usual. Hopefully this will hold up through tonight.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Copa 2013
Summary:
Drafted to the boys division (again).
1st place in Gi - Won the first round by points and the second by submission.
3rd place in No-Gi - Lost both rounds by submission.
Sooooo, despite my efforts to ensure I fought a girl, I was once again the only one in my division and was moved to the equivalent guys division. There were other girls there; just not in my age and weight classes.
Match #1: Gi
My first match was against another orange belt named Chad. He was basically my size and age. It didn't take long to figure out that triangles were his favorite submission. He jumped straight to guard and tried pulling three different triangles before I could pass. I won the match on points, even though I spent most of the time in his guard.
Match #2: Gi
I was completely exhausted after my first match, but thankfully I had a bit of a break before round two. When I found out I might have a second match, I began hoping and praying it would be a girl this time. Lo and behold, it was another boy. A yellow belt thank goodness, but a boy nevertheless.
During the second half of this match, Caleb was competing, so Eric and Jonathan coached me instead. I got a deep collar grip right off the bat and pulled guard. After some grip fighting, guard passing, and sweeps (Still not sure how I managed to pull one off by the way), I finally managed to get my other hand in for the collar choke. Honestly, I was freaking out on the inside because Caleb helped me with this choke last month and although I had never successfully completed it during sparring, I knew my position was right. I didn't know how much time I had though, so when my hand slipped under his chin, I pulled my elbows to the mat and my knees to my chest. And it worked!
Match #1: No-Gi
Since my division had no changes from Gi to No-Gi, we went first (despite being the last round of Gi). I nearly had a heart attack when I walked back into the gym to hear them calling my name. This time, I was against Eli (the yellow belt) first. So, as you know, takedowns aren't exactly my strong point. He wasn't trying anything though, so I decided to go for something. I had decided what takedowns I wanted to look for ahead of time, but, of course, my mind went blank. So I tried the first takedown that came to mind, and did it wrong, despite the fact that I might have actually succeeded if I had tried my absolute favorite. And I would have gotten extra points. Urgg! Anyway, I went for a double leg, but too slowly because I was unsure, and left my back and neck wide open. So he did the logical thing: took my back and submitted me. I didn't do too terrible at defending once he was there, but I think I probably should've tapped a bit sooner.
Match #2: No-Gi
I had just enough time to swallow the lump in my throat before my final match began. Looking back, I'm honestly not sure how it happened, but I somehow jumped into a guillotine. Although after how short round one was, I wasn't about to let that be the end of it. By some miracle, I remembered enough of the defense to make it out alive. I got caught in a triangle when I broke his guard. I might have actually escaped, but my nose and mouth got covered and I had no choice but to tap. I felt really bad about it, but between the fatigue, the lack of oxygen, and the disappointment, I couldn't quite hold back a few tears.
Highlights
Things to work on:
Very, very sore today; especially my neck. Can't say I'm surprised though. Hopefully I'll be rested up enough for class tomorrow.
Drafted to the boys division (again).
1st place in Gi - Won the first round by points and the second by submission.
3rd place in No-Gi - Lost both rounds by submission.
Sooooo, despite my efforts to ensure I fought a girl, I was once again the only one in my division and was moved to the equivalent guys division. There were other girls there; just not in my age and weight classes.
Match #1: Gi
My first match was against another orange belt named Chad. He was basically my size and age. It didn't take long to figure out that triangles were his favorite submission. He jumped straight to guard and tried pulling three different triangles before I could pass. I won the match on points, even though I spent most of the time in his guard.
Match #2: Gi
I was completely exhausted after my first match, but thankfully I had a bit of a break before round two. When I found out I might have a second match, I began hoping and praying it would be a girl this time. Lo and behold, it was another boy. A yellow belt thank goodness, but a boy nevertheless.
During the second half of this match, Caleb was competing, so Eric and Jonathan coached me instead. I got a deep collar grip right off the bat and pulled guard. After some grip fighting, guard passing, and sweeps (Still not sure how I managed to pull one off by the way), I finally managed to get my other hand in for the collar choke. Honestly, I was freaking out on the inside because Caleb helped me with this choke last month and although I had never successfully completed it during sparring, I knew my position was right. I didn't know how much time I had though, so when my hand slipped under his chin, I pulled my elbows to the mat and my knees to my chest. And it worked!
Match #1: No-Gi
Since my division had no changes from Gi to No-Gi, we went first (despite being the last round of Gi). I nearly had a heart attack when I walked back into the gym to hear them calling my name. This time, I was against Eli (the yellow belt) first. So, as you know, takedowns aren't exactly my strong point. He wasn't trying anything though, so I decided to go for something. I had decided what takedowns I wanted to look for ahead of time, but, of course, my mind went blank. So I tried the first takedown that came to mind, and did it wrong, despite the fact that I might have actually succeeded if I had tried my absolute favorite. And I would have gotten extra points. Urgg! Anyway, I went for a double leg, but too slowly because I was unsure, and left my back and neck wide open. So he did the logical thing: took my back and submitted me. I didn't do too terrible at defending once he was there, but I think I probably should've tapped a bit sooner.
Match #2: No-Gi
I had just enough time to swallow the lump in my throat before my final match began. Looking back, I'm honestly not sure how it happened, but I somehow jumped into a guillotine. Although after how short round one was, I wasn't about to let that be the end of it. By some miracle, I remembered enough of the defense to make it out alive. I got caught in a triangle when I broke his guard. I might have actually escaped, but my nose and mouth got covered and I had no choice but to tap. I felt really bad about it, but between the fatigue, the lack of oxygen, and the disappointment, I couldn't quite hold back a few tears.
Highlights
- I successfully completed a cross choke.
- I tried a takedown. It may not have gone as planned, but at least I tried.
Things to work on:
- Guard passing
- Double leg takedowns
- Defense against triangles (especially in No-Gi)
Very, very sore today; especially my neck. Can't say I'm surprised though. Hopefully I'll be rested up enough for class tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Monday, October 28
Monday's class was big again. Wow! This might actually become the new class size! After warm-up, we drilled two ways to do a basic double leg. The first required too much strength to be an effective takedown for smaller people (like me), so I personally preferred the second. We then proceeded to drill a basic triangle from guard and a guard pass. I always appreciate working on guard passes in class because it seems that that is one of the weakest parts of my game. I usually have about as much trouble breaking the guard open as passing it. For some reason, I tend to gravitate towards standing guard breaks and passes (which is what we drilled tonight). I'm honestly not sure why though, because whenever I spend much time in the guard, my legs get exhausted just holding up the extra weight. Then they feel about as useful as limp noodles.
Sadly, I didn't get much rolling in tonight. Five rounds total, but I had to sit out two in a row due to lack of training partner. Two rolls with newer(ish) white belts and one good roll with Caleb to finish up.
One of the Tang Soo Do guys from Hebron was trying class for the first time last night. He seemed to really enjoy it. I think I'll wait awhile to roll with him though and see how hard he goes. (He's a little scary to spar with since he's stronger than he realizes and is still learning control. Just being cautious here.)
Preparing for a tournament this weekend. Of course, this would be the one week that I just can't be at class Tuesday night. Oh well. I'm planning on calling the organizers Friday to make sure there are some other girls signed up for my division. My luck, I would show up and have no one to compete against.
Sadly, I didn't get much rolling in tonight. Five rounds total, but I had to sit out two in a row due to lack of training partner. Two rolls with newer(ish) white belts and one good roll with Caleb to finish up.
One of the Tang Soo Do guys from Hebron was trying class for the first time last night. He seemed to really enjoy it. I think I'll wait awhile to roll with him though and see how hard he goes. (He's a little scary to spar with since he's stronger than he realizes and is still learning control. Just being cautious here.)
Preparing for a tournament this weekend. Of course, this would be the one week that I just can't be at class Tuesday night. Oh well. I'm planning on calling the organizers Friday to make sure there are some other girls signed up for my division. My luck, I would show up and have no one to compete against.
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