Fighting Through Life

This weekend I had my IBJJF debut at purple belt in the Gi and No-Gi divisions at the prestigious Jiu-Jitsu con tournament in Las Vegas. I competed in the feather division for both Gi and NoGi landing me at 149 lb and 154.6 lb in each division respectively. Overall, I went 2-2 on the weekend with only one win coming from an actual match. I wanted to use this platform to discuss some of the things that happened in these matches, and reflect on what went wrong, what went well, and what I learned.

Match 1 Gi: I won my first Gi match by advantages trying to pass my opponents guard with some tight pressure passing to the outside and hard knee cuts. My opponents’ coaches highly contested the results of the match forcing me and my opponent to stand on the mat for an extra 20 minutes before they confirmed that I had won the match.

Match 2 Gi: I lost by a bow and arrow choke to the #6 ranked guy in the world and the eventual champion of the entire division. Before I was submitted, he had a hefty lead of about 11 points, but this doesn’t show how close I feel like we were in skill. He did a great job playing the rule set and using his speed to his advantage throughout the whole match (He was probably the fastest guy I’ve ever fought in Gi). In addition, he moved with purpose in every scramble we had, gripping my Gi in the right places in every scramble to keep me from scoring anything of my own. It was an honor to share the mats with him and compete with one of the best in the world, to see how I stack up with the highest level of competition. Unfortunately for me, the bow and arrow choke he was able to get off was very cool and highlight reel worthy, meaning there’s a clip online of me now getting choked the hell out by this monster.

Match 1 No-Gi: My opponent no showed, so I won by default. Not really worth much in the long run I feel bad for my opponent for not being able to show, but it also upsets me as I didn’t have the opportunity to showcase my skills more or get a chance to compete with another athlete. Certainly not the way I want to win a match ever, I always want to win due to my own skills.

Match 2 No-Gi: My coaches talked to me about my opponent in this match, saying that he seemed to be a guard player who wants to be on the ground and may have a decent passing game if they manage to get the sweep. Oh, how wrong were they when I bumped hands with him and immediately engaged in a standing grip fight, wrestling for the first three minutes of the match. Now his wrestling was good, and so is mine, but recently I’ve gotten gun shy on some of my standup stuff and for whatever reason, I decided to jump guard after a few minutes to create some action in the match. Boy, was I wrong to do that, as the pressure I was about to go through would be immense as my opponent slowly, intently, and maliciously passed my guard earning his first three points of the match. Now down 3-0, I had to work to come back up for some points of my own and he had all the luxury in the world to just slow me down and coast for the next 2-3 minutes. Eventually, after I tried everything in my power to re-guard, sweep, or submit my opponent I gave up another three and lost 6-0 in the end. This opponent went on to place third in the entire division.

What Did I do Well?

First of all, I need to say to myself and make it clear that I am happy with how I performed under immense pressure this weekend, as I never let this bother me and make me feel like I lost the match before I stepped foot on the mats. Secondly, I’m proud of my ability to make adjustments in the middle of matches and listen to my coaches, even during times of high level-fast action competition. Lastly, I think I’ve made some good strides in my level of conditioning these past few months of training, yet I know I need to improve in this area still. Overall, I did a lot of things right and I’m proud of myself for getting out there, but I am FAR from satisfied with my performance.

What Did I do Poorly?

I think I panicked on my feet in NoGi once I felt my opponent was a good wrestler, and allowed that panic to change my game plan, something that potentially cost me the match. Next, I feel like my game plan, or my ‘go to’ moves need a lot more work than I thought when it comes to this level of competition. I found that my opponents are students of the game, especially the people who won both divisions, their matches were fun to watch as they just understood the sport and the ruleset enough to exploit them for their own performance. So, watching film, studying the rulesets, and enacting them into my own practice is a necessity moving forward if I ever want to accomplish the goals I have.

What Did I Learn?

More than anything I learned that I am more than able to compete with the best in the world. Not just that, but I believe that I’m only a few steps behind them when it comes to our athleticism and our ability levels. Therefore, with the right training and education, my visions of the top of the podium are certainly attainable. I learned this weekend that when it comes to the Gi especially, working from the guard seems to be king in terms of having the upper hand/advantage over your competitors as long as you play it right. Thus, meaning it’s time for me to become a dirty guard puller, and put my wrestling ability as my backup plan, rather than my A game. Lastly, I learned that I have a great team, and coach behind me that believe in me more than I believe in myself sometimes, and I will have to continue learning how to lean on them in and out of the training room.

Moving Forward

After a weekend of debauchery in Las Vegas, getting some well-deserved rest and relaxation, I intend to get right back into the training room and get after some of the lessons I learned this weekend in the training room as well as the weight room. But more than anything, I couldn’t be more excited to spend some time with my loved ones and hopefully begin my long and prestigious career as an occupational therapist when we get back home to Colorado. As always, all thanks to my competitors for sharing the mats with me, my teammates for having my back, and for all of my friends and family for constantly believing in me through every setback, downfall, and success.