What was different this time around?

• Started to invest in some Jiu-jitsu podcasts and books
• Signed up for BOTH no Gi and Gi.
• Inspiring moments

Podcast/Books

No Gi Bracket (3 Fighters)

No Gi bout caught me off guard as the time for it switched to closer than on time. I didn’t have much time to stretch or warm up so I was high-strung but it might have been to my advantage.

No Gi Bout 1

My opponent looked very intimidating but skills always triumph as well as having Coach in my corner (he didn’t have a Coach – I know how that feels based on my 1^st competition .

No Gi Bout 2 – Round 1 + Overtime

“Won by decision” in the second bout meaning we tied 2-2 but the ref said I won (Cool, new experience).

Gi Bracket (3 Fighters)

Should have made use of the downtime. Was stalling too much and I think also was in a cooldown phase after the unexpected adrenaline showdown from being caught off guard before a match in the first No Gi bout. Or maybe I was tired from those two bouts. Now I understand that there’s some strategy in pacing myself throughout the competition.

Gi Bout 1

Gi Bout 2

Inspiration Aftermath

My Coach shared a voice message from my first opponent in No Gi taking the time to show respect to me, Coach, and the Academy. Much thanks to coach and thankful for the opportunity to represent my Academy!

One of my close friends of 10+ years took out time in his busy schedule with a newborn and all to come watch me. He kept his word and came. He couldn’t stay for my Gi matches but still came for support! He told me how inspired he was while watching me and how it made him want to practice Jiu-jitsu.

It was awesome to watch and cheer on my teammates who I’ve been training for the past 6 months. Seeing them compete too was a great end and test. One of my teammate said it was fun watching me fight. A lot of sweat and hours was poured on the mats and seeing them compete for the first time as White Belts and comrades was a special moment…

Till’ next time,

Ossu!

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Month 6 – Recalling my first competition where I traveled 3 hours to get to by myself to a city where I had a friend who came to watch but he couldn’t make it on time because he had work.

I got to see a couple kids fight on the mat as well as some killer gal from Singapore dominating her opponents in Gi and No Gi without breaks in between.

Had some good BBQ but I think I overate as I ordered too much food.

Then before competition I put my Gi on and did the warm-up drills and stretching that I learnt from class.

Waited around sizing up my opponents who were all 19-year-olds. It did feel odd to be honest.

Asked a random bystander to help me film my match and then stayed back to watched who won my bracket.

What Happened: My Offense

1. My Guard pull was slow and I didn’t square in.
2. My takedown was ineffective since his hips were already far away.
3. X-choke on top position was not effective.
4. Arm-bar attempt was called out by his coach.

What Happened: My Defense

1. Weak base and lost my dominant positions easily.
2. My hands were too free and didn’t use any grip breaks.
3. Did not use back escape.
4. Upaing from bottom without success.
5. Did not use any framing with my hands when on bottom.

What to Work on

1. Guard pull
2. Takedown game
3. Back escapes
4. Side control escapes
5. Quick submissions

What I Learnt

1. Got frustrated because he kept taking my back and I couldn’t get him off.
2. Underestimated my opponent and his size. I think it’s a lot easier for the smaller guy to back take because I do the same in the academy with majority being taller than myself.
3. Need to be quicker like my opponent.
4. That there was coaching involved during a fight and how advantageous that could be.
5. Could make friends and ask someone to coach me (if Coach isn’t around).
6. Could restart in standing and not have to keep on rolling.
7. Points vs Submission
8. Asking for feedback and learning from an invaluable overall competition experience.

Now that I know my strengths and weaknesses I’ll train with the above notes in mind. Then I will be back better then ever from now knowing what to work on for the next competition!

Next Competitions: Dec 4, 2021 / Jan 22, 2021 (Canceled due to 2 injuries)

The post 1st Jiu-Jitsu Fight in Competition appeared first on .

In class only two comments were made in regards to the ear guards; one person shared their experience about having to reconstruct his ear but since then the whole class was smooth as butter.

I am someone who embraced this feeling of my ears protected with my new ear guards on. They were only about $15 bucks from Amazon and provided the padding I needed with the comfort. There’s a sense of protection as I slap the side of my ears feeling the semi-hard shells that protect them. I feel invincible since there is one less thing I have to worry about. Now I can go about class not worrying about causing any and each ear to flail up again. The pain and negative experiences I had with researching and draining cauliflower ear the previous weeks was too awful.

I had imagined a negative experience coming back to class wearing these silly “bras” on my head with a double mouth guard. Yes it is likely I will stand out since no one wears these things. Was I being extra or not macho? There was a slight percentage I could have skipped class and didn’t go for whatever excuse my mind came up with but I ignored those thoughts and stuck to the plan to return to class. I also didn’t like the feeling of choking myself while wearing these ear guards under my chin. Luckily, in class I adjusted them to fit onto my chin which helped feel way more comfortable.

During lesson these ear guards stayed on and I still could hear. They became comfortable and didn’t get in the way of training whatsoever. Make sure your partner clearly tap out just in case you can’t hear it under cuffed ears. Now as for rolling they are doing a great job. Do not put them in the washer or dryer just wipe them off.

Throughout class I just focused on my lesson and nothing more – leaving any previous negative chatter initially before class to subdue and never resurfaced. Class was super fun as we refined learning the leg lock, counters, and how to switch North-South from side control.

I’m glad I did go back to class and ignored my ego.

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