Open Guard

A journey of self-love through BJJ (formerly tiskardiamou/a writing space)

[lutadora-in-training]

Increasing Endurance

Something I noticed in my training is that, while I try my best to not give up, I do have a tendency to not pace myself and I end up being really winded midway through rolling. Anyone have any tips or suggestions in building more endurance and/or pacing yourself better while rolling?

[lutadora-in-training]

It’s been awhile since I was on this. Going to try and keep this up.

And now that I am done with academia for a long, long time and I am one month into consistent training, I am at ease. Also happy 2-year BJJ anniversary to me.

[bagtaggar]

Doodlin

#drawing #sketchbook #moleskine #dailydoodle #graciebarra #bjj #bjjgirls

[lutadora-in-training]

I’ve been home for about a week. The semester ended May 2nd, which was also the last time I was on the mats (well...we didn’t really roll for the last day of sports clubs so it was probably been longer since I legitimately trained). Exams carried me until May 10th. Watching everyone graduate took me to May 15th. Watching everyone leave while I stay behind has been really emotionally draining. I know there’s nothing wrong with it, but I still taste a sense of failure. Everyone at home has driven me on edge. Mom has been policing everything I’m eating on top of other things. She keeps making me feel horrible about myself even though she claims its the truth/to my benefit. This entire school year has basically undone a lot of the progress I made last summer, and I was so looking forward to being back home. Now I just want to go back and not have to deal with my family just...not understanding and just continuing to make me feel like shit.

I’m trying to find another BJJ school because I won’t be in the city this summer. I have mom on my ear saying “Jiu jitsu won’t help just go on the treadmill” and every time she says that I want to scream. Not only does it help me physically, but it has helped me mentally and emotionally. The fact that she belittles it hurts. She also thinks I’m on drugs because my anxiety has just been building up and its showing. I don’t think she wants to admit I have more problems, and I know she doesn’t want me to go see someone and possibly be perscribed medicine in fear that I would gain more weight. I emailed this one BJJ school and I am waiting to hear back. I just want to start and train and work my way back up to where I was when last summer ended. I wish I can go back to last summer. i wish I could be back in the city alone and do things in my peace. What was the purpose of this post lol Guys....I just want to train.

[nojillnolife]

[alwaysonsince92]

[livejiujitsu]

eat, live, breathe jiu-jitsu

via africabjj’s Instagram

[bjjbruises]

@rondarousey @ronda_rousey_is_my_life @rondarousey.mma by romaojiujitsu

[coral]

I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass (via feellng)

[lutadora-in-training]

I’m so glad to be back at my school for winter break, even if it means only being there for a week and a half.

I can’t feel my legs but it feels so good.

[fitspor4you]

[girlmeetsstrong]

10 Reasons To Be Inspired  by Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey is the most well-known female fighter in the world today. She was the first U.S. woman to win a medal for Judo in 2008 Olympic Games, is currently ranked #2 as a top Women’s Bantamweight fighter (which refers to UFC’s female fighters 135 lbs and under), and for the past two years has won the ESPY’s Award for Best Female Athlete. Throughout her illustrious career, this 28-year-old never ceases to inspire us, both inside the ring and out. 

  Here are 10 Reasons To Be Inspired by Ronda Rousey.

1. Her undeniable work ethic

As a world-class athlete, Rousey is doing anywhere from two to three training sessions per day. She talks about her motivation behind her workouts with Training Magazine,

“There’s no point in training if you’re not having fun. I think I need to be mentally engaged and that’s what makes me want to train longer – and it keeps it interesting. The trick is to make it an enjoyable experience and then motivation is easy to come by – and I really mean that. Embrace the training, because it hurts – and don’t make excuses. I’ve done some great workouts in a hotel room, at the beach, in the gym. You can always do something. Come at it like, ‘What am I doing today?–I’m pumped!’ There’s no routine really.”

Reebok Combat Bra ($40)

2. How she faces down haters

Because Rousey has been training since she was a kid, she’s had plenty of experience facing down haters.

“When I was in school, martial arts made you a dork, and I became self-conscious that I was too masculine. I was a 16-year-old girl with ringworm and cauliflower ears. People made fun of my arms and called me “Miss Man.” It wasn’t until I got older that I realized: These people are idiots. I’m fabulous.”

The 28-year-old has a new, refreshing view towards her critics. She says, in a pre-fight interview with UFC,  

“I’m not out to go and make 20,000-50,000 new friends. I’m just trying to do whatever I can to further my career, and if that involves accumulating some critics, they don’t know me. They take a few fragments of information that they get about me and they make some sort of judgment about my character without even knowing me. And if someone that I’ll never meet is making a wrong judgment about me from very little information, that’s not really my problem at all. So I don’t really feel that bad about it.”

Reebok Train Light A Fighter Sleeveless Hoodie ($60)

3. Her passion for her craft

If the fact that she’s been training for over 17 years isn’t enough, Rousey maintains that she’s still completely committed to staying on top.

“I want to be the undisputed, best pound-for-pound woman in the world in MMA, and I want to do it while looking good and being entertaining. I want to bring women’s MMA up to be just as respected as the men’s. And I feel that if there’s something you want to get done, you gotta do it yourself. I can’t trust anybody else to do it for me, and I’m willing to put the work in and be that person.”

4. Her trash-talking

Dubbed as a trash-talking titan by many sports news outlets, you’d never guess that she admitted to NPR’s Audie Cornish in an interview that she used to be “painfully shy for a long time.” It stemmed from having speaking issues until the age of six.  Now, she has a reputation for being outspoken and delivering the perfect pre-fight smack talk or post-fight jab.  

Before her fight with Bethe Correia at UFC 190, her opponent set the mood by telling her, “don’t cry.” After an impressive 34 second knock out, Rousey repeated Correia’s words right back to her. And in another instance during this year’s ESPY awards, in response to Floyd Mayweather, she unabashedly called out his history with domestic violence (2:24).

Ronda Rousey DNB Shirt ($22)

5. She’s independent

If anything encapsulates Rousey’s independence, it would be her “Don’t be a DNB” slogan. She explained what this means during an interview with Fox Sports, “I have this one term for the kind of woman that my mother raised me to not be. I call it a ‘do-nothing b*tch.” To further clarify, “She’s a b*tch who just tries to be pretty and be taken care of by someone else.”

The athlete takes pride in everything, from her appearance to her financial independence. In her response to body-shamers, Rousey on an episode of UFC’s “Embedded”,

“Listen, just because my body was developed for a purpose other than f*cking millionaires doesn’t mean it’s masculine.’ I think it’s femininely badass as f*ck because there’s not a single muscle on my body that isn’t for a purpose–because I’m not a do-nothing bitch.”

6. She’s willing to admit her weaknesses

Despite all the haters, Rousey has never shied away from being anything other than straightforward and bluntly honest. She has spoken openly about her struggles with bulimia, homelessness, and fear of losing fights.

“People say to me all the time, 'You have no fear,'” she told Esquire in a 2012 interview, “I tell them, 'No, that’s not true. I’m scared all the time. You have to have fear in order to have courage. I’m a courageous person because I’m a scared person.’”

7. She doesn’t apologize for her confidence

In an age where women are just now starting to own their self-confidence, Rousey has a somewhat polarizing viewpoint.

“Why is self confidence arrogant? Why is self-depreciation considered modesty? I worked my ass off to be able to have a high opinion of myself,” Rousey said. “It took a long time and many, many years, and I’m never going to let anyone tell me that I should think less of myself.”

8. She is completely herself

Similarly to how Rousey makes zero apologies for her confidence, this athlete has never been afraid to let her true self shine. She’s outspoken about everything from her feminist views to her geekiness. The athlete is famously known as a Pokémon aficionado and has even trained in a giant Pikachu costume.

She said, in an article in Fox Sports, “everything I’ve learned from fighting, I’ve been able to apply to my life outside of it. The main lesson I get from it: it taught me to be brave, and it taught me to value myself.”

9. She’s more than just a fighter

Rousey did not lead a charmed life before achieving infamy. Born with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, the athlete was literally fighting from birth. She dropped out of school at age 16 to train for the 2004 Olympics and placed ninth. During that time she began to struggle with binging and purging, yet still trained for the 2008 Olympics (and won bronze). After running through her $10,000 prize money, Rousey began living out of her car and working as a bartender. During a night working the bar, Rousey spotted an MMA fight on one of the televisions and thought, “I could totally do that.” And the rest is, as they say, history.

Now, not only is she ranked second as a top Women’s Bantamweight fighter, but she also leads a full life outside of her career. She has starred in several movies and launched a charity around her “DNB” slogan. The proceeds go towards Didi Hirsch 501c3 for their work in mental health services and for work with women with body issues.

10. She values her family

Rousey has always valued her family. In fact, she first started training with her mother, who was the first U.S. citizen to win a World Judo Championship in 1984. Her younger sister Julia starred in a stellar UFC 193 promo, portraying a younger Ronda Rousey. And Rousey even co-wrote her autobiography, My Fight / Your Fight, with her sports journalist sister Maria Burns-Ortiz.

Despite her infamy, Rousey has always thought about her role as being a good older sister. She discussed this further in an article on TheMarySue.com.

I have the burden of having a little sister who thinks I’m the coolest thing since sliced bread, and that really makes me take a second look, because everything I do she thinks is cool. When I think about being a role model, I think about how I want my little sister to see me.

Written by: Beryl Shea

Want to see more? Subscribe to Girl Meets Strong Newsletter >

Image credits: rollingstone.com, rondarousey.net, popsugar.com, herpinkjersey.com, fitness.reebok.com, latimes.com, ronda’s instagram, rondarousey.net, grindtv.com, puma.com, entourage movie, theawakeningfighter.com

[zelos-wilders]

[hellraiser-m]

Imagine #1154

[vloshry-deactivated20150512]

[williegreene]

Things I Learned in 2015

- Mental health comes first

- “Friends” = quality/quantity. Keep good people around and hold on tight. It’s not ok to keep nurturing relationships that don’t make you happy/a better person

- It’s ok to stand up for yourself. Even if it makes you uncomfortable 

- True love isn’t within the 25 mile radius of your stupid fucking dating apps

- It’s ok to feel like you’re not where you’d like to be. Does anyone ever fully get to that place anyway?

- Drugs aren’t that fun

- Comparing yourself and your journey to other peoples is extremely toxic and will get you nowhere

- Learning how to enjoy your own company is so powerful

- A little bit of delusion can be good when it comes to creativity 

- Red wine is actually lit

- Sex can very well be a form of self-harm 

- It’s not a bad thing to evolve and change faster or in different ways than people in your circle/tribe 

- Self sabotage, though sometimes therapeutic, is always a dead end road

- Your feelings are valid simply because you felt them

- Meditation is actually lit 

- In a new existence where everything and everyone is so fast, taking your time is actually the key

[vgjunk]

Capcom Fighting Jam, PS2.