Apr 25, 2023
Tonight we got our first stripes.
Tuesday, April 25th, Bihać
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Tonight we got our first stripes.
Tuesday, April 25th, Bihać
First Stripe and First Competition
Something very special happened the same night as my last blog: I received my first stripe on my belt. I’m excited and feel almost like I am ready for it. I did train a lot through April and I feel like It showed, but I also feel that I have so much more to do before I can really say “I deserve this stripe.” The grading system at my gym is very much based on commitment, attitude and work put in and is relatively aligned with the IBJJF grading scheme based on time. My Black Belt Friendo (whose opinions I value very much) said that I a) should try to take as long as possible to “level up” and b) not get my hopes up in relation to grading.
As a person who likes some sort of indication of how I am doing, keeping level is something that Jiu Jitsu is teaching me. It’s a process. I’m a musician and in a lot of ways, I have to approach this the same way: becoming a fluid and competent player takes practice and proper execution.
As mentioned previously in my blog posts, I also competed this weekend! Was it premature? Likely. Same pal I mentioned above said 6 months was probably a good time to start competing but you know what? Things happen. Two coaches encouraged me to do it and I don’t regret doing it. Some successes include:
I lasted for the entire duration of the round (5min)
Execute a take down
Win at least one of the first two rounds to go to a tie breaker (tall order)
I, of course, had many other goals but being an inexperienced butt baby, I was not prepared for her technicality or her weight and the pressure that comes with it. Even though I roll with bigger men, men are not committed to putting their full weight on me and the women in my gym are much smaller than I am.
Black Belt Friendo said that competing at this stage in my development acts as a good diagnostic tool first and foremost. He gave me a lot to think about following my rolls.
What is the difference between getting on your side and staying on your side?What were your successes? What were the challenges and how did you solve them? How could you have solved them?
I think I might Answer these in a different post and get more into the nitty gritty of what I was feeling and doing and what I need to work on.
I’m looking forward to taking lessons with Black Belt Friendo: I really respect him and he has been a big help in helping me understand what I have been learning. He was there coaching his team and seeing him made me very nervous for my last round although he just definitely was not watching my last match at all.
Round 1 and Round 2 felt very low stress to me but the tie breaker is when everything started to feel ridiculous. Originally I had Z in my corner for the first match which was fine. C was reffing. In my second round, C and J were in my corner which was great. Most of my classes have been lead by J and I find him to be a very calming and effective coach. He very much helped me feel confident enough to deliver a take down in round 2.
Round three though. Round three was like fucking fight club and I wanted to die. Thank god for my ability to chill the fuck out with my breathing because I was very confused and very uncomfortable. The match starts out with Z in my corner, and C joins in so that becomes a little bit stressful because I CAN’T FOCUS ON BOTH OF YOU and then J comes over from one of the white belt matches and he’s yelling and then the onsite doctor is screaming because he once coached wrestling and so four people are coaching me and so four people saying things was a bit a much. I felt better once J was taking over. I calmed down more and focused. The wrestling doctor though was very funny. “TURN TO YOUR RIGHT. NOO! YOUR OTHER RIGHT!” I received a silver medal and our team received the top team award for most points scored in competition.
I don’t regret doing it. I am very lucky to had the small success that I did and I am ready to train hard and dedicate myself to this sport more. I will likely compete again in the fall.
Emily and Gabriel earn their first stripe in BJJ
Emily and Gabriel earn their first stripe in BJJ
Congratulations to Emily and Gabe on earning their first stripes in BJJ!
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Kyle and Jeremy earn their first stripe in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu!
Kyle and Jeremy earn their first stripe in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu!
Congratulations to Kyle and Jeremy on earning their first stripe in BJJ
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Evan earns his first stripe in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Evan earns his first stripe in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Congratulations to Evan on earning his first stripe in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu!
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Gabriel and Kaylei earn their first stripe in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Gabriel and Kaylei earn their first stripe in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Congratulations to Gabriel and Kaylei on earning their first stripe in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu!
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Christian and Minah earn their first stripe in BJJ
Christian and Minah earn their first stripe in BJJ
Congratulations to Christian and Minah on earning their first stripes in BJJ at Grappling Mastery.
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Lincoln earns his first stripe in BJJ
Lincoln earns his first stripe in BJJ
Congratulations to Lincoln on earning his first stripe in BJJ at Grappling Mastery!
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