Ginger Snaps

Ladies Love Cool J

2012-02-28T11:07:00.000-06:00

During the tournament last Saturday, Amy and I were giving my husband nicknames, and Amy won by coming up with "LL Cool J", which of course stands for "Ladies Love Cool Joe". It's appropriate because it's true. After Joe took his shirt off in front of one of my best friends, she told me she'd never seen a six-pack like that in person before!

That got me to thinking about the original LL Cool J, and how he is largely responsible for my love affair with hip hop that continues to this day. When I was a young teenager living in Virginia in the 80's, a guy who was interested in me made me a mix tape, and one of the songs on it was "I Need Love" by LL Cool J...

"When I'm alone in my room sometimes I stare at the wall

and in the back of my mind I hear my conscience call

Telling me I need a girl who's as sweet as a dove

for the first time in my life, I see I need love..."

Yeah, that worked...he became my boyfriend, and I discovered the world of rap. I had heard and enjoyed some of it previously, but that point is when I really became a crazy fan. I then got into UTFO, Grandmaster Flash, Whodini, Doug E. Fresh, Run DMC...among many others. I thought rap sounded like the future, and I guess I was pretty much right. Some people hoped hip hop would die a quick death (and it's still the most hated form of musical expression), but over 25 years later it's still kicking...and LL Cool J hosted the Grammys.

This lady still loves cool James, and I still own a Kangol because of him, too. I don't even know if I could have fallen in love with cool Joe if he didn't love rap as much as I do...six-pack or not!

Ready or Not

2012-02-27T09:57:00.005-06:00

Sonya

Despite my reluctance, I guess I'm going to have to add the label "teaching" to this blog, because I taught women's Jiu-Jitsu class again yesterday, and unlike last week, this time I did have a new student! It was one of our green belt Judoka, Sonya, so at least I already knew her, and she already had some knowledge. One day last week I saw her before she went to Judo, and I invited her to come to women's Jiu-Jitsu class. Little did I know she would actually show up yesterday, and that Amy would still be sick!

Sonya requested to work on Jiu-Jitsu techniques that she could use in Judo, so I had to scratch my lesson plan and come up with a new one. The last Sunday of the month in women's class is usually no gi, and I'd planned on doing a lot of cross-facing, neck-cranking, and calf-cutting! I figured guard would be a good thing to work on with Sonya, and although she did have a basic knowledge of it, she didn't really know how to pass, or how to do any subs from there.

Since we focused on guard one of the things we practiced was, of course, my fave, sankaku-jime. Sonya didn't think she would be able to do a triangle choke because she has short legs, but she was able to lock it up. As long as you can do that, shorter legs can actually be beneficial, because there's less room to escape. Sonya's triangles were nice and tight, and she seemed to really understand the mechanics when I explained it to her.

I felt a little more comfortable in the teaching role yesterday, but my class was still somewhat random and unfocused. Skyler said she thought I didn't spend enough time on each technique, and that I tried to fit too much in. I think this is a common mistake many new teachers make, maybe because we don't want our students to get bored, or we want to teach them as much as possible.

Sonya said she felt like she really learned a lot, so hopefully that is true. After class I told her this was only the second time I've ever taught Jiu-Jitsu, and she seemed genuinely surprised, so I thought that was a good sign. I welcomed her to come back any time (preferably when Amy is teaching ;) and she said that she was interested. Watch out, Judo...your women are being tempted by the dark side!

Good Times

2012-02-26T10:16:00.002-06:00

Our in-house Jiu-Jitsu tournament yesterday was so much fun! We invited a few other schools to join in the free festivities with us, and I think a good time was had by all. Lorissa and her crew even made the two and a half hour drive down from Kearney, and it was great to have them there. We had a good turnout, and halfway through the tournament I really started feeling the desire to compete, especially since there were three other women fighting. Stupid injured wrist!

For me, the best part was that my husband Joe made it through his matches without being killed or maimed! Yay! He lost both of them, but he fought well. His first match was against Tyler, who submitted him with a straight armbar. I wish we had that match on video, since I missed most of it (partially because I was working the bracketing table, and partially due to a physical inability to watch, out of fear). Apparently, Joe made Tyler's face turn purple with a gi choke, but he just couldn't quite finish it. I started watching about the time Tyler put the armbar on, and I knew right way that it was solid, so I yelled "Tap!", and Amy said "He already did." That was pretty much the extent of my coaching for the day.

Joe's second match was against Spencer, which we did get on video (because I begged Ken to film it for me, and he also coached Joe, thanks Ken!). This match went the whole five, with Joe losing on points. He got two for the takedown, but then Spencer racked up eighteen on him. I'm pretty proud of Joe for refusing to be submitted, it looked close a couple of times. However I just have to point out to him that he's always telling me to get off my back, don't be on the bottom...yet he spent the majority of this match there...getting out isn't as easy as it looks, is it Joe? :p

We're planning on having another similar tournament in the next few months, and I'll be ready to compete in that one, so I can't wait! The level of sportsmanship and goodwill among the competitors at this tournament was such a nice thing to see. There were no egos, no anger, no injuries, just people who love grappling sharing it with each other, and helping one another improve. It was one big happy extended family! Joe didn't really lose anything at this tournament, and neither did anyone else who was there.

Where there's a Will

2012-02-24T10:48:00.004-06:00

So, I just reluctantly taught my first Jiu-Jitsu class (consisting of one student) last Sunday, then yesterday when I got to the dojo there was a bunch of freaking white belts and Fuji. I was like "Oh, hell no! If someone who outranks me doesn't show up in the next five minutes, I am going home!". Luckily a knight in a shining purple belt, Will, came in and rescued me from having to teach. Phew!

Will & Jerad

I don't know if I really would have left, but I was in full panic mode prior to Will's arrival. I suppose I could have done alright teaching, since most of the students were actual white belts who don't know anything (as opposed to trained people from other places masquerading as white belts, or worse...white belts who think they know everything). You have no idea how often I, as a blue belt woman, have new white belt guys trying to tell me how to do things. It might be because I can come across as having no confidence, but it's truly amusing when new people try to teach me things and they are just absolutely wrong. However, the white belts I worked with yesterday did not say anything to me, they just did whatever I told them to. I think I could have been their leader if I had to.

I couldn't have done nearly as good of a job as Will did, though, and we surely would not have worked on X guard. Also if I was the teacher, it probably wouldn't have been cool for me to attack Bauer in the middle of class and tap that punk out! So, I'm extra glad Will took the helm, and it's awesome to see his progression, he is really turning into a great teacher. Maybe someday I will be, too.

No competition

2012-02-23T10:52:00.002-06:00

My wrist isn't ready for competition yet, so I won't be entering our in-house Jiu-Jitsu tournament on Saturday, but my husband is planning on competing, and I don't want him to! I really hate watching him or our daughter compete. It's worse for me than when I compete myself, it makes me sick to my stomach, and sometimes I can barely watch. I think the reason it bothers me so much is that I have no control over what happens. I might freak out when I compete, but at least I am in charge.

It doesn't help that the last time he competed in Jiu-Jitsu, he popped a rib. I never really worry much about myself getting hurt when I compete, but it's hard for me to apply that to the ones I love, I constantly worry about them. I tried to coach Joe at the last Jiu-Jitsu tournament, but it was difficult to detach from the emotions (besides the fact that I am a crappy coach anyway). I think I'm going to try to find someone else to coach him this time.

In the last tournament Joe (who is a white belt, and technically does not even train Jiu-Jitsu) ended up competing against a purple who outweighed him by about twenty pounds, but since that purple was David Danger, I breathed a sigh of relief because I know that David has control and technique, and he wasn't going to hurt Joe. The popped rib happened on the takedown, and it was just one of those things that was no one's fault. Although this upcoming tournament is in-house, we will have a few people from other schools competing, and I'm worried about the people I don't know.

I don't want him to not compete just because I don't want him to, but I will be really glad when his matches are over. Thankfully, Skyler isn't competing on Saturday, so I won't be having a total breakdown. I'm not sure how either of them feel about watching me compete, but I really wish I was the one fighting instead.

Chewing bubblegum and kicking ass

2012-02-21T11:18:00.001-06:00

I think that our Jiu-Jitsu program is pretty small compared to some others, I estimate that our class has about 20-25 regular students, with about 10-15 of them showing up on any given day. In some ways this is good, you can get a lot of personalized attention, and there's plenty of room to roll. On the other hand, you're always grappling with the same people (or the ever-changing white belts). Luckily, we also have students from other schools who regularly visit us, and it's a great chance to roll with people from different styles. You can really learn a lot from grappling with people outside of your school, and it's nice that we have an opportunity to do so, other than in competition.

There is a UNL wrestler, I call him Bubblegum James (because the first thing I ever said to him was "Get rid of your gum, it's not allowed on the mat") who visits our Jiu-Jitsu class every once in awhile, and whenever I'm there, he always asks me to roll. I have grappled with him more than with some of my fellow Jiu-Jitsu students! I enjoy rolling with him, it's always a fun fight. He does use strength on me (he is a wrestler after all ;) and he always submits me, but he doesn't just dominate me. He's good at giving me enough resistance so that it's a real challenge, but not so much that I can't do anything at all. I don't think he wrestles with many people who have a guard game, so I can usually keep him at bay for awhile with that.

He's the only person I've ever grappled with who was wearing a singlet (and the only one I ever will! jk!). One time he had a t-shirt on over it, but that just kind of made it look like he didn't have any pants on, which was almost worse. Seriously, I understand the reason for the singlets, I'm just really, really, super glad I don't have to wear one!

Many people come to Jiu-Jitsu from wrestling backgrounds, and our school has a good number of them, so we get to steal all of their secrets! I especially like the takedowns, and even though I have trained more Judo than wrestling, I am now more likely to go after a wrestling takedown than a throw. Our school might be small, but I think I'm really lucky to have the personalized attention, and yet still have the opportunity to train with people from BJJ, MMA, Judo, and wrestling. It's the best of all worlds rolled into one!

James might only be asking me to roll so he can punish me for not even saying "please" when I ordered him to get rid of his gum on the day we met, but whatever the reason, I really appreciate his involvement in my training. Now if I could just get him to wear a gi when we grapple!

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum."

Student teacher

2012-02-19T14:48:00.002-06:00

Man, am I sore, our women's Jiu-Jitsu teacher really worked us hard...oh wait, that was me! That's right, I taught my very first Jiu-Jitsu class today. Skyler was my only student, but hey, you have to start somewhere! Our women's teacher, Amy, has pneumonia, so I volunteered to teach instead of cancelling class. Our other student, AJ, is also sick, so it ended up just being Skyler and I. I must admit that I was slightly terrified at the prospect of a new student showing up today, but I was willing to teach them if they had.

I don't know that I really taught Skyler anything, I didn't have a lesson plan, and class seemed a little random. It's also kind of hard to teach when you don't have anyone to demonstrate on except the person you are trying to teach. One thing we did a lot of was slow rolling. Skyler sometimes has a tendency to get flustered while grappling, so I wanted to remove the pressure and allow her to get more practice with feeling things, and have more time to figure out what to do.

Slow rolling is actually difficult for me, I always want to pick up the pace, so it was good practice for both of us. One thing I've been working on lately is sweeping from all forms of guard, so I did a lot of that while we rolled, and it often ended with me mounting Skyler, which is one of her weaknesses, so she was able to get a lot of practice escaping mount.

Overall, I think it was a successful first class. Teaching made me really think about what I was doing, because I wanted to get the details right when I explained things. I'm sure I didn't get all of them right, but I give myself an "A" for effort!

Half Breed

2012-02-18T13:44:00.008-06:00

My natural hair color

I have a confession to make...I'm only half ginger. My mom is a full ginger (although she has been dying her hair blond for years), and my dad had dark brown hair. I got a little of both, so my natural hair color is really reddish-brown, not true "penny copper" ginger red. When I was younger I hated the red in my hair, and I dyed it all different colors (blonde, brown, striped, pink) but at some point I decided to just embrace it. Now I have been "enhancing" the red in my hair for so long that most people who know me think I am all ginger.

I can pull it off because I did inherit ginger skin. It comes in three shades, depending on my degree of sun exposure; white, freckled, and lobster. I think one of the reasons I look somewhat young for my age is because I gave up on the hope of ever getting a tan a long time ago, and I stayed in the shade where gingers belong!

Not my natural hair color

A few years ago one of my Sensei gave me the nickname "Ginger the Annihilator", which led to me naming this blog "Ginger Snaps". Although I am technically not a full ginger, I think it's obvious to everyone that I am evil and I have no soul, so being ginger suits me. Besides, which is scarier...a ginger who can't help it because they were born that way, or one who chooses to subject themselves to the torture of being a redhead?

I see "Ginger" as sort of my alter-ego, which makes me feel more comfortable coming out of my shell. Gina is a shy, sensitive person who really doesn't want to hurt a fly, but Ginger...well, she might "shoot a man in Reno, just to watch him die".

Q: What’s the fastest way to a man’s heart if you’re a redhead?
A: Through his ribcage.

Nebraska

2012-02-16T09:41:00.000-06:00

I saw my first live UFC fights in Omaha last night, and the headliner was Nebraska's very own Jake Ellenberger! You know how in football they sometimes call the crowd "the twelfth man" because they can affect the game with their noise? Well, last night the crowd was trying to be Jake's right hand man! The intensity of the crowd cheering for him was off the charts. I was not fond of them booing his opponent, Diego Sanchez, but I'm sure if Diego had not been fighting against our hometown boy, they probably would have cheered for him.

Neither fighter disappointed, it was a fantastic match! They were on their feet for most of it, and Jake took the first two rounds. Towards the end of the last round they went to the ground, and Diego started raining down punches. It looked like Jake's hopes for a win might be ending right there, with only about forty seconds left in the fight. The crowd went insane, yelling at Jake to get out of there before the ref called it. At that moment, I think the sound level might have even rivaled Memorial Stadium on a Husker game day (although our crowd was much smaller). Now, I don't really know if the crowd noise had anything to do with it, but Jake mustered up the energy to escape just before the bell rung. And the winner by unanimous decision is Jake "Juggernaut" Ellenberger!

Jake's win last night, coupled with the fact that last Sunday's "Walking Dead" was titled "Nebraska", leads me to conclude that Nebraska's time has finally come. All other states shall now fear and praise us!

Fun fact: "Nebraska" is a Native American word that means "nothing of value here".

Ha, I just totally made that up! It really means "flat water".

Teenage Mutant Ninja Ginger

2012-02-15T11:07:00.004-06:00

I once took a silly quiz that was supposed to reveal your martial arts age and style. It said that I was a six year-old ninja. I was pretty happy with those results, because I would love to be a ninja! Unfortunately I can't technically be one, because I don't train ninjitsu, and I would probably make a terrible ninja, because I'm not very stealthy. I do, however, love to wear black.

As for the six year-old part, yeah, that's about right. Sometimes I'm afraid I drive my instructors crazy because I'm always asking "Why? Why? Why?" I can't help it, to really understand what I'm doing I feel like I need to know why I'm doing it. Sometimes they even respond as frustrated parents of a six year-old would "Because I said so, that's why!" Hai Sensei!

Also, most people of rank in Jiu-Jitsu class can submit me as if I was six. Even when I attempt to ninja up on them, they just pat me on the head and say "Nice try, pumpkin." In Karate, they like to put their hand against my forehead and laugh at me while I feverishly punch and kick at them, but can't reach. Then I go home and cry about how the big kids are picking on me.

The life of a six year-old wanna-be ninja is not for the faint of heart. It's not just all recess and assassinating! You have to work hard and study, behave in class and follow the rules. It's all worth it, though, because every once in awhile I actually defeat the big kids, and then I get to go home and make up a song about how awesome I am...

Ha ha, I beat you

Because I'm a ninja

And that's what I do

And I'm better than you

So ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

(Hey, I'm six, it can't be high art)

I'm really looking forward to the future of my martial arts training. The way I see it, in about ten years I will be a teenage ninja, and if the big kids think I'm a handful now, they have no idea what's in store for them. Cowabunga!

"But you must realize that while at times you might not be my favorite student, it does not mean that you are my least favorite.
Do not embarrass your Sensei." -Master Splinter

Killing Me Softly

2012-02-14T09:46:00.006-06:00

My husband thinks the problem with my Jiu-Jitsu is that I spell it wrong, so there's no "ju" ("soft" or "gentle") in it (and I'm sure anyone who has ever grappled with me would agree ;). Joe thinks my Jiu-Jitsu has too many "i's" in it because he trains Daitoryu Aikijujitsu, a traditional Japanese art (say it with me now...Dye-toe-roo Eye-key-jew-jit-sue). He's been telling me that I should write a post about Daitoryu, so...Happy Valentines Day!

Daitoryu Aikijujitsu is the empty-hand art of the Samurai. I'm not surprised if you've never heard of it, I believe there are only three or four schools in the entire US that teach it. It was not even taught to non-Asians until around 1992. It's more like what comes to mind when people think of TJJ; it includes striking, throwing, joint locks, choking, etc. It is considered to be the grandfather of some of the arts that are more well known; Aikido, Jujitsu, Judo, etc. Daitoryu Aikijujitsu is what is still used by the Japanese police to this day, and some of it's techniques are well-known to law enforcement and corrections officers throughout the United States. Joe's instructor, Gary Gabelhouse-Sensei, had the opportunity to start training Daitoryu in Japan with Ohgami-Sensei in 1994. Since then he has continued to travel to Japan to train, and he once brought Ohgami to Lincoln to teach at our dojo.

Ikkajo Joe

It's a good art for self-defense (as Sensei Gary can attest to from some real-world experiences). Joe and Skyler personally saw the first Daitoryu technique being used on a man who had assaulted his girlfriend in a parking lot. A passerby who witnessed the assault quickly subdued the man with Ikkajo, and controlled him with it until the police arrived. If necessary, he could have broken the man's arm, but he was able to accomplish what he needed to do with no injury to anyone. Ikkajo is basically a straight armbar applied with your arms, with a wrist lock thrown in for good measure, usually done from a standing position.

My daughter and I (who both train Jiu-Jitsu and Karate) call Daitoryu "pain class". Skyler also likes to call it "cheating". One thing they do that we do not in Jiu-Jitsu is utilize pressure points and nerve bundles. A trained Daitoryu Aikijujitsu student who knows how to push your buttons while applying techniques can cause the kind of pain that's hard to fight, or at least it is for me. Our women's Jiu-Jitsu teacher, Sheriff Amy, has also trained Daitoryu, and I learned a long time ago not to ask her about pressure points. Here's what happens when I do...

G: Isn't there a pressure point right under your nose?

A: Yes, it's right here (comes over and tweaks said pressure point).

G: Ow, ow, Ooooooooooowwwwwwwwww!

Another thing that's a big part of Daitoryu Aikijujitsu that we don't really do much of in our Jiu-Jitsu class is wrist locks. As far as I'm concerned, they are more painful than any other form of joint lock! I do have some basic knowledge on wrist locks, but I rarely consider using them because I haven't had enough practice. Joe, however, gets tons of practice, and it is so annoying when I'm grappling with him and I get caught in a wrist lock! Here's what happens when I do...

G: Ow, ow, Ooooooooooowwwwwwwwww! (♫"Strumming my pain with his fingers..."♫)

Joe is planning on competing in our in-house Jiu-Jitsu tournament on the 25th, and when I asked him what he was doing to prepare for it seeing as how he hasn't been going to Jiu-Jitsu class, or even rolling with me, he said "Daitoryu". So I thought I should warn anyone who might end up competing against him to watch out for wrist locks and standing armbars, and just be glad that neck cranks and pressure points are illegal! That Dyetoeroo stuff is no joke.

How I met Jiu-Jitsu

2012-02-12T11:01:00.003-06:00

I remember the exact moment when I decided that I should train Jiu-Jitsu. I was a brown belt in Karate, and I was in one of Sensei Dave Incredible's Saturday sparring classes. He would periodically have us do real-world type fighting; often with multiple attackers, and/or in enclosed spaces. This particular day he had us starting on the ground, on our knees, trapped in a corner.

My first partner was my husband Joe, who did not hold back. I was quickly mounted, my arms were trapped by his knees, and I became the recipient of multiple elbows to the face (he didn't actually make contact, but the intent was clear, and I got the message ;) When we went again, I tried everything I could think of to get out of that corner, and then out of his mount, but it ended the exact same way.

Joe is not much bigger than I am, I can't imagine what it would have been like to have 6'+ 200lb+ Dave as my partner that day! I just knew, right then and there, that there was a hole in my training I had to fill. I didn't really want to train Jiu-Jitsu, but I thought I needed to. I felt helpless on the ground.

Yet, I was still reluctant to actually go to Jiu-Jitsu. It's because of Sensei Dave that I took my first tentative steps onto the mat, despite my doubts and fears. The first Jiu-Jitsu class I was brave enough to go to was on a Monday night after Karate. I had not intended to go to it, but I decided to go after I saw that Dave and Ken were staying for it. Who would have guessed that in doing so, not only would I find that I did NOT hate it, but that it would become such a big part of me. I haven't left the mat ever since.

I outrank Dave in Jiu-Jitsu now (but I still can't submit him, I can't even rnc him when he doesn't defend!). It feels weird to stand on the senior side of him when he visits Jiu-Jitsu (but I do rub it in his face every time!). He is someone I met along my path who had a big hand in determining it's direction. His guidance helped me find love in a place I might have never even looked.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

2012-02-10T10:11:00.001-06:00

You know, I thought I knew a little something about spider guard (mostly from random videos), and then along came Gregory Lawson, and I found out I didn't really know much about spider guard at all! You see, in 2011 Greg received his BJJ black belt from Mauricio ‘Tinguinha’ Mariano, the man who made spider guard what it is today! While I'm name-dropping, I'll add that Greg started his BJJ training in 2001 with Saulo Ribeiro, before moving to California in 2005 and studying with Tinguinha.

Greg taught Jiu-Jitsu class yesterday, and it was all about the spider. His understanding of the technique, and his attention to detail, is starting to open my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. I don't always easily grasp new concepts, but Greg seems to be able to figure out how to explain things so that they make sense to me. Of course, his knowledge extends far beyond just spider guard...and I want to soak up every bit of it!

Besides the obvious excitement of being able to learn from someone who is as talented and knowledgeable as Greg, I think the reason I'm so happy he joined our family is because when I see him grapple I think to myself "I could do that!" (not anytime remotely soon, but maybe someday). I feel like what Greg does, what Tinguinha does, is custom-made for someone like me. Neither of them are big guys, and watching them effortlessly controlling those who are, I can see a vision of what I hope my game will eventually be. Right now this itsy bitsy spider is still getting washed out by the rain, but one day I will make it to the top of the water spout!

"I didn't find the spider guard, the spider guard found me." -Mauricio ‘Tinguinha’ Mariano

The Pleasures of Drowning : Sam Harris

2012-02-08T13:07:00.002-06:00

Jimbo shared this article, and I love it!

"I can now attest that the experience of grappling with an expert is akin to falling into deep water without knowing how to swim. You will make a furious effort to stay afloat—and you will fail. Once you learn how to swim, however, it becomes difficult to see what the problem is—why can’t a drowning man just relax and tread water? The same inscrutable difference between lethal ignorance and lifesaving knowledge can be found on the mat: To train in BJJ is to continually drown—or, rather, to be drowned, in sudden and ingenious ways—and to be taught, again and again, how to swim."

The Pleasures of Drowning : Sam Harris

Naykid pepol no cloths

2012-02-08T11:17:00.002-06:00

Someone came to this blog yesterday by searching for "naykid pepol no cloths", which amuses me to no end. I'm sure they were greatly disappointed, because I do not now, nor do I ever intend to, have any pictures of naykid pepol with no cloths here. Not that I have anything against naykid pepol, they can be super awesome! Unless they are clothless because they are on illicit substances. Taking off your cloths is a common step on the drug-induced rollercoaster as total insanity sets in, so you should avoid interactions with those kind of naykid pepol!

So, if you're searching for some naykid pepol, sorry, you're in the wrong place. Unless by "naykid" you mean pepol training without gis on (which kind of feels to me like I have no cloths). It's not very difficult to find naykid pepol on the internet, but this isn't the place. Even my gingerbread pepol have cloths!

Captain Judo

2012-02-07T12:26:00.005-06:00

I've mentioned before about The Cap'n Sensei's relentless quest to turn me into a Judoka. A few years ago, I took Judo regularly for a short while, and ever since I stopped doing so, he has been trying everything he can think of to get me back. Bribes, threats, intimidation...he's tried them all!

There have been a few times when I thought he might have given up, but no, he was just figuring out new tactics. The other night when we were celebrating Shihan being promoted to 8th Dan in Judo, The Captain took the opportunity to inform me that this would be the perfect time for me to come to Judo, because they have three new women, and a couple of them are my size! He also reminded me that they have separated the adult and youth Judo classes now, so I wouldn't have to "work with any unruly kids". But Sensei, I am an unruly kid! You know that because you've had to tell Ken and I to "Knock it off, children!"

The thing is, I know I could always use more Judo training, but I don't want to give him the satisfaction! I'm (mostly) joking about that, I have a bunch of other excuses for not going. If he thinks his persistent pestering is going to wear me down, he's got another thing coming. Stubborn is my middle name! Okay, it's not. My middle name is really Imayseemcalmbutihavealreadykilledyouthreetimesinmymind.

It's funny that Joe also stopped going to Judo (and he trained it a lot longer than I did) but The Cap'n never says anything to him about going back! It might just be because he doesn't like Joe (^.^), but I suspect that he is really more interested in stealing me away from Jiu-Jitsu! Sorry Sensei, but that is never going to happen. I might visit every once in awhile, but Judo is not where my ♥ is. However, now that I know about those new women, I might just come back to Judo class after all...solely with the intention of talking them into trying Jiu-Jitsu ;)

Gotta Know the Rules

2012-02-06T10:35:00.000-06:00

I don't believe that many Jiu-Jitsu players compete in Judo tournaments, because most of them require you to be a member of USJA or USJF. However, Nebraska's State Games has no such requirement, so it's open to all. Last summer when I competed, I was one of a handful of Jiu-Jitsuka. During the rules meeting, a couple of them were admonished for having illegal gis, and they were told that if they did not find proper gis they would not be allowed to compete.

While I am not at all happy with the way they were treated, the fact remains that if they had read the rules, they would have known that their gis would not be allowed. You can compete in pretty much any Jiu-Jitsu tournament wearing a Judo gi, but many Jiu-Jitsu gis are not legal in Judo tournaments. They have very specific rules concerning gis; down to the length of it, the number of patches and placement, the color (only blue or white), etc.

If you're planning to compete in any tournament, you should always read through all of the rules. Luckily those two Jiu-Jitsu guys were able to use loaner gis, so they didn't lose their chance to compete (and their entry fee) and over such a small thing as not being dressed right.

By the way, if you want to compete in the Ne State Games Karate competition, you can wear any gi you like. You can dress as a Power Ranger if you want, we don't care (although we may laugh at you). You don't even have to do Karate, you can do Kung Fu, or Taekwondo, or Crazy White Lady (that's my personal competition style), as long as you follow the rules. Like my dad used to say "Ignorance of the law is no excuse."

For a fellow ginger

2012-02-03T09:43:00.001-06:00

Our resident BJJ black belt, Greg, taught Jiu-Jitsu class yesterday, and the focus was on sweeping from butterfly guard. Instead of regular open mat at the end, he had everyone start out in guard with the goal of passing or reversing (preferably with one of the sweeps we worked on), no subs allowed. I didn't participate in the drill (because I'm still easing my injured arm back into the game), and I had told Josh that I would try to get video of him the next time we were both there, so I decided to do some filming.

I combined highlights from all the matches that I filmed into one video (which I posted on The Jiu-Jitsu Fighter). Josh and Mike's guard battle was easily three times longer than any of the others! I put that match, and Josh vs Conan, on this video for Josh. It's the least I can do for a fellow ginger! "Only a ginger can call another ginger ginger, so listen to me if you care for your health. You won't call me ginger less you're ginger yourself."

Da Brat

2012-02-02T10:45:00.002-06:00

"Yeah your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea"

When my mom became pregnant with my sister Brandi, I was eight years old, and I already had a six year-old sister who annoyed me. Lori and I shared a room, which we actually divided down the middle and forbid one another from entering the other's side. The only other sibling I was interested in having was an older brother. I always thought that would be cool, but I couldn't figure out how it could logically happen (unless I could talk my parents into adopting one). Now after hearing stories of people who did grow up with big brothers, I'm really glad I got a baby sister instead.

When my parents told me they were going to have another kid, I didn't believe them. My dad was a big practical joker, and I thought they were just kidding. It wasn't until they started buying baby things that I knew it was really happening. We didn't have a lot of money, so I knew they wouldn't be wasting it for a joke. I was not happy about it at first, but by the time Brandi was born I couldn't wait to meet her!


"Never was a cornflake girl"

Of course, as the oldest I was required to pick on her while we were growing up, and one of my favorite ways was instead of calling her "Brandi", I would call her "Bratty". She really hated that! The thing is, she was never a brat, she has always been a great little sister. I might feel that way because I never had to share a room with her! After she was born we moved up to three bedrooms, and I got my own room, so then Lori and Brandi had to share one. Nyah nyah!

I moved out of the house right after I turned nineteen, and Brandi was only ten years old. It would have been easy for us to grow apart, but through the years we just continue to grow closer. Our age difference has never been a hindrance to our friendship, we are kindred spirits who seem to understand each other in ways that no one else really can. She is my partner in mayhem and shenaniganing! I'm so glad my parents weren't joking about having another baby, because I couldn't imagine my life without Bratty Baby Brandi. Go Stars!

I stand corrected

2012-01-31T14:18:00.002-06:00

In my post yesterday I said that I couldn't remember where I learned to do The Cinnamon Roll, so I guessed it was from a video. However, I was thinking about it some more, and I DO have a faint, fuzzy memory of doing it before, so I asked Conan about it...

G: Hey Bronan, did you teach me that wicked awesome move?

C: Well of course I did. I have taught you every wicked awesome thing you know.

(Okay, he didn't really say that, but I suspect he thinks it.)

It was probably one of those things that when I learned it, I dismissed it as something that was too difficult, and I didn't think I would be able use it. It's pretty funny that although I put no effort into learning it (which is why I can't remember practicing it), somehow it still sunk in.

I tried to find a video of it, but I wasn't sure what to search for (I didn't have any luck with Swiss Cake Roll, either!). This is the closest I could find (although I did it much smoother than the dude in this video ;). It's not exactly kesa gatame, but it's close enough to get the idea. He also rolls straight back, but I rolled onto my shoulder, so I ended up on top right away.

Outta sight!

2012-01-30T10:02:00.001-06:00

Something amazing happened in Jiu-Jitsu yesterday! Skyler had me in kesa gatame (scarf hold), which is usually the most difficult of her pins for me to escape from. She had a good hold of my arm and head, but I realized that her weight was too high, and that she wasn't blocking my hip very well. Something told me that if I did a back roll, I would be able to escape, and it actually freaking worked! Amy said "That was awesome!", and I was like "I know, right?!" I didn't roll straight back, but at a diagonal towards her, so I was also able to establish side control after I escaped.

Now, this is not something I ever remember being taught on the mat, or practicing. I'm not sure how it got in my brain, but my best guess is that I saw it in one of the many videos that I've watched. Or maybe no one has ever done it before, and I just created a new scarf hold escape...I will call it "The Cinnamon Roll"! Ha, I know that's not the case. It isn't something I would usually even think of doing, yet somehow I was able to figure out that it would work at that particular time, and successfully pull it off during a live roll.

It caught Skyler totally by surprise, and she had no idea what had happened, so I explained it to her, and then I had her pin me again with her weight properly distributed. I still almost managed to escape, even though this time she knew exactly what I was going to do. She'll never be able to hold me in kesa gatame again!

The reason I think it's so exciting is because I found this without even looking for it, it just revealed itself. Normally I wouldn't have been able to see it unless someone pointed it out to me, but I am really starting to be able understand body mechanics, and feel what I need to do. I can't wait to find all the other things out there that have been hiding in plain sight!

A dirty job

2012-01-29T18:09:00.001-06:00

Who has two thumbs and thought it would be a good idea to not wear her wrist brace to Jiu-Jitsu class today? This g...ow, ow, ow...sorry, it hurt my wrist when I tried to point my thumbs at myself, because it turns out that not wearing the brace was not the best idea I have ever had. I did wrap my wrist, and I tried to be careful, but at one point it got trapped under Skyler and it was bent more than it wanted to bend. Luckily it didn't hurt anything (and by hurt I mean "cause any further injury", not "cause any pain", because it did a lot of the latter). Note to self: "You are not fully healed yet, so quit trying to act like you are and wear the brace, stupid! And while we're on the subject of your idiocy, get some headgear, already!"

Joe has said that he doesn't think I should ever be allowed outside of the house without a helmet on, because of my klutziness and tendency towards injury. I'm sure that he would prefer that when I practice Jiu-Jitsu I wear the K9 training suit that we have in the storeroom of the dojo. I once looked into purchasing a gi made out of bubblewrap, but I didn't have any luck with that. It wouldn't have stopped me from breaking my wrist, or done anything about all the bleeding, anyway.

Yep, I also bled in class again today. Amy said that since I bleed so much it must mean that I have too much blood in my system. She would have made an excellent 18th century doctor! At least she didn't suggest leeches. Actually, she also mentioned that the bleeding (and bruising) may be tied to the fact that I am anemic, and that I should try increasing the iron in my diet. Now that's good advice.

Broken bones, bruises, and bleeding...loving Jiu-Jitsu is a dirty job!

Whatta Man

2012-01-27T13:30:00.005-06:00

Zeppelin circa 1991

It was the summer of 1991. I had just turned twenty-two, and my friend Lynn asked me to go to a party with her, because she wanted me to meet the guy she had a crush on, "Zeppelin". He was her age, nineteen, and he had a two year-old daughter. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that a week after I met him, we would be living together. Our connection was instantaneous and undeniable. Yeah, Lynn and I are no longer friends. :/

Six months after we met, I became pregnant with Skyler. Since Joe and I had only known each other for such a short amount of time, I don't think that anyone we knew really believed that we would still be together over twenty years later. They didn't know that the power of our love is a force of nature, and it cannot be tamed. It hasn't always been easy, and we've had a few obstacles to overcome, but our marriage works because we work on it. Til death do us part.

Not that I don't occasionally get the urge to kill him to get out of the contract. Just kidding! I mean, really, how could I live without him? I have been with Joe for half of my life, and he has always been the best husband, the best partner, the best friend I could ever ask for. In the entire time we have been married, he has never given me one single reason to question his love.

So, Lynn, wherever you are, thanks for insisting that I HAD to meet Zeppelin. You were right, he is pretty awesome.

"Every time I need him, he always got my back.
Never disrespectful, cuz his mama taught him that."

The devil is in the details

2012-01-26T12:40:00.000-06:00

When I was in Jiu-Jitsu class on Tuesday, it felt as if all kinds of lightbulbs were going off in my head. Conan had us working on a series of submissions from side control, and for once I completely understood everything. Even though I'd never done one of the chokes we worked on, I had no problem figuring it out, and I understood all the details. The flow of the drill felt very natural to me, we would just keep going back and forth through three or four different subs, depending on what our partner did. I especially liked that the last submission we added to the chain was a triangle choke.

I think my time off from Jiu-Jitsu was actually beneficial to me. One of the things that I tried to work on when I was away was to stop focusing so much on "techniques", and try to gain a deeper understanding of body mechanics. If I can figure out how and why submissions and body positioning work, then I can learn new things faster, by being able to see the similarities to what I already know. There are really only a limited number of ways to submit someone, so most of them work on the same principles, the details just vary depending on positioning.

Also, if I already have a basic understanding of the mechanics of a technique, then I am able to pick up on more of the details every time we practice it. The details are really what can make or break techniques (especially for someone like me, who can't rely on strength), so being able to remember as many details as possible is vital. In women's class on Sunday, I tried several times to triangle choke people from side control, but never succeeded. During Tuesday's class, I figured out why...after I would get their arm between my legs, I wasn't keeping hold of it when I stepped over their head, allowing them to pull it out. That's a very important detail that I missed along the way.

I feel as though I am looking at Jiu-Jitsu through a new set of eyes, and I'm able to see things better. Being forced to take time off may have helped me get over a plateau. I used to feel overwhelmed by new techniques, but by being able to break them down I am able to understand and learn them better. I probably spent an hour after I came home from class on Tuesday gushing to Joe about all the things I learned, all the details I picked up on, all the possibilities that I'm beginning to see. If the devil is in the details, then one day I will choke that punk out!

Type O Negative

2012-01-25T15:31:00.000-06:00

I bleed often in Jiu-Jitsu. It seems to happen the most in women's class, it doesn't even feel like I went to class if I didn't lose some blood! It's probably because the bulk of our women's class usually involves grappling drills, so there's more chance for injury. The cause of the bleeding is usually because some of my sensitive "princess and the pea" skin got rubbed off. You would think that after almost three years on the mat it would have toughened up by now! It has gotten better, I don't bleed at every single women's class anymore.

Luckily, the other women in class are not grossed out by it (maybe some of the new one's were, which might be why they never came back ;) That's why I wear a black gi now, to hide all of the blood! Skyler's white gi is sporting more than it's fair share of blood stains, and I'm sure most of them are mine. Last Sunday, Amy noticed fresh blood stains on Skyler, and everyone looked at me like "Where are you bleeding from this time?" It was me.

I thought the blood was coming from the mat burn on my foot, but it turns out it was coming from the back of my ear. It's not even the ear that was cauliflowered, it's the other one. In one of my matches at the last Jiu-Jitsu tournament that I competed in, my ear got folded over and crushed, and the back of it was split open. I figured after I took a couple of months off, it would be fully healed, but it's not.

Yeah, I never got that head gear I was talking about, but I guess it's time now. It's certainly a better option than what The Doggfather told me when I asked him what I should do to help my ear heal "Put neosporin on it and stay home". I already stayed home for two months, I'm done with that.

Little Sister

2012-01-22T15:32:00.001-06:00

Women's Jiu-Jitsu was extra special today, because we had a guest from out of town. The lady who I competed against in no gi at the 2011 State Games, Lorissa, joined us for class. She's from Kearney, Ne., and she and her husband were in Lincoln this weekend, so they went to the no gi class together, then Lorissa came to the women's class.

It was really great to see her, and to train with her. She's almost my age, and she's about my size, which is a rare experience for me. It's even more rare for her, because until recently she had no other women to train with. A few months before the State Games, our dojo put on a small tournament and Lorissa competed in it, which was the very first time she had ever grappled with another woman!

She only trains no gi, and we were having gi class today, so she got to get a little bit of experience on gi chokes. She wasn't wearing a gi, but we showed her how to use them against us. The focus of class today was choking, so that was the only type of submissions we were allowed to use. Of course, I mostly just tried to triangle her from all positions (partly because that's what I do, and partly because the other chokes still bother my achy breaky wrist). I never once even came close to finishing one of those triangles. Lorissa also has the most wicked mount defense I have ever experienced. Even when I did manage to finally mount her, I could not hold it for more than maybe two seconds before we were in half guard. She's a total leech with that tiny little body, there were no spaces anywhere!

Lorissa and her pigtails are more than welcome to share the mat with me anytime! I am so glad that she took me up on the offer to come and train with us. She and her husband have done Taekwondo for a long time, and several years ago they started training BJJ. They now run a small school in their home, and if I'm ever in Kearney, I will definitely stop by!

Peer Pressure

2012-01-21T10:56:00.001-06:00

So, it's only been about five days since I put myself on restriction from watching any Jiu-Jitsu videos featuring things I haven't learned yet, and I've already cheated! Maryland Mike posted a video to Facebook raving about how cool this technique was, and without even thinking about it, I clicked play and watched the darn thing. As soon as it ended, I was like "Oh no, I just broke my own rule!" So I didn't watch it again, even though I really really wanted to (because it was super cool!) The video was only about thirty seconds long, so a single viewing was not entirely satisfying.

I seriously cannot control my own Jiu-Jitsu addiction. Especially when other addicts dangle quality product in front of my face! I'm not saying it was Mike's fault that I watched the video, I'm just saying I'm blaming him.

I did watch the video again when I was getting the link to post here, I just couldn't help myself. There is no hope for me anymore...save yourselves...before it's too late!

Making sense of self-defense

2012-01-20T14:04:00.013-06:00

Writing a post that covers self-defense is difficult, because the concept varies greatly depending on who it is intended for. People who train martial arts are able to delve more deeply into the subject, and their focus is usually centered around the particular art they train (Judoka throw their attackers, Jiu-Jitsuka fight from the ground, Karateka strike and gouge out eyeballs...I'm generalizing, please bear with me). Self-defense training for them focuses on the strengths of their system, and it allows them to utilize more advanced techniques by building the necessary muscle memory.

People who do not train martial arts cannot learn this type of self-defense. It would take an entire training session to teach them just one technique, and it's doubtful that they would even remember it, let alone be able to effectively use it against an attacker. Even after I "learned" how to, it still took me months and months (and months) of practice before I was able to actually escape being mounted by a big dude during open mat.

Therefore, self-defense for non-martial artists has to be as simple and intuitive as possible. When Joe, Skyler, and I taught our self-defense class to untrained women, we did not really teach them any Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, or Judo techniques. We just taught them effective ways to disengage from the situation at the earliest possible time.

If you are attacked, it is highly unlikely that someone is just going to run up and tackle you. If you are a man, it's more likely that they will throw a punch at you, a woman will probably be grabbed. In a rape situation, he will have to somehow get a hold of you first (it's also important to note that not all rapes occur on the ground, you could also be pinned against a wall, etc). Therefore, the smart thing for women to do is to learn how to escape from grabs. The sooner you can free yourself and get away, the better chance you will have (this goes for both trained and untrained people).

I'm not going to go into all the different ways to escape from grabs (partly because I can't completely figure out how to explain on paper...or whatever it is the internet is made of ;) but I will discuss one of the easiest ways. No matter how they are grabbing you, if you can get a hold of the two middle fingers on their hand and pry them back, they will usually let go. Any combination of fingers could possibly work, but the middle two are ideal. It's also recommended that before trying to escape from the grab, you first distract them with some sort of percussive technique. An excellent choice is a good old-fashioned foot stomp. It's easy to remember and execute, and it's very effective.

The goal of this type of basic self-defense is to be able to get away from the situation as soon as you possibly can. The moment that you are no longer being held is the time to make your escape. Once you break their grip, you need to run like the wind, and yell as loud as you can "Call 911!" Most people have phones these days, and while they might not be willing to risk themselves to help you, studies show that they will call the police.

Everything we practiced in our basic self-defense class ended with the women running away. So I guess I would say that the number one rule of self-defense would be to try to stay in good enough physical shape that you could run away if you ever had to.

"Keep it simple, keep it practical, let it make sense."- John Roseberry-Shihan

The answer is on the mat

2012-01-18T15:32:00.000-06:00

I feel as though I have wasted entirely too much time watching Jiu-Jitsu videos about techniques that I wasn't ready to learn yet. This might work for other people, but I don't think I've ever learned one single new thing from any video I've ever watched. Unless I repeatedly drill a technique, it quickly gets forgotten. I should be spending my time really trying to understand the things I already think I know. The reason I can now triangle someone from almost anywhere is because I was frustrated over my inability to finish them, and so I studied them in depth. Not on any video either, I studied them on the mat.

I have decided to put myself on temporary restriction from watching any Jiu-Jitsu videos that feature techniques I have not already learned. I will also try to not watch any competition videos above blue belt (but that one is probably going to be hard to do). Videos are a great way for me to remember, or pick up on details that I've missed, so I will continue to watch the ones that cover things I do know.

Shihan is not a big fan of video training, he says "The answer is on the floor", and I agree with him. However, sometimes when I'm on the mat there is too much information coming at me at once, and I can't catch it all. The videos are good for reflection, to quietly focus on what I missed amid the clamor. I probably would not even be able to remember what happened in most of my competition matches if I didn't have them on video. For now, I am going to try to use videos merely as tools to shore up my existing game, not as places to learn new plays.

Keep it simple

2012-01-16T09:45:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, the Ethridge's taught a women's self-defense class at the Lancaster County Health Department, for City of Lincoln employees, and I think it went very well. I have to admit I was a little nervous, because we've taught several children's classes, both in and outside of the dojo, but this is the first time we've ever taught a group of adults all on our own! We received a lot of positive feedback from the students, and the person who organized it said she would like to open it up to more people if we would be willing to do it again. Absolutely!

I was glad that I was not hindered by my injured wrist, so I was able to be a fully contributing member of the team. The highlight for me was probably when Joe had me in a standing rear naked choke, and I threw him with a hip toss. We didn't teach that to them, but we wanted to show what was possible with some training, and it was definitely a crowd pleaser!

I would never want to give anyone the impression that they can learn comprehensive self-defense in one class. We didn't try to teach anything complicated, and we explained to them that unless they practice regularly, they probably won't even be able to remember the simple things when they are in a stress situation. However, most of those women came into that class with no idea of what they would do if someone attacked them, and now they have a plan. A simple plan is better than no plan at all, and it might just give them enough confidence to not simply accept being a victim.

Take it Easy

2012-01-13T13:23:00.003-06:00

I haven't been to class this week, because on Monday I was doing something completely innocuous and I twisted my injured wrist, resulting in it popping, so now it's mad at me and it's causing me pain. I've had to resort to doing most things with my left hand again. Two steps forward, one step back. Sigh.


Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy

I'm trying to baby it right now, because on Sunday I am supposed to help Joe teach a women's self-defense class, and I think it might freak them out a little bit if I walk in there with a brace on. At least I am totally bruise-free! I hope to actually be able to demonstrate things without wearing the brace, or being in too much pain. Sigh.

I knew I wouldn't be able to jump back in right away from this injury, but now it's getting old. I don't want to take it easy! It's like when we are in women's class and Amy tells me "Now, do it slow.", and I say (in a robot voice) "Does not compute." Now, everything is slow. Sigh.

King of Rock

2012-01-11T10:57:00.001-06:00

I like to give people nicknames (often multiple), but when it comes to John Roseberry, I don't believe he needs one because, well, because he's Shihan. He's the only Shihan I know or talk about, so I usually just refer to him that way, as do most people who know him through the martial arts. I think people may take it to mean something along the lines of "O Exalted Super Grandmaster to Whom I Bow in Unworthiness", but when I say it, to me it feels basically like I'm saying "Grandpa".

Shihan can be translated to mean "teacher of teachers", as Sensei is considered to mean "teacher". However, I think a better translation of Sensei is "one who has come before", which would make Shihan "one who has come before those who have come before", or as I already said, "Grandpa". He's the patriarch of the dojo family, and he should be respected as such. That's just my take on it.

In addition to nicknames, I also sometimes assign people theme songs, purely for my own enjoyment. Although I haven't nicknamed Shihan, I have given him a theme song...

Look mom, no arms!

2012-01-09T09:30:00.000-06:00

In honor of my first day back to women's Jiu-Jitsu class since breaking my wrist there, Amy had us do everything without using our arms. We started off with no-arm fall practice, where we grabbed our gi collars instead of slapping the mat. I preferred it that way, because I've never been entirely comfortable with the idea of extending my elbows so far from my body. I'm used to keeping them tucked in close for protection in Karate, which is also beneficial in Jiu-Jitsu.

After that, we did armless pinning and escaping drills, and it was actually more fun than it sounds. Well, the pinning part was, but trying to escape without using your arms was hard! At some point, she did allow us to use them to escape, but still not to pin. I was surprised by how well I was able to hold people just with my body. For some reason I was completely relaxed, and so my pinning was rock solid. AJ said my side control was "like being in a vise grip".

Keeping someone in guard without using your arms is probably the hardest of all the positions, and it's something that we regularly practice in our women's class, but the rest of what we did yesterday was new, and enlightening. If someone had told me that I would have been able to do as well as I did without my arms, I would have thought they were crazy, but you never know until you try. I even almost finished a triangle choke from mount, without using my arms at all.

The philosophy of this kind of training is "If you can learn to do it without your arms, think of how much easier it will be when you can use them". It's also beneficial if you ever find yourself needing to choke someone when both of your arms are tied behind your back!

Mr. Miyagi

2012-01-08T16:17:00.007-06:00

"Karate come from China, sixteenth century, called te, 'hand'. Hundred year later, Miyagi ancestor bring to Okinawa, call *kara*-te, 'empty hand'."

Movie Miyagi

I'll admit that I don't really study the history of martial arts. It seems so complicated (and boring) that sometimes when people start talking to me about it, it sounds like adults talking to Charlie Brown "Wah wah wah wah wah". I do know some information, including the basic history of the style of Karate that I train, Okinawan Goju-Ryu. For those who care, my lineage is John Roseberry--Seikichi Toguchi--Chojun Miyagi. Yes, there really was a Mr. Miyagi, and he created Goju-Ryu. Which is why I learned everything I need to know about it from watching The Karate Kid! I'm just kidding, Chojun Miyagi is not the person depicted in the movie, but the character is supposed to be his descendant, and the basic ideals he espouses are true to our style.

"[Taps his head] Karate here. [Taps his heart] Karate here.

[Points to his belt] Karate never here. Understand?"

No, the crane kick is not a part of our curriculum (but I do know how to do it). I have also never had to wax any cars, or paint any fences for my Sensei. The closest my training has ever come to resembling Daniel-san's is when my teachers constantly remind me "Breathe in through nose, out the mouth. Don't forget to breathe, very important." However, I would just like to put it out there that I would gladly wax some classic cars if someone would give me one of them!

When Shihan was interviewed and they asked him what his favorite movie was he said "The Karate Kid" (well actually, first he said "Pretty Woman", then he changed it, lol!). I think that movie holds a special place in the hearts of many Karateka, particularly those who train Goju-Ryu. During kids' parties at the dojo, we will sometimes play the movie (the original one, the good one ;) to share it with the next generation. There are some great lessons depicted in it, and I hope that the number one thing they take away from it is "Karate ni sente nashi" (there is no first strike in Karate).

"Do not be struck by others. Do not strike others.
The principle is the peace without incident."- Chojun Miyagi

Chojun Miyagi

The fact that the person who taught Goju-Ryu Karate to my teacher was taught by Master Miyagi himself means that I get to learn the history from someone who is not far removed from it. Shihan Roseberry doesn't care about the politics, he just tries to stay true to what Master Toguchi taught him, and I guess that is the only history I really feel like I need to know.

"Let me first say that I was not named the successor of Goju-Ryu by Miyagi, but nor was anyone else. He never publicly named anyone as successor. Common sense would dictate that if he were to appoint someone, it would have been a longtime student and it would have to be of public record to have any value.

It would also be logical to assume that since Miyagi would not grant dan ranking, how then would he be inclined to name a successor? I feel Miyagi would be rolling in his grave with the plethora of ridiculous claims about this matter." -Seikichi Toguchi

Falling

2012-01-06T08:42:00.002-06:00

Ever since I started training, I've been afraid of being thrown. I have a tendency to grab onto my partner when they are trying to throw me (no matter how often I've been told not to). Sensei Incredible once tried to cure me of it by allowing himself to be pulled down on top of me when I bear-hugged him. You would think that having 200 pounds of Marine falling on me would have taken care of this bad habit, but it didn't.

For me, falling sideways is the worst. I first learned how to fall in Karate class, and when I went to Judo, I was told that I was doing side falls wrong. In Judo, you're supposed to land with your back leg behind your front leg, but in Karate we cross the back leg over the front. The reason for this is that Karate dudes are obsessed with protecting their junk! Leaving the back leg behind the front one exposes too much of that area for their comfort. I swear, 80% of the things we do in Karate involve either protecting or attacking the groin!

Anyway, I'm not worried about my groin, but breaking my wrist by sticking my arm out to catch myself during a side fall has done nothing to make me feel more confident with falling. I dread it even more now. I don't want to let this fear get the better of me, so I need to figure out how to get over it for good. I've been contemplating going to Judo class and just doing fall practice. My wrist isn't healed enough to do any kind of throwing yet, but I think practicing some falling might make me feel more comfortable when I can start throwing again.

I don't know, maybe it's a silly idea to go to Judo class just for falling, but I really want to train myself to stop grabbing onto people, or trying to catch myself when I'm being thrown. I obviously have not had enough practice to build up the muscle memory, or get over the fear yet. I figure the more I fall down, the better.

"Because falling's not the problem
When I'm falling I'm in peace
It's only when I hit the ground
It causes all the grief."

No place like home

2012-01-04T10:21:00.000-06:00

My first day back to Jiu-Jitsu was a success! I was afraid it would be awkward, but you know, the mat still feels like home. I think my Jiu-Jitsu brethren were glad I was there, and everyone was great about working with injured me. They were all very helpful and accommodating, and I actually ended up being able to do almost everything we practiced! It felt as if I'd only been away for a few days, I don't even know what I was so worried about.

I had to drop out shortly before open mat, because my wrist needed a rest at that point, but I'm happy with how much I could do. I thought I would have some trouble with the gi chokes, since grabbing and holding is still difficult with my right hand, but it went much better than I expected. There was some swelling and bruising after class, but after a little ice, it felt great. Now I'm positive that I am really ready to return, and I'm thrilled to be back!

I decided to take some pictures during open mat to keep my mind off the fact that I wasn't participating. Unfortunately a lot of them turned out very dark, because while I've been gone, they boarded up some of the windows due to water leaking in, and I guess my flash wasn't set for taking pictures in a dungeon. I do not like losing the windows! There used to be a lot of natural light in the building, and now it seems dreary. I took about fifty pix, but only a handful are even halfway decent.

Oh, but anyway, Toto, we're home. Home! And this is my room, and you're all here. And I'm not gonna leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all, and oh, Auntie Em, there's no place like home!

Adam & Andy, Spencer & Adam

Ray & Will

David & Patrick

Conan & New Guy (whose name I do not know yet :)

Back in the Saddle

2012-01-02T10:14:00.000-06:00

After fifty days off, I'm finally going back to Jiu-Jitsu class tomorrow. My wrist is far from healed, so I'll be limited in what I can do, but it's high time I got back on the horse. I expected be a lot more excited about the prospect, but I'm actually quite nervous. I'm not worried about the injury, just about returning in general. I almost feel like I'm starting all over. I'm not afraid to get back in the saddle, but I can tell I've lost some of my jockey skills, and it will be awhile before I regain them.

Not to mention that it already seemed like half of the guys in Jiu-Jitsu were afraid to touch me for fear that I would break, and then just when I almost had them convinced that I wouldn't, I actually had to go and break myself. Now I think they will probably actively avoid me. I also feel like I'm not going to be able to continue moving forward, or even return to the level where I was, until I can grapple again. It would probably be helpful if I could find someone who would be willing to just drill with me, but I hate to ask anyone to give up their open mat time for that.

I suppose what it really comes down to is that I want to be riding a racehorse, but I know I will have to start with being led around on a pony for a little while. It's bad enough that I have to take it easy, and I don't want to slow down whoever is stuck holding the leash.

"Get back in the saddle, one more time
Get back in the saddle, swallow all of your pride
Cause if you can’t take the fall, you shouldn’t take the ride."

The Incredibles

2011-12-29T11:38:00.002-06:00

This is the story of a Karate Sensei named Mr. Incredible and a Judo Sensei named Elastigirl. Some years ago, they met on the mat at a Judo class, and Mr. Incredible was immediately smitten. He vowed "Someday I will make her mine!" Everyone laughed at him, because she was obviously way out of his league, and he was a single dad raising a teenage girl (but his daughter was no Shrinking Violet; she was a Karate black belt, too!).

At first, Elastigirl was unsure about this big oaf who kept following her around, but his persistent pursuit paid off, and she fell deeply in love with him. After all, he is Mr. Incredible. A couple of years later, he got down on bended knee on the very same mat where they met, and in front of their dojo family and friends, he asked her to be his wife. Of course she said yes. A couple of years after that, they added to their family a healthy baby boy, an Incredible Son.

I am so blessed to have been able to see this dojo love story unfold firsthand, and to share the joy of training martial arts together as a family with The Incredibles. Just like The Ethridges, everyone in their household can kick butt! Well, not the baby yet, but I'm sure he will learn how to as soon as he can. I can't wait to find out what his Special Power is going to be!

Xboxing Day

2011-12-26T09:58:00.001-06:00

It's now officially been six weeks since I broke my wrist, which means I don't have to wear the stupid cumbersome brace on my arm all of the time anymore! I also cut off those super annoying long fingernails that I was cultivating. Oh, happy day!

Goodbye brace, hello Skyrim! Instead of Boxing Day, I hereby proclaim it to be Xboxing Day. I'll need a little bit of play boxing before I can get back to some real boxing. I'll see everyone in about a week...or two...

"I be kicking game like I roundhoused the Xbox."

Peace on Earth

2011-12-24T11:24:00.001-06:00

Amazing Peace by Maya Angelou

In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft. Then only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is loud now.
Louder than the explosion of bombs.

We tremble at the sound.
We are thrilled by its presence.
It is what we have hungered for.
Not just the absence of war. But true Peace.
A harmony of spirit, and comfort of courtesies.
Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.

We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.
Peace. We look at each other, then into ourselves,
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation:

Peace, My Brother.
Peace, My Sister.
Peace, My Soul.

Roots & Branches

2011-12-22T09:48:00.003-06:00

Last night, Shihan preceded our annual dojo holiday party with a special class that included youth and adult students from all of the different arts at the dojo. I believe this is the first time he has taught a class like this, and there was a satisfyingly large turnout. It was fun to see everyone interact, and I especially enjoyed working with the kids (there were tons of them!).

It was really great to see so many Sensei from all the arts, especially since I've been away for awhile, but even with a broken wrist I was not free from attempts to pull me in their direction. From one's reminder to "not forget where your home is" (Karate) to another's observation that "if you were a Judoka, you would know better than to stick your arm out to catch yourself when you fall". That particular Judo Sensei also likes to corner me when I'm trying to leave the dojo after Jiu-Jitsu, and say things like "Where do you think you're going, don't you have another class to go to?" One time I told him I couldn't stay for Judo because I was going to my mom's for dinner, and he said "Give me her number, and I'll call and explain why you won't be there." Sometimes it feels like I'm a tug-of-war rope! I am actually very honored that they enjoy having me as a student, and I would attend every class full time if I could.

I am one of only a handful of students who currently train in more than one art at the dojo, so most of them don't get a chance to interact with people from the other disciplines, which made this class even more special. My dojobro, Iron Fist Ken, does train multiple arts, and he was wearing his black belt last night, which confused one of the young Judoka, who asked me "Why does Ken have a black belt, I thought he was a brown belt?", to which I replied "Well, he's a brown belt in Judo, but he's a black belt in Karate." The kid said "Woah!", and then I told him "Yeah, and he has a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu, too." The boy was rightly in awe.

The red rectangle on the base of the tree? That is a brick.
Shihan recommends "If all else fails, throw a brick and run".

I think Shihan's main goal with this class was to bring us closer together as a family, and to encourage cross-training. He often refers to the tree that is painted on the sign outside of our dojo; the branches represent the different arts, but they all sprout from common roots. They're all part of the same thing. I believe Shihan is trying to encourage everyone to swing across to the other branches and visit from time to time.

No Inch Nails

2011-12-20T10:38:00.000-06:00

They weren't quite this long!

After one of my matches at a Jiu-Jitsu tournament, I noticed that my opponent had long fingernails, which surprised (and scared) me a little bit. I was glad I didn't get scratched, or get an eye poked out! I figured no long nails in Jiu-Jitsu was a given, but that incident made me want to start checking my competitor's hands before our matches. Besides the safety factor, I can't imagine that long nails would be very beneficial to gripping.

For about twenty years before I started at the dojo, I always had long fingernails. My nails are very strong, and they grow fast. People usually thought they were fake, and I was pretty proud that they weren't. I used to love to paint them all crazy (okay, I still love to do that).

Then at my very first Karate class, I discovered that I could not make a proper fist without gouging myself in the palm. So as soon as I got home that night, I cut them to the quick, and I never looked back. I missed them a little bit at first; because I would use them as tools, and the tips of my fingers were sensitive from never being exposed; but I got used to it.

Now that I've had a broken wrist for the past month, I haven't been able to (nor really had the need to) keep my nails trimmed. Therefore, for the first time in about six and a half years, I have long fingernails again. They aren't even close to as long as they used to be, but I already hate them! They're so annoying, they just get in the way! Why in the world did I ever think they were cool?

I can still make a fist without drawing blood, so I suppose they are acceptable for now. Since I'm only able to use one arm at the moment, I figure they might be good weapons to hold onto for the time being, but as soon as I have access to my right arm again, they got to go!

Puzzle Me

2011-12-19T10:58:00.001-06:00

One summer when I was a kid, my parents signed me up for a bowling league. I didn't really know how to bowl when I started, but I learned quickly. I ended up winning several awards, including highest score. However, the award that always made me feel the happiest was "Most Improved". I couldn't keep the ball out of the gutter for the first couple weeks, and it drove me crazy. So I worked hard to understand what I was doing wrong and correct it. Once I conquered bowling to my satisfaction, I didn't feel the need to do it anymore, and I have rarely bowled since.

I don't know if I'll ever deserve the most improved award in Jiu-Jitsu, but the challenge of not really being able to do it when I started is part of what interested me, and I have come so far that I barely recognize my former self. Yet no matter how much I improve, so much of it still remains a complete mystery to me.

I think one of the best things about Jiu-Jitsu is that I'm sure even if I keep training for the rest of my life, I will never master it to my satisfaction. It will never get boring, and I will never get tired of trying to improve. It will always be a beautiful, complex puzzle that motivates me to push myself beyond my comfort zone.

"It is one of man's curious idiosyncrasies to create difficulties

for the pleasure of resolving them." - Joseph de Maistre

Taking candy from a baby

2011-12-17T08:43:00.000-06:00

It doesn't say anything about roughhousing!

From time to time, we have Jiu-Jitsu students who only show up for the last thirty minutes of class...open mat. One of the seniors joked(?) that we should start having open mat at the beginning, so that when they came in, they would have to go to class. I think they might just go home instead.

Sometimes I wonder what would happen to Jiu-Jitsu class if we put a freeze on rolling. I wonder how many people would still show up if there was no open mat at the end. Not that I think we should do that, as everyone knows, live grappling is a very vital part of training. I'm just curious as to how many people are glancing at the clock during drills. I'll admit that I've even caught myself doing it a time or two.

I am now facing the prospect of being able to return to Jiu-Jitsu class soon, but still not being able to roll for awhile. It would be one thing if no one else could roll either, but seeing everyone grappling and not being able to participate is a form of cruel and unusual punishment for me. It's like putting super yummy sugary candy in front of a child and telling them they can look at the candy, they can smell the candy, they can even touch the candy...but under no circumstances are they allowed to eat it. Waaah!

"In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun,
You find the fun and snap! The job's a game!

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,
In the most delightful way." -Mary Poppins

Rust Never Sleeps

2011-12-15T12:19:00.001-06:00

Number of times I was supposed to take my brace off: 0
Number of times I have taken it off this week: 3

In my defense, I didn't leave it off for very long, and I didn't actually try to DO anything with it off. I was just overwhelmed with the desire to let my arm be free. As soon as I took it off the first time, I realized it was not a very good idea. That didn't stop me from doing it a couple more times, though.

Obviously my plan to hibernate until my broken wrist heals didn't work out. There are a few reasons; first of all I'm a terrible sleeper, and to remain asleep for any length of time would require someone to choke me unconcious every few hours. Another reason is that when my husband heard of my desire to hibernate, his response was "Rust never sleeps." I wanted to smack him for being right.

I can feel the rust creeping in, and I don't like it, not one bit. Although I will be able to safely remove the brace soon, I can tell it's going to be awhile longer before it's fully healed. For all the things that I can do, there are still things that I can't and won't be able to do for some time. However I've decided that once the brace comes off, I am going to go to every class I can, and do everything that I am able to do. I will not let rust win.

Time will Tell

2011-12-13T12:20:00.000-06:00

I once overheard a conversation between two people on the mat, and the first person was trying to help the second person figure out what to do. The second person became frustrated and said "Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it!", to which the first person replied "If I tell you, you won't learn as much."

I can certainly sympathize with the second person. I think many of us feel that way, especially in the beginning of our training. "Just tell me how to be good at Jiu-Jitsu and I will do it!" I've asked my teachers questions that they didn't respond to, not because they didn't know the answer, but because they understand that telling me isn't always as effective as when I figure it out for myself.

That reminds me of a time in Karate class when a student asked why you would kick a person in the shin, so the Sensei went over to him and kicked him in the shin. He didn't have any more questions after that.

It would be nice if we could find simple answers to all our Jiu-Jitsu questions, and have someone tell us what to do each step along the way, but unfortunately that's not how it works. There are lessons that can only be learned through trial and error, time and practice. Sometimes you just have to do the research yourself.

Dream On

2011-12-12T15:22:00.002-06:00

Since I seem to be on the subject of MMA, I thought this would be a good time to admit that if I was ten years younger (maybe even five years), I have no doubt that I would be a cage fighter. It might be hard for some people to understand, but I feel like that's where I belong. There is a big part of me that would like to try it at least once, just to see how it feels, and to find out if I could really do it.

Of course, I can barely compete at a tournament when there's a small audience without having a panic attack, so I don't know how I could possibly walk out in front of a big crowd without passing out. I also know that to even get to that point, I would have to work harder than I have ever worked in my entire life.

I am 42 years old, and prior to age 36 I had no martial or athletic training at all. Most people in MMA have retired by the time they are my age. Although there are a million reasons why I know this should just remain a dream, once in a while I find it hard to let go. I actually think I could still make it happen if I really wanted it bad enough. I have no illusions that I could go anywhere with it, but I think I could get a fight. I would most likely lose that fight, but I really don't even care.

I'm not getting any younger, and this dream isn't getting any closer, so someday it will probably just fade away. I finally figured out what I really wanted to be when I grew up, but it's about twenty years too late.

In my dreams, this is my MMA walk-out song. It just totally makes me feel like beating someone up, which I believe is the point.

"Stand back if you frightened! Yeah, get back cause we fighting!"

Georgia on my Mind

2011-12-11T18:10:00.001-06:00

For about three years in the early 80's, my dad was stationed at Ft. Benning, Ga. I think my entire family fell a little bit in love with Georgia while we were there. I even liked living on the base itself, because I liked watching the paratroopers while they were training (I didn't get to see any of the Special Forces, though ;). We could also drive to Disney World in a day!

It's not just because of the nice weather, it's as though the air feels different in Georgia. I loved so much about it, the trees and the lakes, I even liked the kudzu! When I moved North, I didn't think I would really miss much about the South (and there are definently things I do not miss), but I sometimes find myself longing for it's charm and laid-back style. I kind of miss being called "ma'am" (even when they really meant "bitch" ;) and I love good homemade southern cooking (although I guess it's best that I never learned how to do it myself).

Kudzu kills!

I know it's probably more of a fantasy based on fond childhood memories, but in a way I miss being a Georgia Peach (that's what they called me when I first moved to Virginia with my "Georgia accent", which is now long gone). Georgia also affected my sister, and for several years she has been insisting that one day she is going to move to Savannah. When it gets cold in Nebraska, like it is now, I'm so tempted to go with her.

"(Leaving) On that midnight train to Georgia
(Leaving on a midnight train)
Said she's going back (Going back to find)
To find a simpler place and time..."

Grrarrring

2011-12-10T15:33:00.001-06:00

I know that some people call submission rolling "sparring", but for simplicity I usually just call it grappling, and I call stand-up striking sparring. Then I got to thinking about what I would call it when we practice rolling with striking (you know, MMA style). Strolling? Um, no. Sparpling? Strappling? Grarring? Oh, I kind of like that one, but it needs more rrrrr's...grrarrring. "I'm going to the dojo to grrarrr!"

Whatever you want to call it, I don't train it enough. Grappling is a lot different when striking is involved, and I think focusing too much on submission rolling can give a false sense of security when it comes to self-defense. I might be alright on offense with only Jiu-Jitsu, but if I could not defend against strikes, I could be at a big disadvantage. I've seen some great Jiu-Jitsu fighters lose MMA matches because they couldn't seem to figure out how to stop getting hit.

Luckily, my Karate training has taught me how to defend against striking, but I rarely practice that skill on the ground. When I have done it, I was really surprised by how much it changed everything. Although I am very comfortable with either rolling or sparring, when they are put together it's whole new game, even when the striking is just light contact. It would be even more of a challenge in a real-world situation.

I've seen people training MMA at the dojo, and other fighters in local matches, where as soon as the fight goes to the ground they appear to forget that they can strike. This seems to particularly affect those whose main style is submission grappling. It's not really Mixed Martial Arts, or complete self-defense, if you just practice the arts separately. You have to put them all together to get the full advantage.

Man, I Feel Like a Woman

2011-12-09T12:50:00.003-06:00

I was watching a news show, and they were talking about women in MMA. The gist of it was that there isn't a lot of support for it because the general public doesn't want to see it. This is common to women's sports, but the report said it's even harder for people to accept women fighting. It's not something we are supposed to do, it's not natural.

That is something I personally have a hard time accepting. I am a woman, I love being a woman, I love womanly things...but I also love to fight. I don't move, think, or feel like a man when I am sparring or grappling, and fighting does not feel "unnatural" to me. What is unnatural is society convincing women that to be feminine they have to be weak and submissive.

I think the world needs to stop calling boys who are into the arts "sissies", and girls who are into sports "tomboys". There is nothing unnatural about any of it. I'm a woman, I beat people up, and I get beat up in return...get over it.

Asking for it

2011-12-07T10:47:00.000-06:00

Conan's post on The Jiu-Jitsu fighter yesterday, "Mentoring", made me think about something that's been on my mind for a little while. All of my Jiu-Jitsu seniors have helped me along the way, but I think it's human nature to seek to develop personal mentoring relationships, and they usually happen naturally. These types of one-on-one connections are beneficial to both the junior and the senior.

I am very fortunate to be able to call Conan and Amy my Jiu-Jitsu mentors, but I don't feel like I have really developed that kind of relationship with any of the students. I don't want to always be going to the head teachers for help, and they aren't always available.

So for awhile now, I have been wanting to ask one of the seniors in Jiu-Jitsu to be my "big brother". I know exactly who I want it to be. He has already shown that he takes an interest in my training, and he often helps me. I want him to mentor me because I feel like it would be a good fit for both of us. I enjoy his straight-forward approach, and I respond well to it. He tells me exactly what I need (not want) to hear. The problem is, I think I may be giving him the impression that I'm not interested in his help, because I have a hard time approaching him, even when he's completely available. Sorry bro, I just suck at expressing myself in person. I really do want to work with you.

I don't think he reads my blog, or knows anything about the way I feel. Should I tell him? What if he doesn't want to spend his time on me? Would asking him for help be too much pressure, would he feel obligated to oblige? Is it stupid to even think that I have to ask him to be my mentor? It might be more that I just want to let him know that I already consider him to be one.


The mystery mentor is in this picture. Guess who it is and win a prize! (Disclaimer: I lied, there is no prize.)

Baby, it's Cold Outside

2011-12-05T12:59:00.000-06:00

His name is Mr.Chili

Now that the snow has started to fall, I think I will hibernate until my wrist heals and I can go back to the dojo. It has nothing to do with the fact that I hate the cold (and not being able to train) I just don't want to risk slipping on the ice, because I might foosh my left arm, too! Yeah, that's a good plan, I will sleep for the next few weeks, and when I wake up I will be all healed! That's a much better idea than having Butters freeze me until then. I don't want to accidentally end up frozen until 2546, and wake up to a world with no video games! The horror!

The snow has also put a damper on our K9 Kobudo training. Jay had difficulty hanging onto his icy weapon. He also insisted upon working with a bo that was larger in diameter than normal, and it proved to be quite a challenge. Finally he just gave up and threw some snow in my face before he attacked me empty-handed.

I think, therefore I am (Jean Grey)

2011-12-03T12:50:00.001-06:00

I've had too much time to think lately. Thinking and thinking (not doing), just thinking. Of course, a lot of that thinking has been about Jiu-Jitsu. Now after days and weeks (going on months) of nothing but thinking, I guess I've run out of practical Jiu-Jitsu things to think about, so I've started to contemplate pointless topics such as "I wonder what would happen if I grappled with some of my Karate Sensei!" Submissions are a part of our Karate curriculum, and most of these people have also trained Judo.

JP (Captain America)- He probably can't grapple because he has a bad back (from being a National Champion Husker Blackshirt). Otherwise, he would submit me rather quickly, but ever so kindly. Which I would actually prefer to sparring with him, and seeing his giant fist (which I'm positive is as large as my head) coming at me. It gives me nightmares...fe fi fo fum!

BS (Iron Man)- Skins vs. Shirts! Oh, he would definitely submit me, and it would be very painful, and he would thoroughly enjoy it. Of course, if it did happen the other way around, he wouldn't mind that, either. Before he tapped me out, he would probably pinch me really hard on the underside of the arm, or the inside of the thigh, and he'd also tweak some pressure points, just for fun.

BG1 (Professor X)- Although I believe he is absolutely capable of submitting me, I don't think he would, at least not right away. I imagine he would be more of a defensive grappler, calm and patient, and he would prefer to just flow. He'd be a soul roller, Zen X.

TV (Superman)- Well, he is The Man of Steel. However, I don't think he's ever really done any grappling, so maybe Jiu-Jitsu is his kryptonite! Even so, he's as big as Treebeard, so the smart bet is on the side of Truth, Justice, and the American way.

ES (Flash)- This match is unlikely to happen, because he prefers a six-foot space between himself and his opponent. I can't get anywhere near him without getting kicked in the head, and it happens faster than the human eye can detect! Otherwise, if I could actually get close, I think I could beat him.

BG2 (Billy Jack)- I've grappled with him before, and I almost submitted him the last time (which was over a year ago) so I got this one. Ya hearrrd me! I don't care how many people he choked when he was with the LPD! He likes to tell stories about how he once choked me out, but he neglects to mention that I let him. Try, try as hard as you can, you can't choke ME, Mr. Fireman.

KH (Batman)- I roll with him all the time, so I can tell you exactly how it will go...I will repeatedly try to submit him, and he will laugh defiantly, which will only make me want to submit him even more. Then I will get tired, become frustrated, give up, and sulk off to plot new plans of attack. Someday I will rise from the ashes, and I will finish him!

"No longer am I the woman you knew! I am fire! And life incarnate!

Now and forever -- I am PHOENIX!"

All I want for Christmas is...

2011-12-02T16:01:00.000-06:00

Just because your arm is in an ugly brace,
it doesn't mean you can't still be stylish!

Yay, it's December! My brace comes off in December! Well, not until towards the end...the 25th to be exact. I know which present I am most looking forward to unwrapping...my arm! Of course, it's not like I'll be able to go full-steam right away, but I really can't wait to take this thing off. Since it's not a cast, I can take it off myself (which I'm not supposed to do until the 25th, but which I have threatened to do about sixty times so far). I'll probably cave on Christmas Eve, and then I will most likely need some Skyrim physical therapy before I return to the dojo.

Since I'll get back to Jiu-Jitsu around The New Year, I've decided to approach my training as if I'm starting all over. I want to go back to the basics and try to pick up some of the details I missed the first time around. I would like to let go of some of my old bad habits, and reexamine my entire strategy. I hope to develop more patience; both with my training and my grappling. I think I've spent too much time looking ahead in Jiu-Jitsu, and I've missed some of what was happening along the way.

My desire, but inability, to learn some of the cool, crazy, advanced Jiu-Jitsu techniques has sometimes made me feel like a remedial student, but the truth is I've just been reaching beyond my grasp. At this point in my training, I shouldn't be able to do those "black belt" things yet, nor should I even be trying to. I should be working my basics, over and over again, until they become second nature. As Shihan says "There is no such thing as an advanced technique, only a basic one done well."

Hypothetical Idiot

2011-11-30T18:26:00.000-06:00

For hypothetical purposes, let's say I am standing on a chair that has a removable cushion on it, and that the chair is near a wall. Let's also hypothetically say that I have a broken wrist, and I do not have my arm in a sling. Then let's say that the hypothetical cushion on the hypothetical chair starts to slide, causing me to almost fall off. Do you think I would:

A. Fall off the chair.

B. Catch myself by posting with my uninjured left hand on the wall.

C. Catch myself by posting with my dominant (but broken) right hand.

If you answered A or B, you are hypothetically wrong. The correct answer is C, and I'm sure it would hypothetically hurt a lot if that happened. Like really, really hurt a LOT...hypothetically.

Exile

2011-11-29T10:19:00.000-06:00

While I've been out for the past couple of weeks due to injury, there have been a few times when I've thought about going to watch Jiu-Jitsu class, but I decided not to. I'm the kind of person who learns by doing, and it's just too hard for me to sit idly by. I've previously gone to the dojo when I was injured, intending to only watch, but I ended up participating and either doing something I shouldn't have, or simply overdoing it.

I believe it's best if I stay away. In order to keep my addiction in check long enough to allow my wrist to heal, I simply cannot be around people who are doing Jiu-Jitsu. My good intentions go right out the window when I am physically exposed to it, and I can't be trusted to not injure myself further. In the past, I have even continued grappling immediately after a joint was popped.

Luckily, I am able to read and watch videos without feeling the need to Jitsu the next person I see, so that's how I've been surviving while I'm in self-imposed exile. It's not nearly as satisfying, and I don't feel like I'm learning much, but it's better than nothing. Since I started Jiu-Jitsu, the longest amount of time I have ever managed to stay away from class was three weeks, and I'm supposed to double that this time. *Heavy sigh* I can't wait until this exile ends.

"I can't quit you, babe
So I'm gonna put you down for awhile
I said, I can't quit you, babe
I guess I got to put you down for awhile."

I can do it myself!

2011-11-27T11:01:00.000-06:00

Anyone who's ever attempted to help young children do something, like tie their shoes, has probably heard some of them say "No! I can do it myself!". Now that I'm a one-armed wonder with a broken wrist, I feel like one of those children. There have been more than a few times when my husband has seen me struggling to do something and questioned "Why don't you just ask for help?" Well, because I don't need help. It might take me awhile, but I can do it myself! I will only ask for help if I really can't do it (like tying my shoes, I can't do that right now).

I've guess I've always been this way. I won't ask for help until after I have attempted everything I can think of and failed. It's not because I'm too proud, or I don't appreciate assistance, I think it's just because I hate to be beaten by anything. "Why can't I get this stupid lightbulb to screw in?! #%&*!" If I'd have given up and let Joe change it, I never would've realized that I was just turning the bulb the wrong way, because it felt weird doing it with my left hand.

"How many sorceresses does it take to change a lightbulb?

That depends on what you want the lightbulb changed into."

I almost changed that lightbulb into several small pieces of glass.

Unfortunately, always using my non-dominant hand has caused me to revert to an extremely high level of klutziness. I have figured out how to do many things quite well with my left hand, but holding onto a cup of coffee does not qualify as one of them. Over the past couple of weeks, three yummy javas have suffered tragic deaths at my hands. I'm a crazed coffee killer, I be takin' out beans like it ain't no thing!

I guess Joe's point is that just because I can do something without help doesn't mean I have to, or even that I should. Using my left arm all the time does get tiring, so I've been taking my right arm out of the sling to use it, even though I'm not supposed to. Overuse will only slow down my recovery, so if Joe wants to do everything for me when he's around, I guess there's no harm in letting him. I only have four weeks left until the brace comes off, and I'm going to start milking this thing for all it's worth! You asked for it, Joe. For the next month, whenever I want you to do anything, all I expect to hear is "As you wish".

Black

2011-11-25T00:48:00.002-06:00

I usually ♥ Black, because it's super cool, but Black Friday, not so much...

Big crowds of people and music that annoys
Lights glaring brightly and fighting over toys
Early morning bitter cold air that stings
These are a few of my least favorite things.

So my Friday is only going to involve things which I believe deserve to be called Black...

The Husker blackshirts and black magic voodoo
Tapping out black belts and ninjas with kung-fu
Black eyes from beatings in octagon rings
These are a few of my favorite things.

My Seestwo

2011-11-22T09:56:00.000-06:00

I wouldn't sit on Santa's lap without Lori.

I am the eldest of three sisters. The baby, Brandi, is nine years younger, and the neglected middle child, Lori, is younger by two years. Although she is younger than I am, Lori was born more mature, and with a much more out-going personality. When we were kids, stores used to give out candy if you went up to the counter. I was way too shy to ask for my own candy, so when Lori got hers she would always ask if she could have another piece for her big sister. Well actually, she had a speech impediment when she was little, and she had trouble saying "r's", so she would ask for candy for her "seestwo". That is still what
us girls affectionately call each other.

Since Lori and I are so close in age, when we were growing up we usually went to the same school, and our parents were very adamant about us maintaining good grades. Getting a C on a report card was not acceptable, because "C is average, and you are better than average". Although Lori is very smart, book-learning is something which did not come easily for her back then, like it did for me. I have a good ability to memorize the written word, so in school I was usually able to maintain A's without even trying. I never studied, and I rarely did homework outside of class. Lori, on the other hand, had to work her butt off for the good grades she got. I know there were times when she was frustrated by this. She could see that I was goofing off and not even applying myself, yet I was still doing as well she did when she had to really work for it.

Thanks to Jiu-Jitsu, I think I finally understand how she felt. Sometimes it seems like I have to work twice as hard just to be half as good as everyone else. Especially those people who it appears to come naturally to. It's like they don't even have to try, and they're still better than me. I feel as though I'm constantly struggling, and I'm barely getting by.

I've heard that when things always come easily for someone, they often quit when the going gets tough, because they haven't learned how to work hard and persevere. Some gifted students who sail through high school fail out of college because it's not so easy anymore, while the people who continually have to put in work to succeed are the ones who learn the skills necessary to keep going, and often rise to the top. My sister Lori is now a Vice President at Union Bank & Trust Company. I believe that the skills she learned while struggling through school is what allowed her to achieve the enormous success she now has. She's worked really hard to get where she is, and she deserves every bit of it.

I just hope that the same holds true for me in Jiu-Jitsu. I hope that if I keep working hard and studying that eventually I can be as good as, or even better than, the people who are born with natural ability. My sister didn't waste time complaining that it wasn't fair because she had to work harder than me in school, she just did it.

Lori and I did fight a bit when we were growing up, and my dad even threatened to buy us boxing gloves and let us go at it (which I was all for!). Lori would probably tell you that I tormented her on the regular (as well as a story about me stabbing her with a fork, which I can neither confirm nor deny), but she should also tell you about all the times when I had her back, and how I would chase down and beat up other kids who were picking on her. I love my little seestwos, and I am the only one allowed to mess with them! Nosparc clan rules!

Big Boss Man

2011-11-20T14:05:00.000-06:00

It's only been a week since I broke my wrist, but I've already started to succumb to the sadness of not being able to roll. To get me through the down times, I've been trying to think about some of my best grappling moments. Naturally, one that came to mind was the time I tapped Conan out. Yes, it really really happened! Of course, I know it only happened because he was kind enough to not submit me in thirty seconds (like we both know he can). Also, he gave me side control, but he did not let me submit him. I actually tricked him. Bwahahaha!

What usually happens when Conan lets me have side control is that I attempt to mount him (because I am oh, so greedy) and he reverses me, but this time I tried something different. I had my right arm around his head and I reached my left arm over his body, to make him think I was going after his far arm. While he was distracted with my fake armbar, he didn't notice that I had grabbed my left gi sleeve with my right hand. As soon as his head lifted up enough, I slipped my left arm in there for an ezekiel, and he tapped. I honestly could not believe it. I even asked him "Was that a tap? Was it for real?" Yes and yes! I almost spontaneously combusted on the spot.

I don't expect to ever get lucky and catch him slipping like that again, but I once tapped out The Boss! The possibility that it might happen again is reason enough to keep looking forward, and to do what I can to continue improving during my recuperation period. I might not be able to grapple, but I can keep learning.

"You're not the boss of me now

You're not the boss of me now

And you're not so big."...

"You're just tall, that's all"

A reindeer got run over by grandma

2011-11-19T16:58:00.000-06:00

Shortly before I started Jiu-Jitsu, Conan posted the question "What motivates you to train". He said that for himself, in the beginning, it was about wanting to be as good as his teachers. At the time, I didn't have an answer concerning Jiu-Jitsu, because I hadn't started training it quite yet, but I said my motivation for Karate is that I wanted to improve myself. Now three years later, I've thought about what my answer for Jiu-Jitsu would be.

It's not because I hope to someday be as good as my teachers, because I doubt that will ever happen. It's not because I want to be a sport competitor on a national scale, because I know that will never happen. At this point, I have no desire to teach Jiu-Jitsu, and I only have a tentative interest in reffing. Although I do believe it is great for self-defense, that doesn't explain why I'm practicing things like spider guard. I don't train Jiu-Jitsu to keep in shape, I can get that in other ways (although they usually aren't as much fun ;).

So, besides the fact that I simply love it, and I hope to inspire other women to try it, what do I want to get out of it? Besides self-improvement, what is my motivation to keep training Jiu-Jitsu?

I think it's really because I aspire to someday be a sixty year-old lady with pigtails who is tapping out all the young dudes. Since sixty is still eighteen years away for me, I should be able to make black belt by then! The trick is to not burn myself out, or become physically unable to train. I've realized that I need to start taking better care of my body, and stop ignoring my injuries, if I want to last long enough to be able to achieve that goal.

I really want to see the looks on the young bucks' faces when they realize they just got tapped out by a senior citizen. Is that too much to ask? Getting submitted by a little old lady would really show them the true power and potential of Jiu-Jitsu. Granny don't play no reindeer games, she will choke the breath out of you!

Pretty Good Year

2011-11-17T10:03:00.001-06:00

Today marks one year since I started Ginger Snaps. I had previously been blogging for about a year and a half as a part of the group on The Jiu-Jitsu Fighter, and I decided to start my own blog because I wanted to write about subjects other than Jiu-Jitsu. The funny thing is that when I finally got around to labeling my Ginger Snaps posts, I realized that Jiu-Jitsu far outnumbers any other label. Yeah, I'm so crazy about Jiu-Jitsu that I needed two different blogs to write about it!

In the last year, I have posted 187 times to Ginger Snaps, and 60 of those posts have been about Jiu-Jitsu. That's not even including the ones that could have been labeled Jiu-Jitsu (like all the open mat posts, and most of those that are labeled injuries ;). It goes to show that you can take Ginger out of The Jiu-Jitsu Fighter, but you can't take The Jiu-Jitsu Fighter out of Ginger! Ha, not that I ever left The Jiu-Jitsu Fighter blog, and no one over there could take me out, even if they wanted to. They all know I have wicked magic, and I'm not afraid to use it.

Overall, it's been a good first year out on my own. I've suffered some growing pains, but I've definitely come a long way. I think one of the most significant changes that's happened since I started this blog is I've gone from "I'm Not a Player" to "I'm a Playa". There have been some stumbling blocks and setbacks, but still, pretty good year. About half of my posts have been titled after songs, including this one.

Here is a photo collage commemorating my first year of solo blogging. I think it nicely sums up my thoughts along the way.

Ginger Snapped

2011-11-15T11:02:00.001-06:00

When I titled this blog Ginger Snaps, I was thinking more along the lines of Ginger snapping other people, not herself! Of course that's just a joke, I don't ever really want to snap anything on anyone. That would be horrible, it would be way worse than snapping myself! Unless it was a bad guy, and he was asking for it.

I'm trying to keep my spirits up about my broken wrist. My husband actually thinks it's a blessing in disguise. He's not happy I got hurt, but he's glad that I am unable to ignore it this time. I currently have a few nagging injuries that I've refused to take enough time off to allow to properly heal, so I've been playing through the pain for awhile. Joe hopes my old injuries are finally going to get a chance to heal while I am sidelined for my wrist. I hate to admit it, but he's probably right.

I just have to look on the bright side. Prior to this, I couldn't do anything with my left hand, but over the next couple of weeks I expect to become fully ambidextrous! I am also determined to do a one-armed push-up sometime soon. I couldn't even do one with my right arm before I broke my wrist, but I figure my left arm should get super strong now, and I'll have plenty of time to practice.

Six weeks really isn't that long, it could be a lot worse. I'm going to try to stay positive, and keep focusing on what I can do right now, instead of what I can't. Otherwise, I'm likely to get depressed over not being able to feed my Jiu-Jitsu addiction. If I allow myself to go all crazy from the withdrawal, we'll get to see another meaning of Ginger Snaps...and no one wants that.

Snap:

1. To suddenly break something with a short loud noise, or to be broken in this way.

2. To suddenly lose control and become extremely angry or upset because a situation has become too annoying or difficult.

Broken

2011-11-13T16:31:00.002-06:00

I must have really made Jiu-Jitsu mad when I complained in my last post that it was being mean to me because I kept getting hurt. Jiu-Jitsu must have been like "Woman, you don't even have any reason to be complaining about some stupid minor injuries. Here, let me give you something to complain about!" Then today, it broke my wrist.

I suppose technically it could be blamed on Judo, because today was our Women's Jiu-Jitsu Class Throwing Sunday. As much as I would like to blame it on Judo, and it did happen during a throw, I'm afraid I cannot. I can't blame it on Judo, or Jiu-Jitsu, or Amy for making us throw, or even Skyler who is the one who threw me. No, I can only blame it on myself. I did the one thing they tell you to never do, the one thing that they repeatedly warn will cause you to break something...I stuck my arm out to catch my fall, and Skyler landed on my wrist. We both heard *crack*.

I must have been in a little bit of shock right afterwards, because I don't remember much, except that suddenly a guardian angel appeared, and she was ordering people around "Get the wrap from my bag! Get me an ice pack!" She fed me ibuprofen, wrapped me up, and made me feel better. She also told me it was okay to cry, and I did. I was very lucky that Sara was at the dojo today. Not only is she a friend, but she's also a medic in training to be a firefighter.

Normally I'm reluctant about going to the doctor, but in this case I knew it was necessary. I got it x-rayed, and found out that I broke the tip of the radius on my right wrist. Bummer. Except for some small toes, this is the first bone I've ever broken. It hurts. I'm supposed to go see an orthopedic specialist tomorrow, and I'm looking at probably six weeks out of commission.

I'm not a very good typist to begin with, and I am right-handed, so this injury affects my writing and video game playing abilities as well. I swear I've learned my lesson! Both about sticking my hand out to break my fall, and about complaining about minor injuries. I'm going to try to never do either of those again.

Talking to Jiu-Jitsu

2011-11-11T09:29:00.000-06:00

G: Why do you hate me?

JJ: What in the world are you talking about?

G: Well, you're not being very nice to me.

JJ: How so?

G: You keep hurting me all the time, my body and ego are getting beat up.

JJ: That's just how I treat everyone.

G: Not true! You are much nicer to other people than you are to me.

JJ: You might not always be able to see it, but they are suffering just as much as you are.

G: I find that hard to believe. Lately I have been tapped out, and also received various injuries, almost every time I've rolled!

JJ: That is not my fault. I am perfect, so if you keep losing and getting injured, it's because of something you are doing wrong, not me.

G: Sure, blame the victim.

I always talk to Jiu-Jitsu on an old-school phone.

JJ: Oh Cupcake, just suck it up! No one who hangs out with me gets away unscathed. It's the price you have to pay to be in my posse, but it's up to you to make sure the cost doesn't exceed the value. Which means if you want to stay with me for the long term, you need to figure out how to protect your own body and ego from potential damage. Now stop whining before I choke you.

"Jiu-Jitsu is a fight which combines all elements and all virtues of being human. It is not a sport in which you need to only be physically adept, or agile, or coordinated. You also have to be mentally prepared, using your emotional control, your patience, your courage, and your conviction. It is a combination of patience and aggressiveness with a lot of harmony." -Rickson Gracie

Dropping my guard

2011-11-10T11:08:00.006-06:00

During a portion of our grappling drills last Sunday, Amy forbid me to use guard in any way, shape, or form. That was totally awesome...NOT! Guard is what I do, it's who I am, it's all I know...GET IN MY GUARD!!!

Which is exactly why she wouldn't let me do it. Amy was trying to help me expand my game by taking away my comfort zone, and forcing me to explore other options. Unfortunately, what we learned is that next to guard my favorite position appears to be any form of turtle! I'm half-kidding. My real second favorite position is back control, but I already knew that (however, I usually get there from guard ;).

It's one thing to try to lessen my guard dependence, but to completely take it out of my game was an extremely difficult thing for me to do. At first, it felt as if the entire experiment failed miserably. However when I really thought about it, I actually did fairly well when my bread and butter was taken away . It was weird and uncomfortable, which is probably why it felt like a disaster to me, but I did manage to gain and maintain top position. Inconceivable!

I will sometimes put restrictions on myself when I roll; that I'm not allowed to use certain submissions, or I'm only going to defend; but I never would've completely given up my guard on my own. I guess sometimes you just have to stop doing what you always do in order to discover all of the possibilities within the things you wouldn't otherwise consider.

She wins!

2011-11-08T10:46:00.006-06:00

The first Jiu-Jitsu tournament where I competed against people from outside my own school was the 2010 Cornhusker State Games. I won two and lost two that day, and the woman who beat me (and everyone else) in both gi and no gi was Becky Phillips. It was obvious to everyone that she was a force to be reckoned with.

On Saturday, she competed in the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship in Long Beach, CA, and she won silver in the women's blue belt medium-heavy division! I didn't get to see any of the matches, so I don't know how they went, but I think it's fantastic that a woman from our area placed so well. There were at least four women in her division, so I know she had to work for it! She's from Omaha, and is a member of Team Rodrigo Vaghi.

I guess I don't have to feel so bad anymore about her submitting me with two armbars at the State Games that year! I sometimes wonder about all the different women I've seen at tournaments, whether they are still competing, or even training anymore. It's nice to hear that not only is Becky still doing it, but she's doing well. She's a fun, cool chick with killer tattoos, who will tap you out and then give you a hug. I wish her continued success on her journey.

Civil War

2011-11-07T08:45:00.008-06:00

When I went to women's Jiu-Jitsu yesterday, I was not aware it was going to be an MMA class! Technically it wasn't, but after getting accidentally kicked and elbowed in the face, and kneed in the head, it kind of felt like it was. To be fair, I also kneed my partner in the groin, but it's not my fault he wasn't wearing a cup!

Wait, why was there a man at women's class? Well, Skyler and AJ were at an anime convention, so I had the bright idea of just taking my husband to class with me. I also thought it would be a great idea to practice no gi. I was wrong, because both of those were horrible ideas! Maybe one or the other would have been okay, but together they pretty much spelled disaster for me. Amy sensed my frustration and said "It's hard isn't it, because he doesn't do anything like he's supposed to." Yeah, and he's also super strong yet freakishly flexible, and he knows way more submissions than he should as a white belt!

We basically did full resistance grappling drills the entire class, and the highlight was probably when he inadvertantly kneed me in the head after I turtled up on my side, which caused Amy to loudly proclaim "When have I ever told you that it's okay for you to just lay down in the fetal postion?! Never!" The only thing I can think of that went well for me is once when I had him in guard and I was given five seconds to sweep him, and I succeeded.

Every muscle in my body hurts. I have a fat lip, pulled groin, bruised head, and I was almost choked out before I could tap. Meh, I guess it was just an off day. You may have won this round of battles, Mr. Ethridge, but the war isn't over. There can be only one!

Calm Like a Bomb

2011-11-04T19:47:00.000-05:00

I was recently watching a Purple roll with a White who outweighed him by quite a bit. The White had the Purple mounted, and he was going totally crazy with submission attempts. The Purple just laid there calmly and defended. He seemed like the eye in the middle of a hurricane. You could tell he'd been there before, and he wasn't phased by the maniacal attack. It didn't take too long for the White to exhaust his energy reserve, and then the Purple was able to easily reverse, control, and submit him.

I think one of the major issues holding me back in Jiu-Jitsu is my general inability to remain calm in the middle of the storm. Although I have improved on it, I still have a tendency to match my partners level of intensity. I try to stay relaxed, but if they start freaking out, then so do I.

Of all the traits for a martial artist to have, remaining calm is probably the most important one. Your brain, and everything controlled by it, works better when you stay relaxed. Your ability to feel things, and your reaction time, is directly related to your level of relaxation. It's as if everything moves in slow motion when you are calm, allowing you the opportunity to properly respond.

When I'm trapped on the bottom and someone is flailing around with unskilled attempts to submit me, that is the most important time to focus and not get frazzled. Instead of feeling helpless and desperate, I just need to relax and be patient. I should go to my happy place and bide my time, reserve my energy for my inevitable counter-attack. Be calm, like a bomb. Tick, tick, tick...

Bottom feeder

2011-11-02T16:18:00.002-05:00

"Hey Gina, I have a great idea!"

"Yes Gina, what is it?"

"Why don't you roll with Fuji, and try to pull him into your guard?"

"That sounds like a wonderful plan! What could possibly go wrong with pulling a mountain down on top of me?"

I really need to stop resorting to guard all of the time. Sure I might be decent at it, but there are times when it's not the best idea. Yet, it is always my go-to move. If I'm not on your back, then I'm probably on mine. When people have me in side control or mount, I don't even try to reverse them most of the time, because it's just easier for me to get to guard (or more commonly, half-guard). Even when I do manage to reverse people, I am not aggressive enough in taking the top position. I just stick with what's familiar.

I need to always remember what Will told me yesterday..."I'm very unhappy with the way you just accepted half-guard when you could have mounted me. Don't do that anymore."

Shout out

2011-11-01T10:09:00.001-05:00

The only big BJJ tournament that takes place in Nebraska is BJJ Omaha's Best of the Best ProAms. If they didn't hold competitions every few months, the only other options for competing would require me to travel to other states, which is not usually possible on my budget. So I really appreciate what they have done to grow the sport in our area, and the opportunities they give us to compete.

They run a well-organized tournament that is moderately priced (especially for woman and children). My only complaint after my first BOTB was that I had just one competitor, and therefore only one match. Then when I went to the next one, I was happy to learn that they had changed it to two out of three. They always keep things moving along, and everyone is very professional. I've never had to wait for excessive amounts of time (like I did at a tourney in KC). It's a nice environment to compete in, and I'm usually done in a couple of hours.

As if all that wasn't enough, they are also very understanding and accommodating. I had to withdraw from the latest tournament at the last minute, because I was sick. I hated the thought of losing the money I had paid, but I knew competing was not a good idea. I sent a message to the man in charge, Dana Taylor, and he offered to credit my entry fee towards a future tournament. He doesn't know me, and he didn't have to do this. I am very appreciative that he did. My teammate Mike also had to withdraw due to an injury, and he was also credited to compete in the future.

I hear about people running tournaments just for the money, and not really caring about the competitors or the sport, but thankfully that is not the case with the Best of the Best. I wanted to give them a shout-out for their professionalism and willingness to keep their competitors happy. Even if my entry fee hadn't been credited, I would've still signed up to compete again in the future. Not because they are the only option around, but because I think they do a great job. I appreciate what they do, and as a competitor they make me feel appreciated in return.

Sugar High

2011-10-31T15:12:00.003-05:00

"Dump out my bag and I start counting the pieces,

E.T. would be proud of how I'm pounding these Reeses."

Happy Halloween!

Bun and the Bu

2011-10-30T15:29:00.004-05:00

After my "Kuchi Waza" post, one of my Karate Sensei sent me a message that said "Bun Bu Ryo Do". I am not fluent in Japanese, or in Samurai tradition, so I had to Google it...

"The pen and the sword in accord."

When I read that, it made me cry a little (yes, I am a huge dork). I didn't really know that it was considered equally important for Samurai to be skilled in arts such as writing. When my Sensei sent me that message, it felt as if he was telling me that I should be blogging, or at least that it was acceptable within martial tradition.

Of course, everyone knows that I don't exactly fit in with the Samurai. Their role is to serve, and I shall have no master! So, it's even cooler that a Superhero Samurai such as my Sensei would give his seal of approval, and share his teachings, with a Villian Kunoichi such as myself! I am honored.

"If you are to become true ninja you must work harder. Your path in life will not be an easy one. The outside world will not be a friendly place for you." -Master Splinter

Queen of Candyland

2011-10-29T16:09:00.010-05:00

I discovered that when you wear a dress that's covered in candy, children will follow you around, but they surprisingly will not try to take the candy off! My Candy Queen costume was a big hit at the dojo kid's party. They especially loved the giant lollipop that I made. I think every kid took a turn holding it, but they surprising did not try to hit each other with it!

There were a couple of things I didn't anticipate when I envisioned creating the candy costume. First of all was the fact that it would smell so enticing! It was almost maddening to constantly smell the candy while I was attaching it. The hardest part of creating the costume was, by far, putting the candy on the dress instead of eating it.

Another thing I didn't think about was how much the darn thing would weigh. I moved up four weight classes when I put it on! I usually try to never wear clothing that I don't feel like I can fight in, but this dress was an exception. That's why I had the huge lollipop, I needed a weapon!

It was all worth it to see the looks on the children's faces. Some of them were absolutely mesmerized. One of the little girls from Elmwood told Joe "I saw your wife, and she was in Candyland!" Yes, yes I was, for about the past two weeks. All of the candy on the dress is real (but sadly the lollipop is not). About eighty percent of it is still completely edible, so even after Halloween, I'm probably still going to be in Candyland for a little while. It's good to be the Queen.

Sneak Attack

2011-10-28T10:23:00.001-05:00

I have a habit of jumping on unsuspecting people's backs on the mat, instead of actually asking them if they want to roll. It's easier for me to just attack people than to speak to them, and as a bonus I get to start on their back! I only do this to people I know fairly well, and I don't think it's very unsuspected anymore.

Yesterday during open mat, I got a taste of my own medicine. As I was sitting on the mat, I suddenly found myself in someone's back control. There I was trying to defend being choked, and I had NO idea who it was! That was a really weird feeling, to not know who I was fighting. I did figure it out before I was able to get turned around and see them, but only because there were so few of us there.

I was pretty surprised when I realized that Jerad was the one on my back, I never would've expected that he would ninja me! I'm very glad that he did, because it was unexpected fun, and a good roll. One of the best things about grappling with him is that I really get to work on my defense, since he never gives me a second to even think about attacking! It's an all-out fight for my life, against some super technique. Yesterday, he repeatedly tried to choke me, and he was repeatedly denied! So he settled for a couple of gnarly armbars instead.

I haven't grappled with Jerad a lot, because he is a senior purple belt who is in high demand, and I'm usually too intimidated to approach him (not to roll with him, just to ask him to roll). So, I really appreciate him seeking me out...back attack and all! Sneak attacks are good practice for martial artists, they can teach you how to react when you don't see a threat coming. Jerad and I are just trying to help our fellow students learn to stay on their toes.

Kuchi Waza

2011-10-25T20:40:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been contemplating the existence of this blog. Shihan says that talking about martial arts is "kuchi waza" (mouth technique), and that we should be doing not talking. So sometimes I feel like blogging makes me a dreaded "kuchi bushi" (mouth warrior).

Also, talking about myself all the time seems to reek with ego, and it feels a little wrong. I constantly struggle with wanting to share things from my personal experiences, which I hope may help or entertain people, and feeling like it's just all about me. Me, me, me! Prior to blogging, I was an incredibly private person, so opening myself up to the entire freaking cyber world is pretty scary. It's not always an easy or comfortable thing for me to do.

Everything I have ever said, or could ever say, about martial arts has probably already been said, and in much better words. There are millions of blogs out there like mine. So, why bother? Why blog? I don't know, but in some way I feel like this is part of my martial journey. I am compelled to write these things down, and some people seem to enjoy reading them, so I blog on. A true "kuchi bushi" is someone who does a lot of talking and not a lot of training, which isn't me. So as long as I keep doing, I think it should be alright for me to keep writing about it.

The Ginga Ninja

2011-10-24T12:32:00.001-05:00

I'm really looking forward to the Friday Fright Night Fights! We managed to score table seats, so we get to be up close and personal for some great live MMA action. Julian Fernandez was supposed to be fighting, but they can't seem to find anyone who wants to step into the cage with him (not that I can blame them!). That's disappointing, because he always puts on a great show, but I'm sure there there will be plenty of other wicked awesome fights.

One match that I'm very excited to see is Rob Bieber's (son of Harvey my Hero, and thankfully no relation to Justin ;) He is known as The Ginga Ninja, and he is the most bad-ass Ginger I've ever met (besides myself, of course). He has freakishly long arms and legs, and he can triangle choke a six foot man who is standing, while he is laying on his back! I swear I saw him do it once.

His MMA record stands at 7-0, with most of his wins being by submission. For one of his fights, the results say "Rob Bieber Wins by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 0:00 in the 0th round" Um...I'm not exactly sure how you RNC someone in 0:00 seconds, but if anyone could, it's Rob! I can't wait to see him in action on Friday.

This is Halloween

2011-10-23T11:28:00.008-05:00

"Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?"

I'm super excited for Halloween! I dress up every year, even if I don't have a party or anything to go to. It's the one day of the year where I can be as weird as I want, and no one cares. I get some strange looks when I wear my tennis shoes with rainbow shoelaces on any other day, but on Halloween no one even notices! Costumes + Candy = The best holiday ever.

My daughter has also inherited my love for all things Halloween, and she's taken costuming to a whole new level by being involved in Cosplay throughout the year. For those who don't know, that's when people dress up as Anime/Video Game/Movie characters and attend conventions. She even taught herself how to sew so she could make her own costumes.

In the book Dorothy had silver slippers, not ruby

Skyler has a collection of wigs from various anime outfits, and we like to wear them to mess with our family and friends. A few weeks ago we both wore wigs to women's Jiu-Jitsu class, and we also switched gis, to confuse Amy (which totally worked!). Last year for Halloween I dressed up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and Skyler has a short red wig that matches my hair, so she decided to dress up as "gender-bending Dorothy". We have so much fun with it!

This year is going to be extra special, because we're having a small party at the dojo for our Karate kids, and I have the perfect costume in the works. I'm keeping it a surprise, but I think the kids are going to love it...I know I do!

"I thought you were a grown-up, but you're really just a kid!" -Ben, age 8

Down With the Sickness

2011-10-21T12:02:00.000-05:00

My "stop being sick and start being awesome" plan has hit a snag...I am most definitely awesome, but I am also still sick.

The decision whether to compete tomorrow is a hard one to make. As for myself, I want to do it and I think that I physically could. However, Amy pointed out I probably shouldn't compete with a cold because I will "get the entire Jiu-Jitsu community sick." I know there's not a whole lot of us around here, but I think that might be a little bit of an overstatement, Amy!

I might not infect everyone, but there's a good possibility that I could share more than sweat with my opponent, and that doesn't seem like the right thing to do. I will feel bad for my competitor if I can't make it, because she is coming all the way from Minnesota, and besides me the closest woman to her size outweighs her by at least 35 pounds, but I would feel even worse if she ended up going home with a bug because of me.

I really hate the thought of missing this tournament. I was actually looking forward to it (in my twisted, terrified, love-and-hate-it kind of way). It's sad that I might have gone through all the build-up and stress for nothing (not to mention the money I paid). The general consensus is that I should not do it, but even while writing this I have changed my mind several times.

However, I think Julian's Facebook comments have finally given me the answers I need: "Its a matter of do you feel that you can give and feel 100% out there". No, I don't. I feel like eating chicken soup and climbing into a warm bed with a vaporizer, tissues and a good book, and staying there for a couple of days. "If you're that sick....withdraw!!! they'll be alot more tournaments darlin :) im also one that doesn't like to withdraw but its better in the end."

Changes

2011-10-20T12:06:00.000-05:00

There's been a change in my plans for the competition on Saturday, it looks like I'm going to have a coach after all. Amy volunteered to drive to Omaha to coach me, and there was no way I was going to turn her down! I'm actually very relieved.

Amy's coaching style is a really good fit for me, and I know I will be much more calm with her there. She always seems to know just exactly what to say to help me, without making me feel pressured. I think she also knows my grappling style better than anyone else, and so her advice is custom-tailored to suit my strengths and weaknesses. The first time she coached me, she asked me what I thought her most important job was, and I said "Just keep me breathing and moving forward", and she does that very well.

I was curious to find out how I would have done on my own, but that question can still be answered another day. I'm so grateful that Amy wants to be there for me, and I know we make a great team. If only I could tag her, and have her take over halfway through!

That is...providing that I will even be competing at all. I seem to have come down with some kind of icky sickness. I'm feeling pretty miserable right now, and I'm just hoping it goes away before Saturday. Submitting my opponent by drowning them in mucus or vomit was not exactly the fight I had in mind. Oh well, nothing I can do about it, that's just the way it is.

On a happier note, despite being sick I am in a great mental state and I really hope I'm able to compete. I feel completely ready for it, in every way.

"Stand back if you frightened.
Yeah! Get back cause we fighting!"

Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth

2011-10-18T13:11:00.003-05:00

The first record I ever went out and bought with my own money was Joan Jett's "I Love Rock and Roll". I think I was twelve, so that would have been in 1982. For all you boys and girls out there, that's when people used to buy music on these black things called "45s", which were larger than CDs, but only held two songs! The "B" side of that record was "Crimson and Clover" (another cover song, and also awesome).

Back then, I thought Joan Jett was the coolest person to ever walk the face of the earth. While other little girls were dreaming of being Princess Di, I wanted to be Joan Jett. Seriously, who the hell was interested in being bossed around by some ugly, big-eared Prince? I would much rather be the Queen of Rock! I wanted to be just like her, and the heavy black eyeliner I wore throughout my teens and twenties was a testament to that. She was everything I aspired to be; beautiful, tough, strong, rebellious; and she could play the guitar like a mf-ing riot. Growing up with her as a female role model could explain a lot about who I am.

She is every bit as cool to me today as she was when I was twelve. It doesn't seem like it's been thirty years since I first heard her say "A girl can do what she wants to do". I might not have ever learned to shred a guitar like she can, but I believe I fully embraced her message of female empowerment. She taught me that there was nothing wrong with going toe to toe with the guys, being yourself, and not caring what other people think. I will always love her for giving me that gift when I was a girl.

And I don't really care if ya think I'm strange,
I ain't gonna change...

Where the Boys Are

2011-10-17T14:40:00.001-05:00

This week is going to be all about trying to remain positive and confident, which is usually a difficult thing for me to do. So, to put myself in the right frame of mind, I made a video of me kicking dude butt. Rawr!

Gi-na

2011-10-16T15:53:00.001-05:00

When I was living in Germany as a child, the locals had a hard time pronouncing the name "Gina", because German doesn't have a hard "G" sound. Instead, they would say it with a soft G, like in gi. So, it sounded like gi-na. I would like everyone to please start pronouncing it that way whenever I am wearing a gi. I guess during those rare occasions when I don't have a gi on, you can call me Nogi-na.

My last two grappling competitions were both no gi, and I'm really glad to be competing in gi this time. I always feel more comfortable and confident when I am wearing one. I practice in gi about 80% of the time, so that is where my skills are the strongest. One thing that I have also been trying to incorporate into my already strong guard game is spider guard, and it's not good for no gi, so maybe I will get to try it out for the first time in this tournament.

There are just so many reasons that I love the gi. I can easily throw someone who is wearing a gi, instead of resorting to leg takedowns or jumping guard like I do in no gi. It is also much easier to control someone when you can grab onto their clothing or belt. Most of all, I think I prefer gis because I love me some choking! The possibilities to choke someone with their gi (or mine) make it extra appealing to me. If I could pull off a bow and arrow in competition, my life would be complete.

"My gi and me

don’t want to be like the rest,

So don’t make us.
My gi and me we’re so crazy,

No one can take us".

Freestylin'

2011-10-13T12:36:00.001-05:00

Doubts about my decision to not have a coach for my next competition have already set it. I started to wonder "What if I freeze? What if I go blank?" I guess if I do, that's a good thing to know about myself, and it's something I would need to work on.

Shihan tells a story about a jazz musician he knows, who when asked about his preparation before going on stage, replied "I just say to myself 'let it make sense'". Shihan says we should apply that same philosophy to our martial arts. Keep it simple, keep it practical, let it make sense. This is the mindset I want to have for my upcoming competition.

When the jazz players are on stage freestyling, they aren't playing something pre-written, and there is no conductor telling them what to do. They just have to free their mind, rely on their knowledge, and hope that it works. Without a coach, I will have to think like they do, and try to feel the flow. I just need to play as well as I can, and hope that it makes sense. It may not be a John Coltrane performance, but I think I can pull off a decent Kenny G.

Let it Flow

2011-10-12T09:14:00.001-05:00

The reason I was so reluctant to make a decision about competing in a couple weeks is probably because I knew as soon as I decided to do it, I would start planning and preparing, which would bring on the inevitable over-thinking and fear. So to lessen that, I am going to try to approach this upcoming competition with a totally new frame of mind. I want to go into it without any kind of game plan or focus. I believe my biggest obstacle in competing is my own thought process, so I want to keep my mind as free and clear as possible.

Along with no plan, I'm not going to ask anyone to coach me. I want to cut down on my distractions on the mat, and see how well I do on my own. I have a tendency to focus too much on my coach, even to the point where I will talk back to them during the match. I also feel like I always have to listen to my coach, and I take their advice as if it's orders. I think this tends to stifle my own natural reactions, and I end up waiting for them to tell me what to do.

I have no idea what's going to happen. I may lose worse than I've ever lost before, and then lament "Oh, if I'd only had a game plan, or a coach! Why am I so stupid?" I also might end up with volunteer coaches who yell at me from the sidelines. Hopefully Joe will be able to keep his mouth shut! It's okay if he just reminds me to breathe every once in awhile.

I am hoping that my no-mind Jiu-Jitsu experiment works out for the best, but even if it doesn't, I will learn something about myself. How well can I grapple in a tournament when I have no plan or direction? Conan says to just relax, and try to go into a competition match as if it's open mat. Well, I don't usually have a game plan or a coach during open mat, and the less I think about it, the better I perform. Of course, people aren't normally watching during open mat, so that's where it gets tricky for me.

Since my plan for this competition is largely to not think about it, hopefully that will help with the downward spiral of nerves. I don't believe anything I do between now and then is really going to make a difference in how I fight anyway, so what's the point in thinking or worrying about it? The only thing I need to do is...let it flow, let myself go, slow and low, that is the tempo...

Hey, it's too bad I can't wear my iPod while I compete! It would be a lot easier to stay in my happy place that way.

Don't Put Your Hands On Me

2011-10-10T10:14:00.000-05:00

When I hear women say that they train martial arts strictly as a sport and they aren't concerned with the self-defense aspect, I have a hard time wrapping my mind around that. I don't think there's anything wrong with sport training, but if you're doing it anyway, why not also occasionally think about using it to defend yourself ? If it's because you don't believe you'll ever need to, I hope you're right.

Lincoln, Ne. is a medium-sized city with a small town feel, we do not have a high rate of violence. Yet, while living here, my aunt was the victim of a home invasion rape and robbery. She did not know her attacker, he kicked in her front door while she was asleep. My aunt was 4'11", 100 pounds, and he was over 6', 250 pounds. He brutally and repeatedly raped and beat her within inches of her life, and she was never the same again. There is a chance that if she had tried to defend herself, he could have killed her, but I believe it was a risk she would have been willing to take if she knew how. She always slept with a knife under her pillow after that.

My aunt never thought anything like that would ever happen to her either, but it did. She stayed with my grandma for awhile after it happened, and when my family was there visiting, I slept in my aunt's bed with her because she didn't like sleeping alone. I'm still haunted by hearing her cry about the abuse in her sleep. I think that incident forever changed me, too.

As someone who has also been a victim in my past, I know what it feels like to have no control and to be helpless, and I never want to feel that way again. That is why it's so important to me that the martial arts I'm training are valid and useful in real life. There's a 99% chance I will never have to find out, but that 1% chance is more than I'm willing to risk.

So, when I say things like "I will gouge out your eyes", in my mind I am talking to the kind of monster who brutalized my aunt and destroyed a part of her. I can guarantee that anyone like him does not want to mess with me. I really do not want to ever be forced to have to hurt someone, but I want to be prepared for it if I ever do. I want to at least have the option of fighting back against this kind of violence. I wish more women felt the same way.

Priceless

2011-10-09T13:05:00.002-05:00

John Roseberry-Shihan started Sho-Rei-Shobu-Kan in 1971, and we now have affiliate schools in at least seven different states and two foreign countries. All organization students who test for black belt in Karate do so at Hombu Dojo here in Lincoln, under the authority of Shihan. Over the past forty years, from all these different schools across the world, Shihan has only awarded about three-hundred Shodan certificates (mine is #287). That works out to around seven a year. It seems as though some other places give out that many in a month, at one single school.

Roseberry's is not a black belt factory, we don't sell our belts. If you're just interested in buying one, Sensei Dave said he will sell you one for seven dollars and then you can go away and stop wasting his time (but it doesn't come with authentication). My family and I are the most recent people from Hombu Dojo to achieve Shodan in Karate. That was in 2009, and it will probably be another year or two before anyone else from Lincoln tests for black belt. At eighteen, I believe my daughter is currently the second-youngest person in the entire organization to hold the rank of Shodan in Karate.

I've heard it said that the difference between our blacks belts and some "other" black belts is that if you lined up ten of each, only one of theirs would actually be able to fight, and only one of ours wouldn't ;) All I know is that when it comes to collectibles, the lower the number you have, the more valuable it is. As far as I'm concerned, #287 is priceless.

Flipping

2011-10-08T11:28:00.002-05:00

Since I still can't seem to decide whether I want to compete in two weeks or not, I decided to just flip a coin...

It's heads!
Oh wait, I didn't decide if heads meant I would or wouldn't compete. I guess heads should mean I will, and tails I won't. Okay, I'm going to start over...

Tails.
Well, I don't know, I do kind of want to do it. Maybe I should flip again.
Two out of three.

Heads.

Heads.
Do I really want to compete, though, or do I just feel like I should? I'm not sure. I think I should flip again. Three out of five.

Tails.

Tails.
But there's really no reason not to do it, except for being lazy and chicken. Hmmmmm, I'm flipping again...five out of seven.

At 27 out of 29 I finally made a decision! I decided to just take my quarter and go buy this cool ring out of a vending machine...

Undecided

2011-10-06T12:53:00.001-05:00

So, I wrote a post on The Jiu-Jitsu Fighter last week talking about how competing is very beneficial, and I encouraged people to do it. Then in class on Tuesday, Mike told me he'd signed up for the Best of the Best coming up on Oct.22, and he asked me if I had. Ummmmm...no...I haven't decided yet...

I recently competed in seven different tournaments over a four month span, so I definitely put my money where my mouth is when it comes to competing, and whenever anyone asks me if they should compete I always answer with a resounding YES! However, I just don't know if I want to do the upcoming tournament. I don't know if I want to go through all the stress and emotions at this time. I think I might be a little burned out on competition, and I need a break. Even thinking about it right now makes me feel like throwing up. I just want to be lazy and not have to worry about it.

Yet, I hate the thought of missing it. I know I will be upset with myself if I don't do it. I feel like I'm fighting better now than I ever have before, and my injuries are all doing pretty well. They even lowered the entrance fee for females, so it's very affordable. There is actually a lady signed up in my division, and I've already googled her (she's a 28 year-old MMA fighter from Minnesota!). Even though I haven't made the decision, I've been anticipating it as if I have, and starting to get nervous. I want to, I don't want to, I want to, I don't want to...

To compete, or not to compete,
that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous chokes,
Or to offer armbars against a sea of troubles.

I'm a Playa

2011-10-04T20:49:00.001-05:00

For all my focus on my failures, I think the thing that keeps me hooked on Jiu-Jitsu are my continued successes. The times when I actually get a sweep to work against some Giant, or I somehow manage to take a Purple's back. It's those rare occasions, like when I finally submit (or even almost submit) someone for the very first time, that keep me coming back for more. Not because of some ego-driven need to dominate (okay, maybe a little bit ;) but mainly because of the joy I feel at doing something that used to be, or at least seem, impossible. That is how I know I am actually learning something, and the sense of accomplishment makes me want to climb on the rooftops and shout "I'm a playa!"

I had one of those moments today when I was grappling with Conan. I was just trying to relax and go with the flow, and focus on not letting him submit me. I don't remember what I did that prompted his comment, but at one point he said
"Gina, you got skills".

I got skills! I GOT SKILLS! I got skiiiiilllllllssss! I got ski-ills, I got ski-ills, I got ski-ills...oh, sorry, I'm just super excited. Conan's never told me that I had skills before! He's also never told me that I sucked, but I figured that was just because he was being polite.

The thing is, I didn't even really need him to tell me that I'm improving, because I can tell. I know that I was grappling better against him today than I ever have in the past. Each small success builds on the previous one, and together they elevate my game. The more failures that it takes to get to that point, the greater the appreciation and happiness I feel when I finally succeed.

It was really nice to hear that Conan thinks I have skills, but it's even nicer that I actually believe it myself. Just when I start to feel like all my hard work is in vain, I always accomplish something that makes it all worthwhile. Each small triumph keeps me hungering for more. Now if you'll please excuse me, I'm heading for the rooftops...

Have my back

2011-10-04T10:59:00.001-05:00

Several years before I started training Jiu-Jitsu, during my early Karate days, I was doing a drill with Sensei Bad Brad, and at the end of it I turned away from him. Without warning, he immediately put me in a rear naked choke which required me to tap. Then he said "Never turn your back!"

You would think that lesson, which was taught to me so early on, and in such a manner, would have stuck. I mean, I can remember the incident like it was yesterday, yet I still keep turning my back to my opponents. I still keep getting choked for it, too.

I have improved on defending my back in the scramble. I was hella tired of Joe always being a monkey on my back when we grappled, so I've worked hard to do a better job of protecting it. I think it's harder for people to take my back now, but there's still a very good chance that I will then just give it to them by being stupid while trying to escape pins.

That's what happened in my recent grappling match where I was ahead by points with only about twenty seconds left, and then ended up being submitted by rnc. She had me in side control at the end, and I could have just laid there, defended, and won. Instead (because I don't really play for points) I continued to try to escape her hold. Which was fine until I made the fatal mistake of turning away from her during the final seconds of the match.

I gave her my back, and she took it and choked me; just like Sensei Brad did so many years ago. I know I'm not supposed to turn away, yet in times of stress or desperation I still do. When will I ever learn?

"There is only one enemy and he/she is in front of you." -Seikichi Toguchi

The Joy of Judo

2011-10-02T21:43:00.000-05:00

Today was the most dreaded day of the month in women's Jiu-Jitsu class...Throwing Sunday. This is the day Amy forces us to do Judo. We whine about how much it sucks, and she reminds us of how much we suck, and therefore need more practice. She sometimes tells us that we need to keep doing a particular throw until we do a good one, and it never fails that after she says this our throws just keep getting progressively worse...and worse...and worse. Amy claims it took a year of Throwing Sundays just to teach me how to get thrown, let alone how to throw someone. I believe I may be the worst Judo student of all time.

So it came as quite a surprise today when we started off with a series of throws of our choice, and after most of mine all Amy had to say was "Looks good." Wha?! No "You need more hips. Get lower, more rotation. You suck at throwing more than anyone I have ever seen or could possibly imagine."? It was also a surprise when at the end of class she had Skyler and I do a best two out three throwing randori, and I scored two ippons to zero. The best part is I didn't try to plan or anticipate anything, I just did what the kuzushi told me to do.

However, I received no greater Judo-related shock this week than at the end of Jiu-Jitsu on Thursday when I told Cap'n Sensei that I felt like I had bull-dogged my partner a little bit to get him down and he said "So? In Jiu-Jitsu that's allowed, right? It doesn't matter how you get them down you still get the points, so it doesn't have to be perfect Judo. Your throw still looked good." I never thought I would hear a Judo Sensei (particularly that one) say any of those things. Especially the last part!

Slowly but surely, Amy's evil plan is working. Along with Conan's request for The Cap'n Sensei to share his vast knowledge with the Jiu-Jitsu class, the world of throwing doesn't seem quite so intimidating anymore. I think I'm even starting to get the hang of it's magic. I told you that resisting The Judo Borg was futile...if you won't go to their class, they will bring the Judo to you! Yet they aren't asking us to assimilate, they just want to help make our Jiu-Jitsu the best it can be.

Just Keep Walking

2011-09-29T13:09:00.003-05:00

During those times when I feel like I still know almost nothing about Jiu-Jitsu, it's comforting to think back to the time when I really did know nothing. I was so clueless in the beginning that I didn't even realize how clueless I was. Now at least I can begin to understand how much there is that I don't know about this beautiful, complicated art.

In women's class when we've told new students that we were going to be working on submissions, we've had a few of them ask "What's a submission?" That really puts things into perspective. I have a feeling that most men who start Jiu-Jitsu already have some idea of what a submission is (and if they don't know, they won't ask...damn male ego).

So, thankfully I already knew what a submission was when I started! I probably knew more about a lot of things than the average person, due to my previous MA training, which made the entrance into Jiu-Jitsu a little more comfortable for me. I really can't imagine what it would be like to walk into a class for the first time and not even have any understanding of submissions. Talk about overwhelming!

We all start from different places of know-nothing-ness. Some of us come in as
completely empty vessels who have no clue. Others, like myself, have a limited
understanding but no real knowledge of grappling. Some have athletic or martial
backgrounds which are helpful, but can also hinder, as they may need to overcome
previous training that conflicts with the Jiu-Jitsu way.

It doesn't matter where you start, in the beginning we all know next to nothing. We might know things about other arts, or sports, or have an understanding of grappling, but the only way to know Jiu-Jitsu is to train Jiu-Jitsu. Even if it seems like you started farther back than others, or are taking longer to travel the path, it still leads to the same place. You just have to keep walking.

"We walk the same path,
but got on different shoes
Live in the same building,
but we got different views."

Earie

2011-09-28T10:11:00.001-05:00

Cauliflower conversation:

Me: If you want my ear drained, you're going to have to do it.

Joe: Oh, hell no.

Me: Fine, I'll just do it myself, but you have to buy the syringe.

Joe: So you want me to look like some kind of drug addict for you?

Me: Yes, yes I do.

Joe: Fine, I'll buy it, but you better figure out who you're going to call when you realize you can't stick that needle in your own ear.

Me: Psssshhhh!

I drained it myself. First I went to the how-to on Georgette's blog and re-read it (thank you, Georgette!). Then I just went for it. I did numb it with an ice cube a little bit, but it was really no big deal. As someone who has gotten multiple tattoos and piercings, needles and blood don't really bother me.

Stephanie the Jiujitsunista requested a picture, and if you look closely at it you can see the hole where the syringe went it. Luckily I only had to pierce it once and I was able to drain it all. I should have made Joe get more needles though, because there's a good chance it will fill back up and I might have to re-drain it. Right now, I'm pretty happy with the results. I have two normal looking ears again!

Hey Joe

2011-09-27T10:33:00.001-05:00

My husband is such a good sport. Anytime day or night, I will start thinking about Jiu-Jitsu and I will randomly ask to practice things on him. I think he dreads the words "Hey, can I try something?", but he's always willing to help. The latest incident involved me contemplating some of the recent advice I've gotten on different ways to finish a rear naked choke, and asking Joe to be my guinea pig to test them out. It was like a twisted eye doctor appointment...

"Okay, now is this worse, or this? Number one, or number two?"

I guess I should start easing up on him a little bit, because Sunday when I asked him if he wanted to go to the dojo early and roll he said "Now, are we actually going to roll, or am I supposed to just lay there while you figure out the most effective ways to hurt me?" Oh no, I think he's starting to figure out that my Jiu-Jitsu training is really just part of an elaborate ruse to torture him!

Seriously...thank you, Joe. I am very lucky to have a husband who not only puts up with my Jiu-Jitsu addiction, but is incredibly supportive of it, and even helps me to feed it when I'm at home. Although he doesn't technically train Jiu-Jitsu, it's really nice to be able to share and practice with him. I am such a spoiled Jiu-Jitsuka, and wife. Now if he would just do something about that home mat I've been wanting! ;)

Cauliflowear

2011-09-25T17:10:00.000-05:00

For some reason I never really worried that I would get cauliflower ear. I guess I thought my Super Ginger Ninja Powers would make me immune, but it turns out that I was wrong. I also always thought that if I did ever get it, I would have no problem with draining it and moving on. Turns out I was wrong about that, too.

I'm not sure how or when I got it, but I noticed it about a week ago. I wasn't worried at first, I thought "Oh, it's not really cauliflower ear, it's just small, it'll go away". Yeah well, it's not going away. I know I should drain it, and I will drain it, but I haven't yet because I think I will miss it when it's gone. Yes it hurts, yes it's ugly...but in a way I'm proud of it, because it is visible proof that I am a grappler.

When I told my husband that I liked it and I was actually glad that I got it, he said "Great. Take a picture of it, write a blog post about it, then drain it and get some headgear!" Oh yeah...headgear. Super. I've been trying to hold onto the tiny sliver of coolness that I have left, but I guess that's over now.

Bad ear, good ear.

Happy Blues

2011-09-23T13:30:00.000-05:00

I heard some dojo news yesterday that makes me very happy. Our Jiu-Jitsu class belt timeline has always been closer to TJJ than BJJ, which means that our testing is somewhat accelerated in comparison to BJJ belts. Therefore, I was supposed to be up to test for my purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu after only about two and a half years of training.

As I've been reading BJJ blogs and watching videos, there's been no doubt in my mind that I am not on a comparable level with a BJJ purple belt. I actually think I might not even quite be considered a blue belt yet by some, based on my knowledge and time in. Since I compete in BJJ tournaments, as a purple belt I would be considered an "advanced" competitor. Ha. Ha. Ha. I am not being self-derogatory, just honest, when I say that I am not at that level yet.

The good news is that our school has now decided to slow down our testing schedule, and adjust our belts so that the requirements and timeline are closer to BJJ. They are putting a temporary hold on testing for most of the blues and purples. Since our hybrid system has always more closely resembled BJJ than TJJ in practice, this just seems to make sense.

Some people may be upset about having to wait to test, but I am ecstatic! I felt like I would be misrepresenting my actual level by telling BJJ people that I was a purple belt without adding the clause "but it's not as good as your purple!" ;) My happiness might also have a little bit to do with the fact that I would gladly go back to being a white belt if they would let me. Whenever my test for purple finally does come around, I'm probably still going to try to talk them into letting me test for blue again instead. I feel like I could really ace it this time around!

Fun, Fun, Fun

2011-09-22T10:47:00.000-05:00

I believe there are only a couple of reasons I've been able to keep my stubborn teenage daughter going to women's Jiu-Jitsu class with me for the past couple of years: #1 She knows she can tap me out, and #2 Amy always makes the class fun.

In women's class we never do anything "slow" or "fast", it's always "Night of the Living Dead zombie speed", or "28 Days Later zombie speed". Amy doesn't call Skyler and I by our names, we are "The Light Ninja" and "The Dark Ninja". AJ, our newest student, is "The Pink Ninja".

One Sunday we had to change our class to the same time as no gi Jiu-Jitsu, and we had four women that day, but Ray and Adam (The Doggfather and The Hulk) were the only ones who showed up for no gi. They decided to just join us, and Amy taught everyone. It was totally fun!

Instead of regular open mat at the end of class, she had us do a King/Queen of the mat. We did it one-on-one the first time (yeah, I was the Queen). Then for the second round she had the women go two-on-one (yeah, I was the Queen again!). I actually tapped out one of my attackers in my guard while the other one was on my back. Apparently I'm better at Jiu-Jitsu when I fight two at a time! Probably because there was less time for me to over-think, I just had to react.

Since there were only two gentleman, Adam went against Ray, Kristy and Skyler. He took out the ladies, but Ray finished him off. Then Ray, being the senior student, took on Adam, Kristy, Skyler and myself. Kristy and I were submitted first, he got me with an ankle lock. Skyler hung in there for awhile, but then she was also tapped out. Time ran out before the Doggfather vs. Hulk battle ended. It was epic.

So, if you've ever wondered how many Roseberry's Women's Jiu-Jitsu class students it takes to submit Ray, the answer is: more than three! We might have done better if we hadn't been laughing so much and having such a good time, but that's part of the charm of Amy's class. Even when we are working really hard, it feels like play.

Hey Ladies

2011-09-20T12:29:00.008-05:00

One of these things is not like the others

When I'm in Jiu-Jitsu class I still sometimes feel utterly alone; because everyone is young or male (usually both) and I am neither. A man can walk into almost any Jiu-Jitsu class and have a built-in peer group and support system. Many women in the art have to seek out and create their own. This is why we decided to start a women's class a couple of years ago.

A man can teach you how to do Jiu-Jitsu, but he can't understand what it's like for a woman. Grappling with a man can teach you how to deal with size and strength differences, but it won't always prepare you to compete against a smaller, more flexible female. Women have different struggles and issues, we move differently and react differently than men do. Not better or worse, just different. To be able to share these things with other women, and have someone who understands our point of view, can make the difference in whether a women decides to stick with it.

The Dark Ninja and Sheriff Amy

We haven't picked up very many female students yet, but I do believe that more ladies have at least tried it due to having the option of an all-women class, which can be a less intimidating environment to practice in than a typical male-dominated one. The ladies at our school who keep showing up week after week to train together do so not only for ourselves, but for each other and for future females. The best way to support women in Jiu-Jitsu is to train together and share your knowledge and struggles. If you feel as though a women's class has nothing to offer you, perhaps you have something to offer them.

All it takes to create a support system is a couple of women who are willing to come together to help each other, and I am so grateful that I have that. As long as Amy keeps coming in to share her knowledge, I will always show up for her class. If she ever decides she doesn't want to do it anymore, then I suppose it will become my turn to teach the class. FYI, I hate teaching, but I would hate it even more if there were no women's class at all.

(Group pic: Ginger, Danger, B-Rad, The Doggfather, The Hulk, The Hulk's beard, Slonan, & Roast Beef)

In Your Eyes

2011-09-19T10:10:00.001-05:00

After my last blog post, Danger said that in the picture of my RNC it looks like I'm trying to go for an eye gouge. I kind of wish that was the case, because at least that would make sense, but that's not really how we gouge eyes in Goju.

Roseberry-Shihan's Karate teacher, Master Seikichi Toguchi, was a big fan of attacking the eyes. He would say things like "Why do I need to punch the makawari to make my knuckles hard when I can just stick my thumbs in your eyes?" Eye striking and gouging are an integral part of our system. A Judoka who observed one of our kata said that it looked like we were plucking fruit off of trees, and he was 100% right...if you substitute people for trees, and eyeballs for fruit.

Shihan talks about a Martial Artist he once knew (I believe he practiced Aikido) who said that he thought Karate was undignified because we utilize techniques such as eye-gouging. That same mindset might be what's behind the hesitation I've seen from some of the new Karateka when they think about actually attacking someone's eyes. It seems as though female students especially have a distaste for the ick factor of it. I'm sorry, but if someone is trying to rape and/or kill you, that's not really the time to be lady-like.

If I was to ever resort to something like gouging eyes, it would definitely be in defense of my life and body, and I'm certainly not going to be a bit concerned with whether I'm being dignified at that point. I will use any tool that I can to defend myself. If I didn't, it would be like carrying a gun for self-defense but not being willing to actually shoot someone if you had to. You can bet that if the need ever arises, I will not hesitate to grab that sucker's head like a bowling ball and throw it down the gutter.