Congrats to my good friend Lynn in Reno who was promoted to faixa azul today :)
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Congrats Lynn on your blue belt!
Congrats to my good friend Lynn in Reno who was promoted to faixa azul today :)
Friday, August 06, 2010
Friday night fights.
Or, at least, open mat.
I need to get better takedowns in nogi. Today I was limited to armdrags, thoughts of Russians, and attempted duckunders (my neck is still tweaked so no shooting.)
I need to review my kesa escapes.. only the fact that Jason is around my size saved me.
I need Glen to show me the Relson-halfguard-pass counters again.
I need to get better takedowns in nogi. Today I was limited to armdrags, thoughts of Russians, and attempted duckunders (my neck is still tweaked so no shooting.)
I need to review my kesa escapes.. only the fact that Jason is around my size saved me.
I need Glen to show me the Relson-halfguard-pass counters again.
Lunchtime open mat, and hair is on the menu.
I really enjoyed open mat today.
First I rolled with a total sweetheart bear of a man. He's big, muscular, tattooed and bearded, but with a very gentle demeanor. I always want to call him Grizzly Adams (yes, I'm dating myself with that reference.) So anyway, I'm in a quandary when I roll with him. I'm trying to play guard as much as I can against whitebelts, reserving my stronger top game for the higher belts. But crap, Grizzly's really technical and strong for a whitebelt, so I have this brainfart moment at the start of all my rolls with him. Today was no exception- my mind said "take top!" but my body pulled guard whilst trying for a looping choke. As a result, I was soon passed and fighting to regain guard. I suppose that's a good thing for me to practice as well.
Thinking of how Dev does things, I did also explore a turtle-heavy strategy, which was good because Grizzly wasn't making any headway cracking me or getting hooks in, but sucked because I was having a hard time rolling back to guard. Grizzly did a fantastic job of looking for transitional attacks, working hard for my arms and being really hard to sweep from bottom half. It was a great 15 minutes or so of me fighting from halfguard, guard, and turtle; excellent for cardio, but soooooo bad for my hair, which escaped the little balled-up ponytail bun and spread out on the mat around my head like cotton candy... unfortunately, Grizzly kneeled on it and handily pinned my head in place. Eventually, I moved, or he moved, and an enormous chunk of hair was torn out (like, several hundred strands.) It sucked. Anyway, eventually he kimuraed me, and I moved on :)
Second batch of rolls were with Zade, a heavy bluebelt who wanted to go nogi. I tried really hard to be aggressive and creative with my passing especially. Need an answer to the hand around the ankle when I'm doing a standing pass... the tack Ian takes (kicking the leg sideways towards the opening of their fingers) wasn't working for me. I did pass twice, though I got butterfly swept more than that. Since we were nogi, I did attempt the monson from north-south, but I think my body is too far up on their chest because people are rolling me a LOT from there.
Third, I rolled with Joe, a monstrously strong blue with the grips of a steelworker (because he is, in fact, a steelworker) that I've never rolled with before. I know he loves gi chokes from the guard, so I was leery of getting into his guard. Again, wtf, this translated to me kind of pulling guard... why I don't know. He's longer and stronger, and my guard is lame, but I still struggled to control him with my spider guard, failing mostly. Passed, again. Didn't get submitted, if I'm remembering correctly, and I got one sweep, but I think he got bored of having the unescapable side control, because at one point he just stopped, said he'd get a drink of water, and then we simply didn't start rolling again. So I went sniffing around for crumbs from others. Ended up playing again with my buddy Zack.
Zack's a big whitebelt, but he's losing weight and gaining in technicality and aggressiveness every time I see him. We were both pretty pooped, which was good I think. We started from feet and I made every possible effort to get the judo footsweep I was working with Donald and Spencer. He tried for an uchi mata but I countered it. Didn't really succeed in doing anything but convincing him to drop to his back, and I almost did the sweet pass-to-knee-on-belly from last night, but he was waiting for me and caught first just my head, then my arm, in a rear-facing triangle. He said he was wanting to get the same thing I got on Moss last night (just holding so you can attack the free arm) but I did some nifty kneeling business and pinned his near arm, extracted my head, and controlled from the side. Resisted his mighty reversal attempts, got sucked into halfguard, and battled to pass it. FINALLY passed to kesa, and as soon as I solidified position, I called it quits from sheer fatigue.
Tonight, maybe an hour of open mat, maybe just getting work done in the office. Then grilling some dinner with my niece, and I think Monopoly is on the agenda. Or maybe making these cinnamon-sugar doughnuts...
Cinnamon-Sugar Baked Doughnuts
From 101 Cookbooks. Makes about two dozen doughnuts.
* 1 ⅓ cups warm milk, 95°F – 105°F
* 1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
* 2 tablespoons butter
* ⅔ cup sugar
* 2 eggs
* 5 cups all-purpose flour
* A pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated
* 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
* ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
* 1 ½ cups sugar
* 1 tablespoon cinnamon
1. Place ⅓ cup of the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes or so. Be sure your milk isn’t too hot or it will kill the yeast. Stir the butter and sugar into the remaining cup of warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture.
2. With a fork, stir in the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt — just until the flour is incorporated. With the dough hook attachment of your mixer beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed. If your dough is overly sticky, add flour a few tablespoons at a time. Too dry? Add more milk a bit at a time. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and eventually become supple and smooth. Turn it out onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball.
3. Transfer the dough to a buttered (or oiled) bowl, cover, put in a warm place (I turn on the oven at this point and set the bowl on top), and let rise for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.
4. Punch down the dough and roll it out ½-inch thick on your floured countertop. Use a 2-3 inch cookie cutter to stamp out circles. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. If you cut the inner holes out any earlier, they become distorted when you attempt to move them. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.
5. Bake in a 375°F oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes — start checking around 8. While the doughnuts are baking, place the butter in a medium bowl. Place the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
6. Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for a minute or two. Dip each one in the melted butter and a quick toss in the sugar bowl. Eat immediately if not sooner.
First I rolled with a total sweetheart bear of a man. He's big, muscular, tattooed and bearded, but with a very gentle demeanor. I always want to call him Grizzly Adams (yes, I'm dating myself with that reference.) So anyway, I'm in a quandary when I roll with him. I'm trying to play guard as much as I can against whitebelts, reserving my stronger top game for the higher belts. But crap, Grizzly's really technical and strong for a whitebelt, so I have this brainfart moment at the start of all my rolls with him. Today was no exception- my mind said "take top!" but my body pulled guard whilst trying for a looping choke. As a result, I was soon passed and fighting to regain guard. I suppose that's a good thing for me to practice as well.
Thinking of how Dev does things, I did also explore a turtle-heavy strategy, which was good because Grizzly wasn't making any headway cracking me or getting hooks in, but sucked because I was having a hard time rolling back to guard. Grizzly did a fantastic job of looking for transitional attacks, working hard for my arms and being really hard to sweep from bottom half. It was a great 15 minutes or so of me fighting from halfguard, guard, and turtle; excellent for cardio, but soooooo bad for my hair, which escaped the little balled-up ponytail bun and spread out on the mat around my head like cotton candy... unfortunately, Grizzly kneeled on it and handily pinned my head in place. Eventually, I moved, or he moved, and an enormous chunk of hair was torn out (like, several hundred strands.) It sucked. Anyway, eventually he kimuraed me, and I moved on :)
Second batch of rolls were with Zade, a heavy bluebelt who wanted to go nogi. I tried really hard to be aggressive and creative with my passing especially. Need an answer to the hand around the ankle when I'm doing a standing pass... the tack Ian takes (kicking the leg sideways towards the opening of their fingers) wasn't working for me. I did pass twice, though I got butterfly swept more than that. Since we were nogi, I did attempt the monson from north-south, but I think my body is too far up on their chest because people are rolling me a LOT from there.
Third, I rolled with Joe, a monstrously strong blue with the grips of a steelworker (because he is, in fact, a steelworker) that I've never rolled with before. I know he loves gi chokes from the guard, so I was leery of getting into his guard. Again, wtf, this translated to me kind of pulling guard... why I don't know. He's longer and stronger, and my guard is lame, but I still struggled to control him with my spider guard, failing mostly. Passed, again. Didn't get submitted, if I'm remembering correctly, and I got one sweep, but I think he got bored of having the unescapable side control, because at one point he just stopped, said he'd get a drink of water, and then we simply didn't start rolling again. So I went sniffing around for crumbs from others. Ended up playing again with my buddy Zack.
Zack's a big whitebelt, but he's losing weight and gaining in technicality and aggressiveness every time I see him. We were both pretty pooped, which was good I think. We started from feet and I made every possible effort to get the judo footsweep I was working with Donald and Spencer. He tried for an uchi mata but I countered it. Didn't really succeed in doing anything but convincing him to drop to his back, and I almost did the sweet pass-to-knee-on-belly from last night, but he was waiting for me and caught first just my head, then my arm, in a rear-facing triangle. He said he was wanting to get the same thing I got on Moss last night (just holding so you can attack the free arm) but I did some nifty kneeling business and pinned his near arm, extracted my head, and controlled from the side. Resisted his mighty reversal attempts, got sucked into halfguard, and battled to pass it. FINALLY passed to kesa, and as soon as I solidified position, I called it quits from sheer fatigue.
Tonight, maybe an hour of open mat, maybe just getting work done in the office. Then grilling some dinner with my niece, and I think Monopoly is on the agenda. Or maybe making these cinnamon-sugar doughnuts...
Cinnamon-Sugar Baked Doughnuts
From 101 Cookbooks. Makes about two dozen doughnuts.
* 1 ⅓ cups warm milk, 95°F – 105°F
* 1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
* 2 tablespoons butter
* ⅔ cup sugar
* 2 eggs
* 5 cups all-purpose flour
* A pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated
* 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
* ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
* 1 ½ cups sugar
* 1 tablespoon cinnamon
1. Place ⅓ cup of the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes or so. Be sure your milk isn’t too hot or it will kill the yeast. Stir the butter and sugar into the remaining cup of warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture.
2. With a fork, stir in the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt — just until the flour is incorporated. With the dough hook attachment of your mixer beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed. If your dough is overly sticky, add flour a few tablespoons at a time. Too dry? Add more milk a bit at a time. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and eventually become supple and smooth. Turn it out onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball.
3. Transfer the dough to a buttered (or oiled) bowl, cover, put in a warm place (I turn on the oven at this point and set the bowl on top), and let rise for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.
4. Punch down the dough and roll it out ½-inch thick on your floured countertop. Use a 2-3 inch cookie cutter to stamp out circles. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. If you cut the inner holes out any earlier, they become distorted when you attempt to move them. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.
5. Bake in a 375°F oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes — start checking around 8. While the doughnuts are baking, place the butter in a medium bowl. Place the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
6. Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for a minute or two. Dip each one in the melted butter and a quick toss in the sugar bowl. Eat immediately if not sooner.
Peach brown betty.
Can you tell we're in peach season here in Texas?
Peach Brown Betty
Serves 6
You can substitute 3 pounds of thawed and drained frozen sliced peaches for fresh peaches. if you don't own an oven-safe skillet, transfer the peach filling to a 2-quart baking dish at the end of step 2 and continue with the recipe as directed.
TOPPING
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
PEACH FILLING
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/2 pounds peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Pulse bread and butter in food processor until coarsely ground. Set aside. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.
2. Melt butter in large nonstick oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Cook peaches, stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelize, 8 to 12 minutes. Off heat, stir in 1 cup crumb mixture, sugars, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt.
3. Top peach mixture with remaining crumbs. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake until topping is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Peach Brown Betty
Serves 6
You can substitute 3 pounds of thawed and drained frozen sliced peaches for fresh peaches. if you don't own an oven-safe skillet, transfer the peach filling to a 2-quart baking dish at the end of step 2 and continue with the recipe as directed.
TOPPING
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
PEACH FILLING
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/2 pounds peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Pulse bread and butter in food processor until coarsely ground. Set aside. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.
2. Melt butter in large nonstick oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Cook peaches, stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelize, 8 to 12 minutes. Off heat, stir in 1 cup crumb mixture, sugars, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt.
3. Top peach mixture with remaining crumbs. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake until topping is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Busy busy day
First, yesterday my niece Sarah arrived and I met her and my husband for dinner at Hut's Hamburgers after class. She's 12, with long brown hair and adorable freckles, and she gets to spend a week with us every summer. I love having her around. Class last night was -- meh. I wanted to do judo with Spencer after the kids' class I help with, but for various reasons it wasn't good timing, so he and I watched the technique portion of class from our perch on a heavy bag. I jumped in for positional sparring, but he scooted. I did work enough to break a solid, drippy sweat, so I was quite famished by the time I got to Hut's. Wednesday is 2 for 1 night, so I wolfed one and a half Ritchie Valens. Yes, all the burgers have cool names and the Ritchie is phenomenal: wheat bun, 1/3 lb burger, grated cheddar, chopped onion, jalapenos, tomatoes, guacamole and mustard. Hea-ven with a chocolate shake chaser (I had 4 big gulps only.)
This morning class was not as expected, but I did get some uber quality drilling and feedback from Max. He taught me how to really loft people with my butterfly, then convert to X guard and thence into a bellydown ankle lock or whatever kind of sweeps you want. I love him. So sad when he goes back to LA!
I did, however, present buttermilk biscuits with honey butter to the gang, as promised. I got called the gym mom for my troubles, but oh well, as long as I don't LOOK like a mom.
Got a bad migraine and had to call in sick for work. Eventually got over the migraine and took Sarah to the Alamo Drafthouse for lunch and "Inception." Wow, that was a REALLY entertaining movie (and it has jits in it! doubleplus good!) and it made me want to ask my concept art friend how they did certain things in the film.
After, hung out in the pool with Sarah... made guacamole... brought Sarah to class and got my butt beat. Pillow chokes, dropdown armbars, and flying triangles, then a single leg counter. Then, the rolls. Got one blue with a messy and sloppy looping choke and a pure-fatigue tap. Got a big technical whitebelt with... oh wait, dammit that's the guy who got ME. I did some things really right with him like pass to knee on belly-- but it was on the "wrong" side so I took so long thinking of the mirror image grips to set up the baseball bat choke, it let him escape. Eventually he got me with an americana from mount, some kind of choke, and then I tapped from pure fatigue (embarrassing because I was in TOP SIDE CONTROL. What did I have to be tired from!?) Generally though I am happier with my guard which is still like a whitebelt's anywhere else.
Came home to grilled brined chicken and tater salad and green beans with cantaloupe for dessert.
I am so sleepy right now my eyes are crossing involuntarily, so it's a good sign I need to go to bed. Catch you on the flipside, tomorrow! :)
This morning class was not as expected, but I did get some uber quality drilling and feedback from Max. He taught me how to really loft people with my butterfly, then convert to X guard and thence into a bellydown ankle lock or whatever kind of sweeps you want. I love him. So sad when he goes back to LA!
I did, however, present buttermilk biscuits with honey butter to the gang, as promised. I got called the gym mom for my troubles, but oh well, as long as I don't LOOK like a mom.
Got a bad migraine and had to call in sick for work. Eventually got over the migraine and took Sarah to the Alamo Drafthouse for lunch and "Inception." Wow, that was a REALLY entertaining movie (and it has jits in it! doubleplus good!) and it made me want to ask my concept art friend how they did certain things in the film.
After, hung out in the pool with Sarah... made guacamole... brought Sarah to class and got my butt beat. Pillow chokes, dropdown armbars, and flying triangles, then a single leg counter. Then, the rolls. Got one blue with a messy and sloppy looping choke and a pure-fatigue tap. Got a big technical whitebelt with... oh wait, dammit that's the guy who got ME. I did some things really right with him like pass to knee on belly-- but it was on the "wrong" side so I took so long thinking of the mirror image grips to set up the baseball bat choke, it let him escape. Eventually he got me with an americana from mount, some kind of choke, and then I tapped from pure fatigue (embarrassing because I was in TOP SIDE CONTROL. What did I have to be tired from!?) Generally though I am happier with my guard which is still like a whitebelt's anywhere else.
Came home to grilled brined chicken and tater salad and green beans with cantaloupe for dessert.
I am so sleepy right now my eyes are crossing involuntarily, so it's a good sign I need to go to bed. Catch you on the flipside, tomorrow! :)
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Why women (and men) should train Brazilian jiu jitsu.
I think there's a great case to be made for why women should train in Brazilian jiu jitsu. I proselytize the great gospel of jiu jitsu all the time, everywhere, to most everyone I meet. (I do a lot of grocery shopping in gi pants and an academy tshirt, so it seems like I get at least one or two inquiries a week about BJJ that way.) But I don't often blog about it, because it seems like you're the choir, right?
However, if you know some ladies who might be on the fence about it, if there's someone you're trying to convince, here's what I would tell them (in a slightly-longer-than-produce-aisle argument.) Of course, this applies to men too!
1. Self defense. I have to chuckle, because when guys talk about "fights always go to the ground" and "if someone jumps you in a bar" and whatnot, I wonder what bars they're going to and what they're doing that gets them into these fights. But seriously, 1 in 6 women (and 1 in 33 men) will be sexually assaulted in the United States. Every 2 minutes someone in the US is sexually assaulted. There's a couple sub-arguments to be made here. One is, of course, Brazilian jiu jitsu is famous for offering an enormous variety of self defense techniques for almost any kind of situation, from being bearhugged and dragged away, to wrist grabs, to knifepoint attacks. No brainer. Another is, even "non-self-defense" or more purely sport jiu jitsu type moves (like sweeps and subs from guard) make perfect sense in a sexual assault context. Third, more preventative in focus, training in BJJ will make you walk and project yourself like the strongest, fastest gazelle in the herd so the tiger will choose another victim.
2. Healthy exercise and living. BJJ tests your strength, flexibility, and cardio like nobody's business. Anyone on the spectrum from fat, soft office slug to superfit Venus Williams will be able to adjust their level of participation in their first classes to a) last the whole class without dying, and b) still challenge themselves physically. That said, you will see amazing gains (and losses!) because jiu jitsu is fun.
We all hear the statistics on needing 30-60 min of vigorous activity 5 times a week for optimal health. Most people sign up for a gym and get bored, fail to change their habits, etc. The gym membership is pointless if you're not motivated. BJJ motivates you in the immediate sense ("I need to move or I will get choked!") and the short term sense ("I will stretch as much as I can during warmups so class is more comfortable").. and you'll be motivated in the long term sense. "I'm going to quit smoking." "I'm going to eat some extra protein and skip the ice cream." "I'm going to start working my core muscles more so I have better sweeps."
3. It changes the way you view your body. The corollary to number 2 is that you'll start seeing your body as this wonderful, "fearfully made" machine capable of amazing feats. This was a big one for me-- instead of seeing the number on the scale as the ultimate issue (and lower was always better) I started to see my body as a powerhouse with the ability to endure and move and sweep and smash, quite honestly. I stopped caring quite as much whether I ever saw my high school weight again and started caring more about my body fat percentage, my strength relative to my height, my flexibility, etc. I started to see that weighing 130 or even 140 wasn't "bad" and was still plenty smaller than most of my training partners. That 130 was tiny in comparison to even a 160 lb guy, and I occasionally wished to weigh MORE so I could be more effective. (Of course I've since learned it's not WHAT you weigh but WHERE you put it on them. But anyway.)
Ironically, though I weigh maybe 10 lbs more than I did a year ago (though 15 lbs less than when I started jits!) my clothing went down some sizes, it fits more loosely and my body fat percentage has gone down a couple points. My arms have distinct curves of bicep, tricep and delt muscles.. my quads and abs are super strong, and I can train for a couple hours a day, seven days a week without breaking down. I'm not perfect but I'm better, and if I had to go to a regular gym I probably couldn't bear more than an hour a day if that.
Another point to make is that you probably will end up simplifying your beauty routine if you really get into the sport. Frequent showers, messed up hair, and general encroachment on your day's hours can make you into more of a natural beauty. This is good, imho: you'll use fewer petrochemicals, create less waste, spend less money on products, and spend less time primping and more out there doing.
4. You'll be unique. This is a biggie for me. I like to do things that are unusual, off the beaten path. Not a whole lot of women in jiu jitsu, though it's changing gradually. This means you will probably get more willing assistance from others who are eager to help you. You'll have something far more interesting to talk about at cocktail parties-- as opposed to your garden, your tennis game, or the latest novel you're reading. (No offense to tennis players, and I love gardening, and novels... but really? doesn't stir up near the intrigue as people thinking "wow, she chokes people.")
5. Ego balancing. I didn't really lack in self confidence to begin with (thanks Mom, thanks Dad, thanks debate through high school and college, thanks law school..) but now I have even more, yet I'm more humble, if that makes sense. I know I can take care of myself in most situations-- physically and spiritually. Jiu jitsu builds a body good and it rewards discipline, dedication, focus, patience, and humor. It takes the most arrogant badboys and reminds them there's always a badder boy (or girl) on the block... and it gives the most demure, delicate flowers a stem of steel. Mostly girls don't have the overweening ego problems of the Tapout/Affliction crowd-- but there's nothing like the smile on the face of a young girl who was hesitant and iffy when she discovers that these techniques work against someone bigger and stronger than herself.
6. What a good group of people! For sure you can find good people anywhere in any activity, but I think jiu jitsu brings together such a varied crowd from so many walks of life, all of whom are dedicated to building each other up. It is an individual sport, but rising tides lift all boats and you'll be surrounded by teammates who actively want you to get better (because then they're forced to get better!) You'll have a more or less tightly knit crew outside of the academy, depending on your particular community's flavor, but when you need them, they're there. And to say nothing of the great people all around the world who foster the activity by their internet presence. I have learned so much from people like Seymour, Liam, Can, Matt, Elyse, Leslie, Cane, Chrissy, Michael, Jonathan, Dustin, Dev... never would have met them but for jits!
7. Fosters creativity: Unlike other martial arts, there's no one right way to do things, and there isn't a list of techniques you "have to" be good at to progress and be successful. Jiu jitsu acknowledges that everyone has a different shape, size, attitude and philosophy. Yes, true, you really do have to understand some fundamental basics, but beyond that, you will develop your own game according to your strengths and weaknesses. It's pretty much an infinitely variable thing. A corollary to this is that jiu jitsu meets needs at all levels of the Maslow hierarchy... physiological needs, safety, sociality, creativity, self-actualization. It helps you stay healthy, feel loved, mentally stimulated, and if you're lucky you'll create a move that's known by your name even after you're gone. Even if that's not the case, you can aspire to having interactions with others that permanently affect their worldview for the better. It's a win-win.
So that's the longer version of my sermon. Feel free to share if you know a gal who might think about getting into it. And then tell her to read Leslie's great blog BJJGrrl, especially the section on women in BJJ.
However, if you know some ladies who might be on the fence about it, if there's someone you're trying to convince, here's what I would tell them (in a slightly-longer-than-produce-aisle argument.) Of course, this applies to men too!
1. Self defense. I have to chuckle, because when guys talk about "fights always go to the ground" and "if someone jumps you in a bar" and whatnot, I wonder what bars they're going to and what they're doing that gets them into these fights. But seriously, 1 in 6 women (and 1 in 33 men) will be sexually assaulted in the United States. Every 2 minutes someone in the US is sexually assaulted. There's a couple sub-arguments to be made here. One is, of course, Brazilian jiu jitsu is famous for offering an enormous variety of self defense techniques for almost any kind of situation, from being bearhugged and dragged away, to wrist grabs, to knifepoint attacks. No brainer. Another is, even "non-self-defense" or more purely sport jiu jitsu type moves (like sweeps and subs from guard) make perfect sense in a sexual assault context. Third, more preventative in focus, training in BJJ will make you walk and project yourself like the strongest, fastest gazelle in the herd so the tiger will choose another victim.
2. Healthy exercise and living. BJJ tests your strength, flexibility, and cardio like nobody's business. Anyone on the spectrum from fat, soft office slug to superfit Venus Williams will be able to adjust their level of participation in their first classes to a) last the whole class without dying, and b) still challenge themselves physically. That said, you will see amazing gains (and losses!) because jiu jitsu is fun.
We all hear the statistics on needing 30-60 min of vigorous activity 5 times a week for optimal health. Most people sign up for a gym and get bored, fail to change their habits, etc. The gym membership is pointless if you're not motivated. BJJ motivates you in the immediate sense ("I need to move or I will get choked!") and the short term sense ("I will stretch as much as I can during warmups so class is more comfortable").. and you'll be motivated in the long term sense. "I'm going to quit smoking." "I'm going to eat some extra protein and skip the ice cream." "I'm going to start working my core muscles more so I have better sweeps."
3. It changes the way you view your body. The corollary to number 2 is that you'll start seeing your body as this wonderful, "fearfully made" machine capable of amazing feats. This was a big one for me-- instead of seeing the number on the scale as the ultimate issue (and lower was always better) I started to see my body as a powerhouse with the ability to endure and move and sweep and smash, quite honestly. I stopped caring quite as much whether I ever saw my high school weight again and started caring more about my body fat percentage, my strength relative to my height, my flexibility, etc. I started to see that weighing 130 or even 140 wasn't "bad" and was still plenty smaller than most of my training partners. That 130 was tiny in comparison to even a 160 lb guy, and I occasionally wished to weigh MORE so I could be more effective. (Of course I've since learned it's not WHAT you weigh but WHERE you put it on them. But anyway.)
Ironically, though I weigh maybe 10 lbs more than I did a year ago (though 15 lbs less than when I started jits!) my clothing went down some sizes, it fits more loosely and my body fat percentage has gone down a couple points. My arms have distinct curves of bicep, tricep and delt muscles.. my quads and abs are super strong, and I can train for a couple hours a day, seven days a week without breaking down. I'm not perfect but I'm better, and if I had to go to a regular gym I probably couldn't bear more than an hour a day if that.
Another point to make is that you probably will end up simplifying your beauty routine if you really get into the sport. Frequent showers, messed up hair, and general encroachment on your day's hours can make you into more of a natural beauty. This is good, imho: you'll use fewer petrochemicals, create less waste, spend less money on products, and spend less time primping and more out there doing.
4. You'll be unique. This is a biggie for me. I like to do things that are unusual, off the beaten path. Not a whole lot of women in jiu jitsu, though it's changing gradually. This means you will probably get more willing assistance from others who are eager to help you. You'll have something far more interesting to talk about at cocktail parties-- as opposed to your garden, your tennis game, or the latest novel you're reading. (No offense to tennis players, and I love gardening, and novels... but really? doesn't stir up near the intrigue as people thinking "wow, she chokes people.")
5. Ego balancing. I didn't really lack in self confidence to begin with (thanks Mom, thanks Dad, thanks debate through high school and college, thanks law school..) but now I have even more, yet I'm more humble, if that makes sense. I know I can take care of myself in most situations-- physically and spiritually. Jiu jitsu builds a body good and it rewards discipline, dedication, focus, patience, and humor. It takes the most arrogant badboys and reminds them there's always a badder boy (or girl) on the block... and it gives the most demure, delicate flowers a stem of steel. Mostly girls don't have the overweening ego problems of the Tapout/Affliction crowd-- but there's nothing like the smile on the face of a young girl who was hesitant and iffy when she discovers that these techniques work against someone bigger and stronger than herself.
6. What a good group of people! For sure you can find good people anywhere in any activity, but I think jiu jitsu brings together such a varied crowd from so many walks of life, all of whom are dedicated to building each other up. It is an individual sport, but rising tides lift all boats and you'll be surrounded by teammates who actively want you to get better (because then they're forced to get better!) You'll have a more or less tightly knit crew outside of the academy, depending on your particular community's flavor, but when you need them, they're there. And to say nothing of the great people all around the world who foster the activity by their internet presence. I have learned so much from people like Seymour, Liam, Can, Matt, Elyse, Leslie, Cane, Chrissy, Michael, Jonathan, Dustin, Dev... never would have met them but for jits!
7. Fosters creativity: Unlike other martial arts, there's no one right way to do things, and there isn't a list of techniques you "have to" be good at to progress and be successful. Jiu jitsu acknowledges that everyone has a different shape, size, attitude and philosophy. Yes, true, you really do have to understand some fundamental basics, but beyond that, you will develop your own game according to your strengths and weaknesses. It's pretty much an infinitely variable thing. A corollary to this is that jiu jitsu meets needs at all levels of the Maslow hierarchy... physiological needs, safety, sociality, creativity, self-actualization. It helps you stay healthy, feel loved, mentally stimulated, and if you're lucky you'll create a move that's known by your name even after you're gone. Even if that's not the case, you can aspire to having interactions with others that permanently affect their worldview for the better. It's a win-win.
So that's the longer version of my sermon. Feel free to share if you know a gal who might think about getting into it. And then tell her to read Leslie's great blog BJJGrrl, especially the section on women in BJJ.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Crumble.
Tonight there's going to be some promotions at the academy, plus competition class. It's only 94 outside instead of the predicted 103 so I'm looking forward to working hard and maybe gauntletting some people. Trained this morning with the newly-returned Ian, who went to Brazil a month ago as a bad-ass blue belt. Um, yeah, he's even more bad ass now. I steered clear and didn't even attempt the summit. Was drilling uke for Phil on his omoplata-triangle-armbar-omoplata sweep series... walked through Max's situp guard passes a smidge, and then just settled down to roll with Sean, who is gearing up for competition season this fall.
I like rolling with him, he never feels like he goes easy on me (not that I would complain if he did) and still I feel like I'm on the cusp of kicking his ass. It's like the damn greyhounds at the track-- his fat sassy cottontail was riiiiight there most of the time. At one point, I did get to a very tight, mean cross side, but I went for the far arm instead of the near, and eventually let him get to his side. Monson didn't work from north-south, and then the rest of it crumbled as I got rolled there. I honestly ended up tapping from his killer pressure on top side.
Speaking of crumble.. peach crumble, to be exact.
Filling
3 1/2 pounds ripe but firm peaches (6 to 7 medium), peeled and pitted; each peach halved and cut into 3/4-inch wedges (about 6 1/2 cups prepared peaches)
1/3 cup granulated sugar (2 1/3 ounces)
1 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch
3-5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon (to taste depending on sweetness of your peaches)
Pinch table salt
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Topping
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (1 3/4 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark), 1 3/4 ounces
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and very soft
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1. Adjust oven racks to lower and middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. FOR THE FILLING: Gently toss peaches and sugar together in large bowl; let stand for 30 minutes, tossing several times. Drain peaches in colander set over large bowl. Whisk 1/4 cup drained peach juice, cornstarch, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in small bowl; discard excess peach juice. Toss juice mixture with peaches and transfer to 8-inch-square glass baking dish.
3. FOR THE TOPPING: While peaches are macerating, combine flour, sugars (reserving 1 tablespoon granulated sugar), and salt in workbowl of food processor; drizzle vanilla over top. Pulse to combine mixture, about five 1-second pulses. Add butter and half of nuts; process until mixture clumps together into large, crumbly balls, about 30 seconds, pausing halfway through to scrape down sides of workbowl. Sprinkle remaining nuts over mixture and combine with two quick pulses. Transfer mixture to parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into even layer (mixture should break up into roughly 1/2-inch chunks with some smaller, loose bits). Bake on middle rack until chunks are lightly browned and firm, 18 to 22 minutes.
4. TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: Grasping edges of parchment paper, slide topping over peaches and spread into even layer with spatula, packing down lightly and breaking up any very large pieces. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon sugar over top and place on lower oven rack. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake until well browned and fruit is bubbling around edges, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack until warm, at least 15 minutes; serve.
I like rolling with him, he never feels like he goes easy on me (not that I would complain if he did) and still I feel like I'm on the cusp of kicking his ass. It's like the damn greyhounds at the track-- his fat sassy cottontail was riiiiight there most of the time. At one point, I did get to a very tight, mean cross side, but I went for the far arm instead of the near, and eventually let him get to his side. Monson didn't work from north-south, and then the rest of it crumbled as I got rolled there. I honestly ended up tapping from his killer pressure on top side.
Speaking of crumble.. peach crumble, to be exact.
Filling
3 1/2 pounds ripe but firm peaches (6 to 7 medium), peeled and pitted; each peach halved and cut into 3/4-inch wedges (about 6 1/2 cups prepared peaches)
1/3 cup granulated sugar (2 1/3 ounces)
1 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch
3-5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon (to taste depending on sweetness of your peaches)
Pinch table salt
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Topping
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (1 3/4 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark), 1 3/4 ounces
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and very soft
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1. Adjust oven racks to lower and middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. FOR THE FILLING: Gently toss peaches and sugar together in large bowl; let stand for 30 minutes, tossing several times. Drain peaches in colander set over large bowl. Whisk 1/4 cup drained peach juice, cornstarch, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in small bowl; discard excess peach juice. Toss juice mixture with peaches and transfer to 8-inch-square glass baking dish.
3. FOR THE TOPPING: While peaches are macerating, combine flour, sugars (reserving 1 tablespoon granulated sugar), and salt in workbowl of food processor; drizzle vanilla over top. Pulse to combine mixture, about five 1-second pulses. Add butter and half of nuts; process until mixture clumps together into large, crumbly balls, about 30 seconds, pausing halfway through to scrape down sides of workbowl. Sprinkle remaining nuts over mixture and combine with two quick pulses. Transfer mixture to parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into even layer (mixture should break up into roughly 1/2-inch chunks with some smaller, loose bits). Bake on middle rack until chunks are lightly browned and firm, 18 to 22 minutes.
4. TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: Grasping edges of parchment paper, slide topping over peaches and spread into even layer with spatula, packing down lightly and breaking up any very large pieces. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon sugar over top and place on lower oven rack. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake until well browned and fruit is bubbling around edges, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack until warm, at least 15 minutes; serve.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Miscellany.
First, this article about a university student who accidentally killed another while breaking up a fight by holding him in a choke hold.
Second, Leo Vieira v. Yuki Nakai... yummy cartwheel passes, thanks Vidush! LOOK at the guard pass starting around 2:45...
Third, open mat today rocked, thanks Phil, Rudy and Max... the sideways guard jump and the entry into the pendulum series. And interesting, seeing the same rolling choke he's shown but done from the bottom, as a sweep to the top.
Second, Leo Vieira v. Yuki Nakai... yummy cartwheel passes, thanks Vidush! LOOK at the guard pass starting around 2:45...
Third, open mat today rocked, thanks Phil, Rudy and Max... the sideways guard jump and the entry into the pendulum series. And interesting, seeing the same rolling choke he's shown but done from the bottom, as a sweep to the top.
Pretty, pretty, pretty.
I have more work than I know what to do with.. and my training partners bailed on me this morning. So I came in early and got cracking. For a little break, I'm returning to my salsa roots.
More fun with Magna..
A classic, not just demonstrating phenomenal skills as dancers but also revealing some of their personalities-- Kimberli Flores and Juan Matos:
Sometimes I miss salsa dancing, mainly when I'm watching videos like these. I think training jiu jitsu has probably made my dancing better-- better base, body awareness, control.
More fun with Magna..
A classic, not just demonstrating phenomenal skills as dancers but also revealing some of their personalities-- Kimberli Flores and Juan Matos:
Sometimes I miss salsa dancing, mainly when I'm watching videos like these. I think training jiu jitsu has probably made my dancing better-- better base, body awareness, control.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Summer bliss.
There's something just phenomenal about summertime! The buzzing cicadas, the feel of hot sun pouring over my head like warm honey, the smell of freshly-cut lawns and the chlorine of pools and the cold juicy cracking sound and scent of watermelon being cut open... And of course, here in central Texas, we're famous for our Fredericksburg peaches.
My mom had an amazing peach tree in our yard in the Chicago suburbs, and I loved the feel of the fuzzy warm skin, round and full in my hand. If you grab both sides of a really ripe peach and twist, it will split wide open in your hands. The juice runs down your fingers and wrists and chin... :) Good stuff!
Anyway, the happy hedonism of summertime was on my mind both to and from jits this morning. Just gorgeous weather, the world smelled good, I was feeling unhurt and unsore, the wind rushing up my nose... I was in a perfect mood to roll. No one was warming up when I arrived, so I jumped on one of the blues who is closer to my size and got some action. I tried for a side tomoe nage and instead pulled him into a seated headbutt-- ergh. I am working on my guard passing, staying light on my feet, posting on head and shoulder and changing directions with more speed and agility, and it seemed to help. Once to side or north-south, though, he was really hard to manage, and kept disrupting my sub attempts. At one point from guard, he sat back and I came up on top, virtually standing on him, and should have grabbed the standing armbar, but was giddy and flubbed it. Oh well. Twice I gave up my back instead of the pass, managed to escape the back twice too (once by ankle locking his body triangle, yay.)
Then another blue belt pal came by and made my life even more difficult than the last one. His side control is mean and I have a hard time passing his inverted guard. I did get his back though. I was really pleased with my patience and control-- he'd strip a hook, we'd go to the other side, I'd creep up and feed my bottom foot in by his hip where his elbow didn't completely cover the gap then roll him over again. Rinse, repeat. Meanwhile methodically trying to improve my grips in his collar. When I was a baby/toddler, I had this yellow blankie edged in the smoothest satin. I loved running it through my fingers in this rhythmic way, crawling the binding through my hand.
Well, that same motion is just the ticket for creepycrawlering my grips higher when I don't have a separate hand free to manage the lapel. I went from a seatbelt grip with the underhook arm in the lapel, to a cross-collary kind of choke, and then to a four-finger forearm choke. He defended everything so well that my grips were just hating my guts at the end. I did have my forearm under his chin, I think, and I was extending hips forward, burrowing my forehead into the back of his skull, trying everything I knew to get every last fraction of an inch, but it wasn't enough and I tapped myself with the pain in my hands and arms.
A purple belt friend came by and had some useful advice for us both. When someone's passing your halfguard facing your feet, you have to manipulate their center of gravity by manipulating their head position. When they are too far to one side or the other, poof, you reverse them. This was great in theory, but in practice, more difficult. And then I broke my neck.
Ok, ok, not really, but I felt absolutely TERRIFIED that I had. So I was being uke, on top halfguard, curled like a shrimp and facing the feet. Picture the little lesser-than symbol... < ... so if their head is to the left and feet to the right, my body is the bottom part of the symbol and my head the upper part. As they rolled, my head got stuck on the mat because I was too dumb to tuck my chin, and my body kept coming up and forward and around because it was connected to their body. The hinge was my neck. I felt this enormous crack (crackcrackcrackcrack) and a pain down the middle of my shoulderblades and I tapped halfway through with this gargly gargoyle sound. Two seconds later I could tell I was fine but those were a LONG two seconds. My upper back and neck are still tweaky but I'm fine.
Anyway...
Then he and I spent some time working on the combination of, or the transition process from, X guard, to deep half, to butterfly. I hope it helped him to walk through the rationales for entering in different ways at various times. It was helpful for me, but again I need to see things a number of times before it sinks in. I have a rudimentary, kindergarten understanding of each guard (the same way I have a rudimentary kindergarten understanding of surgery- you cut, you sew) and am looking forward to developing those aspects of my game. We sat down and watched my Pan footage again (cringe) and I'm happy to see that at least in my mind I've come a long way since April. That's not too bad, just 4 months, and I feel like I have a third-grader grasp of passing now.
Somewhat randomly, we paused our discussion to review some salsa basics and the difference in timing between on1 and on2. I am always happy to be able to share something in return for all the help I'm given. Here's some pretty to enjoy: my dear friends Magna and Andres, social dancing at the Boston Salsa Congress back in 2006...
Back to jits-- we did discuss, throughout the drilling process, the differences in how girls (or at least I) learn jits versus how boys learn it. It's a topic I'll be delving into more deeply in an upcoming article for another publication. [In fact, I am committed to writing for three other publications, so when I know what article is coming out where, I will let you know.]
Anyhoo-- that took up the whole 3 hours of class. Came home, showered, ate some chicken fajitas, watered the plants on the deck, and ensconced on the couch. Mitch has study group for his upcoming exam so I'll be here, basking in the scent of my conditioner and the sliced peach in my bowl and the muted cicada noise from outside.
My mom had an amazing peach tree in our yard in the Chicago suburbs, and I loved the feel of the fuzzy warm skin, round and full in my hand. If you grab both sides of a really ripe peach and twist, it will split wide open in your hands. The juice runs down your fingers and wrists and chin... :) Good stuff!
Anyway, the happy hedonism of summertime was on my mind both to and from jits this morning. Just gorgeous weather, the world smelled good, I was feeling unhurt and unsore, the wind rushing up my nose... I was in a perfect mood to roll. No one was warming up when I arrived, so I jumped on one of the blues who is closer to my size and got some action. I tried for a side tomoe nage and instead pulled him into a seated headbutt-- ergh. I am working on my guard passing, staying light on my feet, posting on head and shoulder and changing directions with more speed and agility, and it seemed to help. Once to side or north-south, though, he was really hard to manage, and kept disrupting my sub attempts. At one point from guard, he sat back and I came up on top, virtually standing on him, and should have grabbed the standing armbar, but was giddy and flubbed it. Oh well. Twice I gave up my back instead of the pass, managed to escape the back twice too (once by ankle locking his body triangle, yay.)
Then another blue belt pal came by and made my life even more difficult than the last one. His side control is mean and I have a hard time passing his inverted guard. I did get his back though. I was really pleased with my patience and control-- he'd strip a hook, we'd go to the other side, I'd creep up and feed my bottom foot in by his hip where his elbow didn't completely cover the gap then roll him over again. Rinse, repeat. Meanwhile methodically trying to improve my grips in his collar. When I was a baby/toddler, I had this yellow blankie edged in the smoothest satin. I loved running it through my fingers in this rhythmic way, crawling the binding through my hand.
Well, that same motion is just the ticket for creepycrawlering my grips higher when I don't have a separate hand free to manage the lapel. I went from a seatbelt grip with the underhook arm in the lapel, to a cross-collary kind of choke, and then to a four-finger forearm choke. He defended everything so well that my grips were just hating my guts at the end. I did have my forearm under his chin, I think, and I was extending hips forward, burrowing my forehead into the back of his skull, trying everything I knew to get every last fraction of an inch, but it wasn't enough and I tapped myself with the pain in my hands and arms.
A purple belt friend came by and had some useful advice for us both. When someone's passing your halfguard facing your feet, you have to manipulate their center of gravity by manipulating their head position. When they are too far to one side or the other, poof, you reverse them. This was great in theory, but in practice, more difficult. And then I broke my neck.
Ok, ok, not really, but I felt absolutely TERRIFIED that I had. So I was being uke, on top halfguard, curled like a shrimp and facing the feet. Picture the little lesser-than symbol... < ... so if their head is to the left and feet to the right, my body is the bottom part of the symbol and my head the upper part. As they rolled, my head got stuck on the mat because I was too dumb to tuck my chin, and my body kept coming up and forward and around because it was connected to their body. The hinge was my neck. I felt this enormous crack (crackcrackcrackcrack) and a pain down the middle of my shoulderblades and I tapped halfway through with this gargly gargoyle sound. Two seconds later I could tell I was fine but those were a LONG two seconds. My upper back and neck are still tweaky but I'm fine.
Anyway...
Then he and I spent some time working on the combination of, or the transition process from, X guard, to deep half, to butterfly. I hope it helped him to walk through the rationales for entering in different ways at various times. It was helpful for me, but again I need to see things a number of times before it sinks in. I have a rudimentary, kindergarten understanding of each guard (the same way I have a rudimentary kindergarten understanding of surgery- you cut, you sew) and am looking forward to developing those aspects of my game. We sat down and watched my Pan footage again (cringe) and I'm happy to see that at least in my mind I've come a long way since April. That's not too bad, just 4 months, and I feel like I have a third-grader grasp of passing now.
Somewhat randomly, we paused our discussion to review some salsa basics and the difference in timing between on1 and on2. I am always happy to be able to share something in return for all the help I'm given. Here's some pretty to enjoy: my dear friends Magna and Andres, social dancing at the Boston Salsa Congress back in 2006...
Back to jits-- we did discuss, throughout the drilling process, the differences in how girls (or at least I) learn jits versus how boys learn it. It's a topic I'll be delving into more deeply in an upcoming article for another publication. [In fact, I am committed to writing for three other publications, so when I know what article is coming out where, I will let you know.]
Anyhoo-- that took up the whole 3 hours of class. Came home, showered, ate some chicken fajitas, watered the plants on the deck, and ensconced on the couch. Mitch has study group for his upcoming exam so I'll be here, basking in the scent of my conditioner and the sliced peach in my bowl and the muted cicada noise from outside.
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