Chicago Open Recap

Last weekend, I competed in the Chicago Open. This was my first tournament at featherweight, and pushed me out of my comfort zones for a few reasons:

- I went without a coach
- This was in a completely new city
- first time competing at featherweight
- I had spent the past week watching my weight, as I had been in Hawaii the week before that
- Saturday was gi and Sunday was nogi, meaning I had to watch my weight for 2 days

Thankfully, one of my old teammates from NJ goes to college in Missouri, so I had the support of him and his teammates. My old teammate, Marcus, drove me to and from the venue that weekend, so I didn't have to worry about renting a car. I'm not even old enough to rent one anyway!

After nearly missing my flight on Friday because of the bad weather, I got to the hotel at around 6pm. I had weighed myself that morning and had been 119.5, but was very wary of taking in too much sodium. I walked a mile and a half each way to get dinner, which was grilled chicken and steamed vegetables. It's pretty miraculous I found it, because the area had mainly fast food. I dodged the now fading black patches of snow and ice, but did get my dinner!

I started at 9am the next day, so Marcus, myself, and one of his teammates left for the venue around 8am. One of his teammates was in my division, but we're both pretty relaxed people and were friendly the entire time. We never had to face each other anyway, but even if we did, there was no tension.

I weighed myself on the test scale and weighed in at a whopping 125.5 pounds with my gi on (the upper limit for female featherweight is 129). I had ample time to warm up, and felt pretty confident. My first and only gi match was against a girl from Brazil-021, a team led by Hanette Staack and her husband, Andre Negao. The girl pulled guard, and I spent most of the time trying to pass and break her spider guard lasso and grips. She eventually swept me, and I was unable to get any half guard sweeps, although I was able to creep out just before the buzzer sounded. The final score was 2 points for her and 1 advantage for me. I was pretty bummed about losing my first match. I ended up "winning" a bronze medal because I first had a bye, and went on to compete in the absolute. Once again, my opponent pulled guard, and I spent what must have been about 3 minutes of a 6 minute match stuck in a triangle. She won on advantages I believe and was only one weight class above me. I was very upset after this match, because I had really wanted to redeem myself in the absolute.

The next day was nogi. I won my first match via rear naked choke about 2-3 minutes in to the match. I lost my finals match on points. She pulled guard, I somehow ended up with her in my guard, but was unable to get a submission or sweep. She ended up passing and winning on points. This won me second place, but I decided not to do the absolute, as I feel injuries are more likely in nogi than they are in gi.

On a somewhat related note, Hanette Staack came up to me and shook my hand a little while after I competed against her student. She was really friendly! I'm a huge fan of hers so it was really cool to meet her and even more awesome to see that she was willing to chat with me for a little. I also got to see Comprido and Carlson Gracie Jr. Comprido annihilated the masters black belt division by the way.

Despite the fact that I only won one match, I feel much more confident about competing than I did last year for the following reasons:

- I lost every match in every tournament I competed in in 2012. One win isn't what I'm gunning for, but it's a step in the right direction
- I didn't obsessively check the athlete list like I have in the past. I checked it occasionally just to make sure that a decent amount of girls that signed up, but I wasn't intimidated by any of the names or teams on the list.
- I realized that I need to work on imposing my game more and being less afraid of taking risks. I feel like I could have been more aggressive with implementing my passing game
- I definitely avoided some weaknesses that have stopped me from competing well in the past

I'm happy I spent the money and went to Chicago to compete. I have to give a huge thanks to Jesse from Killer Bee Gi for sponsoring me and for providing me with the best gis! In all seriousness, I really only reach for my Killer Bee gis now for training unless they're all in the wash. I'll post a review soon.

I'm now preparing for the New York Open, I can't wait to compete again!

You Break My Heart!

I've been EXTREMELY busy with work the past several days. I had a 49 hour week last week, worked 12 hours yesterday and had to go in an hour early today! Still, I managed to go on Monday and tonight for three hours each time. Today it was ROUGH getting to class. There had been chocolate at work all day and I was feeling the lack of sleep and yesterday's work day kick in. But BJJ is the dopeness and I needed to burn off the chocolate!

Shaolin always seems to catch me when I'm getting swept from the top in half guard. Not that it's a rare occasion, but I'm glad he always sees it because he takes me aside and tells me what I'm doing wrong. On Monday he saw me get swept and said "Ayanthi! (or in Shaolin's case Aaanthi!) you break my heart!" He showed me that if someone grabs the arm on the same side as the trapped leg, I should not post the leg on the opposite side, as they will just sweep me the other way. Instead, I should pressure downwards, sprawl my legs, and pass to the side of my trapped leg. I've really been working my top game these past few days and I can see lots of improvement. I feel as though every class it gets harder for the other students to sweep me when I am on top in half guard. I've also gotten a lot better about exerting top pressure and making sure the person doesn't have enough space to move.

Today I finally got out of work early enough for the 5:30pm nogi class. Shaolin taught it today and it consisted of a pretty tough warmup with lots of rolling. I wish there was more nogi in the schedule. I'm of the belief that nogi is not as simple as just taking off your gi and rolling; there's different techniques you need to use when you can't grab onto lapels, sleeves or gi pants. (For the record, I am NOT a 10th Planet fan!) It's important to drill passes, sweeps and submissions that are more effective in nogi than in gi BJJ. Nogi was followed by two more BJJ classes. As Shaolin noted today "Ayanthi loves the mat! She is my sneakiest student- she managed to get in three classes- how?!" The perks of being a girl and above a white belt are that I can take any and all of the classes.

The reason Shaolin lets girls above white belt take the beginners class is because he always wants the girls to roll together. He has no problem when girls roll with guys, but it is definitely different rolling with men than it is with women, and I imagine he wants us to be comfortable in competition against women. In today's beginners class I had the chance to roll with Jody, who is a 3 stripe white belt with a pretty fierce spider guard. She is determined to get all the techniques correctly, and I think she'll be a competitive force if she continues to train consistently.

Open Mat

Jason ran a tournament this weekend, so I didn't get to train this Friday or Saturday. Instead, I opted to go to the open mat on Friday for one hour. Jason's open mat always has a pretty good turnout, and it gives students a chance to work on certain moves and openings they have noticed during class. I got about 6 or so good 5-6 minute rounds of nogi in.

One of the guys I rolled with was in his forties or so and I think he was either a wrestling coach or had a lot of wrestling experience. He helped me clean up my single leg a little and showed me some variations. Stand up is one area of BJJ that I really need to clean up, so I was excited that there was someone there with wrestling experience. Jeff, one of my coaches when I trained in Atlanta, has been wrestling for a ridiculously long time and therefore also incorporated wrestling takedowns into the women's class. Between Jeff's drills and this guy's help, I was able to pull off three single legs on one person afterwards! This was exciting for me, because I always try and go for a takedown, but almost always end up pulling guard. All of my sparring sessions were pretty technical, and I did a better job of balancing being calm with being aggressive.

I noticed I was getting caught in some leg locks and calf crushers. Especially at higher levels and in nogi, I'm going to have to start getting used to having leg locks applied on me. I don't even go for them normally but I think I might start to in the future. Jason has always stressed to NEVER crank on leg locks, and his students definitely respect that.

This week I begin orientation for Civic Corps, which lasts for four days and is in four different sites. I think they will be in four of the boroughs and will not touch Staten Island. You can guarantee I'll be bringing my gi to orientation so I can check out the BJJ schools in each borough :)

First Blue Belt Tournament

Today I had my first blue belt tournament. This was by far the most difficult tournament I've competed in. As I've previously stated, there is a bigger range of blue belts in terms of experience compared to white belts, which makes it that much more challenging.

I barely squeaked out a win in my first gi match. She was in my guard most of the time, and I won on advantages through submission attempts. My legs were DEAD after that match. I had to sit down, drink some water and recover. I've never felt that tired after a match before, and I think it definitely played into the my next match, but I don't think it was the reason I lost. My second match I lost via Americana and lost my third place match on points. When nogi came around, I won my first match in a very back and forth exchange. After 6 minutes, the score was 10-10 with one advantage for each of us. They added 3 minutes on the clock and we went again. The girl who I was going against had a very obnoxious coach, who at one point told my opponent "don't worry, you can let her take your back!" Well, I did exactly that and won by rear naked choke! My next and final nogi match was against the same girl who beat me by Americana in gi. This time she won on points. So that means I didn't place in gi but won 2nd in nogi. I found out that the girl who got the Americana on me and won first in nogi trains at Lloyd Irvin's main school in Camp Springs and is only 15! Perhaps another one of Lloyd's prodigies? (not because she beat me, but because she is 15 and going against blue belts who I am almost certain outweighed her!)

One thing that surprised me was that I was not nearly as upset as I was when I lost at Pan Ams. I don't know if it's maturity in competition or just understanding that there are more experienced blue belts than me (I've only been a blue belt for a month), but it was nice to not get too worked up and sad over a loss. Additionally, my coach pointed out (and I recognized) some aspects of my game I need to work on. I feel as though I don't really have a gameplan when I compete, and I think that's important to figure out. My coach has asked me what I like to play, and quite honestly I often work with what happens. I think it's important to be aggressive and set the tone for the match so they are at your mercy and you can execute your strengths.

Overall, I think this was a very important learning experience for me. I'm excited to work on the weaker aspects of my game and figure out a gameplan. But my elbow is in pain from that Americana (which is strange because I am very flexible) and I rolled over my big toe! So I think a few days off are in order.

Gear Review: Scramble Rainbow Spats...also known as my super magic rainbow pants

Scramble is a European based BJJ company. They put out lots of cool tshirts and gear that aren't your typical glitter, foil, and skulls designs. I've been following their product releases via their Facebook page, and one day I saw them announce the release of their rainbow spats aka rainbow grappling tights. Being an Aoki fan AND a lover of unique gear like this, I was dripping with envy at those across the Atlantic that could get their hands on these. Since they are a European company, it's tough to get their products in the USA, and I wasn't too keen on paying a conversion fee and international shipping. HOWEVER...

...MMA Outlet carries Scramble gear too!!! I tweeted/emailed/begged MMA Outlet to stock the Scramble spats. I'm guessing they received a lot of these requests and a month or so after the initial release, they stocked the rainbow spats. I immediately jumped on the chance to buy them.

The picture appears to be too big for the blog post, so you can find a direct link to a picture of the spats by clicking here.

As soon as I opened the package, I was VERY impressed by the spats. They are very smooth and soft with sublimated logos. The colors on the front are different that the ones on the back, and the Scramble logo is on the bottom right shin while there are some Japanese characters on the upper left thigh. It has an elasticated waist with no drawstring. As you can see in the picture, it looks as though it's made of multiple pieces of fabric stitched together. This may be a factor in future wear and tear, but it's far too early to tell.

I've worn these in gi and nogi. I was so stoked the first time I bought them that I wore them under my gi even though there are long tights! People immediately took notice and asked where I bought them. I've also worn them to nogi classes. In both scenarios, they did not ride up and I didn't have to adjust them. I am 5'5", and these are a little long on me (I bought a size small), so I have to pull them up a little and roll the waistband over. They are really comfortable to roll in and they don't make me overheat while rolling.

Pros: cool looking, sublimated logos, comfortable, light but durable

Cons: price, no drawstring (doesn't bother me, but some prefer the drawstring), may be flashy for some.

I would recommend these to anyone bold enough to buy them. Would I wear them to a tournament? Not me. My opinion is that if you wear something so flashy, you'd better be REALLY awesome at BJJ (i.e. Gene LeBell and his pink gi, Aoki and his rainbow tights) and dominate your matches, otherwise you're going to look like a fool. The price is also steep at 55.99. Since this is a novelty item, I decided to splurge a little. (It also helped that I found a coupon code hidden in my gmail!) However, I love wearing them to my nogi classes. If you're interested in buying them, check out www.mmaoutlet.com. The direct link to the spats at MMAOutlet is here.

Competition at the Blue Belt level

The one good thing about not having a full time job yet is that I have time to train! I'm back going to BJJ about 5 times per week and love every minute of it. The good thing about my new academy is that they balance gi and nogi training very well. I have the opportunity to train in both styles without losing leverage in either.

I am considering competing at a Grapplers Quest event coming up on June 18th. Since I've only been a blue belt for such a short time, I'm debating whether I should do it or not. Competition never hurts, but I'd hate to pay and only have one match. I've also realized that when you're competing above the white belt level, there is going to be a bigger gradient of experience. People don't often stay at white belt for more than 1.5 years, but people will remain at the higher belts often for more than 2 years. I could be going against a blue belt on the verge of getting her purple. I think it's important for me to get out there, see what the level of competition is like, and work on my weak points after my match.

Since I'm back living at home, I have less control over my diet. When I was at school, I could cook whatever I wanted and could cut weight appropriately. Even if I do cook at home, it's not normally for myself, but for my entire family. I think I might start cooking different meals for myself so I can cut weight appropriately. The good thing is that I'm not far off from my weight limit, so I have plenty of time to come to the right weight.

I'm also thinking about doing the No Gi Pan Ams in the fall. They are held in New York City, so it's only a train ride away for me. I'll see where I am at the end of the summer. I imagine a lot will depend on where I'm working, if I have enough time to train, and how much I can expand on my no gi game.