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For a variety reasons we are migrating over to a new site.  Please visit and continue to follow us at www.jiujitsufamily.com. 

We plan to put more of a focus on supporting families who currently train or are thinking about training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  Hope to see you there!

Digging Deep

by Jen

Whether I am battling wills with my opponent to finish the armbar, finding the strength to power through the WOD, preparing to make a dynamic presentation in the board room, or dealing with a personal crisis, I am digging from the same source. 

The physical fitness is only a byproduct of the mental fitness that I gain from each day on the mat and in the CrossFit box.

A little faith along with the support of good coaches helps me to dig even deeper.  With that, I can conquer anything!



One of Logan's and my favorite "dig deep" songs.

Keep Moving

 a sonnet by Logan


The inspiration behind this sonnet, a homework assignment given to Logan, was the overwhelmed feeling from never ending homework.  She later realized that it applies to so many other areas in life.  (Yes, I am a proud mom!)

Keep Moving

Sometimes just trying itself seems too hard.
I'd like to give up, but that isn't me.
If I were to quit, I'd never get far.
Move on, I will, despite troubles I see.
Whenever I fall, I'll fight to get up.
Whenever I fail, I'll stand twice as strong.
Success is a battle; not purely luck
Mistakes are lessons as you move along.
When I'm exhausted and tempted to stop
And my mind has been working without a break
When I feel overwhelmed and soon to drop
I'm not so sure how much more I can take
But though it seems there is nothing to gain
I'll keep moving hard and working through pain.
 

 

Amazonian Women's Jiu Jitsu Growing Strong in South Florida! 

by Jen

After learning of the women's open mats in London and Girls in Gis in Texas, I hoped for the day when we would have something similar in Florida. Thank you Stephanie Dodge for making it happen. 

Stephanie created the Amazonian Women's Jiu Jitsu community just a few short months ago.  It all began with a Michelle Nicolini seminar that she hosted last November.  After seeing the great interest from women jiu-jitsu practitioners in the tri county area, Stephanie worked with other schools to begin hosting monthly women's open mats.  The third mat will be held Saturday, May 12 at the Armory in Jupiter.  (I cannot think of a better way to spend my Mother's Day weekend!)  

Still in the works are t-shirts and patches that will be sold with proceeds benefiting girls in need of financial assistance for competitions.    

Stephanie wanted to create a forum where "women with any skill level, age and from any gym can come to train with other females without fear of intimidation. We all train together to make a better community for women's bjj." 

Admittedly, I approached my first open mat with slight hesitation.  Chances are good that I may have to fight some of these girls in a competition.  Do I really want to train with them and let them see how I roll?

I decided that these mats will be a great place to try new moves. I have no regrets! Participating in this group has been beneficial to me on so many levels.  If you are a girl in the South Florida area who is training or interested in training, I suggest that you seriously consider trying one of these sessions.   

My favorite five reasons for attending a female open mat: 

1.  It has helped me realize what I know.  The mats are attended by students of all ages and at all levels. I rolled with a couple of girls who have only been training a couple of months. I enjoyed teaching them as we rolled and encouraging them in their training.  While helping them, I gained confidence in what I know. 

2.  It has helped me open up my game.  The mats usually begin with warm up then instruction from local female black belt Sofia Amarante.  By working with Sofia and the other girls I am able to pick up new techniques. 

3.  The experience of rolling with girls is invaluable.  I am one of three girls at my school.  I truly believe that girls roll differently than guys.  Guys are stronger and girls are wiggly.  Rolling with different girls helps me to work with the squirmers.   

4. We are growing a local female jiu jitsu community.  While we are all just a handful of girls in our schools, we are a sisterhood in our community.  When traveling to tournaments we can cheer for one another as a community. 

5.  The mats offer a chance to try new moves or moves that I struggle with.  In class I am often rolling with the same individuals.   They know my style and they know when I am trying to set up a certain move.  Rolling with a new group on occasion helps me to work on these techniques.

Respect the Bar. Respect the Submission.

by Jen
   

Annie Thorisdottir, one of my heroes

Time and time again I hear people say that they don’t want to try CrossFit or jiu jitsu because they are too old, too overweight or are afraid that they will get hurt.  While I understand that neither sport may be right for everyone, none of these reasons are good ones to stay away.  A few years and twenty-five pounds ago I probably would have said the same thing.  But somehow I stumbled upon both and now I cannot imagine life without them.

Remember that no one, absolutely no one, is in their comfort zone in the first few days, even months, of training.  The ones that are powering through the WODS and rolls have most likely been doing this, or something similar, for years.  They too were once new and they understand how it feels.  Know that the better athletes continue to push themselves out of their comfort zone. So while they may be lifting heavier than you, or rolling better than you, they are focused on their own challenges.

In the early days of jiu jitsu I would sit against the wall with my eyes down when it was time to roll.  “Don’t pick me, don’t pick me,” I’d think.  I felt like I was back in school and the teacher was reviewing the assignment that I didn't read.  

In CrossFit I’d get butterflies in my stomach before each WOD because it was filled with skills and lifts that I was not comfortable with. 

To prevent injury my advice is 1) listen to your body 2) train with quality coaches and 3) respect the bars in CrossFit and the submission in jiu jitsu.  Don’t let your ego get the best of you. 

I’ve had only a few pretty minor injuries in my 3 years of bjj and 2 years of CrossFit.  Most of which were due to stupid mistakes of letting my ego get the best of me and not listening to a pain in my body.  If you know you can’t lift the bar safely, drop the weight down.  Who are you trying to impress anyway? 

Focus on your form.  I cannot stress this enough. Do this whether the bar seems light or heavy.  (Recently I strained my back because I took the light weight of the bar for granted and got sloppy. My fault.  Lesson learned).  It is better to finish slower without injury then power through a WOD and be injured for weeks.

On the mat, if you are caught in a submission – just tap. It’s only practice after all.  Instead of worrying about the tap, think about how you got into that situation and how to avoid it the next time. If you can’t figure it out, ask your partner or ask your coach.

Happy and safe training!

My Personal Pans recap

by Jen

I am still coming down from my high from the Pans.  It was a blessing to enjoy such an amazing trip. Proudly I am the first student under Marcelo Meleiro to bring home Pan gold.  I won the female masters blue belt middle weight division, winning two matches by armbar submission.

I am working hard to keep this win in perspective.  In some ways I believe it can be the luck of the draw - how you’re bracketed, how you feel that day, how many competitors in your division and so much more. What matters the most (in my book anyway) is doing all that you can to prepare, leaving everything you have on the mat, and proudly representing your team with good sportsmanship.  Every single person that has the courage to step foot on the competition mat should be celebrated.  So while I take a moment to step back and enjoy the success, I focus on future competitions.   My goals are set for these 6 months before the Miami Open. 

My Pan medal belongs to Marcelo, RFLX Training Center and all of the students.  All that I did to win it was follow what my coach told me to do.  From incessantly training guard, to how and when I warmed up that day, to my game plan for the matches – I followed his leadership.  

My teammates never let up on me in training, even on those nights when I cried from frustration.  Thank you guys! It is because of the hard training and the tips that they shared with me that I showed up feeling confident and ready.  Marcelo thanks for the right words on those nights when the tears rolled.  And John, thank you for helping to make this trip possible.

Lastly, I am humbled by the incredible support I received from my coach, my team, the Crossfit ATP team, my community of friends and my family.  I was blown away by the love.  I cannot forget my number one supporter, Tom.  He put up with my tears and my anxiety induced bad moods.  I love you baby! 

The trip itself was amazing.  I will never forget the energy at the competition, being around jiu jitsu greats, seeing old friends (Congrats to Allie – gold in her division & open!) and meeting new ones.  Spending time with John, Marcelo, out teammate Adam, and Tom was probably the best part of the trip.  RFLX is filled with the best guys around – I’m sure of it.

My advice to anyone who's on the fence about competing - Do It! You won't be sorry.

Our trip to Newport Beach the day before we competed

 

Crystal Cove State Park - Breathtaking!

One of my happiest moments ever!

RFLX Team - Adam, Marcelo, me, Tom & John!

Marcelo and John -I couldn't ask for better coaches!

This little guy was begging for food by the Newport Beach pier

Crystal Cove State Park

Tom's match - unfortunately he lost by points

One of my two matches

Thanks to Elias Diamond Cutting for being a great supporter of our school!

The Subtleties

by Jen

Someone recently commented to me that their child is getting bored with jiu jitsu because they feel like they are learning the same moves over and over again.  After more thought I wish I would have explained to her that there are many nuances of the moves.  Those subtleties make the difference between success and failure in pulling the move off in a roll.   Personally, I pick up at least one new tip with each time we practice a move.

Take for instance the very first one I learned, the arm bar from guard.  We spend most nights drilling it after our warm up.  It seems simple enough.  But try it in a roll and it’s a much different story. 

So much depends on how you move your hips, hold your opponent’s arm, position your legs, your timing, etc.  The more instinctive this all becomes, the easier it is to successfully achieve in a competition match when the adrenaline is pumped and the anxiety is high. This is true of every move we practice.

Here’s my two cents - be humble about what you think you know.  Trust your teacher.  He has already traveled the journey to earning a black belt, and he knows best how to lead you on yours.