Meet the Parents

The holidays are one of my favorite times of the year. I get to see family that I haven’t seen in a while and eat food I don’t normally get to eat (I love food).

RELATED: Take a Deep Breath: A Meditation for the Holidays

This year I spent a lot of time with my family and also flew to Texas to visit my boyfriend Frank’s family. I flew to Disney World with my family when I was ten, but this was my first big girl flight. It was scary, but I had a great time. Frank’s family was awesome and made feel at home. I can’t wait to go back to see them and even get some training in next time.

Back to the Grind

The holidays are over now, though, and I’m back to the daily grind. Scranton MMA has a total of four people on the card for the UGC Pro Allstars next month: Frank Alogna, Steve Peragallo, Steve Wilson, and myself. We all know who our opponents are and we’ve already started to plan. It’s kind of soon to start training hard for the event, but we try to keep it in mind during our training sessions.

This week we got back into our daily drilling. We worked on things that we think will best help us in our matches. I got a good sweat going, which I definitely needed after two weeks of eating every delicious thing in sight.

“Lovato’s passing is all about pressuring in on your opponent, so we’ve been working on that a lot during the advanced classes.”

Classes this week were good. Dominic has been watching Lovato’s pressure passing series, so he’s been showing us all the cool stuff he’s been learning. Lovato’s passing is all about pressuring in on your opponent, so we’ve been working on that a lot during the advanced classes.

I’ve been focusing more on my passing game for a while now, so I enjoyed everything we learned this week. We worked on some basic set ups for passing closed and open guards. Dominic wants us to learn how to initiate and control the pass before he shows us too many finishes. We’re all going to be guard-passing machines soon!

Takedowns and Guard Pull Defenses

Along with teaching us all of his new passing knowledge, Dom has also been putting us through the ringer to get us ready for our fights. After classes this week he had us drill takedowns and guard pulling defenses. Basically, everyone lined up and we had to take down everyone in the line twice. After that we have to defend everyone’s guard pull twice.

READ: How to Train Strength for the Closed Guard, Open Guard, and Passing Guard

That all might sound simple, but it was exhausting. By the time I got through the line once my body didn’t want to move. That’s the point of the drill, though. Get tired and use pure technique. It stinks, but it’ll be worth it in the long run.

That was my week. I hope you enjoyed reading about it. See you next week!

Jess Papi is a purple belt at Scranton MMA and also pursuing her degree in communications. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, training, and juggling BJJ and life.

The post Back to the Grind (Athlete Journal 65) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The Promotion

One of our head instructors, Dominic Passaniti, recently received his black belt under Phil Migliarese. With the black belt comes the ability to give stripes and new belts. The instructors thought it would be a great idea to hold our own promotions just for our students. We wanted it similar to the way Phil and Ricky Migliarese do it at Balance headquarters. We thought that would be the best way to go – challenging, yet rewarding.

RELATED: Promoted to Purple Belt! (Athlete Journal 55)

Dominic started everything off with lining everyone up and explaining how the promotions would go. He then brought them out in groups and lined them up down the mat. The first group was our newer group of white belts. The second group was our more experienced group of white belts. Finally, there were the blue belts.

Each person rolled about five or six rounds, depending on his or her rank. After one round, a fresh person tagged in and took a turn. The instructors walked around and watched the groups roll, checking their technique and making sure they were putting in hard work. Everyone definitely was.

My Experience

I must say it was nice being on the other end of promotions. I enjoyed being the one handing out the beatings rather than getting them. Rolling for my purple belt at Balance was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I got beat up by a bunch of purple, brown, and black belts. It was nice being the higher rank at our promotions. I thought I would have wanted to punish the students more because of the beating I got. I just couldn’t do that, though. I definitely held back a little bit on certain people. I guess I’m a lover at heart.

“I scanned the line of people and thought to myself every single person in that line was genuinely good. I never would have met them if it wasn’t for jiu jitsu.”

After everyone was done rolling, Dom lined everyone up again. It was time for the promotions. Frank called out the names he had on his clipboard (which was awesome) one by one. A lot of our white belts earned stripes that day. Some of them even got multiple stripes because they were long overdue.

Next up were some belt promotions. Two of our students, Ruben Jorge and Brendan Peterson, received their blue belts. They are always at the school, working hard and putting the time in. Ruben and Brendan definitely earned those belts. Finally, a bunch of our blue belts received their stripes. They’re getting closer and closer to purple.

A Sense of Gratitude

As I stood in the instructor line across from the students, I felt so thankful. First of all, the instructor line?! Little old me? I never would have seen that one coming when I started training. The second thing I was thankful for was our amazing students. I scanned the line of people and thought to myself that every single person in that line was genuinely good. I never would have met them if it wasn’t for jiu jitsu.

I’m so grateful for jiu jitsu and all of the doors it’s opened for me. I’m also grateful for Scranton MMA and the opportunities I’ve been given.

Jess Papi is a purple belt at Scranton MMA and also pursuing her degree in communications. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, training, and juggling BJJ and life.

The post On the Other Side of a Belt Promotion (Athlete Journal 64) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

This Week’s Lessons

I learned a lot in classes this week. Frank went over transitions between different guards. He showed us how to switch from half guard, to deep half, to X guard, to kiss of the dragon, to 50/50 guard, to single X guard. It was a long sequence of guard transitions, with some sweeps added in for flavor. I enjoyed it, and I want to start drilling transitions like that more often so my guard gets more fluid and effective.

“I never regret drilling the stuff I need to work on and sharpening the skills I’m already good at.”

Dominic took the opposite approach for his lesson plan this week. He showed us a series of pressure passes, which were interesting. Out of the three passes he showed, one confused the heck out of me. It took me a long time to understand the principles of the pass. I love those moments of being confused by jiu jitsu. It makes me want to get the move down perfectly.

I don’t remember all of the passes exactly, but I do remember some of the bits and pieces of each one. I think as long as I took those bits and pieces from the lesson, it was a good day. It’s something else to add to my own personal collection.

Rolling and Speed Drills

Rolling was a lot of fun this week. I feel like I’m already starting to get my endurance back, but just a little bit. I still have a lot of work to do. I find myself breathing heavily and getting tired more quickly than I used to. I’m determined to get back in shape, though. I want to be able to roll round after round without taking a rest round or feeling like I might die.

“I want to get to the point where I have a few solid takedowns that I know I can always hit so I can be more confident when I compete.”

I get especially tired when we do speed drills. Those are such a pain in the butt while I’m doing them, but it’s always a good feeling when I’m done. I never regret drilling the stuff I need to work on and sharpening the skills I’m already good at. Speed drills are a great tool for improving your skill and making you more confident while you’re rolling.

Back to Judo

Remember a few weeks ago when I said I wanted to start doing judo again? Well, it took me a little while, but I finally got my butt to class this week. I can’t make it to all of the classes because I teach during them, but I think one or two a week is good. I want to take more judo classes so I get comfortable on my feet. I spent most of my blue belt career pulling guard in tournaments, but it never worked out in my favor. I want to get to the point where I have a few solid takedowns I know I can always hit so I can be more confident when I compete.

My Next Competition

Speaking of competing, I already have something lined up for February! On February 21st I have a super fight against Samantha Fisher from Pereira BJJ. I don’t know much about my opponent or all the details yet, but I‘m excited for this. I’ve been wanting to do a super fight for a while now.

RELATED: Judo Training for Maximum Efficiency with Minimum Effort

For those of you who don’t know, a super fight is like a highlighted match between you and an opponent. It’s not like a tournament with a bracket. It’s just you and that one person competing against each other, and whoever wins the match gets bragging rights or some kind of prize. I’ll be training my butt off for this match. God gave me talent, and it’s my job to sharpen it and give the glory to Him.

I’d like to leave you guys on that thought, so I’ll see you next week!

Jess Papi is a blue belt at Scranton MMA and also pursuing her degree in exercise science. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, training, and juggling BJJ and life.

The post Building Confidence as a BJJ Practitioner (Athlete Journal 63) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Finals and a Long Break

It’s finals week at the University of Scranton, which is good and bad at the same time. It’s bad because I’ve had to stay up way past my bedtime every night this week to study and finish up some last-minute assignments. It’s good because after I’m done taking my finals I get six whole weeks off from school!

RELATED: 5 Ways Competition Preparation Is Like College

I love having a long winter break. It gives me enough time to mentally recharge for next semester. It also means I get to train as much as I want and no one can stop me.

Back to Rolling

Speaking of training, I’m finally back to rolling again. My elbow isn’t 100% better just yet, but it’s good enough to start pushing myself. It’s still a little sore if I extend it fully, but I don’t do much of that type of motion anyway. As long as no one puts it in an armbar, I’ll be fine.

“I completely forgot about my injury and rolled like no one’s business. I was passing and sweeping, and I even stood up at one point and hit a decent double leg.”

Monday was my first day back to speed drills and rolling. For the past couple of weeks I hadn’t been training like I normally do, so my endurance decreased a lot. I was so excited to get back to training hard that I didn’t even take that into account. I went as fast as I could while I was drilling and it got my heart pounding out of my chest. I felt like I was going to throw up after doing that. I probably should have eased my way back into it, but I was just so excited. It’s going to be a challenge to get my endurance back to where it was, but I’m up for it.

GET BACK ON THE MATS: 3 Steps for Returning to BJJ After an Injury

My first roll after the hiatus was a blast. I went in feeling cautious about my elbow, but at about one millisecond into the roll I didn’t even care. I completely forgot about my injury and rolled like no one’s business. I was passing and sweeping, and I even stood up at one point and hit a decent double leg. I did a lot more than what I thought I could do. I was huffing and puffing the whole time because I’m so out of shape, but I still had a lot of fun.

What’s Next?

For the next couple of weeks I will be focusing on getting back in fighting shape. My goals are to get my cardio back to where it was, keep up on lifting weights and getting strong, and keeping up on stretching after class. Honestly, the hardest one will be remembering to stretch. I like yoga and I want to be flexible, but it takes up so much time. I always feel like I could be doing something more important. But stretching is important and I have to keep that in mind.

RELATED: Yoga Is for All Athletes: Start Your Yoga Practice Today

I’m actually excited to work on my cardio, though. It’s something that I took for granted when I was rolling on a regular basis, but I’m eager to get my heart pumping and get a good workout in every day.

Before I close, I would like to congratulate every from Scranton MMA who competed at the UGC King of the Mat tournament last Saturday. Everyone did an awesome job and I was proud to coach them that day. The team did so well that they won the first place team title! Very cool.

Thanks for reading. Until next week!

Jess Papi is a blue belt at Scranton MMA and also pursuing her degree in exercise science. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, training, and juggling BJJ and life.

Photo courtesy of D-Kline Design Photography.

The post Back on the Mats During Finals Week (Athlete Journal 62) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

A Stubborn Injury

My elbow injury stuck around for a lot longer than I had thought it would. I planned on being out of commission for a week, but it’s been about three weeks now since I injured it. I’m sure if I had stopped training completely it would have healed faster, but everyone who trains jiu jitsu knows how hard it is to stay away from the mats. I think I tried getting back into the swing of things too soon, which most likely extended my recovery time. It’s getting better every day, but I’m still not back at 100%. I guess I’ll just have to wait until January to compete in another tournament.

VIDEO: Dealing With Elbow Pain

Since I’m not able to roll or drill certain moves, I’ve added more lifting and yoga into my weekly regimen. I’ve been doing all lower body lifts such as squats and deadlifts. It stinks doing the same lifts over and over, but any upper body lifts put too much pressure on my elbow. Some of the yoga poses I do add pressure as well, so I had to modify my positioning a little bit. I know deadlifts and yoga could still irritate my elbow joint just as much as rolling, but with this stuff I have more control. I’m not able to control what my partner does while rolling, so I would rather not risk it.

The Timing Is Right

Not being able to train stinks, but I guess right now would be the best time to be injured (not like any time is a good time to be injured). It’s that time of year when I start to get busy with school and holiday things. Finals start next week, and I’ve been up to my ears in papers, assignments, and studying. I can’t even begin to think about all the Christmas shopping I have yet to do. I would have hopped on all the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, but I just didn’t have the time.

With everything that’s been going on I probably wouldn’t have been able to train that much anyway. Having a boo-boo elbow guarantees me I won’t stay on the mats too long and neglect all the school work I have to do. Like I said, being injured is never fun, but if I had to pick a time, it would be now.

GET BACK ON THE MATS: 3 Steps for Returning to BJJ After an Injury

I just have to think of this off time as a little vacation from all the hard training I’ve been doing. I know when I finally get back at it I’ll feel a million bucks. I’ve been chomping at the bit to roll hard and get all sweaty and gross. I feel bad for the first person I roll with once I’m healed 100%. I have a lot of energy that needs to be unleashed!

I hope you all enjoyed this week’s journal entry. Go get on the mats and triangle someone for me. See you next week!

Jess Papi is a blue belt at Scranton MMA and also pursuing her degree in exercise science. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, training, and juggling BJJ and life.

Photo courtesy of D-Kline Design Photography.

The post Staying in Shape With an Elbow Injury (Athlete Journal 61) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Time to Heal

I acquired some injuries while competing at the Goodfight two weeks ago. I ended up spraining an elbow and a toe. It was my big toe, which is always a pain to train with. It was nothing too serious, though. It just required me to turn down my training a little bit.

RELATED: My First Competition as a Purple Belt

When I got back to training after the tournament, I had to go super slow and easy so I could let my injuries heal. I didn’t want to aggravate the joints even more and make the situation worse. As the week went on I was able to do more and more every day. It’s definitely feeling a lot better since the day of the tournament. With the combination of resting and icing the joints every day, I’ll be back to the grind by Monday.

A New Sweep

In class this week, Dominic went over a sweep that could be done from multiple places. It’s a simple sweep where you kick the knee out on one side and elevate their other leg to dump them over. I honestly can’t remember the name of the sweep (or even if it has a name), but I’m sure all you jiu jitsu heads know what I’m talking about. Dom showed us how to hit the sweep from butterfly guard, from the knees, and from standing. After a few repetitions, I got it down pretty solid. It’s one of those sweeps that I could use all the time, but always forget that it’s there. I have to remember to keep that one tucked away for future rolling!

RELATED: How to Train Strength for Closed Guard and Passing the Guard

Frank wasn’t able to make it to advanced class to teach on Monday, so he let me take his spot! I don’t normally get to teach these classes. It was a nice change of pace to show something a little more advanced. After some deliberation, I decided to show a series of moves leading up to the rolling back take. I can’t help but love that move. It’s fun to do, it works like a dream, and it looks flippin’ sweet. It was a good class, and everyone picked up on the techniques nicely. Maybe Frank will let me teach more advanced classes once in a while (cough cough wink wink).

Back to Judo

After a long hiatus, I have decided to get back into judo. I used to do judo all the time when I first started training, but I got cocky and thought I didn’t need to take classes anymore. I’ve noticed that my takedown game has been slipping quite a bit, so I want to make an effort to improve my technique.

RELATED: Judo Training for Maximum Efficiency and Minimum Effort

In case you hadn’t heard, Scranton MMA has the best judo in the area. Hands down. I’ve been a fool not to take judo classes at my school. So, this is a public record stating that I need to work on my takedowns and go to judo class. If I start slacking off, Sensei Tom can use this as incriminating evidence to get me back on the judo mat!

Well, that’s all for this week, folks! I’ll see you next week.

Jess Papi is a blue belt at Scranton MMA and also pursuing her degree in exercise science. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, training, and juggling BJJ and life.

The post Healing Time Can Be Learning Time (Athlete Journal 60) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Tournament Day

The day started with an eight o’clock wake-up and a two-hour drive to King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. When we got to the venue, I weighed in and sat with the rest of the team to make sure everything was in order. We had four competitors from our school, including two who were first-time competitors, so I wanted to make sure they were feeling good and knew what was going on. Shortly after we settled in, I decided to get my gi pants on and start warming up with our other female competitor, Courtney.

After a little bit of waiting it was finally time to fight. My division had three women. It was a pleasant surprise to have three purple belt women at a smaller tournament like that. The other two ladies fought first, so I had some extra time to stretch and receive some wisdom from the boyfriend/coach Frank.

RELATED: From the Experts: How to Attract and Retain Women in BJJ

My First Match

When my first match got called, I felt ready and confident. My opponent and I walked out to the center of mat, listened to the referee explain the rules, and shook hands. The referee started the match and we both gripped up for our takedowns. I attempted to snap her down a few times, but I failed. She ended up going in for a hip toss, and I was able to take her back off of it.

After some fighting, she was able to slide her hips to the floor, so I climbed up for mount. Because she had my foot trapped, I was able to get the rolling back take. I have been drilling that one for a long time, and it felt so good to hit it in a tournament. I finished the match with a rear naked choke, but she gave me a good fight. I definitely give her props because I can tell she put in a lot of work.

RELATED: The Rear Naked Choke – What Happens When You Get Choked Out

After my first match, the ref let me know that I could take my time and we would start the next match when I was ready. I think I took about fifteen minutes, which was long enough to clear my head, but short enough so that I didn’t cool down all the way. I felt ready to take on the next challenge.

Second Match

My second match was against a woman I already know and have a lot of respect for, Gillian Silver. I knew we were bound to have an epic battle. The match started with some grip fighting and some takedown attempts. It was refreshing to actually stand up with both of my opponents, rather than having to fend off the guard pull.

“The reason I respect Gillian so much is because she works hard in silence and lets her talent shine through during competition. You can tell how hard she works just by rolling with her.”

She was able to get double underhooks and take me down. Luckily, I landed with my closed guard. I was able to shoot a decent armbar, but it just didn’t cut it. After a scramble I ended up inside her guard, where she shot a great armbar. I tapped, and we hugged.

The reason I respect Gillian so much is because she works hard in silence and lets her talent shine through during competition. You can tell how hard she works just by rolling with her. Plus, she’s a genuinely nice person. I like nice people.

Going Home

Scranton MMA ended up taking six medals home that day. Our first-time competitors, Chris and Courtney, put in the work and had the guts to get out there, which constitutes a champion in my mind. One of our blue belts, Tyler, fought his heart out and won his matches with a humble attitude. We truly have a great team at Scranton MMA.

READ: The Gentle Art of Humility: Ego and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

My next competition will be the Ultimate Grapplers’ Challenge in Reading, Pennsylvania on December 6th. We plan on bringing a big group of first-time competitors that day, so it should be a lot of fun. Thanks for reading, guys. I’ll see you next week!

Jess Papi is a blue belt at Scranton MMA and also pursuing her degree in exercise science. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, training, and juggling BJJ and life.

Photos courtesy of D-Kline Design Photography.

The post My First Competition as a Purple Belt (Athlete Journal 59) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

A Lighter Week

Last week was definitely a tough one, but I got through it. I took all of my tests and turned in all of my assignments on time. Thankfully, school has been slow this week. I don’t think I would have been able to handle two hard weeks in a row. I can do week after week of hard jiu jitsu training, but when it comes to school I need the slow weeks to keep me from losing my mind (like I have in past semesters).

The other thing that was stressing me out last week was getting ready for the Scranton MMA Halloween party. Don’t get me wrong, I love Halloween, but I’m sure anyone who’s planned a party for 25 kids can tell you it’s stressful. The party turned out great, though. There was a bounce house, games, food, and a costume contest for the kids. It was a good change of pace for the kids to have a fun day instead of what we usually put them through during class. Our little jiu jitsu warriors definitely earned a day of fun and sugary treats.

RELATED: What Kids Can Learn from a BJJ Lifestyle

Time to Focus

Thank goodness last week was the stressful one, because I was able to use this week to get ready for the tournament. This weekend I will be competing at The Goodfight Tournament of Champions in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. It’s a submission-only format with fifteen-minute long matches. I’ve competed in this setting before, so I know what to expect. Fighting for fifteen minutes is difficult, but I have faith in my abilities, and I’m hoping I can kick some butt this weekend.

In class this week, Frank taught the Sao Paulo guard pass. This is a pass that I had seen before, but never actually used because I always felt like I’d end up in an omoplata or a triangle. But Frank taught the pass step-by-step and I picked up some good tips on how to prevent those things from happening.

He also went over some variations on where and how to grip for the pass. I figured out the grip I like to use and now all I have to do is practice it to get it down tight. Once you get over the fact that this pass requires you to throw everything you know about passing out the window, you’re golden.

RELATED: How to Build Grip Strength for BJJ

In case you’re wondering, I was also able to get my drilling in. Not having the time to drill last week was straight out annoying, but this week I had more than enough time to get it done. I’ve been enjoying our drilling sessions a lot. It used to be a lot harder because I wasn’t used to it, but now I look forward to doing it. It’s a good time to work on things you don’t normally get to do when you’re rolling. It’s also a great cardio workout if you put some speed behind it.

So that was my week. Check back in next week to see how I did at the tournament!

Jess Papi is a blue belt at Scranton MMA and also pursuing her degree in exercise science. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, training, and juggling BJJ and life.

The post Tournament Training Week (Athlete Journal 58) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Once in a while, I have one of those weeks when it seems like I never have a moment to sit down and just relax. This was definitely one of those weeks. Every second of every day has been occupied by something I had to do for school or the gym. During my normal hours of free time, I’ve been studying, doing homework, or planning the Scranton MMA kids’ Halloween party.

Being busy isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. I need these stressful weeks once in a while to keep me on my toes. I wouldn’t mind if they were fewer and further between, but that’s life, right? There isn’t much I can do about it besides work through it and patiently wait for Friday.

RELATED: How to Turn Stress Into a Strength

This Week’s Classes

Last week in classes we were working on bottom half guard sweeps and techniques, so this week we worked on the top side of half guard. Frank showed us a couple of passes I want to start using more often. One of them is the cut pass. I like using the cut pass when my opponent has their full guard, but I don’t use it a lot to pass the half guard. I mostly use the one where you switch your hips and scoot out. I’ll still use that one when it presents itself, but I want to stay conscious while I’m rolling and make a solid pass I can use from the half guard.

We also went over passes from the lockdown position and the knee shield. These positions go hand-in-hand with the half guard, yet different techniques are required to pass them. I was especially interested in going over knee shield passes because I’ve been having trouble with that lately. Drilling passes during class definitely helped me. I think passing the knee shield will be one of the things I’m going to add to my daily drilling list.

“It’s always tough getting started because I know it’s going to be difficult, but I love the feeling of sweaty accomplishment after I’ve finished drilling.”

Speaking of drilling, I have to admit I’ve been slacking on it this week. But like I said before, I’m super busy with school stuff and party planning. I’ll definitely be back at it next week. I miss having that fixed time when I can just go nuts and drill like a maniac. It’s always tough getting started because I know it’s going to be difficult, but I love the feeling of sweaty accomplishment after I’ve finished drilling. I can’t wait to drill every day next week.

Since my disappointing performance at the No-Gi Pan Ams, I’ve been chomping at the bit to compete again. I had been thinking about competing in the Goodfight on November 8th, but I didn’t see any other purple belt women signed up. To my surprise though, I saw one signed up this week. As of right now, I’m going to compete. I don’t want to jump to conclusions because I haven’t been getting ready for it, but I’m so eager to compete that I’m most likely going to do it. I don’t care if I lose. I just want to get back out there and fight someone.

That’s all, folks! See you next week.

Jess Papi is a blue belt at Scranton MMA and also pursuing her degree in exercise science. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, training, and juggling BJJ and life.

The post Keep Training When Life Is Busy (Athlete Journal 57) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

I’m not sure what was wrong with me this week. I just felt tired and not like myself. I’m positive I got enough sleep and didn’t eat anything out of the ordinary. I think it was just my body telling me I need to take it slow and give myself some time to recover. Also, my workload at school this week was a little more than usual, which made me a tad grumpy and a smidgen stressed out. I’m sure that factored into my sluggishness, too.

“When I forced myself to work through the physical fatigue and mental fog, I felt happier than a cat in a box.”

Even though my mind and body were working against me this week, I forced myself to get some hard training. Usually whenever I feel crap, the last thing I want to do is train. I just don’t feel like moving around or taking in information when I’m in a bad mood. I like to sulk and sit around, even though I know it’s bad for me.

But I also know if I don’t get any work in, I’ll feel even more like crap. That’s why I make myself train and get a good sweat going. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which are the chemicals in your brain that make you feel good. When I forced myself to work through the physical fatigue and mental fog, I felt happier than a cat in a box. All that science stuff is actually true!

Half Guard Sweeps

In class, we worked on half guard sweeps. The moves in the series Frank taught involved hip escaping out so you can hook your partner’s leg with your foot. Just getting that small detail can open a lot of opportunities from the half guard. That’s one of those positions that I tend to get stuck in while rolling, mostly on the bottom.

RELATED: How to Hip Escape: A Fundamental BJJ Movement and a Low-Cost Mode of Transportation

The shoulder pressure from the top person is what gives me the most trouble. When my head is turned in the opposite direction, I can’t hip escape out to get my guard back. I think the techniques Frank taught this week will definitely help me when I get stuck in that position. I just have to remember to drill them and keep them in my mind while I’m rolling!

The Power of the Purple

As I said before, drilling and rolling weren’t my best friends this week. When I did actually roll though, I noticed something a little different. All of my techniques seem to be more efficient and effective. I’ve been hitting submissions that I normally lose in the process of finishing, and I’ve been passing guards with a little more ease. I think I’ve been more aggressive too, in a good way. I’m not trying to brag, but this is just what I’ve seen in my game lately.

“I believe a belt promotion can motivate a person to perform better.”

I don’t want to sound superficial, but I think being promoted to purple belt has given me a boost of confidence. I’ve been referring to it as the power of the purple. I know it’s only a belt and it doesn’t give you any special powers, but I believe a belt promotion can motivate a person to perform better. Hopefully this new burst of confidence will stick with me for a while and eventually just become a part of who I am.

Well, that’s all I have for this week. I hope everyone is training hard and having a good time on the mats. See ya!

Jess Papi is a blue belt atScranton MMAand also pursuing her degree in exercise science. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, training, and juggling BJJ and life.

The post The Power of the Purple (Athlete Journal 56) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

A few weeks ago, I found out that I was on the Balance promotion list for my purple belt. I was pretty excited when I heard the news, but I was also nervous, for a lot of reasons. First, I knew I had to go through some sort of test, but I didn’t know exactly what the test would entail, so that made me pretty anxious. Second, I had become comfortable at blue belt, and I was afraid everything would change at purple.

None of that mattered, though. If my instructors said I was ready, then it had to be true. The jitters eventually went away and I realized I was going to be a freaking purple belt!

Promotion Day

On promotion day, I was nervous. My body must have thought I was competing, because I had what I like to call “tournament tummy.” There had to be about a hundred people in the room. Most of them had gis on, but a few gi-less people were there to watch, support, or take photos. The number of people in attendance was crazy, but I think I did a good job of staying focused.

Phil Migliarese, owner of Balance Studios, called the blue belt candidates out first. They lined up on the mat, and then the brown and black belts went out to roll with them. Watching them go first eased my mind a little bit. It gave me time to relax before my turn.

After about ten rounds, the blue belt candidates were finished. Then it was time for the purple and brown belt candidates to step out and take our turn. The first person to roll with me was Aldo, who is a black belt. I’ve rolled with him in the past and he usually took it easy on me, but in this instance he really took it to me. Everyone did. I didn’t have one easy round. We didn’t even have rest time in between rounds. It was one person after another, taking their turn at kicking my butt. Every single person I rolled with made sure I worked hard for that purple belt. It was challenging, but absolutely worth it.

After all the candidates had their chance at rolling, it was time for the belt ceremony. Five people from Scranton MMA were promoted that day. Matt Marcinek, Steve Peragallo, and I received our purple belts. Frank Alogna received his brown belt. And Dominic Passaniti received his black belt. Everyone worked their butts off that day, and we all ended up with some pretty big promotions. It was definitely an important day in Scranton MMA history.

The Road Ahead

Now that I am a purple belt, I must say it doesn’t feel much different than blue belt. I didn’t gain any super powers or suddenly know more about jiu jitsu than before. The only difference that I’ve noticed is that I feel like the real deal now. As a purple belt, I feel like I have an even bigger responsibility to promote jiu jitsu.

I went through a lot of ups and downs as a blue belt. Thankfully, the ups outweighed the downs. This past year alone has been amazing, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for me another year from now. I’m blessed to be at the best school in northeast Pennsylvania, working with the best instructors in the region. Scranton MMA is my home, and everyone there is my family. I’m excited to keep the positive vibes going for many more years to come. Here’s to being a purple belt!

Jess Papi is a blue belt at Scranton MMA and also pursuing her degree in exercise science. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, training, and juggling BJJ and life.

The post Promoted to Purple Belt! (Athlete Journal 55) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Preparing for Midterms

Midterm time is the worst because I have to get ready for all of those things while still going to classes and keeping up on homework. It’s a lot different than how it was last semester, though. With all of the science courses I had to take when I was an exercise science major, I barely had time to breathe. The work I have to do now isn’t as difficult, so it’s easier to keep up on top of everything.

I didn’t let all of that work get in my way of training this week. I think if I were to take a day off of training to study or do homework, I would go crazy. I wouldn’t be able to go a day without getting a good sweat and beating on some people (and getting beat on, of course). Training is my stress reliever. Being on the mats lets me forget about the normal world for a little while. I always need my jiu jitsu time, even if it’s just for an hour.

Learning the Worm Guard

I enjoyed my BJJ training this week. Frank showed a couple techniques from sit up guard, and then introduced worm guard to us. I never really took the time to practice these guards, so I enjoyed working on something new to me. I ended up picking up on the worm guard quickly while we were practicing it in class.

One of the moves I enjoyed was taking the back from sit up guard. Weaving someone’s arm between their own legs gives you a lot of control and allows you to take the back pretty smoothly. I also enjoyed trying worm guard for the first time. It’s similar to sit up guard, but you hold on to the lapel rather than the sleeve. I’m no expert on it, but if you want to learn more about it, Keenan Cornelius is the guy to watch right now!

Speed Drills

In addition to practicing moves during class, a few of us have also been doing speed drills before class. We pick some techniques we want to improve and then we try to get as many repetitions in a minute as we can.

The first time we did this, it was torture for me. I wasn’t used to drilling moves at such a fast pace. It made my muscles burn like fire. But after doing it for the past two or three weeks, it’s become a bit easier to complete. It’s still super challenging, but I don’t find myself feeling completely drained the next day anymore. Even though completing these drills is a daunting task, I feel so good after I’m done with them. It’s a fantastic cardio workout, and it helps me commit the techniques to my muscle memory.

Sorry to be so brief this week. Thanks for reading!

Jess Papi is a blue belt at Scranton MMA and also pursuing her degree in exercise science. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, training, and juggling BJJ and life.

Photo courtesy of D-Kline Design Photography.

The post Got Midterms? BJJ Can Help (Athlete Journal 54) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.