It’s been a great week for my jiu jitsu. With school out of the way, I’ve been able to fully dedicate my time to training.
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.
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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.