Who is your BJJspiration?

My number one BJJspiration, obviously, is my boyfriend, Carlo. He was promoted to blue belt in less than 8 months (the fastest promotion to date) and is considered to be one of the most technical practitioners on our team. The key to Carlo's success? Attention to detail. Carlo makes sure he knows every single detail of every single move. He's a walking, talking BJJ dictionary. This is how he's able to beat guys twice his size. Did I mention his nice arms and super manly chin? :)

 Marcelo "Marcelinho" Garcia. Ah-mazing. I love how he wins practically all his matches via submission and how he makes guys who outweigh and outpower (is there such a word?)  him look like pansies. Quick as lightning and super deadly, Marcelinho's instructionals and matches are number 1 on my youtube viewing list.

Alvin Aguilar, our head instructor. How could he not be one of my BJJspirations? Number one, he's the first Filipino BJJ black belt. Secondly, he's almost completely self taught, at a time where instructionals weren't available. Even if his sparring partners are blue belts, purple belts and one brown belt, he was able to stand his ground at the Mundials last year.  Unbelievable, right?

Who's your BJJspiration?

gi review #2

(image courtesy of btfightgear.com)

Say hello to the Bullterrier Kids BJJ Gi (White, Lightweight)!

I bought this gi last December and I absolutely love it. So do the other girls. In fact, two of my teammates have the exact same gi. What I love most about it is how soft it feels - baby soft. Just like wearing a bathrobe and pyjama pants. Not only does it feel great, but it looks great too. Fits me like a glove in all the right areas. 

Although Atama has a special place in my heart (I have two), I've grown quite fond of my Bullterrier and will definitely get the black version as well. 

Size wise, I recommend this gi for petite girls like myself. I'm 5'1.5, around 97-99 lbs and the M3 fit me perfectly. 

The gi hasn't shrunk much after numerous washings though I find it hard to take off the yellow stains on the knees (our mats are yellow).

Love love love this gi!

An update!

According to my blog, the last time I've written in here was September 2010. Nine months ago! I could've had a baby by now! I may not be pregnant, but here are some other things that have happened to me (BJJ wise) in the last 9 months :

1) I got MY BLUE BELT!

I know right. Long time coming. But I'm glad I got it when I did. When I got my fourth stripe, my guard game was virtually non-existent. I swallowed my pride and worked on my guard. Got passed like crazy (still do.. sometimes.. hehe), got squashed.. but eventually I figured it out and ended up with a more well-rounded game. Yay!


2) We have LOTS OF NEW GIRLS!

 From two became three and the numbers just kept on multiplying! What I love the most about these girls is that they're all really feisty. They either train hard or harder!

I promise to start updating my blog again. Promise, promise, promise!

transitioning from gi to no gi

Most Jiujitsu masters argue that once a person trains with a gi, there will be an almost seamless transition to no gi. After watching people train with no gi for the past week, it is apparent that not everyone is transitioning as smoothly as they should. A friend of mine narrowed down  his no gi experience to a single quote - "No gi, no skills."
Grips? Gone. Sneaky gi chokes? Gone. You're left with your hands, a pair of shorts and a rashguard.
I've only trained no gi several times and I truly enjoy it. I love how everything goes so fast. Because of this, you learn how to be more explosive which is something you could definitely use in training with the gi. I can see how training wrestling could be an advantage in no gi since wrestling is based on strength and explosiveness. Another plus would be good cardio because it seems easier to gas out with all the moves you do. I'm definitely looking forward to training more without the gi- something else you can add to your BJJ resume!

post training eating habit

Training for us usually ends at about 11 pm. I'm usually ravenous after training but recently, I decided to change up my eating habits- eating more before training and a healthy (and sometimes, not so healthy) snack after. I used to feel sluggish in the morning, especially after drowning myself in carbs and whatever fast food I could find. Mind you, I'm not on any kind of diet but I did pack on a few pounds back then. 

I think I'll stick to my new routine, thank you very much! 

For all you pervs, stop it. Peanut butter and bananas after training are the best snack ever!

Sometimes, I'll have this

:

  

 with this

And this

 

My teammate Joel swears by Chuckie chocolate milk :

 

What do you eat after training?  

Gi Review - Atama Mundial #9

After trying on my teammate's Atama (thanks, Laisa), I decided that I HAD to get one. The gi top fit me perfectly for once, and the length and width of the pants were just right. 
I'm 5'1.5 , 100 lbs with a puny upper body. Naturally, I chose the white F1  (4'9"-5'0"/ 85-100 lbs) thinking that it wouldn't be true to size. Sure enough, it is the best fitting gi I have ever had. The pants fall to just above the ankle and aren't baggy at all.  The ripstop material on the pants felt weird at first, but now I think that I actually prefer them to cotton! They are kind of see-through though so make sure you wear a pair of black cycling shorts /yoga shorts.
I've washed my gi about 5x already, and so far, there has been very minimal shrinkage (though some claim that Atama gis shrink like crazy).

Despite the hefty price tag, I will most definitely stick to this brand. Thank you, Atama for making a gi that finally fits me! <3

swingy!

I am probably one of the clumsiest, uncoordinated people you'll ever meet. There are some techniques that take me forever to learn (sorry Marc and Mig) and some that I just choose not to learn because my brain can't seem to coordinate properly with my limbs. However, there are certain techniques that come naturally to me. I call them the swingy techniques. They require swinging hip movement, hence the name.
Some examples are:
1. Sweeps from spider guard
2. Sweeps from seated half guard

Which technique comes naturally to you?