Worlds 2013

First let me say that I am very thankful for the opportunity from the IBJJF and look forward to working many more events but I think the number one thing that will help reduce mistakes at tournaments is to have more competitors and coaches working the event. Yes, the IBJJF needs YOU! At worlds I was absolutely baffled by the number of ring coordinators and score keepers that never trained Brazilian jiu jitsu, had never been to a tournament, and most importantly admitted to not understanding and occasionally caring about the significance of that particular tournament.

I. Was. Stunned.

At one point I was watching a match with one of the organizers and I had asked him if he had seen a competitor execute a fireman’s carry and he looked shocked and immediately asked me how I knew what that was.  I’m thinking, “How do you not know what it is.” That was when I realized just how scarce people like me, competitors working events, were.  There were several occasions where table workers would make a mistake and just shrug their shoulders, or say “Oh well.”

I think I was disliked by many of them because when I witnessed an error made I would address it or takeover the position if they clearly didn’t care enough to do it right.  I tried not to be rude about it but it’s hard to not be rude when you’re sitting next to someone who won’t even verify who is standing on the mat.  After the guys/girls competed some of the RC/table workers would try to rush the guys back on the mat to which I protested because they didn’t know what it felt like to compete hard for X-minutes get a 2 minute rest and be expected to compete again.  The IBJJF rules mandate a rest period for the length of the match (ex. 6 minutes if blue belt) and twice that for finals matches.

That I’m proud of, I’m proud of caring.  But I won’t deny that it was hard to monitor 12 hours into the event.  We got there at 8 am (pacific time) and left around 9 pm (pacific time).  Breaks were scarce and often had to be taken in between matches.

Jessica & Marcus Buchecha

I witnessed the ultimate blunder occur to my friend Jessica Dobbs.  Props to the IBJJF this year for implementing several steps to offset competitors being overlooked.  They had 3 positions at Worlds 2013: Ring Coordinator, Ring Coordinator Assistant, and score keeper.

They created the RC assistant in efforts to avoid exactly what happened to Jessica Dobbs, which would have worked if both parties had committed to their jobs.  The Ring Coordinator is responsible for rounding together the athletes on their brackets, checking weights, escorting them through the gi inspections, and when the time comes escorting them to their assigned mats.

The RC assistant then double checks that the athletes are who they say they are and records who won the match. The result that the RC and the RC assistant record are compared by tournament organizers to examine what mistakes were made, by whom, and at which point in the bracket.

We were given strict instructions to not tell the RC who won they were supposed to watch with their own eyes. It was described that if I see person A win and the RC records person B win then they know immediately that there is a discrepancy.

Unfortunately for Jessica Dobbs the RC apparently brought the wrong person into her place and the RC assistant failed to verify first and last name of the person that stepped on the mat in her place. It was awful .My heart broke for Jessica because she had won the trip to compete at Worlds, won her first match at worlds, and waited anxiously in the bullpen for her next match but her RC never came back for her.  By the time anyone had noticed the error it was too far in the bracket to change anything and when they proposed she go against the division winner at a later round the other girl (who later won the division) refused the match.

Broke my heart to watch her get the news that her chance was gone and she did everything right

I’m glad I worked the event because I know that this oversight did not originate from greed or the IBJJF as a whole not caring. I believe that they do care. I think the oversight occurred because had the people that were working the event understood that this competition opportunity is something that people sacrifice for and train hard for then they would not have skipped steps and been more attentive.

This is why the IBJJF needs YOU.  The IBJJF needs more competitors to work the events. Most people aren’t even aware that the opportunity exist but you can send a general email to the account listed at IBJJF org asking to RC or score keep and they will forward you to the person you need to contact and if you’re competing the same day they’re really great about giving you time to warm up and compete in your division.

Now I’m in no way saying that competitors will be error free.  Human error is eminent. I made some mistakes but owned up to them and apologized.  In one match I missed an advantage and the ref was great about keeping up with them correcting me during the match and explaining the situation to me better after the match.

Scorekeeping Pros

• I could anticipate when points were given
• I knew the time limits of the matches in advance
• Get to spend time with refs and inquire about different situations and matches.  That was awesome.

Scorekeeping Cons

• Sometimes I was delayed in noticing advantages or stopping the clock because I was ‘watching’ the match as a spectator.
• After 10 hours have gone by it’s hard not to day dream during matches. When we felt our eyes or attention wandering we would try to take breaks or switch positions.
• Headaches from people screaming…and I mean SCREAMING at the top of their lungs 2 feet behind you directly into your ears.

At worlds I worked as a score keeper and RC assistant. I look forward working many more.  I didn’t find it too hard competing and working the same day.  I would have had the nerves regardless and it kind of helped to keep myself busy focusing on other tasks.

The loser’s mindset makes your daily sessions less enjoyable because you’re essentially viewing your teammates as opponents and it can put a lot of mental and emotional strain on yourself and the roll. You may find yourself frequently disappointed by your own perceived ‘lack of growth’.
Signs that you are engaging in the loser’s mindset:

• Throwing a temper tantrum because you got caught
• Withhold technique details from the lower belt you’re rolling with to have an advantage
• Tell the person you’re rolling against that you “let” them to do something (it’s very rude, plus if it’s legitimate we usually know when someone is letting us work.)
• Grinding on your teammates face for a choke or alternate body part to get a submission because the tap is just that important in class.
• Want to quit because your frequently being tapped out
• Want to quit bjj because of an unsuccessful run at a tournament
• Instead of being receptive to help when someone tries to point out a flaw during rolling or provides additional technique details you shrug them off or verbalize that you are not interested in the help they are trying to provide

“Anger brought me to jiu-jitsu, love made me stay”-Abmar Barbosa

There’s nothing wrong with being frustrated with your progress in bjj.  I think that is where the great debate stirs.  You will inevitably be frustrated along your jiu-jitsu and life journey in general. If you don’t compete you gauge your progress against your teammates.  If you do compete then you may find yourself disappointed regardless of result.  If you lost then well the world is over, if you win then sometimes you feel that you should’ve finished sooner, been more dominant, etc.  Training plateaus, injuries, family, work, and life happen.

I used to think that the white belts were the worst with accepting this distinctive truth about jiu-jitsu but observances over the past few years have proven me way wrong.  At my own academy and academies where I’ve visited I’ve watched blue belts and above throw temper tantrums after rolls or make comments aloud that insult the ability and skill of the person they were just tapped by.  One of two things happen to the person who throws temper tantrums either A.)No one wants to roll with you or are weary of rolling with you because you might blow up at any second, or B.)People want to roll more aggressively with you to put you in check.  It’s not just upper belt males that embody this, females can be just as bad.  Some girls like being the ‘Top Woman on the Mat,’ it’s a sad truth.   You get used to being the only girl or one of few girls and when someone new comes and all the attention isn’t on you sometimes women too will seek to be rougher to establish dominance.

Over the years I’ve had outburst, panic attacks, crying sessions in the bathroom, and wanted to knockout drag out fight someone on the mat before but my awareness on how that affects everyone’s perception of me has changed a lot of things. When someone taps me then I look at the clock to see if there’s more time if so I motion to them to keep going.  The world is not over.  You have to be watchful if like me you too suffer from 0 to 10 syndrome. Not familiar with 0 to 10 Syndrome?  Trademarked by my step-father who says my mom and I both suffer from it.  I have a bad habit of on a scale of 0 to 10 going to a straight 10 if I get mad.  There’s no middle ground. People who suffer from 0 to 10 can work on being more conscious of it by seeking objective advice from third parties prior to flipping their sh*t on someone else.

If you’re in a funk, a personal or bjj funk , try not to take it out on your bjj teammates. I know it’s hard but they notice.  Don’t roll hard if you don’t want someone to roll super hard either. If you’re grinding a choke over someone’s face and they do something rough back to you in return, then womp womp you deserved it.

You can’t have individuals that live and breath by this “loser’s mindset” teaching class or in senior positions at the gym.  These individuals may encourage newcomers to maintain these egotistical ideals and when it comes time to correct them the first thing that comes out of their mouth is “Well so & so does/says it…”.  I’m not entirely guilt free. I’ve accepted the fact that whether I win or lose I’ll never be 100% satisfied with my performance which is good because I always have a goal when I go to the gym.  It helps keep me centered.

Reblogged from E-town/Bowling Green Clube de Jiu-Jitsu :

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By Black Knight

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a grappling sport that focuses on takedowns, ground fighting, and self-defense designed to subdue a stronger opponent. Most current jiu-jitsu originates from the Gracie family, several of whom dominated the early days of mixed martial arts fighting. Royce Gracie won 3 of the first 4 UFCs with jiu-jitsu, leading to its wide recognition as one of the most effective forms of martial arts.

Read more… 618 more words

In my division alone there were only three of us which was a drag but even so I managed to have 3 matches and those girls weren’t newbies. I secured second place with a clock choke (will post videos after worlds, sorry guys). I lost to points by an extremely talented competitor. I must say it is always refreshing to be challenged in different aspects by different people.
 I also entered in the Open division and my first match was against Michelle Welti but she got the pass and mount and by the time I was able to escape all time had elapsed. Another great learning opportunity. I’m so thankful to Modern Automotive for helping me with travel expenses because my pockets have taken a huge hit with Chicago, new York, and now I’ve registered for worlds. Everyone complains about how expensive it is to compete and with good reason. But I must say although I’m out hundreds of dollars that opportunity to compete against extremely experienced grapplers was worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY. Oh and did I mention that I got to meet Renzo Gracie, Marcelo Garcia, I saw Emily Kwok but I didn’t want to be a huge creeper. Last but not least I finally got to me bjj blog extraordinaire Georgette Oden!! She is just as nice as I had anticipated. One of the most concerned ring coordinators at that. Hopefully we meet again at more events.

After this event I’m the 50th ranked female blue belt…which I want top 20 for sure. Lets see if medalling at the Worlds can get me there

And if you can’t already tell I’m in DESPERATE need of sponsors so if anyone wants more info please email me at shakia.harris542@topper.wku.edu THANKS

travel info:

view from the Asiatic Hotel

On this trip I stayed at the Asiatic Hotel in Flushing, NY It was GREAT.  Doesn’t look like anything special from the outside but it is brand new, hardwood floors in the room, great decor, nice bathroom, but it is near the JFK airport so if you’re a light sleeper you might have some problems.  Because of noise I’d rate it 4 of 5 starts, for real.  Beware though while the staff was really helpful, hardly anyone in the super packed neighborhood spoke English so if you need some help have a smart phone in hand.

I also stayed at the Hampton Inn in Linden, NJ and it was the nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed at, point-blank. period. However I do find their billing really sketchy because after I checked out I got an alert for an extra 50.00 charge from the Hampton Inn and they never advised me of it.  So I called them and they gave me some weird story about “incidentals,” never describing what that was but ensuring me the credit would not be applied.  Hmmm.  Definitely going to keep an eye out on that one.

(270) 846-4717 ‎

Team 1 BJJ (Bowling Green BJJ & Etown BJJ) Took 5 competitors and came back w/ about 7 medals I believe.

got to meet Carlson Gracie Jr.

Quick team overview: Joe Dibble earned 2nd Purple Senior 2 gi (won 1st match by points but lost second round to triangle), Shannon earned 1st blue belt medium and we both closed out the Female Blue belt open weight (she won her first match w/ armbar and the second match by points).  Awesome job everyone!!

Female Blue Belt:Medium Heavy
 I got 2nd my weight class and Shannon and I closed out the open weight so we shared first..kinda Since she is the higher ranked we opted to not fight for the gold and did the “gentleman’s agreement.”
Quick overview of gi matches
1st Match: me vs nora, win by points mostly guard passing
2nd match: Me vs veronica, up by points but go caught w/ kimura in the end so I earned 2nd place

female Blue Belt: Open Weight
1st match: Me vs Heavy Girl, win by choke from mount
2nd match: Me vs Veronica rematch, win via points. (By the way Huge Congrats to Veronica she recently placed 3rd at the pan ams in the Medium Heavy division and she got 2nd in the open weight which is HUGE)
3rd match: Me vs. Shannon, opted not to fight teammate. Shannon ended up winning her two matches on the other end of the bracket so we closed out the division and we both were happy because our last few matches had taken a toll on our bodies.  Shannon’s of higher rank so she took 1st and I took 2nd. Rather than do rock, paper, scissors, we let seniority decide.

No-Gi Division

1st Match Me vs. Nora I’m up on points and what I do……*drumroll* i get DQ’d like a big dummy. Ughhhhhhhhhhhh.  I’m still mad about this one, mostly at myself for not being more aware  of my limbs.  Went for a straight ankle, she rolled the other way and my leg slid across.

Got 3rd by default but no worries I still had the open division to make up for my big blunder.

No-Gi Open Weight

1st match won via rear naked choke.  1st time someone went out on me at a tournament.

2nd Match, finals. Me vs. Taylor won via rear naked choke.  I’ll post all the videos at a later date but with the Worlds so soon around the corner I was advised that might not be the best thing to do just yet.

I am so motivated to compete again that it’s almost a little weird.

Odds & Ends….

• I am pleased to say I had NO, I repeat no boobie incidents. Everything stayed in place so that was great.
• Zee boobies we brought up in passing with one of the excellent photographers.  I made a couple comments about how she had to photoshop my girrrls which was funny but slightly embarassing at the same time.
• I’ve been battling a strange allergy/nasal thing that has made eating a freaking nightmare.  Have you ever heard of deviated septum?  Well  I noticed lately that I’ve been “choking” on my food a lot lately because sometimes it bypasses my throat altogether and goes straight up my nose. Pretty gross, annoying, and EXTREMELY painful.  Sure enough after my first match (gi) I felt this overwhelming burning sensation in my face and then my chest and I didn’t know what was going on so of course I started to panic.  I was super nervous because I still had to compete in the finals but was in no shape too.  The source of my pain:granola from the oatmeal I had that morning had went through the wrong passage AGAIN and was the cause of the burning inferno in my face.  I’m just glad I had enough time to run to the bathroom and get all that situated before it got worse.
• Everyone and their mama were getting turned away from the gi/no gi inspections so people please beware DO NOT TAKE THE MANUFACTURER’S word that their rashguards/uniforms are IBJJF approved. Please read the instructions because it was a mess.

Good rule of thumb if there’s any color on the rashguard that is NOT your belt rank and not explicitly apart of the logo do not count on it getting past.  I feel like a lot of it has to do with who is doing the inspections.  I heard a lot of people complain that their rashguard passed for previous IBJJF event but it’s best to just play it safe and get a more “traditional” style piece.  Hope this helps. There were a couple bad boy rashguards that were turned away as well but the manufacturer doesn’t advertise that they’re ok so I did not input them.

Shoyoroll “Gentle Art” Rashguarg is NOT APPROVED, none of the belt ranks of this specific type were approved. I heard several ring coordinators say the rainbow art in the center of the chest is why. I saw more than a dozen of these get the axe.

Moya Brand Black Longsleeve Rashguard -60$ NOT APPROVED. Witnessed a couple furious black belts that stated the “site” said it was ok but the officials weren’t budging.

My favorite position is #3 the Standing Russian Twist & #7 Toe Touch.  Happy training

From Men’s Health (TEXT & PICTURES PROPERTY OF MEN’S HEALTH MAGAZINE)

“Perform this routine at the end of your regular workout or as a stand-alone workout, 3 days a week. (Use a 6-, 8-, or 10-pound medicine ball, which you can purchase at.) Do 20 repetitions of each exercise in the order shown. Complete the routine as a circuit, doing 1 set of each movement in succession and without resting. Too easy? Rest 60 to 90 seconds and do the circuit again.

1. Big Circles 

Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, hold a medicine ball with your arms extended directly above your head [A]. Without bending your elbows, rotate your arms counterclockwise [B], using the ball to draw large imaginary circles in front your body [C, D]. Do 10 circles, and then reverse direction to clockwise and do 10 more.

2. Woodchopper

Stand with your feet just beyond shoulder-width apart. With your arms nearly straight, hold a medicine ball above your head [A]. Now bend forward at your waist and mimic throwing the ball backward between your legs—but hold onto the ball the entire time [B]. Quickly reverse the movement with the same intensity, and return to the starting position. That’s 1 repetition.

3. Standing Russian Twistmns health  Hold a medicine ball with both hands in front of your chest and your arms straight [A]. Without dropping your arms, pivot on your right foot and rotate the ball and your torso as far as you can to the left [B]. Then reverse direction: Pivot on your left foot and rotate all the way to the right. That’s 1 repetition.

4. Squat to Press  Stand holding a medicine ball close to your chest with both hands, your feet just beyond shoulder-width apart [A]. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body until the tops of your thighs are at least parallel to the floor [B]. Then simultaneously drive your heels into the floor and push your body back to the starting position as you press the ball over your head [C]. Lower the ball back to the start. That’s 1 repetition.

5. Medicine-Ball Situp  Grab a medicine ball with both hands and lie on your back on the floor. Bend your knees 90 degrees, place your feet flat on the floor, and hold the medicine ball against your chest [A]. Now perform a classic situp by raising your torso into a sitting position [B]. Lower it back to the start. That’s 1 repetition.

6. Rocky Solo  Sit on the floor with your legs straight, and hold a medicine ball with both hands just above your lap [A]. Twist your torso to the right and place the ball behind you [B]. Then twist all the way to your left and pick the ball up and bring it back to the starting position [C]. That’s 1 repetition. Do 10 repetitions. Immediately do another 10 repetitions, but this time start by twisting with the ball to your left.

7. Toe Touch  Grab a medicine ball, lie on your back, and raise your legs so they’re straight and perpendicular to the floor. Hold the ball above the top of your head with your arms straight [A]. Without moving your legs or bending your elbows, simultaneously lift your arms and torso until the ball touches your toes [B]. Lower yourself back to the starting position. That’s 1 repetition.

8. 45-Degree Twist  Grab a medicine ball and sit on the floor. Lean back at a 45-degree angle, raise your legs and feet off the floor, and hold the ball with both hands in front of your chest, your arms straight [A]. Without dropping your legs or arms, rotate the ball and your torso as far as you can to the right [B]. Then reverse direction, rotating all the way to the left. That’s 1 repetition.

9. Suitcase Crunch  Lie on your back with your legs straight. Use both hands to hold a medicine ball above your head and barely off the floor [A]. Simultaneously raise your torso and bend your right knee toward your chest as you bring the ball over your knee and toward your foot. Reverse the movement and repeat, this time bending your left knee [B]. That’s 1 repetition.

10. Diagonal Crunch  Grab a medicine ball and lie on the floor with your legs straight and spread wide. Roll onto your right hip and hold the ball with your arms straight at 10 o’clock above the top of your head [A]. To perform the movement, raise your arms and torso and then touch the ball to the floor between your legs [B]. Lower your body, but instead of rolling back onto your right hip, roll onto your left and hold the ball at 2 o’clock above your head [C] before you repeat the movement. That’s 1 repetition. Repeat, alternating back and forth in this manner.

Read more at Men’s Health: http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/ultimate-medicine-ball-workout?fullpage=true#ixzz2J0SPCeKQ“”