The evolution of Tasmanian Devil Girl

I rolled with my 16-year old daughter last night.  She got very frustrated at one point.  I had her in side control, heavy side control.  She wanted to just give up.  She said, you weigh 50 pounds more than me, I corrected her, less than 40 pounds now! :)  Anyway, it was the first time in a while I had seen her get that ‘I’m frustrated so I’m going to just give up’ look on her face.  For once, her speed and youth couldn’t get her out of the situation.  She was stuck (mostly mentally, not physically).  So we stopped for a minute and reversed roles, I told her to get as heavy as she possibly could and I tried to show her a couple of ways to defend, make space, and get in a better position.  She tried, but I think she was still a little bit discouraged.  I know how she feels.  That was me for the last two years.  Forever stuck on bottom.  Not a bad place to learn though.  It taught me to stay calm, breath, and find space.  I’ve spent countless hours being on bottom in someone’s mount or in someone’s side control.  I’ve learned that I can escape from those positions and create a better position for myself.  I think what my daughter is feeling is growing pains.  She’s not a kid anymore.  She’s not rolling with kids anymore.  These are all adults.  She’s admitted that she’s feeling the effects of my improved game (*big smile*) too.  It’s time for her to take her game to another level.  I for one can’t wait to watch her grow and progress.  I’ve always felt that she has it within her to be an awesome jiu jitsu practitioner.  I’ve tried to encourage her to open up her mind and give in to our coach’s teaching style.  Just give in to it.  Let it take over.  Believe in the process.  Even in those moments when your head is telling you that it doesn’t think you can do something, listen to your heart, do it anyway, maybe not perfectly, but do it anyway.  And keep doing it, until it starts to feel more natural.  In the meantime, I will keep waiting and watching and learning, and one day real soon, I know that when I have her in side control, I won’t be able to keep her there, she will have realized her true potential, and once again I will fear the “Tasmanian Devil Girl”. 

p.s. In case you were wondering, the Turkey Fit Challenge was a huge success.  I lost almost 9 pounds, decreased my body fat percentage by over 4 percent and shaved a few seconds off my workout challenge time.  I am very pleased with the results.  If I’m feeling brave, I will post the before and after pictures and stats.  What I learned from this whole experience is that I know what to do to keep the momentum going…clean diet and continue to get on the mats at least 4 days a week.  I’m setting a short term goal for myself, in the next six months I want to be able to fall into the Women’s Middle weight division (according to the IBJJF weight charts).  I am confident that I can reach that goal!