Grace

I have been feeling horrible lately. Feels like my body is betraying me.  Chronic joint pain. Pinched nerves in my neck giving me grief. Shoulder, well we won't speak of it.  What's an old gal to do?  Go train. Stay home and rest. Go and watch. Hmmmm.  It's a tough one for me. Last week I opted out. Now I'm thinking that was a mistake because I feel worse. So tonight I will dust off my pride and suck it up and go train. I know there is not a magic pill that will make all my aches and pains go away. Jiu jitsu has helped me survive the last 5 plus years. I fear that had I not started training I would have just given in to the pain. Jiu jitsu saved me. That's the thing I have to cling to. It's grace keeps me from ever going back to that girl I was before. Peace. Love. Beautiful Jiu Jitsu. 

Inside the mind of a fighter - an Interview with Casey Jones

Ever since I entered the martial arts world, I’ve found myself intrigued by those brave souls that decide to fight in the cage.  They seek out the octagon.  They crave it.  They want to step in there more than anything else.  I am fascinated by what drives these fighters.  What makes them tick?  What makes them want to get in that cage?  I love to interview people, so when I found out that Casey Jones was going to be coming over to Dirty Bay MMA and training his stand-up game, I knew that I was going to ask him for an interview.  I am so thankful that he agreed.  It has really been an honor to watch him go through this process.  To Casey I would like to say, “You are a warrior, you have fought the good fight, you have trained well, you have prepared yourself for battle and you have already won.  I am proud to call you my jiu jitsu brother.”  I asked his Coach at Iron Dragon to give Casey a shout out, and here’s what Beard Jitsu had to say, “Casey has been awesome training for this fight.  His attitude and hard work were everything I could ask for as a coach.  Casey is my first blue belt and I have no doubt he will win this fight however he chooses, either standing or on the ground.  I'm proud to have him representing us at Iron Dragon MMA / Solis Martial Arts and of course Beard Jitsu.  Last word of advice is to just go out there and have fun, and show Houston what we are all about.”  Thanks Beard for those words. 

Casey will be fighting on Saturday, August 31, 2013 in Legacy Amateur Series 13.  He is going into this fight in the 135 pound weight bracket.  This will be his first fight with Legacy.  Thank you again Casey for the interview and good luck on fight night!
 

 

 

What all martial arts do you train and when did you start training? 

Well now I practice Jiu Jitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai Kickboxing and some wrestling. Then I try to put it all together for Mixed Martial arts. But I didn’t start out training at an actual martial arts school. I just by chance met my good friend Rich Casteneda through a friend and ended up training with him in his shed. He trained in Kuk Sool Won, and since I had no fighting arts experience period, I was an open book. Rich is also just a lover of all martial arts so he knew of Jiu Jistu and had friends that knew other forms of fighting that came by to train occasionally. So I picked up what I liked and threw away what didn’t seem to work for me. Richard eventually took me to Iron Dragon to expand our knowledge, and Rich humbly told me there wasn’t anything more he could teach me and we needed to know go to an school to learn more. So here I am 3 years later. And a side note, I still learn something from Rich every day when we grapple so the teaching never ended. I really do want to thank him for really being my bridge into the world of martial arts I wouldn’t have ever started this awesome journey if not for his willingness to teach me.
 

At what point in your training did you know that you wanted to get in the cage?

It’s hard to say when or if there ever was a specific moment. But I know that I began to feel that I was supposed to do this. Because I had never been particularly good at any sport. Mostly because a lot of sports like track, football, basketball all really depended on you to be fast, jump high, be strong or big. And I was none of these things so fighting seemed to be the only thing were you wanting it more than that guy across from you in the cage, actually played a factor in you winning or losing. Even though I wasn’t naturally aggressive or anything I seemed to be able to use it when I needed to.
 

Do you have any specific short term goals in BJJ?  MMA?

Well a short term goal is to win an amateur title for sure. Even though it’s just amateur that would be so huge for me. And of course over time when you fight you develop different reasons why you do it, and now I want to become known for my coaches and their schools to help them grow and prosper. Because my coaches like Bryan (Beard Jitsu) who is my Jiu jitsu coach helps me so much and has been supporting me the whole way through, and Vincent Serrano who is now my Muay Thai coach and has put in a ton of effort teaching me even though he has only known me a short time. I want to help them along with Master Jason white, who is the owner of Iron Dragon and got me my first cage fight, to build up their schools and business. That’s what I feel I can do in return for all they do for me.
 

What are your long term goals in BJJ?  MMA?  Or other martial arts that you train?

My long term MMA goals are obviously to get into the UFC and fight for that organization and go as far with it as I can. But that’s everybody’s answer pretty much. But I would eventually like to be teaching BJJ and No Gi, and MMA in either somebody’s school or my own school. Because I really do love coaching and teaching the newer guys that come in.
 

Do you have any aspirations to cross over to the professional fighting circuit in the near future?

Yes I do, as I said before I’d like to attain an amateur title and either stay and defend it for more experience depending on what myself and my team thinks, or move on and begin a professional career.
 

Preparing for a fight is physically and mentally grueling work.  Tell us how you managed your schedule and training and how did you prepare yourself mentally for the fight?

Well I’m 22 years old now so I’m still slowly making my way through school, so when schools going on that’s one more thing to worry about. But I work at San Jacinto hospital on the weekends part time, usually just two 12 hour shifts on Friday and Sunday night just to keep money coming in because, no money means no gas no food and without those things training isn’t too likely. But I chose to work weekends so that I could have all week to train. So when people at work would ask why I don’t work during the week I used to say because I have to train. And they would ask “train for what?” or “Oh cuz you work out during the week”. And since most of them don’t understand and give me this look like I’m just lazy or something. But I can’t expect anyone who doesn’t practice martial arts or who has never trained hard for anything to understand what I mean. So now I just say I don’t work during the week because of school to avoid the frustration.
 

What advice can you give those out there who might be thinking about getting in the cage to fight? 

Make sure you are at a good gym and that the coaches feel you are ready. Don’t just walk in a gym and say you wanna fight. You might, but that won’t stop somebody from pounding your face like a drum and choking you to sleep because you don’t know what you’re doing and just don’t have the experience. And I might be referencing a few of my early cage experiences. I do feel I starting fighting too early, mostly because I wasn’t a natural talent to I couldn’t rely on aggression or strength in there and really just need to be good at the arts and be technical. I’d say if you’re a guy who is picking up stuff pretty quick and are getting all areas of your game worked on (Striking, Wrestling, Jiu Jistu) then maybe about six months and see what your coaches think. I only was at Iron Dragon Maybe 3 months before my first fight. But I asked for it and Joel Scott gave it. Haha. Even though that first one got fight of the night, losing just isn’t okay anymore. I got a lot of good experience taking all those early fights but it left me with an ugly record to climb out from under. So make sure this is what you want and you’re willing to give up some things to make it happen.
 

BJJ is my passion, so I always want to know...what's your favorite submission and go to move? 

I would have to say, even though it’s nothing special, the rear naked choke. I’ve gotten two of my wins by RNC and the reason I prefer chokes to armbars, especially in MMA, is because a guy may let his arm pop to get out of it in MMA. But with a choke he can be tough all he wants, he’s still going to sleep.
 

What motivates you to keep going and what helps keep you on the right track?   Is there anyone that inspires you or someone that has been a big influence on your decision to train BJJ/MMA?

Honestly I think training actually keeps me on the right track in life outside of the gym. If I’m not doing right in life, my training will suffer because it can mess with head when you’re not doing what you’re supposed to and you’re consciously aware of it. Well all my training partners and coaches are such a big part of my motivation because I want to do well for them and for our school so that’s always a driving force. I also want to do well for my family my grandparents my little brother who for some reason looks up to me and my wonderful girlfriend Nicole. But mostly for my Mom, she’s had a rough life a lot of things have not gone well for her but somehow she keeps this upbeat attitude and is always smiling and trying to be happy. She’s been my biggest fan through all of my ups and downs in this sport and I know she will continue to support me always. She gets so excited when I have a fight coming up and wants to make posters and shirts and has all these ideas. I feel that by doing well and winning and giving her something to be proud of and excited about is something I can do for her to keep her smiling.
 

What would you consider the biggest life change as a result of your training?

I’ve really grown up since I began training. This growth has been evident in my 4 year relationship with my girlfriend and I’ve gained a lot of maturity over this time. And as I said before, my training keeps my life in check. So it’s helped me really grow as a man. Because as an amateur fighter, not even a well-known amateur fighter, you end up having to do a lot of the outside conditioning training on your own. So I’ve had to learn to keep myself accountable to the things I needed to get done if fighting means that much to me. So it’s also taught me accountability.
 

Where do you see yourself in the BJJ and MMA community in 10 years?

If my body holds up, possibly still fighting if I make it to the big show. And even if I am still fighting I might be teaching MMA or jiu jitsu classes as well.
 

Tell us something we might not know about you.  Do you have any jiu jitsu ink?  What do you like to do in your spare time? 

Well let’s see, I’m a Nurse Tech at the hospital going to school for nursing. I love outdoor stuff, hunting and fishing; I used to play paintball when I had the time. I loved playing football, hanging out with my buddies from high school. But most of that stuff I don’t have time for anymore. The only thing I really do on the regular is watch movies at night with my girlfriend Nicole when I get home from training but we try to do fun stuff like go to the pier and fish late at night or go to Galveston for the day or something, we find stuff to do. Like I said I work weekends and train all week but you have to make sacrifices for the things you want. If you want it that bad, it’s worth it.

Looking back and smiling

Sometimes, it’s nice to be reminded about the beginning of the journey.  I am always excited when I meet someone so new to the sport that they are just glowing with excitement and anticipation.  They look at you with eyes shining.  They can’t wait to roll with you and test themselves and learn from you.   I am not the most athletic chick on the mat.  Not the most coordinated.  Not the most fit.  Not the one people ask for help.  But last weekend I got to train with some really cool newbies at Girls in Gis.  It was a privilege to train with them.  To show them what little knowledge I have about jiu jitsu.  They reminded me of a time not too long ago when my belt was fresh and white and clean.  They reminded me of a  time when my white belt had an empty black bar and was devoid of dirt and blood and sweat and tears.  I left that event with a full heart, smiling, happy, knowing that I had helped someone.  It may not seem like much, but it was just what I needed.  Sometimes you need to be reminded about the beginning to see how far you’ve come.  The journey, it’s so personal and unique for each person.  It will always be an honor when I can be a part of the beginning. 

As I tried to find the right words for this post, I remembered something I had read.  It was from Mark Johnson’s book “Jiu-Jitsu on the Brain”.  I just felt it was worth sharing.  Even though my belt is now blue and it is getting worn and frayed, I still love to remember the beginning, because without the beginning there would be no journey at all.

“The black bar on your belt represents the beginning; it’s blank, like your experience in jiu-jitsu.  You will be introduced to a new world, one filled with red-belted masters and wonderful techniques and weird uniforms and dealing with your own ego and frustration and knowledge and exhaustion and bliss.  It all begins with a search, a search for fulfillment or exercise or confidence.  The search has brought you to jiu-jitsu and this is where you begin.”

Anything is possible Tasmanian Devil Girl

I love the fact that my daughter and I train together. I affectionately nicknamed her Tasmanian Devil Girl on the mats. We have been blessed with some of our best memories because of jiu jitsu. Training together and going to seminars and attending Girls in Gis events and our Team SMAA open mats has given us countless hours of bonding time. Jiu jitsu allows us to push each other, talk to each other openly and support each other. I love that. The thing that I don’t love is watching her struggle. Lately I’ve been watching her feel defeated and broken. I feel helpless not being able to help her. Not having the right words to say to comfort her. It’s hard being a Mom sometimes. I want to protect her from everything bad in this world. On the mats I want to protect her too. I don’t want her to get hurt emotionally or physically. So, it’s a fine line we walk as jiu jitsu Moms. How do we let go enough to let them grow, but still protect them when we need to? I guess we will figure it out together. In the meantime, I will continue to support her and encourage her and even push her. I will pick her up from her first part-time job and help teach her how to drive and when she lets me, I will teach her to master the kimura from half guard and escape from side control even when it’s a 200 pound sweaty dude. And one day, when she’s ready, the bread and butter choke will be waiting for her. So, all you other Moms and Dads out there training with your kids, what do you do when you see your kids struggling on the mats? My wish for everyone today is peace, love and great Jiu Jitsu!

Duct tape and good friends

I don’t talk too much about my Muay Thai training.  She’s more like a good friend, while jiu jitsu is my true love.  But, I have to say that after a good solid year of training under Vincent Serrano I do know that I have made progress.  I never was hoping for huge improvement, I do Muay Thai for fun.  Well, because let’s face it, it is fun to punch and kick and knee and elbow people.  It’s a lot of fun.  I was really nervous about a full on Muay Thai class.  I’d only done cardio kickboxing before.  Very safe, impersonal even.  But Muay Thai, it’s face to face, in your face, in your space, people kicking you and coming very near close to punching you in the face, and actually punching you in the body.  Way outside my comfort zone.  But, I love Vincent’s teaching style, and I decided from day one that if anyone could help me improve it would be him.  He’s got the patience of ten thousand teachers!  So last night, nothing particularly amazing happened, except my gloves started literally falling apart, little pieces at a time all over the mat.  That’s the by-product of a year of Muay Thai training.  Now, I think it’s time to get out the duct tape.  These gloves started this journey with me and they are going be in my corner till the duct tape won’t hold them together anymore!  :D

Cool Happenings

Lots of cool things going on.  My affiliate school, Solis Martial Arts Academy, launched a new women's only jiu jitsu class yesterday.  It's going to be every Tuesday and Thursday.  Might pop in a couple times a month (or more, it was really fun).  There were about 17 women there last night.  I had the pleasure of working with someone who was trying jiu jitsu for the very first time.  That was extremely cool.  Our school, Dirty Bay MMA,  is having a women's only Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai seminar on Saturday.  Our hope is to expose women to these two martial arts and show them that there's nothing scary or intimidating about training, and that it can be great fun and a great workout.  Sunday is Girls in Gis in San Antonio.  I can't wait to train and visit with all my jiu jitsu sisters.  So what's going on with all of you?  Wishing you peace, love and great jiu jitsu! :)

I have been away too long

You might be wondering where Mrs. Ibarra has been for the last month.  I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth, just extremely busy.  Work has decided to go a little crazy on me, but I’m trying not to let it affect my training like I usually do.  I’ve got to keep my perspective and keep things balanced.  So, on the jiu jitsu front, I went to another Hannette Staack seminar in San Antonio.  It was just as good as the first one.  This time around we worked on deep half guard.  I love half guard, but still trying to wrap my head around deep half guard.  I know you can make anything work for your body type in jiu jitsu; you just have to play with it until you get it right.  I’m going to have to play with this one a bit more to find the right fit.  And that folks is one of the reasons why I love jiu jitsu.   

Saw some really great news today – Hannette Staack and Fenom Kimonos Announce Pro-Partnership.  Check it out here folks.

Sometimes I am overwhelmed by all the good that jiu jitsu has brought to my life.  This is one of those times.  A big thank you to Fenom Kimonos for letting me share my story.  Here’s a link to my interview.  Thank you Fenom! 

Milestones and Foam Rollers and LaCrosse Balls...oh my!

This week we are back at our routine...me and Tasmanian Devil Girl.  Truthfully, she's more tired and sore than me, probably because she skipped out on one too many classes during the holidays and I didn't.  I've jumped back in full throttle with my Paleo eating...I sort of derailed myself during the holidays.  I also hit a major milestone this week, six whole months without a Dr. Pepper.  Now that's something I thought I'd never say!  I do have a confession to make, I've been cheating on my acupuncturist with the chiropractor.  I have to say that both are great for repairing all the damage I do to my neck and shoulder sitting at a desk all day...yes I said it...sitting at a desk all day.  As rough and tumble as Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu are, sitting at a desk all day not moving is way more damaging to your body.  So, this new chiropractor is giving me tons and tons of good stretching exercises to do.  It's all great stuff, who knew the things you could do with a foam roller and a LaCrosse ball.  My neck and shoulders are going to feel like a million bucks folks, and if you thought they were flexible before, look out!  I'm looking forward to training tonight and then we are going to start a new jiu jitsu conditioning class after our regular class.  Working on the re-creation of Mrs. Ibarra begins....NOW!  :)

Hannette Staack Women's Seminar

This past Sunday I attended the Hannette Staack women’s seminar in Houston.  I don’t think I’ve ever come back from an event as excited as I was after this seminar.  I was literally on the best jiu jitsu high ever.  Her teaching style was absolutely incredible.  She was friendly and encouraging and learned every person’s name and made a point to work with every single person there.  It wasn’t a huge group, just right.  I didn’t count heads, but I think there were about 20 women there.  The techniques she taught were two different open guard sweeps and two different ways to pass open guard.  We did lots of drilling…lots and lots of drilling.  She wanted to make sure we understood the techniques so that when we left we would remember them.  Guess what?  I still remember them, and I can’t wait to drill them and incorporate them into my game.  Thank you Hannette for a wonderful Sunday afternoon of jiu jitsu!

Me and Hannette after the seminar!  :)

Our Team SMAA Ladies! 

Jiu Jitsu bliss and new gis

I had a great night on the mats.  We were working "De La Riva" sweeps.  Not the easiest thing for short legs, but with encouragement from coach and a good training partner we figured out how to make it work.  It's exciting when things just come together.  Then during rolling I had some moments of pure bliss.  Not that I was a beast on the mats or anything, just an old lady holding her own with a blue belt teenager...pretty sweet feeling.  I am blessed with some pretty awesome training partners and one heck of a coach. 

On another note, a few more pounds and I will most likely be able to order me a new Fenom gi.  If the family needs any ideas for a Christmas present for dear old Mom, this is it!  Size A2 please.  If you're curious, there's a link to Fenom Kimonos below.  Bar none, the best fitting gi for this girl's body type and they are beautiful, exceptional quality and they can take a beating on the mats. 

p.s. Julia, your gis have served me well and I am going to keep wearing them until they are completely worn out!!  It just feels good to see the pants getting looser and looser.  Jiu-Jiu is a fellow blogger who bequeathed me her many gis after they became too big for her.  Way to go Julia!  Check out her blog here.   :)

FENOM PEARL WEAVE GI - BLACK

School is back in session

My kids started school this week and we have been so busy with band activities and football practice and buying school supplies that it was hard to train this week.  I made it only one day to be exact.  But oh what a great day it was.  Armbars and triangles and omoplatas.  Look out...Mrs. Ibarra is starting to get the hang of you...finally...after two years.  I guess it's taken me this long to wrap my head around things and lose my fear of others things and open my mind to what my body is actually capable of doing.  Feels good.  Tonight I am going to CrossFit for a quick workout and then off to get ready for Emily's first football game of the new school year.  Can't wait to see this marching season unfold...awesome music and a really, really cool marching routine.  Band Nerds unite!!  

Quick update on my Paleo eating.  Started two months ago.  Didn't realize how much it was going to change everything.  I can't believe how much I've been able to embrace it and live it and I'm even starting to love it.   It was not as hard as I thought it was going to be.  I'm cooking most nights at home.  Added bonus, my family loves that I'm cooking and I love the fact that we all sit down and eat together.  That's a change I can get used to!  

p.s.  No Dr. Peppers since July 8, 2012. 

Being hungry is a good thing!

Some nights when you train jiu jitsu everything just feels right.  Even if you didn't do everything perfectly, it's that feeling in your heart and your gut that it was a good night.  Everything is swirling around in my head right now.  I'm just feeling grateful, happy, content, eager, even hungry for future progress.  It's been a while since I've felt like that.  It feels really, really good.  Tonight I am one proud Mama.  My daughter Emily got a stripe on her yellow belt.  It was unexpected and a complete surprise.  She couldn't stop smiling.  Yep, I'm one proud Mama, I can't stop smiling either.  Thank you Coach for believing in my girl.  Anything is possible.  

My daughter loves this quote.  She's only 4'9" tall.  

On the mats she feels like a beast.  Thank you jiu jitsu!  :)

Tasmanian Devil Girl

It’s been an interesting week.  I got my very first black eye.  Before you start thinking I’m all that, my sweet 15 year old daughter elbowed me in the eye while we were rolling.  I call her the Tasmanian Devil Girl…she reminds me of the old cartoon character that was always moving at warp speed.  This old Mom can’t keep up with her and I move in instead of moving out and she whirls around at warp speed and BAM, elbow and eye collide.  She still feels pretty rotten about it, cried like a baby, but Mama’s all good.  What other place than on the mats can you beat up on your Mom and its okay! 

This is what I see when I roll with my daughter...a big blur of arms and legs coming at me from all directions.  Tasmanian Devil Girl...I still love you! :)

I completed my second Elements class for Crossfit yesterday.  I was so far outside my comfort zone it hurt.  But right in the big middle of all that sweat and pain and gasping for air, I just knew.  I am on the right path.  My journey has taken me right where I belong.  I’m going to be okay and I will get where I need to be.  I’ve got lots of help, great coaches, a loving family, and a whole community of BJJ brothers and sisters.   . 

No A/C training and a little nutrition news

We had our first really hot night training no A/C jiu jitsu last night at Dirty Bay MMA.  Whew.  It was really, really, really hot.  I have to admit though that I enjoy seeing the sunshine and smelling fresh air while I train.  I sit in an office all day without a window, so I’m a little bit sunshine-deprived.  We warmed up with fundamentals – grips, arm drag, takedown.  We drilled fundamentals - simple sweep (1, 2, and 3), defending the simple sweep, and the hook sweep.  Our instructor showed us drills we can practice at home on our own or with a partner to help enhance what we learned that night.   In case you were wondering, Dirty Bay MMA is affiliated with Solis Martial Arts Academy.  Our class is being taught by one of their black belts.  He’s a nice guy with a laid back style who is teaching us good, solid, fundamental jiu jitsu.  Tonight is Muay Thai Kickboxing.  Last week we learned some of the coolest stuff ever, and it’s all I’ve been thinking about since.  I used to hate knee kicks when I did cardio kickboxing…but oh my goodness…I have a whole new perspective now.  Let’s just say…I had a blast and my daughter got to be the recipient of my enthusiasm on the mat.  Good times! 

On the nutrition front - I’m easing myself into Paleo.  I’m working on cutting out grains right now.  It’s ended up being just a little bit harder than I thought.  I bought a couple of Kindle books to browse through.  The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson and The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf.  Good grief, grains are everywhere and I need to figure out what I can snack on now instead of my granola bars and 100 calorie packs??  I’m open to suggestions.   I want to thank Chris Kelly at Crossfit Baytown for sitting down with me and talking about nutrition.  Baby steps, breathe, more baby steps. 

“Perfection is impossible.  However, striving for perfection is not.  Do the best you can under the conditions that exist.  That is what counts.”  -- John Wooden, legendary UCLA basketball coach

Happy One Year Anniversary...to my blog!

I’m reading a really good short book right now.  It’s called “Jiu-Jitsu on the Brain” by Mark Johnson.  It’s full of good practical advice, laced with good humor and candor.  I’m about halfway through it and I’m convinced that everyone should read it.  It’s full of those things that every new practitioner of the gentle art should be told before they begin their journey.  It’s been a good reminder of what I love (and love to hate) about jiu jitsu.  Sort of like a rule book or a play book.  I guess I’ve worked in corporate America for too long.  I like rules and processes and I especially like them in writing.  It makes people accountable.  But I digress, the reason I wrote this post, the book reminded me why I started training jiu jitsu to begin with... 

·        I love the healthy, physical exertion of jiu jitsu.  I started training as an avenue to get fit and live a healthier lifestyle.  I want to leave my children with that legacy.  I have had too many family members die from health related issues that could have been prevented.  I want more for my children and I have to lead them by example. 

·        In the process of discovering this healthy, physical lifestyle, I fell in love with the gentle art.  I can’t explain this love, or even put it into words that adequately reflect what I feel.  So I’m going to steal from my very first blog post -- I want my jiu jitsu to become a thing of beauty.  I watch some of our guys and their jiu jitsu is so graceful and fluid and beautiful.  That's what I want mine to be like.  I believe that someday it will be.

May 27, 2012, marked the one year anniversary of my Jiu Jitsu blog.  I’ve had a whole lot of ups and downs and blood and sweat and a whole lot of tears, but I’m still hanging on.  Not giving in or giving up.  I know I’ve been having the jiu jitsu blues for a while now, but don’t count this old lady out yet, I’m just busy and tired and worn out from my regular life and sometimes jiu jitsu has to take a back burner to all those other things so they can become complete and resolved and I can become happy and content so I can be balanced enough to open my mind to learning this beautiful thing called jiu jitsu. 

I am thankful to so many of you out there in blogger land for encouraging me as I walk this journey.  Your writing has inspired me, given me hope, made me laugh and cry and reminded me that we are all one big happy jiu jitsu family.  To Dagney and Gina and Jen and Megan and Leslie and MMA Lady and Julia and Triin and Jodie and Georgette and Shark Girl and Shama…if I forgot your name here I’m sorry, there are so many of you – thank you from the bottom of my heart, your writing encourages me and it moves me and it reminds me that I’m not walking this journey alone.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

I haven’t trained this week at all.  It is super busy at my house with end of year school stuff with my kids and new projects at work have forced me to work later than usual.  Working Mom + two kids + husband + laundry ≠ making it to jiu jitsu class.  May is always one of our busiest months and things have gotten quite crazy at my job, so I’m just going to take this in stride.  I used to fret over missing class.   But I am finding that balance between training and happy home life.  It is important.  My Maw Maw always said, don’t put all your eggs in one basket or you might get disappointed when they break because you will be left with nothing.  She was a pretty wise lady.  So I’m working on balancing my eggs…family, home, work, training.  I will leave you with a story told to me by a coworker a long time ago.  Short, simple, profound.

Mother's Day Magic

Had a really great Mother's Day.  Got three out of the ten on my list.  Sweet!!  Added bonus, got interviewed by Shama Ko for a Mother's Day Article on TXMMMA.com about Moms and Daughters who train jiu jitsu together.  It's a great article, and I am honored to have been included.  Check it out.  Great training tonight with my daughter.  :D

That’s What She Said: A Tribute to The Most Important Women in Our lives, our Mothers

Making it all Work and Mother's Day Magic

I’ve been having a really good week…on and off the mats.  I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s important and trying to find the right balance between work and family and training.  It isn’t always easy for a working Mom, but somehow we manage to make it work.  So, if you are a hard-working Mama who loves to train jiu jitsu, what do you want for Mother’s Day?  While flowers are nice and chocolate is always yummy, and jewelry is pretty, those aren’t things that I want for Mother’s Day. 

Here’s Mrs. Ibarra’s top 10 list of things I want for Mother’s Day: 

1.      A one-hour massage (because our bodies take a beating training BJJ).

2.      Manicure and Pedicure (because our hands and feet take a beating training BJJ).

3.      Cool gi patches or jiu jitsu t-shirts (I have my eye on a Tap Cancer Out patch and I really want one of the new Fenom t-shirts).

4.      While you’re at it, the new Fenom gi…I know I already have too many…but a BJJ Mama can’t have too many gis.

5.      New ink (this isn’t for everyone, but this BJJ Mama wants some new ink). Thanks for the idea Kasey!

6.      A BJJ private lesson with one of my instructors (and the BFF and the daughter are included in this private, because it’s more fun that way).

7.      A chauffer for the next Girls in Gis in Plano…because I commute all week to work and I don’t want to drive on the weekends…but I really want to go to the next Girls in Gis on May 20^th!

8.      Breakfast with the family at my favorite Taqueria!

9.      A day at the beach with a chair and an umbrella and a good book (because sometimes I need to feel my toes in the sand and the sun on my face).

10.   Hugs and kisses and home-made Mother’s Day cards…because even though my kids aren’t little anymore, you can’t have too many hugs and kisses and cards made from the heart. 

Happy Mother’s Day everyone! 

How bad do you want it?

Each and every time I step on the mat to train it comes down to one simple question.  Do I want it more than I am afraid of it? 

Today I will ask myself that question throughout the day.  I will struggle with that question on my long commute home, and I will keep asking it again and again until I step back on the mat to train.  Today I hope the answer is yes.  I want it more than I am afraid of it!

Sometimes we all need a Wake-up Call

I trained tonight.  Not very well, but I got on the mat.  Beat myself up mentally before I even started.  I've been trying not to think about belt tests...and quite frankly I wish they would have them way less often because we can't seem to go a week without talking about them and then it's a constant reminder that I'm not belt testing again and then I beat myself up some more and wonder why I suck so much at jiu jitsu.  Good grief, how can you suck so bad at something you love so much.  It's a viscous cycle.  Whoever invented belt tests, well I won't tell you what I think about them, but let's just say it's not very nice.  I'd like to think my training is cumulative.  Right?  I'm a full-time working mother, two kids, a husband, a house, an extended family, lots of commitments and priorities, so my mat time is not the same as someone who's young and doesn't have those same commitments.  But I stick with it, little by little I see progress.  It's slow going, but it's been cumulating now for almost two years.  I don't take long breaks away from the mat.  I don't train 5 days a week either.  Some weeks I train 1 day, some weeks I train 3 days, on the rare occasion I might train 5 days (that's really rare), but I don't stop.  I only take off when I'm sick, my kids are sick or we have band or school stuff going on.  But I'm only human, and it still hurts when test after test they don't call your name.  And, that my friends, is all I have to say about that. 

Then something happens and you get a wake-up call of massive proportions.  Something that makes all this stuff seem not important.  Why am I obsessing about belt tests when my great niece is fighting for her life.  She is only eight months old.  We don't know at this point what is going to happen.  It's not the kind of wake-up call you want to get.  The kind that smacks you right in the heart and the gut at the same time and reminds you that your family is your most precious possession.  So last week I didn't train and I didn't feel guilty.  Usually if I skip out I suffer from massive guilt.  How am I going to get better if I'm not training?  How am I ever going to belt test again if I don't train?  My instructors are going to think I'm goofing off?  But I didn't feel that last week.  I needed to be with my family, my husband, my kids.  I needed to mother them and stay at home with them and feed them and whatever else they wanted to do.  It was important.  Today we got really devastating news and we are all feeling so helpless.  I am praying for a miracle.  I believe in miracles.  I hope you all do to.  Please pray for a miracle for my beautiful little niece.  Her name is Emma.  Thank you.