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

All the right words

My coach Roy Davis said something to me once.  It was a fairly innocent comment during training, when I was second guessing whether I could ever do something.  He said, “Anything is possible”.  I don’t think he realized the impact that tiny little statement had on me.  Anything is possible.  Three little words.  I took those words to heart.  Those words became a catalyst, a spark.  Three tiny little words that I needed to hear at that exact moment in my jiu jitsu journey to keep me moving forward on my path. 

Recently I dropped in on a class at one of our affiliate schools.  I’ve been working late a lot lately and I couldn’t make it to my school.  I had the pleasure of working with the instructor.  At one point he said, “Why do things harder, when you can do them smarter”.  I almost laughed out loud when he said it.  Why?  My husband has been telling me and my kids that for as long as I can remember.  But, I guess I never thought of it in the context of my jiu jitsu game.  It was another one of those moments.  It was just what I needed to hear.  It made me feel empowered in my own skin.  It made me see that my jiu jitsu can be amazing in the body I have right now.  I just have to make my body work for me.  Smarter.  Not harder. 

When you speak or write, remember that your words are powerful.  Choose them wisely.  The words I share in this blog are personal to me, and my hope is to always help and uplift and encourage.  To show others my struggles and my joys and triumphs and even the dark valleys that I’ve gone through.  I hope they even make you laugh or sometimes they might even make you cry.   I’ve learned over time the power of words.  So...how are you using your power?

Sit up straight!

I thought I had pretty good posture.  Hey, I spent my childhood being told by teachers and adults to "sit up straight".  So, I thought I was doing a halfway decent job of it.  Just recently though, I had one of those moment on the mats, I realized that my posture was terrible.  Actually, it kind of sucks.  So, I'm working on my posture - back straight as an arrow and head up.  For me, it's the little things that eventually add up to create a tiny step forward in my jiu jitsu.  That's all I have for today folks.  Wishing you all peace, love and great jiu jitsu!  :)

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! :)

Jiu jitsu is for everyone

JIU JITSU IS FOR EVERYONE!  I’ve been seeing some wonderful stories about the diverse group of people we’ve got training the gentle art.  It makes me so freaking happy.  You can be 45 or 61 or 16 or 6.  You can be short or tall or thin as a rail or a chunky monkey.  You can suffer from a mental illness or you can be challenged mentally or physically.  You can be deaf or even blind.  You can be slow as a turtle or quick as lightning.  Those things do not decide whether or not you get to train this beautiful art.  That is the beauty of jiu jitsu.  That is what I love about jiu jitsu.  JIU JITSU IS FOR EVERYONE!