I’m excited to talk about guard retention in the teens class this week! Using the legs as a tool to manage the distance between you and another person is a great tool in competition and for self-defense. This will help lay the foundation for the future study of more complex guard types like the things we explored with Professor Simplicio last night! 

It does suck losing good training partners. Unfortunately it's a reality of life. Sometimes it takes us in different directions. For me, it gives me peace to let those people know that the door is always open for them to make a return if they ever feel inspired to do so. The beautiful thing is that there will always be new people and perhaps another awesome connection just waiting around the corner. We can always honor those memories in how we approach our relationships with our training partners moving forward. I really try to temper my expectations when working with new people but also remain open to developing a relationship off the mat if it seems like something we both want to do. 

Meet me at 7pm on Thursdays to go over any of your WBMK techniques! Graduation is coming up sooner than you think. Get it out of the way now! You have nothing to lose, but much to gain when it comes to testing for your stripes.

Sydney Samoska I think this is a really interesting point. We do have a number of resources and tools for tackling the physical aspects of training, but the mental part is something that we hesitate to share. https://www.bjjmentalmodels.com/database

There is a section on the social models of BJJ training that delve into the psychological side of our sport. There is also further reading for each point. Perhaps it may be worth our time to bring some of these ideas to the mat so we can all be more cognizant of this invisible hurdle we are all trying to pass. After all, the mental part does not discriminate with age, body type, or identity.

I’m looking forward to working on key details with the teens getting from side to top control! I feel that it is such a huge opportunity for them to learn how to transition to more dominant positions seamlessly—very important for our competitors. 

I think there's a lot to be said about the timing and having a person in your life make that introduction. I wanted to try my first class as a teen, but I was way too self-conscious to go through with it. I'm glad I circled back around, and Leticia (Meadow's mom) definitely helped in putting ROL on my radar. 

The community aspect is huge. I remember hearing so much about how bjj brings people of all different types together. I thought it was just a cliche, but now I see that we really are a hodge podge mix of folks. 

Thank you for sharing your story! It really inspired me when I first started working here, seeing how much you trained. I think there's something really powerful about having a female presence on the mats, especially for the new ladies. I think it's probably just as important for moms to see other moms on the mat too! It's incredible to be able to recognize you may not be where you'd like to be, but that just like starting for the first time, the journey back takes time. 

You could have left your experience at just trying a class with Tim and never putting a gi back on, but you came back again and again and again… and even competed! That’s something most people will never do.  👊