Stiffen up that upper lip, boys don’t cry, boys will be boys, man up et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Society places such an emphasis on men to be the bearer of all things without any hint of vulnerability or emotion. Be the bread winner, the tough guy, the manly man, be strong, have muscles, […]
Read moreAge Ain’t Nothing But a Number
Jiu Jitsu literally is for everyone. I hear people in the public mention how they’re too old to do this sport, and yet I am friends with and personally know people who not only train in their later years, but actively compete as well. In fact, I know 2 women who regularly compete in the […]
Read moreBoys Don’t Cry
While true that I may be off base with my assumptions here, I wonder why we tend to give women an almost ‘free pass’ when it comes to using kid gloves in the transition to BJJ, but we do not extend the courtesy to new men in the sport. While it can ring true that […]
Read moreMiddle Child Syndrome
Born too late to explore the earth, born too early to explore the galaxy; alas we are the middle children of history. Often times, this is how I feel, maybe not in such a broad, contextual sense of the phrase, but in little tidbits here and there. I’m surrounded by the constant reminder that I […]
Read moreNot Today
Man, let’s hear it for 2019 as the year that badass little girls reign supreme. I’m about to delve into some Game of Thrones spoilers so if you haven’t seen the mot current episode, I suggest putting this blog piece on hold. Lady Lyanna Mormont has to be somewhere around 12 years old and 80 […]
Read morePutting the ‘Possible’ in ‘Impossible’
As I approach my fight this coming week, I am doing some reflecting. Primarily, reflecting on all the good in my life because no matter the outcome for the title this weekend, I have so much going on that I can appreciate and be grateful for. There are people out there that love to throw […]
Read moreEverything Hurts; Enjoy the Ride
Sometimes, it can be pretty cathartic to vent out our grievances, but it also bares in mind the question of when it’s acceptable to complain about a handful of things and when it just becomes annoying. No one likes a complainer Karen, so chill out with your degenerative disks and arthritic fingers. Guess what, if […]
Read moreDon’t Stop Me Now
One life on this Earth. Just the one. Imagine just sitting idly by, watching the minutes pass to hours, then days, then weeks, and then years, never knowing what you are fully capable of. Sure, it might be a risk to put ourselves out there, but isn’t our happiness a risk worth taking? Hard work […]
Read moreRecovery; Good for the Body, Good for the Soul
Buckle your seat belts boys and girls, it’s time for another blog day Tuesday! I know I’ve talked before about the importance of self care (not only in Jiu Jitsu, but in life as well), and of the bonds we form in this sport that are incomparable to anything I can really explain, but I’d […]
Read moreHead, Shoulders, Knees, Plateaus
If you’ve trained Jiu Jiitsu for a significant amount of time and can say with the utmost confidence that you have never felt undeserving of your rank, I’m calling shenanigans right now. Some days you go on the mats kicking butt as the hammer, and other days you get pounded as the nail (I’m also […]
Read more