A recap of the Abu Dhabi World Pro Jiu Jitsu Championships

Last week, I had the honor to attend the World Professional Jiu Jitsu championships in Abu Dhabi. There are 2 ways to attend this tournament:

a) You can win one of the qualifier tournaments held around the world and earn an all expense paid trip to the tournament




b) You can just enter the tournament and pay for the trip yourself




Until now, I actually didn't know option B existed, but in a tournament of over 5,000 competitors, that's how most people get there. I tried to win the qualifier 3 times, on 3 different years, and finally won the New York qualifier this year to win the free trip. But I probably spent as much to attend the 3 qualifiers as it would have cost to directly book the Abu Dhabi trip, so I am not knocking option B.

Me, after winning the NY qualifier

Persistence pays!

Overall, this was the most international tournament that I have ever attended, attracting competitors from all over the world and a much higher percentage of non-Americans than the Mundials. (I was actually the only person from the US in my bracket. The rest were from Europe, Brazil, Australia, and the Middle East).


I can see why such a wide net of competitors is drawn to this tournament. Abu Dhabi itself is a beautiful and diverse city. There are some cultural differences in dress and social contact, but foreign visitors are welcomed with warm hospitality. Trial winners are taken care of in every way, from representatives meeting us to escort us through the airport, to a 24 hr training room in the host hotel, to laundry services to clean our dirty gis. But the biggest drawing point is that this tournament is a rare opportunity for jiu jitsu athletes to win serious prize money.




Overall, the trip was an amazing experience and I can't wait to go back one day. My only complaint is how far behind schedule both the NY trials and the World Pro ran. In tournaments where brackets are released days ahead of time, it is possible to produce a fairly accurate tournament schedule. In both tournaments, I had to be in the waiting area 1 hour before I was scheduled to compete but didn't actually go until almost 3 hours AFTER scheduled. That means I had to be on deck (mentally psyched up and ready to compete when called) for a total of 4 hours. That is mentally a very tough thing to do. (I also felt bad for my friends at home who woke up at 4:00 am to watch me compete, but didn't see me go until almost 3 hours later).


I ended up taking a silver medal in the 70+ kilos purple belt division. I did some things well and some things not so well. I learned a lot from my matches and hope to come back stronger next time!

 

 

How often do you train jiu jitsu? How often do you WANT to train? Examining the discrepancies

I am lucky to get to train jiu jitsu a lot. On average, I put in 1 long jiu jitsu training session, 6 days a week. But I think I am even luckier that I WANT to train as often as I do.

Meaning, I almost never drag myself to the mats when I don’t feel like it. Because I feel like training just about every day. To illustrate, enjoy this helpful diagram:

I should feel happy to have hit this sweet spot of training frequency bliss, right? Well, I'll let you in on a secret. There are people out there that train more than I do. And knowing this gives me anxiety.

Example: It’s New Year’s Day! There are 3 local open mats, occurring at different times. I attend one and feel good about myself for training on a holiday. Until my friends decide to go to ALL 3!! ::insert compulsive, guilt-ridden anxiety attack::

To put my feelings in perspective, I polled my Facebook friends about their training. I posted the following question:

“On average, how often do you train? Choose from the following: A) As often as I want. B) Less often than I want. C) More often than I want (I push myself to train when I don’t feel like it)."

Here’s what I found:

Of the folks who responded, only 21% reported training as often as they want. What do these folks have in common?  A love for training and an opportunity and desire to do so frequently. Here are some of their comments:

“I always feel like training.”
 
“My motivation is that I love it and that it’s the most fun thing in the world!”

 “Most of the time, I am able to get 2 a day in on weekdays and 1 a day on weekends.”

“@50 hrs of mat time per week. Love my life.”    (This inspired the below comment from his teammate, a category B-er).

I most often belong in this group. I have a lifestyle and family structure that make daily training an easy option. For me, having a flexible job, a spouse that trains, and no kids are big factors that enable me to train as often as I want, without sacrificing other priorities. 

But for a lot of folks, training that much is difficult. The largest group of respondents (68%) reported training less often than desired.  Work, kids, partners that don’t train, school, injuries, availability of training space and partners, and distance from the gym are the most frequent limiting factors.

Here are a few of the issues:

“Work, life, and jiu-jitsu balance.”

“Recovery…Training while still sore makes me slower, less precise, and injury prone. The last thing I want to do is drill that way.”

“School. I have to budget in training time and work around studying and hospital hours. Sometimes it's frustrating and I feel like I haven't progressed in months, but any training is better than no training at all!”

“I had disk surgery and it's hard to explain to people why I don't feel comfortable doing some techniques. I'm scared of being re-injured.”

While I mostly reside in blissful group A, I drop in on group B from time to time. I get motivated to ramp up my training before big tournaments. But when I add additional rolling sessions to my regimen, my joint health takes a toll. My knees, wrists, and elbows get grumpy without enough rest. While my muscles are still able to recover quickly from high impact sessions, my joints behave like petulant 2-yr-old assholes.

I'm stealing this meme from my above group B friend. But this captures exactly how I feel about my soon-to-be-35-yr-old-joints.

In the last group, 18% of respondents train more often than they want to. In other words, they push themselves to train even when they don’t feel like it. (If you are a smarty pants math geek who noticed that my percentages add up to more than 100%, please note that some people placed themselves into more than 1 category).

Here’s what drives people to train, even when they don’t wanna:

“I always feel better after having trained.”

“BJJ combats my PTSD...plus, I have the invite to so many training sessions with really, really good guys that I just can't say no.”

“There are plenty of times where coming home after a long day could very easily result in total couch implosion, but I drag my sorry ass to train b/c I know I will always be happier about it after the fact (even if the couch is using its full, tantalizing power).”

“What drives me to go even when I don't feel like it is just being in the routine and putting it on my weekly planner and knowing I'll probably be glad I went afterward.”

So, where does your training fit in? Are you able to train as often as you would like? Like me, do you ever feel anxiety when others train more than you do? Post comments below!

Women's self defense and rape prevention: 1975 vs. 2016

I eat lunch at a co-op a couple of times a week, where there is a book exchange shelf sponsored by the local library. There I stumbled upon this:

As you know, I think women's self defense is awesome. I took one look at the 70's pants and was immediately curious. How have the concepts of women's self defense changed over the past 40+ years?

I began reading with a look how far we've come attitude. And, yes, I do believe that the Western world is a better and safer place for women now than it was in 1975, when the book was written. The clothing on the cover is certainly dated. But I wondered - how far removed is the advice in the book from what we get today?

Women today have access to a lot of resources. There are plenty of legitimate sources of self defense to choose from, such as the Gracie Jiu Jitsu school where I train. But there is also plenty of outdated, bogus, victim-blaming, or just plain bad self defense advice still circulating.

So let's play a little game. For each of the pairs below, one is from the above 1975 book and one is from a source from the last 10 years. There is some sound advice mixed in with some not-so-sound advice. Can you tell which quote from each pair is from the modern era? The answer key is at the bottom.

1. On safety for single woman
A) "Single women should never place their full name on a mailbox - your first and middle initial may be used, not 'Miss,' 'Ms' or 'Mrs'."

B) "Single women, because they are often obligated only to care for themselves, are able to experience being frivolous and free. This is all part of being an independent female and should not be impaired by well-meaning friends and relatives who are so archaic as to believe that a woman without the company of a man should not venture out into the streets alone. The key to a single woman's safety is not a man but common sense."    

2. On taking responsibility for preventing rape 
A) "Police are constantly astounded by the stupidity of us women. They claim that the majority of attacks on women could by remedied by 'common sense'."
B) "Use the Buddy System! If it is inconvenient for you to stop yourself from raping women, ask a trusted friend to accompany you at all times."

3. On studying self defense
A)  "Eliminating dangers at home, at work, on the street, and in your car, and recognizing and avoiding these dangers by running, talking and screaming are the first two strategies employed in women's self defense. The only time you will ever use the third strategy, fighting, is when your life or health is in danger."  
B)  "Practice self-defense. Knowing in advance how you would respond to a physical threat greatly increases your chances of escape. Anyone can learn self-defense and classes are often available free or at a low cost through schools and community context."

4. On dress and hairstyle
A) "The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid, or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets."
B) "When you go on a date, wear appropriate clothing. Wearing a super short skit with a man who you hardly know may be too inviting for him. A pantsuit is a wiser alternative."

5. On using bodily fluids as a weapon
A) "Tell your attacker that you have a disease or are menstruating. Vomiting or urinating may also convince the attacker to leave you alone."
B) "Pretending you are ill is a clever tactic toward diverting his interests. Developing menstrual cramps (which men don't really understand anyway!) and nausea should ward him off. If he's a persistent devil, you could even resort to simulating a coughing or vomiting spell." 

6. On using your teeth
A) "...if he picks you up and begins carrying you away, you could bite off his ear. Don't just nibble on it - he may get the wrong impression!"
B) "Without a doubt, using your teeth can be a formidable weapon, something a self-defense course or self-defense instructor may forget to include. Nothing wrong at all with traditional self-defense methods like punches, kicks, ground-defenses and such. Just don't forget that clawing, biting and piercing screams may be just as effective!"

7. On posting vacation plans
A) "There may be a better way to say 'Rob me, please' than posting something along the lines of: 'Count-down to Maui! Two days and Ritz Carlton, here we come!' on [a social networking site]. But it's hard to think of one."
B) "Don't announce that you are going away on the social page of the newspaper. This may undo all the careful precautions you have taken to fool potential burglars."

8. On dealing with flashers 
A) "Should you see an exhibitionist or a 'weenie wagger'...your wisest tactic is to ignore the man and call the police. Do not laugh at him or make demeaning comments - 'Sorry, sir, but I haven't time to deal with your shortcomings'."
B) "If confronted by a flasher, try to leave the situation as quickly and calmly as possible, without giving him the reaction he seeks. Keep moving - away. If you react, give him an exaggerated eye roll, give him an expression or snort of disgust, or call him a loser, then tell him you are calling 911. Then call 911 as soon as possible."

9. On hitchhiking
A) "Many experts believe that rape is increasing as a direct result of female hitchhikers."
B) "Hitchhiking can be a good way to improve your conversation skills. Often drivers pick up hikers to have some conversation on an otherwise long and lonely trip." 

10. On meeting men in bars
A) "A woman who goes to a bar, meets a man, and goes home with him to his apartment is putting herself in jeopardy. The man could rape, rob, and murder her  - all because of her carelessness." 
B) "Watch the bartender as he or she pours your drink. To be extra safe, drink wine instead of a cocktail. Mixed drinks take longer to make. You could be easily distracted and miss the bartender (who could be working with the predator) or someone else slipping something into your drink."

11. On changing your mind about sex
A) "It doesn’t matter if your partner thinks you meant yes, or if you’ve already started having sex – you have the right to change your mind about participating in sexual activity at any time. No one has the right to control your body but you."
B) "A woman who sexually excites a man and then stops him, claiming she's 'not that kind of girl' deserves to be raped and sometimes is."

12. On handling dangerous children
A) "If you are confronted by a group of small children who harass you verbally, simply ignore them. If that fails, try to talk to them in an authoritative manner to find out what they want. If you feel that you are really in danger, it is best to comply with their demands. If you cannot comply, flail your arms and legs and scream karate cries. Lead them to believe you are a black-belt wonderwoman."
B) I could not find a modern counterpoint to this piece of advice, but it was too priceless not to include. 

Here are the answers for the rest of the pairs. The quotes from the modern era are:
1. A: 2006 http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/16safe.html 
2. B: 2013 http://canyourelate.org/2011/05/24/rape-prevention-tips/ 
3. B: 2015 http://well.wvu.edu/articles/tips_for_preventing_sexual_assault
4. A: 2013 http://www.examiner.com/article/rape-prevention-tips-every-woman-should-know  
5. A:  2013 University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Department of Public Safely 
6. B: 2011 http://womensselfdefensetips.blogspot.com/2011/02/taking-bite-out-of-crime.html  
7. A: 2010 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/01/what-not-to-post-on-facebook_n_764338.html 
8. B: 2015 http://walking.about.com/od/medfirstaid/a/exhibitionists.htm 
9. B: 2016 http://wikitravel.org/en/Tips_for_hitchhiking 
10. B: 2013 http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/advice/a4364/safety-tips-every-woman-should-know/  
11. A: 2015 http://www.dallasrapecrisis.org/what-we-do/was-i-raped/   

Women's self defense concepts and attitudes have come a long way, but clearly there is room for improvement. Just remember, when in doubt, flail about, scream karate cries, and act like a black-belt wonderwoman.