My Fun Attempt at Acting and MMA

A few months ago my friend Joe Riley who was a personal trainer at my gym approached me about helping him shoot a music video for his friends band. The idea was an underground girls mma tournament…. Basically a bunch of females kicking butt iron man style, whoever wins stays. Of course I said yes, it seemed like something fun and hey why not? I got to help teach a bunch of females how to do some basic stuff and hopefully drum up some interest in what I do.. So only one other female out of the group of girls had any form of experience. She was an amateur mma fighter and had stand up but not much ground work. The other ladies had no idea,  what they were getting into. So it was a full day shoot of just the females fighting. It was really interesting to try and create the fight scenes, decide how to ‘finish’ each fight, and then what else went in to each fight. I’ve never had someone shout at me to stop what I was doing and lose for a minute, or stop that choke and go for something else. I’ve always just gone into a match as ok this is what I’m going to do and this is how I am going to finish it. We did multiple takes of every fight from different angles, different moves etc. By far the most fun I had was getting picked up by my neck and then being thrown. Bet you cant tell I was standing on a chair the whole time… or that I got to do a flying cartwheel off of it! Anyway here is the video. It was a blast and I’m pretty sure all of the other ladies will agree it was definitely something new.

*Disclaimer, I have never done an MMA fight, I know some of the techniques aren’t perfect, and lord knows my standup probably looks hilarious, but everything is a little more exaggerated on a music video.

Here’s the video, enjoy!!

Promotion

Practices have been steadily getting better since going back into training. I’m able to go through pretty much a full practice without too much difficulty. I’m still working on things like sitting on my  feet in guard, but other than small things that will get better with stretching I’m getting closer and closer.

I’ve had a few really good practices recently, I’m hitting more and more moves that I haven’t done since last June before I got injured. This morning I pulled off a few good submissions and even an X guard sweep that I have been avoiding since it is a weird spot for my knee. It feels really nice that I am getting closer and closer to good movement again.

I got a little bit of a surprise at the end of class today. My coach Robert asked me to grab the tape he had torn into stripes at the end of class because he needed to promote a few people. After he got through the people he wanted to promote he grabbed the remaining two and promoted me. I was honestly really shocked. I had been hoping that I was improving but wasn’t confident that I was getting back to what I had been before. Granted I wasn’t in the best state when I came to Roberts school, so it was a huge surprise.

This past year and a half has been by far one of the hardest for me. I moved across country for a job, leaving behind pretty much everything. I was training at a school 45 mins. away, teaching kids’ classes, and trying to balance 50+ hours a week. When things started changing at the place I was training at and I realized it wasn’t a good environment for me. I changed schools, about a month before Pan Am’s. It wasn’t the best situation leaving that close to a big tournament, but Robert and BJJ Olympia took me in, worked to help me get ready however they could, and even sent me to the tournament with a card and food, hey food is a big deal for after a tournament. After getting injured in June, my teammates have been awesome. One of the guys, Chris, tore his ACL in soccer and we have gotten to pretty much go through rehab and getting back into BJJ together. Thank you Chris my fellow gimp! To the rest of my team, Irene, Ehren, Turbo, both Ryans, Joel, Bobby, Charlie, George,  and the many others who have had to train with me and work around my knee, thank you. Thank you so much for taking it easy on me while I worked my way back into practice. Thank you for letting me run techniques on you when that was all I could do. Thank you for helping when I started to have melt downs because I was so frustrated with my own limitations, and wanting to push myself too far. Finally, thank you all for pushing me when I was afraid or unsure to push myself. I can think of a few times with Ryan, Ehren, Turbo, George, and Bobby, where they decided I needed to work harder than I was and pushed me to do more. I may have been sore the next day, but it was the good sore, not the oh crap I cant use my knee, sore.

And to my Coach Robert. Thank you so much for everything this past year. I am forever grateful for all of the help and insight you have given me.

So what’s next? Well Saturday I will be refereeing at the Revolution. I am very excited to get the chance to be on the mats at a tournament, even though this time it will be as a referee. Robert asked me when I was going to compete again. At this point the only thing that is really stopping me is my knee, I need a little more flexibility in it before I am comfortable on competition. It’s definitely catching up on strength and my technique has gone way up, I just need to find #1 a tournament to train for, and #2 have that confidence in my knee. So we will see how it goes, as I’m constantly working to make my knee better!

Pushing the boundaries on my knee

It’s been a while since I have talked about my knee. Last June I ended up in the emergency room after a freak accident at practice I ended up tearing my meniscus, part of my ACL, and fractured part of the bone in my knee. I had 2 months of physical therapy, and then in August, I ended up having the surgery on my knee. The good news was the bone had healed and so had the meniscus. I got part of a cadaver woven into what was left of my ACL. I have had about 6 months of  working back to everything. Rehab, slow techniques, flow rolling, and now full class. I've been back to doing full classes for two weeks, and I’m excited because things are steadily improving. When I first started back, I couldn’t sit in guard, now I can sit and me butt touches my heels with very little discomfort. The range of motion, amount of working out I am able to do is astonishing compared to 9 months ago. It is a relief to do things like attempt takedowns, sit in guard, being able to even pull guard. I feel like I have taken everything for granted.

My knee has held up surprisingly well, I am working on lifting in the morning, with cardio, and then bjj at night. The knee is holding up well, it occasionally swells up, gets sore, just like anything that has been injured, or not used as much as it should have been. I’m slowly adjusting. The biggest example of this was when I took the physical fitness test to become a police officer. The push ups and sit ups were easy. I could do that no problem. My 300 meter dash wasn’t so much of a dash, but for my first run outside, I was happy. The hardest thing by far was a mile and a half run. It was cold, rainy and windy, and also my first run that far on ground. I did it in 13 min and 49 seconds. It was within the time they wanted from the candidates, and actually right in the middle. I was so excited to actually be able to do it. The days after though I noticed how much weaker my left leg still was…  My right calf and thigh were way more sore/ atrophied than my right leg.

Tonight was good though, I lasted through almost the whole practice, the one thing that caught me off guard was trying to positional spar from turtle. It was a little too difficult of a position for my knee. The constant bend and pressure from someone else’s weight , it is definitely sore.

So the good news again, is the swelling isn’t as bad, I’ve downgraded my knee brace and finally, I can train! I’m excited and cant wait to keep working hard at everything! just generally happy.

Basic First Aid for BJJ

After a slightly gross accident at jiu jitsu tonight I decided it would be a good idea to write a basic first aid post on how to fix some of the most common injuries and accidents. This will in no way give you any form of first aid, CPR, or AED training/ certification. It will hopefully help prevent, nasty spills, and if you can start to gauge how bad an injury is, then you can take the proper precautions and not do something to injure someone more than they already are. I have worked in the aquatics field for about 10 years. I started out as a lifeguard and have worked up to a management position. I have dealt with all kinds of minor and major medical emergencies. Even though I have training and certifications, I’m not an EMT nor doctor. I’m just going to go over frequent injuries we see in our sport and how to respond to them. Oh and the picture to the right is what happened at jiu jitsu practice. Someone was bleeding and obviously wasn’t able to get it to stop.

Side notes and Warnings

1. If you are going to be helping someone with an injury, always wear gloves, no offense to your friends and teammates but you don’t know what they have and you don’t want to catch anything.
2. Gauze is the normal thing to use to catch blood, it’s clean sterile and it’s made to specifically for first aid. If there isn’t gauze that’s fine. Paper towel, toilet paper, whatever, can be used as a substitute, but make sure you catch all the small pieces of debris it may leave.
3. I will be using sample pictures. Which means some may be gross, this is your warning, do not be mad at me if you stumble on something that you didn’t want to see.
4. When in doubt err on the safe side, if it look bad call 9-1-1, or get ahold of someone that can take them to the hospital.

1. Nose Bleed

We all know it happens, accidental elbows, falling face first into the ground. Nose bleeds are fairly common, but people seem to try and care for them differently. A quick and simple way to control a nose bleed when it happens is to sit up, lean slightly forward and pinch the nose at the bridge. Have gauze under the nose to catch any extra blood. If the blood does not slow you can also put ice on the back of the neck. If the blood does not stop or slow after 15 min. seek medical attention.

A few things to not do:

1. Do not lean your head back, swallowing blood isn’t ideal.
2. Do not force anything up into the nostril to catch blood. The blood may slow but when you go to remove the tissue, it can aggravate the nose and cause it to bleed again

2. Soft tissue injuries

These can be anything from bruises, blisters, cuts, etc. If it appears to be a shallow cut, use gauze to cover the bleeding, apply direct pressure, cover with a band aid and you are good to go!
If it is deep and seems to be gaping, or if it is spurting medical attention may be needed. The deeper or more severe the laceration (cut) seems to be the more important it is to control the bleeding by direct pressure, or pressure at a major pressure point (not the Japanees jiu jitsu thing but the major points that control bleeding). Keep the person looking at you and not at the blood, someone going into shock is not fun.
If there is an imbedded object do not pull it out, try to stabilize the object and take them to the doctor. You don’t know how deep it is, if there is more left behind, or what it is stopping from bleeding.

3. Unconsciousness

Going on unconscious at jiu jitsu is tricky. I am going to only talk about unconsciousness when it happens because of not tapping in time. Simply roll the person on their back, lift their feet about a foot off the ground and wait. The circulation of blood to the brain will return but the person will most likely be dazed and confused. Some people jolt, or make weird noises when they come to, it is normal, just weird the first time it happens.
Any other time someone goes unconscious, call 911. If you’re not trained in what to do, be safe call 911, if they wake up before 911 gets there EMS will at least check them out and make sure they are okay before leaving.

4. Concussions/ Head Injuries.

Concussions can range from mild to severe. A good hit can definitely do some damage. Symptoms of head injuries include headache, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light or sound, weakness, hematoma (fluid filled bump) at sight of impact, difficulty focusing eyes, difficulty standing, and eyes not dilating/ constricting to changes in light. Because head injuries can cause many underlying problems, if someone gets a head injury and their symptoms worsen, or they go unconscious seeing a doctor is highly recommended.

If someone gets a head injury, do not move them, let them decide when to move. If there is any bump or bruise forming ice as quickly as possible. Ask simple questions to see if they can remember/ understand. If the person starts vomiting, goes unconscious, or is unable to stand and walk on their own they need to seek immediate medical attention.

My own concussion during a tournament, go to 2:05 to see it happen.

5. Heat Related Emergencies

Heat related emergencies can be anything from dehydration due to training, up to heat stroke. Not all schools have air conditioning, or not all practices are cool. If you’re not protecting yourself properly something small can easily escalate to something life threatening. Symptoms for heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, extreme thirst, nausea, vomiting, weak, and or dizzy. If it progresses through to heat stroke, the symptoms are altered mental status, hot skin, seizures, and unconsciousness.  The best way to treat heat emergencies is to get them into a cool shaded area, remove loose clothing (gi’s), give them preferably a cool sports drink, if there is not a sports drink cool water, apply cold compresses to back of neck, armpits and groin. If the person is showing symptoms of heat stroke, call 911.

6. Broken bones,  Dislocations, etc.

Broken bones, dislocations, fully torn muscles, anything that has to do with majorly injuring the skeletal system  has relatively similar care and symptoms. Symptoms will be discoloration, swelling, limbs or joints pointing in the wrong direction, severe pain, deformity, and protruding bones. The care for broken or dislocated anything is pretty simple. Touch it as little as possible, and move it as little as possible. If they have it in a position that hurts the least, leave it that way, and either call 911 or help them get transported to the hospital to get it taken care of. Too much moving will cause lots of pain. Do not try to  ‘pop it back in’ If you’re not trained to re position or realign it, don’t do it! If the person does have a protruding bone, cover the area lightly with gauze and have them keep their focus on anything other than the injury.

Clean up

Finally clean up for any form of bodily fluid make sure to glove up, use disinfectant, and disposable paper towels. Wrap everything in a trash bag  Tie the trash bag closed and dispose of it safely. If you get blood on your clothing make sure to remove clothing if possible and clean them as quickly as possible. Do not leave messes for others to try and clean, you never know what you may have swimming in your body that can be transferred to others. Finally, after you’re done with cleaning, make sure to wash your hands, and anywhere you may have gotten blood on yourself.
So there you go! 6 injuries that happen in our sport. The first three are the most common but in the off chance something a little more severe does happen these basic things can greatly help. Remember whenever in doubt get someone else over there who may have more experience with injuries and have them help.
I hope this helped even a little bit, if you have more exact questions you want answered about basic first aid I would love to answer any questions!!!

A great practice back

Tonight was my second no gi class back after being cleared to train. My first class back was killer. I'm not use to the training and I'm feeling it both legs. We've worked a lot in the past to classes I've gone to on positional sparring. We do 6x2 min. rounds of positional sparring from guard, the second time was 6x2 min. rounds of positional sparring from side control. After that we did 30% takedown drills. Finally we started standing up and after the takedown. We had 1 min sparring on the ground (iron man style).

I'm really excited that I actually was able to do the whole practice and I'm not feeling any pain. I even did the 30% takedown drill without too much stress on my knee. When we went live starting from standing though I was a little more cautious. I didn't fight takedowns, and I didn't really go for any either. Honestly I'm just so nervous right now about takedowns... I know it will take me a while to get back into everything but some things are just going to take longer for me to get accustomed to again.

Tomorrow is gi class. I can't wait to get back in a gi and see how I am progressing in gi. I always preferred it to no gi but it is a completely different beast.

I'm also getting closer and closer to sitting in a proper guard.... I still can't fully sit back on my heels but I'm getting so close!!!! Wish me luck! Stretching that ligament slowly is difficult..

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A list of Previous Posts pertaining to Women Training BJJ

While I get back into BJJ, blogging, and training up again, I wanted to post a list with links to past posts to topics of women training BJJ as the main topic. Each link will have the original post date, and a quick blurb on what it’s about. Enjoy! I loved writing all of them and hopefully they help in some way!

 

Women’s Training in BJJ

7/19/11- 3 different ways women’s training is changing and evolving. A look at women’s only classes, open mats, and women’s only seminars (Girls in Gis)

Why Training with a Female can Help your Game

6/28/11- Written mostly for fun with the reasons compiled by comments other females and I have gotten while training with guys.

Women in BJJ

6/3/11- Women in BJJ, some of the difficulties women face and how it can seem intimidating.

The Blue Belt Triangle (Part 1)

11/9/10- On getting your blue belt, the slump of females at blue belt, and getting through it to a purple belt.

The new Obstacle for Jiu Jitsu Women

6/3/10- Pregnancy and jiu jitsu. Training BJJ, getting pregnant and trying to train while pregnant.

 

Alright I am off to practice!! wish me luck on teaching munchkins and then no gi class tonight! I cant wait to train and see how I feel!!

Returning to Bjj and blogging

After 6 months of trying to be good and not push it too much with light training I'm excited to be able to start training again on Wednesday! My knee has regained muscle, even though it still has a little bit to go to be the same as my right leg. It doesn't hurt, but the muscles are sore, which I can handle.

I am excited for the next few weeks... I'm hoping I can find that fire again just by being on the mats, not having to baby it every time.

Las Vegas has been kind of a cool vacation for me. I got my first real vacation in over a year. I went to see where they hold the UFC at Mandalay bay, and went to the tattoo shop inside the hard rock hotel. The interesting part was 2 of the tattoo artists at Hart and Huntington did Brazilian jiu jitsu at Lloyd Irvin's school in Vegas. one was a purple belt, riddled with injuries but he has always gone back to training.

One other pretty cool thing happened, women representing Brazilian jiu jitsu actually went hunting through my blog and pulled out a old post I had written about the slump for most women in Bjj. Because there was such an interest in it I will be putting links to some of the old ones in my next post just to bring them to the forefront and make them a little more accessible.


My goal for this year in Bjj? Stripes on my purple belt.


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