Last Saturday we had the pleasure to have Prof. Garth Taylor at Bangkok BJJ. His seminar focused on takedowns, specifically the double and single leg takedowns. It was an awesome seminar and so much fun. I had been weary of takedowns since my shoulder injury, but now that it has recovered, everything was fine. I had  a lot of fun, particularly with double legs which has always been a favourite of mine. Prof. Taylor got into the details of each technique and it's often the little things that you change/do that make all the difference. This is what we really learnt at this seminar. Was to take something but really break it down, understand it amd drill, drill drill! It has been good as we have been drilling a lot in class as well.

Am gearing up for the competitions ahead this year. I am working with kettlebells and pilates for overall (core) strenght and running/jogging then jump rope for cardio. Nothing beats that for cardio! That I learnt from the Thai Boxers here :)

Many girlfriends are competing soon in  the Philipines and hopefully will have some pictures and things to share after. They are all training hard right now and want to send them all  the positive energy in the world :)

Here are some pics from our time with Prof. Taylor.

New Year Resolutions

Today was my first day back after a three week hiatus over Christmas and New Years. It was good to be back on the mat. I felt refreshed and ready, though I really need to get back into my running routine, my cardio sucked! I had been reading over Saulo Ribeiro's "Jiu-Jitsu University" over the holidays and was inspired not only by the plethora of techniques available but of the way Ribeiro spoke of BJJ. It stuck with my that I want to step on the mats and really let my ego go and just play. This year I want to study hard and play, play, play.

A lot of people treat the New Year as a time to focus on getting fit and losing weight (yeah, I ate a few too many mince pies too....) but whilst I acknowledge that I do desire to lose weight this year, I also felt like I was devaluing my body by feeling this. So many women (and men too) get caught up  in weight issues, myself included and sometimes training in a sport like BJJ, you do become aware of your weight. I am aware that I am definatley the bigger girl here in Bangkok. I stand at 5'9 and lets just say I am not in the 60 and below weight bracket! This plays on my mind sometimes, and I wonder if other girls have ever felt that way? But then I got to thinking about me. I appreciate that my body is strong. It has faced and overcome challenges. I have been injured and recovered. My body treats me well and allows me to do what I can do. I owe a lot to it.

I believe that is why I want to treat me body well too. This year is about studying hard, playing and treating my body with care. I read in a magazine (ok, not the most reliable of sources) someone state that when people say they want to get fit that they are lying. That what everyone really wants is to lose weight. As stated, I am not immune to the desire to lose some weight, but I really want to just treat my body better and if a result is losing some weight, well that's just a bonus! So part of my study and practice is to incorporate a better diet, do more interval cardio runs and jump rope, kettlebells and pilates and meditation. Funnily enough, meditation is the hardest part for me. But I really want to work on it this year.

I hope all of you gals out there can appreciate your body for what it is as well. Look at how well it serves you in BJJ and be proud of it. HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone and have fun playing on the mats :)