WPJJ Quals

In my last blog I signed off with a, “see you at the WPJJ qualifiers.” I was so close to not making it. I uhm-ed and ahh-ed all up until the nth hour booking last minute. Flights were expensive and because the event coincided with Chinese new year, accommodation was scarce, But, when push came to shove (and there was a lot of welcomed shove and support from my team mates and coach) I really wanted to be there and just needed to believe that I could be competitive, in both my division and the open. So I whipped out the credit card and quickly clicked toward the point of no return

Two weeks prior to the event, I competed in the local renegade comp, my first as a purple. It’s a no pressure round robin, with fresh bodies. A good opportunity to test my game. The event went well and I placed second, with two submissions, a cross collar choke from mount and an inverted arm bar, loosing one fight to an ankle lock. My ankles are particularly susceptible at the moment and one thing I have learnt over the last two weeks is that I have no confidence in them or my ankle lock defence.

Additionally, I hesitated because like many young athletes I undermine my previous success’. I significantly down play them and this mean I am often physically over prepared but mentally ill-equipped. Dealing with this is no quick process and something I can begin to long term plan for, but requires exterior help. I would describe myself quite sound of mind and grounded, I don't get nervous in the bull pen and I am comfortable performing at big and small events. However, if I judge the competitor as potentially dangerous or even better than me I really struggle to find my rhythm and game plan. Rather I spend the whole game waiting for them to enact the inevitable.

Over the weekend, I placed 3rd in the open and 2nd in my division against tough opponents and further confirmed these ideas. Craig totally overwhelmed me and out fought me, which is very disappointing. But, I've uncovered an interesting part of my competition psyche, which is just as a valuable as the ticket at this point of my jiu jitsu career and something I can continue working toward.