There is a saying often used in life, “go with the flow”. Basically when you stop and think about it, it boils down to not getting hung up on the small things you can’t control. Just kick back and enjoy the journey no matter where it takes you.
This is what I have been trying to do for this past year really. Life on and off the mats has been crazy in 2010. When I say crazy I mean some good and some bad, but that is life and you have to go with the flow. Since this is a BJJ blog I’m not going to bore you with the off the mat stuff, but let me fill you in on the Jiu Jitsu happenings of 2010. First of all I have stepped into a teaching roll with my girlfriend Bri who I often post about. We continue to help carry the Foundry flag with all of our team mates. At first I thought maybe teaching would take away from my learning progress, but I think at this point I can say that it hasn’t. Having to prepare class and research moves 4 days a week forces you to constantly think about Jiu Jitsu. I think always thinking about Jiu Jitsu makes you think outside the box and develop your game in areas you normally wouldn’t.
We have coached our team so far at 3 local tournaments this year and The Foundry represented well at all of them. This is a great feeling, when you teach someone how to do something and then see them apply it, and then see how happy they are. That is such an amazing feeling. Here are the highlight videos from two of the 3 events. The Freestyle Grappling Open and the Maine Skirmish. Enjoy!
Ok, so I may be a lil’ biased on this one. Brianne’s my girlfriend and we actually met at Jiu Jitsu. As you can gather from this interview she has been into Jiu Jitsu for a while now. From my perspective it was refreshing to meet a female who had the same interest as me BEFORE she met me. This guarenteed she was actually interested in bjj and not just tagging along to hang out with me. I wanted to offer this interview for any female followers of my blog. Sometimes it’s better to hear things like this from someone who is still a beginner. It’s easier to relate to someone who is either going through the same things you are, or has recently, instead of a female black belt who may have been a beginner over 10 years ago. I hope you all find this interview interesting and entertaining. If any females want to weigh in with their thoughts they are more then welcome. I also highly recommend reading Bjj Grrl’s Blog for more of a female prospective. Also of course Hillary Williams website for more info on her goals and accomplishments. Enjoy!
TheMove- What is your name?
Pouncing Puma- Brianne Genschel
TheMove- What is your rank?
Pouncing Puma- 3 stripe Blue
TheMove- How long have you been training?
Pouncing Puma- Almost three years now
TheMove- What is your lineage?
Pouncing Puma- I began training under Noel Danforth who is a brown belt under Joe Moreira. Noel has moved south and I am currently training under Jon Lamarche who is a black belt under Joe.
TheMove- Tell us a bit about your martial arts background and history?
Pouncing Puma- I developed an interest in martial arts when I was in High School due to some friends I had met at the time. They got me involved in Japanese Jiu Jitsu at the time, but while we were training that they discovered BJJ. We began training in their back yard and on their living room floor. This was back in 1998. When I graduated High School and went on to college I gave up martial arts for a time, but the pull was too strong and before I knew it I was back training BJJ with Noel and Missy (his wife). I’ve been consistently involved for almost three years now.
TheMove- What got you into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
Pouncing Puma- Back in ’98′ BJJ in Maine was no more than a whisper. When my buddies Matt and James discovered it we began training in the back yard. We moved to the community center in town and used to dabble before our JJJ class started. They are definitely to blame for my love and addiction to the sport. Thanks guys!
TheMove- What’s kept you invested BJJ all this time?
Pouncing Puma- The camaraderie of my team. The people I train with have become some of my closest friends. My team is something that keeps me motivated at those times when I feel my game is slipping, and push me at those times when I am excelling and on a run with my game. They are also the people I spend much of my time with off the mats. They are my BJJ team and my BJJ family.
TheMove- How long do you see yourself practicing bjj?
Pouncing Puma- Forever. That was an easy one.
TheMove- If you could use 3 words to describe your game type what would they be?
Pouncing Puma- Pressure, Pressure, Pressure.
TheMove- What is your favorite technique?
Pouncing Puma-
Favorite Submission: Ezekiel
Favorite Guard Pass: Bull Fighter Pass
Favorite Position: Full Mount
Favorite Take Down: Drop Sao-Nagi
TheMove- Training with mostly guys it must be tough, do you have any tips for a female beginner? This could be mental tips as well.
Pouncing Puma- Don’t be intimidated! This is a man’s sport in the eyes of many, but the guys in my club have learned not to under-estimate a woman. They may be bigger than we are, and naturally stronger, but this is a sport of technique, skill and brains. You have to know how to outsmart your opponent whether they are male or female.
TheMove- Do you think training with males mostly is a good thing or does it
hinder your game and growth?
Pouncing Puma- I think that training with mostly all men has forced me to rely more on my technique and ability to think through my game. There is no way I am going to out-muscle them, so I have had to develop techniques and game plans that will be effective.
TheMove- What is your biggest frustration as a female competitor in a sport
mostly run by men?
Pouncing Puma- They never have women’s sized shirts at competitions. I always have to give my competitor shirts to my boyfriend! You know women are competing. If you are going to give shirts to competitors buy ones that will fit women as well! Seriously . . . This is my biggest frustration.
TheMove- Who is your favorite female BJJ fighter and why?
Pouncing Puma- I think Hillary Williams is vicious. I watched her compete at the Pan Ams last years, and I’ve since seen some videos of her fights. This is a girl that has it together and is a kick ass BJJ fighter.
TheMove- Who is your favorite male BJJ fighter and why?
Pouncing Puma- Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza – We named our dog after him.
Yup it’s that time of year again folks. Most people are starting to think about their resolutions for the new year. Some are going to quit smoking again, others are going to lose weight again, but lets think of something different…Jiu Jitsu! So lets hear it. What are your Jiu Jitsu resolutions? When thinking of one, make sure to be specific enough so that you can track your progress. I personally am going to work on sweeping from the bottom and gaining the mount. I feel that I need to work on my subs from mount and I am a guard guy, so I need to sweep the person to get on top. The more I put myself in the mount position the more I am forced to make sub attempts from there. On a side note make sure to subscribe to my blogs RSS feed. You can do this by clicking the link that says subscribe to this feed towards the top left of the page. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holidays!
Jiu Jitsu has affected me in such positive ways it’s crazy. At the same time it’s hard to list them out on paper. I guess it’s just an over all feeling that’s hard to step back from and dissect. I can state the obvious, like I lost a lot of weight just by doing bjj 3 times a week. I lost like 30 pounds I think. I have been able to cut down lower for competitions so in a way jiu jitsu has shown me that I do in fact have control over my health, and being fat and lazy is somewhat of a choice. The less obvious ones are things like confidence in myself and my abilities. Not just on the mat, but in life. Every night when you step out onto the mats you overcome something. When you are mounted and you feel hopeless, you suddenly gain half guard and work hard to regain full guard. Once you are there things don’t seem so bad. This outlook helps so much in everyday life. So what about you? What has jiu jitsu done for your life?
It’s often said that soldiers will form lifetime bonds with the people they go to battle with. They trust their lives to each other and know that when the shit hits the fan their teammates will be there to back them up. This happens in jiu-jitsu as well. You may not have to trust your life to your teammates, but you sure as hell put your own safety in their hands. This fact forms the bonds that make teammates like extended family. Tonight at the Foundry we had a big class again, the mats were full of familiar faces. Some we haven’t seen in months, some only a few days. There is something about sitting on the mats with friends learning things together, sharing new moves you have been trying out and chatting about life that brings people together.
