My gym is getting WAY bigger...teehee:)
...and GinasticaInstructor doin' his thang...I gotta learn that sweep at :45.
...and GinasticaInstructor doin' his thang...I gotta learn that sweep at :45.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Ah, to be a big person that's agile...
Seeing Cyborg move makes the pain of Saturday morning agility and conditioning even more worth it.
Inspiration Porn
I'm going to say something that is likely a very unpopular sentiment. Those inspiration posters/videos with people missing an arm/leg/eye and doing something non-disabled people are generally too lazy to do...the ones that people seem to love in BJJ...the ones I didn't see much of until I started training...they irk me. I couldn't figure out exactly why until I read this article. The picture below is a perfect example:
Yes, it's cute. The look on Oscar Pistorius' face is possibly more endearing than the adorable little girl...but that quote...that line from Scott Hamilton does so much to reduce those with disabilities to caricatures.
Phillipa Willits put my misgivings into words that I couldn't quite pinpoint...
Yes, it's cute. The look on Oscar Pistorius' face is possibly more endearing than the adorable little girl...but that quote...that line from Scott Hamilton does so much to reduce those with disabilities to caricatures.
Phillipa Willits put my misgivings into words that I couldn't quite pinpoint...
Using a snapshot of disabled people as a tool to convey a message to, primarily, non-disabled people, involves playing on stereotypes and assumptions. It removes a person’s humanity and individuality in order to present them in a way that will goad a non-disabled person to buck up their ideas. It does not matter who the people in these photographs are, as long as their representation is enough to guilt non-disabled people into action. Their use of prosthetics is the only thing about them that is of interest in these images, and it automatically turns them into some kind of superhero. Along with the captions, the implication is supposed to be, “Wow, they have a great attitude!”.
I think what I find most insidious, is that the image of the happy, disabled person overcoming all odds with a positive attitude can effectively erase the awareness of the viewer--basically allowing them to "forget" a lot of the unpleasantness of life that the idea of disability so rudely reminds them of...and I'm guessing that forgetfulness doesn't stop at just affecting the disabled. I'd be willing to bet it makes it easier for all of us to reduce the people in our lives to snippets of their individual existences.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Big Chicks: Men's take on larger women
We're a bit of an enigma in BJJ. Women that outsize men. Most discussions on training with women will focus on advising men how to train with smaller, weaker bodies...but what do you do when the body is larger, possibly stronger and female?
So, rolling out of my previous post on Christy Thomas, and to make up for my stupidly missing a seminar by Gabi Garcia, I want to get this theme started. I've written on it a couple of times before, but hadn't talked to any actual men about the situation. (I'll definitely be doing more in the future, so if you've got any stories, tips or questions, hit me up.)
First up, the man himself, Slideyfoot and my favorite BrownBelt Instructor, Ryan Gallagher of American Top Team West Palm Beach. I don't have any experience with Slidey (though I hope to in the future), but Ryan was one of the first to comment on my size/strength and was instrumental in shaping my perspective. I was glad to see them both answer my curiosity about the control of larger women vs. the control of larger men.
Thanks guys!
How accustomed are you to training with women?
Can: Very used to training with women: my first training partner in 2006 was a woman, then from about 2007-2009, my main regular training partner was also a woman.
Ryan: I’m pretty well accustomed to training with women. As an instructor I like to train with my students as often as I can. That being said, I have quite a few students that are women. I often train with some women to begin my live training session for the evening. I feel this gives me the option to not have to be forced to use strength when I train.
What was your first reaction to rolling with a larger woman?
Can: I was pleased: I generally find women more mature, considerate and controlled then men. The machismo that can often rear its head with men (particularly if they are young and strong) is also rare in women. Rolling with a more powerful woman meant that I had to rely on technique, but could do so without being as concerned about injury as I would be with a larger man. That's not to say there are no good training partners who are larger men: I have had the pleasure of training with several very helpful but very large men. However, I've found that to be comparatively rare.
Ryan: Training with a larger women is no different than training with someone else for the most part. Sometimes this forces you to become even more technical because of their size and strength. When training, you always want to try to be as technical as you can, utilizing leverage and correct technique as much as possible. Sometimes training with a male that uses a lot of strength you find yourself trying to match them and at times becoming a little rougher with them to prove a point. Personally when I find myself training with a woman that is larger and that is strong I will always avoid taking the path of strength because she is a woman. This only leaves me with the option of using my technique and speed to overcome this obstacle.
What difficulties (if any) do you have now?
Can: With larger women? None, except that I don't get to do it as often these days due to the smaller number at my club. If you mean with training in general, my main problem is probably not taking enough risks, being too passive and relying too much on my defence. However, I think the benefits of training that way outweigh the negatives, with the biggest plus being a reduction in injury and therefore a longer lifetime on the mat.
Ryan: I don’t find any real difficulties that I wouldn’t normally have with anyone else.
How does it compare to rolling with men in general?
Ryan: I feel the only difference with rolling with larger men than women is that I always try to avoid using strength and I find myself not playing as tight of a game against a woman.
Have you learned anything or do you have any advice to guys who may be new to the experience?
Ryan: I learn something with any individual that I train with. My advice to men that train with larger women is to treat them just like you would anyone else. Sometimes you will even find women that would be offended if you didn’t treat them as such. Don’t let a woman win just because she’s a woman and you’re trying to be considerate. They need to win and lose just like anyone else to better their jiu jitsu. I always try to avoid winning by solely relying on strength with anyone but most specifically when it comes to training with a woman.
Can: I would highly recommend that men train with women generally, particularly small men, as you will probably find that often women are the closest to you in size. In regards to training with larger women, this is also especially beneficial to smaller men, as you have the opportunity to focus purely on technique (because you can't fall back on strength) without an accompanying risk of injury (generally: there are exceptions, though I haven't met any large women who were uncontrolled).
Thanks to both Ryan and Can!
So, rolling out of my previous post on Christy Thomas, and to make up for my stupidly missing a seminar by Gabi Garcia, I want to get this theme started. I've written on it a couple of times before, but hadn't talked to any actual men about the situation. (I'll definitely be doing more in the future, so if you've got any stories, tips or questions, hit me up.)
First up, the man himself, Slideyfoot and my favorite BrownBelt Instructor, Ryan Gallagher of American Top Team West Palm Beach. I don't have any experience with Slidey (though I hope to in the future), but Ryan was one of the first to comment on my size/strength and was instrumental in shaping my perspective. I was glad to see them both answer my curiosity about the control of larger women vs. the control of larger men.
Thanks guys!
How accustomed are you to training with women?
Can: Very used to training with women: my first training partner in 2006 was a woman, then from about 2007-2009, my main regular training partner was also a woman.
Ryan: I’m pretty well accustomed to training with women. As an instructor I like to train with my students as often as I can. That being said, I have quite a few students that are women. I often train with some women to begin my live training session for the evening. I feel this gives me the option to not have to be forced to use strength when I train.
What was your first reaction to rolling with a larger woman?
Can: I was pleased: I generally find women more mature, considerate and controlled then men. The machismo that can often rear its head with men (particularly if they are young and strong) is also rare in women. Rolling with a more powerful woman meant that I had to rely on technique, but could do so without being as concerned about injury as I would be with a larger man. That's not to say there are no good training partners who are larger men: I have had the pleasure of training with several very helpful but very large men. However, I've found that to be comparatively rare.
Ryan: Training with a larger women is no different than training with someone else for the most part. Sometimes this forces you to become even more technical because of their size and strength. When training, you always want to try to be as technical as you can, utilizing leverage and correct technique as much as possible. Sometimes training with a male that uses a lot of strength you find yourself trying to match them and at times becoming a little rougher with them to prove a point. Personally when I find myself training with a woman that is larger and that is strong I will always avoid taking the path of strength because she is a woman. This only leaves me with the option of using my technique and speed to overcome this obstacle.
What difficulties (if any) do you have now?
Can: With larger women? None, except that I don't get to do it as often these days due to the smaller number at my club. If you mean with training in general, my main problem is probably not taking enough risks, being too passive and relying too much on my defence. However, I think the benefits of training that way outweigh the negatives, with the biggest plus being a reduction in injury and therefore a longer lifetime on the mat.
Ryan: I don’t find any real difficulties that I wouldn’t normally have with anyone else.
How does it compare to rolling with men in general?
Ryan: I feel the only difference with rolling with larger men than women is that I always try to avoid using strength and I find myself not playing as tight of a game against a woman.
Have you learned anything or do you have any advice to guys who may be new to the experience?
Ryan: I learn something with any individual that I train with. My advice to men that train with larger women is to treat them just like you would anyone else. Sometimes you will even find women that would be offended if you didn’t treat them as such. Don’t let a woman win just because she’s a woman and you’re trying to be considerate. They need to win and lose just like anyone else to better their jiu jitsu. I always try to avoid winning by solely relying on strength with anyone but most specifically when it comes to training with a woman.
Can: I would highly recommend that men train with women generally, particularly small men, as you will probably find that often women are the closest to you in size. In regards to training with larger women, this is also especially beneficial to smaller men, as you have the opportunity to focus purely on technique (because you can't fall back on strength) without an accompanying risk of injury (generally: there are exceptions, though I haven't met any large women who were uncontrolled).
Thanks to both Ryan and Can!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Interview with Christy Thomas: Relson's First Female Black Belt
I finally got a chance to talk with Christy Thomas, one of the newest black belts in the world of Texas BJJ. I've always kept a bit of an eye on her progress since she was one of the first "big chicks" I was referred to when I started training and looking for women of even somewhat similar build. Christy was recently promoted under Relson Gracie as his first female to earn the rank.
What's your take on gender in BJJ?
While this is an incredibly broad topic, I feel the participation of women in BJJ has had a huge influence on what was previously identified as a MAN's sport. This recognition has influenced the sport phenomenon growing a world-wide intent to push for further recognition and Olympic sport status. I have been heavily involved for the past 12+/- years and seen so many things -- from there being no women's divisions in tournaments and no women's points counting towards team points, to acceptance, adjustment, accommodation and change.
While there is currently a great interest in camps for women, female competition teams, tournaments and growing participation in MMA; I still see obvious stalls in growth and resistance to mixed gender training. I feel that there is a great need to focus on self defense for all involved. A reality known to all who train in the sport is that there is a place for everyone in the lifestyle of Jiu-Jitsu, whether it's for self defense, hobby or sport.
What kind of non BJJ related training do you do?
When I'm off the mats, I maintain a healthy lifestyle. I enjoy hiking, riding mountain/down hill/around town bikes, anything outdoors. I sometimes do as little as possible to simply recover. I believe that there’s a such a thing as over-training and favor undoing what I have done to myself vs. continuing to overuse my body. I believe that drilling and practicing Jiu-Jitsu is the best training to get better at doing Jiu-Jitsu.
What emotions have you experienced around becoming a black belt under Relson?
Frankly, honor and responsibility to be Relson's first female black belt, followed closely by pride and sheer excitement. Relson is a close friend & mentor -- I want to make him proud. I strive to impress him when I learn, compete, and especially when he sees my students train or compete. Also, the many people in my life because of Relson have had a real impact on me. I feel the need to be the me who stands for myself, trusts my Jiu-Jitsu and pushes through the tough times to reach the next level. Having developed skills that invite others to come into our Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle and decide they want something this special for themselves, and having dedicated this portion of my life (and potentially my future) to it, really magnifies the power and responsibility of earning my black belt.
I read your interview over at the Fightworks Podcast and you said you've been in multiple situations where you've had to use your self defense training. Would you mind going into more detail?
I find myself in so many activities, spontaneous adventures, late night shows, back trails on bikes and I've been in more than my share of random situations where I've needed self-defense skills. Anything from: perverts exposing themselves on the forest trails or swim spots, to night time bicycle chases after leaving nightclubs, being at crowded shows and getting groped, and saving friends from their own messes -- all those situations have caused me to find myself in the position to need to use self defense. Self defense starts earlier than you may realize. It's not fighting and it's hardly glamorous or cool in any way.
Where do you see your career in the sport headed in the future?
Currently, my priorities are my students and reaching more people with self defense. I want to encourage every single person to get on the mats. My target is everyone. I want the skinny, fat, overly sure, scared .... I want them all. I'm excited to teach! Of course, I'll be looking to get into some tournaments in the future and continue my own BJJ development.
Thanks Christy for taking the time to talk!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)