Deborah's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & Arnis-Eskrima Training

This is my new best friend, which I have named Jacob, after my nephew.  My pull-up bar is named Ellie, after my niece.  Keeping these wonderful impressionable kids in my mind as I prepare for swat tryouts provides motivation to push farther.  Sorry for the horizontal image.  My editing skills are sad. Many many many THANK YOUS!!!!! to my awesome husband for assisting me with this project.  This began as a duffle bag stuffed with sand bags and disc weights, with fire hose arms; which proved to be too cumbersome, as the weight distribution was weird. Brilliant Attila the Husband came up with the idea of using an old 31-inch railroad tie, with fire hose attachments for the arms and legs. (The real dummy for tryouts has arms made of fire hose).  He used heavy duty duct tape to fasten 20 kg KB's to the legs for "feet".   When I got home from work last night he showed off his handy work to me; all proud and beaming.  He is completely amazing.  Right now this weighs

This is tough.  Training for the swat tryouts is no joke and I am really beginning to wonder why this stuff is so male dominated and "in general" considered more of a man's thing.  I wonder, because based on conversations with co-workers, I know I am not alone in being a little drained. To recap: The tryout consists of shooting, half of which is pretty basic 10 yard line stuff.  The other half is from the 25 yard line, phew. At least 30 sit-ups under one minute. At least 30 push-ups under one minute. At least 6 pull-ups, no time limit. 440 run under 85 seconds. Obstacle course under 4 minutes, which includes a 180 pound dummy drag. Strength and speed generally work against each other when you decide to improve both, so my victories are in very small increments.  A few seconds here, a little bit higher to the bar there.  Those small victories are followed up quickly by a glaring weakness in another area.  Example, I can do 6 pull-ups!  Yeah!  Par-tay at the Da

SIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is all

My friend Julie Cheng posted this on my FB page today, and it bears repeating here.

PHOTO: The First Woman To Enter The Boston Marathon : NPR www.npr.org Dag

Yesterday, in Eskrima class, I got rapped on the right index finger pretty good by my sparring partner, to the point it brought tears to my eyes despite the fact I was wearing protective gloves. The pain was mighty and I responded with an equally mighty dose of directed aggression. I distinctly remember thinking, "I am going to hurt you, and badly." It's a weird thing. To have a weapon in your hand and be ready, willing, and able to cause pain and misery... This was different from Jiu Jitsu aggression. The weapon added a new element of greater ability for destruction. The fight ended with a hug and thank yous from both of us for a good fight, and we both sported respectable marks and bruises courtesy of each other. The first bruise was not quite enough however, as another sparring partner rapped me a smart one on my right thumb, which knocked my thumbnail into the the bed, so now my right thumb looks like it was transplanted from a Barney doll. These injuries,