Deborah's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & Arnis-Eskrima Training

Let's talk about pull-ups. I have written about them before, several years ago when I was preparing for SWAT tryouts at work. I fell short in the Obstacle Course, but you know where I succeeded that day? Pull-ups.  You know where I started when I began training for the tryout?  From. ZERO. I couldn't even do one pull-up. I'd heard and believed all the malarkey over the years. "Women have trouble with pull-ups...I can't do pull-ups..." The thing is, if you take stock in those words, they become a false reality.  That false reality then becomes a wall, but a silly wall, a weak wall. A wall made of Hollywood movie glass.  I decided I was going to do pull-ups. The wall came down, as they do in Hollywood movies; it crumbled into a million pieces that were not harmless, they required a light broom and a light sweep into a trash can.  Then came the lies. "Do lat pull-downs...do band work....do tricep work...do that weird pull-up assist machine at the gym...do (i

 I wrote about the joy of activity last week.  Rest assured I'm no Pollyanna and there are moments I just don't feeeeeeeel like working ooooouuuuuttt. I have a few mental tricks up my sleeve readied for self-deployment when I start down the path of excuses, it's too hot, it's too cold (come January), I'm tired, just because, my hair hurts, my vibe is off.....throw in your own.  We all have the excuses, but how does one work past these walls? You may think they are 10 feet high and made of concrete, but actually they are constructed of very poor quality paper mache' made with cheap paper. From the dollar store. And they are only 2 feet high.    My tactics for success include memory and acknowledgement.  I remember all too well the hell-hole, ugly, non-training days of covid. I remember the day, while in my office, I learned the whole situation was going to continue for, not just two more weeks, but for a few more months, which quickly turned into the foreseeable

The triumph of training this week has been joy. Big bucketfuls, of rich, screaming, from the gut, joy.  If you are starting down a path of physical movement, find the joy. The joy is the door. Walk through it and don't hang out in the frame. The joy keeps you going back for more, it keeps you moving,  it starts to compile upon itself.  SATURDAY JULY 13 Ballet:      Plie' in 2nd position      Tendu-Ball-toe      Plie' in 1st position      Tendu      Straight leg releve'      Plie'-releve      Tendu'-Tempe lie'-Plie'-Coupe' The Lift:      Squat with barbell-           1-65 pounds, 10 reps           2-75 pounds, 10 reps           3-85 pounds, 8 reps           4-90 pounds, 8 reps           5-75 pounds, 8 reps      Goblet Squat with Kettlebell-           5 sets, 10 reps each      Clubbell swing "To order" with a deep squat           5 sets, 6 reps each SUNDAY JULY 14          Arnis               Cacoy Doce Pares, Espada-Daga         TUESDAY JULY

PART ONE My husband David and I practice Arnis de Mano, Filipino Martial Arts, together.  On Sunday we worked on three drills: Babao angles 1-6 with a takedown, Cacoy Doce Pares, Espada Y Daga drill, and Cacoy Doce Pares sparring. PART TWO   -  Tabata - 10 Tabatas, 6 rounds each, 30 second work, 12 second rest. Jumprope  with light speed rope. Sledgehammer  on tire, 10 pound sledgehammer. Ballet-   Plie' in second position Tendu' to ball-toe Plie' in first position Tendu' Straight leg releve' Plie' releve' Tempe lie' coupe' drill  Coupe' relevé' drill Regarding ballet, I am practicing a very detailed and strict form called "Placement" with Patricia DeAnna. She is on Facebook and Instagram, but her current content is on her You Tube Channel. I practiced ballet when I was younger, and I've always considered myself a dancer, even in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and FMA. Placement method gets me back to my roots via a strict road. Bonus, for

 I've been inspired lately by women over 50 who rocking fitness to the next level with weightlifting and rigorous physical activity. I want all people to take no holds barred, proactive, ownership of their physical and mental health, so I've decided to start posting my workouts. I figure, I'm doing workouts that are aggressive and maybe one of these days I'll be the person who inspires another to venture outside their comfort zone and start walking the road to a health and well-being. Saturday, July 6, 2024 PART ONE , Tabata - 10 Tabatas, 6 rounds each, 30 second work, 12 second rest. Jumprope with 1 pound rope. Sledgehammer on tire, 8 pound sledgehammer. Ballet-   Plie' in second position Tendu' to ball-toe Plie' in first position Tendu' Straight leg releve' Plie' releve' Port de Bras and tendu drill, front Port de Bras and tendu drill, back PART TWO , Tabata - 1 Tabata, 20 rounds, 2 minute work, 10 second rest. This is the weightlifting po

Many moons ago I started down this path of practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which led to an adjacent road of practicing Arnis de Mano, which led to superhighways of competition, belt promotions, seminars, and then I stayed put for a spell.  I remember my first promotion, that tiny piece of tape on the black end of a very very white belt. I had started with low expectations for myself and after my first few classes, reaffirmed those low expectations but decided I was going to keep training anyway. That tape gave me hope. I can do this, I realized, and maybe it was time to readjust my personal expectations.  Perhaps, I am improving. I was. Improvement in jiu jitsu is a slithery creature. You won't see it, but it's there, lurking in the tall trees.   "Are you ever going to teach?"  hmmmm....I wasn't sure....it was trail I was not sure if I wanted to follow. Years ago, my tattoo artist suggested a trade, jiu jitsu lessons for work. How could I say no? Gemma Pariente w