Back on the mat 6 weeks post op - well kinda

So we had 2 new women sign up recently and one had some prior BJJ and MMA experience. Both fit in with our "normal-sized" ladies and we had another come in this week with experience and she fits with our midgets. It's pretty cool how it works out to have multiple new ladies coming in at various weight classes. Plus all 3 of the new ladies are tough as nails!

We still aren't regularly getting more than 5-7 ladies in the same class, but if they keep adding on, I believe it will only be a matter of time until we have 20 women all in one class.

Also, the best news ever!

I "rolled" with Ryan twice the other day and today I got in three "rolls" before stopping to rest. Okay, okay, I say "roll" but a more accurate description might be..."moving around in a way that slightly resembles jiu-jitsu with a resisting opponent who only resists in certain situations except that I can't roll on my shoulder, let them put weight on my shoulder, or post with my left arm or base on it or let it extend or frame with it in any way". I'm drilling with the basics class although I don't let anyone drill on me yet (I work in a group of 3), and I can't do all the movements so I have to adjust the technique BUT AT LEAST I'M ON THE MAT! For the next 2 weeks until my hip surgery anyway.

I can't tell you how good it feels to expend a little of my pent up energy. I'm pretty sure I'll be actually ready to kill people by the time I get back out after 8 months off competition and probably 7 months of not sparring hard. I can already tell that the aggression from so much sedentariness will build up and come out in my first competition back, which should be the World Championships so that will probably work out perfectly for me because I'll need the aggression to combat the residual effects of not training for 7 months and a recovering hip and shoulder. :)

Today is a good day! :)

Update: Fifty/50 Women's Team, Kids, and more

We took our 3 most dedicated ladies (Tammy Dominick, Megan Lomonof, Lisa Ivy) to the Converse sponsored women-only US Grappling tournament in Hampton and they came back with 4 gold medals and 2 silvers with 5 submission victories out of 7 wins and only 2 losses to women of higher ranks than themselves. Tammy and Megan both succeeded pulling out wins over girls with much more experience than themselves.

But the best part was the poise with which they each held themselves during their matches. Each one of the ladies was calm, collected and working hard until the end.

Then this past weekend, Megan Lomonof and I headed up to Grapplers Quest in Vegas for her first mid-level tournament. She did not disappoint. Megan has been training for almost exactly 1 year but has spent the last half of that year training at different degrees due to a neck injury. At one point they thought she would need surgery. But she didn't let this deter her from competing and beating two blue belts in the beginner nogi division at GQ bringing her total win count over blue belts to THREE. Megan won her weight class nogi, and the absolute beginner nogi division, AND her weight class in the gi (there was no absolute gi division).

We look forward to seeing how Tammy, Megan, Lisa and all the ladies progress over the next year as a few of them look to enter their first IBJJF tournaments in 2011.

See our ladies in action here....



On top of this, we just started our kids program last week. The first day I was shocked to have SEVEN children in the room. We haven't been able to get that many in one room since but I am happy to report that we had a few sign up and have the interest of a few others arriving in the near future. I am taking Alex up to her second BJJ tournament this Saturday to another kids only event in Williamsport, MD. This time she will be more prepared for how other kids fight back!

Wait there's more...we have new Fifty/50 t-shirts on order, this time with a new graphic and special sizing for the ladies. We are waiting on the new kids logo to be completed. (We're calling them the 25/50's.) Once the logo is finished we will have the shirts designed for them as well. And next on the list are new rashguards...

And lastly, Ryan just released two new DVDs on half guard and taking the back.





Lots of changes and additions coming to Fifty/50 as we begin our third year of existence. Although the beginning is always more difficult as you build something up, it's also exciting to look forward to what it will become.