Another Women's Only Open Mat!!

This Sunday my academy hosted the SoCal Women's BJJ Open Mat! Woot!! It was such a great time! Not as many ladies as the last one, but that's OK. As you can see, it was still pretty darned fun. I was able to get some girls to come that hadn't been to the last one, and a few that hadn't been out to Robot to train in quite awhile.

It is really hard for me to describe how different it is to roll with a big group of girls relatively my size and strength. Again, I found myself trying new things and getting sweeps and submissions and positions that I never get in class. I got arm bars!! Real ones! Arm bars that I know are there but that I never try for because I'm too afraid of being smashed on.

AAAaaannnnnd...wait for it...I actually opened my guard and it WORKED!!! I did the arm-across move from closed guard that I always chicken out on because it requires that I open my guard and it actually worked. I'll admit that I opened my guard a few other times and it didn't work, but I at least was TRYING it. This is a big deal for me. My closed guard cross choke game is still my thing, but I'm working on being more courageous.

Unfortunately, I haven't trained a lick since Sunday because I've contracted a cold that is trying to drown me from within. Boooooooooo.