Extra Training with a BJJ Purple Belt

This morning I woke up with a few extra aches and pains. This was the result of my grappling session with a new training partner, Jennifer, whom I met at the 10th Planet seminar a couple of weeks ago. The photo here shows her grappling at last year's Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Pan-ams. She took the gold.

I didn't know what to expect going in. I knew that she had trained for 7 years, mostly in gi grappling. I knew she would likely dominate me, but that's about it. But her technique was so amazing that she just completely owned me. She is also incredibly flexible and can put it to good use on the ground. I imagine she'll do quite well at the Pan-ams, the tournament which she is currently training up for.

It's no wonder she is so good at what she does. We talked in detail about her training regimen after class. She is a consummate athlete. She trains pretty much every day, often as much as 5 hours a day. She does weights, yoga, trains at multiple BJJ schools, and she maintains a strict diet. And all of this she tracks in complete detail in a training journal.

Jennifer has an excellent attitude towards training with other people, completely devoid of ego and attitude. She was quite open and willing to teach me anything that would help. She believes she can get something out of training with anyone, no matter what their skill level. Lucky for me since I see there is much I can learn from her. Being around the same size as her, she says she is able to practice moves on me that she wouldn't necessarily be able to use on the men that she usually trains with, so even though I'm not as experienced as her, she sees our training time as beneficial to her goals. I just hope that I can pick up everything she teaches me so I can be a better match for her eventually.

Anyway, I'm very pleased at how our session went. I'm even bringing her in as a guest instructor to teach a grappling class for my students on Sunday, Feb. 1. I'm certain that everyone will really enjoy it and learn a lot from her.