Grappling Industries Reno
I had a great time competing at the Grappling Industries Reno tournament. I took gold in the gi and was able to execute my gameplan really well against all of my opponents. I took gold in this event last year but still made huge improvements this time. I was able to get more submissions, more takedowns, and competed in a weight division higher than I did last time.

Doing small local tournaments like this are great practice and a great opportunity to get feedback before doing some of the bigger tournaments. I know that I have to be able to win matches at these smaller tournaments if I want to have any success at Worlds or Nationals. When I first started competing I had no idea how big of a difference there was between local tournaments and major IBJJF tournaments. Now that I have experienced both, I view the local tournaments as a chance to test out my game plan and see what I need to work on before doing a big tournament.

One thing that is really nice about Grappling Industries is that I get a lot of matches every time I compete at their events. They do a “round robin” format that guarantees a minimum of four matches. That is pretty rare for Jiu Jitsu tournaments, at IBJJF tournaments you may only get one match. At this event I had seven matches total. I was exhausted by the end of the day. It feels rewarding to see my improvements at each tournament and it is fun to figure out what needs to be worked on based on each performance. 

Jamie was also in action this weekend at jiujitsu tournament. After a 2 year break from competition, she was excited at the opportunity to compete and get back to competition. Jamie also competed in both styles (Gi and NoGi) and finished with a silver in the nogi division.

Thank you to Max and Kiet. Max and Kiet both made the drive from El Dorado Hills BJJ to support the two athletes in their competitive bouts. It’s great to compete, but it’s great to compete with a team knowing they are there to support you in and out of competition.

Coach Danny