Just got back from NAGA west coast!

Sadsully

Yellow Belt
@Yellow
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This was my second tourney, and the first "big one" (see http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f12/first-comp-today-1286565/ for my first tourney report. I got tapped pretty quickly in Novice Nogi and major adrenaline dumped).

This was my last opportunity to do Novice in Nogi (6 months of training), and I also signed up for white belt Gi. First time competing in Gi.

Nogi is first: there are four guys in my bracket (Men's Adult novice Light Heavyweight, 180-189.9). First match, we both circle a put, and he gets a collar tie. He is stronger than I and is jerking me around, but I am staying aware and avoiding his takedown attempts. After a minute or so of this I Kind of shot in and ended up pulling guard. He locked in a guillotine and scored a point, but I get free without too much trouble. We work from there, I score a point for a guillotine attempt of my own, and as he passes to half guard I am able to hit a sweep. I work from top half and get my leg free and transition into mount. I try to work a sub, catch an arm or anything, but am experiencing some of the same adrenaline dump as last tourney. Time ends, and I take the match 5-1

Next match is for 1st in the division, against the winner of the other match. Plays out almost exactly the same-- we circle a bit and neither of us is able to get a takedown, and I eventually pull him into my guard. We work there a bit, and I finally hit a sweep and move into side control. I am trying for a sub but there isn't much time and I can't get anything done before the bell, but I take the match on points, 4-0

About an hour and a half before my Gi division starts

First Gi match I am getting handled. He hits me with a solid takedown/thrown and nearly gets my back, but I resist and roll so he has me mounted. He is working from there for a sub and I am just trying to defend myself, keep his hands out of my collar. Finally I am able to bump him off and reverse, ending in his guard. I stay tight against his body and he isn't concerned about my arms-- I sneak one hand under his head and BAM lock in a tight ezekiel choke. He taps and I get a lot of suprised looks from him and even my teammates who were sitting nearby-- nobody saw that one coming!

Next match is for first place against a guy from Drysdale Jiu Jitsu. I've watched him in two matches prior and knew he was going to pull guard, so tried to stay ready for it. I'm working to not let him pull me in, but eventually he gets a sleeve and goes down. I am able to move straight into half, but he makes his way under to deep half. I don't have a lot of experience with this yet and wasn't sure what exactly to do, and he ultimately got the sweep and starts working a choke. I resist and fight my way free, and with about 30 seconds left reverse him so I end up in top guard. THe ezekiel is there, and I try, but my hands are burnt out-- I only catch my sleeve with the ends of my fingers, and ultimately they slip out. I am super exhausted at this point. I try to sit back and open his guard, but there isn't much time left and he is up on points. He goes for a triangle attempt and I am defending when the bell sounds.

All in all it was a lot of fun! 1st in Nogi and 2nd in Gi, I was very happy with my performance. I got owned in both my Gi matches but was at least able to make a comeback in the first, and nearly in the second... if I had set the choke just a little deeper I think I could have taken it.

Def need to work on my cardio, although I know the experience of the tourney doesn't really compare to anything I can do in the gym. I did feel a lot better at this tourney.

I am now having a pretty weird pain right at the top inside of my right thigh, kind of like the juncture of the leg / groin area. I don't recall hurting it in any of the matches, but it is screaming at me now!
 
that sounds awesome.

thanks for the post

feel like I was there

congratulations and good luck in the future.
 
Every time I compete I wake up a couple days later with about 7 injuries I hadn't had the mornings before. The thrill of competition wears off and your body finds out there is a lot of things newly wrong with it.
 
great play by play! and keep up the good work!

man your lucky though... everytime i compete i'm always in the bracket with thirty other people HA
 
Yeah a fun huge tourney. Everyone had fun and it whetted my appetite for more competition. One thing it really drove home though is how much wrestling is starting to dominate the grappling scene. I can't tell you the number of matches I saw where a wrestler (especially in the no-gi division) would get a takedown, and then just hang out in a guy's guard until time expired and win on points. NAGA now awards points for merely attempting subs because it has gotten so bad. Cross-train in wrestling bigtime guys or your BJJ is basically useless..
 
Every time I compete I wake up a couple days later with about 7 injuries I hadn't had the mornings before. The thrill of competition wears off and your body finds out there is a lot of things newly wrong with it.

haha that happens to me
 
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