Post 2015 Jiu-Jitsu U.S Open Words

We want to congratulate everyone who stepped up to compete at the US Open this weekend, in special the ones who won their divisions in Santa Cruz, Elijah Tabasa, Marlon Reyes, Montana Rushing, Ed Juarez, Travis Newton, Joe Vernazza and Rylah Lenford. Elijah, Rylah and Ed also won gold at last year's edition. Regardless of the end result, if you gave your all and based your preparation on a "never quit attitude" throughout the entire training camp until the day you stepped on the mat be proud of what you have done. 

The competition is won in the months, weeks, in the countless hours of sacrifice and sweat on the mats leading up to the day of the event. Nothing else will give you more confidence than knowing how much you committed and sacrificed. The atmosphere this past weekend at the Kaiser Permanente Arena doesn't get more intense than that. It was hot, loud, crowded... If you can function efficiently in an environment like that, you can perform well in any other walk of life. And that's just one of the many reasons why we do this, to do and be better at living life.

For some competitors, it was a lot to handle, for others was just another day at the office. What it matters is that everyone learned more about themselves this weekend. To those who didn't succeed at gold, time to assess what was missing. Mat time? Proper diet? Supplemental training such as weight lifting, cardio, etc? As we always say, to win a tournament this level, which is equivalent to a state championship at least, it is going to take more than training a few hours a week. From kids to adults and masters division, U.S. Open gold medalists don't train seasonally. In the age of health & fitness, and the UFC craze, everyone takes competition training serious. As a team, we will also take a look at our own work and see where we can improve as the journey seeking perfection in all we do in our Academy will never end. 

Competition isn't required to excel and benefit from martial arts training, but it is important to understand that should you choose to test your skills out there, it won't be easy, we won't let you slack and you better set your mind for the training you will need to go through to succeed. But at the end of it all, It will be worth it. You will have become technically better, mentally stronger and more confident on your capacities. 

Our records show that out of 42 competitors, we brought back seven gold, 12 silver and nine bronze medals. We are very excited with the results from our Napa affiliate. Out of the three competitors that stepped up, we won one gold (Travis), one silver (Lance) and one bronze (Jaret). Jaret was dominating the division, won his first two matches, but got injured in the semis after taking his opponent down. He was forced to pull out and earned 3rd place. Travis also dominated the division, submitting two of his three opponents. We couldn't be happier, with only eight months of training, the 707 crew did great!

Check out Travis beautiful double leg takedown to a guillotine choke in the finals:

Thank you to:

- Crosley Gracie Jiu-Jitsu staff for working so hard to ensure the team was ready;

- All teammates who made themselves available on the mats daily, having crucial role in helping everyone get ready;

- Competitor's parents for all the support and trust in our work. 

Check out the weekend in photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/…

We'll see you back on the mats!