Signs you’re dating a Martial Artist

• There are Gis/Doboks/Uniforms/etc. taking up closet space
• There are Gis/Doboks/Uniforms/etc. hanging in the laundry room drying
• They are adept at folding their Gi/Dobok/Uniform in a particular way, and feel the strong urge to re-fold if someone else folds it even a hair differently
• They are home anytime between 8p.m. to 10p.m. on a regular basis
• Their gear/gym bag is never quite put away
• They are near-continuously plagued by minor injuries
• They are sometimes beset by major injuries
• There’s a good chance they have completely fractured at least one bone
• There’s a good chance they have hairline fractures on one or more bone
• There’s a good chance they have at least one bruise on their body at all times
• They have probably lost count of how many bloody/fat lips they have acquired
• They have probably lost count of how many bloody/fat lips they have given
• They have probably lost count of how many times they have rolled their ankle(s)
• They have probably taped any/all of the following: fingers, toes, knees, ankles, wrists, etc.
• They know bits and pieces of the language associated with their martial art (i.e., BJJ = Portuguese, Tae Kwon-Do = Korean, etc.)
• Their gear/gym bag is selected based on how much it can hold for a tournament
• Their mouth guard is constantly floating in a bowl of denture cleaner
• They have opinions on multiple brands and styles of mouth guards
• Their non-martial arts friends don’t often mix with their martial arts friends
• They probably have a protein shake or three after training
• They probably have either multiple water bottles, or one giant water bottle.  Or a combination of the two.
• They will be seen doing some martial art related moves randomly through the house

I’m sure there are more based on specific martial arts and personalities, but those are just a few that I may or may not be guilty of.  Do you have more to add?  Comment below!

–Kiyoshi “The Prototype”
Your #1 Canadian eh?

 

Signs you’re dating a Nurse

• You start memorizing how long it takes to prep and cook
• You time meal readiness to coincide with their return
• You pack 6+ small containers of easily eaten food that won’t typically cause bad breath
• In case of bad breath, you buy breath mints once a month along with the regular groceries
• You do the grocery shopping between your classes or before/after work
• You become intimate with the various washer and dryer cycles and their exact times
• You do a load of laundry 1.5-3 times a week, because no one wants to wear dirty scrubs
• You get a crash course in human anatomy and physiology
• You enrol in a post-secondary course for human anatomy and physiology to better understand conversations about work
• You have blacked out the bedroom window so they may better sleep during the transition from day shifts to night shifts
• You learn to maximize the few moments available during their 4-day 12-hour shifts
• Their coworkers recognize you from popping in with coffee and treats
• You find medical textbooks open to various pages
• You begin to memorize certain pages from said medical textbooks
• You are familiar with – and a fan of – one or more of the following shows: Scrubs, Grey’s Anatomy, ER, House M.D.
• You are familiar with – and a fan of – one or more show not listed above
• You are familiar with many of the normal questions asked by medical professionals in regards to what ails you
• You don’t see a doctor, you get the bulk of your clinic-worthy visits done at home between shifts
• Your friends want to see you for medical advice instead of waiting for a doctor

Any more to add?  Comment below!

–Kiyoshi “The Prototype”
Your #1 Canadian eh?

 

Death Experiment Updates!

I should really rename this experiment … oh well!

• The pull at the top of the collar has gotten worse and gone all the way through to the outside.  From here I can only extrapolate that the hole will widen, especially if the left side lapel is pulled with a lot of force against the right side.
• The stitching for the rear patch is failing on the left side and the bottom.  I expect the patch to be hanging by few threads before it is inevitably pulled off completely.
• The pants are still holding up quite well, just fading in colour from repeated washes in rapid succession.

I delayed the experiment for a few days before the first weekend of June, because my highly-anticipated Blue Dream Gi from The Green Gi came in.  I used it as soon as it came in, washed it, took it down to Bellevue for Proving Grounds, had 4 matches in it, and then realized that at some point during the tournament, my right sleeve had ripped.  Not through the seam, but very near.  The material just sheared apart.  I was very saddened to see it, and e-mailed the team at The Green Gi once I got home.

Unfortunately, going from the Blue Dream back to regular gis is a difficult transition.  This is especially true because I’ve since resumed my experiment in taking this Gi to Death’s doorstep.  Progress, in the name of science!

–Kiyoshi “The Prototype”
Your #1 Canadian eh?

 

The Proving Grounds

Last week I updated my goals, and mentioned that I was soon to compete internationally.  Now it may seem like I’m making a big deal about competing internationally, but I know how long it takes for me to adjust; I’d rather not pay a lot in registration and travel and accommodation just to be overwhelmed by too many things.

Proving Grounds Qualifier 2, hosted by KYS Promotions, held at Ring Sports United, is a round-robin submission-only tournament.  That format promises to match a competitor against everyone in the bracket, or the best of three if there are only two competitors in the bracket.  The submission only aspect encourages finishes and attempts until the very last second of each match.  In order to determine a bracket winner and runner-up, points are awarded at the end of each match: three points to the winner by submission and zero points to the submitted, or one point to each competitor if there is no submission finish.  Total points are tallied once everyone has faced each other, and the most points gives you the first and second places.

In a bracket of two people, you do a best of three scenario, and in the event of a tie (i.e., one win to each competitor and one draw) there is an unlimited time tie-breaker match.  This is what happened to me.

Brendan (or maybe it was Brandon, still waiting on the official results to be posted), my opponent, and I weighed in at 164.6lbs.  We were assigned to mat 1, which featured the kids divisions in Gi and No-Gi before we finally went.  Actually, we were the last Gi division to go, the adult No-Gi had already started multiple weight divisions.  As soon as we locked up, I realized he was a very proficient judoka, and decided to pull guard to put me in a position I’m comfortable with.  After minutes of battling in guard, he finally managed to break it and sit in side control.  A judoka has a different style of sitting in top side control, one I have quite learned to how to escape from.  In their position, they can easily attack a keylock submission using their leg to provide leverage.  And that is exactly what he did.

Round 1 winner: Brendan
Points: 3 to 0

Our second round I realized I had one option: wrestle him.  I shot in early for a single-leg and dragged him down, managing to push past his attempts to re-guard me and transition into side control.  Most of the match is a blur, I do remember getting my hooks and taking his back before he shucked me off and gained side control, whereupon I attempted to bridge out.  While that specific attempt failed, I wasn’t far from making it work.  Then our time was up, the match ended.

Round 2 winner: Draw
Points: 4 to 1

At this point I had seen a previous division finish with one draw and one win.  Apparently the third match is required if there has only been one victory.  So we shook hands again and battle once more.  I shot in again, transition to side control, took his back, he escaped into my guard and during his attempt to pass I slapped on a triangle and locked it up.  Normally I prefer to have my right leg to control their upper body behind their neck, but in this case it was my left leg.  Not quite as confident with myself, I didn’t want to risk a quick unlock to better position myself for a tighter triangle, so I fell back on the old trick of pulling their head down to further compress arteries and airways.  It worked, though I was a tiny bit disappointed in having to resort to that.

Round 3 winner: Kiyoshi
Points: 4 to 4 (tie)

This is where the tie breaker with unlimited time comes in.  I have seen teammates stuck in a 90-minute match, unable to secure a submission for the win, and I vowed not to be in those shoes.  It would be a fast and decisive finish.  And it was, but not for me.  I don’t know why I didn’t shoot in again, but Brendan managed a shoulder throw.  I have been on the receiving end of this throw before, and 5o% of the time I manage to take their back instead of being truly taken down.  In this particular case, I was close to securing the back, but he managed to pull me that last little bit and gain top side control and keylock me.

Round 4 winner: Brendan
Points: 7 to 4

1st place: Brendan
2nd place: Kiyoshi

We chatted after receiving our medals, about judo, wrestling, and being able to stop certain attempts.  I admitted that I had specific training on what to do if my shot was stuffed, which was what allowed me to take him down.  He admitted that he had barely trained his sprawls and had concentrated more on what to do when an opponent pulled guard.

Overall I am happy with my performance, and I have a few things I can tune up for my next tournament (which is at the end of the month in Penticton).  I am also very happy to have travelled across the border for this one, and I look forward to getting more experience and tournaments under my belt south of the border.  I also look forward to finding out if the promotion will post the videos of the matches anywhere, they had a dedicated video camera and operator at each match.

–Kiyoshi “The Prototype”
Your #1 Canadian eh?

6-month goal update

I recently reviewed the goals I posted in January, and looking at them now, I think I made them too easy.  Let’s review!

• create a first draft/rough draft compilation video for potential sponsors
• Prototype’s BJJ Journey, Square 1
• create a “cover letter” for potential sponsors
• written, sent, awaiting response from one place, and second “interview” from another
• figure out my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree
• Bachelor of Exercise Science and Human Movement/Bachelor of Psychological Studies (Sport Psychology) and Master of Applied Psychology (Sport Psychology,) at Victoria University, Melbourne.
• compete internationally in BJJ
• Registered for Proving Grounds, June 7th, Bellevue, WA

So, maybe a tad easy, but perhaps I had more motivation to complete these.  Which also means it’s time for some new ones!  Again, both short- and long-term goals, including my incomplete/in-progress goals.

• earn my purple belt in BJJ
• gain a second sponsor
• gain a long-term sponsor that is willing for more than one-shot sponsorship
• research all of the necessary information for studying abroad in Australia
• research all of the necessary information for becoming an Australian resident/citizen
• research the time and cost for becoming a Registered Massage Therapist (to supplement BA and MA)
• re-start my running exercise, re-time my 1-mile, 5k, and 10k times
• improve upon my 1-mile, 5k, and 10k times

These new goals, combined with the remaining previous ones, should provide enough of a long-term setting while allowing a sense of accomplishment while on the road to achieving these goals.