A few weeks ago I went to Lisbon as a competitor for the European BJJ competition. The tiresome evenings, the strict diet regime and the injuries were all for this competition. 3 months + of a complete change in routine culminated in my confidence shooting through the roof.Arriving at the location, it was a unlike my previous UK comps, I felt that I had prepared well. One thing that was lingering in my head was my weight. Its the first time I decided to cut weight and enter for the Pena weight class, Featherweight. It was set at a strict 70kg, not a kilo over. The night before I was still at 71kg hoping to drop that vital kg throughout the night with the aid of a some laxatives bought from Boots ;)
After all the warming up and the necessary preparation, my Gi was being checked, length material and all the other formalities. That's when the first blow hit me, before the fight! My Gi was too short! argh! I began to frantically chase my instructor to take his Gi. And now, this is when the adrenaline began to kick in, heart began to beat faster and breath slower, pre fight nerves coupled with the thought of not entering was now worrying me. Changing in to the new Gi, I sprinted back to the pre-fight area. Everything was in check, all that was left was the weigh-in. I stepped onto the scales......70.8! not even a few minor grams but .8 over. I was relying on the laxatives to knock off a few pounds and they hadn't really kicked in and that meant I wasn't able to fight.....
Watching the fights and fighters from all over the world, I noticed the level and determination some fighters had, and to be honest I would have paid to come and watch this in any case. It was really motivating and interesting watching the fighters
A firm believer of Fate, There's Always Something To Learn.... and it was a worthwhile trip . I'll be back better prepared next year and nothing short of a return with a Gold Medal ;)
