Take 15% off your entire order on purchases made 11/30/2009!  YES, off the entire order!

Visit www.usgrappling.us to check out this weekend’s event in Webster, NY!  Womens absolute division winners receive FREE VJJBJJ gear!

As a proud sponsor of the Grapple Girls Open in Toronto on August 22nd, VJJBJJ was excited to get the “inside scoop” on the tournament to share  with you!  We asked Alaina Hardie to fill us in on the tourney, the camp, and everything in between:

VJJBJJ: EUREKA! A women’s only tournament!  How did this event come to be?
GGO: It was all Kaelyn’s fault! 

We were talking in 2008 about how awesome it would be to have a tournament that was well-run, where the divisions happened on time and there was toilet paper and hand soap in the washroom and you didn’t get relegated to competing at 9pm because there were so many boys that there was no other place to fit us in. There weren’t a lot of tournaments like that in Toronto at the time (it’s gotten way better in the last year), but we all got enthusiastic and… well… here we are.
VJJBJJ: Any idea how many competitors you’re expecting?:

VJJBJJ: What’s different about the GGO’s divisions and weight classes?:

As far as the organizers go, we’re all BJJ people, but we’re hoping to get wrestlers, judoka, submission grapplers, etc., to come out and test their stuff.

VJJBJJ: It’s noon on August 22, you look around the venue and realize it’s a successful event because you see… 

GGO: … that Chrissy Linzy is running it. I’m not even joking about that. She’s amazing.

The divisions will be running on time, women will know when they’re fighting, and you’ll be able to visit the vendors and the food tables and get great gear and awesome snacks. We have everybody from brand new BJJ white belts to black belts with more than ten years of experience. You’ll get to see some great jiu-jitsu from the experienced ladies and several of the American and Canadian up-and-comers.

VJJBJJ: Women’s Jiu Jitsu is on the grow.  What do you envision as the future of competitive women’s grappling?

VJJBJJ: Immediately following the tournament there will be women’s only grappling camp.  What’s in store for those who attend?

VJJBJJ: When you’re not running tournaments, you can most likely be found…

VJJBJJ: What is the future of the Grapple Girl Open: Annual events? Multiple events each year?
GGO: Oh god, don’t give the rest of the committee any ideas! This tournament is SO much work!

I think an annual event sounds cool. We’ll talk about that after this one is over.

VJJBJJ: There are more and more women training BJJ; any advice for those nervous about competing for the first time?

GGO: It’s just a tournament. I think women psyche themselves out way more than men do. We’ve had a few people try to sandbag (to which I am morally opposed in the strongest and most strident terms), and I’ve had to have a talk with them, but when I talk to them it’s clearly because they are either not sure of their own skills or scared of losing.

To those who are scared of losing, I say: relax. Loss is part of competition, just like winning. Get out there, give it a try, and see what you think. Maybe competition isn’t for you, but how will you know unless you try it?

You’ll get to compete, you might take home a medal or two, but you’ll definitely get to share the experience with other women who are as enthusiastic about grappling as you are. Trust me, you don’t want to miss that opportunity.

Be sure to check out the Best.Ever.Rashguards, gi sack, “Groupie” tees, patches and more!

Should women be able to compete in men’s? divisions at grappling tournaments? While the women’s divisions continue to grow in many tournaments, we’ve all seen the lone 135 blue belt who drove several hours to have no competitors.? At best she’ll have to fight up a weight class (or two) to have a match.? That being said, is a 145 lb woman at a “natural” disadvantage against a 145lb? man? Or is she at a disadvantage only if the man resorts to brute strength versus technically sound jiu jitsu?? Your 2 cents:

This tournament spotlight is the first of this monthly feature.? VJJ BJJ wants to provide a better look into the behind the scenes aspects of running a tournament and all the work that is involved!? REAL people run these events, and it’s time we acknowledged them and got to know a little more about those who work hard to provide us with a competitive grappling opportunity.?

U.S. Grappling is run by Andrew Smith, Brian Linzy, and Chrissy Linzy.? Visit them online at www.usgrappling.us?

VJJ BJJ:? When did the three of you decide to launch a new grappling circuit?? Why?
US GRAPPLING:? We started running tournaments together in 2006. Our vision is a grappling circuit for the competitors. All three of us compete, so we tried to design our events from the competitor’s perspective.? For example, upper belts need to compete first so that they can coach their students.? We also try to make our rules as clear as possible.? There’s nothing more frustrating for a competitor than not to know what’s illegal or how points are scored:? http://www.usgrappling.us/rules/

VJJ BJJ: Describe the perfect US Grappling event:
US GRAPPLING:? No points, no advantages, no time limits. 12 rings, 20 refs, 2 days.? Competitors at all skill levels. Cheering spectators.? In Hawaii.? Oh, and about a million dollars from sponsors, of course.

VJJ BJJ: How do you decide when and where to host a tournament?
US GRAPPLING:? We try to establish relationships with venues so we can continue returning to the same spot.? It’s frustrating for competitors when they have to start an already stressful day driving around looking for a venue.? Then we start looking at calendars. First, what’s going on in the grappling scene? We don’t want to conflict with other tournaments, or everyone loses. And there are other external things to consider – weather (Milwaukee + Winter = bad plan), non-grappling events (small town + NASCAR = no hotel rooms), MMA shows.? It takes a fairly long time to settle in on a date.? There are a lot of phone calls to make and schedules to check.? We try to coordinate with other circuits, smaller promotions, and local schools.?

VJJ BJJ: You have a very robust women’s division.? What’s the thought process behind having so many more divisions and weight classes than other tournaments??
US GRAPPLING:? We offer the same number of skill levels for men as we do for women, because we know that women’s grappling is growing every day.? At some events, all women are lumped together, regardless of time training.? This is a little daunting, and may discourage newer women from competing.? By offering multiple skill levels and weight classes, we hope to encourage women to try competing in a division that is more limited, so it’s not quite as intimidating.

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VJJBJJ: Favorite moment in US Grappling history thus far?

Chrissy:? For me, it was at the 2008 Diamond State Games.? A woman came to the bracketing table, and asked to be removed from her gi divisions, because she had already had more matches in her no gi divisions than she expected for the entire event.? She was too tired to do any more divisions.? For me, that meant we had finally succeeded for women.

Brian: One of my favorite moments was about halfway through the day during our first Submission Only event.? It was stressful going in that morning, and there had been a lot of naysayers online predicting we would be there until some absurd hour the next morning.? Even though the turnout wasn’t very high, it was clear by the early afternoon that the format works. In fact not only does it work, it’s really a better experience for everyone involved.

Andrew:? This one’s tough for me, because I’m often a coach as well as a promoter.? Seeing my students win divisions or just fight well is always really rewarding for me as a coach and instructor.? Seeing our tournaments wrap up ahead of schedule and knowing that we’ve just provided a terrific experience for the competitors, and maybe even helped shape the sport, is incredibly rewarding as a promoter.

VJJ BJJ: When you’re not running tournaments, you can most likely be found…
Chrissy:? In front of my computer, plotting ways to get more people to grapple each other.? Sometimes, I make it to class to grapple people myself.

Brian: I’m usually in front of a computer and listening to an audiobook on my ipod.? I watch a lot of grappling videos and spend an unhealthy amount of time surfing the web.

Andrew:? Doing jiu jitsu.

VJJ BJJ: Any upcoming tournaments you’re particularly excited about?
US GRAPPLING:? Definitely our two-day submission only event in Richmond on July 18 and 19.? This format is so much fun, for everyone involved.? There’s less stress on the referees, because coaches aren’t demanding points or advantages.? The competitors don’t have to play a points game.? Then, we have our Junior Championships on August 15, also in Richmond.? We love to spotlight the kids and teens, since they’re the future of our sport.

VJJ BJJ: It’s the year 2015.? What’s going on in the world of USGrappling?
US GRAPPLING:? By 2015, we hope to have spread the Submission Only brand from coast to coast. I’d like to see the community as a whole move past points and time limits and return to Jiu Jitsu’s roots – the submission

Chrissy Linzy is one of the owners of US Grappling, along with her husband Brian, and their BJJ instructor, Andrew Smith.? She has been grappling for nearly 4 years, and loves gi chokes (it says so on her license plate).? She also wastes more time than any one on “the forum”; just check out the top posters there.

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VJJBJJ: Tell us a little about your background in grappling: How long have you been training, with who, what is your belt rank?
CHRISSY:? I started training in August of 2005.? I got my blue belt from Andrew Smith in December of 2007.? Before BJJ, I hadn’t done anything even remotely athletic since high school.? This is a lot different than the tennis team!

VJJBJJ: Spouse/Children/Pets?
CHRISSY:? I’ve been married to Brian (Brain to you internet folks) since November of 2000.? We have two Rhodesian Ridgebacks (Deke and Miles), and a 3-legged cat named Lego.?

VJJBJJ: Proudest moment on the mat?
CHRISSY:? Man, that is tough.? I think it was about 2 years ago, at an open mat.? A woman came in with one of her BJJ friends.? She had been around the BJJ scene before, but never actually attended a class.? She was rolling with her friend, and I was attempting to coach her.? A guy from one of our affiliate schools came over to listen to me coaching her, and asked if he could come back sometime and film me giving instructions, because I was being so precise with what I wanted her to do.? I think that was the first time I ever thought, “Holy crap, I can DO this.”? Of course, he never came back to film anything, but it was a really nice thing for him to have said.?

VJJBJJ: Alaina nominated you for your contributions to women’s grappling.? What are your goals and plans for advancing the sport?
CHRISSY:? What a weighty question!? Honestly, I feel like a lot of what I’ve done (which never feels like enough to me) came from being in the right place at the right time.? I credit a lot of it with the NHB Gear forum, where Sam Kim gives women a top-secret place to come together and share ideas, tournament schedules, and plan women’s open mats all over the place.? Without Team Estrogen, I don’t know if we’d have the community that we have now.?

Looking forward, I’d absolutely love to see even more women trying jiu jitsu, and trying out competition.? It really can be fun (after it’s over, anyway).? One day, I hope to see all of the women’s weights and skills have full divisions, something we don’t even get to see at the IBJJF events yet.? I think the only way to make that happen is for all of the women training today to remember that we’re the groundbreakers here.? We have to keep spreading the word about BJJ.? I guess that’s my only plan…keep spreading the word, and making sure that women always feel like they have a place on the mat.? ? ?

VJJBJJ: What do you do in the “real world” outside of the hours and hours you devote to BJJ? Does such a thing exist? J
CHRISSY:? My “pay the mortgage” job is as part of the telecommunications team for HMC, a subsidiary of Anthem Health Insurance.? Basically, I design the call routing for different companies, so that they can talk to a nurse about whatever is ailing them.? I’m hoping we’ll add a sports medicine option soon, so I can call it when I tweak something on the mat.? When I’m not at HMC or training, I’m typically working on upcoming US Grappling events, hanging out with Brian and the dogs, and swearing at the PS3.?

VJJBJJ: Favorite splurge?
CHRISSY:? Ice cream, definitely.? I wish Ben & Jerry would bring Primary Berry back.? It’s always election time somewhere.?

VJJBJJ: What are you most passionate about?
CHRISSY:? Aside from running really awesome tournaments, I’d have to say dogs.? I’ve been a dog trainer since I was a teenager, and there are few things that get me on a soapbox faster than lousy dog training techniques.? Please, PLEASE don’t mention Cesar Milan (the dog whisperer…ugh) to me unless you have time for a lecture about why he should never be allowed near dogs.?

VJJBJJ: We would be surprised to know that…
CHRISSY:? Hmmm…I sort of already blew the dog training thing in the last question.? Plus, that’s fairly common knowledge nowadays.? I’m really a pretty open book.? I don’t like germs.? I will yell at you if you go into the bathroom barefoot at the gym, or at a tournament.? I’m not above public humiliation to make my point on that one.? Oh!? Here’s a surprise!? The last two times I trained no gi, I had fun.? No one will believe that!

VJJBJJ: 10 years from now you’ll be….
CHRISSY:? Running tournaments with Brian and Andrew, and training dogs…without needing a “pay the mortgage” job.? I also plan to have an awesome car, or six.? I dig cars.

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Saturday July 11th, 3-5 p.m..? Balance Studios in Philadelphia PA! Gi and No Gi.? Visit www.balancestudios.net or call 215.636.9661