2015

A shiney new year must mean a shiney new blog post! I am in the middle of writing a longer post that kind of sums up the last 6 years of my BJJ life but its turning into a novel and needs a bit more time to make it readable but I wanted to post something today.
2014 was a great year, for the most part I was busy in a new job, organising my wedding then getting married but after our honeymoon I got back to training and entered 3 comps and got meddles in 2.
I felt like a nervous wreck getting back to competitions and it was hard getting to the light weight category but I'm glad I did it and I got another stripe on my purple belt at the end of year grading.
I think I will give my body a bit more time to get back to a ower weight before entering another comp but I am looking forward to a year of really focusing on BJJ and am setting up some women's only classes as I miss teaching.

Don't beat yourself up

I haven't been training much but I have been beating myself up about it constantly.

Any one that has put their life on hold to train for a sporting competition understands that sacrifices need to be made to achieve set goals. Especially when competing in combat sports, where failure can equal serious injury or at the very least a hit to the ego.

When I have a fight that I am training seriously for, I don't go out so see friends and family, days are a cycle of training hard and eating clean,early mornings and late nights, which can often isolate friends and family that don't share the same values.

Lately I find myself in a position where I just don't have the strength to make so many sacrifices and am unable to make the ruthless commitment to training that is required to compete. Its got to the stage where trying to please everyone and give training, work and family and friends my all has just become impossible and at the minute the latter need to take priority.

This has left me feeling depressed and generally not myself, as training has become a part of me and without it I feel a bit lost. I am someone that always puts in 100% to everything I do and the anxiety of not performing to my best means that for once I need to ask coaches and training partners to be understanding and supportive while I focus my energy else where. Something I have grown accustomed to asking of friends and family and even work while I am training for a competition or fight.

For the next month my family, friends and my job need my time and focus. I'm not just skiving off training because I can't be bothered or I've got a new boyfriend, everything I do in life is to reach a goal or objective and sometimes these won't be related to training but to other parts of my life.

That being said I feel a bit of a weight lifted as I can take some time to just enjoy training again, and that can hopefully start by going to Women's BJJ open mat this Sunday.

2012 Summary

Well it has been a busy year for me, I haven't been as active in my training as I would have liked to have been mainly due to a knee injury but still proud of my achievements!

2012 Summary
Competed at the Europeans and placed third: I love the Europeans and am really sad that I cant make it this year as it is a great competition.

Had a K1 fight: Stand-up isn't my strong point but it was a great experience and I found it 100 x harder than grappling or MMA.

Had a boxing fight: I am gutted that I lost but I never thought in a million years I would even have the confidence to give boxing a shot, I will fight again and I will win!

I trained with so many amazing people and seen my friends and team mates kick so much ass! So thanks to my coaches at First Generation Fitness in Eastbourne for always pushing me.

So what are my plans for 2013?

I want to compete a lot more in BJJ and really push my grappling to the next level!

I want to fight pro MMA! Hopefully this is in the pipelines with Super Fight League

Lutadora Review of WFB

The cage door closes and two mixed martial artists stand in front of each other. There's a palpable tension before the referee signals the start of the fight; the training is over and now it's down to the athletes to perform. Will there be a knock out? Submission? Or maybe a gruelling three round decision? Either way; to compete at the highest level of this sport you've got to be a pretty tough guy.

Except these two fighters aren't guys. They're competitors in the UK's first all-women MMA event, ‘Women Fight Back’. The fight card featured two professional and five amateur MMA bouts, along with two K1 and two white collar boxing matches.

It's an indicator of the rapid rise in popularity of female mixed martial arts. Fighters like Olympic judo gold medallist and current Strikeforce 135lb champ Ronda Rousey have paved the way for women's combat sports. America even has a female-only MMA promotion, Invicta FC, which is gearing up for its third event after its first two successful shows.

But, back to the UK, last night's event was organised in aid of domestic abuse with all proceeds going to Victim Support. The event was made possible from various volunteers from the MMA community and served to showcase what a positive force the sport can be.

The event kicked off with a Kenjitsu demonstration from multiple world martial arts champion Rubie Planson who later said, “it’s been great to be part of this event, I think it will really open doors for women in martial arts.”

www.lutadora.co.uk was at the event with female fight brand FighterGirls. Emmaline Francis, a fighter competing in an MMA exhibition match was sporting FighterGirls shorts. “It’s amazing to be part of this event, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said. “I love the FighterGirl gear.”

At no point did the fight card disappoint: from the heated brawling in the white collar boxing matches to the more technical K1 striking, and from the tough three round battles to the clinical submissions each fight was exciting in its own right. It goes to show these women are fighters and no matter what you think about female combat sports, they’re here to stay.

For more information about Victim Support visit their website here: http://www.victimsupport.org/


Make sure you follow Women Fight Back on Facebook for a repeat performance next year in April


Have a look at all the great pics from the night too!

WFB

I always hate people that make bullshit excuses after losing. I won't lie I'm crushed that I lost and it will probably take a while for me to feel better. Lesson learnt that if you don't feel 100% mentally of physically its not fair to yourself, or coaches and team mates, to go into a fight that you've already lost before you've even stepped into the cage.

Still, the event brought some really great people together and I am happy my team mates and friends all did so well and showcased just how talented they are. Big well done and thank you to Emma Smith and Gary Bond for making the event happen and Izzy Carwath for tireless work in matchmaking and promoting. Thanks to everyone that supported including Rew Mitchell and Rebekka Francis.

Review of the event in more detail to come soon!

Women Fight Back Press Release

IN AID OF VICTIM SUPPORT
COLOSSEUM SPORTS PRESENTS:
WOMEN FIGHT BACK
· ALL WOMEN FIGHT CARD
· 8 WOMEN’S MMA BOUTS
· ALL PROFITS GO TO NATIONAL CHARITY VICTIM SUPPORT
· 25th AUGUST AT 7PM, ALDERSHOT (UK)

Emma Smith: "Victim Support helped me out so much in my life, I wanted to give something back"

Buy tickets online: or call 0845 528 0979,

Sponsored by Cage Queen

(London, 20th July.12) Colosseum Sports is proud to present ‘Women Fight Back’ at Fight Science Gym in Aldershot (UK) on 25th August at 7pm, boasting a rare all female card. The event is a not-for-profit fundraiser, both organised and carried out by volunteers from the UK MMA community.

It is an indicator of the growth in the number of women now competing in Mixed Martial Arts that Women Fight Back is able to host 8 British female MMA bouts on one card (with more to come), with all competitors matched at equal weight and fairly in terms of experience.

Boxing, with its long history, took until 1998 to grant women licenses to fight. With MMA (in its present form) only emerging in 1993, the younger sport has been far quicker to embrace women athletes. It is resonant of the times that in the midst of the very first Olympics to include women’s boxing, such an event is now possible and that a British promoter is willing to get behind it.

The Pro MMA bouts include square-offs between Cherie Buck and Chloe Hinchcliffe, Rachael McMillan and Kate Jackson, Emma Watson and Andrea Gladiatrix; with a further 5 confirmed Amateur bouts and more to be added. The card also hopes to feature an Amateur boxing bout (yet to be matched) with two times ABA champ, Juta; and showcases white collar boxing and K1 earlier in the night.

Women Fight Back has drawn together the goodwill of a who’s who of well-known industry names: UFC referee, Michelle Drake Browning, will be flying in from the United States to oversee the fights, as Victim Support is a charity close to her heart. She will be refereeing alongside UK fighter, Danielle West. Judges are to include world #2 ranking Flyweight Rosi Sexton and UFC competitor, Oli Thompson. Commentators include reputed UK MMA journalist, Brad Wharton. For added star quality, UK MMA institution, Bret ‘Hollywood’ Freeman, will be bringing his glitter-factor to the mic, next to glamorous presenter, Cherelle-Jay O’Donnell, daughter to legendary promoter Cage Rage Dave. With UK fighter personalities Louis King, Tomasz Czerwinski, Dom Clarke, Steve Dossett and Tolly Plested brought into the mix as ring boys; and with scene queens including Little Red and Michaela (Fight Medics UK) promising to step into the cage, Women Fight Back is set to be an unmissable night of entertainment.

The driving force behind Women Fight Back is Emma Smith, owner of Aphrodite Ring Girls and partner to Colosseum Sports promoter, Gary Bond.
Smith said: “Victim support helped me out so much, years ago when I was in a very volatile marriage; and that’s what inspired me to want to do something that would give back to Victim Support, as they do such a fantastic job. Everyone I have approached to volunteer their time for this event has been really up for contributing to the cause. I’d like to thank Victim Support for the changes they made in my life and to all the people who have donated their time and effort into making this event possible. It has brought together people from different parts of the industry for a positive purpose and I’m really proud of that achievement and everyone involved.”

Maralyn Smith, Victim Support Divisional Manager for Surrey said: “We always appreciate it when people and other organisations take the initiative to raise much needed funds for Victim Support. I’m delighted that we helped Emma Smith when she needed us the most during her volatile marriage. The money raised from this event will support victims of domestic violence and other crimes.”


WOMEN FIGHT BACK
FIGHT CARD
(with more fights to be confirmed)

Pro MMA Fights
FLYWEIGHT BOUT
RACHAEL MCMILLAN VS. KATE JACKSON
(0-0-0, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Purple Belt) (4-1-0)
BANTAMWEIGHT BOUT
CHLOE HINCHCLFFE VS. CHERIE BUCK
(0-2-1) (1-2-1)
FLYWEIGHT BOUT
ANDREA GLADIATRIX VS. EMMA WATSON
(1-1-0) (2-2-0)

Amateur MMA Fights
BANTAMWEIGHT BOUT
KIRSTY DAVIS VS. CHERYL FLYNN
FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT
PAULA DONNELLY VS. LJ ADAMS
FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT
EMMA LUXFORD VS. LAURA HOWARTH
FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT
KERRY HUGHES VS. KERRY MASARATI
FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT
BEX PACKHAM VS. CHARLOTTE STEPHEN



For all event enquiries contact: emma.smith@colosseumsports.co.uk or Gary.Bond@colosseumsports.co.uk
For press enquiries contact: izzycarnwath@gmail.com
For more information about Victim Support contact: rupi.gohlar@victimsupport.org.uk
About Victim Support

About Victim Support

The national charity for people affected by crime and gives help to over 1 million people every year.
The funds raised at this event will go towards training 6,000 volunteers who give free and confidential information, emotional support and practical help to anyone affected by crime, whether or not it has been reported and regardless of when it happened.
Victim Support also runs the Witness Service which supports witnesses when they give evidence in court, as well as the Victim Supportline.
If you want to make a donation to Victim Support, please go to: www.victimsupport.org.uk/Donate

About Coliseum Sports

Established in August 2011 by Gary Bond, Colosseum Sports Ltd. harnesses over 20 years of experience in the Martial Arts Industry, coupled with highly professional business acumen which has been gathered by running very successful businesses in the entertainment, marketing and public relations industries.

We pride ourselves on two core values, quality and integrity. This is evidenced by the way we manage our Fighters, produce and host our fight Shows, our R.I.P. Product Range and our ring girls and event/promotional staff.

About Cage Queen
www.cagequeen.co.uk

Cage Queen was set up to address the growing number of lone females training in MMA gyms across the UK, where trying find a good match or trying to someone your weight to spar with can be a challenge. The Cage Queen website collates fighter records at Amateur and Pro level and covers Women’s MMA fight news for the UK.

How to Balance training and your Job

Life is how I like it at the minute, busy and interesting however since starting my new job in February I have been struggling to stick to my training routine.
As there so much I want to do and achieve at the minute, I thought I would take some time to get organised and share some of my time management techniques and ways to keep motivated even with a busy work schedule.

When I used to work for Bupa people would always moan that they didn't exercise because they just didn't have any time due to work. My response would always be "oh it must be horrible having no free time what so ever!" to which they would always catch themselves and start to think about what they had just announced. More often than not they would begrudgingly admit they had a bit of free time here and there which they could be using more efficiently with a little bit of effort.

And a little bit of effort is really all it takes. I usually do my planning on Saturdays or Sundays and go through the following tasks. At the start of the month I might take a bit longer to review events and appointments that I may have agreed to (facebook is good for this) and when I know I have a fight or competition coming up that is when I really need to put in the extra effort to stay organised.


1) Keep a diary: I like one with week and month views so I can see what I'm up against with one quick glance. Also it is a good idea to develop a monthly and weekly plans for the things you want to achieve in work and training to help keep you focused.

2)Make a time table of it all. I use a simple table with days of the week in the vertical column and the following heading on the horizontal:

Appointments/events: This immediately lets me know if I have anything important on that day and often effects how I plan my day/week.

To do/reading/study: This is where I add anything I really need to do that day usually its to write articles and blog posts or read up about something, practice my Portuguese, make a batch of healthy meals or whatever

Remember: An extra hint to remember training kit, extra snacks, an important document, call someone

Training: I like to know what training I can fit it and make sure I'm getting enough in especially when I have a fight or competition coming up

Scheduling your appointments like this lets you see if you are being overambitious and helps you iron out the finer details of your week. Make sure you factor in time to relax and just chill or see family and friends, it sounds obvious but rest and leisure can help reduce stress and help prevent over training. *If I'm feeling extra geeky I will also note down the weather, helps with making outfit choices for work

3)Prepare things:
Making plans are all well and good but the important part is executing them. This can take a little bit more thought and consideration but if you have taken the time to get the first steps right it shouldn't be too difficult and you will get into a routine soon enough
For me sticking to my routine is aided by making sure I have meals and clothes planned for the week ahead. It sounds silly but its so easy to make excuses not to go training if you've eaten badly and don't have energy or if you have to stop off home first to get training kit.
Try planning meals and stash some extra snacks in your bag, at work, (at the gym if your lucky enough to have a locker or somewhere greedy boxing coaches won't find)
I make sure I have enough training gear for the week and typically might stash some stuff at the gym so I don't have to lug it into work every day *hard to look stylish with a huge backpack on! Make sure your training bag is stashed full of useful bits and bobs (hairbands nail clippers, towel etc.)

4) Motivation:
Long stressful days can leave you with a lack of motivation to go to the gym, some days I actually fall asleep on the train home but when I get to training I always feel better.
A strong black coffee first thing when you get in and right before you leave can help Try announcing your plans to go train on facebook or texting your coach, once you feel you have committed yourself it will be make it harder to make excuses to go home and vegetate!
I collect my favourite motivational quotes (twitter is good for training quotes) and write them on post it notes for when I'm feeling particularly uninspired.
Make a playlist: Nothing makes me feel like hitting the gym than listening to some dubstep or heavy metal, if someone on the train asks you to turn down it down you have that instant can only be fixed by training irritation :)
Head to youtube and watch some videos of people that really inspire you or your favourite fight, I always get that must smash feeling when ever I watch a really good fight.


Feel free to share any tips as these are just some of the things that have been working for me.