Jui Jitsu Belt Stripes

Reed & Ryland received advancing stripes this afternoon, which came as a total surprise.  Coach was great with Reed and told him that he could do anything he sets his mind to, if he can stop playing.  Reed couldn't stop checking himself out in the mirror.  Kid cracks me up.

Ryland's talk with Coach was more serious and about believing in his skills.  Ryland lets all his frustration out on the mat, and I love to see his drive.

The Jiu Jitsu crew after hours and hours of classes. 

Jiu Jitsu Tournament

We had a new experience today at an area Jiu Jitsu tournament.  Two of the boys that grapple with Ryland and Reed were participating, so we went to show support.  

They did amazing, and we all watched very intensely as they won gold.  We all love Sampson Jiu Jitsu and look forward to Ryland and Reed completing one day.

No Gi

Thursdays at the gym are no gi, so the boys get to wrestle with their teammates.  I don't know why the mentality changes without the uniform, but Thursdays are silly and fun.   I loved watching Reed and his friend, Kaden, play around.

Sticker Time

What's a girl to do while her brothers learn more Jui-Jitsu?  Sticker books!  Ridley and I had so much fun playing with stickers this evening during class.  The simplest joys are sweet, and she is helping me slow down and appreciate time.

Jiu-Jitsu Gets Real

The boys loved Jiu-Jitsu this evening.  Sensei had a Fort Worth police officer that he had trained and worked with over the years come to class.  The officer worked with the children about real world situations and how to take down a "bad guy". 

I loved the smiles on the boys' faces and their excitement tonight.  It was great that they had a blast and started connecting what they are learning to real world actions.  

Belt Up

The boys officially received thier new belts this evening.  Ryland is now an orange belt, and Reed is now a yellow belt.  Way to go boys!  Your practice paid off!

Jiu-Jitsu Belt Test

Ryland and Reed tested for belt promotions, and we could not be more proud of them both.  They did a great job on skills and sparring.

Jiu-Jitsu

Both boys are in Jiu-Jitsu now twice a week. It was really neat to watch them interact and train with one another.  As you can see, they are not sparring together right now, which is probably a good thing.  Reed was super excited about getting started, and he did an awesome job.

Yellow Belt Presentation

Ryland received his yellow belt in Jiu-Jitsu after passing his test last week.  He was so proud of himself, and we are too. 

Yellow Belt Test

Sensei tested all the students who were ready to progress to the next Jiu-Jitsu belt.  Ryland was excited but a little nervous.  He did a fantastic job, and we were so proud of him. He was self confident and nailed his demonstration in front of all the students and parents. 

Reed's Turn

Sensei gave Reed a special pass to participate in Jiu-Jitsu class this evening.  Reed was thrilled to be a part of the action.  He did a great job paying attention and doing the training exercises.  He is a tough, physical little boy, and he hung in there with the big kids.

Jiu-Jitsu

Ryland couldn't wait to get to class this evening. Class two was a huge success! 

Jiu-Jitsu

Ryland started taking Jiu-Jitsu this evening.  He will be taking two weekly 1 hour classes with Sensei Weidenhof.  The class has several different belt levels, so it was pretty interesting to watch the progression of training.  The first class went well, and Ryland loved it.  He even wanted to go home and practice.