In-House Tournament
Spring is here, ETC Denverites. And summer is just around the corner. Also right around the corner is the Easton In-House Tournament on April 20th. Just a reminder, you must sign up by the 18th. You must be a 2-stripe white belt and above. You must show up ready to make some new friends and have a great time. This is an opportunity to get your competition (and refereeing, in my case) feet wet in a friendly and supportive environment. Important details: there will be no coaching. As the Easton Empire expands, we find that some of the schools don’t have as many coaches as others and so some competitors may be stuck, coachless, lining up across a competitor who has their favorite coach instructing them through the match. So get your game plan together ahead of time and let’s just roll and have some fun.
Sidenote for parents of younger kid competitors: when appropriate, the referees will be coaching both kids through their matches.
These Academy-wide events are an opportunity for us to get to know teammates from other locations, so even if you have no desire to compete, come out and be a part of this community. You will not-I would say cannot-be disappointed.
Instructor Highlight
Professor Chris Meirzwiak
Ht.: 6’1” Wt: 190 lbs Age: 31 Years Training: 12 Black Belt: 6/23/2018
When can you catch one of Professor Chris’ classes? Professor Chris teaches the Fundamentals/Intermediate Class on Tuesday and Thursday evening, 7:30 PM at the Denver Academy.
He has also been known to fill in for other instructors all over the schedule, so if you can’t make Tuesday/Thursday evening, you might just get lucky…
What do you love about teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
My favorite aspect of teaching is getting to know my students’ backgrounds, stories and different reasons for starting jiu-jitsu. It’s amazing to see a group of people from different walks in life come together to chase a common goal.
What are you personal goals in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
I will always have short term goals, like competing and personally developing. But my goals go beyond the personal level. Jiu-jitsu gave me the chance to chase my dreams as a fighter, the opportunity to travel the world , my career and closest friends. I want to be able to give back to this community and changes lives by sharing the same gifts that Jiu-Jitsu continues to give me.Professor Chris has become a regular training partner for me (see the photo of the two of us shortly after he issued me my weekly Friday beating). He is generous with his knowledge and time and offers great advice both during and after rounds. If you get a chance to train with him or to take one of his classes, you will not be disappointed.
Stripes Update…
You may have noticed that your favorite training partner showed up to class one day and suddenly had 2 or 3 fresh stripes on his or her colored belt. As announced last month, we have returned to the IBJJF standard of awarding stripes within the colored belts. As such, we have been trying to get everyone updated according to their attendance and longevity. Obviously, asking a professor or coach “when am I going to get promoted?” is a pretty unpopular move. In this case, however, if it feels like you have obviously exceeded the time and attendance requirements to get a stripe or three on your current belt, feel free to ask the front desk staff to just check your profile and confirm your status. It only takes a moment and we have many members to get through. It would be a shock if some didn’t get overlooked!
April Nutrition Tip
Get your minerals, gang. You might be surprised to learn that some of the most common micronutrient deficiencies are mineral deficiencies-most notably magnesium and zinc. If you are out there on the mat several times per week and sweating off gallons of perspiration, you should be not only replacing the water that you have lost in that process but also the minerals.
Electrolyte minerals (the kind that you lose in sweat) are necessary for muscle contractions (important for combat sports), nervous system function, heart function and blood pressure regulation (important for living), and brain health. When we become deficient in these and other minerals, our mood is affected. We can’t recruit the energy that we need to perform our daily tasks and workouts. Our muscles are more likely to cramp and we can become extremely dehydrated-drinking glass after glass of water that simply flows right out of us in the form of frequent urination.
Whole food sources of minerals are dark leafy greans, raw or sprouted nuts and seeds, both organ and muscle meats (especially organ) of pasture-raised or wild animals, pasture-raised eggs, wild-caught seafood, and properly-prepared legumes. A high-quality multi-mineral supplement along with electrolyte drops in your water and sea salt on your food are also good ways to replace minerals lost in training.
