Combat Base Sulphur Springs competes in tournament

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The local Brazilian jiu jitsu gym, Combat Base Sulphur Springs, competed this Sunday in the American Grappling Federation tournament in Dallas.  The team who competed was comprised of kids and adults “rolling” with other students from across the state.  Brazilian jiu jitsu, or jiu jitsu is a ground fight and submission form of martial arts.  Opponents try to control their opponents by obtaining a dominate position and maneuvering towards a submission.  Submissions can be a form of making your opponent “tap out,” such as an arm bar or a choke hold.  An opponent can win by points earned for dominate positions, sweeps or take downs, or the ultimate win of a successful submission.  There are two forms of competition, in the Gi or no gi.  A gi is a traditional grappling apparel worn by opponents on the mats, which can be worn over top of shorts and a rash guard. A rash guard is similar to a full covered swimsuit top.

Each opponent had to compete with others in their weight class and experience level.  Often times, the event organizers try to match opponents by age as well, but if there are not enough competitors, opponents might have to compete with someone older or younger depending on the experience level.  A match takes place on the mats for a time of three-minute rounds for the kids or five-minute rounds for the adults, or someone completes a successful submission.

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The match starts with both opponents standing, slapping hands or a fist bump to signal they are ready to compete.  The ref signals to start and the strategy begins.  The competitors move around the mats in a type of dance, looking for the opening they need to obtain the dominate position against their opponent and move for the takedown.  Grips are established and lost, until one opponent has the upper hand.  A trip from behind while pushing down and the first takedown has been accomplished.  Now to maintain the topside offense and move into a more dominate position to start to strategize for a submission.  All the while making sure to maintain the topside position, so the opponent does not sweep and get the upper hand. Hands and arms move by each person, one pushing away and the other trying to maintain control.  A hand slips behind the downed opponents head, reaches for their arm to hold at the wrist.  While the other hand moves under the bent arm and grasps onto their own wrist.  Chest to chest pressure is maintained while the topside opponent pulls and lifts the bottom side opponents arm up into a “key lock” to end the round in a successful submission.

For many of the people who competed it was their first time to do so in a group setting such as this.  A few of the competitors were met with a submission while others were able to earn enough points to win the round or completed a submission of their own to win the round.  Overall, each person did well and learned a lot about what they need to work on for the next competition.  Many of the competitors can hardly wait to get back on the mats and learn more to improve their game and improve for more competitions in the future.

If you are interested in checking out what Combat Base is all about you can find their information on Facebook or their class schedule at their website www.combatbasess.com.  They have classes for all ages and fitness levels.  Including a women’s fitness kick boxing class.  

By Allison Libby-Thesing

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