Here is a post from our own James Mackenzie on his recent results at the IBJJF Japan International Open, where he took home GOLD as well as 2 SILVERS! James has been training under Master Marcus since 2004, and trains out of out of the Langley school. His inspiring wins are a great example of the importance of training hard and having high aspirations! Congratulations James! Have a read below…
This past weekend was a great learning experience. I hadn’t competed for so long, I cant remember when. 5 or 6 years I believe. When I was telling Marcus Soares about my upcoming trip to Japan, Benito Segura suggested that I should compete when I’m there.
Thinking that it was a pretty cool idea, I searched to see if there was any competitions to join. Sure enough there was. Two in fact. Ibjjf Japan international open and the ibjjf masters international. After joining the ibjjf and signing up, I just made the deadline. I was stoked. A spark ignited my fire once again.
Fast forward to the competition. It was a great experience. One I was familiar with, but at same time felt so foreign. Before I knew it the competition started and I was walking my way to the competition floor. What surreal feeling it was. Didn’t end up with the results I really wanted. My arms and legs filled with lactic acid almost immediately making it difficult to do “what I normally do” in training. It was a great disappointment to feel that way.
I learned a lot about what I have to do as a student, competitor, and as a training partner. It was an eye opening experience. Competition tends to bring out the truth in your jiujitsu game. The truth hurts sometimes, but what you do after is what matters most.
When I get back from Japan, I’ll be on a warpath. The fire inside was not extinguished, it was accelerated into an inferno! My training will go from casual to focused, from lazy to disciplined. I hope many of my training partners will join me in this reinvigorating frame of mind, although I know many have this mindset already.
With that being said, I plan on competing again this August at the Seattle open with a more focused approach. Training camp starts next weekend. Hopefully we can put a team together and get on the podium once again, otherwise I will be back on the competition floor again on my own, lone wolf style. August 3 2019.
