Road to the Kyushu Open

I got good news and bad news.

Good News
I’m entering the Kyushu Open Tornament. Yes, I know “tornament” is spelled wrong, but I’m taking the spelling straight from here.

I’ll be entering the pluma weight class (-61.4 kg) and the absolute cause it doesn’t feel real unless I’m grappling someone heavier than me.

Bad News
I’m not competing with the gi, which means no-gi for me. Why no-gi?

For the gi I need to have a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Federation of Japan ID card. And I have almost everything I need to get one.

• An actual gi - check
• Money - check
• Group affiliated with the BJJFJ - check
• Signature of the instructor who promoted me to blue belt in order to recognize my rank – NO check

Sigh.

I still plan on writing back home, explaining my situation and hopefully get something signed, though I’m not sure if that’ll be allowed (the Academy does not have an open door policy).  Or, by some chance I get a signature, I don’t know if it’ll get back here in time to get the paper work through and get my ID card.

Entering the no-gi tourney would be cheaper if I was a card carrying member, but that’s the only “open” part of the Kyushu Open. So I’ll take it where I can.

So in the meantime, I’m going to train no-gi (which is what I’ve been doing for nine months or so), watch some Marcelo Garcia vids for inspiration, practice triangles and rear naked chokes and guillotines and lots of side control escapes like crazy.