White Belt Pride

I’ve always been kind of proud of my clean, white, belt.  I guess it has something to do with my base in kickboxing, and the fact that people would introduce me as a “black belt” because that somehow held more valor than the fact that I was just a fighter.  That, in combination with a bunch of different systems, self promotions, and expensive belt tests led me to this:  My growth has never been marked with tape, a new color of belt, or any other kind of promotion.  It is mine.  I’ve discovered my personal milestones only as I’ve reached them.  My white belt represents my freedom from any specific discipline, yet I can learn from them all.  I proudly own this humble symbol of "one who has a lot to learn."

I took my first Jiu Jitsu class this week.  It was humbling to say the least.  No one expects much from a white belt with no stripes… except me…I’ve been grappling for years and I’m pretty comfortable with ground fighting.  This was very different.  Not only does the gi prevent 90% of my game from working, but took me to a level of discomfort resembling claustrophobia.  In truth, I was only going to support the new “women’s class” and because I’ve been nagging my husband to get back into his gi.  What I found was a new challenge, a new way to push myself, and a new milestone in humility.

My motivation has always been intrinsic and I’ve given little thought to belts, championship or colored.  I just want to learn and grow.  I can’t let my pride in my white belt get in the way of that.

www.KatieCasimir.com

Not exactly sure what Shannon & I are doing here... But here I am, in a gi! 

Mirrors

Be careful when you look at your reflection.  There are mirrors that make you look small.  They can motivate you to become bigger, but can inspire self-loathing if you look too long.  There are mirrors that can make you look big.  They show you what is possible, but can seduce you into complacency if you look too long.  A glimpse is good, but remember it is a reflection of possibilities, not an accurate representation of who  you are… because you are awesome, not perfect, and exactly where (and who) you are supposed to be right now.  

The Culture of the Weight Cut

French Fighter: “I’m a man, I don’t need to cut weight to compete!”

American Fighter: “Be a man and get your ass in the sauna!”

Cutting weight is one of the most controversial aspects of weight class based sports.  If you’re not familiar, cutting weight is a process of rapid dehydration to put your body at its lowest possible weight, while maintaining your body mass.  This allows you to be larger than you should be, and should give you an advantage in competition.  The fact that everyone generally does the same thing means that we actually do it to negate a disadvantage.

When I tell people that I lose 10lbs in one day, they look at me like I look at parents that give their toddlers soda.  “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?  WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU DO THAT?” I guess the idea of being “healthy” is a matter of paradigm.  I know cutting weight is bad for me, as is taking head trauma, and depending on who you ask, the list doesn’t end there…

I’m not exactly sure why fighters cut weight in the U.S. while Europe and Japan tend to fight in their natural weight classes.  I suspect it stems from our wrestling culture, and body building culture which seems to be inexplicably linked to MMA.  I can only speak to the American mentality, but having a French husband has caused me to take a closer look at something I’ve always just accepted as the way things are.

I think we all start out, to some degree, thinking like the French fighter.  Dieting is not fun, and done improperly can seriously derail your training.  Dehydrating yourself is even less fun.  Then there are the tragic stories of guys dropping dead on the scale, and the ones that didn’t make it that far…  Everybody in the gym has an opinion and advice, some of it’s helpful, some of it is horribly wrong.  Most of us would prefer to avoid all of that… in the beginning.

However, at some point, our paradigms shift.  First, you become aware that if you want to be competitive, it’s part of the game.  Then, you start to look for your advantages too.  It becomes something like picking up an accent or a style of dress, the culture becomes a part of who you are.  Some commit to the process kicking and screaming, some learn to embrace it, but everyone gets there eventually.

 For me, it’s extremely spiritual, a purification before battle.  It is a test of my strength and will, unparalleled even by the fight.  It’s a time you spend with those closest to you on your journey to the cage… No one else would brave those hours in the sauna, steam room, or hotel bathroom.  It’s a time of meditation.  My focus on my breathing and relaxing keeps my mind above the discomfort of my body.  It also distracts me from the anxiety of the coming fight.  Making weight is a battle of its own.

It’s always easy to judge the strange practices of another culture, but until you have immersed yourself in that culture, there is no way for you to truly understand.  I don’t glorify the process. I don’t ignore the dangers.  I am an adult who is capable of assessing both, and making my own choices, based on my cultural paradigm.

www.KatieCasimir.com

Dear Mark Hunt

Dear Mark Hunt,

Let me begin by saying, please don’t judge Jesus by the actions of Christians.  We mean well, but we mess up a lot.  I’m sorry for any animosity you have received, that’s not God, it’s our own fear and insecurity.  God doesn’t need us to defend Him.  He is God.  That being said, I feel compelled to share my own experience, I guess I can’t help myself.

No, I’ve never seen God.  He has spoken to me, and I can tell you what He sounds like.  He sounds like undeniable truth.  Like a thought more clear than anything you can think or know for yourself.  Most of the time when I pray (and I hate to publicly admit this), it’s something like chit-chat, a nightly requirement, like the days I show up to the gym, but my hearts not in it.  It’s not that I don’t want to get better, but some days I’m just going through the motions.  But then, there are times when my mind and my heart are clear, and I know I have a direct line.  In these moments He has responded in the most amazing ways.  Maybe that’s not enough to answer your questions, but it’s what I have if you’re truly curious about His existence.

Regarding the authors and the whereabouts of the transcripts of the Bible, I have another way to look at that.  I believe it is impossible to live without faith on some level.  We buy food that is labeled on faith.  We believe that the consequences for lying are so great that companies wouldn’t dare mislead us… We watch the news and accept that there is truth in what we hear… Even the most devout believer in the theory of evolution has to take a leap of faith.  Nonliving matter had to become the first amoeba somehow for the whole idea to work.  Last I heard they still don't have any evidence on that one.

I think believing the scriptures is something like the faith we put in everything else.  You have to interpret information, understand its context, do your own research, and find your own truth.  Just like when I clear my heart and pray, God gives answers.

I don’t know if I’ve helped at all, but I deeply respect you for asking the hard questions.  I’m happy you found the truth.

God bless,

Katie Casimir

www.KatieCasimir.com

Look Where You're Going

What is this power we hold in our eyes that allows us to jump higher, move smoother, and reach farther?  I have no explanation, but I know it to be true 100 of 100 times.  In judo your throw becomes easier if you look in the same direction that you want your opponent to fly.  The power of your punches will increase if you look at your target instead of your opponent’s defense.  If you want to sweep your opponent on the ground, you need to move more than your head in the right direction, you also have to move your eyes.

We must keep our gaze fixed on our objectives and continue in that direction, like the obstacles don’t matter, and they won’t.  Sometimes things don’t go your way and you find yourself distracted. Take a step back, refocus your gaze, and push forward again.  We can’t look at obstacles and expect to succeed.  Just like you can’t focus on your opponent in a fight.  You must respect that they are there, but the only power they have is the power you give them.

Have the courage to look, not at where you are, but where you want to go.  You will go farther.

www.KatieCasimir.com

A Fighter's Love Story

I don’t date fighters. After one terrible experience, and witnessing several others from my perch as “one of the guys” at the gym, I just determined it to be a bad idea.  Fighters love hard, they also tend to be a little self-loathing, unfaithful, irresponsible, and have tunnel vision toward their goal of success in a rough industry.  Not my definition of an ideal partner.  After a horrible argument with my fighter ex, I prayed, with the most open of hearts, and asked God for a good man.  I heard clearly “Get ready.”  I stopped looking because I knew he was coming to me.  The last place I expected to meet him was in the gym, for above mentioned reasons.

When Bendy Casimir asked why I didn’t have a boyfriend, I told him that I spend all my spare time in the gym and I don’t date fighters.  Fortunately his English wasn’t that good at the time.  All he understood was that I didn’t have a boyfriend. It took me about two weeks of interacting with him in training and in passing at the gym to realize that I was totally in love.  $#!t!!! A fighter???  But he was different, and I was different about him.  I asked him on out first date to the WEC, a promotion with which he had recently signed to fight.  I had to ask him through his friend who had better English, I wasn’t sure if it was a date, but I was hoping…  Last October we celebrated two years of marriage.

 

I don’t pretend to be an expert on the subject of marriage, but I have learned a few things.  Mostly that having a shared passion is everything.  I can’t imagine my pre-fight mood swings being well received by anyone who has never experienced them personally.  We’ve both gone through times when we wonder if it’s time to quit.  It’s truly a blessing to have someone to believe that you still have everything you need to achieve your goals, and push you to keep going.  He’s not a cheerleader, but someone who really wants what is best for me, a partner.  He studies technique like I study nutrition, we take our separate roles toward the same goal.

Couples that grow and learn together attach the positive feelings of growing and learning to their partners.  I feel so close to my husband when we finish training together.  We have no “teacher” or “student” we work together.  How could I do that with a musician without giving up my precious gym time? 

I think we’ve all made rules with good reason, and broken them for better reasons.  God brought me my split apart in the last package I expected.  It was the only package that was going to work.

www.KatieCasimir.com

Why I Love MMA

I could go on and on about the reasons I love martial arts, in fact I’m sure I have.  However, after training and competing in multiple disciplines, I’ve come to one undeniable conclusion.  Mixed martial arts is on a whole other level of awesome. Here are a couple reasons why:

Tuff-N-Uff August 2010

First, we love the finish. If you pull guard in MMA, you need to do something with it, quickly.  Lay-and-pray (taking top position on the ground and holding your opponent) takes a lot of skill.  However, if you win like that, no one is impressed.  Strategy is important, but if you don’t finish the fight, you’d better look like you were trying.  “Martial Art” is the art of Mars, the Roman god of war.  In war there are no points or advantages, only damage, surrender, victory and defeat.  The whole picture is taken into account, not one spectacular move (unless that spectacular move creates surrender or defeat).

Second, MMA changes rules to ensure the safety of competitors, not to preserve (prevent evolution of) the sport.  There’s no eye gouging, groin shots, biting, etc.  While in other disciplines (some of my favorite, mind you) you can’t touch the legs to get a take down.  Fewer rules allow for creativity and growth, for both the individual fighter and the art.

Also, while we have our own sense of superiority (see above), we greatly value other disciplines.  Traditionally our favorites include jiu jitsu, wrestling, boxing, and muay thai, but we will learn from samboists and judokas.  Got a slick taekwondo kick?  We’ll learn that too. Kung fu, sanshou, kyokushin, if you’ve got skills, we’ve got respect.  There’s no “We do it like this...” because everyone does everything just a little different.  It’s way more likely that an MMA practitioner will say “A karate guy showed me this awesome footwork,” or “In boxing we do this, but if you move your arm here instead you’re safe from the knee.” 

 It’s far from perfect, and can look quite barbaric to the untrained eye, but we are athletes, artists, warriors, and entertainers.  I love that I can learn from everyone, compete in everything, and take what works for me.

www.KatieCasimir.com