#kbjiujitsu

Interview with a Champion: Kristina Barlaan

Story reprinted with permission from Gi Soap Magazine; it originally appeared HERE.

UPDATE: Since completing this interview, Kristina was awarded her black belt.

Kristina Barlaan is an excellent competitor who has been on a tear in the competition circuit. On top of that, she does excellent work in the BJJ community, especially for the women of the sport. Check out what she had to say:

GS Mag: Co…

If you're on the East Coast in mid-April, you have 4 chances to train with me! 

April 15, 2014 - Co-ed BJJ Workshop @ Soulcraft BJJ in Hamden, CT from 7:00pm - 9:00pm

April 18, 2014 - Women Only BJJ Workshop @ Renzo Gracie Fight Academy in Brooklyn, NY at 7:30pm

April 19, 2014 - Women Only BJJ Seminar @ Gracie Farmington Valley in Tarrifville, CT from 11:00am - 2:00pm

April 20, 2014 - Co-ed BJJ Seminar @ Gracie Farmington Valley in Tarrifville, CT from 11:00am - 2:00pm

I'm coming to Central California April 6! 

Welcome to the Brown Belt series Interviews, Where I have a chat with different female brown belts and get into their heads!!! 

This is my interview with Champ Kristina Barlaan of Nova Uniao!

(a CTRL Industries athlete)

  What was your first competition experience like? And what tournament did you pick to participate in?

My very first Jiu-Jitsu tournament was the 2008 International Novice Championship held during the 2008 World Championship. I had only 6 months of training, but I remember not feeling nervous. I think I was just blissfully naive to how big this tournament would be. Growing up in performing arts since I was 5 years old was a huge factor in my being so comfortable competing on such a large stage, especially with it being my first tournament. I just felt like I was stepping on to a stage, prepared to perform. With 6 months of training, I didn't know ANY takedowns or throws. All I knew was jump guard, flying armbar, flying triangle, and shaking my opponent down with a double collar grip. If I really think about it, I had a very small amount of tools to work with, but what I did have, I was very good at. I believe I had a stronger mindset than most of the other ladies as well. I didn't feel any pressure to be a certain way or perform to other people's expectations. In my very first match, I jumped to a flying armbar. My opponent tapped on the way down so I let go, but the referee didn't see it and the girl kept trying to fight. I immediately learned my first lesson in competing: Don't let go of a submission until the referee sees it. I was able to recover on top and went straight to the X-pass. When I landed in side control I noticed that her breathing was very heavy and frantic. It suddenly made me aware of my own breathing and it was then that I realized that my breathing was calm and controlled. In those 2-3 seconds, I learned my next lesson: always be mindful of your breathing. As soon as I realized that my breathing was fine and her's was not, my confidence in winning shot through the roof. I knew I was in control. I was then able to finish her with an armbar and this time, I made sure the referee saw. For whatever reason, my opponent didn't show up for my next match, so I was immediately put into the semi-finals. The match only lasted maybe 30 seconds. I used my double collar shake/drag to bring her to the ground, where I took her back and finished with a basic collar choke. In the finals, I jumped straight to a flying triangle, but missed. As soon as I recovered my guard, I went straight to attacking the triangle again. She did a really great job putting pressure to escape, but I just kept cutting angles. I tried going to the armbar, but would just keep recovering with the triangle. After cutting a few angles and hooking her leg to pull tighter, I was able to finish her and successfully win my first tournament. To me, it didn't feel like such a big deal, but then my team mates and other people just kept telling me that I did something incredible. I knew from then on that competing is what I was passionate about. Everything about it was exhilarating and I just remember thinking that I wished I could just keep having matches. When I got to the podium, that was my first time noticing that my while belt was different from all the other ladies. I just had a white karate belt, so I asked one of my team mates what the black bar and pieces of tape meant. He told me that Jiu-Jitsu belts have the black bar and the stripes were a way of letting people know what level white belt. All the other ladies on the podium had 3-4 stripes. On a technical level, I guess I shouldn't have been on the top of the podium that day, but I was. It wasn't a matter of being tough, strong, or aggressive. I just believed that I belonged there.

What is some advice you would give a white belt who has just started their journey?

As white belts, you have the luxury to be whoever you want to be in the sport. There is no pressure to be anyone or do certain things, so really have fun with Jiu-Jitsu. For me, when I was a white belt, every time I trained was an opportunity to learn something new and that was really exciting to me. Try not to get over-excited though. There are so many things to learn, but sometimes it's easy to overload your brain with this submission and sweep or that pass and takedown. Instead of trying to take in the technique in its entirety, break it down in smaller, easier to digest and retain-able pieces. Focus on the foundational mechanics of the technique. Instead of "grab here and put your foot there," and yourself WHY you are making a certain grip or putting your foot in a particular way. Jiu-Jitsu is about being functional and efficient, so anything you can do to make your job easier, DO. 

What is some advice you would give to a white belt who has been in it a couple of years but is not progressing as fast as others?

Everyone progresses according to what they are "given". What I mean by this is that everyone will do the best they can with what they have. Not everyone can be a World Class athlete, but that doesn't mean you can't be a successful athlete. Some people have commitments to family, career, or school and some people can focus on Jiu-Jitsu all the time. Some people are physically and technically gifted and some need to work twice as hard to achieve what the latter can. You are not in competition with anyone but yourself when it comes to progression, so it isn't logical to compare your capabilities to anyone else. This creates bitterness, frustration, and can cause many athletes to quit due to unrealistic expectations of themselves. My best advice? Keep track of your own progression as opposed to basing your progression on what others are doing around you. Set mini-goals for yourself that will lead to accomplishing bigger goals.  Look at where you used to be, where you are now, and where you plan to be in the future. Who cares where everyone else is? You are reaching your own goals, not theirs.

You are a part of the next generation of female black belts. What are something’s you see happening in the future as far as women’s bjj is concerned?

Women's Jiu-Jitsu has progressed quite a bit in just the past 2-3 years. The separation of the Brown and Black belt divisions and the addition of a Masters category are great changes that encourage more women to participate and compete in this sport. Seeing more opportunities for women to compete on a professional stage, like Mackenzie Dern and Michelle Nicolini at Metamoris 2, is inspiring as well. Some things I would like to see would be the opening the Masters category to White belts (currently, it's Blue belt and up), the addition of Senior categories, and the addition of a Rooster weight division (currently, the smallest weight division is up to 118lbs). 

Favorite moves?

Most people know that I am a guard player, but contrary to belief, I actually like playing top. I couldn't say which moves were my favorite because it varies from what position I am in. I have lots of favorite go to moves from various positions. As far as submissions go though, I'm a fan of triangles and bow and arrow chokes. 

Least Favorite moves?

Every athlete has positions they would rather not be in or "games" they would rather not play. I may not have to like every position I am shown, but I enjoy learning them nonetheless because you never know you might have to use it, offensively or defensively. I would have to say Butterfly is a guard I like to avoid, playing or passing, but I'm ok with being there since I understand it. 

Dream vacation?

I have quite a few, but  right now, Australia is on the top of my list for dream vacations. I love hot weather, beaches, and oceans. Maybe Jiu-Jitsu will get me there one day ;)

Favorite sayings?

I have 2 sayings that I really like:

"Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, and they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill." -Muhammad Ali

"Our deepest fear in not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talent, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people the permission to do the same." -Marianne Williamson

Best music to listen too?

Best music? That is such a difficult question to answer! I grew up listening to so many different types of music. I enjoy everything from classical to hip hop and dub-step to reggae. I guess it just really depends on my mood and the occasion.

Favorite food?

This is another difficult question to answer. People just need to look at my Instagram to get a little hint of what kind of foods I like to eat. I am a big time foodie for sure, but I guess my best answer would be dessert, haha. No matter what I eat and how much of it I at, there is always room for dessert. Theories of how I can eat so much and stay fit vary from giant tapeworm to gaping black hole with a portal to another dimension. 

Favorite animal?

What's with all the difficult questions?! I'm an all around animal person. When I was a kid, one of my favorite movies was Beastmaster and it was one of my life goals to have a tiger, a hawk, and 2 ferrets. I also read lots of books where kids adopted strange animals as pets, so naturally, I wanted whatever they had. Everything from ostriches, wolves, and bears to dolphins and an octopus. I also said I would kidnap a penguin from a zoo numerous times in my teenage years. And then there was that time I was obsessed with pandas, monkeys, and lions. Now I see lots of cute videos of red pandas and fenec foxes. Can't I just have a whole zoo?

What is it like to compete on the "world" stage aka IBJJF?

I am a huge supporter of the IBJJF and their tournaments. I may not agree with everything, but I absolutely respect what they have done for the sport and what they continue to do. I feel like they really do their best to treat their competitors with the utmost respect. Are mistakes made? Absolutely, but no one is perfect. As far as organization and level of competition, I think the IBJJF is on top.

And last:

Do you think BJJ will make it to the olympic stage?