July 6, 2009

Since winning the Mundials and receiving my black belt much has happened. As luck usually handles me, on the way home from Long Beach a truck pulled in front of me just as one of its straps blew straight up in the air and a coffin sized box filled with giant metal bolts fell off of the giant flat bed and hit the freeway exploding what looked like thick black arrows everywhere. They blew up and smashed the car and windshield despite my attempts to swerve I managed a face and lung full of powdered glass. In short, I missed Monday morning class which was both good and bad. I never miss a class, especially around a fight or competition. That Monday, my black belt in shining armor Crispim walked out or was fired from where I train in San Ramon. Talk about drama, after that long weekend in Long Beach and all the events that transpired it was the grand finale to the weekend. As many people know, I attribute how well in did against those girls at the Mundials to Crispim and all my training partners. I can tell you about each person and pretty much exactly how they helped me. When I started at Ultimate Fitness, I told Barry Anderson the owner, that I was not a flake and that once I commit to something I do it. I also told him that if Crispim ever left I would stay there. Its very common for Brazilian's to come and go back and forth from the States to Brazil and then never return, or just plain old leave. I have kept my promise to Barry, and while I was sad that Crispim is no longer there, Barry has already had 2-3 new black belt instructors in the gym.

One instructor, Caio Terra, has been teaching at Ultimate for the last month. I cannot begin to say enough of good things about Caio. He is hands down one of the best teachers I have ever encountered (as was Crispim), every day is like a seminar in that when I walk away I have new details that I never saw before or was never taught. Each day I leave with more than I came with. Barry Anderson knows the importance of quality instruction and has spared nothing to make sure the students still get that top notch instruction. I think that I along with the other higher belts understand what insane instruction we are getting, while the white belts take it for granted.

With all this being said, my training has gone up one more notch, I hit the weights hard, bike, swim, do kettlebells and circuit train as well as teach and roll 3-8 hours a day. I went to the Mundials prepared, and now I am going to ADCC OVER prepared if its possible.

My dream was to win the Mundials as a black belt, get my black belt, and then also to win Abu Dhabi. I am not going to Spain to "do well", I am going there to win.

One of my favorite competitors is Valerie Worthington, no matter what, Valerie finds a way to be positive. The odds are always against her, as in my case, I am way way bigger and stronger than her but the woman never quits, she is 110% heart. Even though my hand went up after one of our fights, I walked away knowing that she won. I get this feeling a lot. Even if I tap someone, I don't always feel like I won. I have beaten girls way better than me and I call it luck but really its so much more than "luck". The difference between Valerie and I is that Valerie is a healthy competitor because she has the right attitude. My attitude for me personally is that "I must win!" At the Mundials, my attitude was "I am a brown belt fighting seasoned black belts, I am going to play my game and do what I do". Notice, I did not say "win", if I could manage to do what I do normally during training etc., I would be ok. And I was.

At this point in my jiu jitsu career, I went from white to black undefeated in a gi, no one ever scored a legitimate point on me (Kyra was awarded 2 penalty points in the very last fight), while that means a lot on a record keeping level, I wonder what things I missed along the way as far as those "learning experiences" that made someone like Valerie Worthington such a hero to me.

I will admit, that often I say nowadays that I don't care if I win or lose, but the truth is that now I compete with a lot of risk, and I don't care about taking those risks. I also know that sometimes, people get caught where they normally wouldn't. This is all part of the game, to assume that risk, and really, who is worth watching that has not fallen a few times? I have proven myself in almost every way now, so to compete with caution is not necessary anymore. Of course I want to keep my winning streak, but, if jiu jitsu is real, I will lose eventually in a gi. I have lost a couple no gi fights so there is not that much pressure there for me to keep a pristine record like I do in gi.

How does all this pertain to Abu Dhabi? It doesn't. I am going there to win, not to do well. I am going to win and only to win. I'll learn my lessons here in the gym with Danny Elias and Barry Anderson and Rob Lugo, these guys are making me a beast, I am not half as good as I could be right now and they are making sure that I get as close to as good as I can be as possible. In a few months, watch the beast they make out of me!

My school Trinity BJJ in Oakland is alive and kicking. We get the occasional flake who thinks they are going to train for 2 weeks and be a top cage fighter or BJJ world champion, they hurt their ass or pinky and we don't see them again but get texts and emails about their "intentions" to "come back". I just laugh. I am not trying very hard right now to get new students, the base we have is an awesome group and my focus is to make that group monstrous both on and off the mat. Its a place for men and women, and every walk of life feels welcome there.

This week, we are all gearing up for Grappler's Quest in Las Vegas, I have a handful of students competing there and for once I get to go just to corner and watch. I learned a horrible lesson about coaching students and competing. I went once with a younger group, they all misbehaved and got on each others nerves and I got in the middle. Not to mention, there was drama at home so my head was on crooked. I will never do that again. This trip is all about coaching, getting my students heads right, and buffets! hahahahaha

xoxLana Stefanac

June 22, 2009

Over the next couple of months, we will be following Lana's path to Abu Dhabi. As most of the world knows, Lana swept the competition at the 2009 Mundials World Tournament. Lana became the first American Female and second American (BJ Penn was first) to ever win the Gold. (And she did this as a brown belt)

Lana is a one of a kind fighter and I hope through her journals you will become to know what lies in the heart of a fighter who wants more than just to be the BEST FEMALE FIGHTER.

How I Won the Mundials

First I owe everything to Sam for the unending support in every way to make my life as it is possible.

For Alexander Crispim for refining me for the last 7 months, and for the best training partners and the following high belts; Barry Anderson for making my training life hard and providing Ultimate Fitness, for Rob Lugo for never letting the pressure up, for for Dr. Lowell for trying to break my neck when I got close to a triangle, for blue belt Josh for making me realize that if you refuse to lose, you won't lose, and for Moshika's loop choke that I nearly set on Kyra before they called a bullshit stint against me (the refs really did NOT want me to win but the American flag flew high that day, nothing against Kyra, I respect her and Luka Dias more than words can say), and, for all the guys that crushed the shit out of me to help prepare me for that weekend.

For Randy Bloom for always being there and at that crazy moment I still cannot comprehend fully or believe.

My thoughts that were in my head that drove me again and again fight after fight:

Remember where you came from, and what you gave to be right here, right now, Believe in who you are and what you can become, Refuse to lose, Never give up and Never look back.

XoxLana


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