Keweenaw Jiu Jitsu students compete in Detroit
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DETROIT -- With the summer still in swing, two competitors from Keweenaw Jiu Jitsu took part in a North American Grappling Association (NAGA) tournament in Detroit over the weekend. Myles Baril and Charles Morse both had fun competing, and Baril came away with a win.
Baril, a grey belt, won gold in his bracket, beating his opponent twice, by submission. His opponent was taller and a higher ranking belt, yellow.
“My thoughts of my opponent before my match was that he looked like a beast, but in reality I was just overthinking, and beat him twice," Baril said. "As soon as I had him in the straight ankle lock, I realized I could beat him.”
Baril's first competition was in November, a NAGA tournament in Chicago, and after competing in his first bracket, his nerves and anxiety got the best of him and he forfeited his next bracket.
"Each competition I do, I get a little less nervous and more confident,” he said, when asked about his experience in each tournament.
His next competitive match will be at Boochamania on Saturday, Aug. 8, in Dollar Bay.
This was the second competition for Morse, who is currently training at Ohio Academy Of JuJitsu, until his return to MTU in late August.
“I felt that I performed better in this tournament than the last, regardless of the outcome," he said. "I was more prepared for this one more than the last, and it helped me mentally prepare so when I got out there I was able to employ the strategies that I had planned to use more effectively than the first tournament.
"I am looking forward to another tournament and I am even more excited to get back up to the U.P., to get back into the gym that built my game. I have a lot to improve on and I think Keweenaw Jiu Jitsu is the best place for me to do it."
Morse will take time to train to get back to a form he is more comfortable with.
"It will be a little while before I compete again," he said, "but once I get the current holes in my game patched, and add on some new components, I will start looking for another competition.”