When it comes to 麻豆社国产martial artists, 鈥渟ize matters not鈥� becomes more than just a Star Wars quote.
Several local fighters who participated in the Canadian Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation International Open last month managed to grapple their way to the top three.
Of those, perhaps some of the most impressive performances were given by nine-year-old Mariza Nasu and 12-year-old Noah Joanette, both of whom took home gold medals.
Footage of the fight shows Nasu, who weighed in at 55 pounds, taking on a 71-pound boy.
The weight difference was great enough that tournament officials offered to waive the match.
However, Nasu competed despite the difference.
It was a challenge that she said made her 鈥渘ervous.鈥�
鈥淚 was actually surprised,鈥� she said of the win. 鈥淏ecause he was [about] 15 pounds heavier than me.鈥�
In one clip, viewers can see Nasu jostle with the boy, take the larger opponent to the ground and lock him in an armbar.
In another round, she tries a different tactic against the fellow yellow belt.
Knowing that the boy will be on guard against a conventional head-on takedown, Nasu instead opts to pull guard and sweep her opponent underneath her.
So instead of tackling the other fighter with forward momentum and trying to get on top that way, Nasu falls backwards to the ground while grabbing the boy and pulling him down along for the ride.
While this move temporarily puts her opponent on top, Nasu鈥檚 legs are wrapped around the other fighter鈥檚 waist.
As her opponent鈥檚 body weight gets destabilized, she sweeps him to the floor and ends up on top, ultimately winning that round as well.
鈥淚 was thinking about it because I just learned it,鈥� Nasu said. 鈥淸It felt] good because I didn鈥檛 actually think I鈥檇 be able to do it.鈥�
Joanette was no slouch either.
According to Mike Nasu, who鈥檚 Mariza鈥檚 father and also a coach at The Sound Martial Arts, Joanette was the 鈥渕ost coachable鈥� of the 麻豆社国产contenders.
鈥淣oah trained really, really hard,鈥� Mike said.
The fighter overcame a lot of challenges in order to make it to where he was, Mike added.
As this was Joanette鈥檚 first tournament, he had to face the challenge of getting used to the mental pressure associated with competition.
Nevertheless, he shined.
鈥淗e followed the game plan to a tee,鈥� Mike said.
Because Joanette is a large fighter with a strong takedown game, the idea was to make sure that he played to that strength, Mike said.
Apparently it paid off.
At the end of it all, Joanette managed to secure first place among the white belt competitors in his age and weight class.
Mike said the key is to keep things fun for younger fighters.
No one is expected to sign up for a big tournament, but those who make the commitment are asked to follow through, he said.
Leading up to the big day, young athletes can be training almost every day, Mike added.
But beforehand, a few times a week is often enough 鈥� it鈥檚 necessary to prevent younger athletes from losing a sense of play with the sport, he said.
