Taking on bigger opponents: Jiu jitsu is a difficult enough activity even when matched against someone our own size, but things get very interesting when we have to take in a skilled opponent in a weight category well above our own! This weekend squad apprentice, Ethan Crelinsten, took on 10th planet standout, Nathan Orchard in the Submission Series in Nova Scotia in an open weight event. Mr Orchard is a fine competitor who has an outstanding record in EBI competition and in other high profile events. Despite a sizable difference in weight, Mr Crelinsten was able to put considerable pressure with a mix of positional and submission attacks, getting past guard to mounted positions and several strong Kimura attempts, ultimately taking the back as the ten minute match came to close and finishing in a dominant position to take a one sided decision victory. I always feel it's a great experience periodically for athletes to fight up a weight division to really test their skills – there are some risks involved – injuries are more likely, but nothing else provides such a clear test as to the efficacy of your technique than seeing it work well on a skilled bigger stronger opponent.
