Annie Ramirez is sharpening more weapons in her arsenal as she prepares for the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan from 19 September to 4 October.

The 35-year-old Ramirez told DAILY TRIBUNE that expanding her repertoire has made her a more dangerous and unpredictable opponent on the mat.

Fresh from capturing the women's -57-kilogram title in the 10th Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan over the weekend, the reigning Asian Games gold medalist said she has worked on adding new submissions to complement her trademark arm bars.

“I'm not just adding to my arm bars. I'm also adding my submissions and foot locks. I think I'm getting better,” Ramirez said in a phone conversation.

“Before, they knew my arm bars so I became more defensive. Since I learned leg submissions, I can attack in different ways. Now they don't know what I'm going to do.”

Ramirez will also face a new challenge in Nagoya after organizers removed the women's -57kg division from the program.

Instead, she will compete in the -52kg category, a move that requires a significant weight cut but one she believes she can handle.

“Based on the local trials at 52kg, I felt okay and recovered well. The hardest part was maintaining the weight,” Ramirez said.

“My natural weight is heavier, so I had to make adjustments. As long as I felt good at that weight, everything was okay.”

Despite dropping to a lighter division, Ramirez remains confident she can stay at the top of the podium with a more diverse attacking game and the experience of an Asian Games champion behind her.