I don't train to be better than you. I train to be better than me.

I don't train to be better than you. I train to be better than me.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Thats Heavy...

The kid I rolled with Thursday was a beast, and he is no slouch on the mat. He was using a spider guard to very effectively create space and transfer my weight in his favor. Basically, he grabbed my sleeves at the cuff and that controlled my hands, he then planted his feet on my shoulders pulled me in. With his hands controlling my arms, and his feet planted with heels in my armpits I was unable to get away. the only way out seemed to be a side pass, but with him controlling my shoulders, when I sidestepped for the pass he had openings for a triangle, or an armbar. It was a very frustrating and effective game.
I tried to sit my way out of it, but ended up swept, and then he was in side control and I realized that strength is getting to be an issue. When I roll with big dudes I am getting crushed plain and simple. I need more core strength to bump my way out of these lay and pray situations. It also wouldn't hurt to have more power from the chest for framing, and pommeling.
As usual, when I am having a class where I am struggling I started to doubt myself, but then I was matched up against a fast, but smaller guy and I dominated. the technique is there, but the strength to deal wih mass is not. I need to work on that.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Doubling Up

Monday I attended back to back classes. I started with the Fundamentals class, and then stayed for the intermediate class. It was a lot of time to spend in the Gi, but I felt like I got more from the training since I was already warmed up coming into the intermediate lesson.

Part One- Fundamentals
I got paired with 2 partners, which I generally don't like. the rotation sucks, and someone always ends up getting shafted. The stand-up lesson was obtaining control through grips- Gi lapel, and sleeve. We started setting up for takedowns, but didn't actually get to the takedown portion. The ground lesson was halfguard escapes using a method that seemed far less effective than the half guard escape I learned in Arvada the Wednesday before. One of my partners was a first stripe, and the other was in his first class. The lesson felt pretty muddled to me, and I didn't pick much useful information up. We finished up class rolling with the intermediate students. This was an up-down-out configuration starting from the half guard. I found myself using the lesson from last week in Arvada when I was rolling with the more advanced belts, and then allowing for the days lesson with the first level white belt guys.

Part 2- Intermediate
The intermediate class used the up down out exercise as the warm up so we got straight into the lesson. I was paired with a blue belt who seemed annoyed to be matched with a white belt. 3rd level or not. He didn't stay long. a half hour into the lesson they convened an advanced course and he moved over to that. We primarily worked the half guard escape that I had learned in Arvada. We concluded with up-down-out, but no free rolling which I was a little disappointed with. I like working multiple methodologies like we get to with an open format randori.

My feelings leaving the gym were that I had gotten a good workout but the lessons felt lacking. I didn't feel like I had really learned anything new or useful, and I was also disappointed that I wasn't really refining the techniqiues I had learned a week before.

I am looking forward to tomorrows delivery. I'll be doing my first gear write-up once I have had a few days to roll the new Gi I hunted down. I am expecting good things from this new Gi, lord knows I had to chase after it in order to get one. Is that enough suspense?