Tuesday 7:30 class number 98

I usually train on Mondays, but this week I had a planning conflict. The Monday Intermediate class begins at 6:30pm, and trying to commute down to Denver from work I will need to leave directly from the office to make it on time. I didn't plan for that and ended up needing to go home to get my gear bag before departing which meant I would be late. I could have gone to the 8:30pm class, but then I don't get out until 9:30, and not home until after 10:00 then a shower, and not in bed until 11:00 or so where I'll have a hard time slowing my thoughts down enough to actually get some sleep. I decided to postpone until Tuesday 7:30 class and give that a shot.
The Tuesday class is usually taught by Professor Junior, but we have a new Purple Belt Coach  named Darren who was teaching this particular class.  I think Darren is going to be a very good coach. He has an excellent grasp of the techniques and really breaks the motions down well during instruction. Step by step by step I really think this is the best way to teach, and then drill the motions for muscle memory. We finished class with up-down-out drills from the closed guard.
After class I went over to do some stretching, and ended up rolling with a transfer student who came from a Gracie Barra school in Indianapolis. He was close to me in size, and maybe had a slight weight advantage, but all in all it was a good match up. The session was real nice, and even tempered. I appreciated that the guy wasn't spastic and I was able to maneuver a bit for sweeps and side control. I did have some moments- one when I was in mount. I had counted the 3, so I had the sweep points and I was thinking about an attack, but drew a blank. I also got his back at one point, but wasn't able to set my hooks in thereby negating the choke I was looking for. This just goes to prove I need more randori time. I need to be rolling and drilling what I know so that I can feel more natural applying the technique.

Saturday's with Junior

Excellent class on scarf hold escapes Saturday. Professor Junior added another escape to the curriculum- one that involves rotating the hips parallel with the opponents position and hooking their top leg with my bottom leg and then locking in a half guard by hooking my top leg over my bottom foot like a triangle- the idea is to remove their base by stretching them out and then bringing them over the top to reposition myself in side control. the Of course- another escape is simply not to get caught- keep your arms in close to your side so that the scarf hold can't happen and you are looking at a simple headlock escape. We also learned a submission you can use once you have a scarf hold on an opponent- this is basically a triangle applied to the arm you are holding.
When we took the methods to drill I was pretty successful at escaping. I employed each method, sometimes defaulting to an alternate method when a first attempt was unsuccessful. I also found that a lot of this same technique can be adapted to side control escapes.
Rolling at the end of class was a mixed bag of hits and misses. I did get a nice triangle sub, and some great practice escaping side control. I also got in a few good sweeps. There are a lot of new bluebelts in class now since the belt promotion on the 21st, but they are the same guys they were when they were 4-stripes, and i had some decent success rolling with them since I really believe we are performing at similar levels.

I 24 Armbar-Triangle-Armbar Combo

No Gi (aka "Slip-N-Slide") Jiu Jitsu

Wednesday I didn't feel like going out to Arvada, so I deviated off my normal schedule and trekked down to the Denver school for the no gi class. to give you a little background- No Gi Jiu Jitsu is the same basic principle but without the Kimono or pants to grab for holds. Personally I prefer to train in the gi. I am not sure where I got this bias from, after all I came into this as a fan of UFC where BJJ players are forbidden to wear kimonos. I recall thinking the Gi was ridiculously bulky to wear when training, and I longed for my second stripe so that I could cast the uniform aside. Then something strange happened: I got comfortable in the Gi, to the point where I missed it when I could finally train without it. After training for a month between August and September twice a week no gi, and once (or sometimes twice) a week in the gi I came to realize that my game just wasn't developed enough to succeed without the advantages of the gi. Perhaps it is that apathy that drove me away from no gi. Whatever the case, this past Wednesday was the first time in 2 months that I trained in shorts.
Some drawbacks- Some would say Jiu Jitsu without the Gi is a more challenging variation because movements and leverage need to be precise due to the lack of grab-able material. I have found this to be 100% true. Another thing you contend with is sweat. When you are rolling you will excrete copious amounts of sweat. This sweat is normally absorbed by the gi hence WASH YOUR FUCKING GI! but when you are in shorts, there is nothing between your sweaty knees and the mat, this virtually eliminates traction and thus leverage from your knees or feet. Likewise when you go for a hold on your opponent and find they are too slippery to grab onto- triangles and armbars that would seem inescapable in a gi are easily escaped from. Your whole game must be tighter- better.
With all that said- Wednesday wasn't bad at all for me. Slippery? Absolutely, but all in all the class went well. We looked at a second scarf hold escape that really favored my flexibility as it requires you to bring your foot up and leverage it against your training partners neck. Drills went well enough, as did the rolling afterwards, although I was pretty hesitant to leave my guard. My first partner had some size on me, and he was a little spazzy, but easily kept in check. I'd say all-in-all the class was average for me, and not bad for returning to training sans kimono. After all- no gi just improves your game when you battle in the gi. All the tactics learned in shorts are applicable to the kimono, but unfortunately the opposite is not as true.

I think I'll start to focus on attending the Denver school at least 3 times a week again. I should be closing in on my 4th stripe, so keeping my training schedule consistant will be key. I feel most at home in the Denver school. I feel like I know the Professors, and Coaches there, and I have a better understanding about the other students as far as who to be careful about. I feel a commitment to the place, and that runs deep enough to compell me to train there more exclusively- even if that means Wednesday slip-n-slides, after all it only serves to improve my game.

It's About Time

Finally! After a 2 week lapse I am healthy and was able to get back to the mat. Good class, we were focused on one hold (see video), and one escape from that hold. At the front and end of class we had some good rolling time, and I went about it in as relaxed a state as possible. No need to be a killer, just roll, look for opportunities, defend, roll, escape, things felt alright. I was spending an awful lot of time defending, but that is to be expected after a 2 week hiatus. Mostly I was working on my mind frame, and controlling my effort. I wouldn't say it was a particularly flattering class as far as my technique was concerned, but I did come out of it with some nice pointers. I still need to be working on my side control escapes, although I DID manage to escape from the same sort of choke that I got blanked out on, so the thought I have put into that is paying off. After class I stuck around to watch the black belt group work. I have to say some of the things I saw there were really impressive. Attempts at submissions, replacement of guard- all the product of well executed hip movements. This is an area of weakness for me late in the roll as I run low on gas and move sluggishly, or fail to make space to rotate my lower body which gets me stuck- usually in the side control position. I need to develop that stamina that will allow me to carry speed with my movements, and I need to get that technique to create the space I need to position myself. These things take time, and practice. All of this tells me that what I really need is more randori in my training schedule.

I 23 Scarf Hold Escapes

Sickness and procrastination

I have had a rough couple of weeks. First I picked up some kind of a stomach flu. I got sick at a meeting at work, then had to take a day off. Training seemed like a bad idea since I didn't want to bring a plague into my school. I figured Wednesday I'd better stay clear to be safe. Thursday wasn't good for the family. Friday Intermediate class is No-Gi, which I'm not a fan of. Saturday was my daughters birthday. Sunday the school is closed. Monday I had indigestion, Tuesday my wife was late at the office. Wednesday we have to leave for my parents house for the holiday, and then the gym is closed for the holiday weekend... So there you have it. That is how you can lose 2 weeks in training.

Sucks.