Open Mat

We were a little late, but still had well over an hour to roll. Had a couple of warm-up rolls with Rachael, then Antone, then three or four white belts, Rachael again, and then some blue belts. A lot of the white belts were blending together in my head. I was playing a super relaxed game tonight. Partly to save energy, and partly because I wanted to avoid people spazzing out on me. It was an effective strategy, however, it landed me in quite a few bad positions. I was too relaxed, and I people were getting positions that I should have been able to prevent. I don't remember details of the individual rolls. The point was for it to be an experience, and it definitely was that.

It was enjoyable and challenging to roll with so many different body types and styles. Not knowing someone's style and having to adapt mid-roll to their strengths was really, really valuable learning tool. I hope the area has consistent open mats throughout the year. 

The highest belt I rolled with that I didn't know was another 4 stripe blue. Before we went I was hoping to get rolls with purples that I hadn't rolled with before, but they were all pretty big boys and I wasn't too sad when that didn't pan out.

After the open mat we went to a local Brazilian BBQ restaurant and gorged ourselves on the various offerings, especially the grilled pineapple. Soooooooooooo good.