I've noticed that I'm much more reactionary than usual when rolling lately. It's especially bumming me out when I have guard, b/c if I don't hit an immediate sweep I seem to just wait for them to try to pass and then I end up working from a disadvantageous position. It's weird.
I'm guessing it has to do with the recent promotion and fear of looking like I don't deserve it. Overall I felt pretty good about the rolls I had on Sunday, even though I got demolished as usual. I drilled a number of different areas and felt like it was very beneficial. I need to open my game up and not be so hesitant. I have a fair amount of knowledge, but not much confidence in implementing anything above brand new blues. I also don't have much of a gameplan.
Leaning towards not doing Pans. I doubt that I'll get my house on the market and sold before registration closes. There's also no way I can focus on the house and training at the same time.
I'm still doing the push-up challenge. Currently on day 41. They are starting to come a little bit easier, but not much. Doing sets of 8.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Thursday, February 4, 2016
To Pans or Not to Pans
At the beginning of the year, I had a pretty good idea of which big tournaments I wanted to attend, namely adult Worlds and possibly Master Worlds.
Last night James announced he's going to Pans, even though he originally thought he wouldn't. Rachael and I are on the fence, mainly b/c it's more expensive now than it would have been in December. I want to go b/c James will be there, but that's a lot of money that I'd rather put to moving. I'm planning on selling/buying this spring, assuming I can find a house that I like and can afford.
There's the added factor that the new brown makes adult Worlds less desirable. I wouldn't mind going to Pans as a new brown b/c there's a master's division. If I don't do Pans or adult Worlds that would probably be a sound financial decision, but a bummer too.
Anyway, class night was great. We went over the same thing as we did in morning class (take-downs from arm-drag). The leg drag that I was doing so well with in the morning I brain-farted on in the evening. Got it together though after several reps.
Rolled with Rachael (twice), Sol, Clay and can't remember who else. Overall felt ok with my rolls except with Sol. I have GOT to find a way to prevent his grips and letting the match go downhill so quickly. He gets to top side-control at will. Within 30secs of each roll he's in top side. Rachael easily won on points in the first match and we were tied in the second. I did a better job of sweeping her than I have been, but I also gave up a lot of sweeps as well.
Last night James announced he's going to Pans, even though he originally thought he wouldn't. Rachael and I are on the fence, mainly b/c it's more expensive now than it would have been in December. I want to go b/c James will be there, but that's a lot of money that I'd rather put to moving. I'm planning on selling/buying this spring, assuming I can find a house that I like and can afford.
There's the added factor that the new brown makes adult Worlds less desirable. I wouldn't mind going to Pans as a new brown b/c there's a master's division. If I don't do Pans or adult Worlds that would probably be a sound financial decision, but a bummer too.
Anyway, class night was great. We went over the same thing as we did in morning class (take-downs from arm-drag). The leg drag that I was doing so well with in the morning I brain-farted on in the evening. Got it together though after several reps.
Rolled with Rachael (twice), Sol, Clay and can't remember who else. Overall felt ok with my rolls except with Sol. I have GOT to find a way to prevent his grips and letting the match go downhill so quickly. He gets to top side-control at will. Within 30secs of each roll he's in top side. Rachael easily won on points in the first match and we were tied in the second. I did a better job of sweeping her than I have been, but I also gave up a lot of sweeps as well.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Still Not Purple
James offhandedly asked me before class how I've been feeling putting on the brown belt. "Weird", I replied. "Very, very weird."
I'm trying very hard to not get all tied up in knots about how I don't feel like I deserve it and how it's going to suck a little bit more when I get dominated by blue belts.
Monday morning class covered how to counter butterfly guard, most of which I hadn't seen before.
This morning he covered takedowns from a standing arm-drag. One of them ended in leg drag, and both Sarah and I were pretty thrilled with it. Another one was basically a tackle and grapple. James brought out the crash pad for those of us who were a bit more squeamish about the tackle part.
Rolled with Sarah, Tyrone, Ryan and Niki (twice). I tried to sweep Tyrone but kept getting in submission positions instead. He focuses on not getting submitted, so I see it as a challenge to get subs anyway. I'd be better off trying for sweeps, as he generally has a good base.
Flow rolled with Ryan as he's recently back from injury. Spent some time going knee cut passes with Niki.
Watched a back-control escape last night from Mendes Bros that I tried after class but it wasn't really working out for me. When you are rolled to the choking side and you've freed or prevented the hooks, step behind them with your legs, bottom leg first. If they try to get the top hook back in (which most people will) it was impossible to clear it. James gave me a good tip of holding their top leg with my bottom hand.
Planning on a double tonight.
I'm trying very hard to not get all tied up in knots about how I don't feel like I deserve it and how it's going to suck a little bit more when I get dominated by blue belts.
Monday morning class covered how to counter butterfly guard, most of which I hadn't seen before.
This morning he covered takedowns from a standing arm-drag. One of them ended in leg drag, and both Sarah and I were pretty thrilled with it. Another one was basically a tackle and grapple. James brought out the crash pad for those of us who were a bit more squeamish about the tackle part.
Rolled with Sarah, Tyrone, Ryan and Niki (twice). I tried to sweep Tyrone but kept getting in submission positions instead. He focuses on not getting submitted, so I see it as a challenge to get subs anyway. I'd be better off trying for sweeps, as he generally has a good base.
Flow rolled with Ryan as he's recently back from injury. Spent some time going knee cut passes with Niki.
Watched a back-control escape last night from Mendes Bros that I tried after class but it wasn't really working out for me. When you are rolled to the choking side and you've freed or prevented the hooks, step behind them with your legs, bottom leg first. If they try to get the top hook back in (which most people will) it was impossible to clear it. James gave me a good tip of holding their top leg with my bottom hand.
Planning on a double tonight.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Brown
Holy shit.
Walter was in town for a seminar and belt testing. The seminar went great, and he showed some low percentage but pretty neat submissions from really bad spots (bottom mount and on the sad end of back control) in addition to some more high percentage techniques.
The next day, I offered to help with belt testing since there were an odd number of testers and one of them was preggers. She did awesome, including an a tomoe nage takedown. She absolutely nailed it.
After the belt testing, it was a shark tank for the newly promoted purple that wasn't injured or pregnant and the two new browns. I participated in the shark tank on the purple and I didn't do great but ok considering he was trying like hell to stall out.
Onto the belt gauntlet. We're all lined up and Jenny goes through first. James tells the guys behind her to wait, pulls out a brown belt and announces that I was being promoted to brown. Again, holy fucking shit. I had to back up to the wall for support. I wasn't expecting to hit brown until sometime next year. Three stripes, why on earth would I expect a belt promotion? Utterly stunned, I started crying a bit, hugged James several times after he tied the belt on and then proceeded to the back of the line for the belt gauntlet. To say that I was stunned would be a massive understatement.
It still feels very, very weird. I have a number of thoughts about it, mainly that I don't deserve the belt yet. There's more that goes into it, but that's the main issue. I feel weird about the guys that were ranked above me a couple of months ago (namely Russ and Sol) that I've now leap-frogged in belt. Jason S too, b/c we were the same rank a couple of months ago. Just b/c I traveled and did reasonably well at tournaments doesn't justify the rank IMO. I mean, I went 2-2 at Pans, 2-0 at Masters and 2-2 at no gi Worlds as a purple. That's not an earth-shattering tournament record.
Now I can do knee-bars, toe holds, slicers and the whole thing is just WEIRD.
Here's how I'm going to look at it. There's nothing I can do about it, except to continue to learn and enjoy jiu jitsu.
It kindof pummels my adult Worlds plans this year b/c while I didn't like my chances at purple, I thought that I might be at least competitive. But brown?
Walter was in town for a seminar and belt testing. The seminar went great, and he showed some low percentage but pretty neat submissions from really bad spots (bottom mount and on the sad end of back control) in addition to some more high percentage techniques.
The next day, I offered to help with belt testing since there were an odd number of testers and one of them was preggers. She did awesome, including an a tomoe nage takedown. She absolutely nailed it.
After the belt testing, it was a shark tank for the newly promoted purple that wasn't injured or pregnant and the two new browns. I participated in the shark tank on the purple and I didn't do great but ok considering he was trying like hell to stall out.
Onto the belt gauntlet. We're all lined up and Jenny goes through first. James tells the guys behind her to wait, pulls out a brown belt and announces that I was being promoted to brown. Again, holy fucking shit. I had to back up to the wall for support. I wasn't expecting to hit brown until sometime next year. Three stripes, why on earth would I expect a belt promotion? Utterly stunned, I started crying a bit, hugged James several times after he tied the belt on and then proceeded to the back of the line for the belt gauntlet. To say that I was stunned would be a massive understatement.
It still feels very, very weird. I have a number of thoughts about it, mainly that I don't deserve the belt yet. There's more that goes into it, but that's the main issue. I feel weird about the guys that were ranked above me a couple of months ago (namely Russ and Sol) that I've now leap-frogged in belt. Jason S too, b/c we were the same rank a couple of months ago. Just b/c I traveled and did reasonably well at tournaments doesn't justify the rank IMO. I mean, I went 2-2 at Pans, 2-0 at Masters and 2-2 at no gi Worlds as a purple. That's not an earth-shattering tournament record.
Now I can do knee-bars, toe holds, slicers and the whole thing is just WEIRD.
Here's how I'm going to look at it. There's nothing I can do about it, except to continue to learn and enjoy jiu jitsu.
It kindof pummels my adult Worlds plans this year b/c while I didn't like my chances at purple, I thought that I might be at least competitive. But brown?
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