Privates

Forgot to include a snippet about my first private lesson as a teacher. Happened completely by accident. I was working out after class last Friday. Everyone else had left, and then one of my teammates walked in b/c he had a lesson scheduled with another coach. The other coach didn't show up so my teammate asked if I would give him a lesson. That's how I ended up teaching my first private lesson. I heard James comment to the guy yesterday on how well he was executing the back-step from half guard, which is one of the areas we covered during the lesson. Sooooo... he asked me to do another lesson with him tomorrow. :)

My rolls yesterday were not so great. I felt like the guys were just toying with me and I got submitted more than usual. I had Jason S and Nate to back-to-back which is a tough row to hoe. Nate's side-control maintenance has become very good. It seems like he efforts very little to keep you in place and he capitalizes quickly and efficiently on when you move to escape. I became quite frustrated, made a mistake and he got an arm-bar. I was upset with myself after that roll but got over it when I saw Nate controlling Jason. I wasn't so much upset about the submission as my utter lack of ability to a) prevent the pass and b) escape side-control.

Tonight I'm teaching passing, but haven't figured out exactly what yet. 

I Can't Shut Up

I have so very much to say during Fundamentals. Last Saturday I did ok for most of the class, but I was losing it a bit at the end. I need to take a few seconds to compose myself before I start on a new technique or am ready to close out the class and figure out what I want to say before I start yapping. 

I'll have plenty of practice in the next couple of weeks because James will be out of town. I'm only covering one class this week and then three in a row next week. This weekend I'm headed to a Girls in Gis event. I think there'll be at least 4 black belts on the mat and hopefully all of the non-injured ones will roll. While I don't feel that I deserve the belt that I have, I'm not going to shy away from some of the benefits that come with it. Being able to roll with pretty much whoever I want at other gyms is a big plus. Being the first (or near the first in line) after class means that I can make a beeline for one of the changing rooms and get dressed for work quickly.

I've been sticking with my workout regimen (Crossfit Football), lifting 4 days a week and going to class 6 days a week. So far my energy levels are holding up well. I'm noticing a big difference in my cardio during rolling. I don't feel completely wiped after class (unless it's all open mat) and I feel like I have energy *during* rolls, which is the most important to me. I need to use this to gradually turn up and maintain higher intensity for the duration of a roll. 

I STILL haven't picked an area on which to focus my training. Some day. Maybe.

New Gym Space

It's taken a little while to come to enjoy the new space, likely b/c my first several interactions with it involved quite a bit of tedious, not-very-fun-work. During the first couple of classes, the new puzzle mats were so slippery that trying shrimp down the mats was nearly an exercise in futility. The entrance and parking is in the back, and there's sortof a way to get from the back entrance to the locker-room without taking your shoes off if you're comfortable hugging a pole. The door in the back has two deadbolt locks but no handle on either side.

After a couple of weeks of classes, I've gotten used to the changes and I love the space. The high ceilings alone make it feel much more open. The additional mat space means that everyone can roll simultaneously, with no more folks waiting on the wall. It cleaned up pretty nice, and we have two changing areas and a decent bathroom. Having the big door up to let fresh air in when it's hot feels divine. All in all I'm pretty happy with it and am proud of James and Sarah for taking the risk to make the move.

I've been feeling better about my rolling lately. I'm trying very hard to let go of my fear of not being respected by lower belts (and subsequently reflect poorly on James) b/c they can beat me in rolls. It still stings and I don't feel like I'm a good representative of brown belts, but I'm not as upset about it as I was a month ago. 

I'm back to weight training and have so far integrated it ok with 6 days a week of jiu jitsu. I'm eating everything in sight which is reflected on the scale, so I'm not sure how that's going to work out for me during Master Worlds. Will cross that bridge in August. If I'm feeling strong and in shape I may stick with Heavy. I'd be at the top of that weight class right now anyway. 

I'm surprisingly enjoying the wrestling class on Thursday mornings. I've started to drill the techniques on Sundays as well. I'm also back to taking notes after class to help me feel like it's not all in one ear and out the other. 

Making small improvements in activity and mentality...