Sometimes I wish I knew how a day of class would end so I could be prepared. (Not that I wouldn’t go, but at least I’d be better prepared. Don’t like getting caught off guard.)
There early, though nothing much going on. Played around on the Swiss ball. Noticed my lower back was hurting, probably from trying to stand a while at work. (Got tired of sitting. Desk ain’t made for standing, though.) Never could get that worked out.
Medium-size class. Warmup. Knee-to-chest jumps between nearly every drill down the mat. Um, yeah, so done after one set of those. Evilness.
To rolling. I was the odd one out and so was going to sit, but then Sundance said he’d roll lightly with me… except he can’t use his left hand… and I can’t hit it at all… so then I couldn’t do anything, not even defend, because he kept reflexively bringing his left hand in to the mix. And if I swept him toward that side, which was the open side, he might land on his hand, so couldn’t do that. And his “light” was toward the end of my “intense.” So, yeah. Also still winded and bleh from the warmup, which didn’t help.
Grabbed Guillaume for the next round. Kept trying the escape Buddy and I worked last night, only to find that I didn’t even have to escape because he wasn’t even trying to hold my legs. Erm, okay. Took his back; eventually set up a choke that Justin showed briefly after class on Saturday. But mostly just flopping under half guard; so tired. I’d sweep him, and then couldn’t come up for the position. Body didn’t want to respond, and brain even wanted out. Great.
Drilling was a gi Brabo/D’Arce that we did a long while ago.
First variation was using your own gi: from top half guard, pull out your lapel that’s toward their far side (same side as the leg that’s trapped). Pull it as far out and as far up (so you nearly take it over your own head) to get as much length as possible. Now feed it under their far shoulder and to your other hand. As you pull it through, pull them up on their side. Slide your top hand under your own gi fabric, which is now pulled around their shoulder and head, and shoot your arm through to grab the corner of the lapel from your other hand. The now free hand cross-faces and grips in the fabric around the other side of their face to finish the choke. If they bring their top arm in front of your shoulder to block the choke, pull up on the lapel you fed through and push down and in on their arm to trap it against their neck; if they’re not tapping already, drop your weight on that arm to finish.
Second variation was using their gi: pull out their lapel on the far side of their body. Now feed it the same way. This actually felt tighter when applied to you, I think because your own gi lifted your trapped shoulder.
Drilled with Will. Four chokes per person per side — your gi; your gi, arm in front; their gi; their gi, arm in front. Then sit and cough before switching sides.
One last roll. Tim was pairing everyone up. He put me with one of the guys I avoid. Not excited. Guy usually plays full-on steamroller; tonight, though, he wouldn’t engage at all. If I didn’t have him tightly controlled, he’d stand up and walk to a spot 5 feet away and sit down again. And no, no one was going to run in to us and we weren’t near the wall or the edge of the mat. He’d just… get up, walk off. He did hit steamroller mode a few times, after I had a few sweeps (even got to mount twice) and after I nearly caught a cross-collar choke. In one steamroller session, he tried to wrestle out an armbar from guard. I did actually defend that right and got my arm out (thank you, Jiu-jitsu University!), which of course prolonged the steamroller time as he tried to “get even.” Oh, grow up. Long roll, too. Bored and annoyed. But then that was the end of class. Hmph.
We found out tonight that the little 14-year-old kid and his younger brother both have swine flu. Oh, fabulous. And there’s a report of 500+ cases at VT, where most of the guys are students. Fantabulous. So, probably everyone at the school has it, even if most of us aren’t showing symptoms yet. Just terrific…
BJJ Grrl 
My brother had swine flu a little while ago, and was up and playing football in the garden about two or three days later.
Apparently the uni where my gf, me and my brother all studied at the time (my gf has since finished her MA), Warwick, was a hotspot for swine flu, which is nice to know.
Ah the piggy flu is nothing to worry about, my sister and two of her kids got it a few weeks ago and they were fine a few days later. The tablets dont look very nice though, they are as big as horse tablets.
If you keep your blood alcohol levels high then you are less likely to catch it, so you need to keep a bottle of vodka on you at all times!
Oh and i dont understand why the guy kept walking away, thats odd!
@slidey: Yeah, I hear the symptoms aren’t as severe as regular flu, but the media over here is panicking and wailing. This is one reason I don’t read the news.
@Tom: Ha! That preventive might also help me get loose quicker before class 😉
If you’re going to try the vodka plan, please please record the results of you trying to warm up on the Swiss ball?
@Neil: LOL!
I probably look drunk anyway with that thing under me. 🙂