Oh, hey, some training!

Last Monday, I didn’t feel well, so stayed home. Then Friday there was Virginia Tech’s graduation, so my office decided to rent a conference room at a hotel down the road and work there for the day. I tried to say I’d just work from home, since it would be a 30-min commute for me, but the manager said I had to come in because it would be a great “team building exercise.” Gag. Also, the hotel had the worst coffee I have ever tasted.

So now I’ve been off again entirely for a week, but finally got myself back in tonight. (The worst part about having so much time off is that I forget how to pack my bag, and I always end up forgetting things.)

I still can’t do too much — the knee still resists pushing and turning — but it is still some better.

They started out rolling to warm up, so I stayed on the side and did all the little exercise thingies I’ve been doing for weeks now. Also some mountain climbers, though they weren’t doing so well tonight.

Big Jon — now both a brown belt and has just graduated with his Master’s degree (the latter means he has more time to train) — taught a wrestling-based class tonight. I have always admired how easily he’s able to blend his wrestling in with jiu-jitsu.

Started with high-crotch to double-leg. Then if they sprawl, going to a single-leg. And then, if they sprawl really hard and you’re almost facedown on the mat, “chasing the sock” to get out from under them and still finish the takedown. Jon introduced the latter by getting in to the position first and then asking who in the room had he ever still finished a takedown on from there. Lol, everybody, both black belts included, raised their hands.

I practiced the first two on my own against air. There was enough pushing & turning that the knee was twingy, so I didn’t want to work in with any group. I did finally step in with Aubrey for a few reps on the 2nd one, as it seemed as if there was less stress and turning. Yeah, not quite right about that — I think 3 or 4 reps did me in.

The final one, though, was almost completely doable, as you started on your knees and really just shuffled out and then turned to drive back in. I did some reps with Aubrey, on both sides even, and as long as I didn’t drive over too much with that leg (and it is apparently my driving leg), then I was okay. But after a very short while, the knee was feeling overworked so I stopped.

Why are your knees used for so much?! Gah!

Andrew told me about another kind of brace that might work better than the ones I have. I’ll see about tracking that down. The knee is good as long as there’s no lateral or off-track movements. Any of those, though, still tweak it.

It’s getting hot in here…

“Stuffy” and “muggy” are more like it. Rained all night and was raining this morning, so we didn’t want to open the doors. Almost felt like swimming in there. That zaps your energy fast.

Good rolling this morning, though. With Big Jon first; I’ve been trying to get to roll with him for a few weeks now, but things just hadn’t worked out. I always learn a lot from him, and he absolutely punishes me if I turtle at all because he and the gator roll are best buds. (I’ve heard some people say that they don’t like rolling with him. I think it has more to do with not liking to tap so much. I have never had a moment with him where I’ve felt the least bit like he’s going to hurt me; he’s safe, controlled, and yet unorthodox. [Same goes for his brother, Ethan, and that includes Ethan’s very first day.])

Rolling notes: I did feel as if I kept moving the whole time except for the once or twice I frozen in turtle (and then got gator-rolled into a head-and-arm choke. Of course.). And I seemed to be staying largely on one hip or the other instead of landing square.

Then because he kept doing sit-outs on me, I asked him for some advice on those as I can never seem to get them (and I’ve had that recent bout of getting stalled in turtle). He showed me that you just need to control the arm — you don’t need to completely clear it, even if they’re threatening your neck — and then move yourself around the arm. Besides which, completely clearing it is telegraphing: “Hey, I’m making this gigantic hole over here. Who wants to bet which way I’m trying to go next?” (He did say that in wrestling the movements are bigger. But that for jiu-jitsu, it doesn’t need to be.) He also pointed out that this applies to takedowns where you first need to “clear” the arms — it doesn’t have to be a full-scale fling out of the way, but rather just enough to stop or deflect their arm from your path.

Yeah, so he just fixed both my sit-outs and my takedowns. Thanks, Jon. 🙂

I thought I was doing okay cardio-wise, so I moved on to rolling with Guillaume. And yeah, not so much — gas tank suddenly turned up empty. Oh well. We still went for a good while. I practiced a few sit-outs (not getting forward enough, though) and also worked on being more confident in opening my hips when passing. Somewhere in there, Kaila and Ratcliffe stopped a roll near us, and Kaila sprawled out on his stomach (leaving his back wiiiide open), so I left Guillaume to pounce on the easy target for a few moments. Then back to rolling with Guillaume. He even caught a good head-and-arm choke (after I hesitated on a sit-out. Of course. *snort*) and could have finished it if he’d walked his legs around in the right direction.

Afterwards, Jon and Buddy were working on footlocks, and that made me remember that I want to start working on them. I’d actually intended to do them in rolling today, but completely forgot. So I grabbed Guillaume and started playing around with feet, mostly just trying to get used to seeing them as a viable option.

It’s briefly sunny, but the rest of the weekend is supposed to be full of thunderstorms. It will also be full of spring cleaning — and packing for Fairfax. At the moment I’m coming back on Tuesday after the meeting, but there’s a possibility of a second meeting on Wednesday, so I’ll have to be prepared to train for 2 nights. 😉

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

This morning I dumped a Boston butt (pork roast) in the crockpot (minus the fancy salt; just used kosher). Tonight when I stopped home between work and class, my house smelled heavenly. (Next time, though, I need to put it in the night before and then come home at lunch to turn it off. Not quite done.) While I waited for it to cool so I could shred it, I also made Primal Barbecue sauce. (Next time — or rather, with what’s remaining — I’ll blend it up; didn’t get the mincing too fine. But it still ain’t bad.)

Enjoying a bowl of barbecue now with some BBQ sauce while the clothes finish drying.

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Man, I was flying through things at work today. Anything that got handed to me, boom! done! The day still took forever, though.

BJJ

Warmup. Lots of jogging. Then partnered up to do Two & Two, where you make 2 moves, then your partner makes 2 moves. Worked with Janet and Fred.

Then drilled continuing in the same sequence from last week: standing clinch to front headlock to takedown. Drilled that first to re-familiarize ourselves with it. (Also worth noting: this lands you in prime position to work everything Draculino taught Saturday.)

Then drilled switching to one side (also right in with Draculino) and then doing a Spiral Ride, from wrestling, to take the back. (I just did a really quick YouTube search, and this video shows the Spiral Ride.) Drilled with Janet until the end of class.

Open Mat

Rolled with Big Tommy and Buddy, aka Triangle Man. Then ran home to yummy BBQ!

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Someone told me tonight, out of class, that a recent roll (within the last week) was the best roll we’ve ever had. He usually tells me when a roll has been better than most, but always in class and immediately after, but this time he took the time to find me later and tell me. Since that roll fell within the time of my resolution to stop playing around, I think something might be starting to work! 😮

Breaker Circuit

Sore this morning! Me, Kay-la, and Adam. Adam set up a circuit for us: pushup + dumbbell row, medicine ball slams, (some slidey thingy with an exercise ball that I don’t think I did right), “knee skis” on an exercise ball (I kept falling off), switching side-to-side off a medicine ball, lunges with 20-lb kettlebells, shrimping, around-the-world with a 35-lb plate (10 for me), tire flips, and sledgehammers. 2 minutes each with 15-second rest. That was tough.

Once we rested afterward, Adam showed us the knee tap from wrestling. They’ve shot for the single, hips high, and you’ve sprawled, over/under grip. Today, they don’t have your leg. Over hand grips their triceps; don’t pull, just grip. Keep your weight heavy on them, and move from straight-on sprawl to about 45 degrees off toward the under side. Shoot the under hand shoulder deep and down, as if you were going for a D’Arce, aiming for their far knee. Use your shoulder to drive them over, then pull up on the triceps and come up to side control.

You can also go straight to a no-arm D’Arce there, which he showed and I tried a time or two, but my brain couldn’t hold much information. Also, if you start for this and they sit their weight back, switch to an anaconda choke — shooting hand comes back toward the opposite triceps; grip palm-to-palm right behind their triceps; tuck your head on that side; roll under, coming out on your opposite side; slide your top arm through your hand until you can grip that biceps; now walk around toward their feet to finish.

More collapsing followed. Dr. Tom, then Tim, then class tonight.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010, morning class

Tuesday/Thursday classes are an hour later than M/W/F, yet somehow it almost felt earlier. Got to bed a little late, but woke up at 6 a.m., ready to go. Silly brain, go back to sleep — you still got 30 minutes to snooze.

This morning was just me, Adam, and Perry. Rolled with Adam to warm up. Erm, there are chokes everywhere. Must watch out for those. Then rolled with Perry. I seem to recall something that might have been almost a pass or a sweep, but it’s all a little hazy. M’kay, am tired now.

Then Adam showed us a wrestling move called the Funk Roll. (Seriously.) So you’re both on your knees and they’ve shot for and wrapped up the single leg. Sprawl, moving back if needed, so that their hips come up and forward. You do not actually want to break their grip. When you feel their hips rise, shoot the hand opposite to the leg they’re attacking inside their thigh and between their legs. Other hand comes over and grips palm-to-palm. Tuck your head tight, drop your hips by their shoulder, and roll through, coming up to your knees and still keeping that grip on their leg. Finish in side control.

A little funky (haha), and took me a few tries to sync up body and brain. Will still need work. Adam pointed out that wrestlers always aim to keep their hips mobile and free.

(That reminds me, on Saturday while watching Justin work with the other guy, Justin was talking about elbow control. Not about watching the space inside them, which is also important, but rather about not letting someone grip and control your elbows. When I rolled with him afterwards, that seemed to be all I was doing, was breaking grips on my elbows.)