Training with Sue!

Lunchtime BJJ at Cindy's, with Sue (from the Submissions 101 Forum).

We drilled some triangles, then transition to omoplata for when the opponent defends the triangle by tucking her arm back. Then, if the opponent tries to defend the omoplata by crowding up on you, logroll to a mounted triangle. Several sub options from there: straight armbar, kimura, gooseneck wrist lock, transition to another armbar.

Timed matches. Sue is smaller than ANYONE I have ever worked with, with the exception of Chase that one time a couple of weeks ago, and possibly Susie (whom I haven't seen in months... don't know if she is still around). It felt very strange to be rolling with someone that light. Sue is a little tiny Kick-ass BJJ Machine. When I saw how tiny she is (smaller than me, even!) I thought, "Yay, at least I won't be on the bottom the whole time with HER," Well, I was still on the bottom a lot. The woman has Skillz. (In my own defense, it was no-gi; my no-gi is a lot weaker than my gi.) Oh, and before she gets on the boards and tells everyone that I stomped her in the groin, it's a LIE.... I was trying to step over her thigh, and I'm pretty sure no weight was on the foot- but if there was, it was a total accident!

She kept asking me if she was being a Spazzy White Belt, which was funny- she wasn't, although she does do some things with a little more firm authority than I tend to do, without being "mean"; which is a good example for me to try to follow.

Cindy was nice enough to roll with us both quite a bit even though her knee is pretty bad (she was gimping around even while walking). Once again she didn't let me have any breaks once the timed rolls started. I was on the bottom a lot today again, with everyone. I was frustrated with myself when I was rolling with Frank, in particular. I was on the bottom ALL the time, and he was pretty much doing whatever he wanted to me with me seemingly unable to do anything to prevent him.

I just run out of energy so quickly. Sometimes I wonder if I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or something. Maybe it's just age. I get so tired, and trying to stay on top takes so much energy that sometimes I just can't muster it up. Getting out from under- once there- takes even more energy.

After getting our butts kicked by Cindy and by each other, Sue and I went to Olive Garden and ate ourselves into an Italian Food Coma. We were hungry enough to kill and roast the waitress, who was wise enough to bring us a bread basket before it got to that resort. Sue has a sweet tooth even worse than mine- she snarfed a piece of chocolate cake (this was AFTER the lasagna); and she strokes her concave belly and complains that she has a pudge. Umm- since I was smashed up against her for much of the early afternoon, I know from firsthand tactile experience that she's a little twig, and I can't imagine where she puts all those calories. Oh- a twig with some serious muscle, let me add. Again, I'm looking at her and thinking she's going to be fairly easy prey, but once I was rolling with her, I found that she is hella strong. And she likes to choke- those slim forarms just slip in there like a little breeze across your throat, and then EEEEERRK!!

So anyway, after the hard workout with the
carbohydrate bomb chaser, it was sooooooooo tempting to just go home and crawl into bed. But Sue had private lessons scheduled that evening, and she reads my training blog- I knew I'd never hear the last of it if she found out I wussed out while she went back to the mat.

So.............. evening BJJ in Bellevue. I did not, however, stay for the Advanced class after the basics.

I saw Ron, and asked him, "Will you drill with me tonight?" "Sure." "Thank you. If I have to work with a spazzy asshole tonight, I'm going to die." That made him laugh. "So that's why you didn't ask Brandon, huh?" he pointed to the blue belt sitting right next to us, and we all laughed. Ron and I ended up working in a threesome with Little Carlos, but he's okay. Hostility Boy wasn't there tonight. That's mostly what I was dreading.

Standup- bearhug defense: brace against opponent's hips and sprawl a bit. Clinch at the side, control the arm. Step in for a hip throw. Once opponent's on the mat- armbar, kimura, etc. Prof Carlos gave me a correction on my straight armbar- I need to remember to push down on the opponent's shoulder while I'm doing it.

Then a guard pass where you stand up and push down on the inside of one knee (watch out for the triangle), then go under one thigh, push opponent's knee to his nose, grab lapel and pressure on the throat, let the leg slide by to pass guard. Ron's got incredible pressure, even though he's fairly small and I know he was going light on me. I was a little more aggressive with the stack and the throat pressure, because I know he can take it, and I'm comfortable working with him (see, he's one person that I feel a good sense of the boundaries with).

A little positional sparring from open guard (starting with one arm underwrapping one thigh, as in the drills). Ron controls me completely with ease- which sometimes gets a little frustrating for me, but today I was just content to be working with somebody I like working with, in my bloated and exhausted vulnerable state.


I have so many small round bruises- not just on the inside of my right thigh now, but EVERYWHERE- I look like I have some kind of plague disease. Sue did not have nearly enough bruises. If I get to work with her again this week, I'll have to try to leave a few more.