Sparring (eep!) against DD (double eep!)

Watching my weight. I was foolish enough to go to Georgette's blog- and found myself bombarded with CHOCOLATE DOUGHNUT PICTURES.

Then I went to Triin's profile and found myself here: http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/

You are both evil, evil women.



An hour of Sunday competition class at Gracie Seattle.

Sonia quite obviously went out of her way to avoid me today. I guess she doesn't want me to kick her in the groin any more. It's probably for the best... although it's never a pleasant thing to have someone avoiding you on the mat. Especially one of the (too few) women. Since we *are* both women, we will unavoidably get paired up sometimes by the teachers... the only thing worse than someone avoiding you on the mat is having to work with someone that you know is only working with you under duress. Sigh.

I'll bet Cindy- who has been trying very hard in vain to make me stop being so exaggeratedly gentle with my rolling partners- would laugh her butt off if I told her that someone's avoiding me on the mat at Gracie's for consistantly being too rough.

As I was stretching out, Lindsey crawled up and latched onto my leg, and I had to try to fight him off! He schooled me, and eventually tapped me with an armbar- but he seemed pleased with me. He called me "feisty". He complained to Jeff that I'd beaten up on him- and I protested, "Hey, I was just stretching out and minding my own business!" "Well, you're stretched out NOW, aren't you?"

I drilled first with Jeff and next with a big blue belt guy whose name I don't know. Several of the same things we'd done last week. Ankle picks, ankle pick to takedown, single legs, double legs.

Then a standing guard pass. Control the sleeve, step up on that side so that they can't grab your foot, posture up, push the knee down. Place your own knee overtop of the thigh and pass (sit out if you need to). Must remember to continue to control the opponent's OTHER leg, in order to avoid the half guard (and the shrimp out). At one point Lindsey kicked that blue belt guy to the side of the mat and made him do pushups while Lindsey took over drilling with me himself- because blue belt guy had "lazy closed guard" down around my hips! After that, I was extra careful to hold good closed guard, even though that's never easy for me with my short legs. I could get my ankles locked around this particular dude, but barely. And standing guard passes! Whew!

Rodrigo waylaid me on my way out of the shower and wanted to know how my "feenger" is doing, and I *am* going to compete in the tournament, right? He wants to see me in class multiple times per week between now and then. I also had to explain to both him and Carlos (who waylaid me on my way out the front door) why I was ducking out early today. Carlos shook my hand, and exclaimed, "Why you always SQUEEZE my hand?!" "I'm *not*, you're squeezing *MY* hand!!" "No I don't!" "Yes you do!" He really does!


Kung fu Sunday. We started with Tiger Versus Crane- somewhat to my dismay, because I didn't really have enough time to stretch adequately before this class. No, the BJJ was not sufficient stretching for the multiple FLYING CRESCENT KICKS in this form. Still messing up those two difficult kick sequences, although there is some improvement. SK insisted that I attempt one of the variations for the closing sequence- said variation combines the first flying crescent with the box kick. It was really hard- but I eventually managed to produce some semblance of it. They seem to think I have really nice kicks; although I think JM (with her tae kwon do background) has the most perfect kicks IN THE WORLD.

Some crescent kicking- both standing and flying- against focus mitts. JoE tore the toenail right off his big toe doing this. Luckily I have enough tape in all of my athletic dufflebags to patch up the Titanic with. It took the both of us, though, to find the ends of the rolls and get them picked off with our fingernails.

JM was getting visibly frustrated because her balance was bobbling a bit after her incredibly high, perfectly circled kicks were crashing into my focus mitt like a ton of bricks. I told her she was being way too hard on herself... and also pointed out that if she'd just caused the opponent to be KTFO- as she would have with a primo kick like that- it really didn't matter that much if she had to reposition her left foot a titch at the end.

I need to keep my stance lower as I do the turn into the crescent kick. I am Peter-Cottontailing up on my toes again as soon as I complete the 180. When I started paying attention to *not* doing that, my balance was much better and the kick was also more powerful.

A little practice on two of the Tiger drills- the one where you collapse your knee and drop on the ground to turn and kick; and the one where you nail the guy twice in the head with your elbow and then guillotine him, kick him and throw him to the ground.There was an odd number of people, so I drilled them by myself.

Then- Mama Mia- we each had to spar DD for five minutes while the others watched. This was supposed to be the same type of slow, easy, one-sided stuff that we'd done on Thursday- but he was going at a pretty fast clip with everybody- and also making them pick one style to fight out of. When everyone else had had their turn and they were all looking at me, I said reluctantly, "It would need to be lots, lots, LOTS slower than that... and I can't focus on staying in a single style, either." I was freaking out. 1)There were too many people watching, 2)They had all done jaw-droppingly impressive turns out there, and 3)I honestly don't remember *ever* sparring with DD in the five-some years I've been in his group. It was the thing I am most intimidated about, versus the person I am most intimidated *of*. Horrors.

Well, he said I didn't have to stick to one style, and he said he'd go slow- but it seemed too fast still. I walked right into a couple of kicks, like a complete moron. I felt so clumsy and clueless and self-conscious. He let me throw him a few times. He is lighter than half the big guys I have to throw in BJJ class, so I grabbed a double handful of his tunic and gave him the determined old heave-ho. Once I got him on the ground, I took his back and tried to choke him- heh. My fellow students were very supportive (especially JM, who made a point of telling me that she thinks I have nothing to be concerned about). Zow, what an ordeal, though.

SK skipped out of taking a turn- again. I need to start calling him on that. Although I gather he *is* finally getting some private lessons with DD again these days, which is good.

SK asked us if we wanted to do more of the knife work on Thursday. Does a bear poo in the woods? However, JM confessed that she hates it. Bummer. I don't want to keep asking for it if she hates it. I hope this doesn't have too much to do with the fact that she's been having to knife-spar *ME*. This is, actually, one thing I'm kinda good at- and it's hard to suppress the glee and giggles when I score a hit on her. Although I have made a point of telling her seriously that she's doing well, perhaps I should dial down both my intensity and my emotive delight a bit with her in this particular situation... especially when I can see plainly that she's getting frustrated. Heaven knows I am acquainted with how *THAT* feels.

Wow, my knees hurt royally after TvC, Tiger drills and a bazillion low-stance turns into crescent kicks. Feet did okay, though. I showed all the kung fu people my coolio MAMBO-blisters. SK is usually hyped to see a good injury- like any 7 YO boy whose buddy has offered to peel the bandage off his gnarly scab and give him a peek- but the heel blisters grossed him out!

(pic- Carlos (in the blue gi))