Evening BJJ at Gracie Seattle. I told John, who was earing a crisp new belt: "You're purpler than the last time I saw you!" He said, "Yeah, that's what happens when you keep coming in here!"
Bear hug escape to double-leg. Person on top sprawls, spins to the side, pulls you over and takes your back. Back mount escape.
We spent most of the first hour slowly building this sequence, with a bunch of gradually-speedier reps after each added technique. I was happy to be drilling with Irina. She must go to a very strict and regimental karate school. She does everything like an army drill. She was one of the few people who was quick enough and had enough stamina to almost keep up with the killer pace.
At one point, after we finished a set of reps, Prof Carlos paused and looked at Jim (who was panting heavily like a collie), and asked "You all right mon?" Jim gasped loudly, "Holy shit!" We all cracked up. Carlos was staggering against the walls.
We were supposed to remove one of the opponent's hooks during the back mount escape. I was removing both of them. Carlos asked me if I planned to split my body in half and hip my left half out on the left and my right half out on the right simultaneously. I couldn't think of a smart-ass response immediately, so I just sheepishly said no.
Irina got her 2nd stripe at the end of class, so that was cool.
I almost didn't stay for the second hour, which was the advanced class.... but since I wussed out of today's lunchtime class, I decided I'd better. Almost everybody bailed- there were four or five pairs left. Carlos looked at the diminished line and began, "I have one question..... I keel everyone....." Jim broke in with "That's not a question, that's a statement". Funny guy tonight.
We worked on the same two throws that I'd worked on with Lindsey last weekend. Again I had a little trouble figuring out whether to step to the left or to the right, but everything else was smooth and sure. I was drilling with Bree, who was very glad it was me, since she was having back pain and didn't want to try to throw (or be thrown by) heavy people.
Then KoB to front mount. Person on bottom crosses arms over chest. Person on top reaches hir left hand UNDER to get a cross collar grip. Right hand posts immediately over the top of the head. Bring right knee up and block shoulder. Turn and bring left foot in as if you're going for a mounted triangle. Instead, use your posting hand to grab the opponent's shoulder and lean your body down toward hir hips. When you lean forward again, your double-handed cross grip has cleared hir chin and you can lean over hir face for the choke. It needed very little leaning to finish- Bree was tapping when I had barely started to lean. Shiny. I love these lean-y chokes. I don't know many of them and I'm not very good at them yet, but I like them.
Two short timed matches. Bree first. I didn't do too well. Ended up under her side control. She tried to barataplata me. I said, "Hmm, SOMEBODY went to the Barata seminar!" I managed to stack her, and she had to tap because of her back pain. Restart, and I ended up under her side control AGAIN, dagnabbit.
Switch partners. I tried to get John, but Carlos took John away from me and gave me Ron. Rats. Not that I don't like to work with Ron- I do- but I knew it was the last roll of the night, and nobody really likes to end a night of hard work by getting completely tooled at the hands of a guy who is so effortless about it, it seems like he could be doing his taxes while he's subbing the snot outta you.
So Ron tooled me, of course- he's got a wicked X guard, and likes to stretch me out and lift me up in the air with it. Yet I did actually seem to be moving a bit better than I normally do against him.
(pic- Julie)
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