I'll be interested to see if Gracie Barra Seattle/Bellevue racks up more points in the Revolution since the addition of all the extra Competition Classes. Although I do think they are hamstringing themselves in one respect by having neglectd no-gi. Only one and a half people from our school even attempted no-gi in the last Revolution- and I only did it because I'd been training it at Cindy's. I know Rodrigo's not a big fan of no-gi.... but there are students who would train it and compete in it if it was offered... and I think we should offer it, just to be well-rounded. It could also bring in additional students who are just not interested in gi.
I've been stressing a little about the takedowns, in particular. I'm not sure why I feel so skittery about takedowns. Maybe just because I don't do them enough. I wonder if I should make a practice of grabbing somebody and just screw around for 5 min before each class trying for takedowns. I do think one issue is that it's intimidating to try to take down the bigger, heavier, stronger people. I know that I can throw heavier people... but when they're resisting, I don't have good odds. I'm trying to convince myself that at the comp, the playing field is going to be more level, and I don't necessarily have to be resigned to giving up the takedown. I'm at the bottom of my gi weight bracket- there are likely going to be women in that bracket with 10 or 15lb on me even if they DON'T combine anyone heavier. Yet I am strong for my size. I'm so used to being constantly outpowered by 230lb college guys that I kinda forget that I have a decent chance of being stronger than many women nearer my own size.
It's going to depend a lot on what the opponent has trained. These folks who have trained a lot of judo or wrestling takedowns... they are hard to deal with.
The kung fu has made me more comfortable working on my feet than some of these pure BJJ people. If my opponent doesn't appear to have mad wrestling or judo takedown skills, it might behoove me to force her to work standup with me as much as possible. I know some armbars and things from standing. It would be funky to get a sub from standing, without ever having gone to the mat! :)
Lunctime BJJ at Gracie Seattle.
Everyone was still talking about Wednesday night. Apparently there were some rather intense warmups on Wednesday night. Those people were still wincing today whenever they walked up stairs... including Prof. Carlos. Between that and tomorrow's comp, it was a small class- and no one was really looking to kill themselves today.
We did a lot of stretching-type, yoga-ish warmups, then a lot of short positional spars with ever-changing partners. I once found myself with big Tom during a closed-guard set... He got in my guard and asked, "Can you lock it?" I just laughed. I couldn't even TOUCH my feet together around him. Then when we switched and I got in his guard, I looked at him and deadpanned, "Can you lock it?"
After positional training, I asked Bryan to review the Barataplata from guard that he'd shown me before. I asked for *just* that.... I'd like to review the additional treats again later, but if I only remember one thing, I want to remember the most basic barataplata from guard.
Bryan wants me to stop clinging to failed guillotines when the opponent passes to the side. I asked him what to do when that happens- other than just let go and submit to being put in full side control- and he didn't really have an answer aside from "Don't be there".
I finally managed to get to Sports Authority before Tai Chi. They must pump Haldol through the air conditioning vents in there, because it seemed like a good idea to treat myself to a new rashguard and two nice new sports bras along with the lycra swim cap I found. I'm definitely doing enough classes to justify a third rashguard, but I'm used to buying all my clothes at the Goodwill... and I'm still only working part time and recently had to drop several thousand on car repairs. The Sports Authority bill was almost ninety bucks!!!!! I don't know what I was thinking! I need to stay out of that place!
My Tai Chi student was a no-call, no-show. We must have had a scheduling misunderstanding.... although she *still* hasn't responded to my text, so I'm actually kind of worried. Wish she'd check in, so that I know she wasn't lying on the shower floor bleeding out her ears or something while I was ringing the doorbell.
I used the time to drop by the Dearborn Goodwill to check for jiu jitsu gi's. No luck.
Friday no-gi at Cindy's. Alecia was there but not training- on advice of her coach, she said. She had a wrap on her ankle, and I asked what she'd done. "It's fine! Don't worry about it!" She responded too brightly. Okay, now I'm annoyed. Firstly, it's not like she has anything to worry about (Hello, twenty-one and an advantage to zero, remember???!?). Secondly, I do not appreciate having it implied that I want a piece of aluminum on a ribbon bad enough to deliberately target someone's injury- much less target a training partner's injury. I don't. It makes me want to just give her a bye more than ever. She obviously wants it a lot worse than I do. She can have it.
I am just not liking the sportsmanship she is showing me so far regarding this tournament. After she refused to assure me that she'd refrain from humiliating me in the ring, and after she warned me that she is really aggressive in competition, I don't feel like I can trust her. It sounds like she's willing to degrade me, be as rough as she can get away with, or even injure me. And again, it's not as if she needs to in order to get the win- we both know that. And here I'd brought a gi jacket tonight so that I could spend my valuable time giving her gi pointers instead of working on *my* weak spots. Lord, is everybody like this about tournaments??!?? Maybe this is just not the place for me. I do not want to humiliate or injure anyone to win- much less a training partner.
This is one of those places where the duel rep thing is coming back to bite me in the butt, though... Rodrigo is not going to be happy with me if I give Alecia a bye.
Anyway, we (those of us who were not Alecia, that is... she probably just showed up to take notes on my style and weaknesses) did some light-to-moderate warmups, then I did a little positional drilling with George on GETTING OUT OF BOTTOM HALF GUARD... thanks George and Cindy! Positional drilling on getting out of back mount. Then I did one spar with Leah.
I wanted to start standing, but she said no. After the third time I reprimanded her to let go of my pants- this was no-gi- I just shut up and let her grab them. Obviously I need to wear shorts next time with Leah. I spent considerable time in her guard, but I finally succeeded in passing. She's got annoyingly long arms and legs. She is also really good about getting those knees back in there no matter what I do, just like Marc is. I got side mount, then front mount. Struggled gamely for a sub for the last 40 seconds, but couldn't get one. Still, I was not on the bottom, and she did not triangle me. That's better than I have done with Leah in the past.
The lycra skullcap came off halfway though the roll. It's obviously not going to work on its own, but maybe it will suffice under the headgear.
Top priorities for the comp, in order or priority:
1)SHOW UP for all my matches.... put contacts in early (new goal)
2)Don't get subbed in the first fifteen seconds (same goal from last comp)
3)Do not spend the entire tournament stalled in bottom half guard (new goal)
4)Don't get subbed by triangle (same goal from last comp)
5)Stay off the bottom (new goal)
6)Compete for the takedown- don't be resigned to giving up the takedown (new goal)
7)Don't let opponent pull guard from standing (same goal from last comp)
Good luck!
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