Monday

One we learn how to use adversity to our advantage, we can manufacture the helpful growth opportunity without actual danger
or injury. -Josh Waitzkin, The Art Of Learning


Monday FOD: Kiu 2.

I went to Monday lunchtime class even though I had to work that night. I left by 1pm, and took 2 Unisom as I was leaving the gym. I chased the Unisom with a little Nyquil when I got home, because my allergies were fussing like crazy. I seem to have zonked out fairly quickly once I went to bed- although my dreams were very bad. Can't make a practice of this, but I held up okay this time.

Prof Carlos greeted me by asking if I was sore. I said no, but that I expected to be so by the time I left. Well, class exceeded my expectations: BOW AND ARROW!

I am afraid of being bow-and-arrowed. There's just such a fine line between tap and snap... and that's your SPINE doing the snapping, there... how do you like the idea of lying in bed typing with a pencil in your mouth for the rest of your life? People seem to like to crank these; or maybe it's just me, because I'm short and there isn't much bend in my particular bow. Furthermore, if they're doing it right, you have no arms free to tap, and the breath is being accordianed out of you so that you can't verbally tap. I hate 'em. Working with Bryan again was a mixed blessing- he's not a spazz, but he's also not going to handle me like I'm a kitten.

We started with the same entry sequence from last Tuesday: Opponent goes for double-leg, you frame arms UNDER hir arms and shoulders and sprawl. Go to the side (your right side up against opponent's left... opponent is now turtled). Feed opponent's left collar into your rt hand, grab hir near pantleg, stand up and swing your rt leg over to mount hir like you're riding a horse. Then let your butt drop to the other side. DO NOT ROLL opponent over your chest to the other side. S/he is already on the pillow side, which is where you want hir. (This drive of mine to roll to the other side has appeared in several techniques; I'm not sure why I want to do that...) If your lapel grip was good, the person starts choking even before your butt hits the ground. I had to start drilling with a shallower, looser lapel grip just so that I could finish the technique, although of course in real life I would be delighted to choke the opponent as early as possible and be done with it.

Escape from back mount. Same entry sequence. Note the crossface as soon as you line up beside the opponent. Again, resist the urge to roll when you take backmount. Another thing I like to do while I'm doing that superfluous roll is to hike the person right up on my chest, which is equally inane. Why do I want to drag a person right over my fragile ribcage? Keep hir low.

If you are the backmountEE, you want to try to get off the pillow side, bridge and put your weight on the opponent's chest, remove a hook. (You do not need to do the entire escape in 3 seconds. As soon as you remove 1 hook, your opponent is not getting backmount points.) Remove both feet, turn over at the hips, take side control.

One of the things that Carlos pointed out as a common error, I recognized as *MY* common error.... I do fairly well escaping back mount, but I do tend to get one foot out and leave the remaining one in there because I'm trying to post on it and hip away. This leaves me vulnerable to half guard and also having my back retaken. I need to get BOTH feet out. It is less work than escaping back mount and then escaping half guard. (I should probably note, though, that I can get extra points for doing it the long way, if I really want points. I am confident with my two-step sequence.) I also need to turn at the hips and not attempt to generate the turn from less-effective sections of my body.

One roll with Marc. It was fun. He got me with a slick mounted triangle that I didn't even see coming at all, and once again with the technique of the day (rats!). I got him with a cross-collar choke after he inexplicably turned his chin up- I don't know what he was thinking; he knew I was going for the collar choke.

I tried wrapping his arm with his gi tail, too.... I am still clumsy at this, but it is something I really want to cultivate. Lindsey and Pat are extremely effective with it.

I have nice gi hickeys under both sides of my jaw, thanks to the bow and arrow drills.

New woman today- Kristen. I tried to get her to spar with me, but no joy. It was her very first day. Hope she didn't get discouraged watching me get smooshed by Marc right in front of her chair.


Just shoot me now... someone found my blog this week with the search term "women leaning over poking her ass out"