Half guard rocks.

If you sometimes feel a little inferior... Always remember that YOU were once the fastest and most victorious little sperm out of millions.




Saturday Form Of the Day: Cannon Fist
This did not happen. Nor did any Form Of the Day happen on Sunday. It's been a rough few days. My sinus infection has begun to involve my ears, and I believe the time has come to slouch to the doctor and submit to being prescriptively medicated. My normally poor sleep being even poorer due to this ailment, I was also woken up on Saturday by Teddy- who was having a hypoglycemic attack. He was trying to walk through a wall, and getting all confused when that wasn't working out for him. I had to take him to the ER. He is okay. More chipper than I, indeed.


Cannon Fist deferred to Monday. I had to look up one small transitional move.


Tues FOD: Box Form (now making sure to do the spear hand on OPPOSITE sides instead of doing it on the same side through both cycles... all it takes is making a mental note on cycle 1 which side it's on)


(Two paragraphs of whining about the health insurance system follow. Feel free to skip!)

Arrrgh. Although I actually *have* health insurance right now for a change, the guy at the asthma and allergy center who made my appt told me that they wouldn't pay without a referral. I said, F it, I'll pay you cash. He was like, "????" I said, "I have been very sick for two months, and I just can't deal with all the red tape and time delays that are going to be involved in that. I just want to get in, NOW." ("Now" being not until Friday.) He also told me that I have to stop all decongestants for three days before the appt. I laughed at him. Sorry, that is not going to happen. I can barely function at this point even while popping handfuls of Sudafed and Nyquil, and spraying that horrible acid up my nose. The pressure in my sinuses is such that my entire skull will certainly explode messily all over the walls if I just let it go.


It is very frustrating to actually have insurance and not be able to use it- but I just know that's going to take twenty phone calls, and they're probably going to bust me back to square one and make me see a GP.... who will want to re-try all the entry-level treatments that have already failed me, and it would take forever to work my way back up the chain to the specialists. Seeing as how the specialists themselves haven't been able to help me thus far, I do not want to see a GP who is going to be patting me condescendingly on the head and asking "Have you tried Benedryl?"  Arrrrgh.  Then I will probably get laid off again and lose the insurance and be back at square one *anyway*. I'd rather just cut to the chase and pay- although it would be nice to be able to save the money, especially if I'm about to get laid off.


This is part of the reason I hate going to the doctor so much. And don't even get me started on the health insurance system. (Well, any more than I already have...)


Wednesday FOD: Sil Lum Tao


Thursday lunchtime BJJ at GB Belle.


Today was my day to shine, as we were doing all positional sparring from half guard (evil chuckle).


The prof said "Pair up," I grabbed John. Prof: "One guy ees going to start on the bottom-" I lay down. "Top guy ees going to start in half guard." John and I looked at each other and immediately started giggling wildly. He is probably the person in the school who bitches and whines the MOST about always being trapped helplessly in my half guard.


We did that for a while, then we did King Of the Hill from half guard. A couple of people did manage to get out of my half guard (after considerable struggle), but many failed utterly.  I passed *everybody's* half guard. Short legs and tiny feet help in this respect. As long as I'm careful with my balance and don't let them tip me over, I can almost always pass. I stayed down for almost the entire KOTH session without losing and having to go back in line; and that almost never happens.


Working with this position for the whole class; for once I truly felt like I belonged on the mat as the equal or better of anyone in the room (except the Prof, naturally... but even he had to work a little to get out of my half guard (he was nice and didn't smash, of course)).



Evening Competition Class at GB Belle. I had to pick up Stella at the vet's, and so arrived late for basics class- which is just as well, since basics class did not seem to be happening for some reason. So I spent about 40 min working on Cannon Fist, Kiu Two, Five Points Of the Star, that Dragon drill that CN showed me (which name I am blanking on at the moment...something about a pearl....), all of the Black Crane drills, and silk reeling. I haven't done any drills in almost a year. Luckily, the Black Crane drills came back promptly, but I really need to print out my transcripts of the Tiger drills and go over those before they go poof.


Opponent has you in spider guard. You grab hir left pantleg with your left hand (cross grab), grab hir left sleeve with your right hand (same-side). Step back with the foot that is on the same side that you have all the grips. Yank. Opponent should slide sideways so that you can drop right into KOB. I am working against muscle memory because there is a dance step that is being invoked here, which wants me to step back with the wrong leg. I have to stop and think.


Opponent has you in spider guard. You grab both pantlegs, slam hir ankles together, smash hir soles to the mat, and pass.


Opponent has you in spider guard. You grab both pantlegs, step back a bit, and crouch to dislodge the feet. Now step to one side and pull the near leg to you, push the far leg back- so that your arms make an X shape. You should be yanking hard enough that the opponent comes to you (and turns sideways) more than you stepping toward hir. This one was the most difficult for me. It is (as Carlos pointed out) a blend of the first two. I kept wanting to grab sleeves (my partner had to correct me) or turn my body the wrong way.


Note for all three moves ending in KOB- try to have your body upright and elbows pasted to your torso- there was a lot of straight-arming going on around me, which is dangerous.