@punnyguy It’s been at least 15 years since my last bender. I’ve never actually hired a hooker, but it seems like something that could be enjoyable in the right circumstances with the right kind of hooker. I think I’m due. Come to Maine. I know people who know people from my time as a bouncer. I think I can meet all of our debaucherous demands.
I’ve also been due to train. I haven’t been logging lately, mostly because I haven’t prioritized it and I haven’t done a whole lot of meaningful training. Just some occasional light stuff and kettlebell work in the basement and hitting up an occasional open mat or jiu jitsu class. Nothing consistent or especially productive.
I left work early to make my friend and training partner’s blue belt test and shark tank today. He passed and did well during the shark tank, which is a pretty brutal ordeal. It was just an open mat after that. My brown belt instructor showed up to represent his school, which I always appreciate. It was a tough room tonight.
I’ve accepted the fact that I’m not treated like other white belts at the school where I’ve been awarded my stripes. I’m big, strong and good at what I know how to do. This often means that I’m immediately singled out by upper belts, at least at this school. Perhaps they want the training opportunity, perhaps they want to shield the blues and purples from having to roll with me. It’s all good no matter what.
When I make the trip to my brown belt instructor’s school, I get treated like any other white belt. But that is a room full of fighters, not easy-going hobbyists.
My black belt instructor sought me out as soon as the mat opened, and we rolled. Despite not training in almost two months, I feel like I did well. He started on the knees, but I forced him to play stand-up with me by simply standing up and threatening to flatten him by closing the distance and passing his guard while he was still on his knees. Once he got on his feet he over-committed to some kind of takedown and I just kept him going in the direction he was headed until he lost balance and hit the floor. I’m not even sure what I did, technique-wise. I just kept him moving in the direction he committed hard to.
From there I assumed side control and settled in to maintain the position. This isn’t easy when you’re trying to hold down a 220 lb man with 12 years of grappling experience, but I managed to maintain the position for almost 4 minutes. I presented credible threats he had to deal with the entire time. My side control bread-and butter is maintaining the position, switching between side control 1, 2 and 3 depending on how he moved and threatening attacks with a kung-fu choke (aka paper-cutter choke) and the entire series of armlocks. I was close, CLOSE to having a kung-fu choke on him but he managed to raise his far-side shoulder off of the mat and I gave up on it. Next time I need to remember to keep the far-side shoulder pinned as I transition from a collar grip to my forearm across the neck. I was also being too gentle and polite. He’s a black belt, I need to remember to use my full pressure. I seem to be settling into “polite” habits that are helpful for getting people to train with you but not honing my skills appropriately.
He eventually escaped to turtle, and I still controlled the encounter in this position by keeping a grip on his right wrist and keeping pressure on his body. I got greedy and went for a back-take that he managed to reverse, and I found myself being mounted with all of the pressure a black belt can bring to bear on me, which was a lot. I just tried to make safe, and I did. Saved by the bell. 5 min draw.
My brown belt instructor found me after that and proceeded to murder me, but imparted some useful information along the way. In side control when my opponent is stuffing my arm lock sequence with a kung-fu choke option, I need to remember that I can make a belt on the other person with my forearm, then connect my knee to elbow to move into knee-on-belly or full mount.
Otherwise I got smoked. Belts only mean what the person who gives them means when they give them. My brown belt instructor is leagues ahead of everyone else in the room. He routinely dismantles black belts from other schools the same way he does to me. The qualitative differences in how jiu jitsu is taught and practiced between different schools cannot be overstated. I’m nowhere close to tapping this guy. I did, however win the takedown tonight, which is a rare event with him.
I was hoping to roll with some fresh meat after that, but I had severe cramping in my spinal erector that may have been related to going to the bar yesterday and then staying up too late to write, like I’m doing now.
It was a good night of training regardless.
