Today's training was just open mat. Rodrigo opened up the academy from about 10 -12 noon for those of us who were looking to train on the holiday. I arrived shortly after 10:30 am and managed to get in a nice 8-10 minute roll with a big white belt whose name I didn't remember.
We ended up spending a lot of the time going over specific issues he was having trouble with. I didn't mind as we went from mount escape to side control escape to half guard sweep, with a few basic principles added in. He was an interesting guy to roll with given his size, and I was pleasantly surprised that I switched to a version of the Sauleh guard, with a collar and sleeve grip on one side and a foot in the bicep or on the shoulder on the other.
I've been meaning to work more and more on this guard ever since Tuesday, the second consecutive day of armlocks from the guard. I started to see a way that I might set up not only armlocks from the guard, but also even triangles (!) from the guard. The trick is that I do the armlock and triangle better in one direction, and the sweep and choke better in the other. So I need to do a better job of noticing what opportunities arise from the closed guard, pick a side, and execute the technique.
A good time on the mat. Lindsey was there, as was Jesse and Sonya. Pat arrived a little while after I did and I thought I saw him and Brock training at some point. Rodrigo was there with his daugther, who was making a lifeboat out of some of the striking equipment. Time really seemed to fly. I could have easily stayed at the school for another hour.
Both schools are shut down tomorrow. But it looks like I'll get a chance to get back on the mat this Saturday, which is great. I didn't get a weigh-in after training, but the 163 and change in the gi beforehand was a perfectly fine number for now.
