Schedule changes at Gracie Barra Seattle began Monday.
Monday
6-6:30 Fundamentals of BJJ Level One
6:30-8 BJJ class
Tuesday
6-6:30 Fundamentals of BJJ Level One
6:30-7 Takedowns
Wednesday
6-6:30 Drills
6:30-8 BJJ Class
Thursday
6-6:30 Self-defense
6:30-7 Conditioning
Saturday
10-11 Competition Training
I think that's it. I need to make sure I've got the 6-6:30 Wednesday slot down right. But I think that's what we've got going forward.
"Level One" refers to the 15 basic jiu jitsu techniques that Rodrigo wants all of us to know--and to be able to teach to someone else. Monday (Jan 30) we did three techniques: elbow escape, keylock from mount, and upa/bridge. I'll have some notes on each of these later.
Very good class. We're finally slowing down the sparring (another point that Rodrigo has been trying to emphasize for weeks). 100% technique and maybe 75% exertion. He had us to about eight or nine rounds of two minutes each, fashioned in such a way so that everybody got to spar with everybody. That and the duration mandated pacing yourself, and I think everybody appreciated this approach. I know I sure did. It makes you much more willing to try new techniques when you don't feel as if every move is a life or death move.
That said, I managed to land a nice kimura from the bottom (sort of half-guard), an omoplata sweep and an armbar. I still need to work on my escape from side control--but I don't know of a white belt that doesn't need to work on that.
My training schedule will be a four-week rotation starting this week:
Monday/Wednesday/Saturday
Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday
Monday/Wednesday/Saturday
Monday/Wednesday/Thursday
So out of a possible eight Level One classes in four weeks, I'll take five. Not great, and I could always forgo the Thursday class for now and make the fourth week Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday. Maybe I'll ask Rodrigo what he thinks next time I see him. He may think that, for now, the Tuesday class might be more helpful than the Saturday one.
