I'm having an incredible time on the mats these days. A lot of it has to with the fact that I'm doing a lot of things right: standing to open and pass the guard, being much more active from the bottom ...
I'm starting to get a nice feel for a certain type of sweep from the half-guard. I'm not even sure what it is I'm doing, but it's become a relatively high percentage sweep for me. I'm using my hooks 200% more over the past few days, and seeing great results both in maintaining an open guard as well as getting sweeps from the half.
The two guard packages I've dedicated 2008 to--Rap Star and butterfly guard--are still pretty underdeveloped. I haven't gotten a single sweep or submission out of any of the Rap Star cuts, and I haven't gotten a single clean sweep out of the butterfly guard. But I'm seeing a lot of things I like on the margins. I'm doing a better job, for example, of remembering and trying the techniques we learn in class during sparring. Like I said, good times on the tatame.
You can always gain by spending more time on the mat. But I really think that if I can ramp it up this year, get in three trainings a week on average for all of 2008, I'll be extremely grateful come 2009.
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Based on the Gracie Barra belt progression system, I figured the following some time last summer:
Got blue belt Dec 2006
4 months to 1st stripe: Apr 2007
5 months to 2nd stripe: Sep 2007
5 months to 3rd stripe: Feb 2008
5 months to 4th stripe: Jul 2008
5 months to purple belt: Dec 2008
We are not a very strict Gracie Barra school in this regard. But it is an interesting way to compare your actual progress to the rank GB "officially" accords that progress. It's also interesting that GB bases this progression on what I consider to be a very generous two gi classes a week.
I figure that I missed somewhere between six and nine months of training in 2007 due to the book I was writing that spring and summer(which allegedly is finally in production mode!) and repeated corneal abrasions. That would move my target range for getting my purple belt to June 2009 to September 2009.
Frankly, if I am able to get my purple belt by that December, which would mean three years after getting my blue belt, I'd consider it an awesome achievement.
Stay healthy. Train consistently. Compete frequently ... That's my mantra for 2008--and for 2009, as well. I'm thinking that if I can avoid injury, average three training sessions a week and compete at least three times in 2008 and 2009 each, I just might have an incredible Christmas present under the tree come December 2009.
