A Cindy Special here on Thursday. The first class, the gi class, had us working on double leg takedowns to start and toreano guard passes to finish. I worked with Brock for the takedowns and Rueben on the toreano. As you might guess, they were both fantastic to train with and it was nice to actually get to do the drill for the first time all week.
During the no gi class that followed, Cindy had us working on armdrags from a variety of positions. We worked on standing armdrags (the Marcelo Garcia stuff) then on re-dragging counters, then on two versions of the armdrag from the closed guard: a basic and a two-on-one. Along with the double leg Cindy had us working on last week, this armdrag training was very much what the doctor ordered.
Only a little sparring - though enough to get caught in a kimura from the closed guard. That hasn't happened in some time and but it is in part of testament to where I'm calling from these days, to steal a line from John Edgar Wideman.
A good "return to balance" evening of training. It's been weird lately with so many of the guys who used to train regularly as purple belts now showing up less and less frequently now that they are on the doorstep of the black belt. This, without getting back into it, is a bit of a mixed bag.
Maybe it's the transition to fall and the drop in temperature, but I'm struggling a bit to find the flow in my training right now. As I wrote awhile ago, this may just be the rhythm of things - with the end of August representing a cycle high and the end of September representing a cycle low. While it would be far, far too dramatic to say that I'm trying to understand exactly what I'm trying to accomplish in jiu jitsu, I do find myself in a strange and somewhat uncomfortable position of thinking jiu jitsu rather than feeling jiu jitsu. And the fact that I've been training at a pretty decent pace for the past few weeks - at least since getting off the IR - only makes that discomfort that much less comfortable.
Like I said, I'm really looking forward to meeting Saulo Ribeiro in a few weeks - I'm a little desperate for some words of jiu jitsu wisdom and I suspect that few can deliver in that regard like the six-time world champion. Of course, I've got to get through the Seattle Invitational Tournament next Saturday before I get to Saulo. Talk about a ticket to ride.
