Another good night of hard training. At the end, Rodrigo gave us a break on the second 10-minute sparring session at the end of the Advanced Class. I think I could have made it through it. But I won't pretend that I wasn't a little relieved to be done.
I think I'm only a few weeks away from being able to do two, good, back-to-back, 10-minute sparring sessions with partners at or near my level. Over the past few days, for some reason, I've been thinking about some of those matches that Rickson won by exhaustion, like the match with Rigan Machado. Asking to stop due to exhaustion in jiu jitsu is really just another tap, it seems to me. But when I combine it with something else I read Fabio Gurgel (founder of Team Alliance) say about Rickson Gracie's guard passing ("his main quality the fact he perceives each adversary's point of discomfort and doesn't let him get out of this point ever") I start to see an offensive version of jiu jitsu that is relentless without being aggressive, overwhelming without being violent, and powerful without requiring much in the way of its own energy.
That's what I think Rodrigo is trying to get across with these extended sparring sessions. Can you move, can you attack and defend for 20 minutes - with a two minute "halftime" - without giving way to exhaustion? There's a great video of Master Carlos and Professor Feitosa training for about 20 minutes straight that I saw awhile ago. I can't think of the last time I saw such incredible flow, a training flow in which each of them was, again, relentless without being aggressive.
Anyway, those are the deep thoughts of the evening. Here are the nuts.
Fundamentals Class:
1B: Tue pm, Wed am, Thu pm
1. Clinch to Back to Hip Throw
2. Pulling Closed Guard from Standing
3. "Crossover" or Hip Bump Sweep
Notes:(1) From a traditional fighting stance, reach down and check the opponent's potential striking right hand at the wrist while defending your face with the other hand. With your left clamping on the right wrist, step forward and reach around and get a body lock with the right arm around the waist. Shuffle a step or two to the back. Step in front with the left leg, then inside pivot step in front with the right leg and execute a hip throw. Remember to keep both feet facing forward and between the opponent's legs. Lift up on the right wrist that you have checked.
(2). Make sure to hipstep with the same foot as the triceps sleeve grip, not the collar grip side. (3). Grab near the elbow, don't go over the shoulder in the antiquated version of the sweep. Trap that arm and prevent the potential post.
Advanced Program
1. Alt takedown setups
2. Armbars from the guard
3. Alt takedown setups
3. Armbars from the guard
4. Alt takedown setups
5. King of the Guard (6 minutes in the guard with fresh passers)
6. Live training 10 minutes
Like I said above, Rodrigo had originally planned for us to do two 10 minute sessions. But I think he felt that we were already pretty worked out. A few guys - Benn, Lance, Lindsey and Jeff - rolled for a little while longer. But the rest of us were done.
My guess is that by late spring, a lot more of us will be able to do that second 10-minute spar. A lot of guys, the higher belt guys, are just coming back to regular training so it may take a little while for everybody to get back up to pace. But one thing about Rodrigo's training is that, sooner or later, we are all pretty much guaranteed to get there.
159.4 on the scale, post-train. I've been desperate for a number under 160. Let's see if I can keep it.
