Back on the mat after a week and a half of hosting the in-laws, great people and a true model of how wonderful life can be in its seventh or even eighth decade with a little luck and a few good habits. Masters Helio and Carlos would be proud.
Aside from a little pinch in the cardio department, I didn't feel too badly after being sidelined for what seemed at times like an eternity. A truer test will come tomorrow, I'm sure, during competition training. But I'm moving into the flow of things in any event.
Did a few drills at home before training today, watched Marcio Feitosa's half guard Ezekiel, and a few techniques from Marcelo Garcia (backstep pass v.s. half guard; bow and arrow choke hand-fighting, a faster version of the far side armbar). All nice short work on building the circuitry, work I'll have to sustain over the next several weeks in order for things to start to stick.
Training with Prof Carlos today the biggest takeaway was how important initial contact is. Marcelo Garcia talks about it a lot: getting the grips you want and avoiding the grips your opponent wants. It's the very first thing you have to deal and it is so easy to start thinking past that step until you realize that you are suddenly on the defensive dealing with all the other guy's favorite grips.
As I like to say, it's not about being fast, it's about being first.
162.0 on the scale post-train. Like the north star it is ...
