A great way to get back into training mode after a fantastic couple of days on vacation in Portland.
My approach to training over the next two months heading into the November Revolution is to always begin class a little fatigued. I read someone talking about this recently in an issue of GracieMag, and it's something I think will only help my game over time. When strength becomes a very scarce commodity, you have no other choice but to rely on technique to get you out of situations you don't want to be in and into situations that you do want to be in. And by starting class fatigued, I'm finding it easier and easier to get into that pure flow mode where I'm only relying on the leverage that's available, rather than trying to spontaneously create leverage and momentum.
So I'm warming up before hand, doing mat laps, then halfway through a first round of matwork before I get the opportunity for a pre-class roll with Prof Rodrigo. As always, the emphasis is on movement and efficiency on my end, trying to defend dynamically and work to escape rather than settling for survival.
Tuesday is fundamentals so we worked on some self-defense first (wristlock counter to the cross arm grab) then taking the back from front sprawl defense and finishing with either the choke and back mount or the double armdrag to side control. In the first move, Rodrigo emphasized anticipating the choke as soon as you make the move to the back while in the second, the key detail to remember was in trapping the arms as you reach to control the head.
A little sloppy early in Live Training. I got lost trying to north-south choke based on some of the recent variations I've been watching. But I think I made up for it with some very good, very fun flow training in my next two rolls. There's a gratification in this sort of training that I often take for granted, but it really plays a great part in helping smooth out and provide nuance to your jiu-jitsu.
Nice to get a few tips on the barataplata from Joe, who almost caught me in one a few weeks back and whom I've been meaning to talk about the submission for awhile. I'm not convinced it will be a major part of what I do from the guard. But it's not a common position, which means that mastering it could provide a significant edge.
155.7 on the scale post-train. That's what a few days of clean livin' in the City of Roses will do for you.
