A whole lot of the kind of training I really like: a little self-defense followed by about half an hour of nothing but scissor sweeps.
It may not be the most exciting training for some. But as far as learning is concerned, there really isn't anything better than taking one key technique and working it over and over and over. We aren't at the technological singularity yet, and can't quite assimilate knowledge like they do on the Nebuchadnezzar. So the only alternative, as Daniel Coyle writes in his excellent book, The Talent Code, is the slow, often-painful process of forging muscle memory, building the neuro-circuitry that will allow you to access what Rickson Gracie famously called "the place beyond knowledge."
Some good training with new Gracie Barra Seattle purple belt Kyle, and blue belt Cordelia, a judo black belt if I overheard correctly, with very good movement on top (i.e., spinning armbar, kimura set-ups) that had me scrambling to recover guard. And a great guard/pass guard specific training with Mark during the Open Mat (four two-minute rounds). I might start spending every Open Mat with this kind of training.
I also got to work on some of my rear mount escape demons, specifically Saulo's detail about falling to the side rather than straight back, and trapping the fall-side leg BELOW the knee rather than above it. Felt like a breakthrough. We'll see what happens the next time I'm rolling with one of those casca-grossas from the last few weeks.
A very heavy 162 on the mat post-train. At least it's Monday. Should be a very heavy week of training as I try and set a new training year record of 163 sessions in a year (August - July). To get there, I've got to train every day this week - twice on Friday - and then on Monday and Tuesday of next week. It shouldn't have been this hard; a few more sessions this spring and I'd be waltzing across the finish line in front. But, things being as they are, I'm just going to have to take the long road to the goal.
