9/22

Another day goes by and I'm happy to report about a great time in class today. Why is it so great you ask? (well your not asking, but I'm still gonna tell you why!) Well today marks the day that I know my game is taking another step towards improvement. I was able to shut my mind off and not think so much about what I was doing. In the process I was able to just move and react a lot better. Instead of thinking about what I wanted to do I just did it. I'm very happy with myself to say the least lol. Maybe in the coming years I can perfect this so I can constantly be in that state of mind instead of just some of the time.

Anyway I got a little side tracked with ego there so let me start over: We begin class of with a bit of light jogging for about 5-10 minutes before Castillo has us sitting in front of him like good little students. He begins by separating our class into 2 groups. The one's competing in the tourney to the right, with the one's not competing to the left. There's a surprising amount of people not participating but most have work or church they have to go to. Being as our competition is this Sunday, we've halted learning any new techniques and are focusing on sharpening the ones we already have so Castillo gives us a short speech on the importance of knowing how to keep score in your own match and then it's off to rolling!

I start off with my usual partner Mr. Ryan. He mentions that he has an upset stomach today and I'm relieved to hear that I'm not the only one (I had another chicken sandwich before class. Damn you Carl's Jr for being so tasty!) We decide to take it easy on each other and not go for any chokes for fear of upchucking our breakfast. We slap hands and I can't help but think of a quote I once heard. I believe it goes something like this "Jiu-Jitsu. Every time you slap hands it's like sitting at the canvas. What will you paint today?" haha but of course I'm no Picasso at this point, more of a finger painter. Anyway clinch up, with me getting control of his collar and fighting to get to his sleeve. I do my best to keep him close to me and not give him any space to maneuver past my guard. I eventually get control of his right sleeve and settle into my guard. Once there I put my left foot on his hip and went for the traditional arm bar but he saw it coming and reacted pulling his right arm out of danger but giving me the opportunity to lock up his shoulder. I think he knew he was in danger of a triangle because he started to stack me, but I kept control of his trapped arm, reached my right hand under his leg to keep me secure, switched my hips, and switched the triangle into an arm bar. After the roll he asks me if I'd like to be his corner man for the tournament and I agree (I'm Honored!).

For my next roll I ended up with a good friend who I have a hard time remembering his name. So we will call him GoodShit for now. Omar is a very cool guy, who always ends a roll with his patented "good shit dude". So it begins with Omar pulling guard while only having control of my sleeves. I manage to get control of his ankle and prevent him from closing it, I slice my knee across his leg and get to side control, and shortly after that to mount. He is notorious for being able to escape my mount, I don't know what it is about him, but he always manages to bridge and roll me right over haha This time I was looking to play a sneaky attack on him. Usually I play my mount 2 ways. Either my ankles are crossed under his hips or I'm up high with my knees in the armpit area. Both have there advantages (crossing ankles keeps me tighter and avoids me being rolled over, while having a high mount opens up submissions). So today I decided on a high mount, which worked great. I began by attacking his right arm, threatening with an American until he managed to slip his arm free. Upon freeing his right arm, he uses his left arm to over hook my right arm and tries to bridge and roll (NO, MUST MAINTAIN MOUNT!) I keep my base solid and keep the mount and in the struggle I gain control of his left arm and attack for a kimura. While I'm working the arm I remember watching videos of Rayron and Rener Gracie discussing the fundamentals of a mounted triangle and I decide "what the heck, I've been practicing it for a week, just go for it". So I tuck his trapped arm to his body and lift my right leg over it and behind his head. I lock it up and squeeze, while at the same time attacking his trapped arm with a kimura until I feel the tap. I stopped to ask him which it was that he tapped to, the kimura or the triangle? And he simply replies "I couldn't breathe" (ah so the triangle then!). After that I decide that I'd like to show him how I pulled it off (or at least do my best to show him). So maybe in the future if someone ever tries that on him again he'll know whats coming. Good roll and conversation after wards with a good guy. Good shit indeed! (note to self, take note pad for names).

My next partner was someone that I had been planning on rolling with for some time. I don't know why but he reminds me of me (he's got a beard, I've got a beard lol). I don't know his name but we'll call him Hiram2.0 for now =D Our roll starts as many of mine do, we clinch up and I pull guard, and manage to sweep him into the mount, but he rolls with it and ends up back in my guard, then 2 seconds later I seep him again and end up with a solid mount...very strange sequence O_0 From there he goes to bridge but leaves his arm extended and I jump on it for the arm bar finish. We reset and repeat as I sweep him into mount and get an arm bar.

Next up is a dude named Angel. Cool guy, but I kid you not he's another clone of me! Maybe Hiram 2.5?? Anyway I pull guard but I don't get control of his body and he proceeds to try to pass my guard, but he leaves me too much space and I get a scissor sweep to mount on him. From there I pull off my smoothest transition/submission of my short career. OK so as he's bridging to roll me off I switch my hips and get into the arm bar position. From there I usually put my outside foot into his bicep and do a push pull motion to break his grip, but he was disrupting me by throwing his legs up and attempting to lock my head up. So instead of pushing my luck for the arm bar I slide my outside leg in between his arm and neck, then reposition my inside leg from on his head to underneath it. It worked to perfection as he see's the opening and goes to get on top he sinks himself into my triangle and I get the tap. This is my favorite submission Ive ever gotten solely on the fact that it needed no thinking. My body just moved and reacted on its own. It excites me to think that after years and years of hard work and training, that ill be able to tap into this state of no mind at will, and work my game as smoothly, technically, and precisely as the black belts that I look up to.