August 22nd 2013 - No Gi (It's a Trap)

In terms of how I felt, tonight couldn't have been more different than Tuesday.  I had a lot more energy and didn't feel as concerned about hurting myself.  I went to the doctor earlier today and after some x-rays and discussion we decided to wait and see.  One option was a cortisone shot, but I didn't feel that I needed it at the time.  If it does reoccur then a shot or an MRI might be in order.  She said to use heat before workouts and then keep icing afterwards.

Looked like the theme of the beginners class was the half guard and I was a little jealous that I missed it.  It was a good size class as well.  In between classes I asked Adam to drill the hip switch guard pass from butterfly guard.  I had a few problems with it, but I'll keep working on it. 

The theme of the class was the RNC from back mount.  We used the method of trapping their arm with our leg and then completing the choke. The worst part about the technique is the forearm grind under the jaw when they don't cooperate.  It's just automatic for me to put my chin down when the choke starts happening, which isn't conducive to practicing the choke.  I had to mentally keep myself from defending in this way to make it more comfortable.  In order to deal with the jaw problem we added a hand switch and then pulled back on their forehead to get the choke.  Once again, I felt like we had the opportunity to do enough reps.  Working on 6+ techniques in one class has become a thing of the past.

For training we did 2 minute rounds from back mount both top and bottom with each partner.  We ended up training with everyone in class (7).  It went as I expected, having trouble with the people that I normally have trouble with.  I tried my best to observe how people escaped and the things that I could do better.  I was having a little trouble getting caught in the arm triangle so I watched Greg escape and prevent it, and got some ideas on elbow movement from that.  All in all a productive class.

I found a Star Wars Admiral Ackbar toy that I had when I was a kid.  I presented it to Greg as our school mascot since we are all so fond of the admiral's catch phrase.  "It's a Trap!" works so well when you finally realize the submission that your opponent has setup all too late in the game.  We were trying to figure out someway to work it into our school logo without being sued.  Greg also handed out some school flyers for us to distribute.  I've already posted one at work.