Finally, I was able to attend class last night. A week's worth of preparing for finals without a proper outlet was taking its toll. Class was me, Andy, new Jeremy, and Joe. Klint was instructing, Eric showed up a few minutes late, and Classic Jeremy (purple) showed up about fifteen minutes into class. We worked some wrestling, then some cross-chokes from guard. It was a technique-heavy class, and we didn't have any time to do any 50/50s before class finished. One of the techs we learned was a fist-in-the-neck submission. That sucks.
Working after class, everyone stayed. It was good, because Joe and New Jeremy are still developing lungs, it meant that Andy and I always had a partner--those two would basically trade off when they started sucking wind. It was good work, and Andy and I didn't have to rely on each other for training partners again. I had a little bit of success trying to implement that rolling back take, but not much. Really, none at all; I got to the position and rolled, but I missed something and ended up on the top side of half-guard. So more accurately, the success I had was that I tried it and didn't lose position completely. Which is success in the same way that reading the wrong assignment for class is: you do something that you think is right, but in the end, you didn't do what you meant to and you're no better off than you were before you started.
I did roll with purple Jeremy for a while. His game is just sick. It was the first chance we had to roll with him since he won his fight in Atlantic City. (Dave Camarillo and Frankie Edgar both cornered him that fight; something tells me this kid's got a future.) He wrecked me, which was to be expected. I did feel like I was putting more pressure on him than I used to. At the same time, when he's locking in kneebar after kneebar, the amount of pressure that you're putting on seems to be pretty irrelevant. It doesn't help that our academy doesn't teach white belts any leg locks. I actually don't mind that--they're dangerous and require a lot of technique to make sure you can drill them without seriously injuring your partner. At least I knew to figure-four my legs in defense and try to sit up into him. He was also doing a lot more fight-style chokes without using the gi, and I have no familiarity with those kinds of chokes. It was a great lesson for me. Also, he nearly made me vomit twice. The bastard just doesn't get tired, and my cardio, while improving, is nowhere near that level. The week off didn't do me any favors either. But I didn't embarrass myself, and on one or two occasions, it even seemed like I might have been a step ahead of Jeremy. I didn't stay there for long, though, because the surprise of being there in the first place lasted long enough for him to get back on the offensive.
I have a decent amount of jiu jitsu in front of me this weekend, too; open mat tonight, followed by class tomorrow afternoon. After that, I have more finals to finish. Soon enough, though, I'll have some semblance of normalcy back. I'm working on a few longer pieces for this space, and with luck and a little time, they'll come up in a week or so.
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