War Wounds

We're all broken.

I'm almost certain I've talked about this before.  And even if I haven't, everyone else has.  But we're all training through some sort of injury.  Zach hasn't seen training since December.  Mel's shoulder is tweaked.  (And she competed this past weekend, winning two of her divisions.)  JD's knee is wonky.  Vance is perpetually rotting.  Andy falls apart if you blink at him wrong.  Kyle's knee seems to be better.  John's ribs seem to be OK.  And my toe and hand are operating at less than full force.  Steve actually returned to training today for the first time since I started, new knee and all.

A friend started his sample period tonight.  He's in sports medicine, works with athletes all the time, understands competition.  We worked some pretty advanced techniques for his first night--the Camarillo switch, multiple choke defenses, taking the back, two separate passes.  Then we trained for a bit.  He didn't join in the rolling--that would be a bit of a tall order for his first night.  I worked with Tony first, and we stalemated.  He couldn't open my guard, and I couldn't get anything working against him.  But I was threatening, and that's leaps above where I used to be.  Then I worked with Steve.  It was my first time rolling with him, and he has a different style from what I've yet encountered.  He got me in side control, and I was able to reverse the position.  (Always a confidence booster.)  Mel and I trained afterwords.  I found a new grip to use in side control with which I can both trap the near-side arm and finish with a bow-and-arrow-esque choke.  So that was fun.

Training injured, though, is always an entertaining and challenging.  Hell, at this point shaking hands without wincing is a challenge.  And most of the night my toe was doing great being buddy-taped to his neighbor, and then two minutes before we finished I felt it go.  Of course, nothing to do about it but soldier on.