7 - 8pm /Muay Thai
I've missed at least one week of this so far, maybe two. I still really like the teacher. MT is kinda hard for me. It's like when I started BJJ, I had no f-ing clue what I was doing. I hadn't even heard of jiu jitsu before. I showed up and that was the first time I learned what it was (and proceeded to fall in love, of course). So it's sort of like when your 5 or even 10 and draw something without knowing how much skill you lack in drawing. Now at 26, if I draw something I can see so much more than could have ever occurred to me back then. Well, with BJJ I sort of had that vision. I couldn't tell difference. Now that I have experience in a similar thing, MT I can tell. It's like in MT I'm all grown up.
That doesn't make it any easier. Mentally, I feel like I have to push more. Keep trying. Keep going to class. Don't give up. It feels like BJJ came easier, but that's because I didn't pay as much attention to my screw ups. I feel like I remember less than ever, but that's because most likely I didn't realize how many things I forgot or didn't pick up in the beginning of jiu jitsu.
But that's ok. I'm gonna keep pushing; keep going. I'm definitely not gonna give up!
Points of MT to Remember
1. Always aim for the center line of the body
2. In MT, there are 3 "levels" of a person's body, and you learn to
incorporate all 3 while fighting.
3. Do NOT PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR FEET/THEIR FEET/ ANYONE'S DAMN FEET.
That needed caps cause I find it mad hard. All the time, I want to watch
myself as I do something. But you know where your body is. You can feel
your limbs and every part of you. You DON'T need to see them to feel
them. Gregg, our instructor, used the example of telling me to close my
eyes and touch my nose. See! I know where my nose is. Oh. Right. Finnne.
Look up. Look at the chin, chest.
4. Always protect yourself.
5. Always be moving
6. You need GOOD balance/flexibility. I might have to start yoga. Damn.
(Cause it's so boring!)
7. Do not point your toes as you kick!
We went over basic hooks, crosses, and jabs. Which I really wish I could practice doing on someone once or twice out of class too, actually. No doubt if I did that a few times outside of class I would feel more confident with what the correct way of throwing one feels like. Oh wells.
We also did a take down, but there is a detail of it I can't remember and I'm going to text my friend Kelly who takes it also to go threw it with me. Be a delayed post.
8 - 9 pm /BJJ
Was a fun, but not all together productive class. I felt like everything I know I've been doing wrong kept happening, no matter how hard I tried this class to NOT do those things! It was def a little frustrating. That's how it goes, sometimes.
I'll give a few examples of my problems. I really like passing guard from standing, which means often I have to face open guard. This tends to be much harder on guys than girls, of course, and I usually get caught there eventually. I've been trying to get control of the grips, to stack them and not allow for space. But that's so much easier said than done. I know, keep on it. But Monday was exceptionally worse than normal. I think. Or maybe I just want to improve quicker than will actually happen. Who knows. Then there's that I tend to lean forward while in someone's guard, or trying to pass open guard or anything. I KNOW I'm not supposed to. I know that it sets me off balance, and makes it easier. And yet, just another thing I keep on forgetting as I actually roll! It makes it worse that if I saw someone else doing it, I would know to say something. I know what I'm doing, but sometimes it almost feels helpless to change it. Grrrrr.
I definitely need to work on grips and not keeping my arm open to armbars so much while in guard. But I'm gonna stop now, because the list of things I need to work on is endless.
Scarfhold Choke
We worked on a scarfhold choke in class. At least, I'm pretty sure it's called that. You get it from starting in scarfhold, so either way it's a good name.
1. You start in scarfhold position let's say on their left side.
2. Your left hand is going to be gripping their collar on their left
side. (So arm under their head).
3. They try to shrimp out, which is when you take a BIG stomp with your
right leg over their left arm. Should go up in the air like an arc,
because otherwise it might not clear their arm!
4. Immediately go onto your knees to secure side control, keeping tight
with their arm between your legs now.
5. Your right hand should grip the collar on their right side, and your
left hand is going to go under their left shoulder and grip the collar
from underneath.
6. Your right hand is gripping on the right side, and you are going to
bring your arm around and across their neck tight.
7. Extend your body down towards the floor, and also make your right leg
completely straight. (The leg that is straight is always the one on the
outside near your opponent's head/shoulder.)
8. Squeeze tight! And they tap.
Some notes: I felt as this was being done to me, that when they go to
switch the collar grips one getting side control, my right arm was free
to use as I please. Thus I could have possibly tried to get free. This
might not make a difference depending on who is doing it against you, or
if someone did it to me in a live rolling situation since no one gives
100% while learning a technique. However, I did feel it was something I
might bring up next class (oh shit, that's tonight haha).
All in all, I really like the choke. I have gotten scarf hold (ish) positions in the past a few times after passing guard, and then be like, ok, I'm here, now what. There were def a few times when I had the position, went to side control, then went back because I felt scarf was more secure in stopping their hips (at least for those particular opponents and moments and me!). So my goal in the future will be to hopefully try this choke out while rolling a few times.
Alright. I need some food. Plus, that's all to write. Now I will just send a little prayer to the Blogger Gods that this email-posty thing will not screw me and my layout. For the third time.
I totally understand what you mean about making mistakes even though you try to correct them. I swear, jiu jitsu takes SO MUCH concentration it's nuts. I've had the same thing happen to me. I'll go in to class sometimes and just focus on not doing one particular thing, but if I stop thinking about that one thing for just a second I'll do it. Jiu jitsu is funny because the movements, the motions, it's not all natural. Instinctivly I'll do other things that get you hung out to try in jiu jitsu. It's hard to break those habits. Focus! It's difficult in this sport.
ReplyDeleteSide note... one thing that REALLY helped me out a lot was watching video of my sparring. I would have someone record me frmo time to time and go home and review. I notice SOOOO much stuff I'm doing wrong when I can see it with my own eyes. It's always easy to critique someone else when you're watching them, but when someone would come up to critique me I wouldn't know EXACTLY what they are talking about because I haevn't seen it. I'm a visual learner though, so maybe that's not for everyone.
Great post!