Choose Strong
For Tim.
When I say that my jiu-jitsu is invincible, it's not that I can beat everybody,
it's just that nobody can beat me. -- Rickson Gracie
At any time, one or more parts of the body always hurt. The right groin has
never been restored to its pre-2021 condition. The left foot has recovered 80%
from the footlock in Jan. The pulled lower back muscles have been improving
slowly. The shoulders and the left rib cage ache every morning. The right hip
still hurts (from a bad side fall last year) when lying on that side. The right
knee has lost some mobility in the frontal plane (I forgot the exact cause
except that it came on shortly after the tendinopathy). Even the ears throb from
scraping. All remind me of my early years in running and weight-lifting. But in
jiu-jitsu, one can get hurt in a lot more ways.
Once on the mat, however, all the pain goes away. The adrenaline does its magic
without fail. So far, I never have to conciously avoid a move because of injury.
This lifestyle of ongoing stress and renewal feels acceptable, if not enjoyable.
One is supposed to suffer anyway and might prefer jiu-jitsu injuries to, say,
the diseases of affluence.
Among my training buddies, Phil has made good progress and begun to submit me.
About the same height but 20 lbs heavier and a former wrestler, he was the ideal
training mate for me. Defending against him and Stephan, the blue-belt attacking
machine, I had to be super-alert. Higher belts including Michael, Nick, and
Adam, taught me a few stack-passing variations and takedowns with which I had a
lot of success. Against the less experienced guys, I got the upperhand almost
always because I knew better what to do at each position and was confident at
the bottom. Even if I didn't seek to submit, it was a great feeling just to be
in control. Often, I did submit them.
Recently, we focused on takedowns from standing, with and without the gi, to
prepare students for a big tournament at the end of Feb. Coach Gene made sure I
do the details correctly, although I didn't care about competing. It's wonderful
to learn some offense and I start to see the standing-up the same way as the
ground game.
In this school, escapes and defense seem to get less attention than attacks,
e.g., how to set up an arm lock or a choke, especially with the gi. Every time
they show a killer move, however, to master the details is not on the top of
my list. Right away, I worry about me on the receiving end and automatically
think "How do I get out of it?"
Henry's choke and arm-bar defense videos have been a key for me to stay in and
even enjoy the game. A new whitebelt without the knowledge of how to defend,
e.g., a belly-down rear naked choke, a head-and-arm, or a bow-and-arrow, can
easily fall in the trap. But once he knows, the move comes almost by instinct,
and with the confidence of survival, he can explore opportunities.
When I spar, my goal is not to submit. My first priority is to survive. Next, I
would look for ways to sweep and get to and keep a dominant position. With
stronger and more skilled opponents, I would work on my defense. I especially
love to see them spend half of the time setting something up only to see me
escape as they try to pull the trigger. The sure thing vanishes before their
eyes in a matter of seconds and it is a triumph for me.
