Choose Strong
For Tim.
Three years of training has licked me into BJJ shape: a muscular upper body and
a thick neck. My inner growth has just been as dramatic: at 51, I came to a
clear vision for my life and felt that I had what it takes to follow it. From
personal experience, ageing alone does not automatically bestow maturity. I
agree with some masters who said that jiu-jitsu is going to help you no matter
what you do. No. I take that back. It helps you to become more of yourself. I
was a rebel, a stoic and a taoist, a caring dad, and one who believed in
discipline and life-long learning. In every aspect, the art has made me more.
Here's what transpired in the last month.
1. The Triangle
Weichi taught triangle escapes on Thu and I really liked some of the
non-stacking approaches. I got triangled a lot but so far, my only defense was
from one Henry Akins's video but stacking could hurt my partner and I'd like to
have another option.
Sat May 4, brown belt coach Jason taught the triangle attack from de la riva and
I drilled with Nikolai. I really started to pay attention of the foot-on-the-hip
setup, which made shooting up my hips to catch his neck much easier. During the
drill, I launched my hips the moment my foot touched his hip. Coach Kevin
confirmed that it was the same with the close-guard.
2. The De La Riva Sweeps
I was impressed with the de la riva sweeps (against a standing opponent) Jason
taught the last two weeks. The next Monday, Adam taught another sweep from a
similar position. After sparring, JR showed his variation against a kneeling
opponent with one leg up. He was patient, let me drill, and pointed out many
details. I was very thankful.
I later thought of using this sweep against one in the headquarter position when
they are not pinching tight.
3. An Injury
In Tue, May 7's no-gi class, Chris caught my right arm in sparring and stretched
the elbow and hurt me for the second time. It first made me sad but then I was
convinced that the injuries were trying to tell me something. I need to study
the position and be able to defend better. I'm certainly not too old to practice
BJJ but I need to be more careful.
On the other hand, older folks like Richardo and Aikido Chris and the more
experienced guys like the coaches dominate and submit without hurting people. I
do need to stay with the right training partners.
4. The Old Gang
On Thu May 9, Facebook prompted an ad for a Sunnyvale gym and I was glad to find
that it was the old Ralph Gracie Mountain View gang: Justin the head coach,
Darren (a bluebelt at the time), John the judo guy, and Mr. Li who could climb
up the rope hung from the skylight. They since moved to Almaden and then Santa
Clara.
Its new Sunnyvale location is easier commute for me and more importantly, they
offer muay thai and judo basics which I've always wanted to learn. I dropped by
on May 15, had a class with Justin, and rolled with a few guys. What I instantly
fell in love with was the warm-up: we hip-threw each other onto a thick mat!
5. Back on the Mat
My right elblow was still not 100% but my body felt what a python must have an
itch to move. Coming back to the mat on Thursday (May 16) was sweet. Open-mat
Friday, I rolled with five guys, learned from Weichi about the invert: let your
hand guide your body, and from Chris: the bottom arm to block my partner for a
Granby roll from the turtle. And the next morning came the memory of Henry's
technique to get out of north-south bottom by swinging the legs. I did the
leg-swing drill every day but when Pete told me that was his worst position I
didn't remember it on the spot.
That led to the re-discovery of Henry. The moves that I couldn't carry out two
years ago and were since forgotten suddenly appeared in a new light! I need to
give his courses a once-over and re-learn.
6. Weichi's Leg-attack Game
The last two weeks of May, Weichi taught leg attacks and I felt lucky to learn
especially about the k-guard, the honeyhole, and the 50-50 positions.
By the way, what does the art in the last sentence refer to? The art of jj?