So, where were we? Oh yes, I did not hit my 10k reps goal last year. I'm torn between soldiering on now that I'm well, or just scuppering that one and starting a new goal. I'm actually leaning towards finishing my 10k reps on principle, but I still need to motivate myself to actually do the reps.
Early last December, a co-worker approached me and said he was interested in learning martial arts, but had no idea where to start. I looked into the options around our office, and explained to him what the different styles available were. He decided that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu sounded like something he wanted to try, so we went and watched a class. We tried to attend a free trial lesson, but showed up on Open Mat day. We planned to come back the following Monday, but that happened to be the day that the world exploded at work, metaphorically speaking. Today, at long last, order (and my health) had been restored enough for us to go. This is my long winded way of saying: I'm going to study Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and this will become my training blog. In conjunction with this, I'm probably not going to be so circumspect about my identity, in case you don't already know who I am.
Moving on, first class. Beefy and I showed up at 11, only to be told that class actually starts at 11:30. We hung out in the car for 30 minutes, then walked in and signed the waivers. We got changed and headed out on the mat. There were only two white belts and the black belt instructor in class today. Warm ups consisted of jogging around the mats, side to sides, cross stepping, jumping jacks, push ups, two kinds of crunches, mountain climbers, and another set of push ups. Really, it wasn't too bad, except I'm a lazy fat ass, so I was beet red and out of breath.
We moved on to technique, which was kimura from north/south position. Going against the bottom guy's left arm, you place the thumb side of your left forearm under his elbow, while cupping his left wrist with your right hand. Lift up on the elbow while pushing his wrist towards the floor and away from his center. Slide your left hand, palm down, under his elbow and grip your own right wrist, while monkey-gripping his left wrist with your right hand. Pull his elbow up to your navel, turning him to his right, while you slide your left foot behind his back. Your right knee should still be down on the mat next to his head, so he can't slide out. Put your left forearm on your left knee, his elbow should be bent at 90 degrees, with his upper arm pointing straight up, and his forearm parallel to the floor. Posture up so you're looking straight ahead. Now, slowly look towards your left, turning your whole upper body. You should be able to feel his shoulder tighten. We did this on left and right sides.
Next technique was the Americana. For example's sake. we'll be attacking the left arm again. Cup both of your hands, and place your left hand on the opponent's left wrist, your right on his left elbow. Put all of your weight on this arm and drive it into the mat. Place your left elbow on the mat next to the opponent's left ear while monkey-gripping his left wrist with your left hand. His elbow should be at a 90 degree angle, and your left forearm should be parallel to his left upper arm. Now, slide your right hand, palm down, under his elbow and monkey-grip your own left wrist. Slide his left wrist straight down towards his feet, as if you're painting the mat with it, then lift up under his left elbow with your right forearm.
Last thing we covered was escape from under mount. The instructor covered some general points about being under mount, such as not letting your opponent get high on your chest, keeping your elbows in tight, etc. He talked about the difference between covering from punches and defending chokes. Which led nicely into the mount escape. For the example, the opponent reaches his right hand into your left lapel to set up a choke. You cup your right hand and monkey grip on top of his right wrist, pinning it to your chest. You then take your left hand, palm towards you, and grab his right forearm at his elbow. Now, hook his right foot with your left foot and bridge straight up. As he posts his left arm out to keep his balance, turn and roll to your left, keeping the foot hooked and elbow/wrist control on his right arm. You should end up in his guard.
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