Tuesday night was a good mix of people. I think there was even a new white belt there. He was wearing a “Skins” rash guard, they are really expensive (over 10,000 yen) and I was a little envious because they look cool. I used to hate going to the weight training gym and seeing guys in the skin-tight rash guards because they look like complete posers but they are perfect for grappling. I wear one all the time to help prevent burns from the gi and as a barrier to staph or any other microbes. I was listening on a podcast the other day about how bad staph is getting. Many antibiotics are not able to treat it. It can develop into the skin eating bug which sounds pretty nasty. I’m thankful that our gym is very clean and the guys I train with all smell of soap and are very hygienic. The Japanese are probably overly clean and there is nothing better than a hot Japanese bath, or a hot spring.
During training I was both the dominator and dominated, which was a great boost for my confidence as well as a check for the ego. I used quarter guard exclusively all night and sweeped most of the folks. It is a guard I am coming to enjoy because there are so many attack points and it even allows me to rest. The only downside is that it can rip the crap out of my fingers if the opponent bucks like a horse to get out of it.
Tsuzuku-san, a purple belt, who comes late because he is a policeman, always beats the crap out of everyone when he spars. There are some higher belts who give it back to him but when he spars with white or blue, he doesn’t give an inch. He is one of the guys I call the ego killer. Just when you thought you had a good night rolling and did well, he comes in to spoil your night and show you that you are still a worm when it comes to BJJ. Haha. Well, he was sparring with another purple last night and worked for an armbar. He had his legs over the arm with one of them at an angle to it and suddenly he let go and screamed. At first I thought it was just cramp but I think he popped his knee or something, probably the ligament across the knee because many people mess that up. It gives me the shivers just thinking about it. I don’t like to speak ill of folks but I see him every time going at full blast, working to destroy everyone he can. I guess it was just a question of time before something like that happened. It was a reminder to me that getting that tap or position at all costs does not matter if you cannot walk the next day. To know your limits is the key. He is a team mate and I hope he recovers. On another note, Akira who is only 20, left early last night because of back problems. I just pray that my turn is a long way off.
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