On the Mat Day 138: Armbars (腕十字固め）

Blue and brown belt night at the dojo. Atsushi and Kamiya turned up early before I got there, both are blue. I think Kamiya is a few years older than me but looks young. He also has less chance to train like me. In fact I remember asking him and he said mostly once or twice a week. I warmed up by going through shrimping, using the balance ball for stepping guard passes and tornado rolls against the wall. I prefer to warm up BJJ specific moves so it makes me frown when I see guys coming in doing hamstring stretches in splits or similar kind of stretches I used to do at karate when I was a kid. I think it has something to do with my age. I'm aware of my mortality and know there is a finite number of years left before my atoms return to the universe. That's why I want the most bang for my buck. Plus stretching is something easily done at home but BJJ moves are best done on the mats where there is less chance of hurting yourself.

We drilled armbars last night. How to get into them and how to break the grip. F-sensei used to teach the armbar with the legs crossed at the ankles but since the Rickson Gracie seminar he has switched to legs open but heavy on the opponent. It is harder for the opponent to stack that's for sure.

Sparring was good but I am constantly frustrated by higher belts beating the shit out of me. It's to be expected of course. They didn't get that belt for nothing. I am just to hard on myself and have high expectations of myself. This is a recurring theme in my life. That's not to say that I'm a mat troll. I laugh and have fun when reversed or sweep someone. Sometimes BJJ reminds me of kids wrestling in the grass on a summer day, harmless fun with little care about the world around them. They say that kids have no egos and they learn best when they are having fun. That's how I like to do my own training.
I'm proud to say that I am constrantly trying new stuff, especially recently taught moves. Last night I attemped guard passing from the knees to pass half-guard and butterfly with some success. All in all a productive night of training.

Sparring time: 7 x 6 mins = 42 mins