Monday night roll...

Lucky me, I'm still on Tom's rotation even though he's training for NAGA in two weeks. He was definitely kicking things up a notch last night-- harder, faster, and with some new tricks up his sleeve. It was exciting and fun, I felt his increased energy and tried to respond in kind. The difference was like comparing running on a level surface with running downhill, where you feel like gravity is pulling you so fast you're almost flowing over the ground. I did make an effort to roll (literally) more, but I kept getting my back taken much more than usual.

My previously-sore, previously-pinched nerves are still jangling. My friend Maggie found a website tutorial on anatomy and I think I've located the pain as coming from my rhomboid and levator scapulae muscles. They're bugging me so much, they wake me up at night. On another note, last night his knee met my nose abruptly-- it wasn't bad at the moment, but later we both saw blood on the mirror next to the mat, and it turned out to be mine! I must be a strange and unusual female to be so nonchalant about stuff like that.

What did I learn?
I remember how to get out of a can opener, but keep forgetting to transition into the armbar.

I learned how he gets my "extra" arm out of the way for a triangle, so I'll try that next time. (aha... I roll with Robert today... maybe I try on him.)

I learned a counter to the guillotine-- assuming they're laying on the ground, with your body crossing theirs, you pin their guillotining arm with your own, squeezing your elbows together hard, and angle your body back over their shoulder (it's a nasty shoulder crank, it would make me tap!) If they don't tap, you walk your body around over their head, and it forces them to let go.

I learned you can't really get an Americana from mount, they just roll you over. It's gotta be from sidemount. And I need to work on my base, desperately.

I learned that my "standard neck thing" from mount (pressing my forearm into their throat) is useless on its own really, but serves to get them to turn onto their right side and occasionally give me their left arm, which would be ideal for the armbar if I was a little faster. (The @&%$! mats at Castle Hill get so slippery when we roll no-gi that I often lack the traction necessary to get in position for the armbar. Maybe I need to start wearing socks?)

I also learned not to rely on my forearm crush as an alternative to the armbar, but to use it as a means for getting the armbar. I was apparently close to tapping him, had nice tight control of his shoulder, and was really controlling his head with my left leg hooray! but I gave up too soon!!! DAMMIT.

Anyway I get to roll this morning, then kajukenbo tonight. Can't wait to do the Gracie school full time.

And on a separate topic entirely: work is going crazy. Have a phone conference with my judge in a case this afternoon; hope to get it put off from October 6th.