I've really enjoyed training without a competition focus the last few weeks. I kid that my game is the "inverted smash"-- i.e. I'm smashing you while on the bottom, har har-- but when I'm not thinking about "beating" my opponent, it frees me up to focus on more individual elements of each roll and keeps me from getting frustrated. My big picture looks at connection, center, and hip movement, while a more specific focus is, as always, on sweeps and lately on remembering when I need the underhook and why. Last night Mike G. taught a nifty sweep from bottom half guard when you don't have the underhook that was so easy-peasy I almost peed my pants with excitement. And then this morning rolling with Jim reminded me that if I do have the underhook in bottom half guard, my first first FIRST thought has to be taking their back, not this sweep stuff. So lots to think about and lots to work on as always.
It's not been as hot lately-- 99, barely 100, and we even got a brief sprinkle yesterday. This has been a great week so far... I'm training twice, usually three times a day (if you count lunchtime crossfit as training) and Tues-Wed I was in Dallas for a hearing. Still got to train Tues morning and lunch, and Wed night class though, which was awesome. Then I took Thurs and today off, and I've been training, running errands, reading (I'm on a Vietnam war kick lately) and even considering a pedicure.
If you enjoy reading, you definitely should try "A Rumor of War" by Philip Caputo. I just finished it and "The Fall of Saigon" and now I'm working my way through a series of combat diaries. Good stuff.
Don't ask me how the weight loss competition is going, though. I think my metabolism crashdived from the "cutting weight" philosophy of eating sub-900 calories a day, so I've been trying the "6 mini meals a day/~1200 cal./day" approach. At first my body was like whoohoo-- finally the famine is over! I'm back to losing but I don't even count on having lost 10% by August 14th. We'll see.
5 comments:
I'm jealous -- how do you train so frequently and not wear yourself out? I'm dropping to 4 days a week, once a day, and might have to cut to 3/week because my body is not handling it without tons of recovery. I do want to train every second that I can, but my body won't cooperate... grr.
I'm not sure that I don't wear myself out. I get up at 5 every morning (except weekends, more like 8) and I'm totally wiped out by around 9:30 at night. I'll be 37 next week. Surely some major injury is right around the corner, but knock on wood, so far it's just been a continuous list of minor tweaks. Right now it's a sprained toe, twinge-y neck, and sore traps.
Bottom line I think jits gives me more energy than it uses. If I could do it full time I would. Wait... if full time is 8 hrs a day, I'm almost there :) Where's my paycheck!
Have you read "On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society" by Dave Grossman? It looks into the combat soldier's psychology.
I like your line of thought on the "inverted smash." I hope it's not trademarked because I'm sure that phrase will find it's way into my vocabulary somehow. That was too funny.
Charles: No, I haven't, but thanks for the rec... I'll be amazon'ing it now. (Is that a real verb?)
Conan: I appear to be making up terms left and right now! I'm delighted that the inverted smash is of some use to someone... it was no fun for me last night, or this morning. I need to start rolling with littler peeps.
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