Friday at open mat I had a rollercoaster ride.
First, I rolled with a small male blue who is visiting for the summer from another school. For what it's worth he has one stripe. Interestingly he's smaller than I am (I've been eating watermelon, fried chicken, banana bread, blah blah blah) by about 10 lbs, but he's probably similar in height.
I've rolled with him before and now I know it's not a cakewalk. He has a tight guard game, though very basic and elementary. (That just makes it more frustrating when he eats me with it.) If you're not careful, he'll just forcibly mutate you into an armbar victim. If you are careful, he'll get you into scissor guard and bait you to suck up halfguard, then he'll cross collar choke you while you think you pass. MFer. I must be insane because I did the same, same, same thing 4 times in a row (producing increasingly gargle-y sounds before I did, yes 4 times, tap.) He also has a strong butterfly game. I thought my private with Daniel made my butterfly pass become kryptonite but I was wrong.
This was annoying. More annoying was the internal dialogue. "Dammit" and "sheesh" and "not again!" And then even MORE annoying... I quelled my sophomoric stiff-necked-ness and asked what would help against his cross collar choke, but then got irritated when he also started to tweak my butterfly pass. What's the matter with me? Stupid to resent someone being helpful. Stupid to let my ego get involved. I hope he couldn't tell what I was thinking. I want mentoring. I just don't want it from people I theoretically outrank. Because then it feeds into my conviction that I am overranked. But anyway.
So I got over that by ending the flagellation (one step in the right direction-- sense when you're getting emotional and take a break.) There was a whitebelt sitting around so I asked him to roll.
This is the up part of the rollercoaster. I won't belabor the point, I'll just say I successfully swept him from half butterfly/elevator a few times (even though he's 6'5"!) I also [cue momentous music] got my second ever triangle to submission of a fully-resisting adult male. [/music]
It was something I had to work my derriere off to get, of course. But somehow that made it all the better.
Maybe I can't keep up with other blues in my "class" who get better faster, grasp the game more easily, develop more sophisticatedly, apply themselves more efficiently, learn more intuitively. But maybe I can still, eventually, find other ways to beat their asses.
Even if it's just at baking. And then making them fat. :)
p.s. I did put that 3rd stripe back on my belt, last weekend, before a girlfriend who trains came in town to visit. I didn't want to get an earful from her. Congrats to her, by the way, for winning her division as a whitebelt at her first ever tournament! And best wishes for a safe smooth move with her husband to their new posting in North Carolina.
4 comments:
Yes, I did notice that fresh white stripe made it's appearance... again. Glad to see it was back. Hey, you can triangle me anytime. Besides, I couldn't get an upper hand on you at all when I was up there..
But I did manage to do good in the tourney! Thanks for the help and advice. I suppose mentors can have a down day every now and then...but I like it when you are your regular peachy positive self!. I'll miss ya!
I got nothing but love for ya G!
Well done Georgette on putting that stripe back on. Very proud of you my friend.
As for the rank, it makes no difference. BJJ is huge and very wide and very very few schools have a linear curriculum. Within the same belt you'll have people who specialise in different things without even realising they do and when you put person A with person B in a certain situation, the outcome won't necessarily match expectations dictated by belt or stripes. Add to that soft factors such as internal dialogue, injuries, conditioning...etc. and you'll soon realise how little belt pigmentation and amount of wrap-around tape can mean (withing that confined space of 5-10 minute roll).
I've seen many many MANY 5th graders outshine even the brightest 6th grader within a specific topic on a specific day. Well done to him/her. But does it mean anything in the grand scheme of things? Nope. The 5th grader is still a 5th grader and the 6th a 6th.
As for triangling a 6f5' dude!! That's math I can't even do!!! Fantastico :)
Welcome back to fried chicken and the blah blahs Georgette! :)
Congrats on the triangle on that Huge guy! That's something I can only aspire to do!
As to making folks fat, That is so deliciously wrong. But it's a technique that I think I'm gonna add to my "game" too!
I'm glad to hear you put that stripe back on. You earned it!
I am always reminding myeself not to compare myself to others in and around my belt rank. It isn't a race. The only person (imo) that you should be comparing yourself to is you! It's HARD! I have a couple of friends in my karate class who all are around the same belt as me and I am constantly fighting the urge to compare...
But I definitely agree that people of about the same rank have some skills they do really well...but they will have other things they don't do well...and those skills aren't going to be the same person to person, even people of the same "rank"
Which brings me back to the original challenge: compare yourself now to yourself a month, or a year ago, not to person a or b! :)
Easier said then done!!!!
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