Today was an open-mat session and I was cannon fodder for most of it as I rolled with a high-level brown belt, two blue belts and a white belt.
The bad news was that I was way out of my class against every single opponent but the good news was I'm still starting to do the basic stuff, like defend myself and hip escape to recover guard, or turtle and go to my knees when I'm in trouble, or keep my arms together and not allow them to get isolated.
I even managed a few sweeps and reversals, but for most of the class I was just defending. Some days will be like this, though. It's part of the learning curve.
In other news, though, Jackson Souza, a visiting brown belt from Brazil who trains at our gym, won the World Championships last week in Brazil. I'm delighted for him. He's a tiger waiting to pounce on the competition mat, taking his time and stalking his prey until he gets the opening he wants, and his training work ethic is frightening, but he's also kind, patient and encouraging as a teacher. Oooos Jackson!
LESSON FROM TODAY: Hip escape, hip escape, hip escape.
