Being Humbled...

Well if you've followed the blog so far, you know what it is I want to accomplish and when...Well, I'm reminded of the phrase, we don't always get what we want...Perhaps even I am not ready for the task I'd like to accomplish...Well last night at training, one of our brown belts who is one of the most technical jiu-jitsu players I know, came to work out and it was good because it gave me someone to work with who I had to remain constantly on top of my game to stay with...The technique part of the class was good because we worked together and went through many different variations of each technique coach showed, and I got a lot of pointers on how to correct errors and how to improve each position/technique from him...Once we got to rolling, I felt good, really good, because I did get one guard pass (and he has a VERY good guard whether open or closed) and several reversals, though he had several reversals more than I did...But the experience was humbling as it seemed my problem with arm fatigue came back and badly...When it did, the mental aspect of my game went away...I got lazy, and kept getting passed with the same pass over an over (the actual pass not inserted here just in case any future competitors are rolling)...Once passed I'd just lay clueless for a time and left arms out etc...My own issues in addition to him being such a good opponent made for a very humbling time then...And the worse thing was, that my instructor wasn't watching while I was making progress and getting my reversals and sub attempts in(I did have one really close triangle attempt, but he foiled it after a LOT of struggle), but once i got passed to side control, he came and was watching then:(.

This showed me, though I felt I was at that level, that I need a lot of improvement, as if I am going to continue to have my physical problems which it seems I can't control, then I need to get tot he point, I am good enough to get the submission against people on his level, as quickly as I do against purples on mine to negate the possibility of running too long in a match and getting to my physical problems...As well as find a way to work on my mental state. All in all, with the ease he worked, knowing how hard I worked to maintain the even nature of the first 15 min or so of rolling, and do well, it was a very humbling experience...VERY.


After having my arms be reduced to uselessness, (I am happy I didn't tell him nor my instructor so as not to make it an excuse to them...only thing is, it made it seem to my instructor that I was at 100%, and just not performing correctly :( ) I had a guy (about 6'3" or 4 and 260lbs) who claimed to my coach during a class on triangle escapes as well as in my Sunday class on the same topic, that he need not worry with that as no one could triangle him. He went so far in my instructor's class as to say (when presented with me as an example of a good triangle player) that I could not triangle him! Word of this statement was passed to me ;)...Well he wished to roll with me, to attempt to prove his word I am assuming, and I'd been avoiding rolling with him because of my own health issues and because coming up on tournaments, rolling with someone who outweighs you by that much and doesn't have much restraint (dude is strong as a horse and believes exploding is the only good technique!) isn't good for remaining injury free...but, as I was so unhappy with my performance earlier, and I took as a challenge someone saying they could not be caught with my specialty (Pesadelo is my nickname...the Triangulo is added because that is what Vitor was referring to when he gave me the nickname), I unwisely accepted and started to roll with him...because I did not have the strength in my arms at all, I worked hip and leg movement as well as kept attacking and working for sweeps while he tried his normal assortment of front chokes etc that I just shrugged off with no expression (this wasn't too well received, but hey, it is what it is)...His game is normally to wait until you open control, and to explode out of whatever you try to do with power and then use heft and strength to control you and overwhelm you to get a tap...He almost got this once when he attempted to force my guard and i went for an arm bar ....very weakly I might add because I could not control his wrists...But I regained composure and frustrated him when I regained guard...long story short, I walked up to high guard, and allowed him to set for his explosion but I trapped his arm with my legs and kept hard control...pulled the knees in to my chest, and set in the triangle...i double grabbed the inside arm and reset the triangle and went for the leg to make sure he couldn't pick me up ...he obviously felt he could just power out, but uh uh...It got to tap or nap time, and though he tapped ...lightly at first (pride wouldn't let him do so earlier or with conviction it seemed) I only tightened, because I was sure he was trying to get me to think it wasn't working, only to power out at last minute....when he did start tapping hard, he was nearly out... "Você não pode escapar do triângulo do pesadelo." <---Tatted on my ribs...And with few exceptions VERY few...is true...
A humbling experience for him(he thanked me for it, and hopefully he will work more technically and listen...because with his power and strength, the technical game will make him damn near unbeatable), and me, as I realized what I needed to do mentally earlier by being able to do this in this roll...

I got lot's of work to do. A few asked if I was ready for my next level, and the answer was not yet...Even though I felt god in my beginning roll time earlier in the night, my humbling experience makes me feel as if I am not, because I want to not just be on the level (as I KNOW I can compete and win on the Marrom level right now!) but I want to dominate and submit there. that will take some doing.

Those holding Faixa Roxa in my division are in trouble...Someone has to pay for me not being able to reach Kron before he gets belted. Might as well be them.