Six months in, they are still telling me to relax. "I am strong but you don't
have to overpower me!" The 190 lbs white-haired bluebelt reminded me.
Indeed, most senior whitebelts seem to have changed their strategies. They still
try to advance and submit but are willing to let go when they lose a position.
They rarely engage in a tug-of-war style fight, e.g., for a grip or a choke.
There is Danny, a tall slim young buck, who was injured once and came back
smarter. Joe, the young police officer who loves fast food, let me pass his
guard so that he could work on his cross-side sweeps and I got a chance to
improve my side-control. Steve, the 40-year-old dad of twins and former
track-and-field athlete, often stops in the middle to discuss the right moves.
Their approach is contagious and with them, I automatically slow down to use
technique instead of brute strength. A spar is no longer a struggle for survival.
The higher belts taught in different ways. Some commented on my progresses in
defense and patiently explained the details during our rolls. I learnt from
Jason to pinch my knees together to avoid being swept in a standing stackpass,
from Will the importance of the collar-grab to form the frame against someone
passing my half-guard, and from Nicholas kicking the knee-shield leg to get on
my elbows and grab my opponent's back. Others taught through painful lessons. I
learnt to better defend my neck from the rear naked choke and not to raise my
arms to give my opponent the high-mount from Stefan and Michael, respectively,
the hard way.
The coaches have been encouraging as always. To professor Eric, e.g., just
showing up on the mat four or five times a week over six months deserves praise
by itself. Coach Gene has been paying extra attention to my safety and drills. I
sometimes feel bad not living up to their instructions. But they seem to have
achieved sainthood in teaching and never tired of helping. It is business for
them, sure, but I can hardly think of any other business I frequent that treats
its customers with such sincerity.
The most important lessons in the past few weeks started from the half-guard
bottom. We explored the frame, the underhook, the sweeps, and some attacks
(mainly the triangle and a collar choke). I had never gave much thought to this
position and now the possibilities became mind-boggling.
I had more success against folks who came after me who knew not much more than
using strength. My skills, limited as they were, often gave me the edge,
especially against people my size or slightly bigger. Consistency does seem to
pay off.
Dec 22 was the last training day of the year. I rolled non-stop with about a
dozen partners for over 40 mins, got submitted a few times, and had a great
workout with a lot of fun. Saying goodbye in the end, I truly felt sorry for the
long break over the next 11 days. As another coach said, I was addicted.
