I still need so much of the fundamentals. I'm not sure how much benefit I'd get from the advanced class, but I'll attend simply b/c it gives me more people to spar with.
So during my official first GB sparring session, I've sparred before at other gyms, I was just trying to survive. I was paired up with a tall purple belt who tried to triangle me and choke me. He was a lot more skilled of course, but I got my arm in just enough to fend him off via strength. Of course that's not BJJ. I'm using way too much strength.
The other match, I went with my usual partner a large young fella who is at least 50 pounds heavier than me. He's a purple belt and is quite good for how large he is. He's very flexible and has a really great Americana and arm locks. He said to me that my balance is quite bad, and that I need to work on my base. He said that he could throw me off easily. Now, he's younger, heavier, and stronger than me so he would be better even if we were equally skilled. He's been such a great help.
He's come every day for 3 years, and is a 2 stripe purple belt. That's quite fast. He's one of the most skilled and is basically my instructor since we're paired up daily.
I have so much to learn. There is a big tournament this Sunday, and most of my gym is entering. Of course I'm not ready yet. Maybe in a few months I can enter as a white belt. I just need to work on these for now:
- Breaking the guard
- Passing, in particular the side pass
- From the mount work on the arm bar, Americana/arm locks, and collar chokes
I will most likely not pull guard so I'll work mostly on my top game for now. It's just exercise for me and I may never enter a tournament, but it is nice to get exercise and feel better at my age. I have no idea how long I'll go...we'll go for a ride and see how it goes.
No comments:
Post a Comment