So I have my first major injury since starting BJJ. We were doing positional sparring on taking the back. So we'd have one person get the back with hands on the lapels of the gi with hooks in, and the other person try to defend or get out. I usually get paired with these two purple belts from Brazil, mostly b/c we're the 3 heavier guys in the gym. Also, they usually put us white belts with at least one purple belt or higher if possible during these drills.
I'm 6 ft 205 lbs, F is a purple belt and 5'10 280lbs but extremely flexible and quite strong even though he has a big gut, and A is about 5'10 and 180 lbs of fairly lean muscle. A said he hadn't trained in a long time, so he's been coming nearly every day. F comes 6-7 days week, has been coming for 3 yrs straight with no injuries or sick days either.
I had A's back, and I couldn't get any chokes in but I was strong enough to hold him. Finally, I got my left arm in for a rear backed choke and was holding my bicep, I pulled as hard as I could but he didn't tap. He started grabbing my foot and twisting it and then the timer went off so we stopped. On the way home I felt ok, but that night my right knee and ankle really hurt. I woke up the next day and couldn't walk. I think he held off on my RNC just long enough to get me in a foot lock of some sort, but next time I'll pull up higher or pull my feet down once I have the RNC in. I didn't even notice his other hand, which is why I'm a white belt and he's a purple belt. That was Thursday. It's Saturday and my ankle feels better. I probably could have gone to class if I taped up my ankle, but I'll rest until Monday just to be sure. It feels a bit tender still, so I'm wrapping it and elevating it and resting as much as possible trying not to walk much.
My knee feels OK too. I think I should have gotten closer on the RNC, I remember I was trying to strain to get my hand on my bicep but had I put my body closer to him I could have choked him more easily. He had one arm on my arm pulling it down and the other on my leg which could have been hooked lower. I know I'm stronger than him, but he could think two moves at a time or defend and try to submit me with a leg lock while I was so side tracked. In hindsight, I could have pulled up since I had head/neck control from the back and straightened out his body, and then leaned in more.
Actually, this injury and what he did really taught me what to do if I ever did get someone's back and was close to a rear naked choke. I have to be mindful of my foot. Unlikely another white belt would do this, they'd focus just on the choke, but A is an advanced purple belt. I think that's really cool. I told him I was really impressed he could do two things at once, and he said he was hoping I'd tap out b/c I was pretty close to choking him and having him tap out. I'm glad it ended the way it did, b/c I had a lot of adrenaline and didn't feel him cranking my leg since I was squeezing the RNC. My technique was pretty horrible. My chest wasn't close to his back, I didn't squeeze with my shoulders but used just my arms. And I didn't get my hand deep enough, though I was able to push his shoulders in so my hand grabbed my other bicep.
So I learned my lesson. Always be mindful of neck, hands, and feet. Actually be mindful of everything, but when working on top give some thought to your bottom part of the body and vice versa. Maybe it'll come naturally as I get better, but not now.
I have a tournament in less than 2 months. There are 4 guys in my division, Masters 2 - ages 35-45, heavyweight, and I'm right in the middle in terms of age. Some of these guys could be way better than me. We'll see. I'd be entering my first tournament after 4 months of training 3-4x/week.
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