Training: Week 9 - Xmas Indulgencies

Wow, it’s been a month of nothing but drinking and eating and although I knew that it would affect me in the gym, I couldn’t resist the seasonal indulgence.

Well I certainly paid for it on my return to BJJ. I found the warm up easy but when we started sparring I noticed that I hadn’t been training for a couple of weeks and I think others did to as I was pretty soon choking with my opponents arms around my neck. It just proved to me that we have to keep the training up, even if its just forty minutes at home each day. But I soon got back into it and started remembering the different locks and holds.

I really love my new Gi. It was ordered online from BLACK EAGLE and its very strong and well made. I went for the A2 size and have managed to shrink it just slightly in the wash to fit perfectly. It’s all still new to me in BJJ with Gi’s but I’m enjoying the new moves and learning where we hold onto our opponents Gi and twist it and use their Gi against them. I put a white belt on again for the first time in ten years and it felt strange at first but when I started sparring with other members of the club that had been there for over two years and who are still on their white belt, it made me realise how experienced they were and that you really had to earn your next belt. Quite a humbling experience in a way.

I finished the class in a reasonable state and even ended up going for a run with one of the guys after. I also came to realise that no one makes any money apart from the leisure centre. The higher belt students take the class and teach the others and they don’t get paid for it. Only the leisure centre takes £5 from each student for the hire of the hall that we practice in. I have however heard that the cost has just gone up to £8.50 per student and if we want to do it three times per week this will not be viable for most of us and we will probably look to hire and train somewhere else. Unfortunately again it’s all about the money.

Oh well, back to training for 2011 and this is going to be a good year for me with lots of training and maybe a few competitions to start the ball rolling. “Bring it on!”