5:20 to 7p

5:20-5:30p: Stretched. Huge difference between pre-workout flexibility and post-workout flexibility. Very tight before workout. All the more reason why I need to arrive early and have a good warm-up.

5:30-5:50p: Speaking of a good warm-up! Mike (Purple) led and kicked our butts. Standard stuff plus leap frogs, sit ups from guard, push ups from wheel barrel, and leg lifts to the left/center/right with partner assistance. I sat out the wheel barrel push-ups. Did them from knees. Left shoulder still a problem.

5:50-6p: Sweep / pass the guard. Passed guard (Blue). Used a knee slide technique shown by Professor Matthias last Thursday. Got a de la riva sweep from ground (Blue) and a scissor sweep (White). Jeremy (White) passed my guard after an extensive chess match. Jeremy's an early-20s Black Belt in Judo. He escaped two sweeps off a pass from pure athleticism and superior balance. Pure awesomeness. Matt (White) deflected my knee push, spider, and de la riva sweeps before succumbing to the scissor. Oh, congrats Matt on the 2nd stripe!

6-6:10p: Self defense technique. Bully head lock escape to arm bar. I worked with 135lb newbie Jay. His instincts were good for his second week.

6:10-6:20p: Guard pull drill. Worked with Jay again. Start at 50/50 judo grips, place foot on hip, swing to side and pull opponent into guard.

6:20-6:30p: Transition from guard pull to tripod sweep. Professor Matthias said Purple and Blues should have this sweep down - should recognize the opportunity. I'd read about it in Jiu Jitsu University, but never saw it live or tried it. Worked with Jay again. VERY tense. Tried to get him to relax a bit.

6:30-7p: Rolls. 6 minute rounds. Crowded mats again, so we grouped into threes. Got Chad (Recently promoted to 4-stripe White!) and Will (White). Will is from Brazil. Two of his schools closed and he said he only spent 1.5 years on the mats since starting in 2003. When not training he said he learned from instructional videos and magazines. Now that's dedication! Tonight was his first night back in two years. Solid technique. No spaz. He'll make a great addition to the academy if he can stick with it. Got several sweeps tonight (de la riva, deep half, half, roll over from full guard) and an armbar from technical mount, guard (via triangle transition), and a bow and arrow choke. Also got swept a couple times and forced a couple guard passes. I say "forced" because the passes were questionable. Well...not the passes per se...but securing side control with technique was questionable. Had to really use my weight to displace the defending knee/elbow and lock in the side control. The last roll with Chad was the best. Flow roll. Both took turns working passes, sweeps, escapes, etc. A little catch and release. I should find time and willing training partners to do that more often.

Oh! I had a dream Saturday night about a sweep off a pass transition to omo plata. Thought about various ways to implement. Tried it tonight with some success. Couldn't finish the omo plata, but did have it set up to where - with a little work - I might be able to turn it in to a legitimate attack!