Last night I was stretching and doing some body weight exercises.  Afterward, I got a little cramp in my lower back, and it kept going most of the night.  I was almost going to use it as an excuse not to go to class today, but ended up sucking it up, taking some ibuprofen and going.  I recall thinking that I could make it through class, unless Damian called for a Smackdown conditioning day.

And what happened?  You guess it, Smackdown.  Well, 3/4 of one anyways.  I didn’t die.  And my back quit it’s complaining too.

This morning we drilled the same around the shoulder armlock we did earlier this week.  I’m getting it down.  There’s one part that is hanging me up a little, when changing sides.  I’ve got a hitch in the movement, and sometimes end up sitting down on my own foot, rather than having it against my partner’s back.  Damian also ran through some more anti-defense moves, but they were a little complicated.  The main thing I absorbed from that is that if you’re move isn’t working, don’t force it.  And be willing to sacrifice the submission in order to maintain your position.

After class, Matt and I rolled.  The first one, he pushed in on me, and I stuffed him down and almost took his back right off the bat.  I ended up in side control and tried the armlock of the day.  Almost got it, but he rolled into me.  And rather than pursue a armlock I wasn’t going to get, I dropped it and popped back into side control.  He ended up escaping to my guard where I got a half collar choke.  We went again, and he ended up in my open guard.  I attempted a triangle choke, but he countered and ended up mounting me.  He went for the cross collar choke, and I defended.  At that point I realized I had control of his arm, and foot, and should just upa out.  So I did.  I posted and I was able to regain my guard.  We went back and forth a bit, before he got the cross collar again.

We chatted a bit afterward, and ran through the armlock of the day and some triangle choke stuff at half speed.  He’s a good guy.   I was happy to split with him and escape his mount.  Go go moral victories.