I was extremely excited heading to class last night. More so that I have been in a while. Looking back at it, I’m not sure why, but I was in the mood for some jiu jitsu.

I was expecting more side control escapes, but things took a detour to the land of judo. Specifically, the ippon seoi nage, or one arm shoulder throw. It’s one of the most basic and useful of the judo throws.

We built it up step by step, starting with the fireman’s carry takedown. Then we spent alot of time on the foot work and hip placement, which are really the keys to the throw. We wrapped things up with the setup, and then spent the remainder of the white belt class actually doing the throw. Bobby and I paired up and drilled drilled drilled.

The advanced class continued right where we left off. A quick buildup of the technique, then plenty of drilling. Later on, we added a counter to common resistance, and transitioning to the scarf hold position and the walk around armlock. By the end, I had the hang of it, but it’s one of those things that you need to have complete confidence in, so that when it’s time to go, you go.

After class Ron and I rolled a few rounds. Our first go was pretty spirited, and I was happy not to have any nausea. In our next two rounds, we ended up in some pretty odd positions that I wasn’t quite sure how to handle. Played it by ear and got armlocked twice. Eh. Still learned something, even if it’s “what not to do”

Paleo is going well. I feel like I’m eating like a horse. I haven’t had any cravings, and no sugar withdrawal symptoms, so maybe I’m over that hump. Crossfit on Tuesday was like being roasted slowly over hot coals. But this morning, like last night, I was my usual (better?!) self. So far, two thumbs up to eating like a caveman.