Another class

Last training session, we had a joint class with the advanced group, as we do every Friday. After the warm-up and forward/backward rolls—where I noticed a bit of progress—we worked on a double-leg takedown drill, then avoiding the double-leg by sprawling: pushing your hips back, shooting your legs far behind, and counterattacking to get to your partner’s back with an under-and-over grip, eventually setting up a cross collar choke.

Then we practiced the same sequence, but starting from when the partner ends up in the turtle position.

To finish, we had five rounds of rolling. I took one round off, so I did four rounds, each five minutes long—one with a white belt, one with a black belt, and two with brown belts. What I learned from rolling with the higher belts is not to start a choke unless I have proper control of the body—otherwise, I open myself up.

I felt a bit weak because I hadn’t trained for a week due to a mild virus I was recovering from, but any training session, even a weaker one, is better than none. These are all small steps forward. The important thing is not to quit! That’s the next big step I need to master, after already making the most important one—actually starting to train in the first place.