Slow progress

I’ve slipped a little into frustration mode. I know there are always ups and downs, and that a low is usually followed by a high.

What frustrates me right now is that my shoulder problems are slowing down my progress. I’ve started doing therapy exercises, so I’m hoping to see improvement soon. Once my shoulders get better, I’ll be able to focus more on my BJJ and less on the pain.

For the first time, I went to class on two consecutive days. It’s probably not the wisest thing to do with sore shoulders, but sometimes we do things that aren’t ideal.

After class on Wednesday, I went to an open mat on Thursday. It was okay. We did a good warm-up together, and then I rolled four rounds, taking every second round off.

All of my partners were much younger than I am and had considerably more BJJ experience. The first one was even a blue belt who is expected to be promoted to purple by the end of the month.

Everyone was considerate of my age and lower rank, but it was still good, honest rolling for me. I learned something again — or at least I learned what I need to focus on more.

By the way, that was my 60th class, and I now have roughly 300 free-rolling rounds behind me.

When I look at it that way, maybe my progress isn’t as slow as it sometimes feels.