DMGContact, Progress
The instructor at Krav last night tried something new: contact. In the last couple of years, we've done a lot of drills involving pads or focus mitts, but never any sparring. That changed last night.
We introduced some light contact into the night's drills, and wrapped up with "the bull ring". The whole class got in a circle, and one guy got in the middle. For the next two minutes he'd spar with each person for ten seconds. Full contact, body shots only.
It really made me realize that I need to spar regularly if I'm going to move forward. Time to get out of my comfort zone again, and time to start moving toward testing for my orange belt.
Just the opposite is true in Jiu Jitsu. I got pummeled. Hard. Again. I know it's part of learning, but going home every Tuesday and Thursday with bruises and a headache after being a tackling dummy for an hour is sapping my motivation. The nights when things "click" are too few and far between.
I really feel like being in a class with just a few guys, all of whom are much better than me, is making it harder to learn, not easier.
My buck and roll is weak. My sweeps and takedowns are ineffective, and my takedown defenses are non-existant. I'm having some success building offense from the guard, but I'm still weak passing guard. And I've been working on this stuff for seven months.
There's a Wednesday-night BJJ class for beginners in Simi, so I'll try that next week. (I have other plans tonight.) Between moving forward with Krav and BJJ, and trying to drive less, it may be time to really rethink my training schedule.