Good news!

My shoulder is fine.  I have full range of motion without pain as of this morning.  ... and I mean normal every day motion.  Jiu-jitsu motion may be a little different.  We shall see tonight.

It is still tender to pressure though, so I'm sure rolls of any kind will be unpleasant, but I am a happy girl!

Minor Setback.

Last night I did something really dumb while rolling.  Well, I suppose it wasn't so much dumb as it was .... Well, no, it was dumb.

Basically I was going over, and I tried to land in a way that would not land me mounted.  It worked, I landed more or less in a position I would be in if I were half escaped from an arm bar.

This would be a good thing, except in while doing it, I posted with my collar bone.  ... and I mean, I came down will all my weight collar bone first, lost all momentum and flopped onto my back like a dead fish.  It also jacked my neck out awkwardly.  If I had control of my arm, and did more of a tuck, I think I would have landed almost inverted.  I had no end game in mind when I started to move other than, don't get mounted. It was too random of a position, and too risky to even bother trying to figure out... especially since I can't really recall how we started.

Nothing popped or cracked, at least that I could hear or feel, but it sent a really sharp pain down my arm.  It felt the same way it does when you are electrocuted.  You know that wobbly feeling... It was like that, except really sharp.  I apparently made a noise, and then laid on the mat like an idiot for a few minutes trying not to cry.

I thought this morning I would be in a lot of pain, but I'm not. I have a dull ache basically covering the entire upper right side of my chest and into my shoulder... and a lot of neck stiffness.  I wasn't worried about my neck at all last night.. I knew I landed on it weird, but it was mostly my collar bone I was concerned about.

I should probably take a few days off, but like I said, I am dumb, and have the Miami Open looming, so I will probably just grapple and go light... (Which is perfect because my next few classes are the women's classes and we have a few smaller kids.)  However, since it is just a general ache and not pain, I think I am in the clear for anything like a broken bone, or severely jacked up something or the other... and yes, that is an official term.

Going to continue to ice it and take ibuprofen.

Stupid and Brave are often interchangeable in BJJ.

I have a new puppy... Yes, another one.  Three dogs.

My new puppy, Lord Vader is awesome.

I've been playing with him a lot, which has resulted in about 900 scratches all over my arms and legs.

Not a big deal in and of itself, but when you mix that with BJJ, and especially with the latest outbreak of ringworm going to class seemed like a bad idea.  The Miami Open is looming, and I didn't want to miss a class because I might get ring worm.  

I got two comments about my choice.  Brave, and stupid.  I think it is mostly just stupid.

I went... but I took precautions.  I washed my entire body with hibiclense.  It says it continues to protect you from any of the mat baddies for 6 hours post use.  I also covered all of my scratches in Nu-Skin  and wore long a long sleeved rash guard and long yoga pants under my gi.  I also rubbed down with this Anti-ringworm foam Fabio got for everyone to help combat the ringworm issue.  

Then I showered and re-hibicleansed when I got home.

Hopefully my lack of making good choices won't come back to bite me in the butt and put me out of training for longer than having just sat out last night.  

In other news... last night went much better than last Monday.  Though, realistically it couldn't have gone worse.  

I'm going to wait on working on the heel hook thing until after the Miami Open.  Last night, just worked passing and maintaining dominate positions.  I also did not purposefully give up side control, and gladly did not find myself there once last night.  I decided if I get into side control I will work that choke, but other wise I will stick to normal competition preparation.  Pass.  Maintain.  Submit... and most importantly move move move.  My normal game is more of a guard to sweep kind of thing, but I think my biggest error in competition is getting stuck on the bottom by purposefully going there to sweep.  If I end up there that will be one thing, but I will not go there of my own accord any longer.  At least not in a competition.  

I am pretty fortunate and I have a lot of guys who are willing to answer my questions, and help me out after class.  I will save all of my weird questions and positions for them, and of course Fabio.  He helped me figure out that choke I was screwing up last Monday.  Woo!

67 days until the Miami Open!

Wrong.

Every night I go to class with the idea of trying something new it always goes horribly wrong.

 - Insert game show buzzer sound here - 

I think it was doubly so last night because I was trying two new things.

One of them being heel hooks.

Hold your gasping and declarations of my white belt status for just a second though...  I am FULLY aware of the dangers of heel hooks.  Further, I have never, and never plan to crank any submission of any kind.  In my opinion the danger of heel hooks comes from lack of control, not lack of color on your belt.  They don't always go hand in hand.  

No worries either way though, because I apparently blow super hard at heel hooks.  I do however, think it was my hesitance, and failure to commit.  I think a full 10-15 seconds before I actually attempted the heel hooking it was painfully obvious that was what I was planning to do.  Which resulted in my being followed and mounted when I fell back for the leg.  Wrong.

The other thing I wanted to try was the head and arm choke from bottom side control thing Yeti showed me last week.

To even attempt that I need to be in someone's side control... which is my very least favorite place to be.  (Actually, I think it is mount now... my side control escapes are starting to suck less... but it could just be the epic amounts of time I spent mounted last night.  Blarg.)

And again, I think my failure was due to lack of speed in execution... I spent too much time thinking about what I was going to do when I should have been doing it.  Every time I tried the choke knees got in my way, or my own arms.  Again, wrong!

What it all boils down to is the same thing I have always struggled with.  Failure to commit, especially when it comes to submissions.  You'd think I'd get over that by now, especially considering I know it is a problem.  Another general failing was my lack of practice applying said submissions on a actively resisting body.  Learning how to move with, and around resistance is a major factor in BJJ.  I don't expect to just be able to learn and instantly implement different techniques in to a live grapple.

It was just one of those nights where I leave feeling like I should peel all my stripes off and wondering why I even bother to train at all because I am clearly not cut out of it.  In the less mopey light of morning I feel slightly better, and slightly worse about myself.  I know everyone has ups and downs, and one bad night ... or several bad nights in a row... doesn't mean I should hang up my gi.

I just rest assured knowing that my addiction to grappling will keep me on the mat even if my bad streak lasts the next few years.

Success through failure... If that is the only way I can find success, than that is what I will have to do.  I will eventually get it right.

It just really sucks to feel this way with a competition looming in the future.  If I hadn't already told Fabio I was going to do it, I would probably back out.  

It is decided!

Thanks to help from the beautiful and wise, Georgette I have decided to fight medio.

It makes more sense for my team, my body type, and general metal state and safely of those around me while I cut.

I can still be a beast in middle weight and that is exactly what I am going to do.  (This is where I start to psych myself up.)

I am very relieved to have come to a decision, and on top of that I've never trained to for a strength and size advantage.  I am looking forward to it.  I think it will take more discipline but I can be disciplined and happy.  I am not a happy cutter.

Let the training begin!

Still Undecided.

I talked to Fabio last night about what to do... and pretty much anyone else who would listen.

I still don't know what I am going to do.... I would make a pro and con list, but I know the pro list will consist of one item, and one item alone.  Beast mode!  

After last night though, I have a few other things to factor in.  

We have a LOT of girls fighting who are planning to go to the Miami Open and if I fight middle weight we will all be in different divisions.  Which really is making me consider middle weight more seriously.  

If we all go, we will have a female in every adult white belt division, as well as two in masters, super feather, and medium heavy.  ...This is if I go middle weight.  Other wise we will have two lights, and no middles.  

Obviously, I'm not worried about having to fight my teammate... but in different divisions we have potential to being home two golds instead of a gold and silver... Clearly, a better scenario for the team.  I would however, be perfectly happy to flip for gold/silver with any of my teammates. 

The other bit of information that is making me consider middle weight is I checked my ovulation app, and the week of the Miami open, is the week I am the most bloated as well as it being the stretch of time I am in most need of Dorito therapy.  That won't stop be from making light weight, it will just make it all the worse for the people unfortunate enough to be around me that week.

I know if I decide to cut my stubborn determined nature will be sure I make light weight... but it seems the more and more I think about it, the less sense it makes to cut. 

Perhaps bulking up a bit is the better option here.  ... but but but.... beast mode?  *sad face*  

I need to make a solid decision by the weekend.  I am doing my self no favors by waiting to decide.  

In other news, after class last night Yeti showed me the most ridiculous side control escape to head and arm choke thing ever.  It made me do a evil little cackle.