Practice 2.1.10

I had a busy day at Elite yesterday. I did a half-hour private lesson with Jordan, Gojo Ryu Karate class (with my son Jack), and BJJ class.

I had wanted to get in one more lesson with Jordan before the tournament this weekend, because my escapes are really lacking. However, when I told him that, he insisted on refining my existing game rather than confusing my body with new ideas right before a competition. It ended up being a great idea. We just slow-rolled for a half-hour while he pointed out small things that I could do to get me ready for the tournament.

It's kinda funny that I wrote the previous post explaining my lack of competition spirit/attitude, because it ended up being the biggest thing he pointed out about my game. He said that the technicality is all there, but I needed to flip the switch when I step on the mat. He also noticed that my matches come much later in the day. He suggested that after I weigh in to either leave the venue for a bit, or to sit underneath the bleachers while I wait for my weight class. He told me that just watching BJJ can wear you out mentally and physically. (something I tested when I got home from practice last night) Sure enough, after watching an hour of jiu jitsu competition videos, I found myself exhausted from dissecting the matches. I'll definitely be taking it easy at this next tournament

The group BJJ class was fun too. We reviewed passing the closed guard today. This is by far the worst part of my jiu jitsu game. As a 190 pounder, I oftentimes find myself on the mat against someone who has a massive upper body. While I acknowledge that technique will triumph strength 95 percent of the time, when someone has technique AND strength, it definitely puts me at a disadvantage. All of my weight is in my legs and stomach. My legs certainly help me when I have someone in closed guard, but they don't really help in my attempts to break someone else's. My weak arms often put me in very precarious positions from inside the closed guard, and I oftentimes get swept.

Regardless, I need to work on building some upper body strength if I plan on competing in these upper weight classes. Does anyone know a way to turn stomach fat into arm muscles? Alchemy? Voodoo?
I'll take any help that I can get.