OTM tourney day #2 and this week

I didn’t see the other ruckus, which apparently involved one grappler dude spitting on another one, who didn’t antagonize him in any way, except maybe to out-argue him. Again, I won’t mention names because the people who care will find out another way and the people who don’t will probably skip this post. Here goes.

What I heard is that the spitter took offense to something the spittee had evidently said about the spitter’s instructor about a year ago on one of the mixed martial arts reality television shows. So he came in with a posse and confronted the spittee. One thing led to another and then the spitter spat. I think he was subsequently escorted out. I really don’t have a lot of details other than that 1) the spitter apparently started some similar crap at a different tournament earlier this summer and 2) the spittee kept his composure and refrained from escalating things.

So lots of credit to the spittee and lots of boos to the spitter.

I’m over being pissed off about my no gi loss. I learned from the fight, of course, as usual. I was upset for a couple reasons, which I have since reconciled. The biggest lesson for me, over and above what I learned about the holes in my game, is that I need to stop believing that my grappling skill is only as good as my last competition performance. That’s what really throws me off. Makes me spin off into Catastrophe Land and believe that not only do I suck, but that I will never get better. So that’s gotta stop. First order of the day.

This week people who competed have been taking it really easy. I think we’re all broken. I personally have a pretty large catalog of injuries: slightly jacked left shoulder, water on the right knee, sore right hip which is apparently contagious because now my left hip hurts a little too, swollen tops of my feet (again from taking shots), stiff neck. I don’t think all my injuries are from the tournament; I recall whining about some of them already, especially the knee and the tops of the feet. It may be time for a massage or some muscle activation therapy. Or maybe just some more whining.

In other news, I am “helping” Johnny teach the beginner class. “Helping” is in quotations until I get better at it. I showed the kimura/keylock combination (it’s a combination of shoulder locks) and forgot a bunch of details. I knew I was forgetting them, but I was nervous and I couldn’t remember what they were to include them.

So begins yet aNOTHER chapter in my humbling jiu jitsu journey. I have become comfortable with feeling like I know about a thimbleful and have an ocean yet to acquire when it comes to working on my own technique. That’s okay with me finally, even though it doesn’t always feel good. You’d think it would be easy for me to be okay with not being good at teaching or reffing jiu jitsu too, because it’s all in the same family. But the problem is that when I’m bad at teaching or reffing, it affects other people. I know I need to work at it to get better at it, but in the meantime, the competitors or students are my guinea pigs and have to suffer the mistakes I make.

I’ll keep you posted. One thing I can promise the students is that I will do my best to refrain from making stupid jokes out of nervousness.

Note that I said I will do my best. I won’t make any promises, however.