Nov15

Rolling with Instructor

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Rolling with Instructor

I discovered this in my drafts folder from August.

🤦

The below is from July 3, and it took about a year to scroll to find it. Apparently Mrs. Instructor and I chat a lot. Mine is the writing in purple.

I do appreciate clever people.

More recently, I wrote to her, “Uncontrollable loud sustained laughter during a wall drill with Instructor. Super embarrassing.”

Her: What happened?

Me: I don’t know! I just couldn’t stop!

Her: lol

Me another day:

I am really really lousy at rolling with Instructor. It is supremely embarrassing. I’m like a brand new student suddenly. He had to tell me to Clinch! CLINCH! 🤦‍♀️ [Editor’s note: Clinching is as basic as it gets.] At least I kept the laughing to a minimum. Still laughing, but slightly less hysterical tonight.

Then came my first Fight Simulation class, for which I purchased a mouth guard and gloves.

Even though I’ve now done martial arts for years, including sparring in Taekwondo, the sight of this package–the fact that I bought this, left me bemused and a little stunned. I posted this image on socials with the caption: Still can’t believe this is now my life. Never would’ve guessed it.

So how did Fight Sim go, you may ask?

For reals. I think three times. It was a laugh of shock because I would NOT let him arm bar me. I kept either getting away or holding on to my arm so he couldn’t isolate it. He finally got it in the end, right as the six-minute timer went off. If I had held out one more second…

L = Instructor

Here’s a theory: No one was watching from the side this time, unlike wall drills where your fellow students are watching from…. you guessed it, the wall. So the pressure was off. I wilt like a flower in a drought when the spotlight is on me.

And two, I was just having an awesome night. I saw a thing about Jiu-Jitsu being a lot of steps forward and quite a few steps back, good nights and bad nights. That night was a giant step forward, like my “reflex development that was” night. This probably won’t be repeated for a long time, but I’ll take it when I can get it.

Then, from Mrs. Instructor the next day:

He was proud of me, she says. Pish. Okay. Whatever. That’s cool. Not that I care.

Kidding! I care! I care a lot!

I need nights like this every once in a while to keep me going despite the general wreckage that is me the rest of the time. Then again…

And now, back by no one’s demand, though some of you were thinking it but were too polite to say …

Q: In the 1930s, the Swiss Cheese Union promoted this dish as the national dish of Switzerland.

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51 responses »

    • I had to create a record of this night happening, so I can remind myself that I do have good nights on rare occasion in the midst of all the lousy or meh ones that are far more frequent. Thanks, Brian! 🙂

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      • In general, yeah, you’re right. I realize that on occasion when I see Instructor helping the big boys, who also struggle. We all remember different details, it seems. I’m watching from the side thinking, “Elbow by the head! Elbow by the head!” until Instructor reminds the guy. But the guy might remember steps I don’t, etc. In other words, I’m probably not much worse than others at my stage. Still, the perfectionist in me wants to be better than I am. I did manage to choke out a blue belt today, though, so.

        And then another blue did the same to me. 😛

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  4. You know, I never would have guessed that you still get nervous at jiu jitsu. Is that what sets the laughing off? Or do you do that at home too? Like, you and Mr Rey are watching tv and suddenly you just burst out nervously laughing while trying to use the remote control to change the channel? Because THAT would be funny (to me, probably not to you OR Mr Rey).

    Sadly, I glanced at the first comment in regards to the trivia, but in my defense, I was going to guess that too. And you know what is funny? I’ve only had fondue in my life, once. In first grade. Our teacher knew a cook and he came in to show us kids “cooking things” and we got to eat fondue. 40 years later I still remember the awe of the big metal stickers as we dipped stuff in the cheese and ate them. If I had died then, I probably would have been ok with that, hahahahaa 😀

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    • I laugh at myself frequently. It’s how I survive. I could see something like your scenario happening, so long as I wasn’t just super annoyed with myself. It could probably go either way, depending on my mood. In class, it was a laugh of OMG, this is embarrassing, and I don’t know what to do here. It’s some sort of weird, useless defense mechanism. Maybe I’m like, “I know I’m sucking, but I’m laughing to acknowledge that I at least know that I’m sucking.” Perhaps that makes it somehow less bad? It’s probably just annoying my partner, but I can’t seem to control it.

      That happened on Friday, in fact. Instructor saw me (probably first heard me) and said, “Ilsa, kimura!” Duh. That was my bread and butter back in the day. I rock kimuras, but I couldn’t think of what to do in that obvious situation. I did stop laughing then and got down to business, though.

      So fun about your memory from first grade. That is super cute. If only your teacher could know what an impression that made on you. I’m sure she/he would be pleased.

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      • Definitely sounds like a psychological defense mechanism. At least if you ever get attacked and die, you’ll die laughing. Hahahahaa 😉

        Funny you should say that about my teacher. She’s my aunt and she now lives about 5miles away from us 😀

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      • 1. Excellent point. Except, if I’m attacked, it’s the other person who will die, but I’ll still be the one laughing.

        Oooh, that was delightfully dark.

        2. That’s great! Have you mentioned to her how much you enjoyed and remember that?

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      • Niiiiice! Let’s hope it happens that way 😉
        Well, ok, while we’re wishing and hoping, lets hope you never GET attacked, right? Man, sometimes we can just take things too far, hahahaha.

        Not that particular memory, no. Other memories though, most definitely 🙂

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      • I know. I have to stop myself from wishing some jerk would try something just so I can beat the crap out of him. Well, I wouldn’t really beat him up, I’d just break his arm or choke him out. Still, I shouldn’t really wish for that. 😛

        You should tell her!! I’ll bet she’ll be delighted to have that memory brought up again for her as well.

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    • Class itself isn’t tiring, but after class, when we roll, I’m often tired after each roll. Then I have a few seconds to gear up before the next roll. I’m generally driving fast and rocking out after class because I’m energized. Hubby has observed that I often come home more energized than when I left, so … yeah. I guess I am. Maybe not so much on the bad days, but that’s probably from emotional fatigue. :/

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  11. I *um* did not get ‘fondue;’ I was stuck on just guessing ‘Swiss Cheese.’

    They tell me my brain will return but I suspect that, like my backside, it’s gone.

    One of my sons *has* to do something silly whenever we team-lift anything. So: we’re moving a heavy couch and he speeds up then slows down then pretends to drop his side… I’m giggling too hard to keep carrying….

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  12. Swiss cheese is dangerous, because it’s easy to eat the “hole” thing.

    (I’m here all week, folks.)

    Speaking of fondue, there was a German restaurant in Portland that we went to every December around Christmas time. They had strolling accordionists dressed in lederhosen singing carols, so the festiveness was through the roof. And the fondue was like liquid cocaine…so, so good! The place went out of business after 50+ years shortly before we left, and it was all I could do not to cry.

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    • The restaurant closing must be the real reason you left Portland. But more seriously, that place sounds amazing. I would have loved that experience. I’ll bet a lot of people cried when it closed.

      You are clearly a dad with that joke. But also, well done! However, Swiss cheese is one of the few foods I don’t like. And possibly the only food that Hubby and I both don’t like. #TheMoreYouKnow #RandomIlsaFacts

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  14. Fondue? Not looking at the other comments; just the first thing that came to mind. And “Fight Simulator”? I love that. My read-it-too-fast brain pictured you in the cockpit with aviators and hard helmet, strapped in and ready to fly, flashing your most confident thumbs-up. I’m sure you’ve used that phrase before but it’s got me thinking you could’ve been an extra in Top Gun.

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    • My most confident thumbs up! Ha! I’m not sure I can see myself ever being that confident, but I love your image. All we do is put gloves on and gently punch each other like we’re in a real fight. I think I’ve only clocked someone twice. He was fine, the weenie. 😉 Haha. Kidding. (About the weenie part, not the being fine part.)

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