I figured I had climbed to the top of the Combatives class when I was asked to be demo partner and to help other students, like in the days of old. My final clue that maybe I might just possibly be the highest belt was when Instructor said, “You’re the highest belt.”
Sometimes it’s difficult to readthat man. Just say what you mean, already!
But when this realization dawned on me, I had an “Oh my goodness, I did it” moment.
I thought back to my last encounter with the fabled Chex Mix Guy, known to long-time readers here. When I saw him while wearing my stylish medical support boot and explained my Jiu-Jitsu fall from grace, he encouraged me, saying, “That gives you a goal to aim for. Work your way back to the top.”
It was a year later when I returned to Jiu-Jitsu, and several more months before I reached that objective, but wherever CMG is now, I thank him for the encouragement. I wish I could tell him I made it.
Covid birthday present because he loves Star Wars, and I am the Leslie Knope of gift giving. (Leslie Knope is from the show Parks and Recreation. She rocked presents for friends.)
And so, after reaching the peak, I was about to enter the base camp of yet another mountain to climb.
Yet another previously written post, but I had good reason to delay publishing.
The writing was slowly appearing on the wall. The beginner Jiu-Jitsu class was becoming too basic. I’d lingered longer than a normal person would because I wanted to soak up every last detail.
Then when a student I’d been helping when he was relatively new earned his fourth stripe, I knew I had overstayed my welcome.
With this new resolve, after class one day, I approached Instructor.
“When do you think I’ll be ready to test?” I asked.
He looked down, thoughtful, then turned to his brother.
Surfer Dude looked at me. “Now?”
I rapid fire blinked at him.
“Yeah, do you want to do it now?” Instructor asked.
“What? Uhhh.” I had not expected this response, and I was not prepared to test on the spot.
“Do you want to watch the demo videos first?” SD asked and suggested I print the test pages which list the moves for each of the four main drills.
I agreed with this plan and left in a daze.
Before I had completed my old card, the gym’s system changed, and I got a brand new card. Remember how uptight I was about getting marks for Class 20? Turns out, it didn’t matter. I’ve got plenty of twenty now.
Having made the decision to test, I needed to prepare. The best person to help me was someone who knew enough Jiu-Jitsu to be a knowledgeable “bad guy.”
I studied up. I watched the videos and did multiple mental reps to prep for the next mini Reflex Development class.
I knew the moves before the first mini RD, yet they eluded me when I needed them. Not this time, brain. Not this time.
I messaged Mrs. Instructor:
Since I was the only one staying for RD, lounging solo on the mat, waiting, Instructor walked over and said something roughly to the effect of, “When Surfer Dude is ready, just do a minute each of mount control.”
“Okay,” I said, disheartened. I wanted to prove myself by doing the moves I had utterly failed at the first night.
However, SD sauntered over, not having been given instructions, and said, “Let’s do the stuff we did the first night.” That you utterly failed at was kindly left unsaid.
In one Jiu-Jitsu class, Instructor was watching me do the moves and pointed out that the position the “bad guy” wound up in was perfect for Twisting Arm Control from a different lesson.
Do I know how to do Twisting Arm Control? Why, of course I do.
Could I remember in that moment how to do Twisting Arm Control? Why, of course I couldn’t.
Instructor had to remind me of the steps, but, before he could say, “Jump into side mount,” I proudly jumped into side mount! Facing. The wrong. Direction.
Later I reflected on what had gone wrong there and realized it was probably because it was his left arm, when I’ve only practiced this move right handed.
Knowing I need to work on that, I was excited to learn of new mini-Reflex Development classes happening after most regular classes.
In the first one, run by Surfer Dude, it was just me and one other student. I’ll call him…
My Jiu-Jitsu instructor explained how to trap someone’s arm when they go for a punch so you can more easily roll them over and get on top of the fight. Someone asked, “What if the other person doesn’t try to punch you? How will you trap their arm then?”
“You can say something like, ‘You hit like a kid!’ That will make them want to punch you.”
He didn’t say “like a girl” because I’m here.
Then Instructor added, “I would’ve said, ‘You hit like a girl,’ but Betsy’s here and she hit me once and it wasn’t fun.”
Knew it.
The guys on either side turned to look at me, but I kept my face forward and smiled. I’ve never hit Instructor! But it was funny.
Also funny: when Instructor leaned sideways to demonstrate something and said, “I didn’t have my V8 today… That used to be a thing.”
One guy on the other end of the line stuck his head out, looking at the rest of us with a giant grin that bit back a laugh. Everyone else ignored him, but I caught the smile and sent it right back. Seeing other people enjoy Instructor’s jokes is almost as much fun as the jokes themselves.
The Return of Surfer Dude
Remember when I named my first practice partner Surfer Dude because he had the look of one, not because I knew he surfed? Another guy was talking to him about his big yellow van. After class, I saw the van. There was a wet suit hanging to dry over a side mirror and these stickers on the back.
He IS a surfer dude. Called it!
Relating to Li’l Trejo
Thanks to Mark reminding me of a Disturbed song, I was able to say to Li’l Trejo, “Guess what song I heard on the way here. I’ll give you a clue… maybe. ‘Oh-wa-ah-ah-ah.'”
“Oh! Down with the Sickness,” he said immediately.
“You got it! I wasn’t sure I could do that well enough.”
“No, it was great. That was the song that got me into Disturbed. When I first heard it, I said, ‘Mom, Dad, you gotta get me this CD.’ They got me the clean version. I had to wait until later to get the real version.”
How young IS this guy?
Regarding ET
There was a moment after a class when I could’ve said something to Instructor about ET’s extra attention, but he was intently working at his computer, logging our classes, maybe. Lots of room for human error there. His expression carried with it an invisible “Do not disturb” sign around his neck, so I let it go.
Thank you, Koala Park Laundromat, of pixabay.
At the start of the next class, everyone moved away from the wall to partner up except for me, ET a few feet to my right, and Lopez a few feet to my left. I gave ET an apologetic smile as I stepped toward Lopez. ET threw his arm up in a “what the heck?” gesture. But because there were an odd number of people and Lopez is an upper belt, Instructor pulled him from me, put me with ET, and had Lopez roam the room, assisting as needed.
I’ve realized a few things about ET: 1. He’s harmless. He did make some comment about how something would make me “just a little bit prettier.” I missed the first part of what he said. I ignore half of what he says anyway. But clearly there was only one response I could give to this:
Writing and Martial Arts 