Last night was a little different at the gym. Coach Frank has been sick for a couple of days and trying to recover, so it’s been tough for him to teach any technique without being able to get up close and personal with at least one student to demonstrate. So we stretched out on our own and went straight into King of the Mat, followed by some really quick rolling rounds. I guess Norm didn’t notice that he was out there the whole time, and he didn’t think it was weird when Coach Frank sicced two guys on him to deal with at once.
After that was over, we all lined up and took off our belts for Norm’s promotion to brown belt. I’m not versed enough in jiu jitsu to determine what a brown belt is, but if Norm isn’t one, I’d hate to have to tangle with the fellow who is.
He’s not just tough as nails, strong, technical, and limber. The guy works his butt off every single day.
I love being partnered with him for drills because I know he’s going to push the work rate.
I love being partnered with him for technique because he’s so generous with his knowledge and is willing to help me with the little details (and big ones) I’m messing up.
I love rolling with him because he whoops me.
Afterwards, we went back to two rounds of rolling, and then back to King of the Mat. This became a game of attrition. On the way home I realized how much I love training sessions like the one we had last night. I didn’t want any more. Shoulder banged up, foot banged up, hamstring and foot cramps–a real grind.
It’s been a while since I experienced a situation like this in training, and I loved it. I was able to get a spot on the mat and win a couple of consecutive rounds. And every round I won made me want to hold that spot more, which upped the intensity every round. I was whipped when I lost my spot, and wanted it back really badly, and that upped the challenging intensity as well.
Paying for it today, but it sure was fun.