MMA and me; day 99

A day late is no big deal, right? To be fair my gym buddies did thump me with leg kicks Wednesday in "celebration" of my birthday, even though it was Tuesday. In any event, I think I'm allowed a day to recover and gather my thoughts.

Kickboxing was rough, mostly because my legs hurt. We started off throwing a mid 9, followed by a mid 10, then the other person would go. Once we were warmed up, we moved on 10 a 1-2-mid 9. The 9 flows really well after the 2. Next was a 1-2-3-low 10. This was a little tough for me, on the defensive side of things, because the leg I catch a low 10 with, is also the leg I took the most punishment with for my birthday kicks. I gritted my teeth, and whimpered quite a bit, but I made it through. We finished off with partner ab drills and some more core exercises, and it was time to grapple.

In jiu jitsu, we worked on the basics of arm bars, and arm bar defense. From the guard, reach across your opponents body and grab the tricep of the arm opposite the one you're reaching with. Next, take your opposite leg of the one you have a hold of their tricep with and push off of their hip, swinging it around their head, trying to get their neck in the small of your knee. Put your boot on and pinch your knees together, and when you have the arm securely trapped, let go of the tricep and with the same hand, cover their wrist, keep their arm in the middle of your chest, and arch your hips for the submission. Next we drilled a defense for the arm bar. As the man on the bottom tries to trap your arm and arch, clasp your hands together and try to drive your top side shoulder into their chest, while popping your arm out in little bits until it's free, then scooping that arm over their leg into side control. Lastly, we worked a transition from the am bar if it's defended, into a triangle. As soon as they pop their arm out, swing your outside leg around their head, and spin to the other side of their body. From there, sneak your other leg over the ankle of the leg behind their head, reach your outside arm under their leg to help cut an angle, and pinch your knees together until they tap.