Ahead of plan

The test is weirdly difficult. When you feel ready, you shouldn't delay. You need to go for it, as the feeling can easily pass. Peaking and not giving it a shot would not feel good.

We both want to be done by Saturday. As Madeline is ahead of me in the queue she needs to try and finish Friday.

I have been hoping that she'd even make a first attempt after class on Thursday. She's good enough that a single attempt might get the job done.

Today is Wednesday. We worked for about an hour on the test material, and she announced that she wanted to start tonight.

The only thing that prevented it was the camera wasn't present. Instead, the instructor had us perform the test section in front of the class. Madeline was outstanding, and no flaws were detected.

The camera promised it would be there tomorrow. She will get it on the first attempt.

I will need a bit of warm-up time. For the last few days I've been learning to be a fabulous partner. This isn't exactly the same as getting ready to do the test myself.

Likely we'll get an hour or so after Madeline's test to focus on me. It's her brother's birthday Friday, and she'd love to be able to spend it with him. I have no problem with this, as I'll be happy to work on my stuff another day. Maybe I can get somebody to show up and help me. I can do it without Madeline, but a live buddy would be useful.

That saves Saturday for recording my test.

I'm feeling so good about it, I wouldn't be surprised to nail it on the first try, too.

Contrast

There are two of us with only a single part of our Jiu-Jitsu exam to finish this week.

Madeline is blowing the whole thing away. If she keeps performing as she has been, there is no possibility of a failing grade.

It is harder for me. In the three test sections we've been plowing through, a candidate is permitted a total of 20 demerits. These are given for any variation from acceptable technique.

I think I did pretty good on test section one. We recorded my second section on Monday. It was probably OK, but there were errors. Honestly, I don't think I'll ever be able to do it better. That test section is just a killer.

This means that I want to do very well on the part we're doing this week. That will leave more of my demerits available to keep test section two afloat.

I'm not even worrying about the three sparring sections of the exam. Madeline has finished all of her's, and I have two to go. Those can be banged off in one evening anytime.

This is an extremely difficult examination process.

The most annoying part is that at the HQ Gracie School, there are no exams at all. There the ranks are awarded once a student has put in enough time if they are good enough. Their instructors are the same ones who authorize our promotions. Down there they have intimate knowledge of the students and exams are not necessary.

They don't know us at all. So we take exams.

Crushingly difficult exams.

Mo' 'structors

Our local Jiu-Jitsu school is undergoing a positive evolution.

Up until now, the burden of instruction has had to fall on only one person. It isn't unusual for him to teach four classes a night. He also can't be sick or injured.

Right now, three of the advanced students are enrolled in the Gracie University program for instructor certification. They should be official instructors early in 2014.

This will make it possible for the teaching load to be shared.

There is also excellent potential around here for satellite training locations. This hasn't been possible, but soon will be.

We live on a 50 mile stretch of coastline that can only be reached by ferry. Our current school is located at one end road in the town of Gibsons, which is one of two towns. The other town is located in the middle, and has a little bit larger population.

Only a handful of people make the drive from the larger town to the Jiu-Jitsu school. Sechelt (my town's name) could support a second academy every bit as substantial as the first. A second school here has been an ambition of our instructor for quite a while.

All it will take now is for one or more of the new teachers to go for it. Likely, things would have to start small and grow over time.

For me it's too late. I'll continue my training with our current instructor, Shawn Phillips. I enjoy his personality and style, and he's the only one who can teach at my level.

A little driving is good for the soul.

Fight Saturday

This coming Saturday there is going to be a free-TV UFC fight that I'm dying to see. It isn't for a title, but is chock full of interesting angles.

Lyoto Machida used to be the UFC Light Heavyweight champion. Unlike most fighters, he's always fought at the weight he actually is.

The cut off for that division is 206 pounds. His normal weight is in the 200-205 pound range, so he never has to cut weight. This puts him at a big size disadvantage when competing against others in that division. The current champ, Jon Jones walks around weighing 230 pounds. When he has a fight scheduled he loses weight normally, and then cuts perhaps the last ten pounds by sweating it out. In the 24 hours between the weigh-in and the actual bout, he gains this all back. He steps in to the ring at about 215.

Size isn't everything, but between two equally talented and trained fighters it can be the tipping factor.

Machida is probably the only guy in any division to actually fight at his weight.

He's decided to change this, and has accepted a fight in the 186 pound Middleweight division.

For this fight, he'll be facing Mark Munoz. Munoz is the Middleweight division's number 5 ranked fighter. My coincidence, Lyoto Machida is the number 5 ranked Light Heavyweight.

Their martial arts backgrounds couldn't be more different. Munoz was a top-level wrestler, and Machida is a Karate guy. Both have cross-trained extensively, but it could be a classic grappler versus striker match-up.

Another twist is that Munoz, although a wrestler, has a weak submission game. To try and remedy this, he's recently been training at the headquarters Gracie Academy in Los Angeles. Another guy training there to improve his Jiu-Jitsu skills is Lyoto Machida.

The two guys have been training together for the last while under Ryron and Rener Gracie, the eldest grandsons of the founder of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. I assume they stopped being training partners once they found out about the fight.

Ryron Gracie will be in Mark Munoz's corner, while Rener Gracie will corner Lyoto Machida.

I can't wait, and it's free.

Baby

Madeline and I have been partners in preparing for, and performing, our Jiu-Jitsu exams. We're both operating under time constraints. This seriously sucks.

Her situation is much worse than mine. Our instructor is flying off to Mexico for over a month. I think the last day we can record any test material with him will be Saturday. By the time he gets back, Madeline will have moved to Calgary and she won't see him again. If she isn't finished by Saturday, we'll have record her test without our instructor being present. Technically this is possible, but would be extremely dicey.

This means we've got only this week to get Madeline's last test segment finished.

I have more stuff to finish, but also potentially more time. I have two technical sections and two sparring segments to compete. If I don't finish by Saturday, I could try without the instructor, or could wait for his return.

My own deadline is really anytime before Christmas.

The problem is I'm a big baby and want it done now. Well, not now exactly. I want it done by Saturday, the same as Madeline.

Actually, I don't need it all done. I don't mind if I still have sparring to complete. That takes no time at all, and doesn't require massive amounts of memorization.

What I'm shooting for is completion of my two technical sections this week. Really it's only one, if I can get this week's test recorded successfully. I had a couple of shots at it today, but blew both. I get to try again Monday.

With that out of the way, Madeline and I can work hard on the final part and get that into the bag.

I'm going to spend the next two days memorizing the sequence as deeply as I can. I want the video done successfully on the first attempt Monday, leaving us the rest of the mat time to get ready to move on.

And then we find out if HQ thinks we're good enough.

Three Weeks

Last week we concentrated all our training on exam review. It was the easiest part of the test, and we already knew it quite well. When we couldn't work together, we worked on our own. Madeline and I both successfully recorded our performance on Saturday of the first week.

This week the material is much, much harder, and there is more of it. This is the hardest part of the exam.

Again, we worked together as much as possible, and alone when we couldn't. Thursday I was in the hospital getting a gastroscopy and a colonoscopy, and still made it to the evening's training. I had to.

Today is Friday, and we had time for two attempts at making a successful recording. Madeline went first with me as her partner. We made it through everything without a major mistake. There were a couple of minor ones, so our instructor decided it wasn't acceptable.

No big deal. We took about ten minutes to recover, and did it all over again.

This time I made a significant error, but Madeline handled it without missing a beat. We made it almost to the end of the exam sequence, and Madeline made a test-stopping mistake.

We were out of time.

We meet again tomorrow to continue the effort. Our instructor has family commitments, so we can only have him for an hour. That's enough time for three attempts, tops.

Madeline is very good. I am confident she will get it done, perhaps with a single attempt. Even so, the chance of me producing a successful effort within the remaining time are quite slim.

We have arranged more mat time on Monday, to either finish recording this week's segment, or to start working on the final technical section.

Again, we practice all week and do the recordings on Friday and Saturday.

There has to be a better way.

Scrunchies

On the TV show called The Ultimate Fighter there are always a bunch of fighters divided into two teams. They then train and live together for the season, with elimination fights throughout the season. They almost never show anything of interest in any of the training sessions.

I'm sure good technical stuff is being worked on, but that probably would be dull to film. What mostly gets shown is cardio stuff.

This week's episode is different.

Let me describe the situation. For the first time there are both male and female fighters. The opposing coaches are the current women's champ, and the contender she's facing in December. All the fighter are experienced as well.

This time it was the Champ, Ronda Rousey, showing her team a different way of moving when you are down on the mat.

Try it. Lay down on your back. Lift both arms and legs off the ground. They are not allowed to ever touch down. Now, quickly move around the room. Does much happen?

Ronda demonstrated moving fast in all four directions.

Her team all try. Most barely move, some not at all. They are all highly conditioned and highly trained, but can barely do it at all.

One of them calls their coach, “a Judo wizard.”

She is so far above all of them it's unbelievable.

I think she called the method, “scrunchies.”