Grappling With 'Man Flu'

Hello once more, ladies and gentlemen. Flaminginho here, reporting from JiuJitsuLand with rather clogged sinuses, glazed eyes and a soupçon of self pity. I have what many would call 'man flu,' but as far as I'm concerned, a bloody awful cold. But the point of today's post isn't to solicit sympathy, but to ask your thoughts on what you would consider proper etiquette when training BJJ when feeling sick, or more specifically, with a contagious viral disease.

I started feeling rather under the weather as of Saturday last week, with the symptoms getting gradually worse over the proceeding days, precluding me from training Judo on Monday, BJJ on Tuesday, and then judo again on Wednesday. To say that I was 'jonesing' for jiu jitsu by Thursday would be a massive understatement. So, as any addict in his 'right' mind would, I convinced myself through selfish denial I was well enough to go to training at Ministry of Martial Arts in Rayleigh.

Turning up to Lee Catling's class with a fresh packet of Halls Extra Strong Mentho-lyptus lozenges (already half-consumed) and a gut-full of Lemsip*, I knuckled down for some serious grappling.

The first half of the lesson was aimed at beginners, and after a light warm-up, the order of the day was focused on techniques from the closed guard. Lee and his uke (accomplished brown belt) Tom Wilson demonstrated the basic armbar, with a focus on an easily forgotten detail: ensuring a proper arm-drag before breaking your opponent's posture. With the target arm pulled across your opponent's body, use your legs as well as your arms to break him down and pull him close, ensuring you control the head. Something all beginner's should know, but many times forgotten in the heat of 'battle' against an unwilling 'participant.' We then continued by quickly opening our guard to place one leg on the opponent's hip to push and swivel to the side, bringing our leg opposite the target arm high across his back, and then re-closing our guard into a diamond/high guard. The proof that this is done effectively is by kindly asking your uncomfortable partner to try removing his/her trapped target arm, whilst waving your own arms smugly in a 'Look, no hands' manner. If your offended partner can't pull out his/her arm, you've done it correctly. Well done you. We then went on to complete the armbar, which I don't think I need to explain to you genius people out there. Or if you don't fall into that category, then YouTube that shit, dummy! Not really, I love you too, you dribbling buffoon, you. xx

For the next technique, we went for the same posture-breaking shenanigans, but then going for a 'flower sweep,' with a hand fed through your partner's legs and wrapped round the back of the thigh close to the knee, as opposed to grabbing his pants. Done correctly, you should achieve the mount with your opponent's arm still trapped between your bodies. My training partner William Wayland showed me an awesome choke from this advantageous position, which is not only effective, but could prove humiliating to your opponent as you choke him with his own arm. Which is what jiu jitsu is all about, right? Anyway... it involves wrapping your arm around the back of your enemy's head (please think of your partner as your 'enemy' whilst doing this, if only to make ME smile) ensuring you keep your weight on his trapped arm. Make sure you use your left arm if his right arm is trapped, and vice versa. With your arm now wrapped around the back of said head (ooh, that rhymes), grab his wrist, pulling his own arm across his neck. Now feed your other hand through this tight 'loop' also across his neck and grab your own forearm. Pull his wrist and apply pressure with your other forearm... and watch with gleeful satisfaction as your 'enemy's' head swells with trapped de-oxygenated blood and his eyes bulge pleadingly for mercy. Which, again, is what jiu jitsu is all about.

Lee then showed us a couple of arm locks following once more the aforementioned arm-drag and posture-breaking. Once posture is broken, you grab round your partner's head with one arm, but the with the other arm you should get an underhook, ensuring your upper arm is between his trapped arm and opposite armpit. With this underhooked arm, you should be able to pull it closer towards your own ribs, locking out his trapped arm against your body and to his great discomfort. If he should somehow manage to pull this arm out, remember you still have his other arm to attack. Put your foot on his hip, push to swivel and bring your other leg high across his back to keep his posture down, whip the foot that was on his hip across the back of his head to trap his remaining arm, then with your hands lock his elbow out against your shoulder. This works even if he doesn't pull his first arm out, and is especially satisfying as both of your enemy's hands (yes, I'm sticking with 'enemy') are trapped and he can't tap, forcing him to shout "Stop!" "Mercy!" or "I beg clemency, master!" much to you and your classmates' delight.

For the final technique, Lee demonstrated a scissor sweep (which you should all know by now, children), again following that arm drag, and finishing in the mount with your enemy's arm still trapped. You can follow this with an armbar, triangle, or move to side control with a possible adjustment to the trapped arm (if necessary) to a shoulder crush. Or whatever comes easiest to you, clever cloggs.

At this point, some of the students left for home while we had a brief break in preparation for the second half of the class: sparring. I took this opportunity to blow out the unwelcome mucus clogging up my conk (no, that isn't a typo, potty brain) and suck on another lozenge. I noticed a few enquiring eyes looking my way as I loudly blew my nose, and hoped I looked more like a hay fever sufferer (which I am) rather than one of 'the infected.' Gathering my strength, I hit the mats and started with what was supposed to be a gentle, non-resistance roll with a younger and very 'enthusiastic' member of the class.

After fives minutes, Lee called "Time!" for a quick water break, then another roll. This time, it was to be a bit more rigorous. I then rolled with super-heavyweight William, which was a bit more of a challenge. I could feel my energy beginning to sap, and I began to question whether coming to class with a cold was one of my better ideas. Before I knew it, Lee called time again and we were to switch partners again. Two partners later, and I decided to bow out, coughing and dribbling at the sidelines to watch the rest of the prospective recipients of my bug continue rolling and choking each other.

At the end of class, Lee once more drilled into us the importance of not going too hard at it when sparring. The purpose behind sparring is not about winning, but about learning. All too often, students end up getting injured because of they or their partner's ego getting the better of them and insisting on getting that triangle or insisting on not tapping (at least not in time), purely out of sheer obstinance. And injury means time off the mats, which means no jiu jitsu.

I thanked Lee for the class and assured him I would be at the upcoming Braulio Estima seminar, and said my goodbyes, feeling much the worse for wear, and a little guilty that I may have infected the rest of the class with my 'lurgies.' Which, after that rather lo-o-o-o-ong tangent, brings us back to the initial subject: Should students still go to class with a cold?

A rundown of the common cold can be found here, but in brief they are a pain in the arse and highly infectious. But are we being a little 'soft' in our reaction to it? Should a cold disrupt our training, or should we just get on with it and 'sweat it out'? If a student should attend BJJ class, should we tell him/her to sling his/her hook, avoid him/her at all costs, or should we stop being 'soft' and grapple nonetheless?

I personally think what I did last night was in all honesty selfish, because I couldn't bear to miss out on any more training. I think karma has dealt me a punishment today to bring my yin and yang into balance again (or whatever mystical reference is apt), because I feel bloody awful and wish I never went at all. But I'm curious as to your thoughts...

Don't forget to check out my charity page for Cancer Research UK at the South East BJJ Open, details of which are also on Facebook.


Anywho, ciao for now, and hope to see you on the mats soon.

The Fat Flamingo
*Disclaimer: I am in no way sponsored by or endorse these companies. I wish.