Taking notes.

I used to take notes that were anal in their completeness, every class.  (Like most BJJ bloggers, I started out blogging a mind-numbing recitation of every move, thinking that I could just use my blog as a clever online note review service.  Fortunately that didn't last too long, thanks to Mike Webber in California and my then-instructor Phil.  Long story.  Anyway.)

Now I don't really take notes unless it's a seminar or a private lesson.  This morning, I came to our little jiu jitsu lab session with my notebook, ready to review some things from a private and a seminar with Hillary Williams.

Only it was like interpreting cuneiform scribblings on a temple wall somewhere.  Oh, I could read my writing-- it's just that it seemed to refer to arcane rituals having nothing to do with jiu jitsu.

"Halfway grip- punch through hard- tight under- slide knee."

Or the teaser--

"Counter to counter- americana from armbar."

Whaaaa????

Some of the stuff was done right thank goodness... the Rafa Mendes pass for the halfguard with their knee in your hip... and I got to practice it a bit on a willing brownbelt.  Scott, a purple, helped me sort out the one that starts with "Halfway grip" though I never did get the counter to counter one.

The nice thing about Hillary is, if she didn't write up a handout with all the techniques, she'll gladly email you an answer to your question later.  She's super cool about that (though now that she's in med school, I think I'll wait till Christmas to ask!)

I wish more instructors would let you videotape seminars and privates.  I get it, some asshole burned them and put it on youtube.  (I wish the most awful karma on whoever does that!)  But I promise, I wouldn't.  However-- what I should be doing is pairing up with a friend from the same seminar, and videotaping US doing the techniques as soon as possible after the seminar.  Ideally, after we have the instructor "vet" our execution just to make sure we have it right.

I owe Monica a typed-up version of my notes from the Hillary seminar, which might help me figure them out.  And I owe Ben my Rodolfo Vieira notes, in exchange for some notes he took at another seminar I can't even remember.  LOL.

Happy training, y'all :)

Oh one more thing-- Cane Prevost did a lesson on mount bottom with some very nice structured teaching, and it happens to dovetail really well with what Donald taught in his last seminar.  Check out the mount bottom lesson here.