Finally! Another long awaited visit to the tatami. For the only time I have seen, everyone was over 50 and the lowest rank was a green belt. So we had a chance to do some things that don't get shown to the lower ranks. We lead off with a series of deflection drills. In this series the hands are kept up and the elbows are in near proximity to the upper torso. The forearms act like windshield wipers rotating around the axis of the elbows. It allows you to respond very quickly to incoming linear strikes, shoves, and grabs. You simply use the same hand to out block or cross block whichever hand is coming toward you.
From there we moved on to dynamic choking techniques as entries and counterattacks. One was really devastating and like many of our techniques deceptively simple and straightforward. A linear attack (straight punch, grab, or shove) is launched and you deflect with the right hand while side stepping and bring the left open hand up to the attacker's lower rear neck in a forceful palm slap, knocking their head and upper body forward and down. As this is going on, the right hand comes back off the deflection and under and up to the front of the neck leading with the thumb into the trachea. Very thoroughly unpleasant. Another technique leads off the same way but the left hand delivers a palm heel strike to the lower back that collapses and spins the attacker around in front of you. From there you step back to draw them further off balance to the rear in a naked strangle supported by the other hand. Out in about 5 seconds.
John, the retired LAPD 7th degree in our art and a black belt in several others showed up today and I asked him if he knew about Michael Connelly. He hadn't so I told him about Connelly's new book Reversal where he talks about SIS, John's old unit where left as a Lieutenant. He laughed and said no one really knows much about that. He has been approached by Hollywood types who wanted some inside info for a screenplay and John won't play because he couldn't be sure the real deal would be told. SIS has a higher kill rate than SWAT in LA. John is one bad SOB, and can kill you with or without weapons more ways than I can imagine. Speaking of which, Avi the Israeli green belt was there today too, returned from one of his "trips." I've been thinking about asking him if he wants a trip to Northern CA to "visit" an anti-semitic contributor to Ends and Pieces section here. Both Avi and John are a little older than me and exemplify that age means little when you are determined to not let it be.
At work yesterday, I had occasion to have to climb 10 flights of stairs to the roof over one of the high bays. Maybe 100+ feet. I was smoked by flight 7 and it shook me. I don't do the extensive cardio but I didn't think this would get to me like it did. So later today after jujitsu my OCD would not be denied. I did another fitness test and happily tested at 38 VO2 max, still in the excellent category for the 60+ crowd. Not bad after a week off, but I think I may try some longer cardio in addition to the the GXP's I have using as the mainstays for the last year or so.