Now that I’m back
things aren’t as they were.

Everything is somewhat diminished:
My
ROM
Positional Strength
Speed
Endurance
Timing

I’m just not where I want to be and…
That’s to be expected.

Not only am I not as good as I was,
my training partners are better.
That’s to be expected, too.

The thing that is most bothersome
is a part of my game
that has often been an old standby for me:
My Half Guard

Whenever I first realized
how limited my game would be
if I insisted on playing from Closed Guard,
I started developing a Half Guard.

It worked very well
most of the time
against everyone but wrestlers
and whaddaya know?
Who is giving me trouble again?
Wrestlers…
Wrestlers that are even smaller than me.
So frustrating.

I’ll end up in what some call that 50/50 or dogfight position
and I’m behind
and having trouble catching up.

So, I’m not ready to give up my precious position just yet:

I’m experimenting
as I experimented today.
Today was a failure
but that is to be expected, too.

So, I’ll debrief,
do a little research,
make a plan of action
and experiment again.

I may not be a winner today…
but I remain a scientist.