First class of the new year and what a great turn out.

Once again I'm left stunned at what a great bunch of totally addicted people you all are. On the first class of the year we had 26 on the mat. Now while that made for some tight grappling space it was really cool to see so many getting back into it so early!

Started with a bit of a bleat about gradings and admin stuff. Not really relevant to you but I wanted everyone to know that I realise that people are starting to slip between the cracks and that I hope to rectify that problem this year. Finished the night by rectifying some of the problems that I had seen in the stripe department. So congrats to those that were awarded another stripe, particularly Crazy who was awarded 2 new stripes to bring him up to the correct level for his skill. Well done.

For the class we started with our 2 fav sweep drill. One partner gets to perform their favorite sweep 2 times before joining the long cue to wait for another go. We then added sweep and sub. This time we perform the sweep then quickly apply a submission form the top. Good to get into the habit of using the sweep for getting not only a reversal to a dominant position but then capitalising on it.

From there we did a few rounds of pass or sweep and then ended the night with some rolling. Had to split everyone into 2 groups to make a bit more room for everyone. I finished the night with a 30 min grapple with Jas. Thanks bud I needed the blow out!!

A couple of points from the class. Take ownership of your game. While I make every effort to assess your skill and direction and offer advise that I think you need, it vital that you also assess you own games. You need to know why things aren't working and find the problems to solve. Or look for ways to improve on what you're doing. That way you can ask relevant questions who's answers have a good chance of sticking in your head. Instead of me offering another piece of advise that you quickly forget. Take ownership!!