A jiu jitsu funk ...

And by funk I mean the blues, and not the unpleasant odor of a Gi left unwashed.

I've been frustrated in class lately. My attacks don't feel crisp, i'm expending more energy then I should, and I can't pull the subs I have previously. I still defend well, but who wants to sit there and survive the whole time? I could chalk it up to a little ring rust, but while that may be partly true, I also think I have been playing the same game too long. Classmates are anticipating my moves and countering them. I'm not sure if I should continue playing the game I have developed (what little of it there may be), or if I should start doing something completely different.

Maybe I'm simply frustrated all together. Like anything BJJ has an opportunity cost associated with it. If I choose to go to class on Saturdays, I have to skip playing golf with my friends. If I choose to go to the cigar tasting, I know I will pay for it in class. Petty maybe, but like anything else the decisions we make have a direct impact on the other parts of our life. If I go out with the guys, I have to explain that i'm trying to cut weight and that's why i'm not going to have that 3rd beer and why i'm eating salad instead of pizza. Let's be brutally honest. It. sucks. ass. On the other hand, not having to take cholestoral pills and not having the aches and pains that come from carrying 80 extra pounds is nice. Tradeoffs. Maybe i'm internalizing my frustration too much (or externalizing my internal dialogue - this metaphysical feelings bullshit confuses me sometimes). In the immortal words of Ebby Calvin Laloosh:

"Don't think meat. Just throw."