Early Morning No-Gi

My alarm is set for 4:45 for Friday morning no-gi prior to Sixam BJJ.

Some weeks, this means I only get 4 hours of sleep, but it's somehow easier to get up on Fridays than after 5 hours of sleep on Mondays and Wednesdays for regular Sixam class. It's either something to do with my circadian rhythm and sleep cycle, or I'm just really excited to get up for the double class.

It's been about 2 months since I've made this a regular part of my training schedule, and I feel like it's making a real difference. It's a small group - usually 6-12 people, and I'm usually the only woman who goes.  But the training has been invaluable, and it's inspired me to add Saturday morning no-gi as well (this one at 10 am), to experiment in the larger group. Since the addition of these two classes, I feel like I've moved off a plateau - the Coaches' Coach said as much last weekend after we rolled a few rounds, which was good validation of my theory.

No-gi is faster and slipperier than rolling in a gi. I feel like I'm more aggressive, spend more time on top, and less time stuck under a heavier opponent.  The best analogy for how I feel is that I'm swimming in no-gi versus fighting to tread water in gi.  When I'm not slowed down by the friction of the gi, I feel like I can make better use of the techniques I've worked so hard to learn, but I often feel blocked from using in gi. It's an exciting feeling.

I still won't likely get to bed before 12:30, and I have to work tomorrow morning after class. But I've had a nap this evening and I can nap tomorrow after work, so the short sleep window tonight won't affect me much.  Totally worth it.