Taps #3 & #4

Belt: White

At class #10, two months into my Bjj journey. I rolled with Purple Jack. He gets me in a triangle. I escape. He gets me in another triangle, and I've got my trapped front arm on his neck, and we have to restart because we're too close to some others rolling nearby.

When we restart, his triangle is a little tighter and I can't quite get my escape in time. Tap #3. And I've been thinking since that class ended, maybe I could have gotten a choke with my forearm on his neck and stacking him with my other hand on his belt. Hmmn. Maybe. Is that possible? A choke when you're caught in a triangle?

Same class, and I roll with new guy, Blue Scott. He's got Samba experience and skills, and he's a Blue, and he trains MMA. I trap his knees and try to pass but my heads up there near him and he goes for a Guillotine choke, which I escape improperly, luckily.

He gets me in an arm bar from his guard; I escape. He gets my mount, goes for a choke, then transitions into an arm bar and I can't quite remember the second half of the escape. I tap. Tap #4.

Tap #2

Status: White.

At my fourth or fifth class, a new guy, White Pat, comes in. He works out here, but this is his first Bjj class. It's true what they say: you usually get hurt with the Whites. Higher belts can hurt you, but won't. Whites have no control, no knowledge and will end up hurting you.

We rolled and and I end up reversing White Pat a couple of times but he's all strength and no technique and he ends up bruising the hell out of me. He stands my in guard, squeezes my biceps for control, crushes my biceps with his knees.

He tries a choke and ends up squeezing, squeezing my chin, rather than getting under my neck. Towards the end, he's in side control and smothering me and I'm exhausted and I tap.

Tap #1

Tap #1

Belt: White.

Summer 2010. I'm visiting my little bro, the Brown belt in San Diego, and he takes me to train at his regular Friday night class. It's taught by instructor Leticia, who I later find is a world champion, and oh, there's a photo of her in my copy of Saulo's book, Jiu Jitsu University.

Anyway, it's a traditional, old school class, meaning they're warm-ups and post-warm-downs are killers. I do the drills with my little bro, and roll with him. He goes easy on me. Then I roll with another White, and hold my own, even though I've only been to a couple classes back home.

But eventually, she gets me in a stupid, simple, arm bar from her guard and I tap. Tap #1.

Intro

I just saw a Keith Owen video yesterday where he says the road to a Black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is paved by not submitting people, but by tapping 10,000 times.

I started Bjj in Beverly Hills. I received my one stripe as White belt after a couple months, then I hurt my knee, moved, got married, got a mortgage, had two kids, and forgot all about Bjj.

Flash forward 10 years: my little bro, who first introduced me to Bjj, just got his Brown belt. This got me thinking: I should get back into it. Then I discovered Saulo Riberio, Roy Dean, "flow" of Bjj, and 10,000 taps concept.

I told my current instructor, Purple Jack, about it and he said it's just another way to measure "mat time." Not that I want to be a Black; I like being a White. Purple Jack said the same, saying his best times were as White because he had "no responsibilities." Afterwards, he had to represent the Blue and now the Purple and couldn't just let any ole lower belt submit him.

I don't wholly agree. That's his ego talking. Hey, if a lower belt submits me, then he deserves, earned the submission.

Anyway, here are my taps ...