Yesterday during open mat, I got a taste of my own medicine. As I was sitting on the mat, I suddenly found myself in someone's back control. There I was trying to defend being choked, and I had NO idea who it was! That was a really weird feeling, to not know who I was fighting. I did figure it out before I was able to get turned around and see them, but only because there were so few of us there.
I was pretty surprised when I realized that Jerad was the one on my back, I never would've expected that he would ninja me! I'm very glad that he did, because it was unexpected fun, and a good roll. One of the best things about grappling with him is that I really get to work on my defense, since he never gives me a second to even think about attacking! It's an all-out fight for my life, against some super technique. Yesterday, he repeatedly tried to choke me, and he was repeatedly denied! So he settled for a couple of gnarly armbars instead. I haven't grappled with Jerad a lot, because he is a senior purple belt who is in high demand, and I'm usually too intimidated to approach him (not to roll with him, just to ask him to roll). So, I really appreciate him seeking me out...back attack and all! Sneak attacks are good practice for martial artists, they can teach you how to react when you don't see a threat coming. Jerad and I are just trying to help our fellow students learn to stay on their toes.