A Bad Ending to a Great Week

Well, the week of jiu jitsu ended on a sour note. Class tonight was led by Delvin Reyes, who is an excellent purple belt, and we worked on an escape from mount, and then a transition into the technical stand from guard (from earlier this week), followed by a very tight arm bar. This was followed by a session of "king of the hill", but it was stopped short in the very first round by an accidental knee to the face of a Canadian gym member who will probably require stitches. I am very grateful to Tomas "Papo" Sone and all of the guys at Jiu Jitsu de la Costa for allowing me to come and train this week. It's definitely a bittersweet time to leave these men and women that I have spent hours on the mats with. Even though we are separated by many language and cultural barriers, I truly feel that jiu jitsu is a bond that transcends all these barriers. This week, I feel as if I have been among family.