Stripe the third.

Gah, this early into my BJJ blogging and I've already run out of witty titles, perhaps it is just my brain this early in the morning. Either way, it's a damn shame. Bear with me gentle reader, and I will have a better showing next time around.
I digress. I got my third stripe last night. Pretty cool. When I was a kid and went to the local Tae Kwon Do "McDojo" there was this whole "testing process" that you had to pay to go through whenever you felt ready to get "promoted." It was formal, stuffy, and completely impersonal, and in no way took into account what you actually could do with your art. With jiu-jitsu the professor simply decides that you have made it to the next level. It's a personal recognition from the professor. It has meaning and weight, and that's important. It gives it far more value than a "tested for" rank.
Worked on a hip-bump sweep that I am terrible at last night. I think I've figure out where I was getting it wrong. Then rolling, lots of rolling. I had 4 sparring sessions, it was one too many. Anyone who trains in a grappling art like BJJ is going to get little injuries. Your first few sparring sessions, you block them out, or modify to protect them, but as you get tired, your resolve slips, and those small injuries become more difficult to block out, and the whole experience becomes a bit more unpleasant. I have to make sure I pace myself. Keep myself from going past that area of self control.
Happy MayDay.