Mat Notes
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One idea at a time — the shortest Mat Notes, a line to keep from the mats.
Nothing gained, nothing lost, knee safe. That is a good outcome, not a failed one.
Skipping a step and refusing a reset are the same impatience. Both cost more than the step was worth.
Take what you have been given, keep it, and fight for the rest afterwards.
Faced with a reset or a gamble, most people gamble. The gamble is usually paid for with the knee.
Slide out from underneath. Pushing works on momentum and fails under weight — so it is not a habit worth building.
Above the belt on the mat, below the belt in your hands. Then swing.
Hips are a race, not a position. Get the near one ahead and the far one is behind by itself.
If your foot goes flat, the position softens. Toes hidden, heel up.
From the bottom, distance is what kills you. Go far and it is finished.
The knee pit goes on the ankle. Without that, it is a strength contest you volunteered for.
Hip forward and knee open are one movement from two ends. Pick the end you can feel. Thinking about both is how you do neither.
The knee you can see is cover. The knee underneath is the problem — and it is the one nobody fights.
Your posture passes the guard. Not your steps. One grip, two grips — we’re not doing those.
It’s not me stopping his kick. It’s that his kick has nowhere to go. It’s not me — it’s you.
Body-lock passing makes your arms feel strong and leaves you kickable. Feeling in control and being in control are different sports.
15 lines a page · more at Mat Notes.