I haven't posted #28-30, but since they exist as handwritten logs,
I'll maintain the chronology. As usual the day class was small, just
three of us and our instructor. Floor-to-ground exercises were most
of this class, with one partner attacking from the ground and the
other standing, and also with both on the ground. It was a small
enough class that the three of us could work together sometimes, two-
on-one, and the groundwork made it seem more like play than work.

To begin, one person crawled toward the other with an intended head
butt to the legs, which we redirected with a push to the head. We
practiced escaping from a grab around the legs from the ground, using
various ways to create space or break the hold: twisting the hips and
jumping slightly, rocking back from one foot to the other. Edgar
showed us another way to move the legs slightly to create a small gap
between the leg and the grabbing arms, similar to the small gap
created by the quick intake of breath that he previously showed us
during knife-to-throat exercises. Then you slip one hand into the gap
and the other around the neck, and do a "head crank," using your arms
as levers to topple the body backwards in the direction it's already
leaning. He told us to be careful with the neck, explaining that it's
not a choke, but a way to free yourself by tipping the other person
almost gently. For this exercise, we had to maintain some structure
in our forearms to use as leverage. I had some trouble keeping my
arms rigid enough; I had to remind myself to do so. Cranking
someone's head or even just punching is not something that comes to
me naturally.

We also practiced escaping from a grab around the legs by falling
backwards, using the same motion of the attempt to rock back and away
from the attack, and return back with offensive movements of the
legs. We also practiced escaping from a grab to one leg, and my
partner asked who would attack in such a way (aside from groupies
clutching at a rock star). I reminded him that crazy people might
attack in any way. No matter how unusual or bizarre, it's certain
that someone has already been attacked in that manner.

The floor-to-ground work, with one person standing, was also good
practice for falling and moving on the ground. Using the same motion
as the grab to fall backwards and slip away was an opportunity for me
to explore falling in a spontaneous and natural way. Falling became
an extension of movement, and rather than cringing from the impact of
the ground, I began to welcome it.

*Vsego nailuchshego* (best wishes),
Rachel