Jamming it all in: Part 4

What Rhys had suggested was that we take one release, and take our time learning it. Go over it with as fine a detail as we possibly could, and get it learnt perfectly. Then, by the time I did the module again, I would have a full release under my belt and I could certify as soon as I could.

Rhys had asked me which release I wanted to use, but at that point, I was so dejected that I didn't feel like I could make a choice. I didn't want to do it on BJ54 after having moduled on it (unsuccessfully), and after my experience at the BJ53 filming, I know I'm certainly never going to teach that release either. Rhys recently had been onstage shadowing BJ55 at the LMNZ Workshops for Spookers GFX 2011, so he had hours of technique sessions with Sarah Robinson under his belt for that release and felt he was in a good position to help me on that release. Given that I liked BJ55, I was all right with this.

We arranged a time and I was very nervous going into it. We focused on the first half, and for the entire time he was prompting me. "Elbows higher." "Brace your core." "Lean back a little". "Fingers together." "Push your hip out a bit further." "Extend your arms higher." "Bend your knee." "Lift your chest." It was really eye opening for me to understand how many components to BODYJAM technique there were, and how much I needed to be thinking about. The intimidating thing was that this was something I'd have to think about for every single release that was put together. Before this mirror session, I thought I could do Jam. If I'd had a mirror session like this before doing the module for the first time, I might not have continued on with instructing.

I also wasn't prepared for the change in cardio intensity. When I got partway through the Salsa 2010 block, I began dry retching. I wasn't even halfway through the release, AND I wasn't even doing any coaching. Bloody hell. You think you're fit, and then something like this rears up at you.

We got through the second half, and then did a run through of it. I was absolutely spent by the end of it, and yes, at this stage I wasn't coaching.

As we finished, Rhys said to me, "Really good work. You weren't as b... Before you weren't as certain as to what you had to do, but once I told you what you needed to do, you did it."

Wait... what was that? You weren't as 'b'? Is that short for you weren't as bad??? I had to remind myself that he had sacrificed his weekend for me. Who was I to him? Basically I was nobody. But still, he was giving up his time to give me help that I wasn't getting anywhere else - and clearly, giving me a lot of guidance on things that I wouldn't have figured out on my own. Would I have known to have my elbows higher, to brace my core, to lean back a little, to bring my fingers together, to push my hip out a bit further, to extend my arms higher, to bend my knee, to lift my chest, and so forth?

I walked away from it with mixed feelings. Yeah I got the technique, but it was hard. WAY harder than I expected it to be. Was it worth the effort?