Dude where have you been?

I havent posted in over a month because I havent been inspired to write anything for at-least that long. It's been 8 weeks since I learned about my torn wrist (extensor tenosynovectomy). My surgery is scheduled for this Thursday. I am not quite sure how I obtained the surgery, but it was probably related to poor sprawl techniques during a training session. I recall doing more than 50 live opponent sprawls that day.

In any event, it has affected almost every aspect of my physical fitness, with the exception of my cardio. My cardio didnt need help from my wrist to regress, as it had the assistance of my knee, which also got strained during a move 3 weeks ago. While moving into my new place, loading and unloading, and walking up and down stairs for 18 straight hours caused my surgically repaired knee (torn acl) to swell. 3 weeks later, 80% of the swelling is gone but some of the pain remains. I should be good to go in another week.

This down time has been especially frustrating as I was looking forward to NAGA in my hometown next month. There is also a rare IBJJF tournament here in a few weeks that I will be missing.

I have not updated the site in a while due to a temporary lifestyle change that will occupy most of my time for the next 2 months. I am still training 3x per week (when I am not injured) and fully intend to keep fresh info on my site. 

For the time being, a great Wordpress Blog called MattsDailyJournal, posted a mind map of a white belt curriculum, complete with related videos of each technique. I believe that this is a great resource for anybody just getting into the sport or any white belt looking to improve. Check it out here: http://mattsdailyjournal.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/interactive-bjj-white-belt-curriculum/

Are we doing it wrong? The Antibacterial edition

I went to the dermatologist the other day and received a prescription for a topical anti-inflammatory and an antibiotic to treat what was believed to be either adult acne or folliculitis. Rather than trying one medication for 6 weeks and then switch to the other if I saw no results, the doc wanted to give both a try simultaneously.  While reading the warning label for the antibiotic I was alarmed by the following:

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

Changes in your skin or nails that may be signs of infection with a fungus

For the past year that I have been practicing Jiu Jitsu, I have been using antibacterial soaps, thinking it was essential to prevent the exchange of micro-organisms like bacteria and fungus. As it turns out, I may have been doing myself a grave injustice. After searching the National Library of Medicine and reading studies performed at the University College Cork in Ireland on Science Daily, I was pretty convinced.

First I believe I should clarify that there is a difference between antibiotic and antibacterial. Antibacterials kill various forms of bacteria while antibiotics typically inhibit the growth of various micro-organisms, including bacteria and fungi. Antibiotics are administered to treat bacterial infections by making their environment inhospitable, resulting in the eventual demise of the bacteria strand.  Bacteria and fungi have an interesting dichotomy on our bodies. They both tend to be prevalent in warm moist areas of our bodies. In many circumstances, healthy bacteria can prevent the spread of fungus infections by fighting for the same real estate as the yeast. Therefore they are constantly in a population war. The faster bacteria multiply, the slower fungus can grow. Look at the warning label for any antibiotic, like Clindamycin, and it will probably state to discontinue use if you encounter a fungus infection.  It is a safe assumption that if inhibiting the growth of bacteria can cause fungus to thrive, then killing bacteria with an antibacterial soap could make your feet seem like an all inclusive vacation resort for fungus.

Soaps like Defense, that specialize in using natural ingredients like Tee Tree Oil to fight fungus are great but are not typically readily available in your local market. Instead of paying the premium for these specialty soaps online, I usually find myself  trolling forums and seeing recommendations for antibacterial soaps like Dial and Safeguard. I know tons of fellow Jiu Jitsu enthusiasts use these same antibacterial soaps, so I just wanted to make sure that you do the research before buying a soap that may effectively cause the same think you are trying to prevent.

Nice no-gi choke video

Great video

Guard passes and friction burns

Yesterday's class was full of promise. My rib injury did not appear to be hindering me so I was determined to roll. Also I had spent a lot of time studying the white and blue belt sections of Ribeiro's Jiu Jitsu University book. I was anxious to try out my new defensive techniques. 

We practiced 3 double underhook open guard passes. This first of which involved grabbing a hold of the back of your opponent's gi top, hopping up to your feet then flipping them onto their shoulder. I then plant my shoulder and head against their inverted lower back and guide them over to a turtle position where I take the back.

The next variation involved my opponent grasping my wrists. I extend one leg at a 90 degree angle parallel to me opponents bicep. I then rotate my leg inward, putting pressure on the bicep as I rip my wrist free. The free hand then traps my opponent's leg to the group for the pass to side control.

The last variation also starts with my wrist grasped. I extend one arm out to create space and then use my foot to disengage my arm. I then trap the leg on the same side and transition to side control.

I rolled for the first time in probably 6 weeks. After 6 rounds I was not gassed at all but I was a bit frustrated with my performance. I did alright against the blue I rolled with for 2 rounds. Other than 2 armlocks after being mounted, I held my own. After class I asked him about what I did to put myself in those positions and he told me that when he transitioned to mount, I kept my underhooks, giving him the opportunity to trap my arm. From there he figure-foured the trapped arm and locked in the modified armbar. 

I wasnt really upset about the armlocks because he was an advanced blue who too advantage of every one of my mistakes, which is what he is expected to do. However, my next 2 opponents were white belts who managed to control my posture from the full guard every time. I was never able to get into a strong enough base to even attempt a pass. I always thought of my guard passing within the closed guard to be one of my strong suits. It seemed like every time I found myself in their close guard, I was a second too late from posturing up and ended up on their chest from their collar grips. In one instance, I found myself on the wrong end of an Ezekiel Choke 5 seconds after getting into his guard. 

I came home with a scab on my right hand, elbow, and knee, and the kind of muscle aches that let me know I put some work in. I haven't felt that good pain in a while and look forward to doing t again today. 

Back from injury

In the last 3 months, I have missed time due to needing a steroid injection in my wrist, a 2 week vacation, a badly bruised rib, and a week long business trip. Even though my rib is still a little sore, it's good enough to go over techniques without rolling.

After taking so much time off, I feel like I am starting all over. I did have the opportunity to test the more cerebral aspects of Jiu Jitsu. I spent 20 minutes everyday (well most days) visualizing previously reviewed techniques. After reading many articles on visualization techniques, I was admittedly skeptical. After my 2nd visualization session, I was convinced it worked. I could see myself from the outside looking in work armbars from the closed guard, and had a better grasp of the fluidity of the movements. In class, or while rolling, I would always look at each step as a sequence. First grab wrist, then place foot on hip, then hip escape, etc. When trying to execute the technique it always looked rehearsed. Now I am able to make the armbar look like one fluid movement instead of a series of steps I am going over in my head. It also changed the way I look at the technique. I can see past the steps and see a process, as well as contingencies and escapes.

While I was out, I managed to lose my Vulkan Gi top (still not sure how that happened) and purchased a geeky CTRL Jiu Jitsu tee shirt.

In class today we kept it simple with standing guard passes using a wrist grip. I also spent some time practicing the Galvao windmill sweep (slightly different than the standard windmill). I like the added options of switching to an armbar if your opponent posts up, or even take the back. 

The Galvao sweep to mount can be found here. 

Armbar/Choke combo

In Fundamentals class today, we worked on more guard armbars and gi chokes. However, we also worked on a cool combo armbar/gi choke. To perform it, I have my opponent in my full guard. I trap their right wrist with my left hand. I then get a cross collar grip with my right, as if I am going for a gi choke. You use this to break their posture. They will probably tuck their chin to prevent the choke. Hip out towards their untrapped arm, using your left foot on their hip. Bring your right left up their back and dig your heels into it. If their chin is still tucket, bring the left leg over and lock in the arm bar. If they try to get tall and defend the armbar, grab their left shoulder with your left hand, hip out in the opposite direction (bring your left shoulder towards your left ankle) and lock in the choke. If their chin is tucked again, don't abandon it. Shake their head like a rag doll and you will get it locked everytime.

In this video, he does not do the choke, but he does do the armbar from the lapel grip

I did not roll today since I bruised my ribs in no-gi earlier in the week. I spent that free time working with a new guy on full guard posture and a guard pass. If feels good to no longer be the "new guy" in class.

Double leg take-downs and half guard defense pass defense

My first day training in over a month after receiving a steroid injection in my wrist and tweaking my back. We went over 2 variations of a double leg takedown in no-gi as well as a half-guard pass defense.

For the first double leg, I step in with my lead leg, then as I grab my opponent just below the knees, my shoulder makes contact with my opponent's sternum. To gain maximum force with the least amount of energy expended, make sure that the lead leg does not touch the ground until  contact is made with your shoulder. When your opponent falls, use your hands to guide them to either side control or half guard. Be careful not to follow them down into a guillotine choke.

In the 2nd variation, the same procedure is followed as above but your lead leg is actually wrapped around your opponents ankle after making contact, and has hit the ground. Make sure that foot never lands flat on the floor. Aim for it to lie against or on top of your other leg. When your opponent falls, you will begin in half-guard.

For the half-guard defense, we used a simple technique of pushing my opponents head in the opposite direction that they are trying to pass, using both arms extended against the side of their face. In the event that your opponent achieves the pass, use your extended arms to create space and hip escape into half or full guard again.

First tournament is in the books

Well I lost my first match via an arm triangle with 30 seconds left. My hat goes off to my opponent who showed what 3 additional years of experience will do for you. I pulled guard and controlled him for about 1.5 minutes before he passed to half then eventually to side control then mount. I trapped and rolled and passed to half guard then got swept into an arm triangle.

The day before my tournament I tweaked my back on some spider throws (which had no affect on the outcome of the match) but I have taken a week off to recover. Today was my first class in exactly 1 week. We practiced bottom guard armbars.

Basically, arm drag your Publish Postopponents right arm across your body and place your left foot on their hips. Use your foot to rotate your body towards your opponent's free arm while climbing your right leg up your opponent's back. Now push your opponent's head out of the way while bringing your left leg over their head. DO NOT CROSS YOUR LEGS.  Grasp their hand with your right hand, make sure their thumb is pointed up, lift your hips, push your knees together and drive your heels into their body.

Weigh in in 4 hours

So late last week I decided to register for my first tournament. I was 7 lbs over my desired weight class, and a crazy work schedule that would make it tuff to drop the weight. I registered at my walking around weight (heavy weight) and waited patiently until the brackets were released. Then I made my 2nd dumb mistake (my first was waiting so later to decided to compete). I Googled the guy I was fighting. He is a cock strong, former olympic trials competitor with serious wrestling. So on Wednesday (2 days ago), I requested to drop weight classes. So in addition to cramming for my first ever tournament by stealing training hours wherever I can get them, I also had 2 days to drop a little over 5 lbs.

In my week of preparation, in addition to working 60 hours at my job, I squeezed in 9 hours of Jiu Jitsu and 5-6 hours of cardio, all while starving myself. I am now about 1.5 lbs away, which I should be able to sweat off in the sauna before weigh in, in a few hours.

I have not logged most of my training this week, because I have had very little downtime. In short, today we focused on proper positioning from the bottom spider guard. We covered how to pull the opponent back to you with the ankles to the thigh, push them away at the hips, grips on the sleeve, and positioning of the legs on their arms. We learned how to shift our legs as your opponent tries to pass as well as 2 sweeps, if your opponent leaves their foot in arms reach.

Yesterday we covered kimuras from bottom guard along with a bottom guard sweep. We also went over taking the back after a kimura attempt. After class, I worked on guillotines from the same position. I did almost 6 straight hours of some form of training, without only about a 20 minute break midway through.

Anyway, I am as ready as I will ever be.  update to come.

To make maters worse, today we worked almost exclusively from the spider guard, and being on the losing end of 30+ spider guard sweeps has my back very tight. I am extremely appreciative to everyone who has been working with me, giving me the extra attention, advice, and training hours I need to be ready tomorrow morning.

Takedown city

Considering I am participating in my first tournament this weekend, and I have only worked on takedowns once, I REALLY needed this class. 

We started with some amazing solo drills using body kick pads. We performed side control transitions, knee on belly drills, and more. Next we practiced a solo drill for a collar takedown. Start off with your arm extended at a right angle (this is your imaginary collar grip). With your opposite leg, take a step back to the same side and your extended arm. Next step your forward leg inside of your opponents imaginary leg and bring that knee to the mat and you reach for their other leg with your free arm.

Next we worked on real takedowns. The first was  the real version of the takedown above. Then we performed another takedown using a collar grip with one hand and  a sleeve grip at the elbow with the other. Rotate your collar gripped hand to the outside. The sleeve gripped arm should have your elbow out as if you are checking the time on a watch. Next in one motion, rotate your collar grip inside, tuck the elbow of the sleeve grip, and step your inside leg across both of your opponents legs. You should at least end up in side control.

The last takedown we worked on is intended to be used when opponents  are extending their arms and tucking their butt out, facing you square. Inexperienced opponents do this to keep you away from their legs. When this happens, grip their collar at the chest, step out to the same side of the grip. Hook your inside leg and reach form the opposite leg with your free arm. The will fall side ways, leaving you in side control. 

Both the North South armbar and kimura were so poorly executed by me that I do not believe it is fair for me to explain it. I will try to find videos.

Regarding the tournament this weekend. I made the mistake of googling my first opponent when they posted the brackets. I wasnt nervous till I saw I was going up against a former wrestling champion. Lesson learned. 

More gi chokes

From bottom guard, get a cross collar grip by sliding your hand along the collar as if it were a race track. Make sure you reach for their tag at the back of their gi. Slide your other arm under your cross gripped arm and grab the collar as high as you can get it. It is not necessary to get a deep grip. My goal is to grab the collar right where my knuckles will put pressure on their carotid  artery, however you can pull this off with a much lower grip. Rotate your fists, as if you are performing a wrist curl (this step is extremely critical in the success of your choke). Next lift your body as high as you can get while pulling your arms out in a scissor motion. Imagine you are cutting off your opponent's head. 

 The first choke in this vid is perfect

In the event your opponent tucks their chin when you get the deep cross collar grip, you will be unable to execute the standard variation. With their chin tucked, their head will be tilted downward, leaving enough room for you to reach over their shoulder with your free hand, and get a grip of their gi at the shoulder (it does not need to be the collar). Next, bring your arm over their head so that you have an arm on either side of their head. This will now resemble the standard variation except  that the deep grip is now on the bottom. Next, kick your hips out, positioning your body to the side of the shoulder grip. As weird as this might seem, imagine you are shaking out a dirty rug and shake your grips up and down. Eventually your opponent will allow you to sink the 2nd grip under their chin, at whihc time you lock in the submission. 

today was by far my best sparring day. After 5 5 minute rounds, and 60 minutes of technique training, I still had plenty of energy. I demonstrated good mastery of the techniques discussed in class, and was very effective in my submission defense. 

2/23 More Side Control

We worked on bridging from bottom side control. Discussed arm positioning. Your inside arm can protect your neck by going flush against the side of your face,elbows in. Your outside arm should get an underhook. Bridging without the underhook could leave you vulnerable for arm locks. When you start to bridge, your inside arm can be used for spacing as you bring your feet to your butt and bridge over. Once your reach the peek, tuck your inside elbow under your body. This provides the extra leverage to prevent being rolled back on your back. Now hip escape for space then transition into half or full guard.

One variation can use a takedown instead of a transition to guard. When you hip escape, your opponent will be on their knees. Scissor kick to change the position of your legs, imedietly get to your knees and reach for their farside knee with your outside arm. Drive into your opponent from the side and follow them down into side control. Your pressure combined with the knee control will natrually put them on their side. This leaves the back exposed. When you drive into their body, you need to follow to the exposed side. With luck, you may also take the back.

We rolled for 4 7 minute rounds. I probably had my most productive day. I had a ton of energy and managed to keep my composure to escape several submission attempts. I was able to lock in a gi choke after taking the back of a much more experienced partner.

Even though we worked on side control sweeps, I did struggle in bottom side control against an opponent who had 50lbs on me.

Another great foundations class

Today we worked on a simple, yet effective way to break the closed guard, followed by 2 ways to transition into side control once the guard is broken.

While in someone closed guard, glue your opponents hips to the ground with your arms by grabbing their gi pants. Do not go for their belt as that can move. Next, stick your knee under their butt and turn your other leg outward towards their foot. Make sure your posture is good, and you are looking up. As you extend your leg, jam your elbows into their thigh and the guard will break.

Now that the guard is broken, grab the gi pants at the knee of the leg in front of you. Force that leg to the ground, while sliding your arm under the opposite leg. Jame your shoulder into their belly and hop your outstretched legs over the controlled leg into side control. Once you get over, place your outside knee against their thigh to prevent them from rolling. This will also free up your grip from their pants, which can now be used to underhook their neck. You can either leave your knee as is, or for greater control, slide your arm under their legs and get a grip on the pants on the opposite leg.

The other guard pass variation involved the same setup, however instead of rotating over the leg, you stack their other underhooked leg against their chest and rotate to the side of the stack.

NEWSFLASH: I finally get it

After 15 minutes of rolling, something clicked. I realized a minute aspect of my game that changed everything. I noticed that when I am on my back, I always stayed flat. Never changed angles. The moment I made a conscious effort to not remain flat, I was suddenly no longer an easy roll. I was able to get my legs under my body for transitions, execute more effective sweeps, and essentially survive longer and be more aggressive.

Today's class focused on 2 open guard sweeps that result in knee on belly.
In the first variation, my feet are on my opponents hips, I am control of their gi at the wrist, and have positioned their arms near the ground, outside my legs, putting pressure on their bicep with my shin. I then swing one of my legs to the opposite side of their hip across their body. Your opponent will naturally want to rotate towards the opening generated by the leg shift. When they do so, underhook their knee, shift their weight on top of you, then sweep then, ended up with knee on belly.

In the second variation, you will perform the same steps, however before moving the leg across their body, you will straighten your other leg, bring it over their arm from the outside, and hook your ankle upder their arm pit. While executing the sweep, you may have to push their arm out from under you to avoid the bicep cutter.

Today was my most productive day rolling and was not and easy out for anyone.  Defensively, I made sure I kept my arms in and close to my body while on the bottom. At no time did I find my limbs in a compromising position, however my neck was another story. I got caught in a couple of gi chokes and one guillotine.

Food poisoning, NAGA, and other stuff

I did not get to roll at all this week due to a bout of food poisoning Sunday night that lasted till Thursday. On Friday I had previous obligations and Saturday was Naga, so no rolling. The food poisoning came from the tube in my gym water bottle. I very lazily placed the bottle and top (tube attached) into the dishwasher, knowing very well that that tube would not get cleaned.

On Saturday I was a first time spectator in Naga Atlanta. My gym took home more 1st place trophies than I could count. The atmosphere was amazing. There were hundreds of competitors and the auditorium/gym was filled to capacity. I fully intend on participating in Naga when they return in July.

A bit of redemption in my Foundations class

I needed a great class today after feeling down about yesterday's class. It was only a Foundations class, so we focused on a smaller scope of technique. Today we focused on proper bridging and ways to utilize it with a trap and roll from bottom mount and transiting from bottom side control to half guard.

In both techniques the bridge needs to be over one shoulder and not straight up. In the trap and roll, you do not have to control the arm before bridging, but you need to time the trap so that it occurs right when you try to sweep, to prevent your opponent from posting. Your free arm should almost punch over your opponents back for momentum.

From side control, the bridge is primarily used to create space. Most likely your opponent will have an underhook of your inside arm. Your free arm should try to go under their necks and either graps the opposite shoulder or gi. This puts incredible pressure and create a little space. Next you bridge and either control their hip or knee with your underhooked arm. When the time is right, pull back off of the bridge and shrimp your knee in to half guard.

We rolled after class and I did a decent job despite taking a hour long kickboxing fitness class and 60 minutes of BJJ before starting the roll. I did a good job of conserving energy and utilized several of the techniques I learned that day. 

I need to get past my frustrations

This morning I volunteered at the local Food Bank. After single handedly stacking over 12 thousand pounds of food on to pallets, I drove straight to the gym where I participated in 90 minutes of the most depressing display of jiu jitsu I have even seen. I had a great warm up and hopped I could parlay that into a good training session and rolling. Boy was I wrong.

Today's class focused on 2 butterfly guard passes to side control. One with your opponent's guard open and another with you inside leg in their half guard locked. The unlocked version starts when you enter their guard from a standing position and immediately grasp their gi chest high, while putting pressure on their thigh with your front leg. Your outside leg is completely outside of their guard. Your opponent tries to hook your leg with their inside leg. You push that leg out of the way with your outside hand while lifting your guarded leg high and over the leg you pushed down. Your lg will land outside of their body  with the knee on belly. As your opponent shrimps away to move away from your knee, you drop to side control.

The leg locked variation is the same except that you need to release your leg from their grasp by putting the same pressure of their knee while rotating your knee parallel to the floor and sliding your leg out.

If took me all day to comprehend those simple tasks. The funny thing is, if I had to write about the technique 5 minutes after being shown, I could have done so. I know what to do but I keep screwing up the execution.

My frustrations continued when it was time to roll. My first partner was a 1 stripe white belt whom I had 70 lbs over. Our 2 of our 3 matches ended in stale mates though I would have lost on points. I kept making stupid mistakes like leaving my arm out for the taking. Allowing my ankle to be trapped for the sweep. And not bridging or maintain hip control. I could go on and on.

Next up was a purple blue belt who too me to arm lock school. 2 armbars and a kimura along with a gi choke for good measure. Last up was a purple belt. I got caught in a freakin crucifix choke that I saw comming 20 seconds before it happened and couldn't do anything about it. He was able to execute whatever he wanted. It was so bad, the last round he just laid on the ground and dared me to pass his guard without playing and defense beyond rotating.

I feel like I am not making adequate progress. Grant it I am only 9 or 10 classes in, but I thought I would be able to at least defend a little better than I am.

I can hear the violins playing as I type this, but I am depressed about my lack of progress. I hope I have a better Fundamentals class tomorrow.

Rolling is Fun-damental

Another great Fundamentals class today. I took the 10am kickboxing class and immediately followed it up with BJJ. We worked on closed guard techniques. We started with simple posturing  from the top and hip control from the bottom. We then went on to taking advantage of their posturing by sweeping with their momentum.Next we worked on Kimura's from the closed guard, including ways to set up the Kimura, and finished the techniques portion of class with  a sweep from the Kimura.

After 60 minutes of training, we rolled for another 30. I was an observant the last 2 rounds of rolling. I guess my cardio limit was at 135 minutes of constant training. None the less, I see progress in many areas (sweeps, posturing, bottom closed guard) and not so much progress in other areas ( hip control, shrimping, giving up my back). I have a much better understanding of the importance of rolling as well as studying. I use to watch as much video as I could consume, and wasn't making nay progress. Now I simply use videos to reinforce techniques I learned training. My rolling has helped me learn timing, pacing myself, and energy conservation. Not to mention the fact that it makes me more and more comfortable to find myself in compromising positions. I am no longer an easy tap in an armbar, nor am I finding myself getting setup for subs as much. I wish I could say I was on the winning end of more subs.
That will come with time. This is only my 9th class.

 I think I will focus on strength and core exercises tomorrow and skip BJJ.

Bow and Arrow Chokes and neck burns- UGGH

Great class today. We  worked on 2 variations of Bow and Arrow Chokes. The standard variation starts from an over under hook from the back with leg hooks in deep. With the over hook, get a deep collar grip. With the under hook, grab the same side leg. Lay back, pulling the collar and legs as you fall. Your leg that is on the same side as the choke hold should become unhooked and posted up at a right angle to prevent your opponent from rolling over it in defense.

In the 2nd variation, your opponent rolls over your leg. Keep your opposite foot engaged in your opponent, either over their leg or on their hip. As they roll, follow them, remaining on their back. Free your bottom leg and roll into their body to lock in the choke.

Mid way through class, I developed neck burns on my left side. Mainly because my sparing partner rarely reversed his grip. You would get neck burns too if you were on the short end of  20+ Bow and Arrow Chokes.

We rolled after training as usual. My first partner overpowered me most of the match and I found myself in 2 armlocks and a choke.  Other than a couple of sweeps, I didn't get much accomplished. I did mush better against my 2nd opponent who was one of the most experienced in my belt classification. I wanted to focus on bottom guard so I pulled guard every time. He only managed to get out of my guard once. I managed 1 triangle choke but got blocked on all sweep attempts. My final opponent was a female Blue who did a great job of preventing me from pulling guard by getting really  low. I locked in 2 Americana's but she managed to roll out both times.

The only advice I am qualified to give

The general consensus on the blog-a-forumsphere is that after learning 1 technique, you are a full fledged internet adviser on all that is Jiu Jitsu. I have only been at this 2 short months, and have only scratched the surface of this massive, lifelong chess game that is Jiu Jitsu. I am in no position to tell someone what they need to do to be successful. As soon as I seem to think I am getting too big for my britches, an 18 year old day 1 student with a wrestling background, becomes 1 camera phone short of a Youtube sensation with the number of submissions he got me into in 4 short minutes of rolling(true story).  But there is 1 piece of advice I feel that I am qualified to give.

3 weeks ago, my gym added a Foundations course to their BJJ schedule. I didn't find  out about it until earlier this week, and today was my first class. During a typical "normal" class, we learn 2 or 3 techniques, that include a handful of variations. Those techniques will start in a certain position and will either be the result of a counter to an opponent's action, or a specific action I take that will eventually lead to a submission.  It's a dance. Step 1, 2, 3, 4, submission.  The foundations class, however, does not look at the the series of moves to complete the dance. Rather, it analyzes each move independently. It ensures that you know all of your options from a specific position. It helps you understand what your goals are. 

During today's class, for example, we focused on side control. We discussed ways to hold the position, transition, defend, and sweep.  Where in a previous normal class, we learned  an armlock from side control, we didn't discuss getting to that position, holding it, and how to be successful at it. We merely learned that if we happen to magically appear in side control, and your opponent happens to reach for your wrist that is controlling his neck, you can do very specific movements, and maybe achieve a submission. While that is great for someone who has a few hundred hours of training under their belt, and would like to add just 1 more move to their arsenal, the new guy's find themselves at a huge disadvantage. Sure as a noob, your loving the fact that you just learned that cool new kimura, but if you factor in the % of opportunities that will present themselves to use that one move, and the use-it-or-lose-it rule that decreases our chances of executing it effectively as we let our muscle memory fade over time, you realize that you could have gotten more bang for your buck if you spent that time learning that new fan-geld trick, learning some fundamentals instead. 

Every Fundamentals class will focus on a position, and not a technique.  You will find yourself in someone's guard all the time. Understanding what your primary 3 roles are as well as what your opponent's primary roles are, will go a lot further than wishing your opponent does the one thing that will maybe allow you to try to put them in an americana. As a defender, you learn how not to lose that guard. How to position yourself in a way that limits your opponent's opportunities, and puts you in a position to become an aggressor. Fundamentals are the key to success for any new Jiu Jitsu student. Sure I still plan on attending regular classes (there is currently only 1 Fundamentals class offered), but I have every intention of attending Fundamentals, until my fundamentals become second nature. And I would advise every single other noob to do the same. 

Armbars from the bottom

Today we worked on a cross collar choke from the bottom guard, cross collar armbar, and arm drag armbar.

Cross Collar Choke:
From bottom closed guard, get a deep collar grip with your opposite hand. Place your foot  on the same side as your free hand and push off and rotate towards the opponent. Next grip their opposite shoulder with your free hand. Now lock in the choke, pull them tight to your chest. Note: remember to breath when going for the submission.

Cross Collar Armbar:
Same as above, but when going for the shoulder, your opponent reaches for your arm to prevent you from setting up the choke. Their extended arm is trapped between your legs, as you swing the same side leg over their head and lock in the armbar.

Arm Drag Armbar:
From bottom guard, your opponent had grabbed your gi. With both hands, grab their wrist and use a hip thrust to force their grip free. Guide their arm across your body. Release your grip of your hand that is now across your body and reach over their shoulder and grasp their gi near their armpit. Glide your arm over their head and use your elbow to force the head away. This creates space for yo to swing your leg over their head and lock in the armbar.

We sparred for 30 minutes. I pulled off my first butterfly sweep and several key lock sweeps (that I am getting very good at -Gracie Combatives disk 1). I also played pretty good defense from my back. I need to work on balancing offense and defense. From my back I only focus on defending and on top, I continuously look for subs, leaving my posture vulnerable and I end up getting swept.

I am happy that I did not get gassed for the very first time, as I am breathing much better and learning where opportunities exist to buy time. Overall it was another positive class.

Great class today

In today's class, we continued to build on the arm drags from Saturday. We started with 3 varitions of an arm drag to leg take-down and 1 counter to the arm drag take-down attempt. The last technique we covered was a continuation to the closed guard arm drag sweep from last class. We worked on 3 finishing moves for that sweep.

For the first variation of the take-down, you attempt the arm drag of their rear arm, but your opponent pulls away. You then drop down and grasp their front leg and squeeze their knee between your legs as you drive your head into their chest and turn your opponent 45 degrees towards you. When the take-down is complete, you should land in side control.

Variation #2: Same as above but when you drop down, you grab both legs at the knees and turn 45 degrees. Should land in side control.

Variation #3: Same as variation #2 but when you grab both legs you squeeze them together, pin their arm against their body with your head, and they fall straight back mounted by you.

Counter: As your opponent goes for the arm drag and places their head in your chest, you quickly push off of their shoulders and move your body so that their head is outside your body. With your opposite hand, reach over their back and grab their belt and your free hand hooks their knee. Sit down and your momentum will cause you to roll your opponent and you land in mount.

For the closed guard arm drag sweep, we discussed 2 submissions that can be performed instead of sweeping. For the first one, once we have their arm locked  around their head, you make a weak attempt to trap their free arm. They react by pulling it back, giving you and opening to bring your leg over his shoulder for a triangle. Slide out your hips to gain leverage for a triangle.

See this technique here:

For the second submission, your opponent tries to pull back to avoid the triangle. As they do, they leave their trapped arm vunlerable for an arm bar. Simply grasp their wrist with both hands, bring your leg over his head so that both legs are sepearted by the trapped arm. Squeeze your legs together, and lift your hips for the sub.

While sparring today, I had my most productive experience yet. I did an excellent job of conserving energy and executed several trap and roll sweeps. I focused on keeping my hooks in and trying to control my opponent's posture.  While rolling with a new guy, I was able to assist him with his breathing and also demonstrated the trap and roll that I managed to execute against him at will.

I did run into issues when sparring with a purple. He appeared to seemlessly slide out of my guard (specifically the half guard) and then he would transition to a knee on the belly from side control. I couldnt seem to find a way to escape that knee and even tapped a couple of times because I could not breathe.

I am extremely excited by progress and hope to continue building on this experience. For now, I am going to focus on refining what I learned this week to make sure those techniques are engrained in my brain.

Special Delivery

When I came home from rolling, I had a delivery waiting for me. I ordered a new belt (one that I can actually double wrap), a better fitting mouth piece, a cup, and ankle wraps.

Can't wait til tomorrow's class.
In the mean time, my noob arse is studying more full and open guard techniques since I spend soooo much time in those positions.

What a drag

In class today we worked primarily on  2 types of arm drag sweeps and 4 variations of am arm drag take-down. I personally worked on my breathing and energy conservation. I didn't get gassed until the end of my 4th sparring session. The 4 take-downs all started with grasping the same side wrist and locking the back of the elbow with the other hand. It took me 8 or 9 tries to realize that I was not supposed to pull the opponent to me. Instead, I was supposed to step in, in order to maintain balance.

Take-down 1: Grasp the wrist with the same side hand (grabbing the forward hand of the opponent). Grasp the back of their elbow with your opposite hand and step into the opponent. As you go for the take-down, put your head int their side, under the grasped arm, and drive forward (football tackle) as you release the wrist grab and go for their ankle. Main control of their arm with the other hand. You should end up in side control or half guard.

The take-down is similar to this but not exactly.

Take-down 2: Same as variation #1 except you hook their leg and sit down.

Take-down 3: Same as variation #1 except you drop straight down, maintaining their arm until you get to the floor. Now in one motion, transition from the wrist grab, to locking their leg and arm, then drive forward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elQUepOQ4Gc

Take-down 4: Same as variation #3 but grasp both legs during the transition.

Butterfly arm drag sweep: Your ankles are locked inside your opponent's thighs.Your opponent is grasping your gi and you have a grasp of their wrist. Switch your grasp to your opposite hand and take the same side hand and place it under their arm, as close to your hand as possible. Perform a hip thrust while simultaneously pulling their arm free and pulling your outside leg outside their body.  Guide their free arm over your shoulder and lock your outside arm around their neck. Do not release their arm as it is extended over your shoulder. Next transition their arm to your hand over their shoulder and pull tight  to your shoulder. With your free inside hand, grab inside their thigh and swing both legs over to the opposite side like a helicopter. If you don't get the sweep, your probably did not pull their arm into your shoulder.You will end up mounted.

Closed guard arm drag sweep:  The opponent's posted on your chest or grasping your gi. Grasp their wrist with the opposite arm and with your same side arm, grasp the same side elbow and hip thrust to release their hold while pulling their arm across your body. Shrimp your hips out (you can push off their hips with your outside leg). Now reach over their back and lock your wrists for over under control. If your opponent goes flat you can get their back.

Kinda like this but you grasp the elbow:

While sparring, I wanted to work on my closed guard game, so I tried to pull guard most of the time.  I did well as long as my guard was closed. The minute I opened for a sweep or shrimp out, my opponent would pass. I managed to pull off a few good sweeps from my back (which I am proud of) but did not have the technique to seal the deal. Overall this was my favorite and most productive session.

Ready to roll again- kinda

   Though the scab on my right knee has not completely healed, and I am not looking forward to a 3rd straight bloody GI, I don't think I can hold out any longer. I will probably wrap my knee tightly and head to the 11am class tomorrow. In my 2 week long BJJ absence, I have still managed 7 workouts ranging from Kickboxing, yoga, and at home functional BJJ workouts (see previous post).

   I welcome any advise to prevent continuously breaking open my knee where my surgical scar is. The skin is so thin that I fear I will beak it open every class. Luckily pretreating the GI and then washing in warm water, take out the blood stains but I would imagine some shrinkage will eventually occur. I only intended to ever wash my GIs in cold water.

    In my absence, I have also taken up an interest in  street jiu jitsu. My club mainly focuses on sport BJJ, but I would like to learn more defensive techniques that can translate to the street. To the chagrin of many traditionalists, I have began watching the Gracie Combatives series.  I have read a ton of hate posts regarding this series, focusing on the at home, blue belt earning, no rolling aspects of the DVD. I however, am not trying to earn an internet blue belt. I am merely interested in the street applications of BJJ. I have competed the first 10 lessons, and will surely post my review of the series once I have completed all 36.

Best MMA Jiu Jitsu list

Best overall- Demian Maia (honerable mention: Ricardo Almeida/Rolando Souza)
Takedown- Ben Henderson
Leg lock- Rousimar Palhares
Armbar- Ronda Rousey(Judo)/Paulo Filho
Triangle Choke- Nate Diaz
Rear Naked- BJ Penn/Jason MacDonald
Rubber Guard- Dustin Hazelett
Arm Triangle- Thales Leites
Passing Guard-Nate Diaz
Sub defense- Anderson Silva
Neck Crank- Shinya Aoki