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.