Saturday, March 29, 2008

Passing butterfly guard (continued)- clubbing the leg; leg on shoulder pass

SH training

...continuation of passing the butterfly guard.

review-

stuff from last night- several ways to pass once leg is pinned.

new move- club the legs to the side, get past halfway mark on chest, angle torso and smash legs, insert stiffarm, reach over head (like guillotine)- reverse neck tie, roll torso over.

counter- opponent doesn't allow you to smash down leg. club to the other side.

application- shoulder roll butterfly pass- opponent replaces, club the leg and pass again.

reminder for shoulder roll- once you jump, thrust shoulder down to straighten opponent's hook/drive across body

all moves must be done in context- need to combo moves together to really make them work.


----------------------

phil's class.

leg on shoulder pass-

reminder- grab lapel and draw opponent in, sprawl chest and keep head up, hips down. pressure should be on thigh.

counter to hand post-
1. knee under and over
2. knee beyond and over
3. hip wiggle

counters to foot hooking you
1. hand moves from pants to ankle- plant foot down
2. knee down on hook


negative side pass-

1. step 1 (far leg- legs together now), step 2 (near leg) over opponent's leg (keep underhook), over/under pass.
2. far leg knee slide through

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Passing butterfly guard

SH training

passing the bf guard

-all starting from trapping one leg-

to trap leg- use knee to pin own arm if they grab at it. other hand post on belt/beltline and on thigh. kick leg out, if they follow, leg crumbles and you trap other leg.

options-

-paul bunyan pass- grab toes with hand under flattened butterfly hook, grab over head and pass
-trap other bf hook between legs, switch hips
-shoulder roll

-marcelo pass-
i finally got to see how to do it properly. from flattened butterfly- head up, stiffarm in hip, jump hips out to side, push leg down and pass to half guard.

or- from t-rex arm posture- get arm inside thigh, jump hips out as you sprawl hips down and lift head up and force hook down.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Half guard- replace guard, sweep, pass, etc.

PM class

-single leg variation from opposite side sleeve control
-half guard pass- shoulder in face, walk foot up, push legs off knee
-half guard replace- grab belt and opposite side leg, put in bf hook, rock towards them, rock back and kick up to replace guard.
-foot grab sweep from half guard

rolling-

-still trying to set up the x-guard from everywhere. having decent success, but need to get it perfect.

-from opponent trying to pass while standing- opposite arm grabs leg, free hand posts, leg drag and butt scoot to leg while kicking hook through and setting up x-guard.

-from opponent on knees, foot posted- get close with butterfly hooks, kick one through while overhooking thigh. need to work this out.

-from flattened half guard- rock opponent's other leg with hips, need to get head past the crossface. need to get hips underneath opponent. still need lots of work here.


-x-guard sweep with the ankle grab- bend the leg and use momentum to get up and sweep. similar to driving butterfly sweep.

the only guard i care about at the moment is x-guard. gotta perfect it.



-a dope move- one arm guillotine from half guard top. gotta figure it out eventually.
-arm-in guillotine from half guard top is excellent! i like to pass with the arm across the face anyways, so i'm a step away at times. if opponent underhooks and tries to come up, it's getting locked on. can also switch easily to darce/brabo.

Attacking the back and the turtle. X-guard from the knees, paragon half.

AM class

techniques-

-rolling bow and arrow choke from turtle setup
-ezekiel from the back
-escape from the back

drilling-

-back defense is getting better. 2 on 1 baseball bat grip works well if you allow them to come over the shoulder.

-under collar grip on opposite side lapel is almost as good as over/under harness grip

-single hook- hip ride twister setup





some issues-

-x-guard setup- from knees- opponent has one leg posted- from butterfly on one side- shoot leg through and guillotine thigh, switch to shoulder grip on leg, push torso away from armpit, push opposite leg up to make them stand.

today's errors- tried to shoot from far away. opponent got underhook on the butterfly hook, negating my ability to come under. could have possibly still hipped underneath?

should have gotten the butterfly first, scooted butt towards feet, and then attacked the opposite leg. i left too much space by shooting with a fully extended hook (almost fully extended), allowing opponent to underhook it and stop my progress.

-x-guard sweeps- need to combo stuff to off-balance opponent. example- try to dump them backwards, they base forwards with hands, use to stand up. getting better with keeping the leg.

-paragon half guard-

today's errors- opponent got control of farside arm, preventing me from coming underneath while also putting me in danger of armlocks. opponent then triangled legs and attacked the isolated arm. doh!

should have tucked arm TIGHT and not allowed opponent to get a grip of it- quickly shoot underneath the leg during the setup. possibly had an opportunity to sweep before opponent got underneath me and triangled legs.

paragon half guard can lead to getting you back taken if executed improperly.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Mount stuff

pm class

techniques-
-armbar from mount
-cross choke from mount- arm in and all weight on that side (anticipate bridge)- cross arm over and complete the choke
-triangle from mount
-arm bar option from mounted triangle

notes-
-foot drag is essential for my general escape route
-upas are still hard for me to do on larger opponents
-possible to get to x-guard from mount- butterfly half setup and dive arm underneath other leg for the x-guard


-gotta learn as many x-guard entries as possible. must master the x-guard.

-pop up to knee on stomach- gotta get the mobile top game going eventually.

-going to eventually start giving up position and letting my opponents escape somewhat once i know i have them locked down and finished.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Two specific things to practice

PM class

techniques-

-takedown series from sleeve control
-guard opener series- pin arm, stand up and open, pass with leg on shoulder
-counter- my variant involved falling into x-guard
-counter to counter- knee inside

rolling-

-gotta practice two specific moves- x-guard entries, butterfly guard pass to half guard

-transitions are generally good

-aggressiveness level is up

Half Guard stuff

3-24 bjj blog

am class

techniques-

-half guard bearhug legs pass
-half guard bottom sweep- trap underhook arm and bridge over shoulder
-half guard bottom arm triangle (doesn’t seem useable unless they suck)

rolling-

-getting back to the super aggressive guard- gotta combo things together and not allow opponent to mount an offense. My speed and technique are my strengths- gotta use them to outdo stronger opponents.

-starting to roll out of turtle better. Gotta react quickly.

-getting the x-guard setup better- must push armpit away, push leg up and get opponent to stand.

-need to get that marcelo pass to half guard down. Another application- you catch opponent and trap one butterfly hook while underhooking other leg. Could flatten that trapped leg and sprawl on it while doing the over/under pass.

-getting much more aggressive on the feet. Going for the kouchi gari mainly. Gotta figure out how to follow up when opponent steps both legs back. Maybe seionage?

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Cross Guard

am class

cross guard-

i was aware of the cross guard a few months back, but this was the first time i had any formal instruction in it. pe de pano uses it a lot to set up sweeps, arm locks, etc.

1. from armlock position- grab pants, bridge towards opponent's free arm. they react by basing out, you take them over with a pendulum sweep variant.

2. from #1- opponent bases out with leg to prevent the sweep. you cinch down with your leg in their armpit to adjust their angle, and pass the leg over the face for the armlock.

3. from #2- opponent rips arm out- you adjust and lock up the triangle choke.

very interesting series of attacks. sort of gives direction to my old style of machine gun guard.

gotta mess around and see what develops. this seems like a very good guard system from closed guard with a gi.

rolling-

-worked to take the back a lot. experimenting with bringing opponent to other side if they control the arm (simultaneously attacking the collar with free arm). seems to work well.

-hit a nice twister from hip ride control!

-very little standup today. got thrown by a seionage because i didn't adjust my weight properly. managed to take the back from it, though.

Guillotines

3/21
no gi-

techniques-

-guillotine from guard
-arm-in guillotine (me)
-arm-in guillotine half butterfly sweep (me)
-2 on 1 sweep from guard

application-

-the arm-in guillotine needs to be worked on some more. need to get the mechanics down right and hit it quickly for the finish. must have constant pressure and get on side/hip.


rolling-

-need to stand up when someone tries to pull rubber guard. hard to posture up from there, might try to stand and shake them off.

-working on the 2 on 1 series from standing. very effective. need to do something with the russian armbar, though. been scooping up the single leg takedown.

-combo- stuffed single leg to double leg takedown

-i'm actually beginning to get aggressive and go for takedowns rather than waiting to sprawl

-lead leg- same side hand stays down to block

-keep driving once you have the legs!

-marcelo butterfly guard move- must flatten butterfly and go directly to half guard. don't hesitate!

-x-guard- must pull right away while they're standing. no hesitation, or you'll end up in half guard with a shoulder in the face.

-x-guard- must push opponent away towards feet. missing this part in my x-guard, which is probably why i get smashed and can't sweep sometimes.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Brutal rolling

from yesterday (3/20)

today’s techniques-

some kimuras from guard

rolling-

all the big dogs showed up today for the one hour rolling session- the high purple belts, brown belt, etc. no easy rolls! tiring class, but i managed to survive decently.

-standup feeling decent still. At least in terms of defense and grip fighting.

-must “shadow” throws and takedowns I want to try out

-tripod, de la riva, and x-guard are essential to stopping the standing passes. Spider guard and butterfly guard vs. passes from the knees.

-need to be more aggressive with sweeps. Been hesitating lately, leading to less sweeps.

-need to start rolling out of turtle before they settle weight or gain any kind of control

-I think I’m developing the bad habit of turtling away from the opponent as they pass. It’s been there for me a lot this past week, and I’ve gone to it every day. I start with a knee-in turtle already. Should work more from the standard side control escapes.

-need to get cardio up. Gotta maintain a high level of explosiveness over a sustained period of time.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

The guard trio

PM class

-omoplata
-triangle
-arm bar

and combos between those three. very good refresher.

rolling-

-standing feels better than this morning. gaining confidence on the feet. the double leg/fireman's carry combo still gets me sometimes.

-something to consider- 2 on 1 with a gi. need to figure it out.

-reminder- grip fighting

-reminder- attack from side control

-passing feels better than it has in weeks.

-turtle- getting my back taken sometimes by better people. gotta keep at it and figure out defenses and escapes in context.

-x-guard to paragon half guard works well when they drop a knee next to your head and you can't sweep them with the x-guard ankle sweep.



things to practice-

-STANDING- off balancing opponent, osoto gari, o goshi, kouchi gari, double leg, single leg, ankle pick, arm drag

-GUARD- x-guard, spider guard

-PASSING- knee slide, scissor pass, leg on shoulder pass, over/under pass (passes on both sides)

-HALF GUARD- pass to half guard, kimura, americana, straight arm lock, arm triangle, mike's pass, marcelo pass, kick back pass

-SIDE CONTROL- posture breaking and control, kimura, americana, straight arm lock, letting opponent get half guard again so i can practice passing

-MOUNT- maintaining mount, flowing to KOS

-KOS- use often to transition

there's various other things i want to practice.

main ideas- i need to get competent at the feet so that i can control the pace of a fight in a tournament. on the ground i need to start dominating on passing. i need to put myself in bad situations (side control, back) and escape. gonna take some time before i get better at it, but i NEED to be working on escapes. also, submission escapes (guillotine, triangle, arm bar to start).

Some Judo

AM class




-hook sweep (osoto gari)- shoulder to shoulder, keep arm tight, step across and leg back at ankle, lower head down





-hip toss (o goshi)- from lapel and elbow- release lapel and get underhook (belt). step across like uchi mata, follow with other foot, throw off hip

combo- they block hook sweep by straightening up- go to hip toss; they block hip toss by sagging weight back- go to hook sweep


these two throw should be mastered before proceeding to other throws.



rolling-

-standup is starting to make more sense
-defense is getting better
-starting to find myself in turtle a lot. probably better than finding myself in side control, though.
-gotta react quickly- when they seize a collar- spinning one way will tighten it, spinning the other way will alleviate it.
-leg on shoulder reaction- get move leg off shoulder and onto elbow, get hook in. must recognize and go quickly.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Spider guard musings

I can't get spider guard out of my head.

Some nice combos I've thought up over the past week-

-missed triangle- control the arm still, kick leg over for either a) sweep or b) omoplata setup

-lasso'ed arm- opponent starts to pass while you still control arm. from knees, do sit out sweep

-from cobrinha- from tripod sweep- move to de la riva w/the arm controlled still. lasso arm and sweep opponent over head (controlling same side arm and leg)

-opponent almost passed- control sleeve and step over for either omoplata or sit out sweep (context to move from a few months back)


-gotta omoplata from everywhere. omoplatas and triangles from everywhere from spider guard.

-constant switching of tension/moving from arms to hips to hooks to ankles. so frustrating for the opponent. sweeps galore.


-the spider guards can easily be combined from each other. one leads to the next! very systematic flow chart can be established. maybe a later project.



main sweeps-

1. opponent on knees- double wrist control- full tension in opposite arm, bring other arm across opponent's body and block leg with free leg to sweep them over.

2. opponent on feet- full tension in arm that you're sweeping towards. spin underneath and grab ankle (either one will work- try the closest first).

3. lasso'ed arm with shin across


gotta master these three sweeps.


main submissions- omoplata, triangle choke
also can set up spinning arm locks to some degree

Monday, March 17, 2008

Some arm drag stuff, general standing issues

early class-

-guard opener
-toriani pass

-worked a lot of spider and x-guard. got my passing pressure back to some extent.

later class-

-arm drag to double leg
-arm drag to single leg
-arm bar from side control #1
-arm bar from side control #2

rolling- worked a lot on my defense and sweeps. felt that i did pretty well. worked some stand up after class. actually, this is the best i've felt in weeks.

-knee slide- better with the crunch
-reminder- scissor pass- drive shoulder and shut down hip movement

-worked on side control posture/escapes for a bit

-reminder- x-guard and opponent takes knee next to head- either grab ankle and sweep or go paragon half guard

-standup- always have one hand up/one hand down to defend the shot

-reminder- 2 on 1 for setups

-gotta practice standing!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Joe Moreira Tournament

Went to Costa Mesa to support team SH for the tournament.

Overall, had some pretty tough matches. It didn't go our way, but a lot of our guys got some good experience.

The margin of victory is so slim in a tournament.

I think a lot of it is coming down to standup. The first to score those 2 points and work from the top is in a good position to apply pressure and win the match.

I gotta practice standup if I want to have success in tournaments.

I think I'm going to devote the next few months to standup practice at the end of each class. Gotta get more comfortable on the feet.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Guard pass series

helped out with no gi class tonight.

-log splitter guard opener
-shin across and kick back pass
-knee slide pass

rolling-

-i feel like my guard is no good nowadays compared to how it was a few weeks ago. part of it has to do with the injury, and part of it has to do with my legs getting fatigued, i think. time to step up the conditioning as i rehab my knee.

-pop up on elbow as opponent goes to reverse kesa gatame from half guard top.

-worked on the arm-in guillotine a lot tonight. gotta figure out the kinks. i'm still locking it up and not getting on my side (or rather, my opponent is preventing me from going there.

-reminder- peruvian necktie. similar mechanics to arm-in guillotine.

-the marcelo ten finger guillotine is great with the leg over the shoulder.

-gotta practice- crossface, harness, cartwheel to take the back (marcelo move)

-must allow people to take my back and defend against the RNC.

-must allow people to guillotine me so i can defend.

-must allow people to triangle me so i can defend/escape.

-must learn how to lock up x-guard quickly on a standing and flurrying opponent

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Scarfhold escapes

PM class

techniques-

-scarfold- 3 escapes
1. get elbow on ground, bridge into them and hip escape out, plant them down where you used to be
2. get elbow on ground, bridge into them, come to knees
3. get elbow on ground, bridge into them, roll them the other way

standing practice-

I need to practice standing more. I don't have a lot of comfort on my feet. I'm unsure of setups and am generally unfamiliar with the game. Although I know techniques in isolation, it is difficult to apply them on the feet. My main thing was to sprawl on shots and take the back.

rolling-

Got in some good positions today- footlock control, etc, but wasn't able to finish the sweeps. Figured out twister setup from turtle. Defended some attacks nicely- guillotine/loop choke, triangle, etc.

Felt a little slow today, but hopefully something happens and my game comes together better. Maybe I need to begin conditioning again. I haven't done any of that for awhile.

Critical breakthroughs

courtesy of mike.

----------------

Butterfly 2 on 1 series-

-grip- spider man

-opponent pulls away- body lock to rock up x-guard
-opponent posts leg- shoot footlock series
-opponent stands- x-guard
-opponent does wrestler tie up with free arm- switch 2 on 1 to other side
-opponent goes for guillotine with free arm- duck under (from arm triangle)- take back or sweep

-reverse kimura- spin underneath and sweep
-reverse kimura- use to arm drag

kimura from half guard series-
-rip out to make them react, cup arm and hip bump from lockdown
-or let them pass, and turtle kimura

north south guillotine-
-use hip/elbow to prevent opponent from turning.
-if opponent turns, switch around to other side

arm in guillotine-
-snap down and come forward, lock hands, get on side

brabo from guard-
-lock up, let them pass, spin underneath
-same from half guard

butterfly half guard-
-knee in opponent’s ribs, not chest
-sweep from here- like normal butterfly- must get on toes

side control bottom-
-pinch knee in
-don’t let arm get isolated
-opponent tries to isolate farside arm- pummel nearside arm in
-opponent baseball slides- frame up arm with two arms
-from baseball slide- prepare to catch arm again if they circle away

guillotine from bottom half guard-
-overhook, allow opponent to pass, push head to other side
-get on hip like regular arm-in guillotine
-can use to crucifix sweep

half guard bottom- reverse kesa gatame counters-
-pop up on elbow immediately and hip bump sweep
-scoop hip with hand, replace guard

ankle pick-
-get opponent to load on foot you’re attacking (same principle for other attacks)

Monday, March 10, 2008

A list of things to do

The knee felt much better tonight. I could actually do a full lunge and touch my knee to the floor, which was impossible before. The glucosamine and rest seems to be working out well.

Tonight's techniques-

-arm bar from side control
-arm bar from north/south

drill- side mount escape

felt like my escapes were okay, but definitely need some work. i got to work against a few opponents, but i need to get my escapes much better than they are now. i'm probably a 2/10 of where i'd like to be. maybe even 1/10. that's the weakest part of my game.

drill- guard

tried to pull some spider guard and omoplata stuff. the omoplata is working well off of the spider, and it is available from many positions on the bottom.

tried the over/under pass. works well when you get tight right away. if you can get in and shut down the opponent's hip and get over the leg, you have a good chance to pass.

rolling-

the omoplata was available from many places.

things i want to practice.

bottom-
open guard (gi)- spider guard, omoplata, kimura, tripod sweep
open guard (no gi)- x-guard, ten finger guillotine

closed guard- omoplata

half guard- replace guard, move to x-guard

half butterfly- sweep, move to x-guard

butterfly guard- move to x-guard

side control- replace guard, bridge and roll

mount- upa


top-
opponent turtling- darce, arm-in guillotine, brabo

passing the guard- right side passing posture (left leg driving forward), right side knee slide (left knee through), leg on shoulder pass, over/under pass, force half guard

half guard top- right side half guard top (left leg trapped), kimura. arm-in guillotine, arm triangle

side control- posture breaking, kimura, arm triangle, top game mobility- pop up to KOS from bridge, mobile pressure, etc.

knee on stomach- baseball slide choke, kimura

north/south- n/s guillotine

mount- pop up to KOS from bridge

back- controlling the back, RNC



standing-grip fighting, 2 on 1, single leg, double leg, ankle pick, kouchi gari, uchi mata


specific escapes to work on- triangle, spinning arm lock, kimura, guillotine
specific passes to defend- leg on shoulder, double underhooks

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Kimura- Half Guard Bottom

I've been gameplanning a lot lately.

Lately, the kimura has been stuck in my head.

Main kimura positions-

top game-
1. half guard top
2. side control
3. north/south
4. knee on stomach
5. turtle

bottom game
1. half guard bottom
2. closed guard
3. various open guard positions- mainly butterfly


reasons the kimura is a good option-


1. it can be applied from many positions

2. it's a low-risk move. if you miss it, you don't give up position (unlike triangle choke from guard, spinning arm lock, etc.)

3. it gives you great control of an opponent's body (similar to 2 on 1)

4. you don't necessarily need good body control to finish it (it can be pulled off in transitions where you're not established in position yet)

5. it leads into many sweeps

6. you can almost be doing it the whole match. if the opponent is sitting in a kimura from initial tie up, how do they mount any sort of offense?

7. it immediately disrupts your opponent's posture (from top or bottom)

8. it gives you some sort of offense from half guard bottom


Some thoughts on kimura half guard bottom-

options-

1. use to stop the crossface and threaten the submission (opponent reacts by alleviating pressure and giving space). can possibly replace guard.

2. use to prevent opponent from flattening you (similar to #1)

3. use to sweep opponent- opponent grabs wrists together. you can either half butterfly sweep towards trapped arm or hip bump towards trapped arm (with lockdown).

4. use to sweep opponent- opponent grabs wrists together. bridge and roll over your farside shoulder. also can switch to butterfly guard and sweep opponent either direction from there.

5. use to replace guard- opponent is off-balance from sweep/submission attempts- replace guard when window opens. also possible to move to butterfly guard, x-guard, or many other variants from here.

6. use to prevent opponent from passing- opponent is threatened and must tend to the kimura before attempting and passes.

7. finish the lock. from stephan kesting- 1. push into thigh. 2. relax (they relax also, thinking they're safe). 3. suddenly skip hips under them and rip it out.

8. allow opponent to pass (with the lock) and finish or sweep them from side control.

details-
1. thumb grip on initial wrist grab
2. switch to no thumb grip once you lock the other arm over
3. skip hips, don't just roll over
4. bring elbow high (above head if possible) for the finish
5. keep their arm glued to your chest

There are probably many more options, but this should give me a good start. I'm trying to plan all my other moves similarly- and have a specific plan of attack for the main finishing positions.

This was developed a lot from watching Marcelo Garcia's tapes and noticing how each move he does is part of a larger system that addresses each of the opponent's major reactions. It was also developed from listening to Roy Harris' concepts on the mental game and developing a deeper awareness of each position.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Some throws

Rolled around a bit today- probably almost full speed (but with severe limitations in my movement). It was very frustrating to not be able to do things I normally could do, but I suppose this exposes a big weakness in my game- the reliance on attributes.

Now that I can't move as quickly and my leg mobility is down, I must rely on the techniques to keep me in the game. I got handled BADLY today by a stronger blue belt who also happens to be an experienced judoka. Due to the leg, I have a hard time playing guard like I used to, so I prefer to be on top and passing. He wasn't having it, and I got my guard passed over and over and got tapped out all over the mat. No fun.

In other encounters, I did manage to get decent pass attempts, but wasn't able to pass where I used to. So frustrating, but my game is still developing trying to pass on the right side. Gotta stick with it until I'm ambidextrous to some extent.

Today's techniques-

-ko uchi gari- Jacare uses it all the time. elbow and lapel grip, open opponent up by pulling them upwards as you sweep the ankle up and into your lapel grip hand. you punch up and through your opponent with the lapel grip hand while controlling the leg with your other hand as you step behind your opponent's posted leg and sweep them down HARD. seems like a devastating and fairly simple throw.

-tomoe nage- open up opponent and sit underneath them (like bf guard) as you chuck them over your head. can also be done with foot in hip.

drilling-

-managed to get the entangled spider guard sweep. also got some x-guard sweeps, but the people didn't really know what i was doing so i don't know how well that would work against other opponents. my bottom game lately has been sweep over submission, as i'm favoring the top game at this point in my career. now that my sweeps are getting better, i actually have the option of reversing the position if i choose, which is much better than randomly attacking submissions from the guard.

-interesting move that came up- from pendulum sweep while also controlling opponent's same slide sleeve and leg- possible to hit an omoplata.

-another development- kimura as they pass half guard- roll them over from side control. very good option.

-another kimura option- almost took their back, but falling off. control the farside arm and spin back to guard with the kimura.

I'm getting to the point where I want to master a submission at a time and be able to do them from EVERYWHERE like marcelo does. I feel like I'm decent at most submissions, but I'd like to develop the following-

-kimura
-guillotine (ten finger, head and arm)
-head and arm triangle
-RNC
-omoplata

the only submission that i feel like i can finish people most of the time is the triangle choke. after that, maybe the RNC and then brabo choke.

gotta round out my submission game and get dangerous.

once i heal fully, i have to practice getting out of side control again. also, escaping submissions.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Side control- attacking the farside arm

I tested the knee again today at no gi class, and I was able to roll a bit harder. I still don't feel 100%- maybe I'm at 70% or so. Certain angles still feel odd, I can't shoot off it, and I can't take much twisting.

Nonetheless, my game has still been evolving despite the slow down. Actually, this may end up benefiting me in the long run. I have been practicing slow and methodical passes as opposed to the normal fast passes. Also, I've adapted and started to work my passes to the right side (the awkward side). If I keep at it, my game will start to balance out much more- a more controlled and methodical game and an ability to pass (and attack) on both sides).

Tonight's techniques-

-kimura from side control (opponent underhooking)
-double attack- triangle head and arm with legs while attacking straight arm lock on farside arm (can also attack kimuras, americanas, etc)
-americana setup with head to help (also shoulders)

-americana counter- grab with free arm OVER their hand
-americana counter #2- rotate thumb and straighten arm (watch for straight arm lock)
-americana counter #3- hand in hip and bridge over shoulder (they have to be committed to the americana and center of balance must be oriented towards arm)

rolling-

-need to learn passing stance setups from left foot forward. start with knee slide.

-need to learn to force half guard (marcelo move from flattened butterfly)

-need to practice being in danger vs. opponents who don't normally threaten me (give up side control, etc).

-RNC attacks feel good

-guillotines were not working. need to be quicker with them most likely.

-need to learn darce/brabo from opponent's right side turtle

-need to get better at head and arm guillotine. right now i feel at about 2/10 of where i want to be.

-side control attacks are feeling decent. gotta try them vs. some more formidable opponents though.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Omoplatas, spider guard stuff

My knee got hurt again last Friday, so I had to take a few days off. Today was the first day I actually trained since then.

In the meantime, I've been watching plenty of instructionals. I just watched Marcelo Garcia's 4 discs of omoplatas, and I'd like to implement many of those ideas into my game. I feel like the omoplata is a great move because it's essentially another way to sweep your opponent from your guard, and puts them in a very jacked up position if you secure it quickly and properly. Marcelo's setups were all with no gi, but I suppose the gi would make it all the better- allowing for better control and grips, also opening up a world of possibilities when comboing the omoplata with spider guard.

Today's techniques included a mount escape that involved bridging into them RIGHT when they put the knee to move to mount and landing on the opposite side of them in side control (semi-cartwheel motion).

Next was the entangled spider guard sweep with shin across beltline. This comboed nicely with the omoplata setup from entangled spider guard- you could duck under them after a failed sweep attempt and hit the omoplata setup.

Rolling, I had to take it easy. I mostly passed and tried to mess around with breaking posture from side control and setting up attacks. I actually got bored and twistered this kid twice, but it was all in good fun. I was rolling super slow and trying not to hurt myself nor my opponents, and I think it allowed me to focus on aspects of my game that are absent when I'm going full speed. Perhaps the minor injury will allow me to develop my game in different ways after all. I passed a lot to the right side to not put my right leg in jeopardy, and I was able to get a lot of practice. I expect to continue to develop my passing and side control on the right side, as I feel my game is very unbalanced in this aspect. I'm especially going to do this vs. opponents that I feel better than instead of just smashing through them. Gotta take the opportunities to make my game grow.