Sunday, August 31, 2008

half guard passing again

this was the third time i went over a particular series of moves in a week, so by now i've developed a better grasp on the moves and how to teach them.



rolling-

-felt particularly strong and dominant
-passing was excellent
-submission setups were quick
-finishes were on point

Saturday, August 30, 2008

kids class/adult class

kids class-

-guard control
-tripod sweep
-tripod to de la riva
-de la riva to single leg
-de la riva to taking the back

overall, decent class. i'm hoping the kids develop fundamental open guard skills, and are at least able to control someone and prevent them from passing. if they can sweep, even better.

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adult class

half guard pass series

-face smash pass
-knee slide opposite side
-double underhook knee slide

half guard drill was worthwhile. must practice more of that on my own. must practice side control stuff.

Friday, August 29, 2008

puzzle mats!

got puzzle mats in the backyard now.

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techniques with andrew-

-spinning armlock from guard

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Arm Triangles

techniques

-arm triangle finish 1- grabbing own bend of arm, hand on head
-arm triangle finish 2- gable grip

-arm triangle entry- from forearm in neck- raise up and pop elbow, lock it up
-arm triangle entry 2- from americana- they straighten arm- bring arm over and lock it up

-arm triangle counter counter- they put hand next to head to alleviate pressure- americana
-arm triangle counter counter 2- they try to spin away- change grips and take back

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rolling-

breakdown with mike-
-happens on top when i try to pass and he turns to knees
-happens on bottom when he drives forward from standing and takes away my open guard attacks. also happens in closed guard when his posture is too good and can't be broken down. i'm getting passed with the marcelo walrus pass to half guard every time.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Passing Half Guard

techniques-

warm ups

toriani
knee on stomach switches
spinning arm locks
kimuras
triangles

double leg takedown setup
arm drag
sit out from double overhook sprawl on knees

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half guard passing
-shoulder in face, walk foot up, drive knee to ground, peel off thigh with free leg
-from first one, they pinch knees together- tripod up, switch their knees to other side, knee slide
-from first one, get double underhooks, knee slide across (can be done either side)

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rolling-

-fast, aggressive pace seemed to suit me today
-still must control and have shut down game when needed
-open guard feels good
-passing feels good

keys-
stringing together combos
beating them in the transition
linking subs to sweeps
linking subs to passes
linking subs to subs

gotta find ways to train despite my schedule changing

Saturday, August 23, 2008

kid's class open guard

techniques-

-guard control
-tripod sweep
-feet placement
-double ankle sweep

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Subtle new things added to the arsenal recently

starting to fill in more gaps as i train more with mike.

-posture breaking- driving forward/diagonally and using shoulders/head to isolate arm
-hip switching under nearside arm to isolate
-kimura off of underhook
-more clean with knee on stomach switches as they try to recover
-bent knee as they try to scoop leg into half guard
-americana to arm triangle

-cobra arm trap from mount
-return of spinning arm lock from mount

-marcelo half guard reverse kesa pass
-extraordinary shoulder in face pressure
-coming off the knees more and angling hips for additional pressure

-spinning arm lock from guard has returned
-taking the back off of arm lock stack
-cobra arm trap from spinning arm lock in guard
-triangle off of them coming to knees
-immediate sweep if they step up to stack
-flower sweeps

-triangle defense




generally, control is getting much better. must step up the pressure, bridging and squeezing. next comes the finishes!

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gotta work on the fancy open guard/half guard as well. for now, the basics are filling in and are at a much higher level.

Arm locks day 3

arm locks day 3

(didn't practice these, just watched from a distnace)

-spinning arm lock
-modified flower sweep (grab leg as they stand)
-wristlock possible
-kick out to take back if they swing up to knees

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rolling-

-felt very good vs. anthony and mike. knee on stomach switches and passes felt good. base felt good. guard was pretty good.

Monday, August 18, 2008

spinning arm locks 2

techniques-

-spinning arm lock from guard
-flower sweep
-bicep curl counter- kick leg out and arm drag, taking back

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kimuras felt good today

Sunday, August 17, 2008

spinning arm lock series

arm locks

-spinning arm lock from guard
-flower sweep counter to stack
-reverse arm bar counter to grabbing the head

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reminder-
-takedowns- club the head and move them, use to set up takedowns

Saturday, August 16, 2008

A judo tidbit

when locking up and gripfighting, try and test out opponent to see where they step as you push/pull. use that knowledge to set them up for sweeps, throws, etc.

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reminder- steering wheel to get them to load on one foot, and then sweep it out.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

SMEs day 3

this morning-

judo with mike
-grip fighting
-double hand break right away
-rotate forearm over, forearm strike

rolling with rene
-overhooks half guard- drive deeper and flatten with underhook
-omoplata escape- stand up instead of rolling out

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side mount escapes

1. basic hip escape
2. off of #1- insert hook in, sit up and underhook, snatch wrist and push into stomach, butterfly sweep over to mount
3. off of #1- cross arm grabs over elbow, rotate and lock up kimura. hook comes out and blocks back from rolling. keep arm bent, elbow pressure on shoulder.
4. off of kimura- opponent drives forward. take out hook, pendulum up, lock up the guillotine. hip out and get on side before falling.

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rolling notes-

-exposing neck too much
-need to develop guillotine squeezing power
-need to develop good guillotine defense

-need to go back to marcelo pass to half guard
-need to work on triple pass series

-need to work on deep half guard entry, finish

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

SMEs day 2

with gi

1. basic forearm in throat, hip out, replace guard
2. from #1- they baseball slide- grab nearside lapel and punch into throat, hip out and slide knee in (or try to sit up and take them over)
3. from #2- you can't get knee in- stiffarm and weave underneath for underhook. bridge into them and come out back door.
4. from position 3 hold down- bicep to bicep, pendulum legs

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worked on today-
-guillotines earlier
-deep half guard entries, finishes

-spider guard, de la riva guard


-judo with jonathon

-felt very strong with passing and general gi control

Monday, August 11, 2008

SMEs

pm class

techniques-

-SME 1-bridge and hip escape to guard- posture forearm in throat and elbow in hip
-SME 2-from #1- opponent walks legs forward and you can't hook. wing elbow in armpit, switch to underhook, step foot out and weave leg through, coming to knees. immediately cup around heel with outside arm, go shoulder to thigh and trap with other arm. walk around to back and put them on back.
-SME 3-from position 3 hold down- go bicep to bicep, pendulum legs towards legs and then away, spinning underneath to knees or guard.

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some things i'm working on-
-takedowns (general aggressiveness and setups)
-guillotine series
-getting better at brabos
-staying abreast with back taking and rnc finish
-deep half guard entries and finishes
-pressure on top
-breaking down the frame- drive forward and collapse arms with chest/hips

-x-guard entry- push torso away (mike guillotines me here, stopping everything)

i realized that i probably need to go more n/s in tournaments. i've been practicing half guard top so much that i don't care if they get half guard back after i pass, but in a tournament i can't let them get an inch.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Grappling X

i've been on a tear lately, so i decided to compete again this weekend.

we had a number of competitors from the gym go out, and we all did very well.

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match 1- vs. sergio from undisputed

the match begins with me jumping guard or trying to pull x-guard, i don't recall. either way, i sweep with x-guard and get on top. i work to pass as he works to get me in some rubber guard triangle stuff. i eventually pass, i believe, and he recovers. i take his back a few minutes in and finish with the rnc.

match 2- vs. someone i don't remember

i begin again by jumping guard or pulling butterfly guard, and he works to pass. i recover, get to closed guard, and start attacking. i attack an armlock and he tries to pass again. i try to sweep and eventually catch him in a triangle.

match 3. (finals)- vs. some guy with gi pants

i jump guard again and break the guy's posture down. i get the 2 on 1 and almost take his back, and he spins around a few times before i land in mount and stabilize. he gets back to half guard, and i pass. i'm up 9 now. he sweeps me from half guard at one point, but i recover guard. only a minute or so left, and i just rubber guard him until the bell. GOLD.

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overall, i did pretty well. didn't try and takedowns due to my foot being hurt, but i didn't feel very threatened during the tournament. gotta sharpen a few aspects of my game and continue to get better. the closed guard was my bread and butter today.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Takedowns (list to work on)

list of moves to work on-

fundamentals-


-stance
-circling
-movement
-sprawling
-sit out

-hand fighting
-inside fighting
-clinch fighting
-head control

-breaking opponent's balance

wrestling

setups-
-snap down
-arm drag

finishes-
-ankle pick
-single leg
-double leg

judo

-back step
-loading opponent's weight

-various foot sweeps
-seionage
-o goshi
-uchi mata

defense-

-single leg defense!
-double leg defense
-dominating tie ups
-dominant guillotine off of sprawled shot

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Nagging injuries

The ankle I hurt a few weeks back got hurt again tonight. I was on someone's back and as they were trying to spin out, my ankle got pinned to the floor and all their weight rolled over it. I laid on the floor screaming for about a minute before I buttscooted off the mat and dragged myself into a chair.

I have another tournament this weekend, so my goal is to rehab before then.

In other news, I'm doing a lot of crossfit lately. Gotta up my strength and endurance.

For now, gotta rest and heal.

Monday, August 4, 2008

The Subtle Things

After Mike ran me over a few times, I asked him where the breakdown was happening. He showed me how some of the stuff I was doing wasn't as effective as it could be, such as an underhook, forearm in throat, etc.

I then did some situational rolling with him where he paused me where ever he felt I could be applying more effective pressure. I should be focusing all my weight on one spot instead of spreading it around. I should also be using my hips, knees, shoulders, chest, etc. to drive and gain control. Example- z-guard counter- you must feel where the frame is and sprawl your hip back, down, etc. in whatever direction you feel the weakness is while also using your hands, other body parts to gain other control.

From a distance, it doesn't look like anything special is happening, but when you are getting smashed, you feel 100x more pressure.

Gotta work on sensitivity in my control. Also must switch up speeds- remember what Roy said last week with the situational use of speed and attributes.

Also must work on the following-

-armlock escapes
-back escapes
-triangle escapes
-guillotine escapes
-side control escapes
-smashed half guard escapes
-mount escapes
-north/south escapes

-single leg defense
-general takedown stuff

-passing

-dominating on top

OTM Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championship/US Open of Submission Grappling

the day before-

After eating clean and cutting the day of, I was still almost two pounds over. I hopped off the scale and put on my running shoes and jogged along the beach for awhile. I then put on my thermals, sweatshirt, beanie, and gi and sat in my car with the windows rolled up and heat on for about 20 mins. I also put my seat down and began doing crunches to help me sweat out more. I then made weight easily.

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OTM BJJ Championships-

I fought much later in the day, so I mostly relaxed and cheered on teammates.

Ended up fighting someone who beat me in the finals of GQ a few months back, and I felt that gave him a mental edge.

We start out, he grips my collar and sleeve and starts yanking, and we stand for a few seconds before he goes for a single. I try and guillotine but don't do much, and hop around before he spins underneath and goes to deep half guard. I don't think I get swept here, but I somehow end up on my back (maybe got taken down?). He works to pass with outside passes, staying outside of my range (can't get to x-guard cleanly) and maintaining good posture. I have a hard time breaking him down, but manage to continually replace guard. I attempt a few sweep attempts, almost take his back with a de la riva sweep, but we both end up standing again. He goes to the single, steps outside, and sweeps my posted foot. I think I'm down 4 at that point. I work to sweep again, and end up getting to closed guard. He maintains good posture and I can't break him down, and he starts working to pass again. I turtle away from him like a dumbass (same thing happened last time, wtf) and he gets one hook and half a collar. He works to get the second hook in, but I defend. I spin underneath the bow and arrow choke as he goes for it, and he tries to set up other stuff. He eventually gets another hook sunk in and gets the RNC finish. Had some lapses, but I have some stuff I need to work on. Those CK boys always go to the back. Gotta avoid getting 1)taken down and 2) my back taken.

bronze match-
I face off with another CK grappler, and right away I pull guard. I get x-guard, sweep cleanly, and have him stacked up before he tries to x-guard sweep me. I push his head down and hop my leg over, and end up in side control. I hold for points and check with the ref, and pop up to knee on stomach and then mount. I grab his collar and hit the bow and arrow choke finish. Bronze medal. I feel like I could have run over everyone in the division except for the gold medalist.

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US Open of Submission Grappling

It's the same story with the waiting game- I don't fight until maybe 5 o'clock.

My name gets called and I barely warm up. I end up getting a first round bye due to an odd number of competitors in my bracket. I watch the first match and see that the guy I will face is a strong wrestler, and start developing a strategy.

Second round, I face the wrestler. Right away I engage and jump guard and clinch. I work a front body triangle, and he gets out. I work for a guillotine and some other openings, and eventually he puts me down on my back. I work to sweep with x-guard, and he frees himself and stands back up. I jump guard again, and break him down to guard. I control his posture with rubber guard, and try for omoplata, gogoplata, etc. I see his other arm open and sort of neglected, so I attack a kimura. I rip it out, and also lock a triangle over his other arm in the process. I rip up and over, and get the kimura finish.

Finals.

I lock up with the CK grappler I faced yesterday, and he sits to butterfly. Three months of wrestling practice, and that's all I used this weekend lol. I work to pass his open guard as he tries to sweep, maintaining forward hips while destroying his legs. I nearly pass, and he tries to sweep, but I spin out. He goes for a footlock, and I kick out and spin around, somehow ending up in half guard (almost mount) in the perfect position for the darce. I sink it in deep, and he taps. GOLD.

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We brought 3 competitors, and we took home 6 medals- 2 gold, a silver, and 3 bronze.

I made some technical mistakes, but now I have a better idea of where to direct my training and work on areas of my game that can be improved.

A great moral victory, and a nice transition to my new life in San Diego.