29/12/2011 - Teaching (Escaping the Back)

Teaching #034
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 29/12/2011

I just finished my first day at a new job, which will inevitably cut down the hours I can spend preparing for lessons. Fortunately I'm also coming towards the end of my second cycle of planned lessons, after which I intend to restart at the beginning. I'll make a number of modifications to the lessons I taught in the first run-through of those two cycles, but it will be much easier than having to plan an entirely new thirty-six lessons. By the time I start into my third cycle, I should hopefully have lots more time. :)

Tonight's lesson was relatively straightforward, as I was adding in some escapes to the body triangle I showed last week. I went through the escape briefly already last week, so discussed it in a little more detail this time round, adding in a slight variation from Nick Brooks. Once they lock the body triangle on you, your goal is to roll to the side of the dangling leg. Normally they will also be hooking their foot behind your knee (as this helps their control, because they can then lift and turn you).

If you can trap that leg on the floor, a simple footlock is now possible. Bring your nearest leg over the top of their dangling foot. Triangle your legs to prevent them moving their legs, then bridge, so that your hip shoves into the point at which their foot is locked behind their knee. That should cause sufficient pressure on their ankle and foot to make them tap. You can also try Brooks' version, where you instead use the heel of your foot to block their dangling leg in place, then bridge.

Two less effective options which may still yield results are to hook around their leg as they turn you to the other side. From here, you can again try and bridge into their locked foot and knee, but they have a much greater range of motion, so it will be tough to generate enough pressure. Similar, if their foot is dangling between your legs, you can try crossing your legs over that and bridging.

Finally, I went through a typical method for escaping the back, after you've managed to clear off one of their hooks. This is the one I saw a few days ago at RGA Bucks, which Sahid described as 'bobbing and weaving'. Pull the arm they have by your shoulder over your head, then fall in the direction of that arm. You're looking to trap it between your head and your arm: to further trap it, you can also try grabbing their tricep. Still on that side, pop your hips over as usual (either use your hand, if your neck is safe, or push their hook off with your opposite heel), but as you move around to side control, keep facing their head. That should set you up nicely for a d'arce choke.

Last week, there were only three people in class, which meant I could take part too. I found that the specific sparring drills from the back were helpful in terms of making me think more carefully about how I tried to escape: hopefully if it did that for me, the same was true of the students. So, I decided to include it again, with the same rule that the person on the back was purely looking to maintain the back position, not submit their opponent (although this time there were enough people that I didn't need to take part until later, when I paired people up).

There is the danger there that you become complacent about protecting your neck (so I made a point of mentioning that throughout: it should hopefully have become clear during a later round of specific sparring, where I brought submissions back in), but I think it also helps you really concentrate on how to remove those hooks. It also encourages you to pay careful attention to their weight distribution and use of pressure.

27/12/2011 - RGA Bucks (The Back)

Class #439
RGA Bucks, (BJJ), Yas Wilson, Aylesbury, UK - 27/12/2011

Hope you all had a great christmas! I stuffed myself with biscuits, beef wellington and cheese, so it was good to make a start on working that off at RGA Bucks. I made sure to walk rather than accepting the offer of a lift from my parents (who were themselves on the way to a gym), to get in some extra beef-burning. It is a roughly 30-40 minute walk from their house, so I normally go on foot: if I lived here, then I'd probably cycle it instead.

Kev wasn't there, so I couldn't congratulate him on his shiny new black belt, but there were plenty of top notch training partners, like Sahid, Tom and fellow BJJ reviewer Dan, not to mention Yas herself. The topic for tonight was the back, and in classic RGA Bucks fashion, Yas covered both the attack and the defence.

To start with offence, Yas ran through the basic RNC. Her finish was slightly different, as she likes to push on the shoulder by your choking hand. That helps to cinch your grip in tight. Rather than then slipping the arm behind and squeezing, Yas does something more akin to an ezequiel without the gi (which is interesting, as I was just chatting about that with a cool female BJJer from NZL via email). Once she has the first arm wrapped around the front of the neck, she grabs her second arm. The second hand then goes to her choking arm shoulder. From there, slide it down into their neck, just like an ezequiel.

Next up was the basic sliding choke, similar to how I taught it recently. That was followed by escaping the back, which handily will be the topic of my GB Bristol class on Thursday. Again, this was relatively simple: base on your legs to put them on their back, then walk your shoulders to the mat. Move to the side to clear their hook (using your hand if you need to and your neck is protected), then once your hip is over, grab their opposite pant leg to stop them mounting or recovering back mount. Keep on pushing your hips back, until you can settle into side control.

Sahid had a couple of additional thoughts on this one while we were drilling, such as the tip to get your head underneath theirs (and therefore if you have the back mount, make sure they don't get their head underneath yours). I also continued to drill back mount escapes for a few minutes after class, during the open mat, mainly looking at two other options.

The first was an escape Sahid had mentioned earlier, which he calls 'bobbing and weaving'. Pull the arm they have by your shoulder over your head, then fall in the direction of that arm. You're looking to trap it between your head and your arm: Tom also suggested grabbing their tricep, to further prevent them from pulling their arm free. Still on that side, pop your hips over as before, but as you move around to side control, keep facing their head. That should set you up nicely for a d'arce choke, which I think Kev taught yesterday.

My second option was to play around with another escape Dónal had suggested, though I don't think I remembered all the details. This is slightly different, as you start by scooting down. Hook an arm under their leg to establish half guard, after which you can look to spin to come on top. Be careful that your other arm is also safe (e.g., hide it under their hooked leg), as otherwise they might be able to go for an armbar or even a triangle.

I may throw those in during my lesson on Thursday, but we'll see if I need to. At the moment, I intend to kick things off with a few basic body triangle escapes, then one other escape. The bobbing and weaving thing might be a useful addition, as I haven't shown it before, plus it also provides a different approach to the orthodox back escape.

Sparring started with specific from the back, where I was looking to trap their feet with my legs, or push off a hook with one of my feet. I'm still a bit prone to latching onto the arm when I think I've almost escaped, which I did again with Sahid. I asked him if he thought there was anything I could do to improve that, and he suggested that perhaps I was simply holding on to the arm too tightly. Instead, when I'm in that position, the focus should be turning to side control, rather than really yanking that arm in underneath my armpit.

On the back, I was able to play with bow and arrow chokes with the white belts, as well as seeing how I could adjust when they moved to escape. Release a hook and pushing off the mat works, but that is less successful with the higher belts, who tend to be wise to it. I wasn't getting anywhere with guys like Sahid: size is probably a factor, but still, my technique was sloppy.

In free sparring, I seemed to be getting d'arce choked by everyone who isn't a white belt. Which was fun. Again, I'm smaller, but nevertheless, I must be leaving myself vulnerable to that attack, so I'll have to be more careful of my arm, as well as paying more attention to grips they secure on me. As ever, Sahid is a good person to spar, because he'll always be able to come up with suggestions afterwards (which is great for someone like me who is keen to pepper everybody with questions).

For escaping the d'arce, he said the basic option is to arch your back to make space. If they are already locking it in, trying to grab under your own leg with the arm they want to choke you with. That will buy you some time to hopefully wriggle your way free. I think I was curled up and trying to turn, which wasn't getting me anywhere: staying curled up only helps them get the choke on faster.

Sahid was also good for testing out my beloved running escape posture. Against a lot of people, you'll find they're staring at the posture looking confused, so you can stall until you're ready to try and spin free. However, Sahid had a solution: he drove his knee over my rear leg, trapping it in place, meaning he could then move into a dominant position. If he couldn't get that rear leg, then he tried to step over both.

Awesome stuff, as by having people break down my running escape posture, that will help me make it better. Clearly I need to make sure that people can't shove their knee over, either by adjusting my legs, or perhaps using one of my hands to block that knee. At the same time, my arms need to be defending against the knee sneaking past my hip or choke attempts. One of the great things about BJJ is that you constantly have to think several moves ahead, with multiple options in your head. ;)

22/12/2011 - Teaching (Maintaining the Back)

Teaching #033
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 22/12/2011

Next time I run through my first and second cycle of the curriculum I'm trying to develop, I think I'll split my previous maintaining and attack the back lessons, then spread out the maintaining part over two lessons (so, rather than showing how to trap an arm in the lesson on the RNC, I could put that in the second maintaining the back lesson). However, this time round, I wanted to play with something that will probably end up being in the third cycle, as it is a bit more advanced and lower percentage.

The usual way to maintain the back is with both insteps hooked inside their thighs, with a harness/seat belt/over-under (it has various names) grip over their upper body. I would recommend that as the most secure method of holding the back. Still, it is worth keeping in mind that there are other options. The best known alternative is probably the body triangle, which is exactly what it sounds like: you are triangling their body, rather than just their arm and head.

The basic idea is to get one leg across their torso (e.g., like you would when swivelling for the bow and arrow I taught last week), then locking that ankle behind the knee of your other leg, as you would with a triangle. This can generate lots of pressure, as you're squeezing the air out of your opponent. It can also result in a very tight control, against which the usual escapes will be less effective.

You'll also want to tuck your locking leg foot under their leg, so they have more trouble trying to attack it. To further control them, roll them to the non-hooked side. If you fall to the other side, there is a fairly simple escape they can use, similar to when somebody crosses their feet in back mount.

However, there are a number of problems with the body triangle. From a competitive perspective, it doesn't get you any points, as you don't technically have both hooks in. It is also possible that you are leaving yourself open to a footlock, one of which I mentioned above. Your movement is more restricted compared to orthodox back mount. Finally, the body triangle requires you to be flexible, have long legs or a particularly thin opponent. It therefore may not be applicable against someone your own size, especially if they're broad across the torso.

In MMA, the body triangle is arguably more useful than in BJJ, as it can provide you with a good platform for strikes. However, even there you might run into trouble, given that most MMA organisations don't allow you to hit someone in the back of the head.

I prefer the next technique, which I was first taught by Kev as a method of transitioning to an armbar from the back. However, it can also be a form of control in itself, as taught on Ryan Hall's DVD, Back Attacks. You have a basic harness grip, so one arm is over their shoulder, the other is under their armpit, then you link your hands together. You decide that you want to shift your hold for some reason (most commonly, you can't get the choke so you want to go for an armbar instead).

With your shoulder hand, grip their wrist on the armpit arm side. With your free hand, grab the wrist of your shoulder arm. You now have a figure-four grip, like you would for a kimura. Bring your shoulder arm over their head: at this point, you can now secure their arm, but there is an important point Hall mentions on his DVD. He mentions that he had been doing the technique wrong until Dave Camarillo showed him a better method. I realised the same thing after watching the DVD.

The wrong way is to suck their arm in tight to your body. Like Hall says, that feels right, but it actually makes it easier for them to turn towards you, drop their elbow and escape. The Camarillo method is to instead extend your arms and being to apply the kimura (i.e., you're pushing their wrist down while levering their elbow up). This makes it hard for them to move, as there is considerable pressure on their shoulder.

As with any kimura, you'll want to bring their hand away from their body, so they can't grab onto their gi to try and relieve the torque on their shoulder. Once you have that grip, you can switch to an armbar (which I'll show at some point in the future, based off what Kev taught me), which is one of a number of follow-ups. Hall goes into more depth on how to use that grip in his DVD.

That's my last lesson until the 27th, when I'll be training at RGA Bucks, so to everyone reading this: merry xmas! :D

20/12/2011 - Gracie Barra Bristol (Guard Retention)

Class #438
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 20/12/2011

For those who somehow missed it (it's been all over Facebook and the BJJ blogosphere), Aesopian's gi survey results are now out, here. Aesopian did a ton of work on this, which has really paid off: the result is a wealth of data which is set to get increasingly interesting. The most important point to take away is that there is very little difference between the top thirty-three brands: so, if someone is listed at #20, given the margin for error it is entirely possible that they could just as easily have been listed at #1.

Having said that, I was very pleased to see women-only brand Fenom come in at #19. It's a small company which has only been around a few years, and it's also the cheapest brand in the top 40 at $80. In the whole list, only Woldorf is cheaper at $72, but in Woldorf's case that is reflected in a low rating. Fenom, by contrast, is cheap but still high quality. If it wasn't for the Gracie Barra gis only rule at GB, I would be very tempted to buy a Fenom, despite not being a woman, as it is the only brand on the market which has a message I can support 100%. I wouldn't even mind the patches and embroidery. Might still buy one anyway, and just wear it when I train outside of GB. ;)

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I was reminded of the advantages of living nearby the academy tonight, as when I got there, I realised I'd forgotten my gi trousers. However, despite there being only fifteen minutes until class, I could quickly jog back to my house, grab the trousers, then jog back and get changed, with a few minutes to spare before class started. :D

Dónal was covering guard retention tonight, with his usual awesome array of warm-up drills to work jiu jitsu mechanics. There was the baseball slide, butterfly sweep and an old favourite of mine I learned from Kev, the Saulo Ribeiro running escape recovery. Dónal also added a useful method of practicing how to recover guard when they try to get under your legs. For that guard retention drill, you have one foot on their hip. They are reaching under and lifting the other leg.

First, push off their hip with your foot, raising your own hips to make a small shrimping movement. That should give you the space to bring the knee of your underhooked leg outwards (this is important: if you move your knee inwards, they can shove your leg across and crush you), then circle your leg inside their arm. Switch the leg you just circled to their hip, then as they reach under the other leg, repeat.

If they've managed to get a bit deeper and are working towards double underhooks, make your legs heavy, driving your heels downwards. If they try to lift up on one side to start a pass, immediately reach through under their armpit with your same side arm. Gable grip your other hand (palm to palm), then pull their trapped shoulder to your chest. From there, you could shift into a reverse kimura or an omoplata.

Alternatively, you can move into a triangle. As their arm is now trapped, kick your leg free, bring it inside their arm and over their back. Lock your ankles together. This means they now have one arm in and one arm out, so you're ready to adjust to go for the triangle. If not, then you're still in a good position: armbars, wristlocks and omoplatas are all available to you.

Another option is to reverse them as they try to pass. Before they complete their move to side control, clamp your hand around the back of their arm, just above the elbow, with your thumb pointing down (a little reminiscent of that Braulio side control escape I can never get). Straight-arm, to stop them turning towards you. You're then going to quickly spin and reach your other arm under their body, grasping for their far knee. You can then drive through to side control. The other possibility is to spin to the back, though I found that a little more difficult.

Sparring was initially from the guard, where I was happy enough on the bottom, but still not getting too far on top. I attempted to control the knees and straight arm them into the floor as I moved round. That sort of worked on the first leg, but I wasn't sufficiently controlling the remaining leg, meaning they still had enough mobility with their leg and hips to create a barrier. Still, it's better than just staring at people's open guard, which I've done in the past. ;)

The main interesting thing for me was when I was escaping the back a few times. As I've mentioned before, I will frequently half-escape, then try to secure their arm under my armpit. My aim is to crawl up their arm, until I can trap their arm and turn. That has never worked well for me (except when I can get close enough to reach around their head), so I got some tips from Dónal afterwards. I think I've asked him about this previously, but probably forgot.

Anyway, Dónal's suggestion for escaping the back was to focus on their leg rather than their arm. Pop their hook off your leg with your opposite foot, then slide your hip over the side you've opened up. Next, presuming your neck is safe, grab under their leg on the non-open side, then shimmy down into deep half guard. I'm not used to doing that, but I'll be looking to try it next time, to see if it stops me getting stuck. Most likely will lead to getting choked a few times, but that's the only way to learn.

15/12/2011 - Teaching (Attacking the Back)

Teaching #032
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 15/12/2011

Last time I taught attacking the back, I went with the very basic rear naked choke. This time, I wanted to continue keeping things simple by moving on to an equally basic submission. The main difference is that this one uses the collar, so isn't 'naked' like the RNC. I know it as the sliding choke, but I imagine there are various names for it.

Before I started, I wanted to quickly run through the five points I mentioned in a previous lesson for maintaining the back, as there were a couple of beginners there (most notably a friend of my gf's who agreed to pop down, on the condition I was willing to check out her kung fu class. Should be fun! :D). To recap, those points are:

• Slide one arm under their armpit and grab a collar, then bring your other arm over their shoulder. If you can't grab a collar, lock your hands
• Hook inside their thighs with your insteps. Don't cross your feet, or you'll get footlocked
• Keep your chest pressed against their upper back: they need space to escape, so don't let them have any
• If they move, follow them with your hips, again to remove any space
• Keep your head next to theirs on the armpit arm side, which helps you with both control and visibility

So, getting back to the sliding choke, you'll have one arm slid under their armpit, the other coming over their shoulder. Reaching to their nearest collar with your armpit hand, open up their gi, then feed the material to your shoulder hand, getting a deep grip, thumb inside with the four fingers on top. Your armpit hand now goes to their other collar and holds it slightly lower down.

To finish the choke, pull across with your shoulder hand, so that you are curling around their neck. Your armpit hand pulls straight down. The aim of the armpit hand is to take the slack out of their collar, but also to prevent them from turning away to try and escape. To further help with that, make sure you also clamp the elbow of the armpit arm into their ribs.

Both hands are going to be twisting outwards, following the same principle as a cross choke. Finally, to tighten the choke even more, lean back and drive forward with your hips as you twist your hands and cinch the choke. Also note that if they manage to bridge up and put you onto your back, it will be tough to land the submission. Ideally, you want to roll to the side your shoulder arm elbow is pointing towards. That means you can arch back much further, because you are no longer blocked by the floor.

Before you roll, bring the elbow of your shoulder arm slightly back, as if you roll on top of it, you'll lock it in place and find it hard to get the leverage for the choke. Braulio has an interesting tip, relating to the grip. He uses a thumb in grip, and notes that if you have all four fingers on top, that can limit your reach. To extend your range, you can instead just use two fingers, which enables you to curl your arm around further.

A related submission is the bow and arrow choke, a favourite of my old instructor and friend Kev Capel (who recently got promoted to black belt, which is awesome). Again grip their collar, but this time, it doesn't matter too much if your hold is a little loose. You then grab their same side pant leg with your free hand. That will enable you to swivel your body, until you can bring your leg over their shoulder (because you have a hold of their pant leg, it should be difficult for them to take advantage when you shift your hooks). Move your other leg up to meet it and cross your feet. You can now use pressure from your legs to effect the choke, pulling on the pant leg if you need to.

As ever, Saulo does things slightly differently. After getting the grip and swivelling, he doesn't try to bring both legs over and cross his ankles. Instead, he simply moves the leg by their head a bit further away, so that he can sit up slightly. That also means the person you're trying to choke naturally rolls onto their side and slides down a bit further, giving you more leverage to effect the choke.

Like with the rear naked choke, you can also trap their arms to make things easier for you. Braulio has another nice tip, for when they're blocking your initial hand. If they are trying to grab your hand, then you might be able to counterattack by grabbing their hand and swinging it out. You can then trap it with your leg, tucking your leg behind their back to lock their arm in place. That means you can pretty much attack with impunity.

Gi Review - Kingz 550 Comp

Short Review: This new brand out of Canada is among the most comfortable I've worn, particularly the trousers, which are further enhanced by the unusual addition of a flexible crotch panel. The jacket is modified too, in that the collar has a rubber insert, which means it dries more quickly and is less likely to gather bacteria. That also means it is more likely to be damaged by a hot wash, although I've been reassured this particular collar has been treated to make it much more resistant to higher temperatures. The overall fit of the gi was good, although the arms may be slightly long for some: it is pre-shrunk and does not seem to shrink much if at all in the wash, so the size chart should be relatively accurate.

Full Review: I was contacted by Bruno Munduruca from Fighters Market about reviewing a new gi, which at first I assumed was from a third party manufacturer. It turns out that Munduruca himself is in charge of Kingz Kimonos, a company he set up this year. Bruno is also a purple belt instructor at Munduruca BJJ in Canada, alongside his brother, black belt Rodrigo Munduruca. Rodrigo is still an active competitor, winning the Masters Ultra Heavy category at the recent IBJJF No Gi Worlds. In other words, the people behind Kingz have plenty of practical knowledge about what makes a good gi. As Bruno put it when I asked what led him to found Kingz:

I have been selling BJJ kimonos since 2000 and have sold or seen pretty much every single gi made in Brazil and a lot of the gis made internationally. I tried to use the feedback from our customers and my personal experience to create this new brand.

Like most of my recent review gis, I again went for an A1, though as ever be sure to check the size chart, which covers everyone from 95lbs right up to 310lbs. At least for me (I'm 5'7" and about 145lbs), that chart was accurate: the Kingz 550 Comp fit great out of the bag. It is pre-shrunk, which no doubt helps a lot. The trousers especially are exactly the length I like, at 90cm. The jacket was 161.5cm from cuff to cuff, which is slightly long for me, but still comfortable. As you would expect from a pre-shrunk gi, after washing I couldn't see any obvious change, though I should note that I generally wash gis at 30 degrees Celsius then hang them up to dry.

There are three models currently available from Kingz. The 550 Comp is the heaviest of the three, with a pearl weave jacket, which is 550gsm (hence the name). Like most gis, the jacket is made from a single piece of fabric, meaning there is no seam on the back. The collar is vulcanised rubber, which helps in terms of drying quickly, but normally indicates that you don't want to put the gi in the tumble drier, or that rubber is liable to twist and curl due to the heat. However, the details from the website mention that the rubber is apparently heat resistant: Bruno also told me that it will not 'baconate' in higher temperature washes.

I found the jacket soft on the inside, but relatively abrasive on the outside, especially the back of the jacket skirt, for some reason. That could be potentially useful in competition, if you want your jacket to be harder to grip, although it may be that the slightly rougher texture will soften after repeated washing. There is triple stitched reinforcement on all the major stress points, and the rubber collar seems solid as well. As it's rubber that means it is a thinner collar than usual, but still firm, so tougher to grip than the more flimsy cotton equivalent.

The trousers are 11oz cotton twill with a standard flat cotton drawstring (which I prefer). There are six belt loops, grouped together in pairs: I don't think any of the other gis I own opt for that method, but you can see it on various premium brands, like Shoyoroll and Origin. I really like the Kingz trousers: they're comfortable, sturdy and fit my legs perfectly. There is lots of padding by the knees, which according to the official details are double reinforced, then triple stitched with an overlapped seam. The stitching on the trouser cuffs is equally beefy, with multiple rows.

I initially didn't notice the most interesting feature of these trousers, which is the flexible crotch panel. The only place I've seen that before is on the Sprawl Gi-Flex, where the designers opted for black in contrast to the rest of the trousers. That looks a little weird, so I think the decision by Kingz to keep their trousers all the same colour was a sensible one. I'm not sure how the stretchy fabric will hold up over time, as I wouldn't expect it is as strong as cotton twill, but so far I haven't noticed any damage after sparring or washing.

The gi has a number of patches, on both shoulders and the front jacket skirt, along with the lower front of the jacket and two patches on the trousers. There is no embroidery, though there is a logo trim along the bottom edge of the jacket, as well as inside the sleeve cuffs. Unlike some other gis, the tape inside the cuffs did not irritate my skin, so either the Kingz has better stitching or the tape material is smoother.

If like me you're not fond of patches, then they aren't too difficult to remove, as it is all single stitched (as opposed to the heavy layers of stitching on something like the Basico trouser patches). The patches on the skirt and trousers are especially simple to take off. However, the shoulder patches go under the collar, so that last bit is tough to pull out.

Also, having tested this (and then sewn it back up), I would advise you don't remove the logo trim. That's because the stitching on the tape is holding together a fold of material running along the bottom of the jacket, and like the shoulder patches it's also sewn under the collar. Naturally most people don't mind patches, so I've put up the pictures for you to judge for yourself. I should also add that even as a plain gi obsessive, I quite like the black and yellow colour scheme on the Kingz 550 patches, especially the two circular logos, which reflect the relatively minimalist design on the rest of the gi.

If you're looking for a comfortable gi with a clean design, I can recommend the Kingz. Keep in mind that it won't shrink, so check the size carefully. Also, at $150 it isn't cheap, but you do get quality in return for your cash.

14/12/2011 - Gracie Barra Bristol (Butterfly Guard)

Class #437
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 14/12/2011

Today Dónal (who has finally been promoted to a long overdue purple belt: congrats to him! :D) was looking at butterfly guard, which is handy because that's a guard I hardly ever use and have never been comfortable playing. As ever, Dónal had some cool drills at the start to help everyone understand the mechanics of the technique. He built up the complexity gradually, starting by have us slide one knee through (like you were playing baseball and skidding to the plate, if I've got that idiom right), then upping the difficulty by twisting to the other side first, then a small hop and twist back to slide through.

For drilling the specific mechanics of the butterfly sweep, Donal added in a drill to shrimping, where you are in butterfly guard position. So, you have one knee up, the other foot tucked in, same side arm braced inside your raised knee, while your other hand is posted behind for base. To move forward, use your posted hand and the foot of your raised leg to lift your hips slightly off the floor then slide forwards, with a similar motion to move backwards.

Next, from the same position, roll to one side, then posting on your shoulder, head and toes (for reference, that's the foot of the knee that would have been on the ground), push off the mat with your toes and swing your other leg up (so, that's the leg that would have been the raised knee previously). From there, Dónal then had us switch to basing with our hand rather than the head, so you could bring the knee of the leg in the air behind the leg on the ground, sliding through like in the baseball slide drill from earlier. Sounds complex, but worked pretty well as a drilling sequence. ;)

The first technique was therefore, unsurprisingly, the butterfly sweep. I have to admit I didn't actually get to see Dónal teach it, because there was something Geeza wanted to ask me, but judging by the drilling later when I rejoined the class, it was the classic butterfly sweep I'm used to (e.g., like the notes I wrote a few years ago, though I should emphasise that it isn't quite leaning back, as you're also leaning to the side of your non-raised knee).

Dónal then demonstrated a method of taking the back from butterfly, which relies largely upon reaching your underhook through until you can grab the back of their belt, palm down. Lean back slightly in order to make your hooking foot light, so you can extract that and kick it through (there is a possibility of getting passed, but your other leg is in position to at least take half guard if something goes very wrong).

Pull them past you with that belt grip, also twisting your arm over so that your shoulder and elbow are pressing into their upper back. That should enable you to move through to their back. When drilling this, I kept finding that I was ducking my head underneath their arm, which isn't the same thing. It is a bit like an arm-drag, but a sort of 'belt-drag' instead.

During sparring I'm still being careful of my neck, so with several people I though it made most sense to just give them a chance to work butterfly guard against resistance. It is tough to get the sweep to work against somebody who knows exactly what you're trying to do, as you can just stuff the leg, maintain your balance and post. So, I needed to keep in mind that the aim here was to help my training partner work on the technique with progressive resistance, rather than immediately shutting them down each time.

Hopefully it was useful: I tried to emphasise things like they needed to control my arm to stop me posting, be careful I don't put them flat on their back and maintain a hook on my inner thigh. Still, as my own butterfly guard is pretty pants, I'm not sure how much help I can be. Same thing happened when I had a white belt start on my back, as again I was looking to help them feel how I was trying to escape and what kind of reactions they should be expecting, as well as how to counter (e.g., if I start slipping out over one leg, well worth them trying to swing over and get to mount before they lose the position entirely).

Rolling with higher belts was cool too, starting with a typically relaxed spar with Dónal. I was mostly attempting to create frames to help recover guard, as well as continuing to shrimp rather than letting him settle into a position. Naturally we were going light, so I imagine he could have shut me down at various points. I still struggle a lot when I'm in somebody's open guard, as I always feel like I'm basically just waiting to get swept. However, the only way to get better at it is to keep on putting myself there. Hopefully I'll get the chance to do that with some lower belts too, to help build my confidence there.

That was highlighted again when rolling with Geeza. Not only is Geeza much bigger than me, he is also much better at jiu jitsu, so I'm often a bit uncertain how to approach the roll. As usual, he sat back and waited for me to attempt a pass, but also as usual, I ended up basically just flopping back without him even having to try and sweep. Still, I did at least try a sort of pass later on, where I spun to avoid his open guard, but that merely put me back in closed guard and also exposed my back (which he didn't take at that point, but it was certainly a major risk).

I had a chance to play around with the old running escape survival posture too, which I'm keen to practice against people who are much better than me. Against somebody who isn't that experienced, I can basically stall with the running escape, but somebody who knows what they're doing, like Geeza, will take the opportunity to set up a choke and take my back. So I'd like to try that more often, to really iron out the errors I making with the running escape, as I can be absolutely certain that a skilful grappler like Geeza is going to exploit them every time. :)

08/12/2011 - Teaching (Attacking Closed Guard)

Teaching #031
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 08/12/2011

I was off sick last week, so Donal took the Thursday class instead, teaching an armdrag to the back. My planned class last week was going to be in a similar vein, moving to the back via some of the methods I showed in my maintaining closed guard lesson. I had four techniques in mind, but didn't expect to get through them all, as it increasingly seems that two is the ideal number unless the third and fourth are very closely tied in to the previous options.

To start with, I chose a method for taking the back from the inside two-on-one grip break. Similar to an arm drag, except that instead of yanking their arm then gripping the bicep, you use the sleeve. Once you've pulled their arm across as discussed last time, make sure to also bring them towards you with your legs. Open your guard and turn, also reaching around their back with your arm.

Release the grip on their sleeve to come up on that elbow, trying to drive their shoulder to the mat so you can clamp your chest to their back. Bring your hip up, so that your knee can slide out for base, swinging your other foot over the top. From there, you'll look to establish the back, keeping in mind that you may be in for a fight to get that second hook in. Alternatively from there, you could try to roll through using your existing hook, taking the back that way.

If you're having real trouble getting that second hook in, then you can still move to a dominant position. So, the second technique is a transition to technical mount, a position I discussed here. You've got to the back, and are looking to insert your second hook. They're being really tight, blocking all your attempts. However, you still have one hook, as your leg is underneath. Make sure to curl your foot around their thigh.

Move your upper body to the opposite side of that foot. Put your hands on the mat, then simply move your body backwards, towards your hooking foot. Applying some pressure with the leg of that foot in conjunction with your movement backwards should enable you to roll them into a technical mount position. Bring your other knee in to secure them in place. From here, you could still go to the back, by putting that second knee up close to their head, rolling them over it and establishing both hooks (like the Galvao back take).

06/12/2011 - Carlos Lemos Jr at Gracie Barra Bristol

Class #436
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Carlos Lemos Jr, Bristol, UK - 06/12/2011

Carlos Lemos Jr originally started Gracie Barra Bristol back in around 2004/2005. He hasn't lost touch with the club, which was later restarted by Geeza, as Lemos regularly returns to the UK to hold seminars (especially as his black belt student, Salvatore Pace, heads up nearby Gracie Barra Bath). Having held one of those seminars on Monday, he was due to fly back this morning.

However, it would appear forces more powerful that air travel conspired to keep him here, as that flight was cancelled. So instead, we got to benefit from his experience during the Tuesday class, which is normally run by Donal. That was also particularly good for me, as Lemos generously gave me thirty minutes of his time at the end to do an interview.

There aren't many people better suited to interviews: Lemos loves to talk. A large proportion of the class was taken up by Lemos' words of wisdom, talking about his history in sport, drawing analogies to MMA and fleshing out the principles and theory behind what he was teaching. It's an interesting instructional style, which reminds me of Saulo Ribeiro's approach in his DVDs. I can imagine Lemos would be a good choice to write an instructional book as a result, perhaps on escapes, given that's his specialty.

Lemos' nickname is 'Escorrega', which means 'slippery' in Portuguese. It's a reference to his ability to escape, part of which he shared with us tonight. That began with an Americana escape, which functions in much the same way whether it is applied from mount, side control or top half guard. It was also fairly simple, as you just straighten your arm to remove the angle they need.

You're still at risk of being armbarred, as they can just adjust their grip, then press your wrist down, hyperextending your elbow due to the position of their arm under yours. To avoid that follow-up, the solution again is simple: point your thumb down. Having avoided the initial attack, twist your thumb up and down, gradually wriggling your elbow back, until you can free your arm.

Next up was escaping the kimura from side control after they've stepped over your head. This proved slightly more complex. Start by immediately grabbing your belt or gi, to buy yourself some time. Next, swing your legs side to side, to generate momentum. Put your free hand on their thigh, then using that momentum from you legs, swivel and get your head free.

You can now face them square on and use your legs to recover guard. A more advanced option is to clamp the elbow of your trapped arm to your body, which in turn traps their arm. If you then swivel as before, you can move straight into an armbar, as you already have their arm secured.

I felt ok after drilling, so decided I should be alright for sparring. Of course, although the flu appears to have mostly gone, my neck is still dodgy. That meant Geeza put me with smaller people and children, which was helpful. I'm continuing to work that top half guard that doesn't require me to use my head for control, but as before I still need to take the next step and attack.

The main option would seem to be doing something with their arm, as I have that deep grip on their armpit, but then I would have to remove my other arm to attack it properly. So instead, I was trying to flatten them out and then go for the arm: this would be much easier if I could use my head as normal, as then I can press into the arm with my forehead and trap it on the mat.

I'm also not being proactive enough from open guard, particularly when they sit down with one knee raised. I know there are several sweeps from there, but I keep forgetting the steps. I'll have to go revise some of the ones I was using previously, or perhaps it would be good to dial it back to something more basic, working to recover full guard then go into the fundamental options like scissor, knee-push, sit-up and elevator.

03/12/2011 - Mauricio Gomes Masterclass & GB Submission Only Comp

Class #435
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Mauricio 'Maurição' Motta Gomes, Bristol, UK - 03/12/2011

I've been out of training for the last week, as last weekend I got some kind of nasty flu. That meant I wasn't sleeping well, so spend the day and night sniffling while wrapped up in a sleeping bag, my laptop at the ready. Also meant I finally got round to watching the commentaries of my Blackadder box set, then put on Battlestar Galactica, which I keep hearing is really good. Decent plot and acting so far, but then I've only been through the mini-series and first episode.

I was determined to make today, as we were going to have the rare treat of Mauricio 'Maurição' Gomes popping down to do a 'masterclass', before the regular internal Gracie Barra competition Geeza runs every few months. If you don't know who he is, Maurição has four major claims to fame: first, he is one of the very few people to be promoted to black belt by Rolls Gracie. Second, he is the man largely responsible for growing BJJ in the UK. Third, he is a member of another rare group, red and black belts (the belt after black belt). Finally, his son is Roger Gracie, whose name might ring a bell. ;)

I was also to grab Maurição for an interview later in the day, which was cool: we spent a good forty minutes chatting about Rolls Gracie, BJJ in the UK, Roger, belt tests, the first female black belt and various other topics. Always great to chat to the big names. I have met Maurição before, back when I was training regularly at the RGA HQ, but I was surprised that he remembered me. Clearly a man with a good memory for faces! ;)

There was no warm-up, as Maurição went straight into technique, keeping things fairly basic. He started off with a guard pass, where you grab both their collars with one hand and their sleeve with the other. Shove that sleeve into their hip, then hop up into a crouch, basing by pressing your weight through your hands. Stand up, letting go of the collars but pulling up on their sleeve. With your free hand, press inside their knee while simultaneously stepping your same side leg back.

Ideally, that should mean you can now open their guard and shove their knee to the floor. As soon as you do, slide your same side knee over, pinning their leg to the mat with your shin. You now have two options for passing. Either you can bump their other leg up onto your shoulder, reach for the collar with your outside hand then smash pass (like I showed last week), or you can go the other way, backstepping then pulling your leg through.

Maurição followed up with some knee on belly attacks, of which I think there were about four. However, I was drilling with Maeve, so that was a bit overwhelming for a white belt, meaning we just stuck with the first one. After you've passed and established knee on belly, sliding your knee across their belt line, get a deep grip in their collar, four fingers in, just like you were going for a cross choke. Your other hand goes on top, gripping the other collar thumb in. Once you've secured that grip, sprawl back with your feet, which puts all your weight through the neck, then twist your wrists to finish the submission.

Having covered knee on belly, Maurição moved rapidly onto attacks from mount. Specifically, it was technical mount, for when your opponent has turned to one side. Again, just like a class I've taught before (although obviously I don't teach it anywhere near as well as Maurição, who has literally been a black belt longer than I've been alive), during the technical mount portion of my attacking the mount lesson.

Finally, Maurição went through a couple of basic sweeps, the double ankle grab and one of my favourites, the sickle sweep (which I last taught here). He then handed over to one of the other black belts in attendance, Nick Brooks (if you're wondering who the other two were, it was Salvo from GB Bath and Raphael Dos Santos, who runs a number of schools under the GB Cornwall banner)

Having experienced Nick's excellent instruction at Mill Hill a couple of times, I knew he'd have something good up his sleeve. Today, that was a nifty but simple half guard sweep. The starting position is unusual. You have your inside foot over their upper leg, hooking around for control, but the knee of your leg is still in front of them, pressing into their hip. Your outside leg is just clamping tight against them, rather than locked up into an orthodox half guard.

Grab their sleeve on the outside leg side, while also gripping their trouser leg on the inside leg side. Bridge slightly, then turn towards the outside leg, driving your knees in that direction, pulling on their sleeve and lifting with your trouser grip. Very simple, but effective.

That marked the end of the masterclass, which ran for about an hour. Geeza then sorted out the brackets for the internal competition. This is open to all Gracie Barra students in the UK. Previously, the competitions have mainly consisted of Gracie Barra Bristol and Gracie Barra Bath, but this time a number of students came along from Cornwall, Birmingham, Swindon, Wales, the main RGA school in London and Nick Brooks' school in Mill Hill. GB Bristol has a lot of mat space, so Geeza was able to have five matches running at once.

I wasn't feeling up to competing (perhaps I'll give it a shot in the future, as I couldn't really ask for a more convenient environment), so instead I helped out as a ref. Of course, that wasn't a very demanding job, given the rules of this particular competition. Geeza, as you may know if you've ever watched his TheRealGeeza YouTube channel, is a firm believer that you should aim to finish the fight, not play for points. To that end, the internal GB comps he runs are submission only.

That meant my job as a ref was basically to stop people rolling into other fights, avoid hitting the wall, pause the action if trousers or jacket were falling off (more common than you'd expect!), stop the fight once someone was tapping and then raise the hand of the winner. Some techniques were illegal, such as cervical locks, slamming and all leglocks except straight ankle locks, but nobody ended up doing them and getting disqualified.

It was cool to get some reffing experience, as that's something I'd like to get into, in order to become a better teacher: I'll often have students ask, "so how many points would that be?", and I'm not always certain when the situation gets a bit more complex. Submission only is a good way to dip my toes, as it is so much simpler than the usual IBJJF rules. Most of the fights were pretty quick, but there were a few monsters, such as the epic eighty minute white belt battle. Among the women, Maeve also had an impressively long fight, going for fifty-three minutes.

Finaly, it was great to catch up with some old training partners from RGA and GB Brum, especially Conor, who I hadn't even realised was here in England now rather than Belfast. There should eventually be lots of videos, either on TheRealGeeza or the official Gracie Barra Bristol channel, so keep an eye on those. :)