27/10/2015 - Open Mat | Comp Prep & Marcelo Sweep

Class #675
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 27/10/2015

I've been trying to give my ankle a rest, as it still has that annoying cut that isn't healing (because I keep reopening it due to training). Today's plan with shoving a Compeed blister plaster on it, which may or may not turn out to be a good anyway. Mostly drilling for me today, helping Simon work on his triangle, with the usual tips on shoulder-walking back, highlighting head control and angling off. We also quickly ran through the technical mount escapes I taught last week, as Simon was away.

Once Chris arrived, that meant we could do some comp prep for Hereford. Simon was a good person for that, as while he's not a blue belt, he's relatively experienced now and in great shape. I'm hoping to do lots of this for all the people competing in December, to get them used to that higher intensity (especially the blue belts, as we haven't had any blues compete from Artemis BJJ yet).

Chris also had some interesting stuff to share on those cheeky open guard sweeps? Marcelo Garcia does, where he just hooks your ankles and pushes you over. That gets even more effective if rather than just hooking, you circle you legs back as you push. As well as knocking them backwards, you're then taking out their sideways balance too. It's not something I've tried from sparring, as my go-to when I don't have grips is koala guard at the moment, but this looks good too (maybe even combine it somehow?)