15/06/2011 - Gracie Barra Bristol

Class #404
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Nicolai 'Geeza' Holt, Bristol, UK - 15/06/2011

Geeza's class tonight handily focused on a position I've been showing as a drill, since I taught the class on maintaining mount a while ago. He began with that drill, where you switch into technical mount as they roll in either direction. Geeza added in two details I haven't been emphasising: first, point your foot slightly towards their feet for better control, and secondly thrust your hips forward.

That led into two attacks from there, which again is useful: more stuff for people to try during specific sparring tomorrow, when I'll be teaching mount escapes. The first submission is a choke, which you begin by getting your top arm under their top elbow. Grab their top collar, then push that down. With your other hand, reach under their head and grab that same top collar, which you can feed through due to your grip.

Your top arm is now going to swim behind their head. Raise the shoulder of your bottom arm and twist your grip, while simultaneously pressing your top hand into their neck (same kind of motion as in an ezequiel). Finally, thrust your hips forward to apply extra pressure: this can make a significant difference, as otherwise you might find yourself relying on arm strength.

If they manage to block your choking hand, you can instead switch to an armbar. Your top arm will reach through and grab your own gi, while your other arm will post directly in front of their face. This help prevent them escaping the attack: if you want to be mean, you can also dig the elbow of your first arm into their side. Lean towards their feet, step your leg around their head, then drop back for the armbar, squeezing your knees as usual.

There was a surprising amount of sparring for an hour long lesson, so I'm guessing we either ran over or Geeza just managed the time well. That started off with specific from mount, in weight groups. I was looking to practice the escapes I plan to teach tomorrow, playing around with different frames. It also reminded me I'm not trying the trap and roll enough from underneath: I continue to rely much too heavily on the foot drag, my favoured escape.

On top, I feel relatively comfortable getting good control with low mount and grapevines, but I'm still having trouble finishing the ezequiel. However, during my research for teaching attacks recently, I rewatched the Saulo video from Jiu Jitsu Revolution, which has been useful. Trapping that blocking arm by their side is a good goal to aim for, as that should make everything else easier to put in place.

I was also looking to practice the other technique I taught during that earlier lesson, the Roger choke. You have to move up into high mount for that (or at least you do if you lack Roger's height), where I was getting rolled relatively often. What I should have done is switch to technical mount, as per Geeza's drill and indeed my own drill that I've incorporated in my last few lessons. At the moment, I still find myself leaving too much space, getting rolled and attempting to shift to an armbar mid-roll, losing it as I flop into guard.

My back control isn't good enough either. With one of the white belts, they basically gave me their back, but had a tight grip on my sleeves. I couldn't free my arms, and ended up back in guard. Maintaining back mount should be another interesting lesson to teach, given my own lack of success there.

Free sparring was with Tony, a blue belt roughly my size, which is always refreshing. Lots of running escape as always, which in contrast to back control or guard passing is a lesson I'm looking forward to teaching. It will be good to see how other people work through its flaws and strengths: I'll be keeping a particularly close eye during specific sparring on that day.

02/02/2010 - BJJ (Advanced)

Class #283
RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 02/02/2010

Kev went over some points about maintaining the mount to begin the lesson, commenting that shifting to technical mount is a good option if they being to escape. He also noted that if they manage to get their knee through and under your leg, you've pretty much lost mount. At that point, it would be sensible to shift into a pass, rather than struggling to get back to mount and probably getting reversed.

The technique he showed was a choke from technical mount, much the same as one he has shown before. As they elbow escape, shift into technical mount. Reach under their top arm and open up the collar, feeding it to your other hand, which will be around their head. Bring your top arm behind their head, then knife hand downwards while straightening your arm. That should put on the choke, presuming you've got a decent grip on their collar with your other hand.

Next was something rather more unorthodox, a shoulder lock from mount. This is a bit low percentage, but Kev mentioned he has managed to land it on people who are being especially defensive, clamming up with their arms crossed. Start by pulling out one side of their gi on the same side as the arm they have on top. Bring that gi lapel over their arm, towards the elbow. Feed it through to your same side hand, then bring your opposite hand over and underneath, switching your grip.

You are now simply going to gradually tighten that lapel, pulling the material with the lower hand, locking it in place with the upper hand, then pulling it again. As you do so, their arm will be twisted in an increasingly painful fashion, until eventually they're put in a shoulder lock.

After submitting me later in class, Kev also showed me a straightforward escape from a bow and arrow choke. All you do if reach under your leg and grab the same side lapel their holding for the choke. Push with your leg to straighten it out, which will mean they are no longer able to pull the collar into your neck. That should give you some time to work your way free: it's effectively a stalling tactic for breathing room.

During free sparring, I found myself under side control a lot. I'm happy under orthodox side control, but I run into trouble when they shift their base. I think it's modified scarf hold, because they don't have control of my arm, so must have reached under the far arm. Either way, I find that a lot more problematic to escape, so definitely need to review my scarf hold escapes. I was shifting my legs towards their head, to try and bring a leg round, but I think I'm still missing a few elements.

I'm also still playing around with the triangle position under side control. Not everyone puts themselves in position for me to try it, but there are a few who keep their head low, meaning that I can trap it with my leg. It doesn't normally go anywhere as an attack, but I found tonight it definitely helped me escape, as it distracted them from maintaining their position.

With Callum, I've been ending up in the exact same position for months. We start from our knees, I move to pass, he goes up on his side. I'm sort of in his half guard, but I can't secure an underhook, his knee is in the way of my torso, and I can't get much of a grip with my other arm.

I want to try and flatten him out, but that knee stops me coming forward. The other option I've been trying to push his knees together, control the hips, then move round. So far, that hasn't been working for me, but then I think I'm still doing it wrong: as I end up there so often with Callum, should have plenty of opportunity to practice.

I'm also still not threatening properly in open guard. I have some idea of what to do when I have my legs hooked, such as going for a tripod sweep, but I'm far less active in spider guard. I can get the grips, but then I normally find myself just maintaining the position, circling my legs, pushing them back as they try to pass.

I need to threaten a sweep, so that the initiative isn't completely with my partner. Again, something I'll have to review, as I'm sure I've been shown various spider guard sweeps over the years: Gustavo was also teaching open guard sweeps at RGA, so I'll check back in my notes.

I won't be training on Thursday again, as I'm visiting my gf down in Bristol: it's becoming a relatively regular pattern of every two weeks or so (though that will change once one or both of us settle into a proper job).

15/12/2009 - BJJ (Advanced)

Class #272



RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 15/12/2009

There has been some cool historical grappling stuff on the internet recently, starting with this judo video from 1905, followed by this old (1952, I think) judo text, Higher Judo Ground Work, and finally Pat Jordan's 2009 follow-up to his original 1989 article on Rorion Gracie.

Kev continued through into the technical mount, which followed on nicely from the problems I had been having during sparring. First Kev initiated a basic drill to get used to the timing, because as he had said earlier, it is essential you pre-empt their escape. From mount, your partner shrimps and goes for an elbow escape. Immediately slide your knee up to the top of their back, while the other knee raises up, foot tight to their hip. You can also use your hands to both base out and help make that transition of your weight smoother.

Those based out hands are also helpful for the next technique, a choke from technical mount. Use your hand nearest their chest to scoop up their arms, also preventing them from digging an elbow under your leg. You need to get a hand under their top arm to grasp their nearest collar, then open it up. Your other hand curls around their neck, whereupon you can feed the collar for a tight grip.

Your first hand is now going to push through past the crook of their elbow, catching their arm in the process. Bring that hand behind their head, then pull your collar gripping hand back towards you, snaking around their neck. This should result in a tight choke: your first hand is mainly blocking their arm, rather than playing a major role in the choke.

Also note that it is tempting to try and use that grip on their arm to drop back for an armbar. Kev advised that you don't, as it is all too easy to leave sufficient space that they follow you round, ending up in your guard instead of at the receiving end of a submission.

The escape from the technical mount, as you'd expect, involves preventing that grip on your collar. Grab either just the upper collar or both and pull them tight to your body, so your partner can't secure a grip or open them up. Shift your legs backwards to prepare your escape, then shrimp in the same direction.

As soon as you open up any space by the foot they have against your hip, wedge in an elbow, which should help you insert a knee. You can now use that as a hook to move into butterfly, attempt a sweep, or simply recover open guard. This fit the pattern of the spar I had with Callum in the previous lesson, where we were both doing that to escape each other's technical mount.

Sparring in the advanced class is full, but we started from the mount – this makes much more sense than going from the knees, if you want to work a specific position (as we did here). I tried to be proactive, following Eamonn's advice from last week, which did help, though it also left me considerably more knackered than usual.

I also found that with both Callum and Trev, I spent some time trying to escape back mount, especially with Callum. He came close with a collar choke, but I just about managed to spin into half guard, having been trying to turn towards him for what seemed like ages. That tends to be my main escape from the back, so I need to try out some more (or even better, stop finding myself in back mount so frequently!).

Trev presents a different set of problems, due to his long flexible legs. They seem to appear out of nowhere, pressing down on your back, sliding in front of your face, or looming over your own legs as your guard pass is suddenly ruined. Today was no exception, as I had a tough time trying to even get my posture in Trev's guard. He was very near to landing a sneaky choke as I spun out of one attack: the only thing that saved me was his grip was loose enough that my momentum was enough to break it.

My main tactic was to try and stay square to his hips, so that he couldn't angle off to go for an attack. That sort of worked, though I was on the defensive the whole time. I managed to slip out of a triangle he was setting up, but failed to capitalise and pass. What I should have done is really drive with my hips and perhaps pull up on his leg.

I also almost gave up my back yet again, but this time, I was rescued both by us falling off the mat and time running out. Not much of an escape, so again, I have to be more careful about exposing my back, especially against people with the physical attributes to really take advantage of that mistake.