30/08/2014 - Open Mat | The Back | Turtle Basics

Class #588
Artemis BJJ (Impact Gym), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 30/08/2014

In September, we're returning to the back, revisiting a position for the first time since we kicked off Artemis BJJ back in January. It won't be a retread of April, however, as the focus will be a specific variant of back control known as the turtle, where you're on your knees and elbows. This is something that crops up quite often as people try to avoid being passed, along with various other situations. It isn't a position I find myself in all that much, perhaps because I tend to go with tight, pressure passes that result either in a pass or getting stuck in half guard most of the time. Either way, it means it's a position I'm looking forward to exploring in more depth.

So, as usual with open mats, I wanted to have a play with some techniques I plan to teach next week. The reason I was especially keen to look into turtle was due to a couple of instructionals I've been sent to review that are based around turtle: firstly, Aesopian's Mastering the Crucifix that I reviewed recently, then secondly a turtle seminar from Nathan 'Levo' Leverton. A number of the techniques from Levo's video are ones I've seen before at his LSG back seminar, so it's good to get a different take on it as well as a refresher.

I'm going to cover some of the basics for maintaining the turtle, from the top person's perspective. For that, I'm using the side ride and the back control position Levo learned from Demian Maia. For the side ride, you have your nearest knee next to theirs, your other leg out for base (but bent, as if it's straight, that hinders your ability to react to their movement). Your same side hand is grabbing their arm, while your other hand is reaching inside their far hip. Don't go too deep, just to the level of your wrist, also being careful to keep your elbow out of range. Your head stays low.

A point of difference between how Levo showed it on that video and how I've seen Xande do the same thing is that Xande keeps his knee off the floor and leans into them. You can also see that in Aesopian's section about the side ride. I decided to go with knee off the ground, to add a bit more weight and mobility, but I'm still experimenting to see what works best both for me and for students.

You can also move around behind them, where you put both hands inside their thighs, your knees pressing into their hips, staying on your toes and keeping your weight low. From there, you can switch to the side ride on either side. If they manage to start turning, always run behind them to their back. If you run towards their stomach as they turn, that puts you in their guard.

Along with some of that maintenance, I had a quick play with the clock choke variation I learned from Kev, who got it in turn from Felipe Souza. I find it simpler than the usual clock choke, as you simply grab their collar, block the near side of their head with your free elbow, then walk round for the submission. I tend to find the standard clock choke tricky to get and more awkward to finish, but that's probably just because I always use the elbow-block version instead.

Finally, I also had a play with some crucifix stuff, which fits nicely with the side ride. In specific sparring, I was able to switch into the crucifix a few times, walking back and going into the collar choke. However, I also lost it a few times, their arm slipping free because my legs were too loose. I didn't get lifted up, as my training partner was my size, which meant different gaps in my technique were exposed compared to Congleton.

Underneath, my turtle escapes could do with some work. I was waiting for them to try and get their hook, then grabbing the arm and driving through. That kinda works, but it's sloppy and I think uses way too much strength. I felt sore in my lower abs/groin afterwards, which indicates to me I was relying on force rather than leverage. On the plus side, the random kimura grip thing to escape back control worked, having watched some guy use it while browsing the net earlier: getting something off a Sherdog thread to function has got to be a first for me. ;)

Best thing that happened all day was my training partner hit the clock choke variation I showed him a few minutes earlier! Unfortunately I wasn't watching at the time, but still cool to know it was effective for him straight away. :D

30/11/2013 - RGA Aylesbury (Taking the Back & Chokes)

Class #537
RGA Aylesbury, (BJJ), Kev Capel, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK - 30/11/2013

I'm back in Aylesbury this weekend, part of my intention to get over there more regularly (ideally every couple of months on average across the year). Kev began by attacking the turtle, where he suggests you start off with a leg over their back. That makes it hard for them to roll back to guard over a shoulder, as you can follow them in either direction into side control or even the back.

Reach to grab a lapel (not too deep, or they will trap your arm and roll you), then pull them diagonally over their hip. Put in your hook as you do so, using the Marcelo hip extension if you need to open them up before inserting your second hook.

Having taken their back, go for the single arm short choke, something else Donal has covered in private lessons. They aren't going to let you have that easily and will block with both arms. Use your armpit hand to grab their wrist, shove it down, then bring your leg over the crook of their elbow. To secure that in place, hook your instep under their wrist.

They only have one hand left to defend their neck, but that can still be an annoyance. Switch your arms to try and wriggle it across their neck. They will almost certainly block that too by grabbing your arm. With your free hand, dig under their defending elbow, until you can reach inside and grab their wrist. Shove it down, keeping that for control. You can then finish your choke, either with a single arm, moving to a sliding choke, or a bow and arrow variation.

Do not be tempted to bring your leg over that arm too. That puts them into a deep half guard type position. They can use that to shrug off your legs and slip down out of your back control, meaning you lose a strong attacking position and possibly even puts them on top, if they react quickly. Never have both legs over.

Finally, for the other person, you can escape the turtle. Reverse engineering what you did earlier, don't let them get a leg over your back. Blcok that immediately by stepping your nearest leg next to theirs, hooking it ideally. Reach to grab their knee next to you, which will probably be raised. Avoid having your elbow high: instead, keep your arm in line with their leg. Shift your hip, spinning through to guard.

In terms of sparring, the tail-end of the warm-up was guard passage. On top, I wasn't having much luck except against white belts. Even there, I was being lazy and waiting for them to open their guard, then single stack passing around their side. The brown belts were sweeping me easily (I don't think I rolled with a purple at that point, but they would have no doubt swept me easily too).

On the few occasions I got underneath I had even less success, getting passed by everyone. Rolling with a blue, I couldn't get my deep collar grip established, eventually leading to him standing up than leg drag passing me. I need to consider ways to get the opening for the deep collar grip, because once I have it in properly it's a good control. Perhaps pull them in to get them to lean back and expose their neck? Or the opposite, hip bump so they come forward and bring the collar in range? Something to play with.

At the end, I got in a bunch of free sparring. I still can't get my deep grip: several people just moved their head around, which I think can be used to go for a funky baseball bat but it looks a bit flashy and has a sacrifice element to it I don't like. But worth trying, as that happened at least three or four times. Alternatively, I need to spend more time on getting a better grip, leaving less slack.

I sort of got the Akins hip shift sweep, but that was with a smaller partner. That put me in mount, where I used Donal's tips (via Roger Gracie) about getting in tight on mount. I moved up into the armpits and got their elbows in the air, then reached in past the arm to go for the back. That's where I messed up, as I wasn't tight enough to the shoulder with my chest, so ended up slipping off and putting myself in guard.

With a purple belt, I had to be wary of my feet, making sure I didn't put them past their hip where they could drop back for an achilles lock. I found myself on top half guard a few times: The control is not as good when I have my arm past their head, driving the elbow back, compared to a cross-face. However, there is a risk that they can escape as I try to switch from the first to the second, which I think happened during this roll once or twice.

I was looking for the kimura from there, but failed to isolate properly. When I did finally get an americana locked on, I no longer had strong enough positional control, as he was able to turn and escape. It was an enjoyable roll, as Stuart kept a steady, technical pace. I get the impression that he could have sped up and given me a much harder time. ;)

With another purple belt I was throwing up triangle attempts under side control. That's not a high percentage submission, but I get tempted to try it for control when their head is low and I have my legs around their far arm. It failed miserably the first time, but the second time helped me recover my guard.

On top with a bigger blue belt, I was practicing my side control maintenance again. It was a good reminder that I shouldn't get complacent about that: while I can hold a number of people my size or bigger white belts, if somebody more experienced and bigger is underneath, they can still roll me straight over (and I'm no doubt leaving some gaps for them to exploit there, so it's not purely a matter of strength).

I was pleased that earlier in the roll I managed to do a very slow back-step pass against de la Riva. I dropped my head to his hip then gradually shifted my weight back to stop him scooting underneath, until I could get an arm under the head and put myself into the familiar opposite side half guard passing position. Having said that, he was specifically working his guard as it's an area he doesn't go much, so somebody with a trickier de la Riva would probably have taken my back.

As always there was lots of sitting in the running escape not doing anything. That's something I've covered in a private with Donal, but as I end up there so frequently, it's important that I look at it with Kev too in a future private (in today's private, which was right after this lesson, we covered a different topic).

28/11/2013 - Hit Fit (Chokes from the Back)

Class #536
Hit Fit, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 28/11/2013

Dharni's last lesson tonight, so it is sad to see her fly back to Kenya, but I'm sure she will be in Bristol again some time. :)

Chokes from the back tonight, beginning with the basic sliding choke. In back control, keep your knees in tight, don't splay them out. Clamp your seat belt grip on the chest, a grip where Donal does something a bit similar to Xande. He has one hand slightly curled into their sternum, the armpit hand over the top. Like Xande, this means you can swivel it straight under the chin for the choke.

Donal likes to open up the collar with the armpit hand, folding the lapel over itself, getting the choking hand thumb as deep as you can. Pull on the gi with the other hand to cinch it up if you need to tighten the hold. Reach your armpit hand lower down, then pull downwards with that one as you twist your choking wrist around.

That is often hard to get. Shifting to the one armed short choke is a good follow up, applied the same way as Donal discussed in our private while back. If you're having trouble, get their arm out of the way by pushing their wrist down with your armpit hand. That may be enough. If not, then try grabbing the meaty part of their hand with your fingers and twisting it outwards.

Drop towards you choking arm side, then bring your leg over their arm. Move the foot down their back to really lock that in place, while simultaneously sliding the single arm tight up into their neck for the choke.

In specific sparring, I got more chance to work on my poor back attack and defence. I wasn't bridging properly or wriggling my shoulders to the mat when defending, leaving me stuck in the middle. I was looking to then switch to grabbing their leg, without trapping their arm under the armpit and reaching across to grab their sleeve with the same hand. I need to refresh my memory by looking at the private lesson video on back defence. Somebody more experienced would have probably got the choke, as I was merely blocking with my arm rather sloppily.

On the back, I was trying Rickson's thing of attacking with one arm and clearing their grips with the other. That sort of worked, but I was failing to get under the chin. I just kept switching side to side without getting it in place. What I should have done was use it to grab the gi and go for a bow and arrow: I eventually did do that, but he's less experienced and is also mainly a nogi guy, so not used to collar chokes.

With another partner, I started under side control and attempted the Rickson escape, but a bit sloppy. On top, I wasn't looking for the side control attacks I should have been: with my lack of training at the moment I don't feel I'm retaining information well enough, so I'm looking forward to my training schedule getting back to normal once everything is settled.

26/10/2013 - Training at the New RGA Bucks Academy in Aylesbury

Class #532
RGA Aylesbury, (BJJ), Kev Capel, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK - 26/10/2013

It is always really good to go back and train with my main instructor, Kev Capel at RGA Buckinghamshire. That's something I will be doing much more regularly from now on, although still not exactly frequent as it will be once every month or two. Having a long-distance relationship to your instructor can be difficult, but if the calibre of the instructor is high enough (as it is with Kev, who has the integrity to match his teaching skill), it's well worth the extra effort.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Kev's partner Yaz was promoted to black belt on Wednesday, making her the first female black belt under Roger Gracie and the fourth female black belt in the UK. The occasion for that grading was the official opening of Kev's new academy, a short walk from the previous location but a considerable step-up in terms of its facilities.

There is a sprung floor, top quality mats, a small gym with weights, male and female changing rooms, toilets, showers, a pro shop, entrance lobby with plush couches, plus there is ample parking nearby. The RGA Bucks academy is also still right near Aylesbury train station. The specific address is:

18 California,
Coxhill Way,
Aylesbury,
Buckinghamshire
HP21 8HH

My sense of direction is notoriously terrible and I'm also poor at reading maps (I got a bit confused by the Google Maps location). I therefore relied upon staring at my phone's SatNav, which eventually got me to the right place. The route I took was to walk up onto the bridge outside the entrance of Aylesbury train station: from there, I could see the RGA Bucks sign on the side of a building. Walk to the end of the bridge, then turn left. Go across the small bridge that has the 'cyclists dismount' sign on it. You'll soon see the entrance to RGA Bucks on the right, with a metal fence around it.

Saturday training begins with an hour and a half class, followed by open mat for drilling and sparring. Kev opened up the sessions with a single leg takedown, with two closely related variations. Block their hands from grip fighting by literally covering them with your own hands, then establish a cross-grip on their collar (i.e., grabbing the opposite side to your hand).

In a comparable motion to the collar drag from butterfly Dónal showed on Thursday, pull their collar down and past you. At the same time, slide your leg (same side as the collar-gripping arm) between theirs, wrapping around their lower leg. Be sure to bring your head to the outside of their leg, staying tight, or they can stuff your head. From here, stand up, lifting their leg and trapping it between yours as you do (the motion is basically a technical stand up, posting with the hand that was gripping the collar).

Switch so that your arm is under their leg rather than your leg (you can bump their leg up with your knee to facilitate that transfer). Bring your other hand around their same side hip, stepping sideways and staying close. That's in order to thrust your hip forwards to knock them sufficiently off balance that you can then lift them up and drop them. This isn't a strength move, so if you're having to use a lot of force, adjust your grips and your hip bump position.

The second variation is a small change, which is to keep hold of that collar grip when standing up, rather than posting on your hand. That means you can still do a technical stand-up, but also shove them away with the collar grip. As you step up, that gives you some additional leverage, which may enable you to knock them to the ground, putting you in a good position to pass the guard.

Next, Kev moved on to a choke against the turtle. Peruvian neck-tie, I think? Not quite sure, but something like that. As Kev mentioned in the class, after Roger Gracie taught this in his Wednesday seminar, Yaz put up a video showing the choke. You can see Yarden Gerbi from Israel having plenty of success with this choke en route to gold at the 2013 Judo World Championship, though from what I gather she did cause a brief bit of controversy in the judo world as a result (regarding the choke's legality under IJF competition rules). Skip ahead to 1:12 in the video to see it (there are some more nice details in this vid too):



You're on the side of their turtle, maintaining pressure. Open up your gi, pulling out the end of the lapel, then shove that down past the far side of their neck. Pass it under their body, so that your hand nearest their hip can grab it (be careful you aren't reaching too deep into their turtle, as they might be able to trap your arm and roll you over). Step your foot up to the far side of their body, angling it outwards.

Bring that leg over their shoulder, right by the gi lapel you've pull through, then drop back. Swing your other leg over them too, then use the combined leverage of your legs, arms and collar grip to apply the choke. It should be a blood choke rather than a crank or air choke, so adjust if you're having problems. A key point is not dropping off their head: stay tight with your leg so they cannot pop their head free.

The nogi variation is done with your arms. Rather than the gi lapel, put your arm (nearest their head) to the far side of the neck, just far enough that the blade of your arm is cutting into their neck. Just like with the lapel, reach your other hand underneath from the near side, linking up your hands. From there, it is exactly the same as before, just using your arms instead of the gi for the application.

I kicked off sparring with my training partner, Sandeep. I was being lazy and went straight into the running man escape when he managed to get on top. We then spent almost the entire roll fighting for a few millimetres, in my case attempting to shove his hand back past my knee and avoid his other arm from creeping around my neck. Eventually, Sandeep was able to get a grip under both my elbows, using that to slide into mount. That hasn't happened to me before, so I'll have to watch out for it. He didn't have a chance to finish from there, as the buzzer went shortly afterwards.

I then had a roll with Kev, who naturally dominated me quite easily, but also gave me some room to work. It was almost exactly the same roll as I had with my other instructor Dónal: lots of defensive scrambling on my part, trying to spin and twist out of submissions when I could feel Kev starting to lock something on. He finally caught me in an armbar, which I tried to hitchhiker escape out of, but he had a figure-four grip, closing that particular door.

After sparring, I stayed for a bit of drilling during the open mat. Sandeep gave me some awesome advice about a few more chokes from side control, fitting perfectly with my game. I've got several useful chokes for side control now, building on Dónal's private lesson and the two I used prior to that (step-over triangle and the lapel choke). Sandeep's first option was to get the arm nearest their head over to the far side. Reach back, in a sort-of guillotine grip under their neck, grabbing your own leg.

Block their near hip with your other arm, then start to move your head over to the near side as well (as you would with that lapel choke I like). If you need some extra leverage to finish, squeeze your arm. This should fit well with that half guard grip I frequently get behind the head, though I'd need to free my leg to finish the choke.

You can also try the classic leg scissor squeeze off a kimura. I first saw this on Rorion's original instructional and thought it looked dubious, but it's since appeared on a few other DVDs (such as Brown Belt Requirements, which changed my mind. Having now been on the receiving end, I am completely convinced. Rorion was right all along. ;)

Be sure to get your knee right onto their neck, then cross your ankles to lock your feet. Curl your toes back for additional pressure, like you would with a triangle. To get the submission, stretch your legs and squeeze. The tap is very quick, though it just pressure on the windpipe rather than a blood choke. Still, definitely an effective attack.

Before I left, I picked up an awesome RGA Bucks rashguard for £35, custom made for the Academy by Tatami Fightwear. I'll get a review of that done at some point in the future, though there are a bunch of others in the queue (Elastic Steel is the main one I need to finish off, now that I've completed my reviews of Black Belt Requirements and the Gentle Chief rashguard). In case you're wondering, I'm 5'7 and 145lbs, wearing a Small in the below picture (before washing, but I don't expect it to shrink given the material). Looking forward to the RGA Bucks curry night in a few hours! :D

04/08/2013 - Study Hall (Back Escapes & Chokes)

Class #515
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Study Hall, Bristol, UK - 04/08/2013

Just like last week, I wanted to continue working on back escapes, especially as I'm teaching it on Tuesday. The main thing that came up at last week's study hall was preventing them from turning to mount. I rewatched my videos from those private lessons and re-read my notes, from which I gathered that while blocking the leg to stop them turning was a good option, often going to deep half is the best idea.

I practiced blocking their turn a few times, clamping more tightly than last time, so that I wasn't just hooking over their top leg but also hooking behind their lower leg. I then moved on to practicing the switch to deep half and sweeping. The Homer Simpson sweep from there is one option, but you could also try for the sweep I learned at the University of Jiu Jitsu in San Diego about a month ago, which relies more on lifting their leg up with your own.

I also wanted to practice chokes from my most recent private, particularly the bow and arrow choke. Initially I had a go practicing chokes with a white belt, who upon being told that he could resist during the drilling immediately clamped down. It is often good to train with beginners because they won't react in the way you expect: he basically just got a death grip on both of my wrists, which made for an interesting challenge.

I ended up trying to swim through and get an arm across the neck, then see if I could grab some collar. If I did get the collar, it wasn't generally a good enough grip to move into the bow and arrow. I also kept forgetting to hook their leg in to grab it and then use as a base point. That's also something I kept forgetting when I had a more technical bit of drilling practice with Berry.

Getting yourself upright is one of the harder parts of the bow and arrow, it seems. I tried pushing off the same side choking leg as I'd been shown in the private, but still struggled. However, I did find that you can try bringing the other arm behind the head to finish off the bow and arrow if you're struggling. I'm not sure that is a viable option, as it was just drilling, but something to play with.

I finished off by rolling with Geeza, who I don't often spar against. That's because he is so much bigger: as a general rule, much larger opponents are less beneficial for my learning, but for working defence, they're great. Of course, Geeza is also a black belt, so that helps a lot too. I asked if he could start on my back, which meant I got choked repeatedly, but it was a useful reminder that I should put myself in bad positions against skilled opposition more often.

Geeza had some advice for defending the multiple ways he choked me. He used a different method requiring a different defence each time, but the main thing I remembered was grabbing the elbow. I think for the bow and arrow he suggested grabbing their elbow with both hands and pulling it over your head. Again, something else for me to work on, alongside general back defence.

27/02/2013 - GrappleThon 2013 Passes £1000: Please Keep Donating!

Class #490
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Nicolai 'Geeza' Holt, Bristol, UK - 27/02/2013

Seymour of Meerkatsu fame has once again kindly lent his design skills to the GrappleThon efforts, coming up with this excellent suffragette inspired poster. The fundraising team has now grown to eleven people, with various others pledging to come down and take part. Even better, our current team total for Rape Crisis is £1258.28: please help us reach (and hopefully surpass...) our target of £3,500! Donations gratefully received here. :D
____________

In regards to class tonight, things started off with the usual self defence portion of Gracie Barra Fundamentals classes. This was intended as a response from closed guard to when somebody tries to punch you. Hold both their wrists, then when they put up a knee and wind up for the punch, hook their leg, swivel and armbar them. That's an interesting contrast to the Gracie Combatives approach to blocking punches, which mainly relies on keeping them close if they try to punch, then create distance to get out of the way if possible.

The main techniques tonight were both chokes from the back, using the gi. Both of them start with the typical seat belt grip, one arm under their armpit,the other over their shoulder. With your armpit hand, open up their collar, folding it over to create two layers of cloth. Feed this to your other hand and get a firm grip. Try and bring the shoulder of your choking arm towards your choking hand, with the choking elbow moving behind their head.

With your other hand, grab lower on their other collar. Drop to your choking arm side, then pulling down on their other collar, tighten your grip with your choking hand. Move your upper body backwards to add further leverage and complete the choke. The second choke was much the same, except instead of grabbing their other collar, you thread that arm behind their head, trapping their arm in the process. You then also have the additional leverage of that arm behind the head to help your choke.

Class finished off with some specific sparring from turtle, where you already have a strong grip, securing their opposite collar and pulling it tight across their hips. This also served to remind me how totally rubbish I am at attacking the turtle. For some reason, I rarely find myself in this position: not quite sure why, unless I'm subconsciously avoiding it.

Anyway, I was crap on top of turtle: that wasn't helped my only being able to use one leg properly, but even if I'd been in full working order, I still wasn't able to mount much of an offence. Underneath didn't go a whole lot better: I think I managed to escape once, but that was because a white belt reached too far inside with their arm, and even then it took me a bit of scrambling to get to a controlling position on top.

Geeza quickly showed me what I should have done later, which was basically using that strong grip to pull them in towards me as I move to the side, establishing back control. Definitely a position I need to work more, once the leg finally heals up. For the moment, I'll continue concentrating on passes and the top position, as that doesn't aggravate the injury, but as soon as it is working, I'm really keen to improve my guard and back control. Back escapes are a high priority too, which I should be able to do with the injury.

01/05/2012 - Gracie Barra Bristol (Choke from the Back)

Class #455
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 01/05/2012

Geeza has shifted the schedule around, so Dónal's class is now only one hour of gi, followed by another hour of nogi. I'm not at all fond of nogi, so for the moment I'll just be sticking with the gi class. I might give the nogi class another try in future, but I generally find nogi relies too much on physical attributes for my liking. However, that's probably because I haven't got anywhere near as much experience rolling without a gi: I'm still at least that thirty lesson total of nogi BJJ.

Dónal frequently comes up with innovative drills during his warm-up. Tonight, there was one I hadn't seen before where you start sat on your knees. Put your hands in front of your to hop into a crouch, then rise up and thrust your hips forward. Sprawl, go back to your knees, then repeat. It is a little bit like a burpee, but with more jiu jitsu relevance.

The technique was a choke from the back. It isn't something I'm likely to use, as it's a bit nasty in that it relies on pressing into their throat rather than closing off their arteries, but it's still good to know. As with leglocks, even if I don't want to use an attack myself, knowing how to do that attack at least means I should be better prepared to defend against it.

Start by getting a deep grip on their opposite collar. Put your head tightly on the collar side, then drive your shoulder into the back of their head. The combination of twisting your hand in the collar and that shoulder pressure should grind your forearm into their windpipe, resulting in lots of coughing and tapping. I experimented with my arm position, and found that the elbow of your choking arm can be either point first into the mat (uncomfortable and not very stable), lying on its side against the mat (comfortable but less effective), or you make a sort of right angle with your arm for support, which is what Dónal showed when I asked him.

That led into specific sparring. I was with one of the blue belts, who unfortunately has been experiencing some major issues with his asthma. That meant he was a little short of breath during the warm-up, so I was a bit concerned initially about sparring. However, he soon showed that in this particular situation, he was still more than capable of rolling. In fact, he surprised me with just how good his back control was. I really struggled to avoid his second hook coming in, whereas normally I can pop the hook off and begin my escape. Not this time.

When I finally did start to escape, I didn't pay enough attention to the deep grip he still had on my collar. As a result, I managed to choke myself while trying to turn to guard: I could feel it coming on, so tapped after a few moments to see if I could relieve the pressure. Previously I've been in the same situation with a white belt, but was able to slip free. Having to tap to it was a good reminder not to be complacent about defending your neck and especially not letting them secure or maintain a solid grip.

I was able to escape the second time without getting choked, because I was much more wary of the grip. Still, I was in a similar situation again, just with a slightly better barrier. That indicates I need to review how I'm escaping back mount, as I shouldn't be putting myself in danger of getting tapped when I turn to the guard. So, I should take a lesson from Roy Harris in that brown belt evaluation I watched last week: more active legs.

When I was on his back, my main aim was to maintain it, as that is what I taught last week and will be teaching this week as well. I just about managed that, although the first time round, I didn't stop him turning flat to his back properly so ended up in top half. Not a bad position, but much worse than being on their back. So, the second time I used my head to block that route, attempting to prevent him rolling out. I was also moving him from the centre back to my choking arm.

However, although that's the right idea, I was relying far too much on my arms. It is easy to tell when you're doing that, as after the roll your arms will be burning. I managed the hip extension to get my second hook in once, but had difficulty getting in a second time. Another reason my arms were sore is that at one point, I almost had a rear naked choke sunk in. I wasn't able to finish before the end of the round, so I assumed my arm wasn't quite on his neck. Asking him afterwards, it turns out that my arms weren't the problem. He was able to turn his hip to relieve the pressure because I didn't have good enough control with my legs. Again, more active legs! ;)

Free sparring therefore immediately became a more interesting prospect, as I basically couldn't use my arms. Fortunately both spars were with white belts, meaning I could be lazy and stay in a crunched up defensive position for most of the roll. Although I still have to be careful, as I'm pretty sure I might have been caught in a baseball bat choke from knee on belly if he'd been willing to drop his weight. I asked him about it earlier, and he was trying not to use strength, which is absolutely a laudable goal, but there is nothing wrong with steadily applying a technique using your bodyweight in a controlled fashion.

I also continue to be a bit crap at creating a decent frame when I'm getting back to guard from side control. Against the other white belt, about three of four times I moved to guard then immediately got passed again, because I wasn't properly blocking them from re-taking side control. I finally got to guard towards the end of the roll and established an overhook, but he was able to power out of it. Still, I should have capitalised and transitioned into an arm drag, something I would like to improve (my arm drag needs a great deal of improvement...)

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. ;)

31/05/2011 - Gracie Barra Bristol

Class #401
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Miles Pearson, Bristol, UK - 31/05/2011

A carpenter is coming at 8am tomorrow morning, which meant that tonight was going to be my first night spent sleeping at the new house. We don't have any curtains up yet, so that meant I'd have a natural alarm clock. We also don't have a bed, so I was using an air bed (which has a really, really loud electrical thing to blow it up: I felt too bad for the neighbours to actually wait for the damn thing to finish, so just made do with something half-inflated). Then of course there was the biggest drawback, which is that I wouldn't be able to see my gf in the evening, or wake up with her the next morning.

Despite those discomforts, there was still a big plus. Staying overnight meant that, at last, I didn't have to rush off to jump on a bike and cycle the forty minutes or so back to Downend. Instead, I only had a seven minute walk around the corner. So, I could finally stay a bit later to get in some more sparring, and even more valuable, pick Geeza's brain.

Before that, however, there was of course Miles' class. He takes a different approach to me, as the techniques are a little more complex, with a greater focus on submissions. Last time I popped down to a Tuesday, it was the gift wrap and various attacks. This week, Miles wanted to cover the crucifix position, followed again by a number of submissions.

First, you have to get there. To transition to the crucifix, Miles had us enter against them turtling. You're on their side, looking to dig your knee inside. Pull back on their collar to make a little space, then insert your near knee. With your other leg, step over their near arm, then drag it back over your other arm, triangling your legs.

Reach through with your far arm, to thread inside their far arm and grab their wrist. Bring that towards their body to stop them using it to post. Push off your feet, then roll over your shoulder, moving over their body. You should end up on your back, with them perpendicular to you. One of their arms will be trapped by your triangled legs, while you have the other wrapped. Secure it by bringing your hand to the back of your head, as if you were combing your hair.

From here, you can effect a choke. With your free arm, reach over for their far collar and get a deep grip. Twist your wrist up and raise your hips, in order to press into their neck for the choke. You're aiming to squeeze both sides of their neck here, so your arm needs to also be pressing into their neck. It is possible you can choke them by just pressing into their windpipe, but that's less efficient than cutting off their blood flow.

If they're sufficiently strong to break their arm free of your arm wrap, they will probably pull on their collar or otherwise remove your grip. You can still get a choke, by simply reaching a bit further, past their collar and to the shoulder. The point of your elbow should now be just under their chin. You'll probably need to roll towards them and onto your side to reach in deep enough.

Create a backstop by gable gripping your other hand (so, palm to palm). Also keep your head in close to theirs, as with a rear naked choke. If this was a rear naked choke, you'd finish by expanding your chest and squeezing. That isn't convenient from this position, so instead, roll away from them slightly to pull them up onto your hips to increase your leverage, then bridge.

Finally, you could go for a shoulder submission off a triangle. From the crucifix, press on the side of their head with your arm, so that you can step your leg over their head. Put that foot into their far armpit, then lock the triangle. It is unlikely you'll be able to actually submit them with just that, so it is more of a controlling hold. The submission will come from bringing your other arm over their near armpit, then bridging up and twisting to apply pressure to their shoulder.

Miles left plenty of time to fit in a good bit of free sparring. I started with Monica, who had been my drilling partner today: it was good to see her in class again, as that hopefully means she will become a regular. I look forward to the day we reach a critical mass of women at GB Bristol, so that other women are encouraged to join, especially once the women progress to higher ranks.

Monica mentioned yesterday she'd done a few months of BJJ in the past, which is possibly why it turned out her ability to maintain side control was pretty good. She was able to generate a decent bit of pressure, without leaving much space for me to escape. Good stuff. She also reacted well to my attempts to recover guard, quickly moving around to pass and re-establish side control.

I then went with Luke, who as always maintained a relaxed, technical pace. I was looking for the spider guard sweep again, without much luck. I can't remember how I got there, but at some point I ended up on top in north south looking for an attack. The opportunity to work on my offence is one of the nicest things about a relaxed roll, although on the other hand, I'm not sure if that means I'm taking advantage of somebody's kindness. I guess it depends on if you go nuts with the attack, rather than keeping it steady and gradual.

Geeza was up next, who made a quick point about side control maintenance before we got going (something he wanted to mention after my class a couple of weeks ago, but as usual I had to leave early). In short, it is important to be aware that you need different types of control for different types of escape: although you might block their guard recovery, that could open up an opportunity for them to go to their knees. You need to be aware of both.

The roll itself led on from that, as Geeza asked to start under side control so he could take a look at my game from top side control. Naturally he was taking it easy as a result, so I tried to move around to north south, seeing if I could isolate an arm (I tend to go for the kimura from north south). At another point, I went to the step-over triangle, then again looked to see if I could get hold of an arm. I wasn't able to isolate the non-triangled arm, so attempted to switch to pushing on the trapped arm instead, going for a bent armlock by bending it over my hips. Something I need to keep in mind, as I haven't tried it much from that triangle position.

Finally, I had a roll with Oli, seeing if I could go for the spider guard attack. I also wanted to keep in mind more basic open guard options, like the tripod sweep. For once, I remembered to switch to the sickle sweep if I couldn't get the tripod, but didn't drive my hips through properly. That meant I ended up in a crappy pseudo-mount, which was soon reversed, putting me back under guard.

Class finished, but because I could stay late, that meant I was able to hang around and chat, as well as get in some more sparring with Geeza. As with previous rolls, he tried to work my passing game, going to his back and inviting me to try and get past. Also as with previous rolls, I flopped to my back at the first opportunity, then played defence. This is a bad habit, which I find I particularly do with instructors who are looking to help my game. Rather counterproductive on my part.

Unsurprisingly, Geeza finished up with the sensible advice I've also had (among others) from Kev and Nick Brooks: my defence is ok, so now I need to really focus in on going for some kind of attack. My intention pretty much since I started has been to develop a good defence so that I can take risks with my offence. I’ll throw in a quote, in case anyone still hasn’t read the best thread ever (which you really, really should). This is what I’ve been aiming for:

JohnnyS: We had John Will teaching us on Monday which is always enlightening. Before class we (the brown belts and myself) had a private with John and he recommended we work on our defence. He said the number one way to work on your confidence is to work your defence. When you are certain that no-one can tap you, what do you have to fear? You can work any attack you want because if you stuff it up, you don't have to fear being caught in a bad position.

From what several instructors have said, I've shifted more towards the negative side of that mindset, which is clamming up to avoid being submitted, rather than going for a submission of my own. Rolling not to tap is only going to lead to stagnation. I've been trying to avoid doing that, but it definitely happens a lot with higher level sparring partners. Something I need to stop: perhaps if I keep saying it on my blog enough, it will finally sink into my thick skull. ;)

Geeza also had some good tips on the basic guard break he showed yesterday, which I made sure to ask him about as I've been having problems with it for so long. He emphasised controlling the hips by pressing all your weight through the hand you have pressed into their hip. To get the guard open, aim to slide your own hip bone down their shin, making yourself too broad for them to keep their guard closed.

19/04/2010 - First Class at Gracie Barra Birmingham - BJJ (Advanced)

Class #305
Gracie Barra Birmingham, (BJJ), Bruno Alves, Birmingham, UK - 19/04/2010

Before I go through the "changing school" thing, I just wanted to mention a new site that has popped up on a few forums, called BJJ Questions. It uses the StackExchange format, meaning that you can ask questions, then both comment and vote on the answers. The idea is that you can go there to solve, ask and comment upon questions with a definite answer: for example, "where can I train BJJ in London?", rather than some more subjective, like "what is your favourite gi?" Its a good idea, but its needs a large, informed user base to function properly. Hence why I'm linking it here, in the hope people will go check it out and get involved.

The move and job have gone ok so far, but of course it's only been a few days. I should note here that I haven't bothered getting the internet at home, as I'm going to be much busier now, so will be spending a lot less time online (probably healthy!). It has been a while since I've lived on my own, and I'm definitely missing my girlfriend. Hopefully she'll be able to find something in the area soon. If not, weekends are going to be very girlfriend-visiting dominated. ;)

Since January 2009, I have trained at five clubs, so I'm hoping that number six is going to be a bit longer term (as I've just signed up for the minimum twelve month contract, that would be financially convenient too!). I've been to the venue before, for throwdowns, but this is the first time I've seen the renovated downstairs gym. There are several programmes on offer, ranging from the £40 fundamentals (which is compulsory if you're new) through to the £90 unlimited (which appears to be the same as RGA, except that you also get to use the weights room, I think). As I need to make sure I've got time to work on my writing commitments, I went for the £60 standard, which allows two classes a week.

Unfortunately you have to sign up to a twelve month minimum contract, but then that is fairly normal in BJJ (Kev doesn't ask for it, but then his main job is working as a fireman rather than running a BJJ school). I would hope that I won't have any reason to leave the vicinity of Birmingham, but given the way the last year has been and the economy, it is a little worrying making that commitment. Still, worst thing that happens is I lose a bit of cash if I have to leave before twelve months: the trade-off in excellent training should be well worth it.

You also have to use the lockers in the changing room, as you aren't allowed to leave bags at the side. They sell padlocks at the counter, but you could also bring your own. I would suggest you don’t bring an enormous bag, as while the lockers are relatively big, there is a limit. I managed to fit in my backpack (which had a load of clothes and work stuff in it), my coat and my boots.

There are showers too, though I haven't tried those yet – I decided to shower at home, because I was getting a lift. However, as my shower is a bit pants, I'd rather use the ones at GB Brum. Just means I need to remember to bring my towel and shower gel.

GB Brum includes belt whippings as part of the promotion process (if you aren't already clear on my views regarding that particular tradition, I wrote an article about belt whipping a while ago). Alex, who kindly gave me a lift tonight (he posts on the EFN, so I sent him a PM), was on the receiving end after getting his blue during the beginners class. It is even meaner than the version at Nova Forca, as the newly promoted person has to stand in the same place while everybody takes a turn at smacking them on the back. At Nova Forca and other schools, there was the slightly mitigating factor of being able to run past. Here, everybody gets to take their time, carefully picking their shot.

The instructor tonight was Bruno (not sure of his last name, so if anyone reading this knows, stick up a comment), although this will probably be the last time I see him, as he's off to help Victor at Gracie Barra Mansfield. So, this may not be typical of GB Brum classes, but the warm-up was much, much longer than at RGA Wycombe. It had more in common with the marathon warm-ups at Nova Forca, although much of it was running around the room, with the usual side-step, knees up, heels up etc variations.

The class is an hour and a half, so there was still time for a few techniques and then sparring. No specific sparring, but if I want that, I can always go to a basics class. Having said that, my membership only extends to two classes a week, and it is a bit of trek from Leamington on the train, I'll probably stick to the longer advanced classes on Monday, Wednesday or Saturday (Tuesday is nogi, while Thursday finishes too late). Then again, I could do a double on Monday, if I know I'll be busy the rest of the week (like if my girlfriend comes up to visit on a Tuesday for a few days). One of the advantages of a big club is the broad schedule.

After the warm-up, Bruno went through two options, both from the back. The opening choke from the back started just after you've passed their guard. If you pass, shoving their legs to one side, Bruno emphasised the importance of keeping your weight on them, driving through your hips. It is possible they may try to turn, leaving their back exposed.

To take advantage, slip your far foot under their body, in front of their leg, ready to establish a hook later on. Reach over to the opposite collar with your same side hand: if you try to grip on the same side collar as your hook, they'll be able to complete their escape, leaving you with nothing. Instead, your near side hand is going to stay around their ribs.

You can now roll them towards the near side, kicking up your free leg. This should roll them on top of you, so that they're facing the ceiling, meaning you can now put in both hooks with your feet. Keep on rolling, until they are facing towards a wall. Finish the choke by reaching under their arm with your free hand, threading it behind their head. You can now push with that, while pulling on that collar you're still gripping, which should result in a choke.

The second technique was also from their back, but this time, you're attacking the turtle position. You have one knee close to their side, the other leg out for base. Your weight is on them, to prevent them from rolling out into guard or some other escape. To being the attack, reach for their near side wrist with your same side hand. You'll use your other hand to maintain pressure on their hip.

I got a bit confused at this point, but if I remember correctly, you're then going step your near leg through to their head. Next, step all the way past their head with your other leg, swivelling so that the knee is pressed against their other side. You still have control of their arm due to that grip on the wrist: you're now going to use that to pull their arm up.

As you've swivelled, you should be in position for an armbar, with one leg over their head, the other pressed into their back. Keep that knee tight to stop them escaping, then drop back into an armbar.

Sparring started with Alex, who had little trouble controlling me. I played around with open guard for a while, trying to use my legs to keep him at bay, but he was able to drive his hips forward, keeping me under pressure until he eventually passed. That set the trend for the rest of lesson, which was back into my old pattern of defending side control until eventually getting caught in a choke or an armbar.

Same thing happened with a white belt, who was a little bigger than me, but I was being way too passive under side control. There appears to be a more aggressive style of sparring at GB Brum, although that could just be because my pool of rolling partners has been relatively limited up until now (either Howard or Callum, both technical blues, or relatively new white belts). As I'm not training doubles, that means I can push myself a little harder in sparring, rather than being lazy and conserving energy for the next lesson.

Last roll was with Christian, who posts as gawkrodger on EFN (Alex is on there too: it's always cool to meet people off the forums and/or bloggers). Again I was getting stuck under side control, and again found myself trying something I think I saw in Saulo's book, about getting into a 'survival' position. Having that knee and foot right over the other leg does feel safe to a certain degree, but not if you stay there too long, as I tend to do.

So, this is a good opportunity for me firstly to really think about how people are setting up their armbars and chokes from side control (I was pleased I could at least escape a baseball bat choke, as I often get caught with those). Secondly, and more importantly, I can work on being more proactive from under side control. Alternatively, I could try the much less likely option of getting to a top position when we start from the knees, which would lead to an opportunity for practicing guard passing.

Should be training again on Wednesday, where I'll have a chance to see what the train journey is like to GB Brum from Leamington, and how that will fit into my sleeping pattern for work (I got up at 06:50 on Tuesday, which should fit ok with a train getting back a little before 22:00, as I live round the corner from the station).

18/02/2010 - BJJ (Beginner)

Class #288
RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 18/02/2010

Somebody brought in a weighing scale tonight, presumably because a few competitions are coming up in the next few months. Naturally everyone went and weighed themselves, and it appears I'm fatter than I thought at the moment. Normally I weigh around 65kg without the gi, but the scales told me I'm currently 71.5kg whilst wearing it. So, I must be at least 69kg or so without the gi right now. That annoys me: I'm determined to get down to my normal weight by next week. Of course, eating a whole tub of ice cream yesterday probably didn't help. Ahem. ;)

Kev started off technique tonight by taking the back, this time after sprawling against a shoot. For the purposes of this drill, you end up facing their turtle, with them reaching for your leg to initiate a takedown from the knees. Drop your hip on that side (if I'm remembering correctly), then bring your opposite arm over their head. That should kill their grip on your leg, so you can now circle around past it, and take the back in the same way as Tuesday, finishing with a RNC.

He also advised that to finish the choke, it can be helpful to roll towards the elbow of your choking arm. That will make it tougher for them to escape. Conversely, if you're on the receiving end, then the fingers of their choking arm point you route to freedom.

The next choke from the back was referred to by Kev as a single collar choke. I think it might also be known as a single wing choke, but I'm not sure. You have a deep grip on one collar. Your other arm threads in front of their same side arm and behind their head. Pull their collar to the opposite side, simultaneously pushing on their head with your other arm, while also moving that other arm towards the opposite side.

Finally Kev demonstrated his favourite, the bow and arrow choke. Again you 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 on their 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.

Sparring from turtle, I was able to eventually escape both Howard and Callum, but it felt rather sloppy. I could generally free one hook, then secure a leg with both of my own. I then just about managed to block their other hook from re-establishing. However, I was struggling to turn to either the top position (if I was facing the ceiling), or spin to half guard (if underneath). Could be because they had an arm under my armpit again. I tried grabbing a leg and driving, but that didn't work either. Still, I guess it's better than being fully back mounted.

I found that on top, I was leaving too much space. Callum is particularly quick at shifting back into guard, managing to knock me out of position, then just rolling over his shoulder to replace guard. Howard also exposed that space, though he preferred to roll to the side. Either way, I was doing something wrong that I wasn't doing on Tuesday, as I managed to stay on top and eventually secure the back that time. Must remember to keep my hips low, and take care that when I move, I'm not leaving them an escape route.

Unfortunately I managed to slice my finger on somebody's gi, as I noticed there was a load of blood seeping from under my fingernail. I don't think it was a large cut, as washing it in the sink seemed to get rid of most of the blood fairly quickly. Still, I didn't fancy messing it up further on someone's abrasive gi, especially as sparring from back mount tends to result in lots of finger friction. I did have a quick roll with Callum after writing down my usual notes and taping up the finger, but time soon ran out.

16/02/10 - BJJ (Beginner)

Class #286
RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 16/02/2010

I'm thrilled to see that one of my favourite TV series in recent years, Last Man Standing, now has a female counterpart, Last Woman Standing. It's on iPlayer here, and showing on BBC 3 Tuesdays at 21:00, repeated on Sundays at 20:00. I'd never thought it would happen, as I'd assumed tribal culture was too patriarchal, so this was a pleasant surprise. The first one should appeal to BJJers, as it's wrestling in a Brazilian tribe. Awesome!

I also read a thought-provoking thread on The Underground recently, about Women's Self Defence. Several people who have taught women self defence classes relate their experiences, and what they think is the proper way to go about doing it. Just throwing out a subset of BJJ is frowned upon. So, I'd be interested to hear what people think, if they haven't seen that before.

Finally, worth mentioning that RGA Buckinghamshire is expanding. I train at the High Wycombe location, but there is also one in Aylesbury, and now a third in Bletchley. This will be running at the Total Dojo, The Concourse, Brunel Centre, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK2 2ES. Looking at the map, it isn't far from Bletchley Rail Station. BJJ sessions are on Wednesdays, from 20:15-21:45.

Fundamentals this week was based around standing guillotines. Start by wrapping up their neck if they leave it exposed when shooting in. With the forearm pressing into their throat, form a fist with that hand, then cup it with the other. Squeeze and lean back for the submission, dropping into guard if you need extra leverage.

I hadn't realised that it is illegal in competition (though Kev mentioned he was going to double check) if you apply that choke without feeding your 'cupping' arm through their same side armpit. Apparently, it is otherwise too much strain on the neck and spine. Howard and I were just applying guillotines as normal until Kev pointed out the rules issues, and I did indeed find at one point there was a fair bit of strain on the top of my spine.

The defence is to grab their choking arm with four fingers for breathing room, while your other arm reaches over their shoulder. Walk round, drop them to the floor, and land in side control. As they'll probably still have hold of your head, crush your shoulder into their face until they release the grip (you shouldn't be in danger of getting choked anymore, as the leverage isn't there).

Main techniques tonight were centred around the back mount. First of all, you have to get there, so Kev demonstrated taking the back when they're turtled up. You start behind them and slightly to the side, your hips low to stop them rolling out. Threaten their neck, with the aim of making them move their arms to defend. As soon as they do, slip your hands underneath and grab their gi lapels (though not too deep, as you can potentially get rolled).

You now move up higher on their body, bringing one knee next to theirs. Roll them over that knee, so they are facing the ceiling. If you haven't been able to immediately insert hooks, clamp your knees together, to stop them immediately spinning to your guard. Threaten their neck again, then insert your hooks as they move their arms to defend.

From here, you can execute a basic choke. You'll have one arm through 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. Your armpit hand now goes to their other collar and holds it. To finish the choke, pull slightly across with your shoulder hand and straight down with your armpit hand, also leaning back and pressing forward with your hips.

You can also roll to the side of your choking arm, as that will give you much more space to lean back, because you are no longer stopped by the floor. Make sure that you bring your shoulder arm elbow slightly back, as if you roll on top of it, you'll lock it in place and find it tough to get the leverage for the choke.

Specific sparring from turtle, I went to my usual 'safety position', with my elbows tucked up past my knees, hands by my neck. While that prevented chokes, it didn't stop Howard from slipping his hands in to grip my gi lapels. My main aim was to wait for an opportunity to move towards his legs and roll into guard. Sometimes that worked, securing half guard first, but sometimes I merely ended up under mount or side control.

I asked Kev about the ideal defensive position. He suggested that, from a sitting position, put your elbows on your hips, hands together, forming a triangle. Fold your torso over the top, resulting in a secure barrier against grips and hooks. However, it isn't a very active option, so better to be looking for the legs and a chance to spin to guard.

On top, I tend to struggle against the turtle. I went very slow, looking for an opening, but Howard wasn't leaving any space. So instead, I remained low on the hips to stop him rolling, then attempted to pull out his gi lapel. If I couldn't get my hand to grab the gi, I'd make it come to me. I'm not sure that was actually a good tactic, but it seemed to work, as eventually I had enough leverage to roll Howard and insert one hook. I ended up forcing my other foot into place, but it was rather sloppy. The round finished as I was working to secure a choke, though Howard wasn't far off from escaping my hooks.

Roy Dean Seminar: Day One

Seminar #2
Uplands School, (BJJ), Roy Dean, Poole, UK - 25/07/2009

Today is only the second time I've attended a BJJ seminar, the first having been with Victor Estima in Belfast. That day, Victor focused largely on one guard pass, adding details and getting in lots of drilling. Roy Dean has a very different style, running through a huge number of connected techniques. As he says, his goal is for the student to at least get one or two techniques that really fit into their game, so having that sheer number of techniques increases the likelihood of providing something specific for a diverse range of people.

This first day began with various single leg takedowns. Grip their same side collar and use your bodyweight to pull them down and off balance. Drop to your outside knee, moving around to the side of their same side leg, then hook that leg with your arm. Use your head to drive forward, getting to your feet, clamping their leg between your knees. Shove your shoulder on the inside of their leg while simultaneously stepping back, which should knock them to the ground.

Alternatively, once you are up with their leg between your knees, step back with your outside leg, dropping down so that you end up with a knee raised inside their guard. Still holding their collar (which you used to pull them down at the start), keep your elbow in, bring your knee across their leg and pass to the side, pulling up on their sleeve to settle into a controlling position.

Checking my notes, I've mentioned a heel hook here, so I must have meant from that position. You have one foot underneath their bum, the other over their leg. Scoot in closer towards them so that their leg bends, making it easier for you to wedge your hand and wrist under their heel. You can then twist that up for the submission.

Importantly, Roy mention that this technique was not for sparring, merely something for his students to be aware of. It is always essential for a safety warning whenever going over a very dangerous technique like a heel hook, particularly if you're teaching white belts.

Roy then demonstrated some 'what if' scenarios for the single leg takedown. Again, you're standing with their leg between yours, looking for the takedown. However, they have managed to circle their leg to the outside. You can still take them down: step in, sweep their standing leg, then in conjunction with your collar grip, drive them to the mat.

If they circle their leg to the inside, you need a different option. This time, you can move right into an Achilles lock. Bring your arm under their leg, pressing up in their Achilles tendon: your arm will be near their foot. Lift up the leg, then step forwards with your far leg. Block the foot of their standing leg with your near leg, driving in to take them to the mat.

After a short break, it was time for the second hour of the seminar. Roy began with a basic rear naked choke, in back mount with them sitting in front of you, feet hooking their inner thighs. Roy emphasised that it isn't just the arms that make this submission. You also need to shrug your shoulder, further cutting off any space around their neck.

Aside from the usual grip, where you hold your bicep, brining a hand around the back of their head, Roy also showed a variation using fists. As ever, you get the arm around the neck, so your elbow is under their chin. Grab their shoulder with the hand of that arm.

Put the elbow of your other arm on that same shoulder, then bring the fist of that arm around to the back of their head. Instead of pressing with your palm, you press with the back of your fist.

Next up was a sliding choke Again in back mount with them sitting in front of you, get one arm under their armpit. Open up the nearest lapel, then feed it to your other arm, which you bring over their other shoulder. This should be a tight grip, with your hand curled.

The other hand, which is still under their armpit, now grips their other lapel lower down. You can now lean back, pulling down with that hand while twisting the other for the choke. In other words, you effectively straighten your arms out to create the pressure.

To create even greater pressure, remove one of your hooks and put it across their stomach. The way I tried to remember which leg to use was that the sole of your foot should be pointing the same way as the knuckles of your lower hand. Lean in the direction of the knee of that leg you have across the stomach, again straightening out the arms for the choke.

You can make it tighter still after removing the hook and establishing the leg across the stomach. Release your lower grip. sliding that hand along their arm until you reach their elbow. That gives you the space to then reach behind their head, setting up the choke.

Before you sink it, make the submission super-tight by swivelling your legs around, so that you are able to bring your free leg over their shoulder, locking your feet together. This is a very stable position to get the choke, with little room for escape.

If for whatever reason you aren't able to get that choke on, switch to an armbar from the back. Keep swivelling your legs, push their head, then bring the leg over their head. You're now in perfect position for an armbar.

Staying with chokes, we shifted positions. Instead of back mount, Roy showed us how to attack the turtle. Establish one hook on the near side with your foot, also hooking the same side arm with your own, coming underneath their armpit. Your free hand will reach over their far shoulder, gripping their collar.

Roll over your shoulder towards the unhooked side, locking in the other hook as you turn, aiming to use momentum to drop them right into the crook of your elbow. You can now go for a rear naked choke.

You can go for an armbar from the turtle with a similar set-up, with the key difference that this time, you don't secure your second hook. Instead, you want to bring that leg all around, pushing their head, going straight into the armbar. If they try to turn towards you to escape the armbar, there is the option of a triangle too.

I would note here that you can get stuck under their arm as you attempt to move round for the armbar. If that happens, you can go for a choke instead.

Last one for the turtle was to get a hook, grip their collar, then grab under their thigh, on the far side. Roll over your shoulder again, but more perpendicular than before. You should hopefully end up with a collar to pull over the neck and a firm hold behind their knee, pulling their leg up. Pulling from this position will give you a bow and arrow choke.

The final technique for that second hour was from the previous position, a choke from rear mount with them sitting in front of you. For this particular technique, you don't put in either hook, but instead grip one collar, then using the mechanics of a technical stand-up, bring your legs back and pull your partner towards you. To finish, twist into the grip, using the pressure of your shoulder to complete the choke.

Hour number three focused on how to attack from the knees. This is handy for sparring in class, as BJJ sparring commonly starts from the knees: Roy provided some option. It is also applicable beyond that, such as if you end up in a scramble, with both of you suddenly facing each other on your knees.

Roy kicked off with a throw. Grabbing their collar and elbow in the usual way, put your opposite foot by their near knee, to a point that about half your foot is directly next to the knee. Using your grips, pull them over that knee and to the mat, then move directly into knee-on-belly.

Alternately, you can armbar from the knees. As before, you are holding the collar and elbow. You also have one knee up, by their opposite hip. The other knee is on the floor: keeping it flat on the floor, slide that leg over towards their knee. You can now swivel, and then put the foot of the raised knee leg into their armpit. The other leg goes over their head, after which you can complete the submission.

Another option is that you are on your knees, but they want to pull guard, so they are waiting with one knee up, the other leg flat on the floor, knee pointing to the side. Attacking the leg with the raised knee, grab their heel with your opposite hand. With your free hand, grip their same side sleeve.

Next, pull their heel back and yank their sleeve (or wrist, if it is nogi) out. This should spin them and expose their side, leaving you plenty of room to go straight into knee-on-belly. Roy later referred to this as an ankle pick, a term I've heard related to wrestling, but never really understood before now. Its also what Christina called the "it's me" position, which is how I'll always remember it.

From knee on belly, there is often the option of the armbar: that is again the case here, as you've still go hold of their sleeve. So as before, bring your leg over their head, then drop for the armbar, making sure you keep your knees pinched and don't land with your hips too far back.

Alternately, you can spin and catch the far armbar, if they try and push your knee off with their hand. Same technique as yesterday, reaching through the frame of their arm and swivelling into place for the armbar.

The technique portion drew to a close with numerous options from the armdrag. Starting position is and open guard, with your feet on their hips, but they are still on their knees. Hold their opposite sleeve (or wrist), then with your other hand, grab the knob of their elbow, gripping on the outside of their arm.

Pull with your arms and push with the feet, which gave Roy the opportunity to repeat a useful description of BJJ by his instructor, Roy Harris: BJJ is the art of pushing and pulling. Disengage your foot from the side where you aren't holding their arm, then shift the grip you have on their sleeve or wrist to high under the same arm.

You can now pull them past you onto their knees. That disengaged foot is perfectly placed to become a hook, while you will establish an over-under grip with your hands (i.e., where one arm goes under their armpit, the other over their shoulder, then grip together). Potentially you could spin right to their back and get the other hook in on the far side.

However, if you can't quite get that foot all the way over for a far hook, reach over with an arm to grasp their gi near their far lat muscle. With your other hand, reach under their same side arm and grip their wrist, pulling it inwards.

The hand you had on their lat will now move to block their same side hand, enabling you to roll them into back mount, where you can finish with a choke.

That ended the third hour, leaving a final fourth hour for open mat. My first spar was with Gareth, the big white belt from Friday. I was more proactive this time, managing to get on top and into mount. I'm remembering to switch to s-mount when people try to roll me over, which is good, but can't finish the armbar from there. I had it in place, but wasn't able to prise Gareth's hands apart in order to properly extend the arm.

I also couldn't get the ezequiel from mount, which I tried a few times, but was probably holding it wrong, and I also don't think I created the right pressure by lifting an elbow. Attempting to finish it from guard after he rolled me was no more successful.

In guard, I continued to work for triangles, and continued to get stacked. I also always seem to have the wrong placement for the arm and leg when looking to switch, though that could just be another example of my failure to react immediately rather than pondering what to do next.

Roy interrupted us midway through, which was cool as I was looking forward to rolling with him. Sparring black belts is always awesome, particularly when they are able to carefully observe and break down your game like Roy. As usual, I was very defensive, protecting my neck, looking to go to half guard from side control and mount.

I'm still a bit flat, but Roy kindly said he thought my defence was pretty good, as I didn't leave him much space, kept my neck safe and showed signs of using my legs as well as arms. I mentioned that while I'm content with how my defence is progressing, my guard passing and submissions remain awful.

That led to what was perhaps the most useful thing I learned all weekend, a guard break. As any regular reader knows, I have been trying to get the damn closed guard open ever since I started, without a great deal of success. Previously I've been trying to tailbone break, but generally get swept or stuck. I've also been attempting to trap and arm, stand, then step forward to their trapped arm, pushing on their other leg. There too I'm still lacking key details, as they often manage to grab the foot I have back anyway.

Roy's suggestion was that I push up into their biceps with straight arms, taking them out of the equation. At the same time, bury your head into their stomach. That provides the stability to jump straight into a wide base with your legs. You then jump again, but this time in order to bring your knee into their tailbone. Sit down and use that knee to cut through their guard, opening the legs.

To pass, grab their collar and arm, dropping your raised knee to trap their leg with your shin. Bringing the elbow of your collar-gripping arm in, slide through, pulling up on their arm in order to secure a good side control or scarf hold. This is apparently on Purple Belt Requirements, Roy's new DVD. There was more guard passing in store on day two, which proved to be just as heavy on technique.
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That ended the seminar, but I was in for another surprise. Roy had two students with him, Glen and Rick, who you might recognise from their blue belt demonstrations up on Youtube. As well as acting as uke for Roy (along with Steve), Rick and Glen were in charge of filming the seminar and taking photos.

Update May 2011: Some of that footage has now been released on DVD, as part of The White Belt Bible. The section in question is a short documentary about the Roy Dean Academy trip to London, so also shows them going round the capital, Paul's private lesson, and earlier rolling from Roy before I got there. If you're wondering where yours truly pops up, there is about forty seconds of me from 08:02 onwards ;).]

Rick has an additional project in the works, which sounds fascinating: once its finished, it will be a BJJ documentary, with the central thread being Rick's progress towards his purple belt demonstration this year, alongside lots of interview and competition footage from around the world. I'm assuming the video will be incorporated into that, but perhaps it is meant to be stand-alone.

Either way, I was pleased to be asked to take part in that, with a quick interview about my training, the blog, how I got into BJJ and the like (naturally much, much longer than forty seconds, but I like the quote Rick took: makes me sound coherent instead of rambling ;p). I could talk about BJJ for days, so relished the opportunity to let loose with a stream of enthusiastic, but hopefully coherent babble.

Back at Steve, Kirsty and Paul's flat, I had a chance to look through Purple Belt Requirements with Steve. Looks brilliant, and very different from every other instructional DVD I've seen up until this point. Also useful to have a first viewing to get in mind some of the things I want to discuss when I come to review it in a few days.

Even better, I could ask Roy himself later that evening, as we all hit Bournemouth for some drinks. Talking with Roy and Rick (Glen stayed at home) was awesome, with lots of long conversations about BJJ, Roy's DVD, Rick's documentary, along with a whole load of other stuff.

Four hours of training followed by several more hours of talking with top BJJ black belts and their students: that's a day that is going to be tough to beat. :D

[Pics included by kind permission of Paul Laver]

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