08/04/2011 - De la Riva at Mill Hill

Class #385
RGA Mill Hill, (BJJ), Nick Brooks, Mill Hill, UK - 08/04/2011

I had intended to train in Bristol last week, but annoyingly I picked up some kind of virus. So, that ruled out BJJ, as I didn't want to pass that around the rest of the academy (it irritates me when people come in sniffling and coughing: if you know you're ill with something infectious, don't train!)

That meant I would have to wait until April to get back on the mats. For an upcoming issue of Jiu Jitsu Style, Nick Brooks generously arranged an interview with Ricardo de la Riva, who is visiting the UK for a couple of seminars. Even more generously, Nick also invited me down to train beforehand at the Mill Hill academy. Packing my dictaphone (or rather, my gf's dictaphone), I jumped on the train to London.

It has been almost three months since I hurt my knee, so I decided it was time to see if it could cope with a warm-up. The knee didn't complain during running round the room or shrimping, so it must be on the road to recovery. I'm still wary of sparring, but that's not a problem as long as I have sensible, considerate training partners.

Technique today was based around the flower sweep. Nick began with a straightforward method, beginning by grabbing both their sleeves. Release one of your grips and grab their same side trouser leg. Still on that side, kick your leg up into their armpit, aiming to break their posture and knock them diagonally forwards.

Continue pushing with your leg, pulling on their sleeve and lifting with that grip on their pant leg. That should enable you to roll through into mount. If they base out with a hand, you can take the opportunity to move into a triangle, bringing the leg on their basing side to curl around their head. Push them to the other side with that leg, then lock up the triangle.

You can also use different grips when you start. The orthodox version is to grab one sleeve (stopping their attempt to base out), then with your other hand, grab the opposite pant leg. However, you can also grab a sleeve, using your elbow and forearm to clamp down on their other wrist, trapping it in place (which again stops them using it to base out). On the same side as your grip, grab their pant leg, then proceed with the technique as before.

Finally, you can try a slightly different tactic from the same position. Establish your grips and go for the flower sweep. However, after you've kicked up into their armpit, you're going to swivel 180 degrees, then straighten that leg. At the same time, pull on their trouser leg straight backwards (rather than lifting up, as before).

This should flatten them out, so you end up alongside them, reaching over their body to immobilise their torso, ready to move into an omoplata. Normally, you would lean over to their opposite shoulder as if whispering in their ear to apply the submission. Nick showed a slightly different variation, where making sure your leg is over their shoulder, your head goes to their opposite hip instead. Twist your hips up for the shoulder lock.

Sparring was down to Nick, who like Kev pairs people up. As he knew about my knee, he started me off with a green belt. Children are useful if you've got an injury, as they're so light that it is unlikely they're going to power into some awkward movement that jars whatever joint you've hurt. It also meant I could stay very relaxed, leaving openings to see what he did, while also looking to concentrate purely on technique.

Next up was an entirely different prospect, the mighty Dan Strauss, fresh off his impressive victory at Submission 1000 (despite the fact that the tournament included several black and brown belts, purple belt Dan was able to win the whole thing). He took it easy on my knee, but given he is such a high level purple, that still meant he totally dominated me. I couldn't do anything except flop around defending.

No doubt if he'd been going full force, I would have spent the whole time tapping. However, as Dan was being nice, I mainly got a good work out due to all the spinning and twisting of my escape attempts. He also had some advice on escaping triangles, after he caught me with an americana from his guard.

I had been looking to create some kind of frame with my arm, as he had established a solid high mount and was in the process of locking in the triangle. I put my hand on my head as he rolled to guard in order to finish, hoping to wriggle my elbow back and slip my arm free. Instead, he simply twisted my arm to the side for a submission.

Dan suggested that instead, I should have grabbed his knee, driven it to the floor and then worked from there to get free. Alternatively, I could have tucked my chin to make some space, stand up, then use my knee to pry my head and arm free.

My training partner from the earlier drilling was next, Cho, a friendly white belt. Yet again, I went to the Xande open guard to avoid using my injured leg, which is mostly where we stayed (especially as, like everyone else, Cho was being careful of my left knee). Last up was a tall blue belt, who also stayed light. I got stuck in z-guard a few times, and was trying to push his knees together and to the mat. However, that mostly seemed to just present a chance for them to attack my neck, so I still need lots of work to get that pass right.

De la Riva was teaching a private at the time, before moving into a photoshoot with fellow blogger Meerkatsu, who trains at Mill Hill. It is always cool to meet internet friends in the real world: I've trained with Seymour a number of times now, but it's been a while. Once Seymour had finished off his camerawork, it was my turn to put that dictaphone to use.

Thanks to David Soares kindly acting as translator, I was able to have a forty minute chat with de la Riva (I checked on the capitalisation with the man himself, in case you've ever wondered how to write his surname). Our conversation should be popping up in Issue 3 of Jiu Jitsu Style, once I've typed it up and edited it down to the requisite length.

Clint was also there: I first met him last time I trained at Mill Hill. He is in the process of raising some money for charity, as part of the fight against cancer. Clint is planning to wear a bright pink gi, also sporting a fetching pink mohawk: if you'd like to sponsor him, check out his page.

23/11/2010 - BJJ (Beginner)

Class #362
RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Sahid Khamlichi, High Wycombe, UK - 23/11/2010

Sahid was taking class again tonight, and after starting off with a takedown, he moved on to the flower sweep. His set up was a little different to what I'm used to, and started off in closed guard. They have the typical grip, with one hand on your collars, the other back by your hip. Swim your arms through and back towards you to knock their arms off (easier said than done, depending on their grip), bringing them forwards with your knees. Reach around their back and clasp your hands together in a gable grip, locking them to your body.

Next, release the top hand (using the other to keep control of their head), then bring it out and under their arm, so that you can put it by their head. Reclasp your hands in a gable grip: Sahid recommended having the higher hand thumb down, for a stronger hold). Straighten your legs and move your hips out to the side (in the direction of your upper arm).

Relock your legs, then lean back slightly, nudging their arm with your shoulder. Your aim is to push their arm under their head or body. If they don't react, you can move to take their back. More likely, they will try to square back up, which is what you want. You've now got them locked against your torso, with their arm trapped underneath them. As before, release your gable grip, switching the upper arm to grab around their far armpit instead.

Your other arm either threads under their same side leg, or grabs the same side trouser leg, by the knee. Open your guard and kick through, so that the leg on the trouser grip side whacks into their armpit, while the other chops through. You can also lift with the arm gripping their trouser leg/under their leg, rolling through to mount.

If that all seems a bit complicated, you could also try the simpler version Callum mentioned. Grab their sleeve, then grab their knee on the other side. From here, kick through as before to get the flower sweep: you'll be using that grip on the sleeve to stop them posting out. However, it is of course more difficult to break their posture from here than in the previous variation, where you've already got them bent forwards and locked close to your torso.

Alternatively, you can use Sahid's set-up to go for an armbar. You being as above, until you get to the point where you're gripping their far armpit. Instead of going for the sweep, walk your legs up high, until you can bring a leg over their shoulder, on their trapped arm side. That means you're now in a position that looks a little like Eddie Bravo's pleasantly named 'crack head control', except that you aren't grabbing your own leg (p150 of Mastering the Rubber Guard). From here, you just push the head to get your leg from their shoulder to over their head, and go for the armbar. The flower sweep is still an option from here too.

In specific sparring, I as ever need to be more proactive in guard, particularly with chokes. I'm still using them as more of a threat, rather than following through. That's probably because I don't have any confidence in actually landing them, so something to work on: that should also make them a more effective distraction, so I can then look at attacking arms, securing overhooks or even trying Shawn Williams guard again (I had a go, but didn't isolate Callum's arm properly, so it wasn't doing a whole lot).

I also need to watch my arm when they stand up. I wanted to go for my favoured handstand sweep to star sweep combination, but that doesn't function properly if they've managed to grab your other arm. Callum doesn't grab the arm initially, instead standing up with a hand on the hip: he grips it as he stands, so something I need to pay more attention to next time.

When I was on top, I was trying to drive my hips forward when he went to open guard, and see if I could grab a leg and pull up. I'm still not standing when I should, but Callum tends to go to open guard anyway, so that forced me to get off my knees. I also got into the dreaded z-guard type thing, with that frustrating knee. I tried switching to pushing on the knee...but left an arm behind for Callum to kimura.

We also chatted some more about Callum's magazine and his plans: if you haven't already 'liked' the Facebook page for Jiu Jitsu Style, check it out here for the latest news. There's also an interview I did with him on the topic, for the FightWorks Podcast (text rather than audio).

12/10/2010 - BJJ (Beginner)

Class #350
RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 12/10/2010

The Ultimate Fighter (UK viewers can see it on Sky Sports, and it is also up on the TUF website), does not normally get my attention, as all I ever hear about is lots of smack talk, irritating behaviour (carefully edited to make it even more annoying) and lowest common denominator sensationalism. However, this season they have something worth watching: John Danaher. I was very intrigued to not only see and hear from the great man himself, but also what kind of impact he would have on the team.

The coaches match up is in classic pro-wrestling style, with a heel (Josh Koscheck) versus a face (GSP), both men doing a good job of playing their allotted roles. Koscheck even talks about “not wanting to lose to a bunch of nerds,” while there are snippets showing GSP talking about how he used to get bullied at school. Despite the obvious tactic, it works, as it does make me keen to see Koscheck’s team lose (although at the same time, I was rooting for the sole Brit, Aaron Wilkinson, who hilariously gets subtitled due to his Mancunian accent).

Without Danaher, it would be difficult to maintain my interest. After all, there is a lot to dislike about the program, such as the way that in every single episode, they make sure to zoom in on the ring girl’s cleavage and backside. There will probably be some equally idiotic antics in the house later on too (fortunately not much so far, but I’m only at the fourth episode). Hopefully Danaher will start to get some more screen time (they do talk about him a bit in one of the ‘Aftermath’ shows) and make it all worthwhile, and there’s Dave Camarillo too (a big fan of Danaher).

I also wanted to mentioned that Chiu, one of the instructors from Gracie Barra Birmingham, is going to be teaching a class at the University of Warwick on Sunday 17th October. Shame I’ve already left the area, as that would have been cool. Hopefully that might eventually lead to a formal BJJ class: check out the Warwick BJJ Facebook group for more details.

Getting back to tonight’s class, things kicked off with an armbar from guard. Normally, you would grab the same side arm, but in this variation, you reach over for the other arm instead (known as a ‘cross-grip’). Your same side arm is instead going to reach for their opposite collar, which means you can now clamp your elbow down on their arm, giving you extra control. The armbar then proceeds as normal, with your same side foot going to their hip (on the side of the arm you’re attacking), swivel and kick your other leg up into their armpit, then bring your hip foot up over their head. Note that to clear their head, you may need to push it back with your hand, or alternatively shove into their neck.

Kev then showed a neat little trick, for when their gi is loose. On the same side as the arm you want to attack, pull their gi underneath the arm, then wrap it over the top and feed to your other hand. Pull this across and down, which will give you even greater control on their arm. You won’t be able to keep them there for ever, but it should give you a little more time to land the armbar.

The flower sweep combines well with the armbar. If they manage to block you bringing your leg over their head, switch your grip on their sleeve: most likely they’ll be leaning forward and your arm will be under their head or torso, so you’ll probably be in position to easily switch your grip on their arm already. Your other arm either reaches behind their same side knee or grabs their gi trouser leg, then kick up with one leg and chop with the other, rolling on top into mount.

Kev finished off with a basic standing guard pass. Get the usual double collar grip, then grab their same side sleeve and shove it into their hip. Step your leg up on that side, let go of the collars and yank their arm up, bringing your other leg slightly back. Having stepped back, you can now push down on their knee and break open their guard.

As soon as their guard is open, drop down to combat base, where you have one knee up in their guard, your other foot by your heel. Reach under one of their legs (it doesn’t matter too much which, but feels more natural to go for the leg opposite your raised knee) and bump it up to your shoulder. With the same hand, reach through for their collar, or if you can’t grab that (or it’s nogi), their opposite shoulder.

Making certain your other elbow is inside their knee (otherwise they might try for a triangle), drive forward and walk your legs around to the side. Keep the pressure on until you can slide past their leg and move into side control. You might also find it helpful to grab the back of their belt with your free hand and raise their hips up, making it difficult for them to use their hips.

Sparring was specific from the guard. On top, I was looking to use Colin’s pass, where as soon as they grip your collar, you grab that sleeve with your same side hand and stand up, then break their guard. It worked, but I wasn’t reacting as quickly as I should: at one point I had stood up and broken the guard open, but stayed where I was, rather than shoving a leg down and doing a big step over the top to start the pass.

A lot of the time I was finding that I am still accepting half guard, rather than driving for the full pass. From there, I kept on trying to attack the far arm, but I was too obvious about it, so they had little trouble grabbing onto some cloth to stop me easily bringing the arm out for a submission. However, it’s a good habit to get into, as that helps distract them from my efforts to get my leg free.

Underneath, I was playing around with various attacks. I need to be more careful with the scissor sweep, as I’m still tending to just end up opening my guard and helping them initiate a pass, rather than staying tight and breaking their posture properly first. I wasn’t doing enough with spider guard, as I had the arms extended but didn’t progress to a sweep, and I also totally messed up the omoplata sweep: I ended up just rolling them on top of me and giving them side control.

I did manage to get an omoplata later on, but very sloppy. I started off with my legs in completely the wrong position, underneath their head rather than out to the side. Not quite sure how I ended up there. Eventually I got them free and out to the right side, then worked into the submission, but against anyone more experienced I would have just lost the position.

18/03/10 - BJJ (Beginner)

Class #296
RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 18/03/2010

I've already mentioned this at length on my Facebook, but for those of you not on there yet, I recommend you check out Georgette's thought-provoking post on the reasons why people blog, here. It has resulted in an intriguing discussion, also taking in the reasons why people compete.

To babble a bit about non-BJJ topics (if you don't care, skip straight to the training), I also wanted to mention three BBC series I've really enjoyed recently. First is Last Woman Standing, the third in the series (the first two, which I talked about early last year and back in 2007, featured all-male casts). Not as much wrestling as before, unfortunately, but still great stuff, augmented by the fact it was women, so less stupid machismo.

Second, BBC4 has been discussing the history of feminism in a program simply called Women. The first one was about the second wave, which inspired me to bolster my rather limited feminist library. While I've always referred to myself as a feminist, it's based on conviction rather than a grounding in the critical theory.

I've been meaning to delve into the main texts of feminism for a long time, as previously I'd only read The Female Eunuch (though I guess I've studied a bunch of relevant novels during my English BA, by authors like Angela Carter, Jeanette Winterson and Virginia Woolf. Possibly could put Marion Zimmer Bradley in there too, as we did The Mists of Avalon for my favourite undergrad module, 'Arthurian Literature and its Legacy').

So, I've started reading The Second Sex, and also picked up some books by two of the people featured in the first program, Susan Brownmiller and Kate Millett. If anyone has further recommendations (e.g., Ann Oakley looked interesting, but I wasn't sure which of her books to get, and I liked the sound of Judith Butler from a seminar I attended a few years back, as it sounded like she had some stimulating ideas on gender identity), let me know.

Finally, I love music documentaries (and comparing musical taste: as ever, mine is fully laid out over at last.fm), and BBC4 has been showcasing some brilliant examples of the genre. First was Heavy Metal Britannia, which gave me some insight into a genre I've never been able to engage with, despite numerous efforts. I'm looking forward to the second, Prog Rock Britania, and especially the third, Synth Britannia (as that covers my favourites period of music, from the mid-70s through to the mid-80s).
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Tonight's class started off with the companion technique to Tuesday, a pendulum sweep. This is much simpler than the flower sweep, because your opponent has already done much of the work for you by stepping up their knee. Secure their opposite arm, then hook your same side hand underneath their raised knee.

Kick your leg on that side right up into their armpit, driving through, so that they get knocked off balance. Continue the motion by lifting up behind their knee with your underhook, then finally use your other leg to chop low (as you don't want them to land on it). This should result in you ending up on top in mount, still with a hold of that leg.

You can also do this off the armbar, as Roy Dean demonstrates on Blue Belt Requirements. If they tuck their head, that's when you go for the sweep. Alternatively, you can still land that armbar, by not completing the sweep. Instead, you knock them off balance as before, but this time, sit up and get them into position for an armbar from the mount. It should be easier to finish from here than the guard, because they can't stack you (though make sure you stay tight, or they might be able to escape).

Last technique was a cross-guard sweep Kev first showed us back in January. I didn't say much about the follow-up guard pass in my previous post, so I'll do that now. Once you've knocked them down, you need to use the momentum to come up and move forward, still pulling on their sleeve. You also want to slide your inside knee over their leg, leaning your body towards them.

Having reached that position, switch their sleeve to your other hand, still pulling up. That leaves your first arm free to underhook their far armpit, further dropping your bodyweight on top of them, as well as immobilising their torso. From here, you can slide through into modified scarf hold (i.e., under the armpit rather than the head), and/or into side control.

One random thing to be aware of is that I kept getting my knee entangled inside Callum's gi when I did this, which made it difficult to pull up on his arm properly. If that happens, switch to grabbing their elbow, drop your bodyweight down, then move into side control. Shouldn't cause too many problems, but it caused me a bit of confusion during drilling.

Sparring was interesting, as it wasn't just guard passage, but guard passage without submissions. That meant I could concentrate fully on passing guard without having to worry about triangles, armbars and chokes, and then underneath just think about sweeps. On top, I jumped right to my feet the first few times, to have a play around, but that generally just resulted in getting swept quicker. Callum and I had a few scrambles, where I was trying to drive my hips forward and stack him (at one point, I ended up spinning him right round, but because he kept his knees in, it didn't help me pass).

I was still looking to pull their arm under their back, and still failing to secure a grip. I couldn't isolate the sleeve for a cross-grip either: perhaps I need to be more forceful with that, or put my hips into it? A couple of times I had the sleeve and started to stand, but Callum easily freed his arm.

Generally, I'm still being too reactive when trying to pass guard, especially on top. That means I'm chasing after them, rather than imposing some kind of strategy they have to defend. My only successful passing tactic remains forcing half guard, locking in a gable grip, then using shoulder pressure to pass. Unfortunately, that doesn't often work against the blues, as unlike white belts, they aren't going to let me slide my knee through that easily.

Underneath, I wanted to go to butterfly and try to sweep, as I'd been watching a video which emphasised pressing into their chest with your forehead, something I don't tend to do enough. However, my attempt to switch to butterfly from closed was rather sloppy, so Callum took advantage and passed. I did find myself with a belt grip over his back, but wasn't sure what to do with it. I thought I'd seen a choke after you grab their belt before, but checking back through my notes, I can only see a half guard sweep and a stack pass defence, so maybe not.

I also messed up a basic principle, which is pushing their head on the side they want to pass. Instead, I was shoving Callum's head on the other side, which simply helped him to pass. I need to remember that wherever their legs are going, that's the side of the head my hands need to be.

The other thing I kept trying was the flower sweep, as I had Callum in tight a few times (like on Tuesday). However, while I could grab the trouser leg, that was about as far as I got. I couldn't isolate his arm, or get in place to kick up into the armpit properly. Still, it is good to at least get into the habit of threatening something, rather than just lying there wondering what to do.

That's me done for this week, and I'll also miss all of next week, yet again due to a girlfriend visit. There are things more important to me than BJJ, despite what the sheer nerdy obsession of this blog might lead you to believe. ;p

As usual when I know I won't be training, I plan to put up a review/article or two in the meantime.

16/03/10 - BJJ (Advanced)

Class #295
RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 16/03/2010

The monthly price is rising by £10 as of 1st April, from £40 to £50. That is still cheap, though I'll miss the super-cheapness of the previous fee. However, Kev has managed to get a rather nifty perk through becoming a Gracie Magazine Associate Club (or something like that: can't remember the official term). That means that everyone who pays by standing order will get a monthly copy of Gracie Mag as well, which is nice, especially as they cost around a fiver anyway. RGA Bucks will also occasionally get a mention in the mag, such as competition results, though it will be small and at the back. Still cool though.

Kev began tonight with what he called the Roger sweep, as apparently Roger has done this a lot in competition. It works best for people like him with long legs, so probably not something I'll be trying often. It begins from when they go to combat base. Close guard around their raised knee, high enough that they can't just push their knee through, but not so high that they can sit back into the space. Get a cross grip on their same side arm, then pull that across their away from their knee, removing their ability to post.

With your legs still closed, twist your knees down towards the floor on their trapped knee side. If that isn't sufficiently breaking their balance, you can also try bringing your knees to your chest. This should pull their foot off the floor, making it harder for them to resist. Once they start to fall, put your hand back for base and come up on top.

You still have to deal with that knee, which will now either be underneath your stomach or to the side. If it is to the side, you can press down to lock it in place, then do a big backstep to swing over into side control. If it more under your stomach, you can push it directly behind you, popping through into mount.

Next up was the Flower sweep, which contrary to what I thought is slightly different from the pendulum sweep. I've seen those terms used interchangeably, but apparently the difference is with a pendulum sweep, your partner puts their knee up. With a flower sweep, you initiate yourself, by grabbing the lower part of their gi pants. Also secure a grip on their other elbow with your other arm. Put the same side foot on that side on their hip.

The most important part is kicking up with the leg on the side you've grabbed their trouser. That needs to be up high into their armpit, pushing right through. This is what you use to break their posture. To further knock them off balance, lift with your pant grip, then finally chop your other leg low (firstly, you don't want them to land on it, and secondly, it adds to the momentum). You should end up in mount.

You can also move into a triangle, if you intentionally grip the 'wrong' elbow, on the same side as the trouser grip. When you go for the sweep, they'll post out with their other arm (which is why you normally keep hold of it). However, while that blocks the sweep, it means you can now bring your leg over and lock on a triangle.

Free sparring began in guard, so again I was trying to pass Howard's guard. As before I was looking to strip grips, but this time I had an opportunity to go for the double underhooks pass. I didn't clamp around the legs properly, so Howard was able to scoot back. I focused too much on bringing my arm over and grabbing a collar, before having properly secured position. I briefly tried to readjust, grab the top of Howard's trousers and flip him, but it was too late. I also doubt I have enough strength to manage that, though I've seen people do it on videos.

Against a white belt, things were easier, because he is smallest guy in class. Even I probably outweigh him by at least eight kg or so. That meant I wanted to make certain I wasn't just using forced. I had a play with various submission attempts, starting with the Shawn Williams Guard and overhook from guard. As before, I wasn't able to swivel into the omoplata like I wanted. I also couldn't get a sufficiently tight grip for the choke from an overhook.

Eventually that resulted in a very sloppy sweep into mount, which I suspect was only possibly due to the weight difference. Dropping into my preferred low mount with grapevines, I had a go at the Ezequiel. He could see it coming, and prevented me from properly blocking off his carotoid with my gi sleeve. I switched back, then worked to technical mount, looking for more chokes. Again, he defended well, so I couldn't work the grips I wanted. I could possibly have gone for an armbar, but I was hesitant as in that position, I thought he'd have too much room to escape. In retrospect, I probably should have gone for it anyway, after attempting those chokes for a while.

23/07/2008 - BJJ (Advanced)

Class #164



Roger Gracie Academy (BJJ), Nick Gregoriades, London, UK - 23/07/2008 - Advanced

I couldn't get to sleep last Sunday, so decided to get up and be productive. As I do rather strange things for fun, that resulted in my new BJJ Beginner FAQ. I'd appreciate any feedback (e.g., further good questions you think should be on there, broken links, informative threads/articles I could add in for further reading etc). Still adding things to it, but just about got in all the questions I wanted (last one I can think of is cross-training, for which I mainly use my Bullshido.txt file, especially my usual 'Welcome to Bullshido!' post with the stuff about 'if you're interested in striking/ if you're more interested in grappling').

Also didn't get to train yesterday, as my writing commitments has stepped up a gear (though I also got an extension, which is nice: the final deadline is now October 2010). That’s probably going to mean I'll be spending most of my Tuesdays writing, at least until I feel I've got on top of it and have a solid chunk of the word count ready. If only it was as easy to pump out academic prose as it is to write several thousand word essays on a BJJ blog…

Nick G took class today, who brings something different to the table as an instructor. He runs one of the top BJJ blogs on the net, The Jiu-Jitsu Brotherhood: the same thoughtful style is evident in his teaching. It felt very much like reading one of his posts when he began the drilling, as he discussed his theory that there are two main types of position in BJJ: set positions, like side control, guard etc, and the scramble, where neither person has settled into a controlling posture. As he mentioned, this is common in nogi, but not often the focus of a lesson when wearing the gi.

To help develop this ability to scramble, Nick had us do a drill where we were effectively sparring, but the whole point was to simply keep moving: no submissions and no grips. That meant I found myself rolling over to my back, swinging my legs over, spinning around underneath etc. I tend to be slow and steady in sparring, as I like to feel secure and then work from a comfortable position, so this was a useful exercise for me.

We then did the same thing again, but this time with the difference that one of us had their eyes closed. That meant I now had to feel for my partner so I could work out where they were going, not to mention the practical reason that class was stuffed so I didn't want to slam into anyone. The 'seeing' partner basically ended up shepherding their training partner away from walls and other grappling pairs.

Technique tonight was an armbar from the back. I can imagine Nick G doing a good instructional video, as his method of demonstration was tailor-made for recording: methodical and clear, with several repetitions. We started from the back, with hooks in, your arms underneath theirs, while they defend against the choke. Your same side hand slips through their armpit to grab their same side wrist. Bring your other arm over the top to grip their wrist, then switch your hands. Your first hand now grabs the wrist of your other arm, meaning you've secured a figure-four hold.

Drop slightly towards their legs, shrimping out your legs. You are now in position to execute what Nick called the 'stamp and clamp'. With your far leg, 'stamp' on their same side hip to stop them turning towards you (as they'll be aiming to get back in your guard). Then bring your other leg across their waist, hooking across their hip: this is the 'clamp'.

Your free leg goes over their head, pushing them back (make sure you're holding them firmly with this leg, squeezing your knees together), while you push their arm up towards their head then down in a semi-circle. That should enable you to straighten out the limb and secure the armbar.

Specific sparring, unsurprisingly, was from the back. As I've mentioned before, this is easily my worst position. I find it very difficult to maintain any kind of control over my opponent when I've got their back, particularly with my legs. Back mount is supposed to be an incredibly dominant position, so I'm clearly doing something very wrong: however, I was trying to put into practice some tips I'd read on the Grapplers Guide (e.g., keeping your head low). I need to watch the video on back control from their too, as I don't think I've done that yet.

While I lasted slightly longer than I have previously, both Liam and Christina gradually worked their way free, the normal process being that I lost a hook, they kept moving to the side, then spun into my guard. With Liam I had a vague attempt at going for the armbar we had learned in class, but didn't manage to secure the stamp and clamp – I also went for the wrong side initially, which messed me up further. Still, reminds me I absolutely have to go for techniques we've learned in class more often when sparring.

The skin on the top joint of my fingers is still giving me trouble, so I've been taping it up recently. However, the specific sparring had dislodged all my tape, so I popped back to the changing room to reapply before my first free spar, with Christina. She has been working her guard a lot at the moment, which gave me a chance to try and implement some of the principles I've been failing to use in passing. Most importantly, that is standing up and driving my hips forward: I tried that tonight, but generally just put me in position to get swept over Christina (though I did at least manage to snatch half-guard as I was being swept a few times).

I also found that Nick's flow drill from earlier had an impact on my escapes. I never normally try to get to my knees, but it felt natural to do so today after all the rolling over my back in the earlier drill. Could be a useful thing to try at home with my gf, as she sometimes complains about the pressure BJJ drilling puts on her muscles (e.g., when passing): not a problem with that flow drill.

Christina and I were a little delayed in starting, because I was taping up my fingers, so had an extended spar spilling over across the next round. I then went with Tran, although that ended up (much to my benefit) being a bit of instruction on the flower sweep. Tran does it a little differently than the Grapplers Guide video I've been watching.

Tran's variation begins when your opponent is doing the usual stiff arm thing against your hips (as I mentioned that's where I've been having trouble). Pull their head down, underhook one arm, bringing your other arm over the top. Grab your hands together palm to palm for a gable grip, keeping your opponent tight. You can then walk your legs up their back for a high guard.

Next, bring the arm that came over the top of the arm under their armpit, aiming to grab their opposite collar: you've now secured a firm overhook. With the same side foot, push off their same side hip to rotate (not shrimp, but literally bring your upper toward their opposite knee). You should get your other leg right up into their armpit.

Finally, grab their pant leg on your armpit leg side, then push your leg down while simultaneously lifting their leg up. If you've got the leverage right, you should be able to roll them straight into mount.

Zaf mentioned something which sounded very handy when he saw me taping up my finger. At first I thought he was joking, as he said I could do with some new skin. Turns out New Skin is actually a type of liquid plaster, so I'll be sure to look into it: could be more effective – as well as more convenient – than my roll of zinc oxide tape.

Tomorrow Johannes should be popping down to RGA, so look forward to training with him again. No doubt the higher belts will also relish the chance to roll with a tough Swedish purple (I'm more interested in just seeing him again, and whether I've improved much since we last met at the first Belfast Throwdown. Looking forward to it. :)

04/10/2007 - BJJ (Beginners)

Class #94



Roger Gracie Academy (BJJ), Felipe Souza, London, UK - 04/10/2007 – Beginners

I had been expecting another spar in the no-gi, so was feeling entirely fresh for the beginners, especially as there is that period while you wait for them to warm-up. I joined in for the throws, introducing myself to a newish guy going by the distinctive moniker of Abs. However, as he’s a fair bit heavier than me (85kg), I was happy enough to later switch to Rohit, who’s 73kg.

First technique Felipe showed us was taking the back from guard. If they have an arm gripping your lapel, break that hold, maintaining your own grasp on their arm. Pull that arm right across your body, then reach all the way over their back to the far armpit. Having secured that hold, open your guard and base out on your other arm. Use that to swivel up towards their back, bringing your leg out and in to hook their leg. Make sure that as you do this you maintain the pressure with your shoulder into their arm, so they can’t spin back to guard. Having got one hook in and your other leg across, establish both hooks, and as you’ve already got an arm by their armpit, you can transition to an over-under grip (at least I think that’s what its called: under the armpit, then with the other arm come under the neck). Stretch them out by pushing your hips into the centre of their back, then go for the rear naked choke.

A variation on that is if when you try to pull their arm across and go for the back, they manage to get their other arm onto your neck. That stops you taking their back, but you can instead go for an armbar. Pushing off the same hip as the arm you’ve gripped, swivel in the direction of their hand (so opposite to how you’d normally swivel with armbar from guard). Push on their head, then bring your other leg over to get into position for the sub. That should then leave you set to put on the armbar.

Sparring was guard passage, split into groups of over 82kg and under. That meant there were a fair few bigger guys in my group, who had up 17 or so kilograms on me. There are a couple of people who are strong and aggressive, so I normally just relax and see what they do: I’ve no wish to get injured by enthusiastic beginners. Seon is always good to spar with, as while he’s very aggressive, he’s not that big, so there’s not so much chance of injury. He’s also pretty good – I’ve yet to pass his guard (although I am crap at passing, so that’s not saying all that much :p). I occasionally come close, but can never secure it – in effect, the specific sparring was similar to yesterday’s session.

However, the important difference today was that I felt I was focusing better on working technique rather than just reacting. Admittedly this was more the case in the no-gi class, as I took a very relaxed approach to sparring in the beginners, but I still learned several useful things. In particular, I asked Oli about making that final transition from almost-past to side control, and he suggested that in order to pass the guard (when I’m nearly through), I could shove a knee tight across their bottom, then putting an arm on the other side. That way, I can trap both their hips and prevent shrimping, meaning that its then easier to switch base into scarf hold and pass.

Grant also showed me something handy after class, which he wanted to demonstrate because he’d been getting a sweep regularly on me and others. This looked like a variation on the flower sweep, for use when your opponent is attempting the tailbone break. Grab the arm they got on your chest, putting your foot by the knee they’re trying to press into you, and finally grab their other leg. You should then be able to move your leg up into their armpit as usual with the flower, pulling on the leg and arm to roll them other and get mount. Looks like its something worth practicing, and also something I should learn to defend (I guess by keeping my elbows tight and as far back as possible).

A couple of stripes were awarded at the end: they’ve been coming thick and fast with all the new people joining up. As normal when I’m about to leave, I was trying to loosen the drawstring on my gi trousers so I could get into the shower quicker, when I noticed that the last person Felipe had announced wasn’t moving forward to pick up their stripe. Following his gaze, I realised that person was me, so the fourth stripe must be down to time, as with the other three (I'll have been here a year next month). Still nice to get it of course, but I’m a long way off blue belt – my top game sucks (both mount and side control), I don’t have any submissions (except occasionally if I have a significant weight advantage, and even then only a handful sloppily executed), I struggle to pass and I have absolutely no stand-up. Not that my bottom game is much better, but I do feel a little more comfortable there, which seems to often be the case with smaller people – we spend most of our time there!

Due to the Wednesday social, I'll just train the beginners next week. On Thursday and Friday I'll be at that work conference, so can't make the normal no-gi and beginners double. Still, one class is better than none, though it does mean yet again I'm not making the advanced gi session.

29/08/2007 - BJJ (Beginners)

Class #82



Roger Gracie Academy (BJJ), Maurição Gomes, London, UK - 29/08/2007 – Beginner

August has been a strange month. Since dropping weight for the Bristol Open, I’ve been fluctuating from slightly woozy to bedridden, not really feeling 100% at any point in the past four weeks. I took last week off entirely to try and finally shake the sick feeling clogging up my head, which has at least partially paid off in that I felt well enough to train tonight. I had been considering training on Tuesday, but from what Owen said about the class, I’m glad I didn’t: apparently lots of over-enthusiastic aggressive noobs resulted in various injuries.

I was expecting to see some kind of celebratory sign to commemorate Roger’s momentous double gold at the Mundials – as there had been after he beat Waterman in his MMA debut - but there was only a congratulatory note on the whiteboard. Also hadn’t expected Roger himself to be back so soon (though he didn’t take the class, I saw him in the office): then again, it is his club, so not entirely surprising he’d want to return as soon as possible.

Maurição was taking class again, which as always meant an atypical syllabus. He began with a cool set-up for the flower sweep, which made a lot of sense. Previously, I’ve found it difficult to get in position, but Maurição showed how a flower sweep could be done off an armbar attempt. If they have their elbow too far back to get the armbar, you can instead hook round their leg and go for the flower as normal, pulling them towards you over your shoulder then rolling into mount, using one leg against their side, the other sweeping out and then back (to avoid throwing them onto your own leg).

This was followed by an armbar escape from mount which I’ve never seen before. If they are pulling back for the armbar but haven’t yet secured your wrist, immediately twist your trapped hand so its palm down and curl your arm towards their knee. At the same time, move round with your legs and turn your body over, grabbing their leg as you scramble in order to better transition to side control. Finally, put your knee into their side then swing your leg over into mount – if they try to stop you with an arm, underhook and push it out of the way.

Maurição then ran through the Americana from mount, emphasising that you should be using your weight rather than arm strength, as well as advising against the ‘monkey grip’ (holding with the thumb wrapped round). I continue to struggle with submissions from mount, generally ending up trying to maintain the position and move up to high mount, flapping uselessly at my partner’s limbs. Nevertheless, always good to have a reminder.

Sparring was from side control, where I didn’t achieve too much from top or bottom except holding position. I think I swept Dominique once or twice, and occasionally got through to mount from on top, but that was only after she very nearly caught me in full guard several times. I feel like my mobility is improving, but I continue to lack sufficient downward pressure and I’m still leaving too much space. In addition, while I’m moving a little better, I need to move more.

I’m also finding myself frequently in half-guard, which I can just about hold, but not very proactively. I’m trying to work on recovering full guard, or possibly go for some half-guard sweeps, but I’d prefer to keep things basic. That sweep Maurição showed a while back where you lift your opponent into full guard looks worth a go. I’d also like to get better with the fundamental mount and side control escapes, which continue to be weak points: I don’t make enough space under mount or side control. I did try the typical push up and shrimp out escape, but I tend to end up squashed and incapable of creating room to move.

I attempted a few submissions, mainly armbars, but was mostly going from weird places (at least to me: for example, from a poorly executed back mount missing a hook I ended up in at one point). It would probably be a better use of my time to continue ignoring submissions for the most part to concentrate on position, so that I can hopefully get to a point where I can confidently hold guard/mount/side control etc, therefore providing a good platform to launch a sub attempt.

29/03/2007 - BJJ

Class #46


Roger Gracie Academy (BJJ), Felipe Souza, London, UK - 29/03/2007

As with yesterday’s class, we went through the sit-up sweep and kimura from guard. One useful tip Felipe provided for the sit-up which I haven’t been doing previously was to come up on the elbow. Before, I’d always tried to come up on my hand: going from the elbow feels a little tighter, not to mention easier. However, I haven’t tried it in sparring yet, so will see if this method works better. Having yet to manage a smooth sit-up sweep (I always find myself straining, then either failing or having to really force it), worth a try.

Sparring went quite opposite to my rolls with Dominique yesterday, as I didn’t manage to complete any sweeps or passes. Mainly I was finding myself stuck in someone’s collar choke attempt. I didn’t have any real trouble resisting, but because my opponent was clinging on, I found it hard to do anything but defend. Against Mike, he eventually managed to get behind me for the RNC, while with Del, we ended up in a scramble and both standing up. Del is a little unusual, as he seems incapable of stopping – I get the impression that for him to acknowledge you’d passed or swept, he’d need to be lying there unconscious first!

Still, that doesn’t take away from the fact I’m still having trouble securing my position after I get a shin over their knee, enabling them to escape. That’s what happened with Mike, who found himself behind me after my pass attempt, as well as Del. I tried to hold on to a leg and grab an arm, but it was pretty sloppy. So, next time I need to concentrate on making sure I’ve got that knee isolated, grab the gi to keep them down, and leave my hook on the knee until I’ve passed.

As I’ve been whining for some time now, I really want to have more options when passing. At present, I have either the over the knee pass or the tailbone pass, only the former of which I ever get to work. I was thinking I could try going for the double underhooks again, as I used to have some success with that, but probably of greater importance is dealing with the root problem: breaking people’s guard. I should start digging my elbows in, and also use better posture when standing to facilitate the break – this was working ok against Dominique yesterday, but I had trouble making the space today, or perhaps I simply wasn’t pushing down hard enough on the hip.

In the guard – which I only had one chance at, having spent most of the rolling time on top – I decided to go for an elevator again. However, I think that Dicken (or perhaps Deacon? Uncommon name either way) was too far back, as he was able to pass over my leg. So looks like I need to better secure my opponent’s arm before attempting the elevator, or they’ll simply move into mount.

Even more than on Tuesday, it was the time after class that proved especially useful. I’d asked Oli after sparring how to defend the RNC, which he duly demonstrated. First, turn your head towards the elbow that’s choking you. Most important is that you prevent the other arm going behind your head – ideally, you overhook it and trap the arm against your side. Bridge up and drop your shoulders into your opponents chest, which should hopefully loosen up their hooks enough that you can remove a leg on the same side as the choking elbow, move round then turn over into side control.

I found that I had trouble controlling Chris’ arm while drilling this technique, so that’s something I’ll have to improve. However, I do at least now have something to try if I find myself in a RNC again.

Rest of that after class time I spent working the flower sweep, which we haven’t done in class for a while. I particularly wanted to try a variation I saw recently where you don’t have an arm around the knee. Instead, the process is to grab a tricep, with your other arm round the back of your opponent’s head. Then as normal, you bring the leg opposite to the isolated arm straight up under your opponent’s armpit, the other leg chopping at their knee, then roll them into mount. The problem with this tactic, at least judging by Chris’ reaction, is that your opponent can then continue that roll and end up on top of you. So, if I attempt this sweep I’ll need to be careful that I get control as I roll – IIRC the description I saw, that might be accomplished by keeping a firm grip on the head. Will have to give it a go in sparring.

Not staying at my sisters next week, so that’s going to be the last time for a fair while that I get to drill after class. Shame, but at least I got a number of useful looking techniques out of it.

09/12/06 - Brighton Throwdown

UK Brighton Throwdown (BJJ), Marcio Gomes, Brighton, UK – 09/12/2006

Not quite as many turned up as in Birmingham, but we still ended up with seven. In terms of Bullshido regulars, there was me (slideyfoot), Mungkorn Dam, RunningDog, Liffguard and Tcell. A friend of mine I first met about 3 years ago on the now defunct Tung-Fu also came along. He has posted on Bullshido as Jinksy, but only briefly. One of the blues from RunningDog’s club, Sam, also came along, though he left early.

Found out as I arrived that the place had been double-booked with some aikido people, which meant we only had it until 17:00 rather than 18:00, which was a shame. Still, I managed to cover just about everything I wanted in those three hours. While Marcio bumped up the cost by a tenner each, he was extremely handy to have there to ask questions. Otherwise, I would probably have ended up drilling the technique wrong, or at least not as effectively as possible. Website for his class can be found here.

After we all did a quick warm-up, I worked passes and sweeps from closed guard with Tcell. He gave me a bunch of useful tips, such as supporting myself with a bent leg rather than sprawling to resist sweep attempts and being careful not to lean too much forward or too much back. Both Tcell and the next guy I worked with, Sam, said that I was basically doing the right thing. So, now I just need the experience to see openings and perform the passes and sweeps quicker.

After taking a bunch of photos (annoyingly, the camera I had with me ran out of battery ridiculously quickly), I got down to my main drilling with Jinksy. As he didn’t have a gi, I took off my jacket and belt so I just had my t-shirt and gi trousers, meaning that I’d need a pass and sweep that worked without the gi. Only one I know is the tailbone pass (no idea what the proper name is), which Felipe had showed Mungkorn and me in class a while back. Marcio went over it again in greater detail.

Person A starts by putting their hands on Person B’s pelvis, working back up the legs. Shoving their right knee into Person B’s tailbone and pushing down with the hands to keep Person B there, Person A then attempts to push back with their arms and left knee (which I think you put to the side rather than backwards like I was doing previously), digging their elbows into Person B’s leg muscles at the same time. As soon as there is space, Person A underhooks both legs with his arms, pushes forward and sprawls round for the pass. Ideally, Person A will also get their knee up in between Person B’s legs for additional security, or break their guard open to pass that way. Main problem I had was simply lacking the strength to easily break Jinksy's guard. So, Marcio’s advice that you just needed to make space rather than necessarily break the guard proved very helpful.

Drilling that for a while with increasing resistance, I then moved on to the flower sweep, which Marcio also helped with. The way he taught it was for Person B to break Person A’s posture by pulling forward with the guard and also dragging down on Person A’s right arm, throwing it over to the right. As quickly as possible, Person B then wraps their left arm round Person A’s head, making sure to trap Person A’s right arm at the same time. If Person A manages to get their left arm into Person B’s neck, Person B needs to push on the elbow and trap that arm as well. Person B then wraps their right arm around the back of Person A’s left knee (aiming to pull it up towards Person B’s right shoulder). Person B put's their right foot up on Person A's hip, pushing off to swivel their own hips round to the left. Taking the right leg off and shoving it into Person A's side, Person B puts their left leg down by Person A's other leg. Finally, Person B pulls on the left knee and pushes with their right leg to get the sweep. If Person A manages to get their right arm free, Person B underhooks it and pulls it close to their own head to stop Person A using it to stop the sweep.

Jinksy and I drilled that to death, although only on one side – must remember to do the other side as well next time I have the chance. Jinksy got Marcio to help him with something different, as he wanted to work the kimura (if I’m using the right term for the arm lock where you figure-four the arm from guard, sitting up and twisting it past Person A’s back), along with the sweep you can do if Person A pulls back. While he was working with Marcio, RunningDog grabbed me for a roll, where I had the dubious pleasure of being shoved forcefully face-first into his crotch before he got me with some kind of shoulder-lock. Well, we were in Brighton, so I guess that’s to be expected...

I then went back to drilling with Jinksy, where I found out that escaping the mount when someone isn’t constantly going for an armbar is considerably more difficult. I wasn’t able to sweep him, though Jinksy advised trying to shrimp my way out, which did eventually work but I seemed to use a lot of energy in the process. Probably just doing it wrong, or my stamina had gone by that point. Also rolled with him at some point, which I think might have been what precipitated the mount escape drills, as I ended up stuck underneath his.

After the session finished and the aikidoka appeared (with stereotypical “skinny guy with ponytail” typifying the class), we headed off to the St. James’ Tavern for drinks. Well, at least Mungkorn and his gf did – Jinksy and I wandered aimlessly for while trying to find his sister’s house so I could dump my stuff. Once we finally got there, showered and then found the pub, Johnny had also arrived – Liffguard unfortunately had to leave earlier, Tcell having gone around 16:00. So that left five of us – shame I couldn’t get any pics.

I reckon I can legitimately put today down as 1.5hrs of BJJ in my geektastic Excel sheet: proved useful, and Marcio was well worth the fee, not to mention it’s always good to see people off the forum. Even better to get drunk with them!

02/12/06 - BJJ

Class #9



Roger Gracie Academy (BJJ), Jude Samuel, London, UK – 02/12/2006

Intense session today – Jude really worked the fitness today, with sit-ups well into three figures and sparring from early on in class. I’ve no idea how some of the three-stripes like Matt managed to do another session straight after!

We worked the guard pass/sweep specific sparring as before, which I started off with a light-haired Australian (I think) guy called Michael. IIRC correctly, he had a few stripes on his belt, but I managed to hold him off for a short while a least. I tried to attempt standing passes too, but tended to get forced back onto my knees, and he also put me in an armbar at one point (is it a reverse armbar when he’s facing downwards? I assume not, but don’t know the terminology).

As with last week, Jude interspersed rolling with drills, such as hip throws, double-legs and arm-bar from mount. He also totally knackered me out by doing sit-up with legs in the air, with half the class counting out ten each. Painful.

Next up was Dominique, who has just come back from an illness. She got a collar choke on me yet again, but the second time round, I managed to resist by tucking my chin and getting my head under her arm as much as possible. Unfortunately, that was all I was able to do, stuck in that position for the duration of the spar. From my guard I didn’t have anymore luck, though it was either with her or Michael that I kept trying armbars, to no avail. Still, good to at least give them a go – each time ended up with my opponent passing, sometimes with more difficulty than others. My attempts at the tailbone pass didn’t have too much succes either: I was still having trouble getting the right position to leverage their guard open.

Finally I rolled with a fairly stocky guy called Gary. I’m not quite sure how, but he seemed to have almost no problem at all sweeping and passing me, except for a couple of times when I managed to resist. As he was already opening my guard and frequently leaving an arm in, I kept trying to triangle, but couldn’t get it. I’m not sure exactly what I’m doing wrong, though it must be something integral, as the same thing has been happening every time I’ve attempted it. Maybe not getting the right position first? Or not getting my leg over enough? Will have to keep working it. At one point, I had the arm, I had the head, I had my legs in position, but couldn’t close it. I wasn’t sure how he was resisting (think he might have had his arm bent and elbow driving into my leg sufficiently to prevent me straightening it out across his neck), so asked him afterwards, but he was unable to give me any tips. Apparently, he did BJJ for two months six years ago, and has only recently got back into it at RGA. Clearly those two months served him well, although I’m pretty poor opposition.

To finish off the class, Jude went through what he called the see-saw sweep (which I've seen called the 'flower sweep' elsewhere), using a slightly different method to Felipe. Person B grips Person A’s right collar and raises their guard, pulling them forward in an effort to break their balance. Person B then wraps their left arm across Person A’s head, dragging them in close. Person B opens his guard and puts their right leg up on Person A’s left hip, using that to lever their own hips round to the left, grabbing the back of Person A’s left leg as well. Then Person B traps Person A’s right arm to prevent them stopping the sweep, Person B also dropping their left leg down. Having swivelled into position, Person B shoves their right leg up against Person A’s side and pushes, simultaneously pulling on Person A’s left knee, in order to drive them to the ground, aiming to end up in full mount.

For a simpler description, see photos on Lockflow, where its called the 'flower sweep', and also this vid on YouTube, though its slightly different as Person B grabs both arms rather than gripping behind Person A's head.

Jude also mentioned an important tip on the variation Felipe showed us, which is to make sure Person A’s head does not go the opposite side of the arm you’ve got, or you can’t sweep them. Jude also demonstrated how this position had a number of possibilities, such as if Person A raised their head, you could move your left leg in front of their neck to go for an armbar. If they did manage to get their head down to the opposite side of the arm you secured, you can then go for their back.

Jude wasn’t finished with the exercise yet. He then got the whole class to run on the spot doing sprawls, throwing in a load of tuck jumps as well. Jude then mentioned we were having a ‘grading day’ on the 16th, which confused me. Felipe also announced this on Thursday, so I had assumed that meant this was for a bunch of people ready to be upgraded to get their stripes/belts. However, now I’m not certain if its instead some kind of testing, which I didn’t think happened at RGA (would be a shame if it did, as I very much like the ‘as soon as you can hang with the grade above, you’re that grade’ methodology’). Would be nice to make the class, as I like the sound of mass group photos, and I really like the sound of the meal afterwards, but doubtful. Gf getting increasingly annoyed at the BJJ training (mainly because it keeps taking up my saturdays), so I'll have to be careful.

Next training will probably be ZSK, then back to Wednesday at BJJ (due to the Throwdown on the Saturday).

30/11/06 - BJJ

Class #8



Roger Gracie Academy (BJJ), Felipe Souza, London, UK – 30/11/2006

Finally got this wireless thing working at my parent's house, so can geek out on the internet a little earlier. Didn’t go to ZSK due to preparing for a meeting, which went well. I did check with Paddy on the Saturday beforehand, so I assume he took the class.

After the warm-up (did wheelbarrows with Dava's friend, whose name is said 'Nemoy' but spelt something like 'Nimar', if I understood him correctly), we went through a throw similar to the reap (if that’s the right term) we did in previous lessons during in drills up and down the room, but this time picking up a leg before taking out the other. Person A, gripping Person B’s left collar and right arm, pushes forward on Person B’s left side, in order to get them to step back with their left leg. Person A then steps in and picks up Person B’s right leg, putting it by Person A’s left hip. Person A then sweeps their foot round the back of Person B’s left leg and sweeps back against the back of Person B’s left knee, knocking them to the ground. As seems to keep happening, I was left without a partner, so went in a three with John (a fellow beginner I first met back on the 16th) and his bearded housemate, Rob.

Felipe then showed us the flower sweep. Person B controls both of Person A’s arms by gripping the elbow. Person B then isolates one arm, lets say Person A’s right, pushing that arm in towards Person B’s right, keeping a firm grip. Person B then pulls on that arm while simultaneously pulling Person A forward with their legs, aiming to take them off balance. This also opens up space so that Person B can slip their right hand round behind Person A’s left knee, grabbing hold. At the same time, Person B shifts their hips to their left (so opposite direction to the hand that’s grabbing the leg). Person B shoves their right leg up against Person A’s side and pushes, simultaneously pulling on Person A’s left knee, in order to drive them to the ground, aiming to end up in full mount.



That meant it was time for specific sparring again, dividing us into threes with the loser sitting out. I was with two more experienced guys, Mohammed from Belgium (who had six months of training behind him) and a Chinese guy who I think said he name was Bryant (at least that’s what it sounded like). I was easily swept by both of them, though on a couple of occasions I did at least manage to resist their submission attempts. I’m not getting caught in the collar choke anymore, but I think I’ve now got too defensive (blue belt Olly commented I should be trying to standing pass more), simply clinging on with two hands low on the gi. I tried my usual standing pass a few times, but had no luck, so thought I’d attempt to go low instead. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a clue how to do so – I remembered something I saw about putting a knee into my opponent’s tailbone, but that was as far as I got.

After about four or five rolls, I found myself chatting to Felipe. I’d been wondering about the correct pronunciation of his name – something I’m generally keen to get right, given that people mispronounce my own name so frequently – and found that it is ‘Fe-leep’ rather than ‘Fe-lee-peh’. Roger Gracie uses the first one in the Fightworks podcast I linked a while back, but it was good to get confirmation (yeah, I care about stuff like that ). Apparently, it’s a Brazilian thing rather than Portuguese, as in Portugal it would be ‘Fe-lee-peh’. Having chatted about travelling around South America (apparently Felipe is keen to look around the rest of his continent), also turned out he’s a Tolkien fan, especially the linguistics.

While this extended chat meant I was slacking a bit on the sparring, I’m glad I did, as I was able to observe while Ben asked Felipe about the finer points of a guard pass. Fortunately for me, it was the very same guardbreak I had failed to remember earlier. Person A is in Person B’s closed guard. Person A grips Person B’s trousers with both hand, jamming their left knee into Person B’s tailbone, drawing back their right knee. Pushing on Person B’s hip, Person A uses the leverage of the knee on the tailbone to open up Person B’s guard, then pushing round underneath Person B’s left leg to move into side control.

This marks my eighth lesson, so effectively I’ve been going for a month (if I’m dividing it up two lessons a week). I think I’ve definitely seen some improvement, as I started out just getting collar choked all the time, so I hope by two months I’ll be able to be a bit more proactive in sparring. Annoyingly, I’m not going to be able to make the social event on the 16th December, as I’d planned to do Christmassy stuff with my girlfriend (unless there is some way I can do both. Maybe take another day off work to spend more time with her? Doubtful, but worth looking into). Hopefully the club with do some more socialising next year – will have to see. Like last week, next class will be Saturday: I’m going to a party later on, so will meet my gf after training.