18/07/2011 - Gracie Barra Fundamentals

Class #410
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Nicolai 'Geeza' Holt, Bristol, UK - 18/07/2011

Like I mentioned earlier, GB Bristol is currently being visited by Roberto Traven black belt, Paul Thatcher. He also works for Fight! magazine as a photographer, so today I had the pleasure of attending a photo shoot at the club. I would suspect that the presence of a camera probably had something to do with the enormous turn-out tonight. ;)

After squeezing all those people into a series of photos, Geeza mentioned another member of the club had recently won his MMA fight. At that same event, Geeza noticed that a lot of the bouts featured people getting stuck in basic schoolyard headlocks. Therefore, tonight was all about headlock escapes, covering three variations.

If they just have their arms wrapped around your head, but have left some space, make a frame against their neck. Your arm by their stomach should have the elbow on the floor. The hand of that arm can therefore be used as a solid brace against your other wrist, driving into their neck.

Walk your feet away from them, keeping your belly button pointed towards the ceiling. Whenever you can reach, swing your leg over their head, then roll them to the mat. At the very least, that sets up your escape, but it can also lead to an armbar or even a choke with your legs (that tends to be low percentage, but it can work, as demonstrated by Sheila Bird).

If they're in the same position but this time don't leave any space, bring your hips close to theirs. You want to get your foot over, creating a hook around their leg. That should help you turn to your knees. From there, you can pull up on their wrist for a submission, or simply use it to escape.

Finally, if they have your arm in something approaching scarf hold (but still holding your head rather than under the far armpit), link your arms around their back. Bump into them forcefully to get their leg to move forward. Immediately insert your knee into that space, looking to get your hips underneath theirs. If you can achieve that, it should be a simple matter of leverage to roll them over your body, putting you in the top position.

My drilling partner Liam mentioned that Kirsty, who has a high level background in judo, gave him some handy tips for holding scarf hold. Normally, people have one leg kicked out by the head, the other knee raised. However, Kirsty suggested that Liam keep both legs curled, with the knees on the mat pointing towards their head. This has the advantage that it becomes difficult to either hook the leg or slide a knee underneath, and it also seems to enhance the pressure.

That will be my last class for this week, as I'm off to a wedding on Thursday. I'll be back to Bristol on Tuesday, ready to get back to teaching open guard later in the week. :)

26/10/2010 - BJJ (Beginner)

Class #353
RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 26/10/2010

I didn’t make training last week, because I was off up north with my gf. Her best friend is getting married, which meant she had the dubious pleasure of spending many, many hours in Louth being fitted for a bridesmaid dress (apparently, here in the UK the correct term for best woman is indeed ‘chief bridesmaid’ rather than ‘Maid of Honour’, which I’m told is an American thing). On the way, we stopped off at Matlock in the Peak District, which not only had a lovely bed and breakfast at The Old Sunday School, but owners who could recommend the even more awesome pie night at The Thorn Tree pub (they have one every Wednesday). Very, very tasty, but also huge: next time, we’ll share a pie instead of tackling one each!

While there finally got to use our book of Peak District walks we bought years ago, heading off on the relatively short stroll from Birchover to Robin Hood’s Stride. On the way back, there was this brilliant place called Rowtor Rocks (there’s a turning near The Druid Inn), where the book tells me that some vicar in the 17th century decided to carve out passages, rooms and even armchairs from the rock. Lots of people trying to climb them, too: bouldering, I think it’s called?

The Ultimate Fighter also just stepped up a gear with a fantastic sixth episode. As ever, the careful editing is geared towards making you hate one team and love the other, but it nevertheless works. That has never been more true than in this episode, where it massively pays off. If you haven’t seen it already, try to avoid hearing the result and go check it out (decent grappling, GSP offering up lots of class, and even some words of wisdom from Camarillo). Should be available on either the TUF website or Sky Sports (which makes the annoying mistake of dubbing ‘UFC’ a sport rather than MMA), depending on where you live.

Class tonight began with a section from Gracie Barra Fundamentals, escaping scarf hold. This was specifically orthodox scarf hold rather than broken, meaning they are gripping under your head, rather than under your far armpit (which is tougher to escape). First you need to get the elbow of your trapped arm to the floor, after which your can bring your other hand over their head to create a frame, in combination with your now freed hand.

Shrimp out until you can bring your leg over their head: this may require several shrimping motions. Once your leg is in position, use that to roll them back. From here, you can either come up to side control, or look to attack their arm. The armbar Kev showed works by controlling their arm just above the crook of their elbow, giving you time to wrap your other arm over the top. Press down on their arm while raising your hips for the submission.

Getting into the class proper, this week is all going to be about half guard. Kev kicked off by running through the lockdown (like he did almost exactly a year ago today), but unlike last October, he didn’t then run through the full Eddie Bravo sequence, stopping after the ‘Jaws of Life’ and ‘whip up’. If you have Mastering the Rubber Guard, you can see the techniques from pages 54-59.

Instead, Kev finished with how to recover full guard from there, which I much prefer. You’re on your side with an underhook, so the first thing you want to do is block their arm from cross-facing: simply hook your hand over the wrist. Release your lockdown, using your outside leg as a base for your shrimp. Your inside leg will slip around the back of their knee, in order to maintain control (otherwise they can just move their leg over and pass).

Shrimp until you’re able to get that outside foot onto their same side hip. Push, then slide your other leg through to move back into full guard, or possibly butterfly guard. As you have that grip on their wrist, you could also try pushing that arm towards them, bringing your leg right through for a triangle.

If you’re on top, once you’ve released the lockdown (again, as Kev taught last year), you can move on to what Kev called the ‘switch pass’ from half guard. Reach over to bring your near arm to their far side and turn your body, so that you’re facing their legs. With your other hand, grab a firm hold of their knee: this is key to the technique. That grip will stop them bridging, and it will also enable you to quickly free your leg if they make a mistake.

Having got your arm over and secured the knee, wedge your free leg in front of their legs. Pull up on their knee with your grip until you can free your leg, then move into side control. Make sure you don’t let them get both arms around your knees, as otherwise they can reverse you. To avoid that, drive your hip back into their bottom arm, which will stop them linking their hands together.

Specific sparring was from half guard, and on top, I again struggled to get past Howard’s knee shield/z-guard. I could maintain control from the top, keeping my hips low and legs sprawled, but at best I’d manage a stalemate due to that knee. I tried grabbing his trouser leg, but didn’t have much luck squashing the knees together. As ever, something to work on.

Underneath, I was able to recover to butterfly a couple of times, but only for a moment: I swiftly got passed. I should go look over my notes on butterfly from GB Brum: one thing I definitely didn’t do and should have done is immediately try to secure an arm over the back and cinch the grip in tight. As I’ve got short, squat legs, butterfly remains something I’m keen to improve.

There were a few other times when I had a leg across his neck while the other was still by his legs, but again got easily passed. That’s another position I need to use more effectively: I need better head control, breaking of posture and using all my limbs rather than relying on the legs. I did manage some kind of sweep where I grabbed the arm, but as I’m not sure exactly how, that isn’t overly helpful. ;)

At the end of class, Kev called me up to receive a fourth stripe (also replacing the one that fell off) on my blue belt, which I wasn’t expecting: as ever, always nice to have the handshake and round of applause. I was just getting used to accidentally demoting myself to two stripes when one fell off at GB Brum, and hadn’t thought I'd get another stripe for several months. I guess the time at Birmingham counted, if RGA is still doing the ‘six months per stripe’ thing for blue belts?

Goes to show that there can be a massive gaping hole between four stripe blue and purple, as I don’t feel anywhere near that level yet (I can’t pass guard, can’t submit people, struggle to sweep, frequently hang out passively in side control...etc etc).

29/06/2010 - BJJ (Basics)

Class #322
Gracie Barra Birmingham, (BJJ), Nathan Roberts, Birmingham, UK - 29/06/2010

I’ve been waiting for a bright, colourful BJJ hoody for a while now, and it’s finally arrived, in the shape of Scramble’s re-release of the ‘Newaza’ design...but this time in purple or green. You can pick them up here: the SLIDEY discount code will get you 10% off. I’m hoping it’s as bright a purple as Matt’s Lock’n’Roll shirt. :)

Once again, couldn’t make it on Monday, so back to the basics class. Still, that was no bad thing, as Nathan has been continuing his detailed dissection of side control fundamentals. First off was a straightforward side control to mount. You’re in a tight side control, and they try to push up into your neck to escape. Lean forward into their arm (but not so far they can roll you), then switch your hips.

You can either grab their near arm with your hand as you do this, or maintain a gable grip around their head and armpit, using your hip to scoop up and trap that near elbow. Immediately switch your hips back, simultaneously moving further up towards their head. This puts you in an even tighter side control than before, with improved control over their near elbow.

From here, you can walk your far hand under their far arm towards their head, slide your knee and shin over their stomach, then switch into mount, scooping up their other arm for good measure.

Nathan also covered another two side control escapes, beginning from the same position, but this time you’re on the bottom. As you push up into their neck, they switch to scarf hold. Keep pushing with your arm, driving their head towards your hip. With your other hand, being careful not to get trapped, reach under their arm and grab their elbow, then pull it towards you.

Shrimp your hips into them, still pushing them towards your hip, then switch one leg over the other. This should make it easier for you to come to your knees, which will simultaneously roll them over, putting them under your side control. During drilling, the person getting rolled should turn their head towards your hips, to avoid cricking their neck.

The second side control escape uses the same principle, but for a slightly different situation. This time, their side control is really tight, and you’re having no joy getting a forearm into their neck and pressing. So instead, you’re going to bait the Americana. Your arm under their neck will dangle loose.

As soon as they loosen their grip from under your head to go for it, get ready to bring your other hand to the back of that elbow. At the point their arm cross your face, you want to straight-arm into the back of their elbow, shoving it towards your hip. Again, shrimp into them, always maintaining a hold on their arm, then come up onto your free elbow for base.

The motion is now the same as before. Switch one leg over the other, then come to your knees. Try to imagine that there isn’t anyone on top of you, and you’re just shrimping out and going straight to your knees. You should end up lifting them with your hips, and then dropping them off the side and underneath you, without a great deal of force. If you find you’re having to muscle it, then you’re not quite getting the leverage right.

There was no specific sparring tonight (Nathan had earlier given us the option of either specific sparring or more technique: fortunately, we went with more technique), but there was time left for one free spar. I went with my training partner Amit, a white belt who is possible a bit bigger than me, but not by the usual huge margin.

So, that gave me a chance to practice attacks. I tried to get my preferred overhook, but the choke was probably too telegraphed. I looked to switch to a triangle, and got my legs locked and started to wiggle backwards, but I could see I was losing it. That meant it was time to switch to an omoplata, but my transition was sloppy. I didn’t flatten him out enough, retain enough control over the arm, or get a decent grip over his back.

I did manage to land an Americana or two from top half guard, but I think that was mainly down to his inexperience rather than any skill on my part. The arm was left out there as he was trying to escape, so that meant I could lock on the figure-four. Still, there again I was sloppier than I would have liked, without especially solid top control or a particularly good angle.

Should be training again tomorrow. I also was able to give my Zero G gi its first outing since Wycombe, as I finally had a chance to visit home last weekend and pick it up again. Once I’ve put that through a few more weeks, I’ll try to get a review together (though all the review you could ever want of the Tatami Fightwear gi is already up on Meerkatsu’s site).

23/06/2010 - BJJ (Advanced)

Class #321
Gracie Barra Birmingham, (BJJ), Rob Stevens, Birmingham, UK - 23/06/2010

The bus was almost late again, but just made the train connection from Leamington in time. That’s going to be more difficult after the end of term, as buses change their times. So, I’ll be lucky to get the bus I need in time, which may make training a little awkward until term starts up again in October. So, hopefully that timing won’t work out as badly as I’m expecting, or I’ll be able to catch the bus from the other company (I’ve got a Stagecoach bus pass, but that runs out in August. So, I could then switch to Travel West Midlands, or whatever they’re called now) that does the route, presuming their times are any better.

I was very keen to make tonight, because I suspected that the crucial England versus Slovenia world cup game would mean attendance would be low. That tends to result in closer attention from the instructor, which was especially good today. Rob asked the people waiting before class started if there was anything we wanted to work on. As ‘the people waiting’ at that point consisted of me and Tom, I had a chance to request some escapes from modified scarf hold, which has been causing me problems for a while now.

More people turned up later, including Chris with a shiny new purple belt, so congrats to him: he got promoted about two weeks ago. Still, it was a fairly small class, and not many big guys there, which meant I had plenty of training partners around my size. After some drilling and work on takedowns, Rob moved into a detailed explanation of the technique, which had some cross-over with the escape Norby showed a little while ago.

To escape modified scarf hold you first need to free your trapped elbow. As Rob emphasised, this is often the hardest part. He suggested using your free hand to press firmly into their arm, creating a brace by straightening your limb. Bridge off both feet and shrimp. You may well need to do this multiple times to get the elbow loose, especially if your partner has good top control. You can also try grabbing around their elbow and pulling it towards you: mix and match to wiggle your arm free.

Once your arm is out, both your hands go to their lapel (the one nearest to you). Push that straight up and into their neck, straightening both your arms. Shrimp out, until you can wedge your near knee into their side. From there, you should have enough space to recover guard, or possibly even go for a submission if they leave their arm there (which is unlikely: people will probably move around, ending up in your open guard).

To drive this home, Rob then had us do specific sparring from that same modified scarf hold position. On top, I was looking to time my hip switch back and forth to side control, like yesterday. Of course, when your opponents aren’t white belts, this is much harder. It also reminded me to use north-south more often, and try to distract people by attacking their arm.

Underneath, I was looking to practice what we were just taught, but probably because everyone had just seen the scarf hold escape, people were tending to quickly switch to side control before I had much of a chance. Still, it did seem to help me get my knees in place quicker, and be more aware of my arm placement.

Free sparring was even more painful than usual, because unusually for England, it was hot and humid. I was sweating just standing around doing nothing, so once it got into the flow of sparring, everybody’s gi was soaked. As somebody mentioned, it makes you wonder how they manage in a climate like Brazil: I’m easily knackered at the best of times, so I can’t imagine how I’d cope training in those conditions every day

I went with five people, IIRC. Norby stayed very light, so was presumably looking to let me try things out. Nathan tapped me all over the place, but did mention that I was basically doing the right thing: however, I need to move from delaying the inevitable to a more proactive defence. I also need to watch out for footlocks, which I sometimes forget about because I avoid using them myself.

I was generally under side control, with the odd moment of scarf hold too. I looked to try Rob’s technique, but struggled to get myself into the straight arm position holding onto their lapel. I think I was probably failing to shrimp out properly, and perhaps going for it too late, when they were already switching their weight back to side control. Getting that transition from a scarf hold to a side control escape is something to keep in mind, and watching my arms don’t get harvested in the process.

I also found myself in top half guard a couple of times, on both occasions in an effort to drive through out of their attempt to take the back. I had trouble each time, but got closer than I normally do, as I tried to really focus on getting my weight into their neck and shoulder, and also yanking on their arm to stop them turning. My base could do with some work there, and I probably wasn’t being careful enough with my hips.

At the end of class it was announced that there would be a charity seminar at Victor’s new club in Mansfield. Brazil has been subject to some severe flooding recently, and many people have been put under great financial strain as a result, including people close to Braulio. So, if you’re willing to spend £30 and make it down to Gracie Barra Midlands, you’ll be rewarded with a top-notch seminar on Saturday 3rd July.

09/03/2010 - BJJ (Beginner)

Class #293
RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 09/03/2010

Recently BJJ has popped up in a rather strange place: the Australian soap opera Home & Away (although the writers appear to have transformed it into something more akin to aikido). Being the internet and BJJ nerd that I am, naturally I tracked down the relevant episodes (5019, 5020 and 5023-5027 so far), recorded them, re-edited the relevant BJJ sections into a video, took lots of screen caps, then started posting about it on Home & Away forums. ;)

Kev started tonight's class with a follow up to the fundamentals scarf hold escape, if they're using the weaker version of holding under the head rather than the far armpit. Should your arm be sufficiently trapped that you can't get the elbow to the ground, reach over their back and lock your hands together.

Walk your legs towards theirs: if they don't move, hook and begin to escape to their back. Normally they will move, whereupon you wait for the right leverage, then roll them over your body. However, as Kev noted, this requires good timing. If you get it right, they'll feel weightless. If you get it wrong, you're never going to move anybody your size or bigger.

Next was a continuation on pulling guard. This time, instead of closed guard, Kev went to open. Again you start with a collar and sleeve grip, yanking the sleeve to get them to step with that side foot. When they do and you therefore have them slightly off-balance, put your same side foot on the hip and drop back (sinking on your leg then dropping, rather than flopping straight to the floor).

Your head will swivel towards that side hip. Maintain your grip on their collar, while pressing your foot into their other bicep (if they free their arm, circle your leg around to re-establish the position). From here, you can now apply a triangle, kicking your leg up past their bicep and into their neck, then locking your legs. After that, you proceed as normal.

Final technique was a basic standing guard break. You establish the orthodox grip, holding both collars with one hand on their torso, while the other hand is back on their hip, knees pressed into them to try and stop their movement. Lean slightly to one side and step up that knee, then the other, enabling you to stand.

As you do, you shift to gripping one collar (so that you can stand up and press your hips forward). Your hand on the hip shifts back to their leg, so that your forearm is along their inside knee: don't be brutishly dig with your elbow (listen to Saulo!) You'll use that arm to create tension, then simultaneously step back your same side leg and thrust your hip out in the other direction. That should pop their legs open.

Specific sparring was from the guard. On top against one of the white belts, I was slipping my knee through to half guard, fought for the underhook, then used shoulder pressure to pass from there. I'm still a bit wary about relying on that, especially as it mainly works on white belts (I've managed it on blues once or twice, but not often). Still, I did ask Kev reassured me afterwards that it was a legitimate passing method.

Underneath, I was looking to break his posture down with my legs and keep him in close. I wanted to slide my leg through for the triangle, but couldn’t quite get the right set-up. I was also looking to get an overhook or move to the Shawn Williams Guard. I did both, but to little effect. With the SWG, I tried to push the arm back for the omoplata, but it was too obvious. I probably should have pushed on the head more too, or at least the shoulder.

Shifting to an overhook and gripping the collar, I again was telegraphing, so couldn't secure the choke I wanted, or the right triangle position. I need to be thinking more about stepping off and pushing on the hip for armbars, though on the other hand, it could be good to develop that tight guard position.

This also came up with Howard. I was pulling him in with my legs, breaking the posture down and wrapping tight, but not getting much further. Armdrags are something I have to look at more closely here: if I also had proper hold of that arm as I pulled in and knocked them off balance, could open up a route to the back.

I know that Howard gets that knee in when I switch to a high guard, so I was trying to keep an eye out for that, but he got it anyway. He used the Roy Dean guard break I've never been able to get to work: I think he was staying lower than I've been doing in my attempts, so that could be something to try.

When I was on top, I couldn't really do anything until Howard opened up for an attack. I found myself looking to pass open guard, which is an even worse position for me than closed. Still, it gave me a chance to really focus on driving my hips forwards, then seeing if I could yank a leg towards the ceiling and slide down. Howard's grips on my sleeves scuppered that, but something to keep working.

I had to take Thursday off last week because I came down with manflu. While I think it is mostly gone, and definitely shouldn't be infectious anymore, I wasn't back to 100% yet. So, I didn't do the advanced class tonight. Once again, I'm off to Bristol to see my gf on Wednesday, which I'll be doing again on Monday 22nd (meaning I'll miss that whole week, unless I can get to Aylesbury or something).

02/03/2010 - BJJ (Beginner)

Class #291
RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 02/03/2010

Pedro Sauer was recently promoted to 8th Degree by Relson Gracie, a considerable achievement. On the other hand, do the degrees/stripes beyond black belt really have any meaning, given the wild disparity in standards between the IBJJF, Gracie Academy and elsewhere? J-Sho makes some interesting points over on NHBGear, here.

Fundamentals started with how to pull guard, though Kev emphasised that it is becoming frowned upon (Rener and Ryron nevertheless include a variation on Gracie Combatives, as per the pic). However, he also mentioned that if you're up against a seasoned judoka, pulling guard probably isn't a bad idea, which is sensible advice. You start with a collar and sleeve grip. Pull on the sleeve to make them step, then put your same side foot on that hip. Swing around to the other side and drop. If they don't try to posture up, go for the armbar. If they do, lock in closed guard.

Next was escaping scarf hold, when they have their arm under your head rather than your far armpit. First, force your trapped elbow to the floor. Bring your other arm over their head, pressing into their neck. Support that hand with your other arm, to create a strong frame. Move your feet towards their head, until you can get a leg on their head. Lock it under your other leg.

Normally at this point, I would expect to roll up into a sort of technical mount, push on their neck to release my head, then go for a submission or just solidify the position. However, Kev had a different option. Keep your grip on their elbow, cupping it with your opposite hand. Slide the same side hand underneath and through, so that you can then lock it under your armpit, keeping your same side arm on the outside. Lean back, creating pressure on their isolated elbow for the submission.

Moving on to the main class, Kev just showed one technique, an armbar from the guard. Again, this proceeded as normal, until the finish. Instead of raising your hips for the submission, you keep them tight, clamping one hand over the elbow, the other by their wrist. Raise your hips slightly, then push that wrist towards their knee for the tap (making sure the elbow is correctly aligned for hyperextension, which you can check by looking where their thumb is pointing).

Sparring was from guard. I was looking for a high guard again, but Howard has a habit of getting his knee up when I try that, making things difficult. That meant I ended up playing with butterfly guard a fair bit, once again keeping jnp's 'ball' technique in mind, with my knees close to my chest.

I also took the opportunity to practice the Shawn Williams Guard, only to be almost immediately passed. I think I need to be tighter with my free foot, pressing against the hip. Moving into an attack quicker would help too, rather than looking to control and get my bearings.

Interestingly there was a purple belt in class tonight, who I think was called Chris: that belt looked pretty tattered, so he's clearly been doing this a good while. He did mention he had just had a year out due to a broken wrist, but was still far too experienced for me to accomplish anything much. He used the elbow dig pass on me: I didn't react in time to jump into a triangle, which is what I normally aim to do in response.

Passing Howard, I tried the twisting guard break repeatedly, but I'm still missing some key elements. Controlling the hips is a problem, so I need to review my notes, and hopefully get a chance to go over it again with Kev. Ideally I'd do a private lesson on guard passing, as it remains my weakest area by a huge margin.

Then again, I'm feeling much happier once I can make to top half guard. That generally only happens if they open their guard to attack, and I can slip my knee through. As long as I can get an underhook and flatten them out, I've been having relative success using shoulder pressure to pin their torso to the mat, then gradually free my knee and slide into mount. The tough part is getting them flat, and pummelling to make sure I maintain the underhook.

I also tried the twisting guard break on Chris: his response was to try and hook under my leg. That provides a chance to pull their arm under their back, but I couldn't manage to get hold of it before he realised and yanked it out of danger. Might need to raise them up more or something.

He eventually went for a triangle, and I thought I'd got free. However, he was able to suck my other arm in as I tried to initiate a pass. I tried to step over his head to release the pressure and move to side control, but he knocked me off balance, meaning I had no posture and was therefore completely exposed to the triangle.

06/10/2008 - Judo

Class #4

Warwick Judo (Judo), Iain Cunningham, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK - 06/10/2008

Before I get onto the judo, just wanted to mention that The Grapplers Guide (which I reviewed last week) is shifting its fee structure. It began with a $47 annual fee, then moved to a $9.95 per month, and is about to go to a $127 lifetime subscription. So, if you want to give it a trial for $9.95 rather than jumping straight in with the lifetime fee, sign up before the 10th October. IIRC, if you like the site you can then upgrade to a lifetime membership for $40. Pricey stuff, but if you're interested, take a look at my review for an idea of what you get for all that cash (I'll need to update that again when the fee structure changes).

I've had a rather busy week up until now, having moved house over the course of several days, with lots of box-unpacking to look forward to. I took two days off work so I could spend the whole week helping my girlfriend with settling in after we initially got our stuff over (those extra days have proved very handy, as she has been quite ill for the last few days), which meant that I didn't get in any BJJ.

However, now that I'm nearer to University, I can finally give the Warwick Judo club another try. My last attempt three years ago was cut short, as I got injured in my third lesson and wasn't able to train for roughly seven months afterwards. This time, I'm hoping that my grappling experience from RGA will help me stay safe: I wasn't going to be taking any chances!

Monday sessions are in the Cryfield Pavilion, which I haven't been to for a good six years: last occasion was a brief stint at ballroom dancing with my girlfriend when she was still an undergrad and during my MA. Changing rooms are off the far side, and randomly separated in numbered rooms, rather than one big area for changing. The actual lesson takes place upstairs.

Had a chance to chat to some people beforehand, like Adam (who I spoke to at the Sports Fair last week), a few fellow new people (although one of them, Graham, is a brown belt, so just new to that club rather than the sport), and Sophie, the sole female judoka there tonight. She mentioned that there are about five or six girls around, so hopefully there will be several training: my girlfriend said she'd come down when she's feeling better, so would be good to have some other women to help her ease into the sport.

The warm-up was fairly brief and light, loosening up the neck, breakfalling and some cartwheels, after which the instructor, Iain, moved into the first throw. Can't remember what its called, but it starts with the usual grip, with one hand holding the same side sleeve by the elbow, while the other hand holds the same side collar. Swivel in so your back is pressed against your partner, pulling their arm and collar over the same shoulder, pressing the elbow of the collar-grabbing hand up under their armpit. Squat, lift, then drop them over your shoulder.

Iain followed up that throw by dropping into north south: basically plop onto their chest, scooping your elbows under their arms and pulling in close to restrict their movement. You can also switch to reverse scarf hold, by bringing one arm under theirs and gripping behind the neck, shifting your hips to the other side of their head, then stepping through with your rear leg. Pull up their other arm, then settle into the pin.

He also demonstrated how to hold standard scarf hold, then showed us an escape from scarf hold. This is a little similar to what I've seen in BJJ, where you try and isolate the floating rib, but with the far more straightforward approach of grabbing their belt with both hands, around the side. Move your legs in close to their body, then bridge up and back, aiming to drive their head into the floor. Roll over your own shoulders, bringing them over the top of you, ending up in scarf hold yourself.

To prevent your partner escaping your scarf hold that easily, use the variation Dan showed me a while back, where you grab your own leg. Remember to actually grip the fabric of your trousers, not just hold your leg like I was doing. Apparently this is called 'pillow scarf hold' or something like in Japanese: began with M? Meh: I can always have a good read through JudoInfo to get the terminology down.

I may be mixing up the order here, but either before or after that we went through two trips - osoto-gari, I think? Again you have that collar and sleeve grip, but this time step out with your outside leg, so that you can then swing your other leg through, reap their leg, and drive them to the floor by pulling the elbow and pushing the shoulder. Points to note are to stay close, knocking them with your shoulder, keeping your hip tight.

Iain then demonstrated the 'minor' version of that, which I think he said was kosoto-gari, but may have misheard. Instead of stepping out with your outside leg, you step in, then sweep your other leg sideways and back, knocking out their other leg. You also push on the shoulder differently: rather than holding and dragging across, push the collar right over their shoulder and drive them forward to the floor.

That meant it was now time for randori, starting with standing. It was great being a white belt again, as all the seniors were told to go lightly on us beginners. The sparring was also fairly restrained (at least with the senior belts: as usual, over-enthusiastic white belts were a different story), with the instructor telling us to stay light, going throw for throw. Again proved the maxim that its best to stick with the higher belts, as they don't go nuts, carefully placing you on the floor rather than attempting to slam you through the mats.

As ever, I stayed passive, which was even easier than normal due to the throw-for-throw thing. I think we did about four rounds of three minutes, with a line-up where you stepped one to the right in order to train with a different person each time (I prefer picking my training partners, like at RGA, as that means I can avoid people who are injury risks, but meh).

Having covered stand-up, it was time for another few rounds of randori, this time on the ground. Naturally I was a lot more comfortable there, though there were two major differences to what I'm used to from BJJ: you start back to back rather than facing each other, and no strangles or armlocks allowed against beginners.

Of course, I'm still more interested in escapes than submissions anyway, so that restriction suited me fine: it meant I spent most of the sparring holding to other person either in guard or half-guard. The seniors were taking it easy, which made for very relaxed sparring: they also didn't mind if I popped up on their back, but then given the lack of submissions, that was a bit of a pointless place to be. So, next time I'll aim to get in side control or mount, or underneath to work escapes.

I was vaguely looking to work some sweeps, as I was in guard, but didn't really get anywhere. Also found it interesting to spar with people who weren't going for the usual techniques: in BJJ, they'd be standing up and driving their hips forward, whereas the beginners here were obviously unfamiliar with the ground, so haven't yet got a clear goal when rolling.

The sparring wasn't all back to back, as the very last roll was done with one knee up, so sort of like combat base. That made it even easier for me to go straight to half-guard, by which point I was trying to work back to full guard rather than go round to my partner's back. Will definitely try to have a better plan of action next session: should be interesting to see how (if?) escapes differ when you're in a judo class.

Iain finished up with a warm-down, stretching, then a quick bit of exercise (press-ups, sit-ups and – more randomly – skipping with our belts). Having taken off our belts, it seemed that the done thing was to take off your jacket too. I couldn't help thinking when everyone was stretching and thrusting their chests out that it must have looked very silly to the lone female there, as a bunch of half-naked blokes stood around posing. ;)

Always good to warm-down though, which is a plus point for any class: especially important as you get older, though that isn't much of a concern for university classes. I could have stayed on for another hour of fitness, but wanted to get back to my girlfriend, who was lying ill in bed (seems to be improving though, so hopefully we'll be able to walk onto campus tomorrow to check out the second day of the Societies Fair).

24/01/2008 - BJJ (Beginners)

Class #115



Roger Gracie Academy (BJJ), Jude Samuel, London, UK - 24/01/2008 – Beginner

If, like me, a worryingly significant proportion of your DVDs are made up of 80s cartoons, then check out this site. My current main nostalgia trip has been Thundercats, which aside from having an awesome logo also had some of the most magnificently illogical recurring plot points (like the Thundercats can happily float unaided in the vacuum of space, as well as reaching absolutely ANYWHERE – even the centre of the planet – in a matter of seconds after seeing the old Thundersignal). I don't care: remains a great cartoon! Be sure to have a look at the Memorabilia bit (loads of stuff in there), especially the 'other clips'.

I'm still not feeling quite right: this is probably yet another reminder that I really need to get my diet in order (which currently is total crap, mostly consisting of cheese sandwiches and cereal). Not to mention failing to get eight hours sleep when I'm in Bucks. So, that needs to change, although I've been telling myself that for years.

So I was hoping to take it easy tonight, following on from above whining. Surprisingly enough, class wasn't too intense, which is normally almost a guarantee with Jude. We worked escapes from scarf hold for most of it, then finished off with a comparatively brief bit of specific sparring, working guard passage.

The first scarf hold escape was the one I'm most familiar with. First, move your legs close to them, then drive your trapped elbow to the ground. With the hand of that same elbow, grab their biceps (something I've not been doing up until now), then bring the other forearm round and press it into their neck. Take your hand off their biceps and push it into your other wrist, making a frame to shove their head back.

While you're grinding into their neck, move your legs towards their head. Combined with your arms, that should put you in position to bring your legs up and over, grabbing their head (make sure to lock your legs together). Roll them over onto their side, immediately stepping your leg over and bringing it tight to their stomach. To free your head (presuming they've maintained their hold, which in drilling people sometimes forget – bad habit to get used to, as in sparring people don't tend to be so accommodating), again make a frame on their neck and push off that, driving your head and body forward rather than straight up. Finally, that should leave them open to an armbar, so step over their head, secure the arm, squeeze your knees and go for the sub.

I find the other variation on the scarf hold escape much more difficult. It starts similar to the previous example, but this time, their pressing their head into yours and preventing you getting that forearm into their neck. So instead, grip your hands together and drive a fist into their floating rib. That should cause them to raise up: your leg comes in underneath, then roll them over your body, leaving you on top.

The problem I have is getting the right position on the rib. Invariably I'm not pressing in the right place, meaning that if I then try to pull them over, it’s a matter of straining with my meagre muscle power: unless my opponent is significantly smaller than me, that's never going to get me anywhere. Jude did come over and demonstrate, but I'm still having difficult with the technique.

This was driven home when we then did some resistance training, where one person holds the other down in scarf hold so they can try the technique. I struggled to get Herman off me with the second technique, and even with the first I found I was sometimes prematurely bringing the legs over to roll him, meaning that again I was straining because I hadn't got into the proper position first.

Class ended with guard passage – Herman is lighter than he used to be, so instead of being 70 something kilos, he's now around my weight (about 65kg). I've been looking through the scissor sweep section of Beneville's The Guard, so wanted to give that a go. In particular, Beneville emphasises bringing your torso off centre in comparison to your opponent's, so effectively your moving your body at a slight angle. I gave this a go, but think I again forgot another essential component of a scissor, which is bringing them in close to lift them off their base.

I was able to retain my guard, though, trying to hook Herman's legs, which put me in butterfly guard. When Herman back away, I tried keeping my legs in contact with his: I had read some single leg sweeps in the bonus material for The Guard that's up on Beneville's website, but couldn't quite remember it. However, I somehow ended up in side anyway after Herman went down into my half-guard. I attempted taking the back earlier, but that didn't work. So, managed a reversal, but not sure how useful that is when I'm not certain how I got there.

On top, I sat with my knee pressed into Herman's tailbone as usual, and after a bit of a struggle, I eventually managed to push my knee through. I almost got swept at that point, but held my balance and ended on top in half-guard. I tried bringing my foot in tight to his tailbone and pressing forward, but time ran out before either of us was able to do anything (though I certainly wasn't on the verge of passing or anything).

Hopefully train again tomorrow, when I really want to make the advanced class for the first time this year, but will have to see how I feel. Beginners would still be better than not training.

12/07/2007 - BJJ (Beginners)

Class #72



Roger Gracie Academy (BJJ), Jude Samuel, London, UK - 12/07/2007 – Beginners

Bad news for my bashed up chin in the beginners class, as the session was all about scarf hold escapes, some of which end with a rear naked choke. However, my training partners Ben and Grant took it easy on the submission, so hopefully the growing bruise on my chin will now have some time to heal before next week.

The lesson was an exact repeat of the Big Brother session we had back in January, though minus the cameras and in a slightly different order. Good to get a refresh on those scarf hold escapes, as I realised I’d forgotten a rather essential part of the first one: making a frame.

For the first, you pull your trapped elbow to the ground, then grab your other wrist to make a frame against your partner’s neck. Move your legs towards your head, then sit up and bring your leg over their head, driving through to put Person A on their side. Swing your leg right over, then slide your heel right into their stomach. Again making a frame with your arms, push against their face to break their grip around your head, isolate an arm, step over and go for the armbar.

Second one is what I had trouble with last time. Free your elbow and get double underhooks, making a ‘gable grip’ (palm to palm with fingers wrapped round the edge, no thumb), then digging the side of your hand into their floating rib. Staying close to them, push a leg into their upper thigh, then bridge slightly. Using your knee and the gable grip, lift them up one way, then roll them in the other direction, ending up with them on their side as before. Finish the same way.

The third escape is a little different. This time when you drive your trapped elbow to the floor, you stick very close to them and bring your far leg over to hook round their near leg. Your free arm comes over their shoulder and past their face, meaning your end up on one knee, then push up with your arms to break their grip. Having already got a hook in, reach under their armpit and grab a collar, then roll them into rear mount, secure your hooks, then apply the rear naked choke.

Beginners class is normally a little less knackering because its both shorter and the people I spar tend to be fairly new to BJJ. However, this time I was rolling with two other third stripes, so was equally squashed (though it was guard passage, so there was a predetermined end to the beating). Grant dominated both Ben and I, whereas Ben had little trouble slapping on a smooth armbar when we sparred. Grant gave me some hints on where to grip, saying that it was a good idea to grab the collars with one hand and the belt with the other: staggering your hands like this makes it harder for your opponent to pull you down towards them.

My passing isn’t at all up to scratch against anybody with experience. If I try my favoured guard break where I press in the tailbone, bring a knee out and push back, I tend to get swept or armbarred due to my overly exposed arm. Standing up also inevitably ends up in a sweep. So, those still need lots of work: as Gary warned me, all my mistakes have been made very clear in the advanced class, or against anybody who’s been at RGA long enough to capitalise on sloppy technique.

Should be training again next Tuesday – this time I know it’s a sparring class in advance, but I still doubt I’ll have any energy left for the beginners class after. So, probably going to stick to four or five classes until my cardio improves.

26/04/2007 - BJJ - Last class for a month

Class #57


Roger Gracie Academy (BJJ), Felipe Souza, London, UK - 26/04/2007

My last class for a month focused on escapes from scarf hold, which I’d been hoping we’d go over, as I often find myself in that position when under side control. For the first variation, Person B twists away from Person A, aiming to free an elbow, also tucking their chin close to the chest. Having made space, Person B then hooks their outside leg around one of Person A’s (hooking with the leg nearest to Person A is no use, as that puts Person B in an even more awkward position). Next, Person B grips the back of Person A’s gi and pushes their head to the floor, trying to come up on their front as they do so. Basing out with their hands, Person B then drives forward to break Person A’s headlock, wraps an arm around Person A’s head, then rolls over in the other direction. Finally, Person B gets both their hooks in and applies the rear naked choke.

For the second variation, Person B tries to bring their trapped arm into Person A’s neck, using their other arm as a support (placing the wrist of the trapped arm into the grip of the other arm). This makes it much more difficult for Person A to apply pressure. Person B then moves round with their legs towards Person A’s head. Once they’ve got far enough around, Person B raises the outside leg right up to Person A’s neck, then pulls down, ending up with Person A on their side and Person B behind. Person B moves the knee closest to Person A’s head up to meet it, then with the other makes a big step right over Person A’s body, immediately bringing their foot in tight to Person A’s stomach. To break the headlock, Person B puts a forearm into Person A’s neck, then pushes their wrist with the other arm (so the same motion as the initial part of the escape), also lifting their head and driving forward. Once the grip is broken, Person B maintains control of the arm, steps over Person A’s head and finally drops back for the armbar.

Sparring was from side control, and as ever I was making the same mistake: leaving too much space. Part of the reason I’ve been finding this so difficult is that I’m both small and weak, so can’t bring size or strength to bear. However, that’s no excuse for poor technique. I was attempting to switch base and go for mount, but kept raising up too much, and switching in the wrong direction. I also need to watch my position once I’ve switched base, so that there’s room to bring my leg over. I had the opportunity to take the back a few times, but was unable to get my hooks in, meaning that I was unceremoniously dumped on the ground.

Oli suggested that I should think about controlling the opposite hip with my elbow, and also grip behind the gi for a firm hold. I also need to remember how to position myself in order to maximise my meagre weight, pressing my chest into my opponent’s chest and ribs.

As I’m going to be off until June (except for Birmingham Throwdown on the 26th May, but that’s not a lesson), now seems a good time to reflect on the past few months. I’m most comfortable in guard, as from that position I have the most options. I’ve recently been using the elevator and push sweep, and also keeping tight with my knees if my partner starts to pass my guard. However, I’m not attempting the scissor sweep enough, which might help set up the push sweep, and I’m also continuing to avoid the sit-up and flower sweep. Both of those are useful for preparing submissions if they fail (kimura and armbar respectively), so I have to get used to at least trying those techniques.

I’m also feeling more confident when in someone else’s guard. My long-running problem of limited passing options seems to have lessened, as the tailbone pass from BJ Penn’s site has proved comparatively successful. However, I shouldn’t neglect the standing pass, and most importantly, I have to work on keeping my weight down when passing. Even if I develop a guard game, that still means that at best I’ll end up in either side control or mount, both of which require good use of weight in order to be effective.

This could be slightly rectified by developing submissions from the guard, something I very rarely go for, but that would merely avoid the problem. Every time I’m on top in mount and side control, I need to be thinking hard about how to distribute my weight. I also need to revise techniques from side control, particularly how to transition from side control to mount.

Of course, that would still leave me with a poor mount – I have had some small success with the Americana and kimura from side control, but mainly against people either my size or smaller. I’ve also been finding those submissions less effective as time has gone on, presumably due to everyone else improving their defences.

As to escapes from side control, mount, half-guard and so on, those are all aspects of BJJ I need to work on. However, I’ve mainly found myself on top, because we’ve tended to do ‘king of the hill’ sparring. Due to my inability to maintain mount and side control, that means that I’ve rapidly been going from partner to partner, especially evident today. I did at least hold position for a little longer with some people, but its that same problem of leaving too much space every time.

Therefore, my plan for the next month is to have a thorough read of Mastering Jujitsu, as well as going through my notes and trying to break down my rather sprawling technical descriptions. That task should be made easier by refreshing my memory with videos, in particularly Rowan Cunningham’s Abhaya tutorials from Google Video.

My direct debit is paused for the next month, as I’m off to Barbados on 4th May, returning to the UK on 18th May. Various social events, like my gf’s birthday, will take up the following week, so my next training is likely to be either ZSK or the Birmingham throwdown. I’ll see if I can fit in some MMA, or perhaps even wrestling, but it may well be that the next proper grappling class I get to will be RGA on 6th June.

I seem to have picked up bruises, aches, rashes and cuts on my ribs, hands, fingers, feet, legs and even face, so if nothing else, the time off might give my body a chance to recover!

11/01/2007 - BJJ

Class #20



Roger Gracie Academy (BJJ), Jude Samuel, London, UK – 11/01/2007

No Felipe again today, so he must still be on holiday, or perhaps just getting back into it slowly. That meant he missed the dubious pleasure of the Big Brother’s Big Mouth camera stalking around the Academy looking for potential interviewees. Olly popped his rib warming up for the advanced class, so as I came out of the changing rooms, I saw him preparing for his fifteen minutes of fame. The TV crew then looked over at Jan and I, asking if we watched Big Brother, to which we both responded with furious head-shaking: there was no way I was going in front of that camera voluntarily! Mungkorn Dam had no such qualms, doing pretty much exactly what he said he was going to do in his earlier post on Bullshido. I thought he came off as quite confident, sticking to his line of “I think Big Brother is lowest common denominator entertainment, like watching your neighbour’s through the curtains.” Also note Will's blog entry. I got to see the episode a few days later (or was it the day after?), which of course went up on YouTube immediately:



Amidst the cables and prepared answers (“I think Jade Goody is going to win” was frequently pushed by the TV crew, for some reason), there was still a BJJ class going on. After three lessons of it, the instructor let up on the ‘self defence’ drills, instead concentrating on how to escape from scarf hold. Apparently, Jude has been through three this week, not just the one I saw last night. The first variation he demonstrated was for Person B to push their trapped elbow to the floor, bringing the other arm round to grip the wrist. Instead of sitting up and wrapping the leg round, Person B grabbed Person A’s gi trouser, shifting round behind in order to get a hook in. Using this to leverage Person A round, Person B reached in over Person A’s should to get a deep grip on the collar, in preparation for a choke. Person B then rolled Person A on top of them facing up, bringing their other arm under Person A’s armpit to secure the choke on their other collar.

This was followed by the escape from last lesson (which I found much simpler, not only because I’d done it the class before), then finally a third variation. The scenario for that one was Person A managing to get both their legs and head out of reach, negating the two previous escapes. Instead, Person B brings their arms round to Person A’s far leg, clasping their hands in order to drive a knuckle into Person A’s floating rib. At the same time, Person B gets as close behind Person A as they can, slipping a leg tight into Person A’s hip. The pain from pressing the floating rib is supposed to get Person A to raise their hips, so that Person B can swing them over onto their side, taking mount then performing the same armbar as last session's escape. However, I found this difficult: despite apparently getting the knuckle into the right place, I was still straining to get my training partner over. Jan weighs about ten kilograms more than me, which seemed to make a noticeable difference. Rowan Cunningham shows the same technique here.



Jude took care to carefully demonstrate the armbar, as he said too many of us were leaving space as we flopped down for a submission. The correct way was to keep tight, using an arm for balance, meaning that Person B could drop down into an armbar but remain tight to Person A’s shoulder.

I wasn’t able to get anything on Jan during specific sparring, which I spent in guard. As usual I couldn’t find the space for a scissor sweep, and the sit-up sweep failed even more miserably than usual. As I came up, Jan anticipated it, and I ended up twisted to the side, almost getting passed in the process. Talking to him later, Jan thought I was going for an armbar, but either way, it was telegraphed. I think what I need to do is better set up the sweep, perhaps with an attempted kimura or something. “Position before submission”, or in this case, the rather less catchy “Position before…sweep”.

Next up was someone who appeared to have a reasonable bit of experience (I didn’t notice what stripe), who I think was called Huey, however that should be spelt. He had little trouble sweeping me, at one point getting a scissor (or at least that’s what he said it was when I asked later: I remember him getting a leg wrapped behind mine, which is either a variation or perhaps a different sweep). I was at least able to resist his armbar attempt, rising up and freeing my arm, though he had my arm fairly straightened out. I was confident I could get it free, as I had my other arm in position, but it was a fine line between trying out an escape and being dangerously pig-headed about not tapping (something I’m very keen to avoid, as I don’t fancy being out of training with a busted elbow). Though Huey then got me in a triangle instead, I felt I was improving on the armbar escape.

I had a second opportunity against my final partner, Jon, who has been training about as long as me. We had a bit of a struggle, until Jon attempted an armbar. I was ready for it, getting both my arms inside his legs, then escaped and moved round into side control. I fared less well trying the tailbone pass: though I remembered to dig my elbows into his inner thigh, I pulled my arms in too far and too close. This meant I effectively put myself into position for Jon to sweep me.

I’m hoping to get down to F’s Freestyle on Saturday to try out the MMA class there – will see if I can convince my gf to come down. The TV crew caused the session to run over half an hour, meaning I was a bit late for my lift. Still, will be interesting to see how much of the footage the Big Brother editors use: real shame Mungkorn's Bullshido t-shirt didn’t arrive in time for television stardom.

10/01/2007 - BJJ

Class #19



Roger Gracie Academy (BJJ), Jude Samuel, London, UK – 10/01/2007

I wimped out of ZSK yesterday, deciding to give myself another day to shake off the cold (Paddy confirmed he’d be there to take the first part of class, so no worries there). Seemed to work, as I felt ok for tonight’s BJJ class. After the warm-up, which wasn’t quite so intense as usual for Jude, we went through ten hip throws each, but only on the left side (presumably because Jude reckoned most people neglect that in favour of the right). As normal, I was with someone a fair bit heavier than myself, which helps me concentrate more on technique, as I’ve got no chance of throwing just with strength.

Jude moved on to a ‘self-defence’ drill, starting from the same manoeuvre Luciano showed us last week. Self defence isn’t something that especially interests me, as I treat BJJ purely as a sport, but Jude did say something useful about grips. When holding a sleeve, dig in your thumb and push through, aiming for a tight grip with the fingers. This should mean that the other person’s gi is pressed firmly against their arm, which provides you with much better control.

That was followed by an escape from scarf hold. Person B shrimps to the side to free their elbow from Person A’s grip, then sits up slightly, lightly gripping their own hand. This then enables Person B to bring their leg over Person A’s head, wrapping their other leg in front, then driving through to put Person A on their side. Person B then readjusts their legs, moving over Person A into mount.

My training partner Owen gave me a tip on bringing my leg right down to the floor, pressing my foot into the other person’s hip, which provides better control. At this point, Person A still has a hold on Person B’s head. To break it, Person B pushes their wrist into Person A’s throat, pushing with their other hand for additional force, then moves forward with their upper body. This breaks the grip, whereupon Person B grabs Person A’s arm, securing it for an armbar, stepping over with their far leg to swing down to a submission.

I can't see a video showing specifically that escape, so I'll post up this one by Rowan Cunningham. He demonstrates a bizarre looking armbar from this position, which even if it fails could get you their back.



The closest I can see to the escape we learned is this krav maga thingy (minus the stomp: we're grapplers, after all :p) - hopefully it at least gives you an idea of what I was trying to describe.



We must have spent a fair bit of time on those drills, as there wasn’t much time left for sparring. However, everyone was able to get in three minutes on top and on bottom. I was with Owen, a third stripe who also had prior experience, apparently. He dominated me from both positions, though I did at least manage to escape once – I’m not sure if that’s because he over-committed to an armbar attempt leaving me space, or if it was due to my technique, but still pleasing.

As always, I attempted scissor and sit-up sweeps along with the two passes I’ve learned before, none of which I managed successfully. I’m not sure what I did wrong with the sit-up sweep, as I had one side isolated and came up on the elbow, so I assume Owen must have realised what I was doing and adjusted his base accordingly. Could also have been the weight difference. With the scissor sweep, Owen was getting his arm in the way of the leg I was trying to press against his stomach, leaving me in open guard with no leverage. That also prevented me from going for the follow-up armbar, as I couldn’t kick my leg through. I also couldn’t get the flower sweep, going too slow and not dragging Owen off-balance – he was easily able to sit back and trap my arm under his leg.

My passing was equally poor, though I remembered to keep my grip lower for the tailbone pass and tried to dig my elbows in. At one point I almost had the space to put my knee in between, then shifted for double underhooks. However, again Owen could see what I was going for and got his legs into my arms. I wasn’t able to get my elbows in tight, so once again that’s something I need to work on. I tried to stand up more often and pull Owen off balance, but to no avail. Nevertheless, I’m glad I didn’t just end up in a stalemate as has happened so often before, though that’s largely due to Owen trying numerous different techniques on me, necessitating movement on my part.

Annoyingly, I wasn’t quick enough to ask for specific advice on what I did wrong when the sparring was over, so next time I must remember to inquire during sparring, in the pause as we restart. Should be training again tomorrow, then hopefully get my gf down to MMA on Saturday. Will have to wait and see...