31/05/2012 - Teaching (Preparing to Pass the Closed Guard)

Teaching #057
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 31/05/2012

There are three main approaches to pass the closed guard (I should note, I'm still pretty crap at all three, even after six years ;D). The first option, and probably the hardest, is to go from the knees. This has the advantage that you are less likely to be swept, but you're in much more danger of being submitted. As is so often the case in jiu jitsu, posture is very important: if you reverse engineer the lesson on maintaining closed guard, that means you don't want them to grip your collar or get a hold of your head.

Stay upright, back straight, head up. Also don't let them bend your arms: keep at least one of them stiff into their hip. It is very important to control their hips, as they need to angle off to attack effectively. Your other hand is ready to push them down if they attempt to raise their torso towards you, or more typically, gripping both collars and keeping their back on the mat.

For a strong base, widen your knees, sitting on your feet. Alternatively, you could try squeezing your knees to their hips to stop them moving, but that will result in a less sturdy base. Make sure you do not put your elbows on the outside of their legs: keep them inside, or they can start kicking up into your armpit for triangles, armbars, flower sweeps etc.

Another way they'll be looking to disrupt your base is to angle their hips away. To prevent that, you can simply follow them, making sure you keep squaring back up so they don't have that attacking angle anymore. You could also try caging their hips by squeezing your knees together, but that can result in a less stable base.

You can pass the guard from the knees, but personally, I've always found that incredibly hard. Most of the time, to have any chance of passing you'll need to stand, bringing gravity into the equation. This is therefore the second approach for passing the guard. Ideally before you stand, it's useful to grab one of their sleeves: I'd suggest grabbing their sleeve with the hand you want to press into their hip, as then you can accomplish two goals at the same time. It also very helpfully means you'll be able to step your foot up on that side with impunity, as they can't use their arm to attack it.

There are a few different ways to stand up. First, you can simply post your hands on their torso and jump up. That's fast, but it leaves you open for attack if you aren't able to swiftly get your posture once you've stood up. A second, more gradual option is to swing your head towards your collar gripping side, then step up your foot on the hip pressing side. You can then twist your other foot to help you stand up, or just get to your feet: it depends on if you need that intermediary step.

Once you've stood up, thrust your hips forward, head up and back straight. You don't want to be bent forwards, or they can break your posture down. Also try to maintain a hold ideally on their sleeve, or failing that, their gi or belt. Your goal is to have them squashed on the floor, unable to easily move their hip. The best situation would be that they're 'stacked', which means they're squished up onto their neck. Obviously be careful if your partner is smaller than you and in that position, as you never want to put a lot of stress on a training partner's neck.

Naturally it isn't going to be that easy to either open the guard or even stand up. In order to attack, they are going to want to disrupt your base and break your posture down. The first way they'll probably do that is to establish a strong grip, on your sleeve and collar. You don't want that, so try to strip any grips before beginning your pass. Not to say that it's impossible to pass if they've got grips, but you'll find it easier if they don't.

If they grab your collar, use both of your hands to grab either side of that sleeve or wrist. Push it forcefully away from you, while simultaneously leaning back slightly. If you remember the grip break from the maintaining closed guard lesson I taught a while back, this is a similar principle, but from the opposite position. Another option is to put both your hands on their gripping arm, trapping it to their torso. Posture up forcefully to break the grip.

If they get a grip on your sleeve, then grab their sleeve with your free hand. To break the grip, yank your trapped hand back as your gripping hand drives forward. TrumpetDan has a good video on this, here. I don't generally recommend YouTube, but he is one of the better teachers on there. A simpler option is to circle your hand either inside or outside of their arm, then chop downwards to break the grip: there is a good explanation of that in Beneville's excellent Passing the Guard.

Should they get a hold of the material by your knee, you can use a similar grip break. Grab their gripping wrist with your same side arm and press it to the mat, then kick your trapped leg back. Ideally, as with the previous grip break, this will now give you control of their arm, which you can immediately use to initiate your pass.

When standing, there is another basic option you can try if they attempt to hook your foot. Kick your foot forward and out to break their grip, then put it back down out of their reach. This is particularly effective if they are only grabbing behind your heel, slightly less so if they have a firm grip of the gi material. It is also advisable to step a leg back to prevent them from having the grip available. Another possibility, which TrumpetDan suggests, is to simply turn your foot inwards, to prevent the handstand sweep.

The third option for opening the closed guard is perhaps the simplest, but also the most risky: bait a submission opportunity. The idea is that you make them think they can get a submission where they have to open the legs (e.g., triangle), but carefully prepare your frames. That way, as soon as they open their legs for the attack, you can capitalise and begin your pass. This means you don't have to work to get their legs open, but it puts you in a lot of danger if you aren't good at escaping submissions. So, I wouldn't recommend you try this until you're very confident in your defence.

21/05/2012 - USA Training Trip in November & GB Bristol (Opening the Guard)

Class #456
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Nicolai 'Geeza' Holt, Bristol, UK - 21/05/2012

For years now, I've been saying I want to go to the USA and meet up with some of the many awesome BJJers I've got to know online. I've always had five states in mind: California, Florida, Texas, Virginia and Oregon, based on the people I want to train with in each of those states. Canada is also somewhere I want to go (or rather, return to, as I went way back in 2002). I'm intending to visit all of them over the next few years, though I've no idea how long that's going to take. My girlfriend wasn't keen on doing a long haul flight this year, so I'm saving California and Florida: I think those are the two states she would most enjoy, possibly Virginia too, due to the landscape, sunshine and beaches (well, not so much Virginia on the latter two ;p).

That meant that this year, I've decided to go to Texas. My flights are booked, so I'm leaving on the 17th November, then coming back on the 30th November. At the moment, the only two places I'm definitely going are Dallas and Austin, with Houston being a likely third destination. So, if there are any BJJers from Texas reading this, let me know your suggestions. Though I should note I'm a bit weird in that while it would be fun to train with big names (Carlos Machado is the main one I'd like to check out), I'm a lot more interested in meeting fellow bloggers. :D

Speaking of big names, well-known BJJ film maker Hywel Teague is looking for contributions to his first full-length project, where he will be interviewing several red belts. The amount of first hand historical knowledge these guys possess is unmatched, so if you want to help out (the film will be freely available online, by the way, so this isn't a profit-driven project), go here.

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Getting back to training, tonight will be the only session I get in this week. That's because it's my girlfriend's 30th. Every other evening is going to be dedicated to her instead. Should be fun, as I have a short trip planned, along with an outing to Phantom of the Opera (she's a big fan, so this will be the fourth or fifth time I've been with her in the eleven years we've been together). Hopefully I'll be able to get back into my Tuesday training pattern after that: there has been a lot more teaching recently rather than training. Of course, I do enjoy teaching, but it's important to still get in some drilling and sparring time for myself too. At least I'm not feeling as run down as last week, meaning I should be back to normal soon.

Geeza focused on guard passing basics tonight, specifically opening the guard. He began with a drill he's taught before, which tends to get a few laughs as it looks a little odd. The idea is to use cats and dogs as a guide for your back positioning. You're on your hands and knees, starting in the 'dog' position: head raised, back curved down, chest up. From there shift into the 'cat', where you arch your back and dip your head slightly.

The application is posturing in somebody's guard. Your back should be in the 'cat' position, though not too pronounced. One hand is in front of the other, with each hand gripping both collars. Twist your hands so your palms face up, also using your skeletal structure to make a solid rod of your forward arm. If they try to grab your elbows and pull you forward, that forward hand can brace against the ridge of their sternum. If they keep trying to drag you towards them, they're merely going to rub a raw red mark on their chest where your knuckles dig in. Which incidentally can make this a bit painful to drill more than a few times. ;)

You also want to make sure your head position does not shift further forward that your lead hand. Otherwise, they'll have an easier time breaking your posture. They are eventually going to get frustrated and stop trying to yank you forwards by your elbow. This is when you shift to the more orthodox posture, turning your lead hand palm down, but still gripping both collars and keeping that skeletal structure in play. Your other hand presses into their same side hip: although this is difficult in practice, you want to use that to prevent them moving their hips.

Next, put your knee into their tailbone, then step back with your other foot. Aim to slide your hip into their linked feet, until you can break them open. As anyone experienced will know, this is tough, especially if they have long legs or are simply stronger than you. However, passing from the knees is 'safer', in that you're less vulnerable to sweeps, though arguably you're more vulnerable to submissions.

So, most likely you're going to have to stand up. First you need to trap one of their arms, pressing it into their stomach. If you don't, then there is a much higher danger of them controlling your legs and getting a sweep. Geeza likes to use his head as a pendulum, so he swings it one way in order to lift his leg on the other side. Twist your other leg and stand. From there, simply shake up and down until gravity forces them to open their guard. Geeza used the metaphor of shaking a ketchup bottle to get the contents out, which is apt.

We did a bit of specific sparring at the end, which this time was very specific. Starting in the guard, all the person on top had to do was open the legs, while the person on the bottom was supposed to just maintain their position, no subs or sweeps. It's a good drill, as that enables the top person to really focus in on balance and the mechanics of popping open the legs. On top, I was generally able to open the legs by standing up and shaking, but I doubt I would have been successful if subs and sweeps were in play. I'm still leaning too far forward and I'm also continuing to grip too long on their collar, meaning my posture is hunched and weak.

On the bottom, I mainly just bounced my hips over each time they tried to insert their tailbone. I also took the opportunity to practice bringing them down as soon as they tried to stand up, by sucking my knees into my chest. Each time I did eventually get my guard opened, but it was as ever a good exercise. The more specific sparring, the better. :)

Gi Review - Tatami Nova (Tatami Fightwear)

Short Review: Several BJJ companies now have budget gis available for the beginner. The Nova is Tatami Fightwear's contribution to that market and it's a good one. Lightweight, slim-cut and soft, the Tatami Nova is a strong contender. I'd still recommend a judogi as a first option due to the cheaper price, but as the Nova is £52.50, there isn't a huge difference in the strain on your wallet. Even the shoulder patches come off without leaving much of a trace, which is excellent news for plain-gi obsessives like me. It comes in either white or blue, and will presumably be available to buy from Tatami's BudoVideos page at some point.

Full Review: I often have beginners ask me what gi they should buy. My first recommendation is always a basic judogi, such as my £20 Blitz Kokuba (currently about £30), followed by two budget gis: the Black Eagle Basico and the Tatami Nova. However, up until now, I’ve always had to add the proviso that I haven’t personally tried the Nova. So, I’m pleased to have the opportunity to review Tatami Fightwear’s budget offering, as that means I can give a more informed opinion to those beginners in future.

The Nova currently retails at £52.50, making it roughly £10 cheaper than the Basico. Gi companies love giving their weaves new names: Tatami have dubbed the method used for the Nova a 'unique High Tech Weave'. Neologising aside, I like the softer feel of this weave. The 8oz cotton twill trousers also seemed less bulky than normal, but also more comfortable as a result, almost as if I was wearing ripstop. The Basico is possibly a little thicker and coarser, but there isn't much in it. Either way, the thinner construction is a point in the Nova’s favour. I have a preference for lighter gis: less damp in my house, reduced sweat when I'm training and more room in my travel bag. However, I can’t yet vouch for its durability. I’ll update the review a few months down the line if I notice any problems.

In keeping with other Tatami gis, the trousers are tied with a bungee cord rather than a flat drawstring. I'm still coming round to the idea of a bungee cord, but having used it for some time now with other gis, it's growing on me (though I still prefer the flat drawstring, like on the Basico). There are only two belt loops, which may bother some, though personally I'm not all that bothered by loop quantity as long as there are at least two.

In terms of reinforcement, all the usual places are triple-stitched, with double-reinforced knee padding on the trousers (or at least that's what it says on the website: as far as I can tell, that means an extra layer of fabric has been sewn into the trousers from just above the knee down to the lower shin).

The collar looks to be much the same thickness as the Basico. In common with many other lightweight gis, that collar is made of rubber rather than foam, which means that the website can tout its resistance to bacteria and quick-drying properties. I can't vouch for the former without being a microbiologist, but the latter is true. The Nova dried fast, taking about 12 hours to go from soaking wet to completely dry. That's while hanging off a clothes horse in a cold English kitchen, with a few hours in the sunshine the next morning.

At 425gsm, the weight is comparable to my Kingz Ripstop, though the Nova weave is smoother. I was surprised to see that my Padilla Ultra Light is apparently a bit thinner at 400gsm, according to the website, but the Nova nevertheless feels lighter (possibly also because the skirt on Padilla & Sons products tends to be longer). In fact, it feels so light that this is the second best travel gi I currently own, after my Gorilla ripstop. The Nova has been perfect for the intro sessions I’ve been teaching at Aro Ling, as that involves about an hour of cycling.

When I first started BJJ, I always bought A2, but since then I’ve realised that I prefer a tighter gi. A1 has therefore been my size of choice for the last couple of years. Like the Basico and Predator, the Nova has a form-fitting cut, without lots of fabric left flapping around. Helpfully, Tatami have a swish gi size calculator on their site, which makes it easy to get the right size. Of course, I’ve only tested this for my own frame, but at least in my case it seems to be accurate.

Before washing, the Nova jacket was 160cm cuff to cuff. The trousers were slightly longer than I expected, at 97cm long: I had hoped they would be closer to 90cm, as my preference is for gi trousers to stop just above the ankle (probably higher than most people like). After one 30 degrees Celsius wash, the jacket shrank to 157cm cuff to cuff, while the trousers went down to 95cm. That's where it stayed after a second wash. Assuming it doesn’t shrink much more than that, the Nova A1 is a very good fit on my 5'7" and 145lbs/65kg frame.

Anybody who has read my gi reviews in the past will know I don’t like patches. The Tatami Nova is fairly clean, with no embroidery and nothing on the trousers except a small patch. The main bling is in the two shoulder patches, which are also sewn under the collar. There are two rows of stitching, so they are slightly tougher to remove than those on the old Zero G. Having said that, the stubborn sliver of patch which is normally left clinging on under the collar was much smaller than normal. I was able to remove the vast majority of that patch residue with a bit of fiddling.

For those who don’t share my strange obsession with eradicating gi ornamentation, in an effort to be objective, I would say the design of the patches is tasteful, the bold blue contrasting well with the white and black. Naturally that comes down to a matter of taste, but this will appeal to more minimalist gi buyers, rather than somebody who wants a head-turning piece of kit. For fashionistas, Tatami have numerous other offerings, with as many patches as you could want. ;)

The Nova also comes with a white belt, which isn't always the case with gis. Admittedly, it is a pretty thin belt, so lower quality than the white belt that comes with the Gorilla ripstop, but still better than the Gracie Barra belts (which are the flimsiest I've seen to date). Regardless, it is more than capable of holding your gi closed for a couple of years, which is all you need from a white belt. Bought on their own, the average belt can range from anywhere between £5 to £20 (top of the range belts, like Kataaro and Eosin, are of course much more). If you're a beginner buying your first gi, it is therefore worth factoring that into your price considerations.

This looks to be an excellent choice for a beginner. It is slightly more expensive than the judogi I would normally recommend, but only slightly. For that extra £20, you get a better fit, smoother fabric and lighter weight. It's also a potentially good option if you're looking for a travel gi, but can't afford a ripstop gi (I'm only aware of Grab & Pull who do that in the UK, which costs something between £70-80). It comes in either white or blue, and will presumably be available to buy from Tatami's BudoVideos page at some point.

18/05/2012 - BJJ Intro at Aro Ling (Closed Guard Sweeps)

Teaching #056
Aro Ling Buddhist Centre, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 18/05/2012

Having gone through mount escapes on Monday, I could have shown them how to hold the mount too. I instead decided to move on to the guard, which is arguably the most fun position in jiu jitsu. As the last lesson put them in guard after shrimping out of mount, it seemed like a useful progression. The most simple sweep I know is the scissor sweep, so I went with that.

Start by getting a deep grip on their opposite collar, then with your other hand grab their same side elbow. Alternatively, you can grip their wrist and pin it to your chest. Rener makes a clear distinction here, as he suggests grabbing the sleeve if they are pushing into your bicep, grabbing the wrist if they are pushing into your chest. Either way, your intention – and this is true for lots of sweeps and reversals – is to prevent their ability to post with that hand. That makes for a straightforward test for whether or not what you’re using is effective: can they put their hand on the mat and prevent the sweep?

The next step is to put your foot on their same side hip (or the floor, depending on your preference) and shrimp out slightly, to make space to insert your knee. Slide that knee over, once again to that same side, until your shin is across their stomach. Hook your instep around their other side. Another option is to angle your knee towards their shoulder, which can act as an entry into the triangle.

A key detail is to then raise your elbows towards your head, so that you're pulling them onto your shin. The aim is to load them onto your leg, which in turn means that their weight is no longer on their legs. Extending your torso back, rather than remaining curled up, may help that weight transfer.

This should make them lighter: drop your other leg to the mat, chopping underneath them as you bring your hooking leg over, rolling into mount. Ryron has two handy tips here. Firstly, use the heel of your hooking foot to swivel and clamp to their side, becoming a leverage point to assist your shift into mount. Secondly, bring the elbow of your sleeve gripping arm further backwards, to put your opponent even more off balance.

As it turned out, one of the people attending the session has problems with her back and leg, which made the scissor sweep difficult for her. From my perspective as a teacher, that was great, as it meant I had an interesting challenge to overcome. Fortunately, BJJ is adaptable for body type, so I instead showed her the flower sweep. There are lots of options in terms of grips, but to keep things simple, I stuck with double wrist control. Kick your leg to swivel your body to a perpendicular position, which should also put your other leg right up into their armpit.

Bring that armpit leg over your body (go diagonally, towards your shoulder), while chopping the other leg underneath. It's important you clear that leg out of the way, in order to smoothly roll through to mount. If you fail to chop that leg through, you'll roll your opponent on top of your own leg. At best, you'll then end up with a very sloppy sweep, but at worst, you'll block your own technique and end back in guard. I hadn’t prepared for teaching that sweep, so it was a bit off the cuff: next time, I can be more thorough.

The scissor sweep shouldn't require much strength, so if you're having to strain, you probably haven't pulled them forward enough first. You can also get this sweep if they raise a knee up, which is the classic way to teach it. Drop your same side knee towards their opposite hip, then continue the sweep as above. If you're finding that when you try and chop their leg they simply step over it, raise your chopping leg slightly. You might even try hooking behind their knee with it, as that will immobilise the leg, although it may also make it more difficult to get a smooth chopping motion.

If for some reason you're having trouble chopping out their leg, you can switch to a push sweep, which is very similar to the scissor sweep. Everything is the same, except that you don't chop the leg. Instead, move your head back in line with theirs, so your torso is square on, then slide what would have been your chopping leg backwards. You now have room to use the foot of that leg to push into the side of their knee. Tracing a semi-circle, you're then going to shove their knee straight back, which will knock them off balance, whereupon you can roll through to mount as before.

A common mistake is to try and push the knee backwards right away. That is unlikely to work, as there will probably be too much friction. You need to push the knee slightly sideways first, then trace that arc to get the leg back. They should start to fall as soon as you do that, meaning that gravity will help you initiate the sweeping movement.

17/05/2012 - Teaching (Closed Guard Sweeps)

Teaching #055
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 17/05/2012

As I’m going to be teaching this again tomorrow, I decided to go with the scissor sweep. Start by getting a deep grip on their opposite collar, then with your other hand grab their same side elbow. Alternatively, you can grip their wrist and pin it to your chest. Rener makes a clear distinction here, as he suggests grabbing the sleeve if they are pushing into your bicep, grabbing the wrist if they are pushing into your chest. Either way, your intention – and this is true for lots of sweeps and reversals – is to prevent their ability to post with that hand. That makes for a straightforward test for whether or not what you’re using is effective: can they put their hand on the mat and prevent the sweep?

The next step is to put your foot on their same side hip (or the floor, depending on your preference) and shrimp out slightly, to make space to insert your knee. Slide that knee over, once again to that same side, until your shin is across their stomach. Hook your instep around their other side. Another option is to angle your knee towards their shoulder, which can act as an entry into the triangle.

A key detail is to then raise your elbows towards your head, so that you're pulling them onto your shin. The aim is to load them onto your leg, which in turn means that their weight is no longer on their legs. Extending your torso back, rather than remaining curled up, may help that weight transfer.

This should make them lighter: drop your other leg to the mat, chopping underneath them as you bring your hooking leg over, rolling into mount. Ryron has two handy tips here. Firstly, use the heel of your hooking foot to swivel and clamp to their side, becoming a leverage point to assist your shift into mount. Secondly, bring the elbow of your sleeve gripping arm further backwards, to put your opponent even more off balance.

The sweep shouldn't require much strength, so if you're having to strain, you probably haven't pulled them forward enough first. You can also get this sweep if they raise a knee up, which is the classic way to teach it. Drop your same side knee towards their opposite hip, then continue the sweep as above. If you're finding that when you try and chop their leg they simply step over it, raise your chopping leg slightly. You might even try hooking behind their knee with it, as that will immobilise the leg, although it may also make it more difficult to get a smooth chopping motion.

If for some reason you're having trouble chopping out their leg, you can switch to a push sweep, which is very similar to the scissor sweep. Everything is the same, except that you don't chop the leg. Instead, move your head back in line with theirs, so your torso is square on, then slide what would have been your chopping leg backwards. You now have room to use the foot of that leg to push into the side of their knee. Tracing a semi-circle, you're then going to shove their knee straight back, which will knock them off balance, whereupon you can roll through to mount as before.

A common mistake is to try and push the knee backwards right away. That is unlikely to work, as there will probably be too much friction. You need to push the knee slightly sideways first, then trace that arc to get the leg back. They should start to fall as soon as you do that, meaning that gravity will help you initiate the sweeping movement.

14/05/2012 - BJJ Intro at Aro Ling (Mount Escapes)

Teaching #054
Aro Ling Buddhist Centre, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 14/05/2012

There are two major barriers to entry in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Firstly, it is an expensive sport. Monthly fees can be anything from £50 to upwards of £100 per month, then on top of that you will need at least one gi, which again can vary from £30 (I’d recommend a Blitz Kokuba judogi to start) to well over £100. BJJ can also be intimidating, as the close body contact makes many people uncomfortable. That's understandable, particularly if you're a woman: the prospect of rolling around on the floor with a sweaty male stranger (unfortunately, the majority of BJJ students tend to be male, something I'd like to help change) is not appealing to most people.

One of my main aims when I began writing about my BJJ training after I started in 2006 was to encourage more people to try out jiu jitsu, especially women. So, when a friend of mine told me that a number of her friends were interested in BJJ but didn't feel ready for the club environment, I jumped at the chance to put my words into action.

I'm not sure if this will turn out to be a one-off or an ongoing project, but either way, it wouldn't have been right to charge anything: I'm hoping that after getting a taste of BJJ from me, people might feel more confident about checking out one of the various BJJ clubs in Bristol. The main Pedro Bessa academy is a few minutes walk up the road, while the club I train at, Gracie Barra Bristol, is a short drive away in Redfield. There's also a Checkmat affiliate (for those who don’t know, Checkmat, like Gracie Barra, is another large team with outposts around the world) at Trojan Free Fighters.

I kicked things off with a warm-up: as I didn't have to include star-jumps and press-ups, that meant it was purely drills related to BJJ, specifically bridging and shrimping. As we had limited space, that meant I could go into much more depth than usual on how to bridge and shrimp. Along with the how, I talked a bit about the why, as it's helpful to be able to put things in context. My intention was to lead into the two techniques for tonight, which would therefore add in the application.

For the technical portion of class, I would normally go with the rear naked choke when teaching absolute beginners. However, having earlier chatted to my friend about what she thought would most interest the group, this time I decided to take Rorion Gracie's early years in the US as my inspiration. Rorion is large responsible for expanding Brazilian jiu jitsu outside of his native Brazil. In 1979, he travelled to the US for a second time, with the intention of establishing BJJ in North America.

Initially he found work as an extra in Hollywood, while teaching BJJ out of his garage. Thanks to those connections, over the years Rorion was able to encourage actors, directors and writers to come train with him. Around 1990, Ed O'Neill had a part in a popular comedy: his acting friends had been pestering him to give the Gracie Academy a go. To shut them up, O’Neill reluctantly agreed to try it out. Rorion, who has always had a knack for marketing, offered O'Neill a simple challenge. If Rorion sat on top of him, could O'Neill throw the small Brazilian off?

O'Neill decided to accept: as a fairly large man, it should be easy enough. However, try as he might, O'Neill couldn't budge Rorion from his position. Smiling, Rorion then suggested that perhaps O'Neill might find it easier to hold Rorion down. After the demonstration O'Neill had just felt, he felt that surely he would be able to use his size advantage to stay in place for at least a few seconds. However, again Rorion surprised him, with a quick reversal. O'Neill was hooked, and over a decade later, he earned his black belt. He tells the story himself in this video.

I'm no Rorion Gracie, but I thought the same strategy was worth a try in 2012. So, my first technique was a basic trap and roll escape from the mount. A typical starting point would be when they try to establish their first grip on your collar for a choke. That provides you with a chance to trap their arm. The usual grip would be to grab their wrist with your opposite hand, then their elbow with your other hand. There are various other possibilities, like wrapping the arm, but the essential thing is to stop their ability to post their hand for base. You could bump to knock them forward, meaning they will normally catch themselves by putting a hand on the mat. You can then bring your linked arms over that extended arm, bending their elbow and trapping the arm.

You also need to trap their leg on that same side. Otherwise, they will be able to use that for base as you attempt to roll them. In order to prevent that, step your same side foot over their lower leg, hooking it in tightly. This means they are now like a chair with two of its legs missing. A common problem is that you're having trouble trapping their foot, because it is too high up. If that happens, try to use your elbow (or even your hand, if you need more reach, but that could leave your neck vulnerable) to shove their knee backwards, until their lower leg is in range.

To finish, you're going to bridge towards that trapped side. Get your heels close to your bum first for maximum leverage. Bridge up and over your shoulder, turning to your knees: this puts you in their guard (i.e., their legs are wrapped around your torso). Make sure that you're bridging over your shoulder and turning to your knees, not simply rolling over to your side. If you don't raise your hips properly, you may merely give up your back.

The trap and roll escape does work, but on its own may not be enough against an experienced opponent. Personally, I prefer the elbow escape, which relies more on shrimping than bridging. As a rule of thumb, if you're underneath, you don't want to be flat on your back. So, start your elbow escape by turning to your side and working your elbows inside their knee. Keep defending your neck throughout, so that your elbows form a frame. Create some space by bridging. You can then use your frame to help you shrimp into the space you just created, pushing against their leg.

The idea is to make enough space to pull your leg through: don't just bridge and plop back down. That leg will need to be flat, the other raised, or it will be hard to pull it free. After you're on your side, you can simply bump slightly, then simultaneously shove their knee with your elbow while sliding your flat leg underneath. Once it's out, you can then use that leg to wrap around one of theirs. Getting half guard may be a possibility here, but generally I'd recommend you keep working towards full guard. To do that, continue shrimping and framing until both legs are free.

You can also use a frame against their hips, one arm across, the other bracing against that wrist, elbow in tight. That's also handy for stopping them moving up higher in mount. However, be extra careful with your neck if you do that: as your arms are down by their hips, that could leave you vulnerable to chokes.

As with any technique, try to combine your escapes rather than obsessing over just one. Also, don't give them your head: that's what the person on top wants for control. Connected to that, make sure you always defend your neck and keep your elbows tight. I'm a small guy, so this is what I tend to do most classes: stay really tight, elbows in, knees curled up, not leaving anything loose for them to attack, or space for them to wedge their hands through.

I'll be running another session on Friday: hopefully some of the same faces will then move on to a real club, like Gracie Barra Bristol, Checkmat or Pedro Bessa. Also, if anybody interested in trying BJJ is reading this, you might find it useful to take a look at my BJJ Beginner FAQ. :D

10/05/2012 - Teaching (Maintaining Closed Guard)

Teaching #053
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 10/05/2012

My first formal encounter with grappling was back in 2004, during my first stint living in Bristol to raise some money for a round the world trip. Inadequate women’s changing facilities. That class was taught by a certain Kevin O’Hagan. Eight years later, I find myself teaching his daughter-in-law Soeli (though I’m sure she’s seen it before, as she’s already got a fair bit of experience). Kirsty was also there tonight, as was another woman, who was popping in to check out the club.

Hopefully that increasing number of women will mean that the women’s changing room gets expanded to accommodate them. At present, it’s only big enough for one woman at a time, meaning the women end up queuing. However, as there are two large changing rooms (currently both designated for the men), I would assume one of them will be allocated to the women instead. I think it would be a lot more welcoming to future potential female students if there was greater provision for their needs, particularly as the facilities are already in place.

For tonight’s lesson, I was keeping things especially simple. The most basic method of breaking posture is probably pulling their elbows out and then towards you. This is particularly handy if they've got both hands on your hips, or something like that. Using your legs is key here, to help you pull them forwards. This is a general point for the guard: make sure you involve your legs, as they're a lot more powerful than your arms alone.

This is also true if they want to stand. Carefully time the right moment, then as they stand, pull your knees towards your chest. That should knock them back onto the ground. It could also put you in a better position than before, as they may end up falling into you, meaning you can get superior control. Ideally, they'll make the mistake of posting on their hands, as that means you can go for various attacks, like the kimura.

The tips John Will taught on Tuesday fit in nicely here, so I added the sequence which starts by reaching over their head with your arm. They will naturally try to recover their posture by raising up. As soon as they do, reach your other arm deep into their opposite collar. Having secured that grip, your head-wrapping arm then also grabs the collar, next to your collar hand. If they try to recover their posture now, get as much of your body off the floor and hang off that grip. Even if they’re bigger than you, this should make it very difficult for them to return to an upright position.

After that, I moved into the usual discussion of closed guard grips. A basic but very useful grip is to get a really deep grasp of the collar: you may find it helps to sit up to get that in really deep. As Roy Dean discusses in Brown Belt Requirements, an especially deep grip can help your choke as well as give you authoritative control. Once you have it, that provides three main advantages. Firstly, this gives you great control, as you can pull them down towards you. Second, it could be the beginning of a choke, and perhaps more importantly, it will make them start to worry about that choke rather than thinking about passing.

Thirdly, it means you can establish a collar and elbow grip. There are various attacks you can do from there, the most common of which are probably armbars, scissor and push sweeps. I then suggested double wrist control, which meant I could emphasise the two main types of sleeve grips: either make a pocket with your thumb and insert your four fingers (rather than putting four fingers inside the sleeve or trouser cuff: that's not only competition illegal, it's dangerous), or get a pistol grip, where you grab a heap of cloth in your fist.

Another grip is to grab their trousers by their knee, the other hand on their sleeve. This again can be useful for sweeps. It also helps to stop them getting a knee into your tailbone, as you can use that grip on the knee to bounce your hips back over their knee. It might also make them nervous, as they'll assume you're setting something up, whether or not you actually are. That’s when they’re liable to make mistakes which you can then exploit to your advantage.