Roger Gracie Academy Kilburn (BJJ), Jude Samuel, London, UK - 27/04/2009 - Beginner
Almost forgot to mention: there is a throwdown in Farnborough this Sunday, with a nominal £5 mat fee. So, if anybody fancies meeting up for a roll, now's your chance. Would be great to see people, if there's anyone reading this blog who can make it down to spar (or just drill: I normally spend a good chunk of throwdowns drilling stuff I've not had a chance to practice much in class). Full details on Jadon's Bullshido thread.
This will be my last week training at Kilburn, so I plan to train Monday and Wednesday (tomorrow I've got some work I need to get sorted). I'll be sad to leave, as its been a great few months continuing to learn from Jude. Hopefully I'll get back to London at some point in the future, but no idea when that will be, especially as my gf hates the idea of living in the capital (expensive, dangerous, commuting on the Tube is horrible, etc).
During guard passage, I was having a play with the triangle, thought my set-ups remain terrible and my execution sufficiently sloppy that I can never secure the submission. With my first training partner, a white belt called Ben, I had my legs up and crossed, but didn't underhook the leg, so he could happily stand up with me sitting by his head. Fortunately he's one of the more sensible white belts, so didn't Rampage-slam me, instead carefully kneeling back down.
Similarly with Rodrigo, I again couldn't lock the triangle properly. I got a bit further this time, having managed to get into position with my legs secured by his head and arm through, but still couldn't finish. Of course he's much bigger than me, but there was clearly something wrong with my mechanics given how easily he escaped.
Finally, I went with Rich, but was thinking too much about trying out the reverse De La Riva I'd wanted to attempt last lesson. What I should have been concentrating on instead was making sure I pushed his hips away with my legs as soon as my guard was open, as otherwise its a simple matter for him to pass.
Jude then went through the same underhook cross choke and triangle combination from last week, then moved on to a triangle from spider guard. From closed guard, you uncross your legs and put your feet on their hips. Grab their sleeves, then shrimp out to make enough space for your foot onto their same side bicep. The other foot stays on their hip.
You're now going to pull them in, kicking the foot on their bicep through to instead go over the back of their neck. You can now bring your other leg up for the triangle position, keeping their other arm by your chest and inside your leg.
That's what I should have been doing when sparring Rodrigo and Ben earlier, so its handy to see the set-up. I also think I may be too bunched up, meaning I'm already half-stacked, whereas I should be scooting back and swivelling for better leverage. I'm keen to improve submissions that use my legs rather than my arms, given that my arms are puny (not that my legs are much better, but still much stronger than my upper body).
In free sparring I ended up against Ben twice. The first time I spent most of it in an Americana, but fortunately for me, Ben was trying to apply it with one of his arms still under my head. I felt fairly safe, as he didn't have the leverage from there, but a good reminder to be more careful with my arm when I'm under half guard or side control. I made sure to tell him, so I doubt I'll get off that lightly if there's a next time. ;)
Our second spar was the other way round, where instead I was in top half-guard for much of the time. I was looking for the kimura, but couldn't get into position. I then saw a possible opportunity for that whizzer armbar I saw Saulo do on his DVD, but again I didn't quite get in the proper place. Still, as I often find myself with a whizzer in top half guard, its something I'd like to try again.
Same thing happened with Rich, with the difference that it happened right at the end of the spar. Previously, he'd got me into high mount yet again, and I'd also been under side control for a while. As he was passing I threw my legs up by his legs, but while I was able to triangle them, I don't think I had anything so soon let go. Like always, basics must remain the focus: I definitely need to follow my own advice on that in guard, making sure I'm using my legs a lot more to off-balance and break posture.
Short review: Saulo Ribeiro's instructional set is rightly acknowledged as one of the best available. This is because Saulo is meticulous in his detail, taking a concept-heavy approach to all the major positions in BJJ. Multiple angles and methodical progression mean these DVDs are perfect for refining your understanding of the sport, with an entire game laid out over the course of six hours.
However, I would not recommend this as your first purchase (I'd continue to suggest Roy Dean for the absolute beginner). There is an implicit assumption throughout the set that you already understand the fundamentals: what Saulo presents are modifications, improvements and alternatives to those basics. Therefore I'd suggest that Jiu Jitsu Revolution works best for those who have recently got their blue belt, or are fast approaching that level.
Full Review: Saulo Ribeiro, a black belt under Royler Gracie, has a very impressive pedigree in BJJ. He has won the Mundials six times and the ADCC twice. On top of that, Saulo's teaching expertise was instrumental in enabling his brother Xande to rack up even more titles. Together they currently run the very successful University of Jiu Jitsu in San Diego.
Saulo prefaces Jiu Jitsu Revolution with a ten minute solo discussion, ranging from his opinions on other tape series, his reasons for making one himself, and a long list of acknowledgements to family, instructors and training partners. This sets the tone for his instructional style: Saulo loves to talk. He provides the complete opposite of the concise, no frills teaching epitomised by people like Pedro Carvalho. Instead, there is a certain similarity to the long explanations of Cesar Gracie and extensive detail of Rorion Gracie, taking his time over the techniques, rather than speeding through like Carvalho or Renzo.
Roy Dean also makes for a good comparison with Saulo's teaching style. Both black belts add a philosophical slant to their interpretation of jiu jitsu, exemplified by the rather high ideals Saulo attributes to his instructional set:
I think that now is time for me to give back what jiu jitsu gave to my life. I think that's a good contribution that I'm doing to the martial arts, to the jiu jitsu, and I think that make me a better man. Not just as a fighter, as a teacher: as a person. I want to be remembered by the people not for the champ that I am, not for the medals that I get, the Abu Dhabi that I won, I wanna be remembered as a guy that really help people.
As the above quote reveals, a major difference is that Saulo lacks Roy Dean's grasp of English, but you soon get used to Saulo's idiosyncratic vocabulary and grammar. He is especially fond of throwing in "aspects" and "concepts," which points to the attempt Saulo makes to approach BJJ with principles on top of technique.
The Mount (slightly over an hour) begins with yet more discussion, about "aspects" and "concepts" in the mount. Saulo emphasises the importance of the mount, a position which demonstrates your superiority, of which there are several variations. Handily, a number pops up in the corner of the screen, which is used to clearly break up each sequence.
Saulo's first mount variation is to grapevine their legs, basing your arms by their head, hips right on top of theirs. Saulo comments that he recommends this option "when you just want time." In other words, this is where you can catch your breath in competition, though Saulo states there aren't that many attacks from this position (although as he explains in the next section, the Ezequiel is one of those few submissions).
A second mount variation is to get your knees up into their armpits, marking section three of the DVD. Saulo advises you don't try to wrap an arm behind their head, as you are higher up on their body, meaning their hips are free to bridge (or as Saulo puts it, bump, another word he'll use throughout the series). He says you should keep your weight back, careful to avoid their efforts to bridge, although it is possible for flexible people to hook you with their legs and pull you down if you're not careful.
Saulo provides a useful tip in the fourth section, on securing the collar choke. If they're defending, you can simply grip the lapel lower down and open it there. I had always assumed you had to get past their arms first, but Saulo's method –at least against that particular grip - shows how you can break through their defences by using their gi against them. Saulo insists that they can only defend either the neck or the collar, not both at the same time.
Once you've got a hold on their collar, you can switch to seated mount (which Saulo calls 'technical mount'), then combine an armlock with a choke. Saulo demonstrates how you can try the choke, then attack for the arm if they try to defend, and in turn go back to the choke if they block that attack as well. As with much of this set, the purpose is to use what your opponent gives you, rather than forcing any particular position or submission.
Another point that crops up repeatedly is not gripping too deep. Saulo generally recommends a grip higher up, as he is keen to avoid getting "locked" into his partner's body. He also invests plenty of time into teaching the viewer how to maintain a position, rather than just lots of techniques.
On this DVD, that covers both maintaining the basic mount and the seated mount. For the former, Saulo states that the secret is to lift your hips when the person underneath you attempts to bridge. Effectively, that looks rather like riding a horse, and prevents your partner from disrupting your base. I would assume that your timing has to be good, however, and that you also need to be careful about leaving too much space.
By section nine, Saulo is ready to show the other side of the position: escapes. Across the six DVDs, the instruction on escapes tends to be shorter, with a focus on a few fundamental principles that apply to multiple situations. In the case of mount, as with much of BJJ, it is all about the hips. Saulo advises that you want to stop the person on top moving, which can be achieved by creating a frame with your arms to block their hips. From there, execute the usual elbow escape.
Another important part of Saulo's escapes is avoiding the cross-face. You need to keep your head pressed against the floor, so they can't get an arm underneath. If they do manage to get past and lock the head, look to the 'open' side, then block their hips and elbow escape as before.
Something more unusual crops up at the end. Having spent the previous sections basically showing multiple applications of the elbow escape, Saulo finishes with a completely different option. If they aren't giving you the resistance you need to frame against their knee and make space, you need an alternative. This turns out, surprisingly, to be a sit-up sweep.
Saulo doesn't call it that, but it certainly looks like the same motion. You pop up onto your elbow, lock their knee, then roll to guard. I would never have thought to try the technique in that situation, but Saulo claims it can work, as long as you get the timing right.
The Cross Body (around an hour) follows, with a similar division between maintaining the position, attacks and then escapes from the bottom. Again, Saulo draws attention to controlling your opponent's body without expending lots of energy, and he also repeats the central importance of the hips. As he says so often in this instructional set, you need to "connect" your hips to their hips.
Having achieved the control, Saulo moves on to a choke. This gives him another opportunity to emphasise that you shouldn't be hurting your partner, so there is no need to really smash your arm into their throat. Instead, focus on leverage and motion, sliding round to effect the choke.
After a variation that demonstrates how to overcome a blocking arm, Saulo adds what he refers to as one of his favourite chokes. This time, you use your legs to get the power for the choke, stepping over their head once you have a hold on their collar. This reminded me of something Tran called the 'exposé' choke, which he learned from Nic G. Probably the same thing, as he's definitely caught me with it in the past. I thought I was safe because it was just a single grip on the collar, until he stepped over and I was suddenly tapping.
While the submissions all looked useful, as do the details on transitioning to mount, I was far more interested in escaping side control. That's been my focus in BJJ for most of the time I've been training, so I'm always keen to see the different approaches in instructionals.
Saulo begins with positioning: he states that you should not put your arm under their armpit, as then it is too easy to block you. Also, in direct contrast to Demian Maia, Saulo advises against putting the arm against their head: Maia uses this as the basis of several escapes in his popular Science of Jiu Jitsu series. Again, Saulo shows how he feels this is a dangerous option, locking you in place.
As with the DVD on the mount, Saulo also highlights the need to stop them getting an arm under your head. This means that his arm position is slightly modified from how I've seen it in class. His forearm is into their neck with the other elbow inside their knee as usual, but the hand is not on the hip. Instead, that's holding their arm, stopping them from getting the cross-face. This is a little reminiscent of Indrek Reiland's use of the 'paw' from half-guard, with the same purpose.
Once you're into position, you need to use your hips: as Saulo says, they are "the strongest leverage that you have" so you should take advantage. Everyone knows to bridge, but Saulo shows how you need to bridge into them, not just up, which is an important detail. This helps with shrimping out, as you're already moving onto your side.
That then leads to another essential detail, which is yet another "connect". This time it isn't hip against hip, but elbow to your knee, to create a barrier to their knee. Saulo goes so far as to say that "no matter what happen, the perfect thing is the connect. As soon as I connect, I got it."
The escape in section thirteen is a little unorthodox, but I've already found it of use a few times in training. That is because Saulo goes against the idea that you should never turn away from your partner when escaping side control. However, if they have both their arms on the near side of your body, turning away from them can be an effective strategy.
Normally, the reason you don't turn away from your opponent is because it means you expose your back, but Saulo shows how you can get a step ahead. His secret is to push on their shoulder and get an arm between their chest: that way, you're able to make enough space to swing your leg right over and come to your knees before they can get to your back.
Like many other instructionals, Saulo includes knee-on-belly as an aspect of side control, showing two escapes. The first is when their knee isn't deep, so you can bring your near elbow around (as Saulo comments earlier, never put your hand on their knee or you're asking to get submitted), shift onto your side and shrimp out to escape. The second is against a more secure knee-on-belly: this time, you bridge up to get your arm under their foot and grab the back of their gi. Once you've got that hold, you can again shrimp, but this time knock them to the ground.
As I often get squished under knee-on-belly, I've been trying that second one repeatedly. So far, I haven't had much success, but I think what I'm missing is firstly the bridge to get a good deep grip, and secondly I'm not shrimping enough. Its been useful to have something to go for nonetheless, so hopefully with more mat time things will start to click.
The third DVD is about the Back Position (slightly under an hour). Continuing Saulo's established pattern, he first details common mistakes. For taking the back, Saulo states these are attempting to control the arm, pulling the belt, controlling both elbows, the collars etc, because that misses the issue. The first concern, as ever, should be to "connect my hips". Not too far forward as they can then drop you over their shoulder, or too far back, as they can spin to guard.
He continues to show how once you've got the hips in place, you don't want to grab with both hands, and especially not deep: otherwise, they can lock your arm and roll you into side control. Instead, Saulo recommends a shallower grip on the opposite collar, then pull that up tight. He progresses through to showing how to establish hooks, roll them to rear mount and get in position for a choke.
The way in which Saulo breaks down how to take the back (and importantly, how to stay there) is brilliant. His slow, concept-heavy style of explanation makes for a perfect fit, showing you step-by-step how to get into position, the pitfalls to avoid, and how to finish (e.g., chokes and omoplatas), along with variations depending on their reaction. As with all of the techniques on the DVD, Saulo uses multiple angles and pauses to clarify particular details, such as raising up his partner so you can see the grip on the collar.
His discussion of escaping from back mount occupies less of the disc, covering just three of the twelve sections, but it is nevertheless equally methodical and carefully explained. Readers of Jiu Jitsu University will recognise both the 'survival position' and eventual escape Saulo demonstrates here.
He begins, as before, by detailing common mistakes. That includes three of the more common escapes, all of which Saulo briefly demonstrates: putting your weight onto them and bridging; pulling their foot up and placing your weight on them; grabbing their arm, stepping over, spinning then completing the escape. Saulo is blunt in his appraisal:
I would say, that is a waste of time. Because, in fact, every time I put my weight on him, I'm not having the control of my body: he's controlling my body.
Saulo also makes a point of ridiculing the bizarre raised arm defence shown several years earlier on Gracie Jiu Jitsu Advanced, though he doesn't mention any names. Slightly mitigating that criticism, Saulo goes on to say that those escapes might have worked back in the 1990s, when knowledge of BJJ was both not so widespread and less refined (at least according to Saulo, from what I can gather from his comments). Today, which for this DVD was 2004, the level has shot up, largely due to the increasing development of elite competition.
Rather than focusing on getting your weight backed onto your opponent, Saulo's alternative is to drop down and lock their body onto yours. He states you do not lift your hips, instead 'scooting' into the survival position from his later book, Jiu Jitsu University. From here, you can kick out your trapped leg to remove the hook, then shrimp towards the opening and spin to face your partner.
After covering how to defend when turtled, Saulo moves on to a late defence from rear mount. This time, they've managed to get one arm around your neck. Rather than focusing on grabbing the arm, Saulo instead shows you how to drop to your side, then make space to return to the previous survival position and escape. Its notably different from the defence I'm used to (which is to clamp my hands by my chin, like Ais showed me), so will have to give that a try in sparring.
The Guard (just over an hour) begins with sweeps. Saulo's first piece of advice is that if they put their knee in the middle, its fairly easy to sweep them, though he notes "the sweep always in the momentum", so requires initial resistance from them. He moves on to what looks like the windscreen wiper sweep Ciaran showed me back at the first Belfast TD, before explaining a technique I almost always try at least once in sparring: the handstand sweep.
Saulo shows how that sweep is not about pushing up: instead, you want to drop slightly, then drive your hips sideways into their knee, using leverage rather than force. As Saulo puts it, you "don't want to be strongest, but the smartest." To get into position, wiggle back on your shoulders, which is something I've never thought about, so will have to try that next time.
After adding in the classic follow-up, a star sweep, Saulo progresses to butterfly guard sweeps: contrary to what you might expect, there are few submissions on this particular DVD. I hardly ever use butterfly guard myself, but the way Saulo has referred to it as ideal for shorter people makes me wonder if I should be attempting it more often. The sweeps here are the usual fundamentals, where you come in close, then drop to the side to roll on top.
Open guard, however, is a place I'll often find myself, which is unsurprising given how central a position it is to BJJ. Saulo's preferred grip is to hook on the opposite leg, bringing the same side leg and hand around the outside. He comments how this is an excellent controlling hold, which again gives you an opportunity to rest: that certainly appeals to me. I assumed it had a specific name, so checking Stephan Kesting's guard glossary, I see its called the reverse De la Riva.
From there, Saulo explains a sweep where the idea is to get them to step forward. One option is to grab their same side lapel and pull them forward, or if they resist, lift your legs to force them to step. You can then push with your legs to knock them down, or as Kesting mentions, switch to things like x-guard.
Another option Saulo discusses is going for the omoplata from open guard. This time, it looks more like a variant of spider guard: cross grip, foot into their same side armpit, with your hand hooked around their same side leg. From here, you can kick your other leg right up towards their arm for the omoplata.
If they try to put their leg behind to roll you, there is an unusual attack to combined with the omoplata. This looked reminiscent of Cesar Gracie's leg lock, as Saulo also hooks their leg behind him. Alternately, Saulo walks you through both a sweep and an armbar if your omoplata is blocked. As with all his techniques, Saulo shows multiple angles, generally adjusting as and when there is a particular detail he wants to emphasise.
The Half Guard (a little under an hour) was another point of interest for me, as like escaping side control, half guard is a place I frequently find myself during sparring. Like most of the other DVDs (with the exception of The Guard and Passing the Guard, which fit together), Saulo covers tactics from both on top and underneath the position.
Before passing half-guard, Saulo states you have to get them flat on their back. His method is very simple: circle round towards the trapped knee side. Once you've got your opponent onto their back, trap them there by getting your chest onto theirs. You can now secure an underhook, put your head on the ground, a hand on their knee, then lift your hips to pop your knee through.
Another common position is facing the knees. Saulo advises that you don't go too high when trying this half-guard, as otherwise you're liable to get swept. As before, you need to block their hips, keeping in mind Saulo's mantra of "connect." Once you've settled, you can then drive back against their arm, in a similar fashion to when you're looking to go from side control to mount.
Interestingly, Saulo makes a point here that contrasts with what I've seen before. When pushing their leg to free your own, it is not the top leg that should concern you, but the bottom. This is because they are unable to exert as much power with that lower leg, so its easier for you to manipulate. As soon as you've made some space, trap that leg with your knee.
Having demonstrated some passes, Saulo adds in a few submissions. Instead of going for a kimura, as you might expect from this position, he instead attacks with an armlock off a figure-four grip. The kimura from here, according to Saulo, is likely to get you swept, as you don't have the angle to apply it properly.
A simple looking armbar follows later on: this time, you're just using your weight on their arm and pulling up on their wrist. Saulo takes this opportunity to talk about how he has used this particular submission successfully in high-level competition, a method of proving the efficacy of his techniques that occurs repeatedly throughout this set.
I have found myself with a whizzer (if you don't know what that is, see the picture on the left) when in top half guard a few times, but never been able to capitalise. Saulo demonstrates one method I could use, which takes advantage of the whizzer to armbar the person on the bottom. Importantly, he shows this from both angles, which makes the technique much clearer.
Saulo then has a handy section reviewing all the passes and submissions he's just done, showing how you can fit them together. Its a shame he doesn't do this on all the DVDs, as its a great refresher and 'big picture' moment.
Now that he's worked through the top of half guard, Saulo moves on to the bottom, which I was particularly looking forward to watching. As you would expect given his advice for the top, on the bottom you need to make sure you're never flat on your back: get onto your side instead. You also need to work hard to avoid the cross-face, as that severely restricts your movements.
Like Indrek Reiland, Saulo uses one hand for blocking their arm, with a similar 'paw' concept (though he doesn't call it that). Saulo then does something in common with another internet legend, Aesopian, by putting his knee across the hip. If they manage to break your legs open, shift that knee up to their chest.
The next section is impressive, as Saulo very methodically breaks down exactly how you move to deep half guard, then finish by coming up on your elbow to execute the sweep. Lots of explanation, numerous angles and frequent emphasis on details make this a real highlight, exemplifying how an instructor should go about demonstrating a technique on DVD.
Saulo finishes off half-guard by showing a similar escape when the person on top is facing your legs, before moving onto the final DVD in the set, Passing the Guard (a couple of minutes under an hour). This opens by stating the two broad groups of passing, which is either standing or on the ground.
Saulo emphasises that as legs are stronger than arms, you never want to be matching your arm strength against their leg muscles. That will expend a great deal of energy without much purpose, so instead, you need to get in close.
He demonstrates how to approach and block one side, avoiding omoplatas and the like (as he showed earlier in the guard section). Saulo uses his leg to press into the back of their same side knee, bolstering that barrier with his same side elbow.
Basic theory follows, with how to stand up. Saulo doesn't just use the cross-grip, but instead drags their arm right over to trap it under his other elbow. This makes sense, as then he is able to control their arm while still keeping his own arm free. He also repeated something Jude said to me a while ago about passing, which is to make sure you don't lean forward when you're standing up: you're easy to pull back down in that position.
However, Saulo does not drive his hips as I was expecting. He prefers to lean to the side, then stand up at a diagonal. Once you've got to your feet, you can then switch your same side hand to grab that sleeve, preventing their attempts to hook your foot and go for sweeps. Finally, turn your body and disengage their leg in order to open the guard.
After numerous further tips on posture, grips and how to react to their attacks, Saulo progresses to opening their guard on the ground. This is the first clip I saw of the DVD, and the quote he produces here is what generated my interest in the DVD as a whole:
A lot of people give up about trying to open the guard on the ground because they have got so many problems and spend so much energy here on the ground. You have to think that your partner, the guy that you're training [with], has to be your best friend.
So, you don't want to hurt him, you don't want to try to open his guard with your elbow, make him feel really pain, because jiu jitsu is not about pain. You have to find the right spot to save your energy and be able to open the guard.
I really like the three main parts of that: your training partners are your friends, jiu jitsu is not about pain and always save your energy. It is an excellent philosophy for BJJ, which fits very much with how I've tried to approach my learning. Saulo reiterates the point in his later book, Jiu Jitsu University.
The guard break itself it not one I've yet been successful with, but I take heart from what Saulo says about "a lot of people give up," so I'll continue to persevere. It is similar to what I've called the 'tailbone break' at various points in this blog, in that you use your knee by their bum, then create distance by stepping back.
The essential differences in Saulo's version are that his knee is by the side rather than the middle of the bum, and he steps back and twists, in one motion. Rather than then shoving their leg off his hip, he moves around and dips, using his body instead of arm strength. The production company have a few clips on YouTube, which fortunately includes this particular technique: I'll embed it at the end of the review.
Passing on the ground again involves blocking one side. Once in place, Saulo uses his head to post, weighing down their legs. You can then swing your leg behind in order to pass, with a comparable principle to the leg pin. As always, maintaining pressure is essential, aiming to trap their hips through the combination of your bodyweight and your posted head.
Butterfly and open guard are also tackled, as is attacking the turtle, which was a little unusual. I would have thought that would crop up in the section on the back: as it is instead on this DVD, its possible that Saulo is treating the turtle as a sort of guard. Then again, it may just be an organisational choice for this particular instructional set.
After five years, Saulo's first set is still one of the best available, largely because he builds up the instruction through a series of concepts, like "connect the hips", "save your energy" and "your partner has to be your best friend." Saulo talks incessantly, pointing out details, explaining how they fit into a bigger picture and frequently emphasising how these techniques have helped him perform successfully at the highest levels of competition. Like Rorion Gracie, Saulo is incredibly thorough, spending a long time explicating a comparatively small number of techniques (an average of around ten or twelve per DVD).
However, I would not recommend this as your first purchase (I'd continue to suggest Roy Dean for the absolute beginner). To get the most out of these DVDs, you need to already understand the fundamentals. This is because everything in Saulo's set is built upon those basics, so if you haven't yet come to terms with the fundamentals, these DVDs will be much less useful. Therefore I'd suggest that the set works best for those who have recently got their blue belt, or are fast approaching that level.
Another good reason to delay until later in your training is the cost. Unlike the relatively inexpensive Blue Belt Requirements, Jiu Jitsu Revolution 1 normally retails for around $130, sometimes even more. It is certainly worth the cash, but wait until you've had enough mat time to really appreciate what Saulo has to offer.
Finally, here's a clip to whet your appetite. This is where that great quote about treating your partner like your "best friend" pops up:
Roger Gracie Academy Kilburn (BJJ), Jude Samuel, London, UK - 22/04/2009 - Beginner
There wasn't a lot of technique today, just the half-guard choke from yesterday. Sparring started with guard passage, where I had the interesting experience of rolling with somebody smaller than me, which doesn't happen often. As ever, I spent most of my time on the bottom in half guard, aiming to shrimp in order to recover full guard.
I'm trying to rely less on having my legs closed all the time, instead just hooking their outside leg and using that as a base to shrimp. Got back to full guard a few times that way, but as my partner wasn't locking my upper body, that was probably less difficult than it would normally be.
My next partner was a high level blue belt, who is always really helpful. This time, they gave me various tips based on what they've observed from rolling with me, which is awesome: I don't think anyone has done that for me before.
Main thing was to react to what they were doing, rather than have something in mind that I then constantly look to apply. Related to that, I need to use my legs a lot more when in guard, pulling them in, and also pushing them away once my guard is opened.
Finally for guard passage, I went with the teenager again, so this time I was the one giving advice. As with most people who are still fairly new, that was largely related to not leaving space when on top, using your hips and making sure that you trap the leg all the way through the knee pin pass. She was repeatedly easing the pressure midway through her passing, which meant my knee was free. Its something I do too: that's one of the great things about helping others, as it helps you realise your mistakes in turn.
Free sparring was up next, where I return to spar with the blue belt from earlier. That proved to be a continuation of guard passage, as they urged me to react to their positioning. For example, when they're crouched in front of you without good base, simply push them over with your legs and pop up to mount. I'm prone to staying on my back and waiting, rather than seizing opportunities like that.
Class finished with another spar with the teenager, after which I got a load of useful advice from the blue belt. I'd said I was having trouble with passing the spider guard, so they showed me three ways of passing, depending on what the leg is doing.
If its completely straight – a mistake – your hand circles underneath to break the grip, then you drive your hips into the leg and slide down to side control. If its bent, you again circle your arm to break the grip, then bring your same side knee into the back of their leg. Use that to press down and trap the limb, after which you can initiate your pass.
Finally, there was a reminder of Jude's pass, where you get both hands on the leg, yank up, then slide your knee into their ribs. Very helpful to have a reminder on all of those, so now I just need to make sure I remember to try them when I'm caught in spider guard.
Roger Gracie Academy Kilburn (BJJ), Jude Samuel, London, UK - 21/04/2009 - Beginner
Opening technique tonight was a cross choke from half guard, when they're in the process of passing. You have a grip on their collar, but then they get past one of your legs. The choke is still an option, so switch to half guard, then put your other thumb under the back of their collar. Swivel to their knee, looping your arm over their head as you do now. Move back to the centre and squeeze for the submission.
I mentioned yesterday that I was having trouble getting into a good controlling position from guard. Luckily for me, that is exactly what followed: awesome!
Jude started by demonstrating how to remove their grip when they've grabbed your gi. There are numerous options, the simplest of which is to grab the end of their sleeve, fingers on top, then put your thumbs under their wrist. You could also use a pistol grip (grasping a handful of their gi in your fist). Either way, drive straight up to remove their hand.
Alternatively, you can figure-four their wrist, by putting one hand on top, then feeding your other hand underneath and grabbing your own wrist. Again, push up from here.
Two traditional ways to get rid of that grip are to hold your own collars and pull them apart (if they are grasping both your collars with one hand), or a more complicated process. That begins by grabbing their sleeve again with your opposite hand, then bringing your other arm underneath. Reach right through with that arm, aiming to prise off their grip that way.
Now that the arm is loose, Jude's next technique can come into play, a variation on the cross choke from guard. First of all, you need to get an overhook on their arm. As soon as you remove their grip, pull their arm down to your armpit and also bring your knees back (don't just rely on your arms to get them in close).
You can now bring your arm over theirs, then reach underneath and through to grab their far collar. With your free hand, grip the back of their collar, then bring your arm past their face. Bring the forearm against their throat, then complete the choke.
Best of all, you can follow this technique up with another, the triangle. If they realise what you're doing after your first grip, its likely they will defend by putting their free hand against the side of their face. While that blocks the cross-choke, the position of their arm means you can now push their elbow back, then bring your same side leg over their head.
Make sure you get that leg past their arm: if they still have their hand on your leg, they may be able to defend the submission. Once the leg is in place, bring your other leg up and lock (just cross your ankles: don't worry about triangling your legs yet). As soon as its secure, you can let go with your hands, then raise your hips. This will bring their arm up, making it easier to push it across their body.
Now you can get into position for the triangle. Grab the shin you have across their neck to hold them in place, then put your other foot on their hip. Swivel until you have the right angle to bring your free leg over your other shin, then lock on the triangle. Squeeze for the submission, pulling down on your shin if you need extra leverage.
Class is thirty minutes shorter on Tuesday, so there wasn't quite so much sparring. However, I did get in three free spars, the first and last with the same blue belt. I was mostly looking to play with reverse De La Riva, as I'd seen Saulo recommend it as a holding position in both his DVD and book. Didn't get as much of a chance to practice as I'd hoped, because my partner stayed low rather than standing up, but still helpful to work out the grips.
In between those two rolls, I had a relaxed spar with a teenager that was there: because I'm the smallest person in class, I offered to train with her. I tried to give some helpful tips, mainly on keeping her hips down when on top, and also walked her through the knee pin pass. Hopefully it was of some use to her: certainly of use to me, as I always relish the opportunity to practice teaching (not only would I love to teach BJJ some day, but its also a skill I'm looking to develop generally for my career options too).
Roger Gracie Academy Kilburn (BJJ), Jude Samuel, London, UK - 20/04/2009 - Beginner
Tonight's class focused on takedowns: as most of the people training had little familiarity with bringing someone down to the mat, Jude introduced various drills to ingrain the concept of getting underneath. First it was basic wrestling, shooting in and going for the legs, then shuttle runs in groups of three, where the person in the middle did ten hip throws on each of their partners before swapping.
Rest of class was given over to sparring, beginning with guard passage. I started on my back, which isn't often the case, so that gave me a chance to try and work some attacks and sweeps. Emphasis on 'try': I keep letting myself get into the old passive mentality and wait for my partner to do something. That can be of some use with the blue belts, but with a white belt, they're liable to sit there straining.
Also, I'm not capitalising on what I'm being given by my partner. The first white belt I went with was pushing as hard as he could with his arms, leaning back at various points, then standing and leaning all the way forward. I'm sure I'm supposed to be able to use that, but I'm still bad at reacting to force.
When I try for the sit up sweep, the arms are there shoving me back. It is also probably that I'm not being proactive enough, and attempting something like putting my foot on their hip to swivel to a better attacking angle. Definitely need to open my guard more, rather than just lying there in closed guard waiting to see what happens. Kintanon had some ideas a while back, which I think I've also seen on Saulo's set, so will take another look at the attacks on there.
As ever, I'm also stalling a lot in half guard. Like with closed guard, I need to open up more, using one foot to lock their leg and then shrimping onto my side. Getting the diagonal half guard recovery back to full guard would be good too, but I've been struggling with that so far. Rich got it perfectly when I was watching him spar later on, which reminds me I should be going for it more.
That white belt eventually passed, meaning I was back on top with my next partner, John. For once, it was pretty straightforward, as he went for an armbar but left too much space. That meant I could just move around to the side, pressuring with my hips and shoulders to drive into side control. Rare I get that opportunity, but good to practice taking it when somebody presents it to me.
Finally for guard passage, I was with one of the big guys, about the same size as Rodrigo. Also like Rodrigo, he was careful not to use his considerable strength: always great to see a white belt who understands that its about technique, not power.
He was so big I could only just get my guard closed, so almost immediately went to open guard instead. Although Jude tried coaching me through proper spider guard control, I wasn't able to keep the white belt at bay, so they eventually passed. Again, I need to actually go for something from open guard, as I can't afford to be as passive as in closed guard. It becomes a far more dynamic position when your ankles aren't locked together.
First free spar was with John, where yet again I was in half-guard most of the time, occasionally recovering back to half-guard if he managed to get to side control or mount. Same points as earlier, which is that I need to be a bit more open and get onto my side, rather than using a lockdown to push their leg back, adjust to a more secure half-guard, they get a bit forward, lockdown, adjust...over and over again.
Last spar of the class was with Rich. He keeps catching me in Ezequiel chokes: I asked if I was doing something to make that easier, and Rich said I've been lifting my head when under mount. That gives him plenty of space to get an arm underneath to set up the choke.
So, obvious lesson there is to keep my head glued to the floor to leave no room for the cross face. I remembered to do that under side control, as per Saulo's advice on his DVD, but clearly forgot when it came to mount.
I'm also constantly finding myself under high mount with Rich, which is definitely not a good place to be. Its useful to work my escapes from there, but there must also be some mistake I'm making which enables him to keep getting there. I'll have to pay more attention next time, and defend more carefully from mount.
In the changing rooms after class, the aforementioned big guy gave me a nice compliment: he commented how Rodrigo had said I'm a good person to roll with, because I stay relaxed and don't use strength. That was great to hear, as being a person people want to spar is a major goal for me. Of course, I don't have the option of using strength anyway, but its still gratifying to hear that somebody finds me a useful training partner.
Roger Gracie Academy Kilburn (BJJ), Jude Samuel, London, UK - 15/04/2009 - Beginner
The weather in Looe turned out to be pretty good, at least for the first three days. Lots of sunshine and no rain, though unfortunately that also meant it was busy. Swarming with chavs too, for some reason: I guess they like Cornwall. Despite that, Looe is a beautiful place, with a gorgeous harbour and plenty of pleasant walks around the area. There is also a Rail Ale Trail you can do, where you pop into various pubs near the train line to get your leaflet stamped, sampling real ale along the way. I'm not generally a big beer drinker (I prefer wine, and sherry if I can get it), but fun nonetheless.
While I was away, Oli G very helpfully annotated one of his videos: hopefully that's going to be the start of a trend. Best of all would be audio commentaries, but not sure how easy that is to do. Either way, here's the vid:
I'd been ill last Wednesday, so as I only got back to London this Wednesday, that meant I only made the one session. Class tonight kicked off with guard passing, both from the same standing break. First secure the usual grip on both their lapels with one hand, pressing the other into their hip, aiming to hinder their movement. Step up the knee opposite to the hand on the hip, then stand up, switching your double lapel grip to a single lapel you can yank up with you.
Next, reach back with the other hand, wedge it between your back and their crossed ankles, then twist forward to break their legs open. Jude covered two options from here: first, you can reach to grab their collar and press your forearm into their neck, keeping the other elbow back as you drive your hips forward, pushing their legs out of the way for side control. Second possibility is a stack pass, so once you've opened their guard, hook round their legs and clasp your hands, stack them and gradually walk round to side control.
Jude had a slight variation on that stack pass, which was to do with the position of your knees. Once you've got a hold around both their legs and pulled them towards you, go to one knee. As you pass, ram that knee into their side, bringing the other knee up as you do so. This keeps you tight, and also adds greater pressure, which should aid your transition to side control.
Finally, Jude showed a baseball bat choke from knee-on-belly. At least I think it was a baseball bat choke, going by the grip, but then I've never done that choke before. Anyway, starts as normal: hop up to knee-on-belly from side control, using a grip on their collar and hip then doing a push up.
From here, you want to get your far hand into their far collar, thumb on top and palm up. The other grabs their near collar, this time palm down: this is where the baseball bat reference comes in, as your hands are now in the same position as if you were grasping a bat.
Sprawl back from knee-on-belly, dropping the elbow of your far arm across their throat. Walk round towards north-south, which should cause the choke to tighten and result in a tap.
Guard passing was the same old story, where I went with a couple of white belts and relaxed, waiting for them to do something. Both of them were gripping as hard as they could, meaning that the first one still held on to a sleeve he'd managed to get under my leg as I passed to top half guard. Easy enough to just pause until they got tired, putting my weight onto their face.
While it was certainly restful, it didn't help me to secure side control. As ever, I left too much space when attempting to secure a kimura, and they managed to reverse and go into my guard. I had thought that bringing my knee to the head might help, but I must have left too little pressure on their hips.
The second white belt was a little faster, as this time I made some other mistake that resulted in them being able to sit right up and go for a single leg. Again, not controlling the hips properly: I should have just stood up to try and work the standing pass, rather than going into defensive mode.
Having said that, not expending much energy meant I wasn't too tired before free sparring, which was useful as I ended up doing four in a row. That isn't normally the case, as I'll almost always sit out a few, but I kept being asked by people I wanted to spar, so that resulted in only one rest. Very rare for a wimp like me! ;p
Started with one of the blue belts, where I had a play with spider guard, but wasn't able to control them all that well. They had a knee up, so I found it difficult to off-balance them. Or rather, more difficult than usual, as my spider guard is pretty bad. My main problem with it, I think, is that I don't normally have a clear aim, as I always forget the basic sweep from there.
I also spent plenty of time under knee-on-belly and side control, which along with bottom half-guard and under mount have constituted the majority of my sparring for the past couple of years. Saulo has some interesting ideas on escaping, which I've been trying to incorporate recently, but need plenty more work. Hip movement is something I want to improve, and also avoid ending up flat on my back, which I give up far too easily.
Ben, a white belt, was next. With him, it was almost entirely half-guard, using the lockdown to push his leg back, while trying to then open up slightly to shrimp and escape. I got back to closed guard a couple of times, but like my other escapes, I have to stop being so flat. Ben eventually got through to side control towards the end: I recovered half guard again, but really should be trying to go to my knees more often from under side control, especially as I'd already spent so long in half guard already.
Up next was J-Sho, somebody I think I've only done guard passage with before, so was pleased to get a chance to roll with him. Like me, he's a fellow internet BJJ geek, but unlike me, he can back that up with a high level of BJJ, given that he's an experienced purple belt. I again ran through the usual sequence of attempting to get to guard, fail, they pass to side control, then either I get into half guard or they go to knee on belly.
I presume he was taking it fairly easy, due to being way better than me. Also, if he hadn't been testing out some kind of submission that involves wrapping my gi around my arm, most likely I would have spent a lot more time under knee-on-belly. Instead, I was trying to gradually work my arm free and get back to half-guard, normally ending up under side control instead.
Finally, I was back with the earlier blue belt again, finding myself under knee-on-belly yet again. I tried to keep in mind the principle of getting my elbow to my knee when under side control to stop them getting the knee through. This helped, but they still got their knee through plenty of times, leaving me to squirm away trying to shrimp out. Saulo has some escapes for this I've been trying, but not drilled them enough yet: hopefully with more mat time I'll start to get the hang of it.
This month is unfortunately going to be my last at RGA Kilburn, as my sister is moving again at the start of May to Cobham. I've been looking around at alternatives, because Kilburn will be too far, and there appear to be three. Nova Forca is closest, at around 5.5 miles, but the timetable doesn't quite fit. I'd also very much like to stay with RGA, so I was pleased to see that contrary to what I'd thought at first, there was an affiliate not too far away.
RGA Wimbledon (which incidentally was the first club on fellow blogger Jadon’s BJJ Pilgrimage) is about 9.5 miles, so its worth the slightly longer journey to stay with the RGA family. There is also Andy Roberts' place in Farnborough, which would be cool as then I could train with Jadon, but that's more like 20 miles I think, so probably too far.
If anyone knows buses from Cobham to any of those, I'd be interested to hear what the best routes are: I'm currently going by trains, for which it looks like RGA Wimbledon would be a 10 minute walk to Cobham station, then 34 minutes to Raynes Park, and finally a 25 minute walk to Ray Stevens club. £69 unlimited sounds reasonable, as I could make three classes from Mon-Weds, same as I've been trying to do at Jude's in Kilburn.
Also, I should be doing a major overhaul of the BJJ map soon. Simon Hayes, who has been very helpful in providing information about the Carlson Gracie clubs, suggested I split it by county, as there are now so many schools. It’s a good idea, but will take a fair bit of work, particularly as I’ve always been really, really bad at geography. Fortunately for me, unlike at school, I now have Google Maps! ;)
Short review: Cesar Gracie has a wonderfully detailed style, taking the time to introduce important concepts and fine details as he breaks down each technique, showing it multiple times and from several angles. This series focuses heavily on offence, with some expertly constructed sequences of attacks. Even more than Pedro Carvalho, Cesar manages to flow through combinations in a sensible and highly functional fashion.
This series is an ideal follow-up to Roy Dean's Blue Belt Requirements. Once you've mastered the fundamental escapes on Dean's DVD, Cesar's thorough and methodical approach to attacks will help round out your game. Once again, as with all the older sets I've been reviewing, age means this is cheap.
Full review: Cesar Gracie is an interesting case for several reasons. For a start, he was the first member of the Gracie family to release a BJJ instructional with perfect English, having moved to the US as a child (though he returned to Brazil for several years before settling in the US permanently). Like Roger Gracie, he decided to take his mother's name: as Cesar explains in this interview, "In Brazil it's common to also use your mothers maiden name. My parents were separated shortly after I was born and I was raised exclusively by the Gracie side of my family so it was also natural for me to only go by the Gracie name."
He would later produce notable fighters like the Diaz brothers, Nick and Nathan, both successful in the MMA arena (their records are 18-7-0 and 10-3-0 respectively). David Terrell, who appears with Cesar in the instructional videos, also went on to develop a decent record of 6-2-0. Then there is the well-known fighter Jake Shields, whose record is an impressive 22-4-1. Having already amassed a solid pedigree as a coach, Cesar decided to step up himself at the age of 40, losing to the far more experienced Frank Shamrock in 2006. It would have been a historic event either way, as the bout marked the first ever sanctioned MMA fight in California.
Judging by the adverts in Black Belt, Cesar's original tape series was released around 1999. There were nine tapes, split into Basic, Intermediate and Advanced, consisting of three roughly forty minute videos in each series.
Basics Volume 1 (just over forty-one minutes) begins with the usual BJJ approach to takedowns, working from the clinch. As ever, while Cesar does a reasonable job of this, I'd recommend that you look to styles like judo, wrestling and SAMBO if you want to bring your opponent to the ground: they are all much better at it than BJJ.
Far more interesting is the extended discussion on how to stand up in somebody's guard, in order to pass. Cesar spends a good twelve minutes going over important details about posture, grips and foot placement: this is excellent, and very useful for anyone looking to improve their passing. Cesar is methodical, tackling the position from multiple angles, providing comprehensive coverage of exactly how you should get to your feet to start your pass.
He then follows up with opening the guard, for which he recommends picking your opponent straight up. I'm small, so I was a little dubious on that, but Cesar does carefully go through how to take their weight, using your hips, and finally getting their legs open so you can move through to side control.
If that proves difficult, he also demonstrates how to pry their leg off your hip with your elbow. The multiple angles come in handy here, as it enables the viewer to see just what Cesar is doing with his elbow, as well as his overall body positioning.
To finish up on that first tape, he reviews passing once again, with some additional points for discussion and more work on grips. Finally, Cesar adds in a modified version of the Gracie Gift, though naturally he doesn't refer to it that way. Significantly, he does refer to the triangle danger, which is absolutely essential when teaching this pass. He also shows you how to avoid the triangle, by bringing your elbow back: a simple detail, but one Rorion missed eight years earlier.
The second tape (slightly under thirty-seven minutes) starts from the very basics, as Cesar explains just what is meant by 'the guard'. That enables him to lead into his next point, which is that if you feel very comfortable in the bottom position, pulling guard is a straightforward way of getting there. Strangely, he shows this from the knees rather than standing, but perhaps that is because he is thinking of the typical situation in class. Still, I think it would have made more sense to show this from standing, or alternately show both options.
For beginners, the next sequence is really good, covering pretty much all the techniques that would spring to my mind as most essential for a guard. Cesar kicks off with attacks, with his trademark detailed instruction on the cross-choke, kimura, armbar and triangle, then four basic sweeps: the scissor and elevator from the knees, followed by the double ankle grab and overhead when they stand up.
Cesar has lots of useful tips, including set-ups for the various submissions, as well as a conceptual approach throughout. He will frequently start description of a technique with a discussion, such as when he talks about the need for an endgame with sweeps (i.e., you need to make sure you get on top after you sweep, rather than knocking them down only for them to recover their previous position). There are also specific points on fine details, like gripping the lapels on the overhead sweep (because this means you can keep them suspended when getting your legs into position, unlike the alternate grip on the elbows).
Having run through the guard, tape number three (around thirty seven minutes) covers side control and mount, with knee-on-belly and scarf hold included as aspects of the first. Cesar also takes the opportunity to iterate a central maxim of BJJ, 'position before submission'. He puts it like this:
It doesn't matter how many good moves you know to apply if you can't control your opponent. Your goal is total body control: when I'm across the side, I want to keep my opponent from getting out of there. That gives me time to find an attack. If I can't do that, I'm never going to get an attack, because they're going to be moving.
After establishing the theory, he then explores some basic attacks and transitions, beginning with the Americana and moving on to scarf hold. He also shows the same step-over armbar from scarf that cropped up in the Renzo/Kukuk DVD, but with more detail and clearer instruction.
'Position before submission' guides the content of this tape. Along with showing you how to maintain side control and shift to scarf hold, Cesar also demonstrates transitioning to north-south and knee-on-belly. I especially liked how he linked scarf hold, north-south and side control together, pointing out that you need the ability to stay mobile so that you can keep control of your opponent. To complete a basic top game, Cesar also explains a few methods of getting to mount, such as the knee-slide.
His submissions are also well-described, with coverage of armbars and cross-chokes in addition to the earlier Americana (which he returns to at the end to provide even more detail). However, Cesar's method of showing the spinning armbar from mount suffers from the common defect of assuming your opponent is completely clueless and will push their arms straight up. This is unlikely in a BJJ class outside of total beginners, but then as these first three tapes are aimed at that demographic, can't complain too much.
The way that Cesar fits everything together is superb. Frequently one technique will follow from another due to Cesar covering alternate reactions from your opponent (e.g., they're blocking you with their legs as you try to mount, so slide your knee through rather than attempt to shove their legs down and bring your leg over), and also explaining how certain positions can crop up. For example, he shows how north-south might occur when passing, as they'll be chasing you with their legs: this is one of the reasons its important to master the pin.
At the beginning of Intermediate Volume 1 (thirty-eight minutes), Cesar takes off the gi to add in a self-defence element to the series. Like the Basics tapes, Intermediate starts with takedowns: the difference this time is that Cesar and his drilling partner are throwing strikes, so the clinchwork involves ducking and weaving around punches and kicks.
Like the first basics tape, Cesar then moves on to guard passing. He breaks down how to set up the stack pass, showing how to avoid getting stuck in their half guard by using your knees and elbows to block their feet from your hips. Interestingly, he also shows a pass where you simply push down their knees and thrust straight through to mount. I was a little dubious, as it seems overly simplistic and therefore difficult to get in sparring, but always good to have more options.
The bull-fighter pass is also covered, both into side control and through to knee-on-belly. Already by this point, Cesar has provided the most comprehensive instruction on passing the guard available at the time, building on the excellent theoretical discussion from the first tape.
He finishes with a version "from the street," which in other words is using strikes to pass. This fits with what Mario Sperry showed a couple of years earlier on Vale Tudo 1, and like Sperry, Cesar also demonstrates striking for the guard. Also in keeping with Sperry, this segment is all no-gi: Cesar finishes off with the can-opener and basic pass, but again with the inclusion of punches.
Intermediate Volume 2 (a little over forty-three minutes) returns to the guard, this time working a handy sequence of attacks from overhooking one arm. He begins with a collar choke, using the overhook and a leg over the top to help with the pressure. That smoothly transitions into an armbar, pressing on the overhooked arm, and can also shift into a triangle. Cesar shows a kimura too, but that basically involves disengaging, so not quite in the same flow. Finally, if you're having trouble with the collar choke, Cesar demonstrates how you can overhook both arms, then switch your choke to the other side.
He then follows this up with yet another beautifully put-together combination, this time the classic armbar to triangle then back to armbar. Whenever I've tried to go for this, I pretty much always get stacked, so Cesar's 'eggshell' concept sounded useful. If I understood correctly, what that refers to is raising your hips and rolling onto your shoulders.
Unusually, Cesar states that while its a bad idea to cross your feet when attempting the usual armbar, if you're going from a triangle, its acceptable. Unfortunately he doesn't explain why: the reason you don't normally cross your feet is so that you can stay heavy on their head by keeping your feet down. I'm not sure why that wouldn't be the case for an armbar off a triangle.
Next Cesar runs through the flower sweep. He explains it a little differently than I've seen before, in that he emphasises throwing both legs towards your destination, then chopping with the bottom leg. I haven't looked at it like that before, as I've always seen it as getting the first leg right up into their armpit, then chopping once you've broken the posture down. This gives me another perspective, which could be handy.
After a few more sweeps, Cesar is back to the 'self-defence' striking. He demonstrates defensive posture, and also how to use kicks from off your back to help you return to standing. As ever, self defence is not something I'm interested in, though the instruction here looks equally solid as the rest of the series.
Intermediate Volume 3 (forty-two minutes) takes the side control and mount work from the basics tape a step further. Once again, Cesar fills his teaching with lots of logically connected submission sequences, beginning with a kimura where you move to north-south, and can then potentially end with an armbar instead.
Cesar's scarf hold sequence is a bit longer. That begins with an Americana with the legs, much the same as Renzo shows it, except that Cesar grips around the head rather than the far armpit. He also adds in an armbar you can try if they manage to straighten out their arm, an arm triangle if they try to frame out, and finally a more unorthodox crank if they try to hook you with their leg. As Cesar notes, that last technique could land you in a crucifix, so it depends a lot on perfect timing.
From the mount, Cesar demonstrates how to switch between cross chokes and armbars, doubling up your attacks. Parts of this looked similar to what Roger showed us a while ago, such as going for an armbar from seated mount, then changing to a choke if you can't secure it. That sequence gets even better when Cesar goes into fine detail on finishing the armbar, either loosening the arm, changing to a choke, or attacking the opposite arm in a continuous cycle.
Advanced Volume 1 (thirty nine minutes) returns to passing the guard, but slightly more complicated (as you'd expect from the tape title). The first few passes are all from the same position, where you've tried to go for a stack pass, but they've attempted to swim their leg over your arm. The idea is to trap their shin against your stomach before they can create a hook on your arm or thigh, then work one of five passing techniques.
Cesar moves on to further bull-fighter passes, building on what he previously demonstrated, then shows a variation for no-gi. After a knee slide, which I've also seen on the Mario Sperry set, Cesar covers the guillotine for no-gi: attacking from standing and guard, then how to defend if the situation is reversed.
Advanced Volume 2 (just over forty minutes) explores more guard attacks, beginning with the omoplata. Some might question whether that is an advanced move, but personally I've always found it tough to get, so would be happy separating it out from basics like armbars and cross-chokes.
Cesar presents it as an option if your opponent is being especially tight and stalling your other attacks. If you can't secure a submission with your arms, then using your legs is a good alternative. He goes on to show several follow-ups, with a wristlock finish, a transition to the triangle and how to use the omoplata in the midst of defending against a pass.
This fits in well with Cesar's earlier tapes on moving from the armbar to the triangle. In terms of organisation, it would have been helpful to have that sequence all on the one tape: generally I prefer instructionals to be arranged by position rather than belt or difficulty level.
After exploring the omoplata, Cesar adds in armdrags, bicep slicers and a fairly straightforward sweep from spider guard (although your foot is on their shoulder rather than the crook of their elbow, which would be the normal position for spider guard). As usual, Cesar is adept at filling in the gaps and answering "what if" situations, showing how you can also use the bicep slicer to set up a sweep. Best of all, if they resist the sweep, you still have the option of the original submission.
Strangely, Cesar then leaps from guard attacks to various positional escapes. I'm not sure why he waited until the penultimate video in a nine tape series to deal with something so important to BJJ. It would have made more sense to have a specific tape on positional escapes, rather than the few he includes here.
Having said that, the techniques themselves are all taught in Cesar's trademark style, heavy on detail. He begins with the basic principles of defending under mount, such as getting your elbows into their knees, then demonstrates the escape to butterfly guard by lifting their hips. That is a fairly basic escape: if he was going to demonstrate that, he might as well have shown the more reliable upa and elbow escape too.
Cesar also shows shrimping to half guard, but not from the heel drag I'm used to. Instead, he again lifts up his partner by the hips to make space for the hip movement. That looked a little more risky than the orthodox method, but then I've never tried it, so perhaps its safer than I'm assuming.
The heel drag comes next, though again it isn't the method I'm familiar with. Cesar first puts his partner into quarter guard, then uses that to open enough space to get back to full guard. I prefer how Roy Dean shows it on Blue Belt Requirements: indeed, I'd generally recommend that if you're looking for escapes, you pick that up rather than Cesar's set. He is much better on offence, as far as I can tell, so complements Roy Dean well.
Still, the side control escapes were interesting. The first one involves hooking with your near leg, then sweeping them by grabbing their other leg with your arm. I'd always thought it was a bit pointless to hook with the near leg, so this could be a handy option. Cesar follows that up with two ways of getting a submission directly from under side control, a triangle and then a collar choke. It looked as though you'd need good flexibility to get your leg straight over their head from that position, but again, could be a fun alternative to add to my usual strategy from under side control.
The final tape, Advanced Volume 3 (forty three minutes), continues with mount and side control submissions. Cesar looks into high mount, trapping his partner's arms above his face, then provides some tips about how to maintain posture and isolate the arm. As ever, there is also a follow-up, where if you're struggling to get the arm (I always find it difficult), Cesar demonstrates another two ways of breaking their grip.
From side control, Cesar runs through a choke where you step over their head after grabbing the collar. Tran has done this to me in the past, which he called the 'exposé' choke, learned from Nic G. Looks handy, if you're able to step over without getting reversed: I frequently find it hard to keep my weight pressed into my training partner when trying to shift position.
Cesar finishes up the submissions on this tape with two options from what is effectively 'knee-on-face', an armbar and a choke. There is plenty of detail on setting up the choke from knee-on-belly, showing how to manipulate your opponent into giving you the submission. From what I understood, you're trying to get them to turn towards you, using grips, pressure with your knee, and switching from side to side.
The instructional closes with a return to no-gi and striking. Cesar covers how to strike from mount, side control and knee-on-belly, rounding off his previous segments. Again, I think it would have made more sense to combine the various no-gi/self-defence portions onto a single tape, rather than spreading them across three.
As I keep finding myself saying, this DVD makes for an excellent follow-up to Blue Belt Requirements. Roy Dean provides you with the fundamental defences, while Cesar Gracie adds in a broad range of attacks, laid out in effective sequences from a variety of positions. Cesar also shares Dean's focus on concepts, providing lots of theoretical discussion as well as practical content.
The no-gi parts are less interesting from my perspective, but then I train almost entirely in the gi, so that's unsurprising. Cesar certainly knows his stuff when it comes to combining grappling and striking, given that he has trained numerous successful MMA fighters, so if that's your thing, you may well get something out of it. However, I'd imagine there are much better MMA-specific sets out there. Also as with all the older instructionals I've been reviewing, Cesar Gracie's DVD is cheap.
