26/09/2013 - BJJ at Hit Fit with Dónal

Class #525
Hit Fit, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 26/09/2013

Some of you might remember Oxford University PhD student Chris Kavanagh's BJJ survey, who I mentioned in a post last year. Excitingly (well, for BJJ and data geeks like me), the results are now starting to come out! Here's a brief discussion of the first post from Chris, which focuses on demographics.
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Since I last popped down a few weeks ago, Dónal's sessions at Hit Fit have moved to Thursdays, at the new time of 19:00-20:00.

Dónal started with the basic kneeling guard break, using a simplified version of the private lesson he taught me in August. That was followed by another technique Dónal has covered in a private with me, this time the windscreen wiper sweep from earlier in August.

Specific sparring was from guard. On top, I continued to focus on staying up on my toes, trying to maintain good guard posture and also break their grips. That does depend on how quickly they can react though, plus I wasn't doing a good job of then controlling their sleeve off the grip break. I tend to feel vulnerable when I look to break grips rather than maintain posture, but that could just be an issue with base. The one handed y-grip break could help with that, as long as I don't over-extend.

Underneath, I tried to get into the gi tail grip, but generally they were making that tough by posturing up and leaning back, due to my efforts to pull them in closer. However, as they are leaning backwards, that means I can shift into a sit-up sweep, which remains a useful go-to. The reverse is probably true as well, meaning that if I try to push them backwards, they might drive me back down, whereupon I can hopefully lock up the gi grip more effectively. Something to practice.

Sparring with Dónal, things were obviously rather more difficult given he is much better than I am, even if he was taking it easy (as he was still looking around at the rest of the class while sparring with me). Again I aimed to stay in good posture and keep driving forward, but was perhaps overly hesitant. I looked to slip over the leg if the opportunity presented itself, though that only worked once. I keep getting stuck on the legs and feet, which are hooking under my legs trying to lift and off-balance. That makes me wonder if I should I be pausing and disentangling before driving forwards (though there's the concurrent problem I have with not fully committing to a technique).

Great stuff as always: I particularly enjoy the atmosphere. It's really good to have an opportunity to regularly train in Dónal's classes again.

25/09/2013 - Dónal Private (Side Control Chokes)

Class #524 - Private #016
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 25/09/2013

This will probably be my last private with Dónal for a while, as I've covered the majority of what I wanted to work on for the next year or two. Today I was keen to add some more side control chokes to my game, along with refining the few I know. Dónal began with the breadcutter choke (I think that's what it's normally called), setting it up by moving towards north-south. They will often reach past your hip when you do that, which leaves a space for you reach under their arm and clamp it to your side.

Move back to side control, then with the hand of that clamping arm, grab behind their neck, gripping in the middle of the collar. Cinch that in. Bring your free arm back towards you, then use that to turn their head away from you. This is in order to expose the side of their neck. Grip their far collar with your free hand (this might require balancing on their chest, turned towards their head, which should also help keep them pinned to the mat), then put your forearm into the exposed side of their neck.

To finish, you need to create some pressure into their neck, in order to close off the artery. Turn towards their legs, in a sort of reverse scarf hold position, then use that base from your legs to lower yourself gradually into their neck, keeping your initial gi grip tight. Be careful, as this can come on quickly and it isn't very comfortable.

A similar option is the baseball bat choke, so called because your hands are in the same position as if they were gripping a bat (or a greatsword, if you want to picture something cooler. 'Greatsword choke' has a nice ring to it, or maybe 'dai-katana choke', for fellow Daggerfall fans. ;p). It's often done from knee on belly, as in the screencap from Roy Dean's Brown Belt Requirements, but I rarely use knee on belly. I much prefer side control, so Dónal showed me the application from there instead.

Again you want to grip the collar behind their neck, but this time you aren't going underneath their arm. Your other hand reaches over to the other side of their neck, gripping the collar just above your first hand: this is where that 'Greatsword grip' (that has a nice ring to it too! :D) comes in. A key detail Dónal adds here is that you then 'engage' your arms. By that, he means tense the muscles slightly, squeezing into their neck. This shouldn't be straining, but enough to create pressure.

From there, spin around to north-south, putting your head by their far hip. Your bum raises slightly for added pressure. Often, they will tap before you get all the way around, because you already started applying to submission as soon as you engaged your arms. It is possible to do this choke by squeezing at the end, but I prefer Dónal's method.

You can also use the gi tail to apply the baseball bat choke: the grip is the same as for the attacks from guard Dónal showed me last week. Yet another option is to do the technique in reverse, so you establish your second grip before the first, in order to overcome their defence. To work out the position you need, set up the baseball bat choke as normal, then before spinning around to finish, look at where you second hand is. Reset, but this time, put that second hand in place first. Switch to the other side, bringing the elbow of your second-grip arm across. Put in your first grip, engaging your arms, whereupon you finish as in the standard version.

The gi tail also comes in handy for a variation from Norbi. They are defending, so their arm is bent, protecting their neck. Wrap their gi lapel on the same side straight over their arm, feeding it to your hand under their head to lock it in place. You can potentially apply an americana from here by lifting their elbow: another tip on that submission is to control their wrist by bringing your chin to your chest, then bring your head to the mat to get their arm into an americana position. If you're not doing the americana, then you just wrap the arm up as above, but use that as an opportunity to establish your grips for the baseball bat choke.

We finished off with the step-over triangle, which is the one technique from today I already use frequently. I first learned it in a nogi class with Felipe Souza back in 2007, along with a few times since, like when Kev taught it in 2010. However, I rarely use the step-over triangle as a submission: normally I just use it for control, then attack the far arm. I have finished the choke occasionally, but most often that happens without a focused effort to get the submission: I just happen to be tighter on the neck than I thought while going for the arm, or the person I'm sparring is less experienced and taps before there is truly the threat of a choke.

Dónal's method had some similarities to the way Roy Dean teaches it on his latest release, Black Belt Requirements (review forthcoming). Like Roy, Dónal also sets it up from scarf hold, stepping over the head, then bringing that leg back to press firmly into their neck. Locking up the triangle, your other leg curls back, then you finish by reaching behind you and pulling their arm and squeezing. The way I've done it in the past was flatter, more like in the picture on the right of Yuki Ishikawa on yellow mats (being careful to lock on the ankle not the foot): it will be good to add Dónal/Roy Dean's method as another variation.

24/09/2013 - Teaching (Maintaining Mount)

Teaching #125
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 24/09/2013

Ok, I'm back from Cornwall! I had a lovely trip in Port Isaac, better known as the Port Wenn of Doc Martin. Unfortunately that did mean I had to miss my favourite session of the week, the 3pm Sunday Study Hall. I'm going to be unable to make it yet again this Sunday, due to work, but if you're a GB Bristol student, be sure to join in the drilling fun! :)

Reason being firstly it's cool, but secondly, Geeza has been threatening on Facebook to cancel it if the study hall doesn't get sufficient numbers (which it normally does: most of the regulars were on holiday when he popped in last week).
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There are two basic types of mount to choose from, which I'll call low and high. Once you've achieved mount, I find that low mount provides the most control. First off, you want to immobilise their hips, as their main method of making space is to bridge up forcefully.

Bring your feet right back, threading them around their legs to establish two hooks: this is known as a grapevine. Alternatively, you can also cross your feet underneath, which has the advantage of making it much harder for them to push your hooks off. Your knees are ideally off the ground, to generate maximum pressure. How far off the ground they are depends on your dimensions: the key is getting loads of hip pressure. Another option, which I learned from Rob Stevens at Gracie Barra Birmingham, is to put the soles of your feet together and then bring your knees right off the floor.

Whichever option you're going for, thrust those hips into them, using your hands for base, where again you have a couple of options. Either have both arms out, or put one under the head while the other goes out wide for base. Try to grip the gi material by their opposite shoulder, or even better, by the opposite armpit. Keep your head on the basing arm side, loading up your weight there. If they're bridging hard, you can switch from side to side.

A basic escape is to trap an arm, bridge and roll. So, don't let them grab your arm and crush it to their side. Instead, swim it through, like Ryron and Rener demonstrate in the third slice of the third lesson in Gracie Combatives. Be sure to do it one at a time, or you may get both arms squashed to your sides.

The drawback to the low mount is that there aren't many submissions from there: the ezequiel is one of the few high percentage attacks. In terms of their defence, they are mostly going to be trying to unhook your feet and digging their elbows under your knees, so you'll be battling to keep those in place.

To attack, you're better off climbing further up, into high mount. Again, you need to worry about their hips. To control them, put your feet by their bum, tucking your toes underneath: Roger Gracie points this out as of particular importance. In what you might call 'middle' mount where you're still over their hips, Saulo suggests that you 'ride' their bridges, like you were on a horse. Lean back, then as they bridge, lift up: you’re aiming to move with their hips, rather than just leaving a big space. So, this takes a good understanding of timing.

He also recommends against leaning forward, as he feels that gives them more space and leverage to escape. Hence why he leans back instead. Experiment, seeing how holding the head works for you versus leaning back. I think Saulo’s method requires more experience, and personally I feel unstable there, but as ever, I want to offer students choice whenever possible.

The danger of leaning back is when you're facing somebody with flexibility and/or long limbs. They might be able reach their legs over to kick into your armpits, either sliding out through your legs or pushing your over. You must control their hips with your feet, to prevent them from bending their body. Swimming the arms through might help you out here, this time against their legs, depending on how they attack. If they do get their feet in place, I generally grab on the back of their collar, stay really low, then attempt to gradually work my hips back to flatten them out: that worked for me last time it happened.

Another option is to move off their hips, shifting into an even higher mount. Gradually walk your knees into their armpits (pulling on the top of their head may help, which will also stop them wriggling back out) being careful of the elbows. If they start to work an elbow into your thigh, twist to one side and raise that knee. Pull their arm up with whatever you can grab, then reinsert your knee. I've seen Rob S teach grabbing their sleeve with your opposite hand, while Mauricio likes to grab the elbow with their opposite hand and Felipe essentially shifts to technical mount for a moment.

A final thing I wanted to mention, from Demian Maia, is that you can also use the cross-face. If they turn on their side to get their elbow back in, you can use the cross face to bring their head out of alignment: moving them with their head is easier than trying to move their shoulders or arms or whatever. Also, the body follows the head, so they are going to have trouble bridging or turning if you've got a solid cross face.
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Teaching Notes: I felt fairly happy with how it went today, so this feels like a workable lesson now. I'm still not sure the Saulo 'ride the horse' option is something many people use, but it doesn't take long to add in. I tried to make a conscious effort to avoid overteaching, which seemed to help the timings, but I think I could still be more efficient when demonstrating. The main habit I need to avoid is repeating it over and over again: better to go through it twice at most, then ask if anybody wants to see it another time.

Next time, I think I'll emphasise that you can remove that hand from under their head to base out if they try to bridge you, as a few people were getting rolled and not basing. Also, some of the bigger guys were wary of putting their weight fully on their training partners: that's good in that it shows consideration on their part, but it is important to note that there's nothing wrong with using your weight. If you're muscling, that's different, but weight distribution is totally fine IMO.

It was also cool to get a visitor: Mike has trained in Hong Kong and Korea (Busan specifically, which made me wonder if he knew John Torres. Classic "You're from [insert huge country]? Do you know [insert random person]" question). I look forward to chatting to him more about his experiences over there. ;D

11/09/2013 - Private (Closed Guard Gi Tail Grip)

Class #523 - Private #015
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 11/09/2013

Quite often when I'm sparring and get to closed guard, I'll break down their posture, wrap my arm over their back...then just sit there without much happening. I have several sweeps I like to go for, mainly the windscreen wiper and the sit-up sweep, but I feel I should have a couple of other options to attempt from that position. That's therefore what I wanted to work on with Dónal today: as ever, he more than delivered! :)

Once you've broken down their posture and have wrapped them up, Dónal suggests going for a particular gi grip. If you can get it, that becomes a powerful platform for launching several attacks. To initially get the gi tail grip, put your thumb in their collar as low as you can with your same side hand, while still remaining above their belt.

Slide it down, then briefly remove your leg on that side in order to punch your collar-gripping hand outwards. You don't want to have your leg swung out for too long as that may give them an escape opportunity, so you might also find that you have to do it gradually. Yanking the gi out in one motion is preferable, as then they have less reaction time, but you may not always get that luxury.

Pull that gi lapel across their back, feeding it to your other hand. It should be possible to do this while still holding them down, so don't relieve the pressure on their back. Your other hand should grab the gi lapel with the palm facing towards you. Grip it tightly and pull down, so your forearm is tight against their neck. Bend your wrist towards you, also tilting it slightly towards their neck, so that little bony outcrop by your wrist (on the thumb side) presses into the carotid.

From that grip, there are a number of different attacks. The simplest is a choke, much like the palm up palm down choke, with some similarities to the submission from mount I went through with Berry on Sunday. Punch your grip away from your while also shifting your hips, with the intention of knocking your partner to one side, transferring them towards your non-gi gripping arm side. Ideally that will mean you're now looking at their ear on the non-gi grip side, so can use your free arm to grab the gi material by their shoulder. That arm becomes a brace, then you squeeze and twist with your gi grip for the choke.

If you can't get them across for whatever reason, there is the option of a triangle instead. Put your hand slightly above their same side elbow with your free hand, then shove that backwards, swinging your leg over the top. Make sure you get over their shoulder too, or they can make space to escape. A handy tip when you can't budge their arm from the ground is to pop up on your shoulders and turn: this should lighten their arm, meaning your can scoop under their elbow and pull it across.

From there you can lock up the triangle as normal, though you'll need to release your gi grip first. Having said that, the gi grip is handy for keeping their posture broken as you set up the triangle. It might be possible to get a tap just squeezing with your grip in place and legs locked, but it would be low percentage.

Finally, you can try and take the back. You've set up your position as before, but aren't able to bump them over for the choke or push the arm back for the triangle. You can instead switch your gi grip to pushing their arm across their body, clamping your chest to their shoulder to prevent them pulling that arm back out again. Your other arm reaches for their far armpit, meaning that you can then flip them into the back position.

It's also worth keeping in mind that people may well put their hand on the mat when you initially get that grip, opening up the possibility of getting an overhook. As their hand is on the mat, the classic sit-up series and kimura could be there too, but I would have thought it would be hard to switch from a grip grip into a diagonal sit up and figure four. Still, something to play with.

Also, that gi grip is similar to what Roy Dean demonstrates on Brown Belt Requirements. He starts off from side control, using it for various chokes, before rolling through and applying the same grip from the closed guard. I'm keen to improve my chokes from side control as well, so this could be a good option to investigate next week (especially as it would follow on nicely from today).

I'm off to Doc Martin Land next week, so won't be back training until the week after that. :)

10/09/2013 - Teaching (Side Control Transitions to North-South & Scarf Hold)

Teaching #124
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 10/09/2013

When moving around to north-south from standard side control, start by shifting your grip. You'll need to place one arm by their near hip. A useful tip from Braulio is to anchor your hand flat on the mat by their legs, elbow near their bum. If you instead grab their gi or their trousers, they will be able to follow you with their legs as you turn. If you put your hand in the way, that acts as a barrier, meaning you can scoot around but they can't scamper after you. Your other hand will normally wrap under their far shoulder, especially if you're looking for a kimura.

As always with top positions, you must make sure you are maximising the weight you're driving into them. Stay on your toes as you walk around, also establishing solid grips with your hands. Press your chest down to turn their head to one side: that is a good general rule of thumb from top position, as if you can turn their head to one side, it is tough for them to turn their body in the other direction.

There are numerous ways you can grip in this position, as ever. A common option is to basically flop your upper body onto their head, bringing your knees in. My personal preference is to move off to one side of the head, driving my weight onto their shoulder, my head low and pressing down, sprawling back with my legs.

You can also experiment with various grips. The most basic is probably grabbing under their shoulders and reaching for their belt, then pulling them in towards you. You could also try putting your elbows into their armpits, or maybe wrap up an arm, perhaps sliding your arm under the head. Another common approach is to have one arm over their arm, while the elbow of your other arm digs into their armpit.

Generally you want to keep your hips low, like in side control, but there are variations where you raise your hips, driving your weight through your shoulders. As Jason Scully over on Grapplers Guide mentioned, if they try that escape where they wriggle out and fling their legs over to take your back, raising your hips can be useful. You can then drive your forehead into their chest to stop them completing the escape.

The best place to learn about maintaining the north-south probably isn't BJJ: its parent art judo is much better at pins. In judo, the orthodox north-south is called 'kami shiho gatame', with lots of variations. For example, the above picture shows three options mentioned in an old instructional book from 1952, Higher Judo: Groundwork, by Dr Moshé Feldenkrais (not only a good judoka, but an engineer, physicist and founder of the eponymous 'Feldenkrais Method').

Scarf hold is useful to switch to if they start shoving into your neck and bridge. Turn your body, resting your torso on them, leaning into them for extra weight. You can have your knee up (to provide a counter if they start forcefully bridging into you), but be careful they can't hook that with their leg. You can also sprawl your legs out, one crossed over the other. Keep your head low for additional control.

The position is also handy for when you want to kill the near arm. Scoop up their elbow with your near hip, digging it underneath as you switch to scarf, pull up the arm, then return to side control. Bring your knees in tight and suck your partner in with your arms to remove any space for their arm. From there, you can turn your hips towards their legs and shift backwards, keeping your hip tight to the floor the whole time. From there, you can go for mount or start setting up submissions: it will be harder for them to see what you're doing as your body is obscuring their view.

Many instructors would say that it is very important you pull up on their arm and keep good control of that elbow in scarf hold. If they can get their elbow back and dig it under your hip, they can start to make space and escape. However, John Will disagrees. He feels that this position wasn't as common as it used to be, because people often have a bad experience. They go into scarf hold, pulling their opponent’s arm up...then the opponent links arms behind their back and rolls them over. The move can often be discarded by beginners as a result of that bad experience.

For Will, the key detail is that linking arm. Instead of pulling it up and trapping it under your armpit – which exposes you to that linked hands escape – jam your arm next to your raised knee so they can’t get their arm around your back. There are various attacks you can do on the arm if you use the non-Will orthodox scarf hold, or like good judoka, you can simply pin them here. If they try and shrimp away, you can return to side control, and switch between the two. Also, make sure to stay right up into their armpit, rather than going low by their hip.

Finally, this can also combine well with the Saulo position I demonstrate in my side control basic maintenance class. If they are really shoving their forearm into your neck, you can go with that pressure but still keep control, 'connecting the hip' like Saulo advises.
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Teaching & Sparring Notes: I spent too long during the demonstration section, which cut into the sparring time later. Partly that's because there were some questions which sparked a discussion, but I could also be more concise with the details I'm showing. As Tony said when we were talking about it afterwards, rather than trying to cover every potential eventuality, you can deal with at least some of them if they crop up in drilling.

I initially thought that perhaps I should switch to focused lessons on scarf hold and north-south, adding the transition to mount onto scarf hold and a kimura onto north-south. However, asking the class, they all agreed that they liked having that pure focus on transition. So, I'll stick with this arrangement for the next class, but try to be more concise.

Sparring with Tony is always useful. I found that trying to hold north-south was possible, but it took a fair bit of energy: I'm clearly not efficient with that position yet. Tony was able to get out by switching from side to side, meaning that once I loaded up my weight on one side, he would circumvent it by exploding to the other side. Side control was less energy intensive, as I'm more comfortable there, but at the same time I was wary of letting go of any grips, due to how close Tony was getting with his escapes.

Taking risks is something I don't often do: being willing to have someone escape for the chance of a submission set-up is something I should try more frequently. At the same time, I'm keen to develop a game where those risks are minimised as much as possible. When I go for a submission, I'd like to be able to do it from a secure position that isn't overly affected by that submission set-up (the reverse scarf position is good for that, fitting nicely into my favoured gi tail choke). Tony's breadcutter choke would be another good option for me to try.

08/09/2013 - Study Hall (Back Escapes)

Class #522
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Study Hall, Bristol, UK - 08/09/2013

Today's session started off with a brief bit of takedowns, as that's what the people I was partnered up with wanted to do. I took the opportunity to play with some of the Rickson techniques I learned at the Michel Verhoeven seminar recently (later that seminar was handy once again, when I was helping Berry with some cross-choke details). As Arnaud pushed in towards me, I couldn't stop him shoving me backwards down the mat. However, if I switched to pick up his leg, he said he couldn't stop his momentum as he overbalanced, enabling me to put him on his back. I still don't have any intention of competing, meaning takedown practice is rather redundant for me, but it's good to have something to work on when takedowns training is unavoidable.

I'm still not happy with my back escapes, so I'm returning to the same techniques as before (which I suspect is going to be a regular occurrence for a long time). Switching to deep half when they go to mount could do with a lot of improvement. Hooking the leg is something I need to time, as if I do it too soon, I lose my supporting leg and can get rolled to the other side. I therefore should get my back properly to the mat first. A few times, they ended up in mount anyway: I then escape from technical mount, but that's not really the idea.

Another area where I'm having trouble is working out when to move to grabbing their trouser leg. In the scenario where they try to mount, that's useful, as it gives me the possibility of doing what Xande does and recover guard. I'd prefer to get on top, but having somebody in my guard is much better than having them on my back.

I took a different route to the usual progressive resistance. Although that is very useful and I do it frequently, it isn't always as effective at pinning down the specific problem, because it can turn into pseudo-sparring. To further isolate the specific training, I broke the escape down step by step, asking my training partner what their reaction would be at each point. That obviously isn't realistic, but I did find it helpful to work out what to do at which point, as well as different tweaks and responses my partner might have.

For example, Berry liked to switch his arms when I turn away from the choking side, which results in recovering the choking side without having to roll them over (as I taught a while ago). To avoid that, I need better control over the arms, which was a general theme over the whole session.

I focused on clamping my elbow to my side, to trap the arm they had reaching under my armpit. I then looked to also control their other arm, by grabbing the sleeve with that same elbow-clamping arm. I haven't yet worked out the best configuration to lock that in place. At present, they may be able to simply free that arm then pull it out of range. Then again, perhaps that would open up the chance of stepping over it with my leg, trapping it that way? Could work as a nice combination.

Another advantage of gripping like that is I'm using one arm to control both of theirs, leaving one of my arms free. I can use that free arm to grab their leg and being my escape, then reach behind their head and grab their far armpit. That puts me in my preferred cross-facing position. It isn't always easy to get, so I also need a Plan B: perhaps dropping my elbow like Dónal, or somehow getting my weight up onto their chest, or indeed reaching across their neck (again like I've taught before).

I don't often train with Nick because he is so big (literally about twice the size of me), but he's also very technical. Going through the same step-by-step process with him, he had various advice on maintaining the back. If you want to put them back over to the other side, press your heel into their hip on that side (similar to what I learned in the private on bow and arrow chokes). When gripping under their armpit, getting the opposite collar grip is going to be the strongest.

Rather than going to mount when they push off one hook, you can also do a very simple flick under their leg with your remaining hook, then walk around to side control. This does depend on how much mobility you have with their armpit arm, though: if they've really clamped it, you won't be able to turn. Afterwards I realised that this is something I used to attempt, way back in the day, but I think I generally got stuck due to that armpit arm. Nice option to have, either way.

Equipment Review - Fenom Rashguard (Fenom Kimonos)

Short Review: This 20% spandex/80% polyester short-sleeved rashguard from the market leader in women's BJJ gear is relatively thick and sturdy, but I didn't find it overly hot on its own. Under a gi was less comfortable, but then I don't like to wear any rashguard under a gi. It has a minimalist style, in keeping with the Fenom design ethos, along with the trademark Fenom quality. The waist felt wide at first, but this proved to be misleading: after several weeks of testing it has yet to ride up on my back. Available to buy here, in black with contrasting sleeves and side panels (currently, that's white, blue, purple or black. Brown is not an option).

Full Review: For a number of years now, Fenom Kimonos has been a prime mover in encouraging women's involvement in BJJ: seminars with top female black belts (e.g, Fenom Kimonos customers got to train with Hannette Staack for free on the 24th August, with others paying a reasonable fee), women only tournaments and of course gis designed for women. Hence why I have supported Fenom for several years too, having so far bought a t-shirt, patches, rashguard, gi trousers and a backpack, along with a gi that will be waiting for me on my third USA trip next year. Triin, the owner of the company, very kindly gave me a lift to and from Dallas airport during my 2012 Texas trip. She also gave me a Fenom gi (a plain white factory sample), which proved most useful for my US training. Not only that, but she's an excellent training partner too, if you're ever on the mats at RCJ Machado Dallas. ;)

I've been wearing my purple Fenom rashguard in conjunction with the Pony Club Grappling Gear 'Jessica' spats (reviewed a couple of weeks ago). As with the 'Jessica' grappling tights, I'm going to take the excuse to investigate the history of rashguards (if you want to skip all that, click here).

An article on the Australian Fitness Network suggests that compression wear was first used in a medical setting, "over 60 years ago" (the article isn't dated, but one of the sources is from 2011, so that probably means the '50s). The application was for the treatment of 'venous disorders' (such as deep vein thrombosis), which would fit with what I found in my previous research into compression tights.

Following links from trusty old Wikipedia, this site claims that the rash guard was invented in Australia, where at some point compression garments must have moved out of the hospitals and onto the beach:

Ironically, surfing rash guards were invented by accident in Australia during the late 1970s. The original rash guards were simply lycra turtleneck shirts worn underneath a surfer's wetsuit with the exclusive purpose of preventing chafing caused by the wetsuit. As the water warmed in the spring and summer months, these Aussie surfers began to be seen in the waves wearing rash guard shirts with their board shorts without any wetsuit. Surfers found that a wetsuit rash guard was also very effective at protecting their skin from irritation caused by contact with their surfboard as well as preventing sunburns. Hence, a new surfing product was born!

I'm not sure what source the author had for that, but it sounds plausible. For surfing and other water sports, the rash guard is normally used to - as its name suggests - prevent rashes from either the swimsuit or the surfboard, depending on if you're just wearing a rash guard and shorts. It also provides protection from the hot sun, a particularly important issue in ozone-layer deprived Australia.

They are generally made from some combination of lyrcra, nylon, polyester and/or spandex. Most will also tend to use something called 'flatlock stitching'. If you're not sure what that is, there is a wonderfully technical sounding description of various stitches over on FashionIncubator.com. For those of us unfamiliar with terms like "2 or 3 needle bobbin-less top stitching", the basic difference appears to be that a 'cover' stitch sticks up with a thicker seam, whereas a 'flatlock' stitch means the fabric stays flat (as the name suggests). To quote FashionIncubator.com:

Flatlocking is used primarily for performance goods, it has fewer layers to chafe. It depends on what you want to do. If you’re running a marathon, you definitely want tights with a flatlock. An overlocked coverstitched seam, while it won’t pull apart, will chafe along your legs and cause bleeding.

Continuing with the surfing theme, there's another set of descriptions from the Lomo Watersports website, in connection to its wetsuits:

Overlock stitching is the LEAST EXPENSIVE and least effective form of wetsuit stitching. The two edges of neoprene are rolled together with stitching lightly around them. This forms a ridge inside the wet suit that is both uncomfortable and it also allows water to penetrate the seam. [...]

Flatlock stitching is achieved by lapping the neoprene together, this creates a FLAT, COMFORTABLE SEAM but it also allows water to penetrate slightly. [...] Flatlock is identified by a band of interlocked thread on both sides of the suit, sometimes in contrasting thread colour for visual effect.

Jiu jitsu has long had a close connection to surfing, unsurprising given that BJJ's spiritual home looks out on the board-crammed beaches of Rio de Janeiro. Not by coincidence, the biggest BJJ hotspot outside of Brazil is California, which also happens to feature prominently in surfing history and culture. Hawaii is another area packed with both grapplers and surfers: it's arguably the most important location of all in surfing history, as discussed in this article.

Another potential source is more recent. It may be that it wasn't surfing, but the growing popularity of compression wear companies like Under Armour: unlike surfing rashguards, Under Armour shirts generally do not have a turtle neck, which is also the case with most grappling rashguards. Under Armour was founded in 1996 by Kevin Plank, an American Football player at university (or college football, as you'd say in the US). A Forbes profile relates the genesis of Plank's company:

It was on the football field that he came up with his greatest idea. Plank noticed that, after a practice or a game, the cotton T-shirt that he and the other players wore under their pads would be heavy, soaked with sweat. He believed the extra weight hampered performance. He came up with an idea for a lightweight, sweat-wicking synthetic T-shirt, which he originally made from fabric found in women’s undergarments.

Given the '90s date, it's equally possible that both sources fed into the use of rash guards for grappling. No-gi grapplers already using rashies from surf shops may perhaps have decided to try Under Armour style compression wear instead. Since then, rash guards have continued to increase in availability, meaning that today you can pick up a serviceable rashguard from your local sports shop or even Target/Wal-mart (I haven't seen them in British supermarkets yet).

I'm not certain of the oldest website selling BJJ merchandise, but the first one that sprang to mind was OnTheMat. Looking at previous versions of their page, the earliest example dates back to April 2002, when they sold HCK rash guards (listed under 'Valley Tudo Gear', which must be an intentional typo). There is no mention of 'rash guard': it is simply called 'vale tudo short sleeve' and 'vale tudo top long sleeve'. That would indicate that it was in MMA that rash guards first made an appearance.

According to the Wayback Machine, Howard Liu's site dates all the way back to at least December 1998 (the same year as the first ADCC, which has become the most prestigious no-gi grappling competition), selling four types of gi. By February 1999, Howard Combat Kimonos was proclaiming "New! HCK Vale Tudo Top and Shorts!" Although the link to those new products is unfortunately not in the Wayback Machine archive, I expect they were the same or similar as those sold through OnTheMat in 2002.

It's also quite possible compression tops had been used in Brazil before that, but looking at some of the older BJJ manufacturers (like Atama, MKimonos, Krugans), their websites do not appear to go back beyond 2000. Having said that, the classic vale tudo sartorial style, especially in a hot country like Brazil, was to fight in speedos, before progressing to vale tudo shorts (which are similarly tight).

My own first rashguard was from the now defunct XF Gear, bought back in 2007 in preparation for my no-gi debut at the Roger Gracie Academy. As I have never done a lot of no-gi (though I've been more regular recently), that rash guard is still in good shape, apart from the lettering on the front. Six years (but less than 40 no-gi lessons) down the line, the lettering has cracked and steadily flaked off. In the years since, sublimating has become the standard, which avoids that issue of all the lettering slowly wearing away.

According to Wikipedia, the definition of sublimation is a "printing process that uses heat to transfer dye onto medium materials." John McDaniel has a brief history over on this site, which originally appeared in P&I News, June 2000:

Sublimation has been with us for quite some time. In the early computer years, circa 1970s, special ribbons impregnated with sublimation particles were used with dot matrix impact printers to create monochrome transfers. The first computer output sublimation system was developed in the mid ‘70s by Wes Hoekstra as an application of his image processing work with the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California. Wes has been credited with being the “father” of the computer image sublimation industry.

When electrostatic printing became affordable in copying machines and laser printers, it wasn’t long before toner cartridges containing sublimation solids appeared on the market. This equipment is normally used to create single color or limited color transfers. Recent innovations in color copiers and laser printers, have permitted the creation of full color transfers using this method.

The relevance to rashguards is that it permits more colourful and detailed designs, with the further advantage that sublimation is meant to prevent cracking, fading or peeling. Thus far, that has been the case with my Fenom rashguard after multiple washes. Its sublimated logo across the chest remains just as defined as when I unwrapped the packaging. That logo is the central embellishment, with a purple 'F'. There is no design on the back, so this rashguard should appeal to those who like an understated look.

Inside, the Fenom rashguard is white, just like my PCGG spats. The body of the Fenom rash guard is black, with purple sleeves and side panels. The reason for that is some competitions, mainly IBJJF, require a certain percentage of the relevant rank on your rash guard when you compete. There are several other colours available from Fenom aside from purple, corresponding to the other belts of jiu jitsu: white, blue and black (for some reason, brown is currently missing). At present, the Fenom rash guard is only available with short sleeves that end above the elbow. My preference would be long sleeve, as that reduces the chance of mat burn on the elbows, or abrasion from the inside of the sleeve if you're wearing it under your gi.

In my opening nogi test of the Fenom rash guard, I thought it felt a bit loose at the bottom and expected it to ride up, especially as I kept pulling it down during the warm up. However, it didn't ride up at all during sparring, where I spent a lot of time underneath side control and with people in my guard, meaning my back was constantly rubbing on the mat. This was when I was wearing the rashguard tucked into gi trousers, which I also tested tucked into shorts. My Bullshido fight shorts are much looser, so unlike the trousers did not stay tight over the bottom of the rashguard. Either way, the Fenom rash guard continued to remain in place.

Once my Pony Club spats arrived, I tested further configurations, wearing the rash guard over and under the tight leggings. Again, I found the Fenom rash guard never wriggled up my back or front, despite my constant expectation that it would. Presumably the reason for the wider lower part of the rash guard is because it is designed for the additional curves of a female body shape, but if you're a fairy slender man (like me), it appears to be a decent fit based on my testing.

Comparing this to the three other rashguards I currently own (which includes a brown surfing rash guard I picked up for a few quid from a charity shop), the length of the Fenom 'Large' is comparable to my old XF Gear, but not as long as the Masaru rashie. My XF Gear rashguard has certainly ridden up in the past: the difference between them is that the Fenom rashguard appears to be thicker with a white lining inside, which I guess must provide some friction. All of them except for the XF Gear have a raised collar by the neck, though the Fenom and Masaru are not as pronounced as the full turtle neck of the surfing rash guard.

There has been no shrinkage, given that this is not cotton so is less prone to that problem. On Triin's advice I bought a Large, measuring 67cm from cuff to cuff (without stretching). Shoulder to hem is 62cm, with a sleeve width of 13cm and the waist comes to 41cm, if the rash guard is just lying flat on the floor. I normally wear 30" waist trousers and there is some give to this, so I would have thought you would still be ok if your waist is larger than that.

However, it is tight across the chest and arms (as you would expect from a rash guard), so as ever, be careful when choosing your size. It is worth emailing Triin to ask what would fit you best, providing your measurements. For reference, my frame is 5'7" and 145lbs, with a chest about 35" (as this rashguard is aimed at women, I'm sure it can accommodate a lot more in that area) and my biceps are roughly 12", so I'm no beefcake. If you're similar, then a Large should fit you too. If you're much bigger, then that may be a problem: if you're smaller, you could go for a Medium or a Small.

There was some slight bobbling at the back, with a small white area. I am not certain where that came from: it could have been something velcro rubbing against it, either during training or in the washing machine. That's the only bit of damage I have noticed up until this point. The stitching is solid, with no loose threads that I could see.

When I cycled in my Pony Club spats on a hot day a while back, I wore the Fenom rashguard on my upper body. It was equally comfortable as the tights, so seems effective at keeping you cool and dry. It was less cool underneath a gi, but that's affected by my general discomfort wearing a rashguard under the gi: they always make me like I'm overheating. Hopefully there will be a long-sleeve option from Fenom in the future, either in this design or something entirely new, to prevent any rubbing on the elbows.

The Fenom ranked rash guard is available to buy here, in black with contrasting sleeves and side panels (white, blue or purple). You can also select 'black', which is presumably solid black. Brown does not appear to be available at present (though that could mean they're just currently sold out). The rashguards are currently on sale at $29, so your size and colour may sell out. I'm guessing they will be restocked, but then Fenom t-shirts are not, so it's possible this is a one-time design which will change for the next batch.

04/09/2013 - Teaching (Running Escape)

Teaching #123
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 04/09/2013

Following on from the beginner class, I moved into my usual tips on the running escape as a survival posture. I first pointed out the importance of blocking their arm from reaching through past your hip. Ideally you want to block that by jamming your forearm to your thigh, so that you elbow is by your hip. This will need to be mobile, as they will be trying to wriggle past.

Putting your arm under your knee can work too, depending on your flexibility, but be careful of reaching too far under your leg. It may leave you vulnerable to them collapsing your leg on top of your arm, trapping both limbs (unless you're flexible enough to get your heel right to your hip, which should be a strong enough structure to prevent that).

If they do manage to get their arm in, dig it back out using your elbow and knee. You can also drive your shin into the crook of their elbow and recover your position, or potentially try and recover guard by spinning off that leverage point (Beneville calls this the 'shin in elbow trick' in his book). I should note that it is possible to escape while their arm is through (Marcelo teaches it that way, IIRC), but personally I find it much tougher when they have that arm through.

The second survival tip is being very careful of their attempts to take your back. Especially if they have an arm through and can reach your opposite hip, they will try to lift you up and slide their leg underneath. That will then help them to put in their hooks and take the back. If they do start to take your back, block their second hook with your elbow and knee (in the same way you were blocking their arm), hopefully setting you up to either get back to the running escape, or perhaps starting a pass off the back escape. Blocking the first hook with your hand is another possibility, but that could potentially leave your neck vulnerable.

Which leads into the third point: protect your neck. You are relatively safe in the running escape, but if they can reach a hand past your neck and grab a collar, that's dangerous. If you feel their hand beginning to sneak past your shoulder, immediately dive your head into your lower armpit. It is a strange position, but that motion should close off their route to your neck. This isn't somewhere you want to stay very long: just enough to prevent that choke set-up.

Moving on to the actual escape, saulo's version in Jiu Jitsu University (p69), which begins by making a little space and turning to the survival posture, links directly to his knee on belly escape. I normally just teach that knee on belly escape as a drill for my open guard maintenance lesson (e.g., back in October), as the swinging motion is a useful skill to learn. However, in his book, Saulo uses that motion to recover his guard from under side control, rather than the swivel he uses in Jiu Jitsu Revolution 2 (he does a much quicker version in his first set, Jiu Jitsu Revolution 1).

The risky part is as you're swinging through with your legs in the air: if your partner is prepared and you aren't able to perform that motion smoothly and efficiently, they may be able to set up a double-underhook pass. It is therefore important to clamp your legs down as Saulo does in the last picture, rather than leaving them dangling and vulnerable. If they do get that double underhook, make your legs heavy, wriggle back on your shoulders, then hook your insteps inside their thighs.

Saulo has a little tweak to this guard recovery option, which I noticed on his new instructional site, BJJ Library (review now up, here). It may be he did this previously, but it was highlighted on the running escape video I watched last week. In the past, I have used a wide base, securing my weight on my shoulder and two feet. The way Saulo did it in the video was with a much narrower base, pushing off with his feet straight from the running escape position rather than stepping out to wide the legs. He also makes more of a push with his hips into them, staying close, rather than a swing. If you can manage to push them with your hips, that leaves less space for them to move right into the double-underhooks pass.

To further enhance your push, you can try the tips I got from Donal's private lesson a while back: using the elbow to make some space before you go for the hip swing. After you have shoved your elbow into their chest, continue to extend it to push them further. Initially, especially if you are very defensive like me, that feels as if you're leaving your arm vulnerable. However, because you are immediately following up the elbow shove and arm extension with a hip bump and leg swing, they shouldn't have a chance to capitalise on your arm being out there.

On that point, be careful to time your escape, staying sensitive to their weight distribution. If they are driving into you with lots of pressure, it will be hard. A good moment to attempt the escape is when they are looking to attack or transition to another position. Often, there will be a brief moment before they start when they take their weight off you. That is the time to spring the escape.

It is possible that the person you are training with won't often use near side grips from side control. Speaking personally, I tend to go for the orthodox grip under the head and the far arm. That doesn't mean you can't use the running escape, it simply means you have to put yourself into position, forcing them to use near grips. All you need to do is make enough space that you can turn away and curl into a ball.
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Teaching & Sparring Notes: I think the teaching went ok, as most of the class seemed to get the concept. The one thing I could add in is how to complete the running escape even if they get their arm through. I mentioned that it is possible, as Marcelo does the escape with the arm trapped, but the method I showed was digging their arm out, rather than continuing regardless of the arm.

Sparring was useful. I was pleasantly surprised by one of the white belts, who had an effective escape to half guard from under side control. I'm fairly confident on top in side control, so it is good to come across new challenges. Tonight severed as a reminder to be careful of my leg near their hips, making sure that I shift before they can snatch it. I was able to recover and pass relatively quickly, but it took a bit of effort: if he had managed to shrimp out and get on his side, that would have been much tougher (which is what I advised him to do next time, to make it even more of a challenge ;D).

I also got to roll with Tony, always a pleasure. He has been a four-stripe blue for a while now, but I view him in the same light as purple belts, so wouldn't be surprised if he got promoted in the not-too-distant future. Tony has a completely different game to me, as he loves the flashy stuff, which makes for an interesting roll. We were taking it quite light, but I still learned that I need, as ever, to be more careful of my neck and getting my back taken.

I ended up underneath a sort of technical mount, so shoved his leg back to recover guard, falling right into the trap of getting my back taken. What I should have done is what Michel Verhoeven recommended: the double shin sweep. That needs to be my go to from there, rather than recovering guard. I also somehow ended up in an anaconda type choke just as time ran out, because I was attempting to grab Tony's arm in order to roll him. Rather than rolling him over, it just meant I gave him solid access to my neck.

At an earlier point with somebody else, I finally managed to turn them over while escaping a back take attempt. That never normally works, but grabbing the gi material near their ribs and driving through put me back on top. Not something to rely upon, but nice to know it can very occasionally work.

04/09/2013 - Teaching (Basic Side Control Escapes)

Teaching #122
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 04/09/2013

Geeza is away tonight at the Carlos Lemos (Gracie Barra Bristol's founder, who I interviewed a while ago) seminar in Bath. He therefore taught on my normal slot yesterday, meaning that I was covering the two consecutive classes tonight.

This marks the second time I've taught a one hour class (usually when I teach it's 1.5 hours). Last time it was also side control, strangely enough, where I thought I taught too many techniques for the allotted time. I therefore pared it down to just one technique this time round, to leave enough time for progressive resistance and specific sparring.

I focused on the basic guard recovery under side control. Along with the running escape, this is the escape I personally use the most. I started by focusing on your hand and arm positioning. First thing to note is that they will want to kill your near arm. This is bad for you, because it means you can't stop them shifting up towards your head. From there, they can make as much space as they want and pass to mount.

So, you need to get your arm inside, the forearm pressing against their hip: this is a bit more reliable that grabbing the gi material, as they can potentially still bring their body onto your hand and collapse it due to the loose material. The forearm into the hip will help block their movement, and initiate your attempts to create some space. It should also help you block them moving to north south, as if you clamp your arm by their side, your body will move with them if they try to switch position.

One thing to note is that having your forearm by their hip like that does leave you more open to the cross-face. So, you could potentially block inside their cross-facing arm instead, which will prevent their shoulder pressure. This is the Saulo method from his book, which has advantages, but personally I prefer to block the hip.

With your other hand, grab the gi material by their shoulder, close to their neck, then pull down. Twist that arm up into their neck, keeping the elbow in: you need to be tight here, as otherwise they will go for a figure four on that arm. Once you've got the forearm into their neck, they can't press down into you, as they'll essentially be choking themselves. Note that this is a block: you don't want to start pushing and reaching, as that may leave you vulnerable. Reach too far and they can shove your arm to one side and set up an arm triangle.

Next I moved on to the legs. Your legs have two main purposes here: first, blocking your opponent getting to mount. Raise your near knee and drive it into their side. The idea is to wedge them between your knee and the arm you have by their hip. Personally, I like to keep my knee floating, glued to their side.

That makes it easier to slip my knee under as soon as they give me any space, which is something I learned from Roger. Many people prefer to cross their foot over their knee, which is something I used to do in the past as well. However, as this long Sherdog thread discusses, that can leave you open to a footlock, and also limit your mobility. Then again, you can see it used at the highest levels, like here at the Mundials.

The second use for your legs is bridging. Marcelo Garcia has a handy tip for this (although the escape he is doing there is slightly different), related to increasing the power of your bridge. To do that, bring your heels right to your bum, then push up on your toes. That increases your range of motion, so you can really drive into them.

Make sure you turn into them as you bridge, rather than just straight up. This will help the next part, which is to shrimp out as you come back down. That's why you've created space in the first place: if you simply plopped back down, then you've wasted the opportunity. As soon as you shrimp out, slip the knee pressing into their side underneath. Note you aren't trying to lift them with your arms. Instead, you want to push off them, moving your body away rather than pushing theirs higher up.

Once your knee is through, you need to be careful they don't immediately pass by pushing down and moving around that knee, ruining all your hard work. To prevent that, keep your hand by their shoulder. Straighten it, then add further support by bracing your other hand into their bicep (same side as the blocked shoulder). Your new frame should create a barrier to their pass, giving you enough time to recover your guard, or even move into a submission.

Alternatively, you can control their arm with your hip-bracing arm as you escape, like Roy Dean demonstrates in Blue Belt Requirements. That will also stop them pushing down on your knee, as their arm is trapped. It is worth trying both and seeing which you prefer, or which one the situation demands.
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Teaching Notes: The lesson fit the time much better than my first attempt at a one hour lessons, so I'll stick with this structure next time. That's handy, because it also means I don't have to come up with an entirely new lesson plan, but instead just slightly modify my existing one. It would be interesting to teach a two hour lesson and see how that extra 30 minutes on top of my standard 1.5 hour lesson would change things. Perhaps more sparring, or a third technique? Though personally I think I'd find 2 hours a bit long, unless it was open mat.

This class was immediately followed by the advanced class, where I taught another of my favourite lessons, the running escape.

03/09/2013 - BJJ at Hit Fit with Dónal (Butterfly Guard Drills)

Class #521
Hit Fit, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 03/09/2013

For the past two years, the person who I have seen as 'my' instructor is Dónal, so I was sad when changes to class schedules meant I couldn't train with him as often as before. That's also partly why I started doing privates with Dónal, to continue benefitting from his excellent teaching. Normally I would be teaching myself on Tuesday, but this week that has switched to Wednesday. I therefore immediately leapt on the opportunity to get to Dónal's Tuesday class, over at Hit Fit.

Hit Fit is run by Mark Skidmore, a personal trainer with several years of MMA experience (he currently has a pro record of 2-0, according to Sherdog). Mark also does lots of work with children: you can take a look at that over on KidsClubBristol.co.uk. Among his various qualifications and credentials (you can read more about those here), he's spent time training with my first MMA instructor, Kevin O'Hagan. Though in my case, that ended up being a handful of lessons, rather than the years Mark has spent refining his MMA skills. ;)

The class tonight was over in Bitton, from 20:00-21:00 (contact Mark for more info). The fully matted venue has enough space for about four or five pairs rolling and there looks to be plenty of parking outside. It was particularly good to see that there was an excellent gender balance, particularly by comparison to most other clubs: around 60% the people in attendance were female. Dónal kicked things off with his usual warm-up, feeding directly into the drills that made up the technical portion of class.

Tonight the focus was butterfly guard. Dónal introduced the concept with a drill where you hold your partner in butterfly, both hooks in, also underhooking their upper body. Rock back and lift them with your legs, then kick them forward as you return them to the floor, in order to sit back up in a good position.

That was followed by two drills for the person on top, which Dónal split into three parts. The simple version was to back step as they elevated you, in order to slip off to one side. That fit with one of the warm-up drills, where from a press-up type position, you kick your left leg over your right so that the sole of your left foot contacts the floor, still keeping your chest towards the floor as well. The same motion when suspended in butterfly guard can work as a pass.

Further refining that motion, Dónal then had us bring our hip slightly forward and knock their knees to the side as you do the backstep out of their butterfly guard. Knocking their knees away increases the efficacy of the pass, as they will have a harder time getting their leg in the way of your pass (with the first option, their knee will often remain pressed across your stomach).

Finally, Dónal then applied the same concept to a step earlier in the process, before they've started to elevate you. Reach over their back and secure a grip under their opposite shoulder. Step up your leg on the same side as the reaching arm, then use that knee to push their knees in the opposite direction. The idea here is to clamp their knees to the mat, pressuring through the side of their top knee. Replace that pressure with your hand, keeping the arm straight to use your skeletal structure rather than muscles (Dónal also turned his elbow, but I can't remember if it was outwards or inwards. I think outwards? He can correct me). You can then pass to side control or possibly take their back, depending on their reaction.

It was then time for sparring. I began with Mark, which was an interesting proposition given his years of MMA experience. You could feel that knowledge when he was on top, as he was clearly familiar with shifting his weight and blocking with hips and hands to move around the legs and prevent guard recovery. I attempted to move into a butterfly sweep a few times, but Mark's base was solid and his arms were ready to block. I also shifted between closed, half and spider guard a couple of times, mainly for guard recovery.

That was a good reminder that my butterfly guard is still pretty poor (as is my guard in general: I'll be looking for some more broad concepts and principles in my next private with Dónal). I can maintain, but my ability to follow through on some sweeps against any kind of resistance is woeful. I also completely forgot about the handy variation on a butterfly sweep from Saulo (essentially blocking their knee and driving forwards), which I taught last year. Butterfly is meant to be good for people with short, stocky legs, so I've been meaning to get better at it for ages.

I had more luck on top, presumably because Mark hasn't been training gi that long and I tend to pass using lots of gi grips. My go-to is still the knee cut, trying to combine that with the bullfighter if they push back into you with their legs. Mark also had that relaxed, technical approach that marks out a valuable training partner, despite his obvious strength advantage. That seemed to be a general vibe in the class, which no doubt is down to Dónal's trademark friendly approach interlaced with humour. I reckon the Irish accent helps too. ;)

I finished up with one of the women in class, who has only been training for a month: I therefore tried to work through some basic concepts on guard recovery (keeping your legs in front of them as a barrier, bracing your arm onto their hips and legs to enable shrimping, hooking with your feet, etc). Hopefully I didn't babble too much, as I sometimes worry I overload people with information in that situation. There is such a ridiculous amount to learn in BJJ that it's easy to splurge. That's one of the key things I'm trying to refine when I teach, with the intention of striking a balance between useful information, but not so much that students can't retain it.

I really enjoyed the class at Hit Fit: hopefully I'll have a chance to support it more in the future. If you're in the area, be sure to check it out, as Dónal is a brilliant teacher! :)

01/09/2013 - Study Hall (Breaking & Passing Closed Guard, Side Control)

Class #520
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Study Hall, Bristol, UK - 01/09/2013

I was intending to train on Thursday, but as my gf had a bad day at work, I stayed at home so we could go out for a meal (as I've said many times before, BJJ is great fun, but I think your loved ones should always be the priority :D). Today I was looking to get in more work on passing the guard, continuing with the kneeling break. I'll also normally use study hall to practice the techniques I teach, which next week is side control escapes. Fortunately for me, those two things are exactly what my training partner Geraldine wanted to work as well.

I started off with the same guard break, encountering the old problems: keeping that lead hand in place, then getting enough distance to pop the ankles open. It also brought up a common issue that crops up after you've opened the legs, as they will frequently get their knee in their way. This happened to Geraldine in a competition a while ago, IIRC, so I showed her my preferred options for passing the knee shield.

I continued kneeling guard breaks with Berry, whose approach to countering them provided useful pressure-testing. He likes to bounce his hips out the way, as well as trying to break your grip on the hip, rather than the forward arm by their chest. That makes it tough to create the necessary tension to open their ankles, because their hips are free. On the plus side, I can still maintain my posture, because I have the arm on the chest: that gives me the opportunity to reset.

Therefore a key aspect I want to improve is maximising the weight I can drive through their hips. I'll need to experiment with arms positions, grips and also where I'm putting my head. It's possible I'm leaning too far forward or back, so I will keep a closer eye on that next time, to see if it is reducing the efficacy of my hip control when attempting to open the guard.

Through some light resistance, we worked out that switching my arms to the other side can be effective, although that gets a bit tiring. Having said that, the person on the bottom has to work harder, so they will probably get tired before you do. Either way, I don't like getting into battles of attrition, because that comes down to stamina rather than technique. I'll keep trying it, along with working out the right point to switch from kneeling to standing.

Sparring with Geeza helped that further, as he was mainly looking to see if I would flop to my back. I was keen to work on my passing, attempting to return to either combat base or some kind of open guard passing posture whenever I got knocked off balance. Geeza noted that I was using lateral motion, but need to combine that with more forward motion. I was getting stuck on his leg a few times, trying to do a big step over the top, but not pushing forward enough.

Arm control is something important to keep in mind as well. I played around with trying to get them to give me an arm from the kneeling break, which I could then try and pin to their hip. Geeza stopped me at that point to share a handy controlling position. He says cross-grip the arm you want to pin to the hip, then put your other arm across the top, clamping the knuckles of your pinning hand against the wrist that's over the top.

When I was underneath with Berry, I attempted to create angles to slip around the strong pressure of their arms. I also played around with different grips to prevent them posturing back up, which helped slow that process, but didn't open much in the way of submission opportunities, taking the back or sweeping. Or rather, I didn't combine my guard offence well enough.

Finally, I also worked on side control with Geraldine, keeping in mind what I wanted to teach next week. On top, I was focusing on connection with hips and control of their far elbow if they turn away (at one point I failed to control that far elbow, enabling her to spin to turtle). When she turned towards me, I switched to a cross-face, both my normal method and the version Donal suggested, where you just bring the arm in place and turn the elbow upwards.

Underneath I looked to reverse engineer what I'd done on top. I want to break the hip connection, starting with a bridge to make space, then wedge a frame in place (in my case, that's generally getting an elbow to their hip). I managed to partially turn away a few times, but Geraldine did a good job of keeping me under control. The stiff arm escape worked once (Braulio's version, shoving into the armpit and rolling them over), which was cool as I normally mess that up. So, I'll emphasise bridging and frames next week when I'm teaching side control escapes again, as well as the importance of staying tight and remaining calm.