23/07/2008 - BJJ (Advanced)

Class #164



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

18/06/2008 - BJJ (Advanced)

Class #154



Roger Gracie Academy (BJJ), Gustavo Dos Santos Pires, London, UK - 18/06/2008 - Advanced

Last Saturday, there was another meeting of the Warwick Uni BJJ training group, although like last time, drilling had to alternate due to odd numbers. Dan, a judo guy, gave me some useful tips on holding a solid scarf hold (e.g., grab your own thigh after wrapping your arm under their head). We ran through passing and mount escape drills for most of the session, sticking to the very basics (stand-up, break the guard, go over the leg or go under the leg, then pass and get mount, after which they trap and roll, meaning its now their turn to pass). I really enjoy drills where its continuous, so have been trying to add as many as possible to my mental inventory.

Think they'll be meeting up again this weekend, but I'll be off in Belfast for the second Belfast throwdown. The first one was really cool, so looking forward to this one. I'm told there could be a small female purple belt present, which would be awesome: I'm sure she's found various things that work well for smaller people on her way to the purple, so I'll be looking to pick her brain.

That does mean that I'll just be going to the one class at RGA this week, although there's a Vitor Estima seminar right after the TD, so I should still get two chunks of instruction. Next week, I'm doing a four-day training course for work, so hopefully that will mean I can also get four sessions of BJJ in: that would make up for only making two RGA classes over the last fortnight.

The warm-up moved straight into specific sparring. On top in side control, I still need to work on keeping my hips low, and I'm also continuing to have difficult getting my knee under their near elbow. I can hold my partner in the tight Tran side control, but at present its mainly relying on my arms, which are weak compared to my legs and hips: need to bring my more powerful lower body into the equation. I also need to be more fluid, as at present, I immediately lose the position once my partner manages to make some space. Instead, I should be trying to transition to another variation of side control as they attempt to escape.

Underneath, I successfully used another of Tran's techniques a few times, bridging into them as they swing a leg over, ending up in their guard. However, most of the time I was lying squashed under Christina's knee-on-belly, which I need to improve my defences against. I'm currently doing a lot of waiting, jamming my arms into place until I feel secure, but that is neither proactive nor effective.

That moved on to guard, where I'm being too predictable on the bottom. Christina knows I'm going to try the sit-up sweep then attack her arms. I did try to throw in a guillotine, but not going anyway with that: also need to keep in mind Roy Dean's point on moving your hips back first. I need to try some more options, like going back to some of the sweep positions I used to try in the beginners class, combining that with choke attempts. Again, Roy Dean's DVD is good for that, so will be studying it carefully to refresh my memory.

When Christina inevitably broke my guard open, my legs seemed to turn into useless rags flopping pathetically as she walked through them into side control. I must remember to raise my upper body when in open guard, and also clamp my feet to their hips. I'm not putting anywhere near enough pressure on my opponent in this position, but I am at least trying to work it regularly. Repeat viewing of the Roy Harris seminar should help, and has already given me some guidance.

On top, not going anyway, so still must try to stand more. I'm having trouble getting to a place where I feel stable enough to pop up, as Christina is good at keeping me off balance and making it hard for me to maintain decent posture. Not to mention my posture is pretty poo in the first place, and I tend to slip into a defensive mode very quickly.

Tonight's technique was relatively basic (always a good thing), focusing on the armbar from mount. The starting position is that they're defending by grabbing their collars with both hands crossed over their neck. You grab a sleeve with both of your hands, driving it towards the side of their face closest to their hand. As you do that, move up under that elbow, raising up your opposite leg. Drive your hips forward, and make sure your stomach is pressing into the top of their elbow.

Their hand and wrist are now pressed uncomfortably into the ground, whereupon you pull their sleeve away from their body to break the grip (if that proves difficult, switch a hand to the inside of their wrist, using the extra leverage to remove their hold). Step over their head, still pressing your weight down and hips forward, then securing their arm, drop back for the submission.

The next variation is to pull their gi up and out, leaving you with a length of fabric. Wrap that over the wrist they have on top with your same side hand, then worm your other hand through (if you have trouble doing that, use the knuckles of your fingers to dig your way in) and grasp the gi material you've just pulled over their limb.

Put the leg on the same side as your gripping hand under their elbow, so that your foot is by your face, knee pointing outwards. Raise your other knee up, shifting your weight heavily onto their chest. Post your free hand on the opposite side of their head, staying tight, then isolate their already locked up arm, step over their head and drop back for the submission.

My first free spar was against Melissa, who I haven't sparred before. She's fairly aggressive, working hard for the pass, so was a good partner to work my half-guard and full guard. I pulled half-guard immediately (I was going for full-guard, but normally only get half-guard from the knees), where I eventually moved into full-guard. I again found myself in deep half guard without being certain how to proceed, but did at least manage to then get my knee through for full guard.

Again, I went for the sit-up and kimura, not getting either. However, that did seem to break her posture, whereupon I also had a go at the guillotine, like against Christina. I tried to work my arm through for a reverse kimura, but couldn't quite get the grip: Melissa simply straightened her arm and put it out of danger from that submission. Trying to transition to a triangle, I didn't really get anywhere, but was good to work some different attacks from normal. Another reminder that I need to develop more options that just the sit-up to kimura combination.

With Christina, I spent most of the time fruitlessly flailing around on her turtle. I was attempting to get a grip on her far arm and leg to go for a judo turnover, but couldn't get the hands through. I then thought maybe isolate an arm, but that simply resulting in getting turned over. I think that attacking mount and the turtle are my worst positions right now, along with open guard.

Finally with Tran, as almost always I was underneath struggling to maintain my half-guard, until he eventually passed. Tran seems to have got a bit bored of squashing me in mount, so more recently has been rolling through to guard. From there, he gave me a handy tip for passing. As soon as you get a knee through, push it into their leg with your elbow and widen your base. That will help to initiate the pass: from that position I tend to get a little wary of being swept, so Tran's advice should prove useful (he's already been a massive help for my side control).

Looking forward to Belfast and the Vitor Estima seminar: now just need to work out something to do while Mark is in Dublin sorting out his new house. Should be some museums or art galleries I can wander round for a few hours, given it’s the capital: I'll have to check the internet and see what's available. My gf recommended free tours round the town hall, so that might be a good option.

14/05/2008 - BJJ (Advanced)

Class #145



Roger Gracie Academy (BJJ), Jude Samuel, London, UK - 14/05/2008 - Advanced

I've been playing around with my blog today, in particular the custom search thing Google offer. That's sitting at the top right of the page, and I've set it up so that its limited to some of my favourite BJJ related sites (e.g., Bullshido, Lockflow, Grapplearts, Fightworks Podcast, Aesopian's blog, EFNsports, On the Mat, etc) along with this blog. Seems to be working ok so far, but may fiddle with it a bit more, especially if people have any decent, serious BJJ sites to recommend I can add into the list (I think I'm using about 15 at the moment).

Tonight's class was, once again, all about sparring. Surprising, as I'd expect that before a big competition, but we just had SENI (unless people are gearing up for the Mundials or something?). After a hefty Jude warm-up (lots of squats, tuck jumps and an evil new addition dubbed 'squat stars', which is a squat straight into a star jump), it was time for specific sparring.

Unfortunately, it was my least favourite type of sparring, from standing. However, Jude said that it wasn't a line-up, but a first come, first serve: you sparred when you wanted to. That was absolutely fine by me, as it meant I could wait until someone who was either small or controlled was available. I was looking for Tran or Indra, then noticed Grant was free. As I'd hoped, he didn't slam me to the floor, but focused on technique, so I didn't land too hard. Same was true of my next partner, Dean, who watched me fumble at a throw a few times before taking me down.

We then moved on to guard passage, for which I went with Tran. I managed to get myself to stand up a few times, and while I was swept soon after, I'm glad its becoming less daunting (if only slightly). Standing passes are an essential area I need to become comfortable with, so the more often I stand, the better its going to get.

Underneath I couldn't do anything, getting passed quickly. I was trying first to see if I could pull Tran in tight, and when that failed a few times, I had a go at spider guard instead. Same result.

Fortunately for me, Tran effectively turned the first free spar into technique instruction, which was awesome. As ever, lots of good tips: first thing was about open guard. I frequently will just fall to my back, as I don't see a whole lot of point in straining away from a kneeling position – I'd rather work the guard, or at least escapes. The problem with falling back is that I haven't been controlling the arms, meaning that Tran found it a simple matter to push through my half-guard into mount.

Instead, I should be getting a grip on the arms, and trying to stay in front: Tran advised that I don't want to let my partner get round to the side, for obvious reasons. Control the arms, then ideally bring your knees up inside, feet on hips (or in nogi, grab around their triceps, same le position).

As we had also done some side control specific sparring (where I was either swept or passed repeatedly), Tran gave me advice for that too. Switching to scarf hold can be a useful back-up, for which you should keep the far arm underhooked, maintaining solid control on their near arm. It is also important to press the hips as low down as possible: normally, I'd bring both my legs up toward their head, but Tran showed a different position where one leg is by the head, but the other posts closer to their side, aiming to maximise the pressure of your torso on their chest.

That scarf hold can then lead to the step-over triangle position I was shown a while ago. Push the near arm down, step right over that and their head, then triangle your legs. This puts your partner in a very uncomfortable position, and gives you the chance to attack their far arm. If they resist, squeeze.

Finally, Tran mentioned that you should never just fling you leg over when going for mount. If you do that, the person on the bottom can bridge into you, and if they time it right, they'll roll right into your guard, leaving you on the bottom instead of on top.

Tran followed up all the advice with another spar, which was fine by me as we hadn't really rolled that much due to all the cool stuff he was telling me. Things went as normal, with my attempts at half-guard failing, Tran driving through to mount, then securing a choke. I wrapped myself up in some strange positions, but that only got me armbarred: must think more productively rather than just clinging on like a terrified squirrel again.

My next free spar was with Indra, where I tried to put Tran's advice on open guard into practice. I think it definitely helped, though I did eventually end up in my usual half-guard. Also, as has happened before with Indra, I saw a chance to take her back, but couldn't get the hooks so ended back in guard. At another point, I found myself in side control, and tried to go for a an armbar. Left way too much space so she could come up into guard, then went for it again, facing towards the floor pulling the arm up underneath me.

Before I had anything, Indra called out, as she's got an injury so didn't want to exacerbate it. I doubt I would have managed to complete the armbar anyway, but definitely need to be careful if there are lingering injuries. Punching her in the face while trying to hook round her legs for a guard pass can't have helped: I was going for her leg, she moved it, which turned it into more of a left hook. She seemed ok, but silly mistake on my part!

My last spar was with Joanna, where again I went for Aesopian's long distance half guard. As before, I had trouble getting the knee in, though this time I tried to put the knee in place before locking my ankles. While I don't like to abandon any technique just because I can't get it to 'work' (as the problem then lies with me, not the technique), it did make me wonder if perhaps this works better for people with longer legs. Either way, would be sensible to try and attempt some other half-guard options too, rather than getting overly fixated on this particular variation.

As with Tran, I had difficult preventing Joanna passing my open guard, but Tran's advice definitely helped here too, as I tried to stay in front, feet on hips, controlling the arms. Somehow ripped some skin off my finger in the process, which would explain why that felt sore during the spar. Should have grown back by tomorrow, but nevertheless rubbed the abrasion with Savlon to guard against infection.