Class #665
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 22/09/2015
A number of people have been asking for a day session over the last few months. I'm now working from home one day a week, enabling me to take a long lunchbreak to fit in training. The daytime classes therefore start this Tuesday from 13:00-14:00. I'm going to just run it as open mat, because that way people can drop in and out during their own lunchbreak at work (especially as quite a few students work close to the gym). There are also a few people who can stay the whole session, as they either work from home or on shift patterns that accommodate it.
It worked out well for a new person trying out Artemis BJJ, as I could run through some basics with him. I first showed him what side control looks like on top and on the bottom, then ran through the basics of shrimping and bridging. I'm not always certain how much is too much information for somebody brand new, but he picked things up well. It also meant I could set him going with those drills to practice, while I went and helped out some of the other people at the open mount.
As ever, I did some more work on Rockwell sit-up escape. I think the main difficulty I'm having is getting to the side with enough space to turn. Does that mean I need to make better use of my outside foot, to get the angle I need? Or perhaps I'm focusing on the wrong thing and it's more about the power of my bridge? It could also be that I need to shove them more towards my legs. Regardless, I need a good escape to combine with that too. I've been trying to put in the elbow push, though that too isn't an easy one to get. Something to keep on practicing over this month, before we move into mount in October.
Showing posts with label stiff arm escape. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stiff arm escape. Show all posts
22 September 2015
06 September 2015
06/09/2015 - Open Mat | Jeff Rockwell Sit-Up Escape System
Class #663
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 06/09/2015
Looking again at what Jeff Rockwell says about frames, I realised that I had my arms too bent when drilling on Friday. I was also too low on their arms. The way Rockwell shows it, you have your forearms in front of you, almost at right angles, pressing your forearm into the crook of their elbow and the side of their neck. That's a different angle to the standard side control defensive frame, where you're more underneath your partner. This version stops them getting weight on you, and it is also something you can throw up as soon as they start to pass.
I think there is an element of pushing them towards your legs. I definitely had to make some space in order to do the initial bridge, as that's immediately followed by a quick horizontal slide of the elbow-arm, shifting across into a collar tie. Once that is in place and I've sat up, it gets easier. Sitting up is the most difficult part so far.
When my drilling partner added in more resistance, it was unsurprisingly harder to get, but seemed to lend itself to scarf hold escapes (though that might also have been because my partner was a judoka). They are already being pushed towards the legs, so it presumably feels fairly natural to turn into scarf hold. I need to look again at that stiff arm options Rockwell shows on that: I was shoving and reversing them, but I was being sloppy. Working into the frame when they've already got a cross-face is tough too, but that can be a good moment to try the standard stiff arm I first learned (shoving into their elbow from behind, like I was practicing on Friday).
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 06/09/2015
Looking again at what Jeff Rockwell says about frames, I realised that I had my arms too bent when drilling on Friday. I was also too low on their arms. The way Rockwell shows it, you have your forearms in front of you, almost at right angles, pressing your forearm into the crook of their elbow and the side of their neck. That's a different angle to the standard side control defensive frame, where you're more underneath your partner. This version stops them getting weight on you, and it is also something you can throw up as soon as they start to pass.
I think there is an element of pushing them towards your legs. I definitely had to make some space in order to do the initial bridge, as that's immediately followed by a quick horizontal slide of the elbow-arm, shifting across into a collar tie. Once that is in place and I've sat up, it gets easier. Sitting up is the most difficult part so far.
When my drilling partner added in more resistance, it was unsurprisingly harder to get, but seemed to lend itself to scarf hold escapes (though that might also have been because my partner was a judoka). They are already being pushed towards the legs, so it presumably feels fairly natural to turn into scarf hold. I need to look again at that stiff arm options Rockwell shows on that: I was shoving and reversing them, but I was being sloppy. Working into the frame when they've already got a cross-face is tough too, but that can be a good moment to try the standard stiff arm I first learned (shoving into their elbow from behind, like I was practicing on Friday).
30 August 2015
30/08/2015 - Open Mat | More Jeff Rockwell Sit-Up Escape
Class #662
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 30/08/2015
I seem to have done something to my ankle, so I didn't get all that involved today. My main bit of training came right at the end, with more material from Jeff Rockwell's sit-up escape instructional. Like an open mat earlier in the week, I'm focusing on a sequence he shows that starts from underneath side control. The escape begins with your usual frame, except that you are also blocking the cross-face, like Saulo advises. Bridge up into them to make some space, then get a collar tie (i.e., grab behind their head, hooking your hand around and pressing your elbow into their clavicle) with what was your cross-face blocking arm. Post on your other arm and sit up, then scoot away to recover guard.
They manage to shuck your collar tie off their head. Immediately push into the side of their head, swinging your hips and legs across like you would from a running escape. Wise to that as well, they come around the side of your leg. Finally, you counter that by stiff-arming into the back of their elbow, recovering to guard. Interestingly - and this was most likely down to the limited resistance during drilling - I kept finding myself in a pseudo omoplata position. Their arm often got trapped as I was swinging my legs through. Looking at the gi from Rockwell's instructional, his training partner lifts his elbow and brings his arm back to avoid that.
I'll add it into the drill: I'm still treating this as a drill rather than what I expect to happen in sparring. From what I read in the instructional, I am assuming this drill is intended to get you used to some of the common motions associated with the sit up escape system Rockwell has developed. I need to re-read/re-watch it from the start anyway, especially as I'm now moving into side control month. Perfect time to test it.
Another interesting technical point from today was Sam's use of the rolling back take I showed on Friday. He was finding that reaching back with his 'outer' arm and grabbing the bottom of their trouser leg 'locked' the technique in place. It also provided another leverage point to pull through, helping the back take.
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 30/08/2015
I seem to have done something to my ankle, so I didn't get all that involved today. My main bit of training came right at the end, with more material from Jeff Rockwell's sit-up escape instructional. Like an open mat earlier in the week, I'm focusing on a sequence he shows that starts from underneath side control. The escape begins with your usual frame, except that you are also blocking the cross-face, like Saulo advises. Bridge up into them to make some space, then get a collar tie (i.e., grab behind their head, hooking your hand around and pressing your elbow into their clavicle) with what was your cross-face blocking arm. Post on your other arm and sit up, then scoot away to recover guard.
They manage to shuck your collar tie off their head. Immediately push into the side of their head, swinging your hips and legs across like you would from a running escape. Wise to that as well, they come around the side of your leg. Finally, you counter that by stiff-arming into the back of their elbow, recovering to guard. Interestingly - and this was most likely down to the limited resistance during drilling - I kept finding myself in a pseudo omoplata position. Their arm often got trapped as I was swinging my legs through. Looking at the gi from Rockwell's instructional, his training partner lifts his elbow and brings his arm back to avoid that.
I'll add it into the drill: I'm still treating this as a drill rather than what I expect to happen in sparring. From what I read in the instructional, I am assuming this drill is intended to get you used to some of the common motions associated with the sit up escape system Rockwell has developed. I need to re-read/re-watch it from the start anyway, especially as I'm now moving into side control month. Perfect time to test it.
Another interesting technical point from today was Sam's use of the rolling back take I showed on Friday. He was finding that reaching back with his 'outer' arm and grabbing the bottom of their trouser leg 'locked' the technique in place. It also provided another leverage point to pull through, helping the back take.
23 August 2015
23/08/2015 - Open Mat | Jeff Rockwell Sit-Up Escape System vs North South & Knee Cut
Class #661
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 23/08/2015
Great open mat today, which also marks the first week that every single class has been in double digit attendance. Yay! Fittingly, an old training partner popped back in today, with the excellent news that he's moved back to Bristol, so should be with us regularly soon.
My primary goal today was to work on some more material from Jeff Rockwell's instructional (having started that at the previous open mat), covering what he calls the sit-up escape. I prefer calling it the stiff arm, though the actions of sitting up and holding your arm straight are both important to it, so take your pick. The comprehensive system he's shared via Artechoke Media progresses what I used to think of as just a side control escape into a myriad of application.
Of those, the two I focused on today were escaping north south and a pass counter. For the north-south escape, you need to get your arms into their armpits. Bridge, making enough space to bring one arm across to the other side, resulting in both your arms braced behind one of theirs. With your inside arm (i.e., the one that your brought across), grab the gi material by their elbow and stiff arm it away, straightening your arm.
Put your other arm behind you, using that as base. Sit up (you'll probably need to swing your legs for the momentum), continuing to push and keeping your stiff arm straight. Swivel to face them and recover your guard. My training partner Paul did an interesting spin, which was cool. It seemed effective when we switched roles and he was escaping my north south (exactly why I always switch roles when drilling stuff at open mat, as it often brings a new perspective to the technique I hadn't considered), but I felt more comfortable with the standard move out to the side Rockwell shows.
The next option was a stiff arm counter to the knee cut. Right at the moment their foot slides off your leg, sit up and stiff arm into their shoulder. Swing your legs out of the way (towards their head), reversing them to enable you to establish side control. I wasn't swinging my legs enough, though I was still able to get the reversal.
Switching roles, I tried to break the technique: the main thing that hindered it was quickly changing my angle to perpendicular as soon as I passed, as well as not leaning towards the underhook. However, with the stiff arm in place, that still generally gave Paul enough space to recover guard. I was impressed with how effective it seemed to be: I'm wondering if there is a risk of getting armbarred, will test that next time.
In sparring, I was trying to start under north south, but we seemed to quickly end up with me under side control doing that, so I didn't have time to try the escape. Today emphasised how my A game is very much knee cut to side control to either gi choke or some kind of arm attack. I'm liking armbars much more than before now, though I still feel safer with the north-south kimura. I'm not doing an especially good job of breaking their grip on armbars, though I am getting better at switching from side to side.
My omoplata attempts in closed guard weren't working too well. I was missing the switch into an armbar or triangle, something I should work on a bit more. Adding the collar tie from Rockwell's system has been handy for my open guard, giving me a helpful block to their passing efforts. I also landed the crucifix armbar, which was cool: I haven't done that in a while. This time I remembered my crucifix grips properly, unlike when I was last at RGA Bucks and totally forgot about controlling the non-leg wrapped arm.
Attacks from half guard all next week, using the lapel. That's had a big impact on my half guard, having trialled the submission series out over this month. I tried the same lapel trap to americana into a choke today, but off side control. It works from there too, though I wasn't able to lock off the choke as he managed to defend the other side of his neck with his hand. Keeping the Terere triangle option when I have the arm wrapped would be good too, although that does mean I lose the position, so lower down the chain for me.
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 23/08/2015
Great open mat today, which also marks the first week that every single class has been in double digit attendance. Yay! Fittingly, an old training partner popped back in today, with the excellent news that he's moved back to Bristol, so should be with us regularly soon. My primary goal today was to work on some more material from Jeff Rockwell's instructional (having started that at the previous open mat), covering what he calls the sit-up escape. I prefer calling it the stiff arm, though the actions of sitting up and holding your arm straight are both important to it, so take your pick. The comprehensive system he's shared via Artechoke Media progresses what I used to think of as just a side control escape into a myriad of application.
Of those, the two I focused on today were escaping north south and a pass counter. For the north-south escape, you need to get your arms into their armpits. Bridge, making enough space to bring one arm across to the other side, resulting in both your arms braced behind one of theirs. With your inside arm (i.e., the one that your brought across), grab the gi material by their elbow and stiff arm it away, straightening your arm.
Put your other arm behind you, using that as base. Sit up (you'll probably need to swing your legs for the momentum), continuing to push and keeping your stiff arm straight. Swivel to face them and recover your guard. My training partner Paul did an interesting spin, which was cool. It seemed effective when we switched roles and he was escaping my north south (exactly why I always switch roles when drilling stuff at open mat, as it often brings a new perspective to the technique I hadn't considered), but I felt more comfortable with the standard move out to the side Rockwell shows.
The next option was a stiff arm counter to the knee cut. Right at the moment their foot slides off your leg, sit up and stiff arm into their shoulder. Swing your legs out of the way (towards their head), reversing them to enable you to establish side control. I wasn't swinging my legs enough, though I was still able to get the reversal.
Switching roles, I tried to break the technique: the main thing that hindered it was quickly changing my angle to perpendicular as soon as I passed, as well as not leaning towards the underhook. However, with the stiff arm in place, that still generally gave Paul enough space to recover guard. I was impressed with how effective it seemed to be: I'm wondering if there is a risk of getting armbarred, will test that next time.
In sparring, I was trying to start under north south, but we seemed to quickly end up with me under side control doing that, so I didn't have time to try the escape. Today emphasised how my A game is very much knee cut to side control to either gi choke or some kind of arm attack. I'm liking armbars much more than before now, though I still feel safer with the north-south kimura. I'm not doing an especially good job of breaking their grip on armbars, though I am getting better at switching from side to side.
My omoplata attempts in closed guard weren't working too well. I was missing the switch into an armbar or triangle, something I should work on a bit more. Adding the collar tie from Rockwell's system has been handy for my open guard, giving me a helpful block to their passing efforts. I also landed the crucifix armbar, which was cool: I haven't done that in a while. This time I remembered my crucifix grips properly, unlike when I was last at RGA Bucks and totally forgot about controlling the non-leg wrapped arm.
Attacks from half guard all next week, using the lapel. That's had a big impact on my half guard, having trialled the submission series out over this month. I tried the same lapel trap to americana into a choke today, but off side control. It works from there too, though I wasn't able to lock off the choke as he managed to defend the other side of his neck with his hand. Keeping the Terere triangle option when I have the arm wrapped would be good too, although that does mean I lose the position, so lower down the chain for me.
11 October 2014
11/10/2014 - Artemis BJJ | Open Mat | Stiff Arm Escape
Class #598
Artemis BJJ (PHNX Fitness), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 11/10/2014
For the main escape, I ran through two variations, based on what I taught last time. The highest percentage option seems to be Marcelo Garcia's elbow push (technically it's the triceps, but he calls it 'elbow push' on MGinAction), he works from under a standard side control then brings their arm across. To do so, make some space by pressing into their neck and bridging if necessary, then sneaking your other hand under their arm and onto your head. Use that to bump their arm over, immediately transitioning to the pinch and shove. Still holding their arm, swing your legs straight up, then as they come down, use that momentum to sit up. Base out on your elbow, then move to basing on your hand. Continuing to push on their triceps, shrimp backwards into the space you've created, until you can recover guard.
That worked pretty well in progressive resistance and sparring. The one time I had trouble was when Paul was able to block my efforts to move the arm over by getting his elbow in tight on the near side. Easily remedied though, as you can just switch to a different escape: I went with a powerful bridge and recovered my guard instead.
I also went through the armpit push version I first saw several years ago, which was on an old Braulio instructional, with McLaughlin's video providing further details. You're under a standard side control, then they bring their arm over to the far side. Drive them towards their legs by pressing in that direction with the arm you have by their neck. This creates some room for you to get the other hand into their armpit. Straighten out your pushing arm, then try to immediately sit up in order to get onto your elbow then your hand. Keep pushing and sitting forward, until you can roll them over your hip. This shouldn't take much strength once you have them off-balance. Once that stiff arm is in place, the shrimping back to guard option is always there too, and probably more high percentage.
The problem I find with the armpit push is that their elbow is free to circle back, enabling them to recover their cross-face on top. That means if you don't get them really shoved out quickly, they will invariably wriggle back to side control. It's key to shove their head and their armpit down towards their hip, rather than just backwards.
Artemis BJJ (PHNX Fitness), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 11/10/2014
For the main escape, I ran through two variations, based on what I taught last time. The highest percentage option seems to be Marcelo Garcia's elbow push (technically it's the triceps, but he calls it 'elbow push' on MGinAction), he works from under a standard side control then brings their arm across. To do so, make some space by pressing into their neck and bridging if necessary, then sneaking your other hand under their arm and onto your head. Use that to bump their arm over, immediately transitioning to the pinch and shove. Still holding their arm, swing your legs straight up, then as they come down, use that momentum to sit up. Base out on your elbow, then move to basing on your hand. Continuing to push on their triceps, shrimp backwards into the space you've created, until you can recover guard. That worked pretty well in progressive resistance and sparring. The one time I had trouble was when Paul was able to block my efforts to move the arm over by getting his elbow in tight on the near side. Easily remedied though, as you can just switch to a different escape: I went with a powerful bridge and recovered my guard instead.
I also went through the armpit push version I first saw several years ago, which was on an old Braulio instructional, with McLaughlin's video providing further details. You're under a standard side control, then they bring their arm over to the far side. Drive them towards their legs by pressing in that direction with the arm you have by their neck. This creates some room for you to get the other hand into their armpit. Straighten out your pushing arm, then try to immediately sit up in order to get onto your elbow then your hand. Keep pushing and sitting forward, until you can roll them over your hip. This shouldn't take much strength once you have them off-balance. Once that stiff arm is in place, the shrimping back to guard option is always there too, and probably more high percentage.
The problem I find with the armpit push is that their elbow is free to circle back, enabling them to recover their cross-face on top. That means if you don't get them really shoved out quickly, they will invariably wriggle back to side control. It's key to shove their head and their armpit down towards their hip, rather than just backwards.
07 July 2013
07/07/2013 - Study Hall at Gracie Barra Bristol
Class #507
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Study Hall, Bristol, UK - 27/06/2013
For some time now, there has been a desire at the club to get in some extra drilling time. Thanks to the efforts of Geraldine, we have something Geeza calls 'study hall', which appears to be the Gracie Barra answer to an open mat. The idea is that you come to the class with an idea of what techniques you want to work on, drawing upon the experience of the higher belts.
Originally Geeza was going to be leading the class, but unfortunately he has hurt his back, meaning that Dónal oversaw the study hall instead. We started off with the same warm-up as always, after which we just paired up and started drilling. There was a section later on where Dónal ran through some other drills for those who didn't have something specific in mind, but as Mike and I knew exactly what we wanted to drill, we kept going.
It was really good to have the opportunity for focused drilling. I'm therefore fully intending to attend as many of these sessions as I can. Today, the first technique I wanted to play with was the sweep I saw Henry Akins demonstrate at the Sandy Hook seminar. The reason I liked it is that the sweep looked mechanically very simple, directly from closed guard. I don't know if it has a name, so I'll just refer to it as the Henry Akins sweep. The scenario is that they are attempting to being their pass by putting a knee in the middle of your bum, after which they will look to open your guard.
The typical reaction to that is to pop your hips across to return to guard. If they put their knee in the middle, you pop across again. This can be very frustrating for them, but it can also be tiring for you, given that you may find yourself doing this repeatedly. To break that cycle, do it a couple of times, then switch direction. When they put their knee in the middle, rather than moving towards your other knee, move away, to the other side of their knee.
You also want to have a grip on the sleeve that side, using your opposite hand. You can then pull them forward, then turn your hips in the direction of that sleeve, coming up on top. If they try to resist, you can use your free hand to base (this is why you grip with your opposite hand). Drilling with increasing resistance, it appears to be a fairly effective sweep: even if they are resisting, as long as you can control that sleeve and remember to pull them forward you can still pull off the sweep. Possibly something that might combine well with the sit-up sweep, from a teaching perspective.
Next up I wanted to play with some butterfly sweep variations I saw on the Carlos Machado DVD I reviewed recently for Jiu Jitsu Style (and speaking of upcoming DVDs, Roy Dean's much-anticipated Black Belt Requirements will be arriving in a few months. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek: I'll be excited to see the finished product. Here is the trailer). However, while it was fun to test out what I'd seen Machado show, I think I need to do a lot more work on basic butterfly first, so I soon switched back to the previous Akins sweep.
The other technique I wanted to practice was the running escape. My drilling partner Mike was playing with the stiff arm escape, something I had already been planning to teach on Tuesday, so that was fortuitous. I was also thinking of how I might connect it with the running escape, as that is still something I need to improve. After briefly drilling the stiff arm myself, I was getting twinges from my right arm again, meaning that instead I just got in some reps on the completing the running escape, using the hip thrust type thing Marcelo and Saulo both use.
First off, don't kick them in the head: I did that when I initially shoved into Mike and swung my legs through. Secondly, timing the motion isn't easy. It is something I say when I teach it, but the whole weight distribution sensitivity is key. It gets harder as you get more fatigued as well, given that shoving your hips into them like that takes a bit of energy. If they are at all bigger than you or are just good at sinking their weight, that's going to be really, really tough. But meh, lots of drilling should help. :)
Practicing with Mike on what he wanted to drill was helpful for me too. We started off just working the mechanics, then gradually built up the resistance, to see if Mike could incorporate a few different sweeps after he used the stiff arm to prevent the double underhook pass. If he is able to get into the various off-balancing open guards that he uses, it becomes a struggle to avoid being swept (which made for an interesting challenge).
I was also trying to see where the weak points in the technique might be. One thing I managed to do a few times was bring my knee over the top as soon as I felt his stiff arm pushing me off-balance. That helped me re-establish my base to turn back towards him and go for mount. If he could hook under my leg before I could that, then I was at risk of being entangled in Mike's tricky open guard, or more simply he could just scoot back quicker.
I look forward to the next study hall: it's also likely to be useful for refreshing my memory about the technique I want to teach on Tuesday, as well as offering the chance for experimenting and refining those techniques before I get to my class. All in all, a very positive addition to the Gracie Barra Bristol schedule. :D
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Study Hall, Bristol, UK - 27/06/2013
For some time now, there has been a desire at the club to get in some extra drilling time. Thanks to the efforts of Geraldine, we have something Geeza calls 'study hall', which appears to be the Gracie Barra answer to an open mat. The idea is that you come to the class with an idea of what techniques you want to work on, drawing upon the experience of the higher belts.
Originally Geeza was going to be leading the class, but unfortunately he has hurt his back, meaning that Dónal oversaw the study hall instead. We started off with the same warm-up as always, after which we just paired up and started drilling. There was a section later on where Dónal ran through some other drills for those who didn't have something specific in mind, but as Mike and I knew exactly what we wanted to drill, we kept going.
It was really good to have the opportunity for focused drilling. I'm therefore fully intending to attend as many of these sessions as I can. Today, the first technique I wanted to play with was the sweep I saw Henry Akins demonstrate at the Sandy Hook seminar. The reason I liked it is that the sweep looked mechanically very simple, directly from closed guard. I don't know if it has a name, so I'll just refer to it as the Henry Akins sweep. The scenario is that they are attempting to being their pass by putting a knee in the middle of your bum, after which they will look to open your guard.
The typical reaction to that is to pop your hips across to return to guard. If they put their knee in the middle, you pop across again. This can be very frustrating for them, but it can also be tiring for you, given that you may find yourself doing this repeatedly. To break that cycle, do it a couple of times, then switch direction. When they put their knee in the middle, rather than moving towards your other knee, move away, to the other side of their knee.
You also want to have a grip on the sleeve that side, using your opposite hand. You can then pull them forward, then turn your hips in the direction of that sleeve, coming up on top. If they try to resist, you can use your free hand to base (this is why you grip with your opposite hand). Drilling with increasing resistance, it appears to be a fairly effective sweep: even if they are resisting, as long as you can control that sleeve and remember to pull them forward you can still pull off the sweep. Possibly something that might combine well with the sit-up sweep, from a teaching perspective.
Next up I wanted to play with some butterfly sweep variations I saw on the Carlos Machado DVD I reviewed recently for Jiu Jitsu Style (and speaking of upcoming DVDs, Roy Dean's much-anticipated Black Belt Requirements will be arriving in a few months. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek: I'll be excited to see the finished product. Here is the trailer). However, while it was fun to test out what I'd seen Machado show, I think I need to do a lot more work on basic butterfly first, so I soon switched back to the previous Akins sweep.
The other technique I wanted to practice was the running escape. My drilling partner Mike was playing with the stiff arm escape, something I had already been planning to teach on Tuesday, so that was fortuitous. I was also thinking of how I might connect it with the running escape, as that is still something I need to improve. After briefly drilling the stiff arm myself, I was getting twinges from my right arm again, meaning that instead I just got in some reps on the completing the running escape, using the hip thrust type thing Marcelo and Saulo both use.
First off, don't kick them in the head: I did that when I initially shoved into Mike and swung my legs through. Secondly, timing the motion isn't easy. It is something I say when I teach it, but the whole weight distribution sensitivity is key. It gets harder as you get more fatigued as well, given that shoving your hips into them like that takes a bit of energy. If they are at all bigger than you or are just good at sinking their weight, that's going to be really, really tough. But meh, lots of drilling should help. :)
I was also trying to see where the weak points in the technique might be. One thing I managed to do a few times was bring my knee over the top as soon as I felt his stiff arm pushing me off-balance. That helped me re-establish my base to turn back towards him and go for mount. If he could hook under my leg before I could that, then I was at risk of being entangled in Mike's tricky open guard, or more simply he could just scoot back quicker.
I look forward to the next study hall: it's also likely to be useful for refreshing my memory about the technique I want to teach on Tuesday, as well as offering the chance for experimenting and refining those techniques before I get to my class. All in all, a very positive addition to the Gracie Barra Bristol schedule. :D
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