30/11/2013 - Private with Kev (Closed & Open Guard)

Class #538 - Private #017
RGA Aylesbury, (BJJ), Kev Capel, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK - 30/11/2013

I've taken a private lesson with Kev before, three years ago. Since I started training at the Wycombe branch in 2009, RGA Bucks has remained a home base for me, even though I have moved to various bits of the country in the ensuing years. Kev is still the black belt overseeing my rank, which also hasn't changed since 2009.

I wasn't making it back as often as I'd like in 2012 and 2013, so I decided in October this year that I was going to get down to RGA Bucks more regularly. I can combine that with visiting my parents in Aylesbury for birthdays, which I try to set aside for family time. I've got two nieces with a third on the way, so in addition to the rest of my immediate family that makes for eight birthdays a year plus xmas. So, at worst that should average out to a trip to the RGA Bucks mats about every two months.

A long-distance instructor/student relationship isn't all that common in BJJ, but with regular contact I think it can work. For the first of what should be many private lessons over the next few years, Kev and I started off by talking about where I'm at in my jiu jitsu game, as well as how things went in sparring during the preceding lesson. As any reader of this blog will know, I am an inveterate self-analyser, so I've got a reasonable idea of my weak areas. That means it's extremely useful to run through them with a black belt (especially a black belt close to my size who also happens to be a very good teacher, like Kev).

The main problem I've always had is my passivity, which in large part is down to my personality. What I need to start doing more is 'pulling the trigger' on techniques, rather than getting stuck thinking about the ten different options from that position, or going for it but then backing off when it doesn't seem to be as immediately effective as I'd hoped. That old "if you think, you're late" Saulo quote is relevant, so although I'm wary of anything that implies thinking is ever negative, I do need to try and be more streamlined in my reactions.

Kev went through a number of principles and technical tweaks that would help me with that, focusing on one of the biggest gaps in my jiu jitsu: an effective offence from open guard. Most of the time, I use open guard to simply keep people at bay, but as I just stay defensive, it becomes a matter of when rather than if they pass. I can manage to tie people up in spider guard for a while, pushing against their hips, but rarely move into any sweeps or attacks.

Similar to how I worked with Donal on improving what I already know and use, the main attack from open guard remains the tripod to sickle sweep combination. Kev suggested that I should be approaching open guard from an upright starting position, basing behind with one arm. That's more mobile and also less vulnerable than lying on your back with your feet flailing at them. From that seated position, grab their collar with one arm.

If you do the collar grip, be aware that there is a potential attack they can do here, if you're not careful. By basing on the floor with an arm, they can jump up into a armbar on your outstretched arm. Kev noted that Dan Strauss is a big fan of that. If you see them base on the floor with an arm when you have the collar grip, be prepared (e.g., elbow back, shift the grip, go for your attack, etc).

Presuming you aren't getting flying armbarred, with that collar grip, you can do a collar drag and take the back. You can also use it to swing in for their ankle with your other hand. That sets you up for either an ankle pick (a bit like last month at RGA Bucks), or moving into the tripod sweep. Interestingly, Kev advocates the heel grip, not the trouser grip. This isn't loose though: pull that heel up onto your hip, which both puts them off balance and makes it harder for them to kick free.

Particularly if they are futher away, you also want to follow the Roy Harris advice (Kev pointed to Michael Langhi, who says the same thing) about always keeping your feet on your opponent: that could be hooking behind their knees or leg, pushing on the hip, the chest, the biceps or their shoulder. To counter a leg drag and certain other passes, push off their opposite shoulder with your foot.

If you mess up and they get further along, there are two options Kev noted. The first one is when they drop their weight onto you. Shove their hand towards your legs (to prevent them turning towards your head and securing a cross face), bringing your other arm around their hip. From there, you can roll them over.

The second one was something Kev said he's been having a lot of success with. He calls it the nappy grip, which is an odd name but makes perfect sense when you see it. I've been told that the same grip is used in a number of guards, such as what gets called 'lapel guard' (specifically the grip switch Keenan does here at 01:18 or so). Kev also mentioned it has been used by Bernardo Faria at the highest level (some people apparently refer to it as the 'Faria grip', which would make sense).

As there doesn't seem to be a widely used standard term, I think I'll use mawashi grip: that's the thing sumo wrestlers wear and should help me remember what it looks like. The position reminds me of the de la Riva sweep position I learned at Gracie Barra Birmingham back in 2010, where you feed their sleeve between their legs to your other hand, then knock them over. If you can't get their hand, you can use their belt or lapel, which is what Kev does for this grip.

However, he takes it a step further. You've pushed their belt or lapel past their leg, then fed that to your other hand, which is reaching around the outside. You're then going to switch grips around, bringing your first hand around the outside and re-gripping. This clamps the lapel or belt tightly around their leg and bum, hence the name. It's the same kind of grip as the Roy Dean/brabo/lapel from closed guard, taught to me by Donal a few months ago.

Once you have that grip, you can then grab their hip and sweep if they put their weight on you like the earlier technique. If they don't have their weight on you, it's possible to move around and sort of old school sweep them. It also makes it very hard for them to push the knee through for a knee slide. I found that last time I visited RGA Bucks in October, as Kev did it to me repeatedly. The defence is to do a crescent kick, TKD style, as soon as they get that belt grip (be careful you don't smack them in the face, though).

In this private lesson, we had a brief spar at the start and end to first work out some weak areas and then to shore them up: again, Kev used that mawashi/nappy grip to great effect. The same principle can work in side control, like Roy Dean shows, as well as when passing, especially passing butterfly guard. When there is any clearance under their back, pull their gi lapel under their body, then do the same outside switch grip.

Donal's closed guard grip functions well too, of course. Kev has a tweak on that closed guard option, as he grips the same way, but deeper, securing his final grip by the armpit, not the neck. That also leads into the final bit of this write-up, where again it is something I've already been working on for a while now (Kev's lesson kept perfectly addressing those questions I've been raising with myself over the last year or two, possibly longer).

The general principle is that if your open guard isn't that strong, then why open your closed guard in the first place? Another way of putting it (I'm not sure who first said this: might have been Carlson?) is that they should be have to struggle to open your closed guard, don't give it to them. Either way, I have wanted to improve my closed guard for a good while, having taken several privates with Donal for that purpose.

I have been playing with chokes and sweeps. Kev prefers to take the back, an area I have considered but not concentrated on to the same extent. Break the grip on their left side, as most people are weaker there. Drag the arm across, then stiff arm, making sure you stay on top of their wrist rather than letting your grip slip underneath. With your other arm, reach around to their hip or their armpit.

Ideally, you want to be able to rotate them into your back control, relying on leverage rather than force or lots of agile scrambling (again, this builds on something I have already covered with Donal). That combines nicely with what Kev calls the kimura sweep, essentially a variation on the sit up sweep.

When you break their grip and drag their arm across for the back take, they will most likely resist, trying to pull their arm away. At that point, switch to a sit-up sweep, but keep hold of their arm, rather than posting behind for base. Knock into their opposite hip, then pull your gripping hand back to your armpit.

This will mean they can't post, so there is no barrier to knocking them to the mat apart from the knees and posture. That could potentially also fit into the windscreen wiper sweep, unsurprising because Donal's private lesson on that technique combined it with another sit up sweep variation where you grab their sleeve.

All in all a very helpful private: I'm looking forward to trying to implement this into my jiu jitsu. I am not training as much as I would like at the moment, but that should hopefully resolve itself soon, meaning I'll finally be in a long-term position where I can train as much as I'd like in a conducive atmosphere . :)

06/03/2013 - Gracie Barra Bristol (Tripod Sweep & Closed Guard Back Take)

Update Jan 2014: I've since moved to Artemis BJJ in the centre of Bristol. Artemis BJJ currently has classes on Mondays and Wednesdays from 19:30-20:30 at Bristol Sports Centre: for full details, head over to the Locations page.

Class #492
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Nicolai 'Geeza' Holt, Bristol, UK - 06/03/2013

I headed down to Geeza's class straight from the private lesson. I was especially keen to attend to today, as Geeza said in his text message he was covering one of my favourite techniques, the tripod sweep. I'm always interested to glean more details on techniques I teach in my own classes, so was hoping Geeza would have a different take (which he did). Which means I can add that into the class I'll teach tomorrow.

The 'self defence' bit was basically a double leg takedown, driving straight forward. Due to being positioned as 'self defence', this was off ducking a looping overhand punch. I'm more familiar with slipping round to the back, as that's something I've drilled more often: in tonight's version, you drive straight forward, putting yourself in their guard. I had to be careful when it was my partner's turn, as heavy impact on the ground is exactly what my injury doesn't need. Hence why I was completely ignoring the proper way to breakfall, instead putting my hand behind me and lowering myself down slowly.

Getting on to the tripod sweep, grab their sleeve with both hands, putting your feet on the hips. This helps control the distance. From there, leave one foot on the hip while the other drops down behind their other heel (I prefer behind the knee, so that already reminded me of a variation I can add when I teach it). Leaving a hand on the sleeve, use your same side hand on the hip-foot side to grab their ankle.

Geeza prefers to cup their ankle, which requires good timing: the other option is to get a grasp of their trouser cuff. There appears to be some disagreement between black belts as to which is the better grip, but the latter makes most sense to me. First time I learned it 2008, Nic G advised cupping the ankle, which looking back seems to be true every time I've learned this sweep so far. If Geeza is reading this, you're right: Roger has always emphasised grabbing the trouser leg rather than cupping the ankle, as this is the post I was thinking of. ;)

From here, you're going to push with your hip foot, pull with your other foot and block with your ankle gripping hand. That should knock them over, meaning you can come on top. Again, Geeza does this differently to the method I normally use, as he moves back rather than forwards. After you've knocked them down, put your hooking foot on the floor, bring your other leg behind you. Let go of their sleeve.

Stand up, holding on to their trouser leg, pulling up and then pushing the leg towards them. That will make it difficult for them to recover, as you move around to a dominant position like side control or knee on belly. Standing up when someone has your foot in the air is hard. My instructor at RGA Bucks, Kev Capel, teaches the technique the same way in this video:



I was expecting Geeza to follow up with the sickle sweep, but instead he showed a back take, presumably in keeping with the Gracie Barra Fundamentals syllabus. They have the standard grips inside your closed guard. Grab the hand by your chest with both hands, gripping the sleeve on either side of their wrist. Thrust that hand away from you (same direction as the side their arm is on), also turning slightly and moving your shoulder back for increased leverage.

Maintaining your grip, pull their arm back across the other way as far as you can. Let go with your near arm and reach around their back, aiming to lock them to your body in an awkward position turned on their side. Clamp your chest to your back, so that you can then release the grip on their sleeve and use that hand for base. Slide your knee out, then swing the other leg over to establish your first hook. From there, you can roll them into back control.

Specific sparring was from open guard, with the proviso that the person standing can't kneel. This was a perfect follow-up to my private lesson earlier, as now I could practice my passing. It was all white belts and none of them were significantly heavier than me, which is a good environment for testing out techniques you haven't used often. The first hurdle to overcome was reaching the starting position for the pass. Which I didn't.

The difficulty was getting in tight enough to then step my leg forward, driving into the back of their knee, in order to get a grip on the collar and pull their shoulders off the mat. I wasn't able to stop them pushing me back with their legs, though I did still get the knee cut several times more sloppily. However, it seemed that when they push you away with their legs like that, it can set up the bullfighter pass quite nicely. That's something I'll ask Dónal about.

I could perhaps use the knuckles into the shin grip more: my natural grip is inside the knees, as that also means I can pop their foot off my hip with my elbow and then punch my hands into the mat for the bullfighter. I was also using my back-up half guard grip a lot, where you have an elbow behind their head, gripping their back, facing their legs. I used that to force half guard and pass from there a few times. However, I was clearly using too much strength, as I was breathing heavily afterwards (I didn't get a break during king of the hill, which obviously contributed, but still, I shouldn't have been using that much energy).

On the bottom, I went for the tripod and sickle over and over again, which generally proved successful, but then it was small white belts. I was pleased that my leg appeared to hold up ok, meaning that is the first bit of sparring I've been able to do without feeling crippled since September, which is cool.

15/05/2011 - RGA Aylesbury

Class #397
RGA Aylesbury, (BJJ), Kev Capel, Aylesbury, UK - 15/05/2011

I was visiting my parents and sister at the weekend, meaning my lovely nieces were there too, which is always fun. I've no plans to have kids myself, but I do enjoy being an uncle: all the fun and cuteness of small children, none of the huge financial outlay, nappy-changing or sleepless nights. Also meant I had the new experience of helping a three year old go to the toilet (I had plenty of experience changing nappies back when I looked after her for eight months in 2009, as she wasn’t potty trained then). Top tip: make sure they've pulled their knickers down before you lift them onto the toilet. Only just noticed in time, or that could have been messy. Ahem.

The new house my parents have bought in Aylesbury is a short cycle ride from RGA Bucks, which is extremely convenient. I was lazy and got a lift in the car this time, as I wanted to get maximum toddler time, which also meant I only did the beginner class, leaving before the open mat. I intend to drop in to RGA Bucks whenever I'm at my parents' house, especially as it is so nearby. Good way to stay in touch with an awesome group of training partners, as well as being on the receiving end of a guaranteed arse-kicking (given that there are people like Callum, Draz and Sahid training there).

Kev's class was as excellent as ever, particularly as he included a couple of techniques I've been planning to teach myself, for one of my Thursday GB Bristol lessons. He started off with the right way to pull guard, which without any doubt is what I'd do should I compete again for some reason.

You have the standard collar and elbow grip from standing. Put your foot up on their elbow-side hip, then drop to your back while spinning your head towards their elbow-side foot. As you maintain the grip on their collar, that will break their posture. From here, you could potentially go straight into an attack, or simply look to close your guard, or possibly enter into an open guard.

Kev went with option number one, running through two sweeps that work well together. I'll be going into more detail on these when I come to teach them myself, but the first one is called the tripod sweep (among other things: jiu jitsu has an annoying habit of many, many names for the same thing, unlike judo). From the guard pull, you're going to slide your hands down their sleeve until you reach their cuff. Grab that tightly on either side of their wrist, clamping your elbows to your side.

This is a surprisingly difficult hold to break, and keeps them bent over. Disengage your elbow-side hand, grabbing their same side foot behind the heel (or the bottom of their trousers, being careful not to reach inside the bottom of their trouser cuff: that will get you disqualified in competition, due to the danger to your own fingers). Pull their foot and stick it to your hip, so their foot is slightly off the floor.

Your other foot goes behind their same side heel. You will then simultaneously push on their hip with your foot, yank their other foot forward with your other foot, while also holding their remaining foot in position by your hip. This should knock them backwards: thanks to your sleeve grip, you should be able to follow them up as they fall down. Pass through to side control, keeping control of their foot throughout so they can't establish some sort of guard.

However, you have a problem if they turn sideways when you attempt that sweep. The pressure and leverage is no longer right for taking them down. Fortunately, you can easily solve your problem by switching to the sickle sweep. Basically, all you do is switch the position of your feet. So, the foot that was on their hip goes behind their foot. The foot you had by their heel now goes to their hip.

That also means you have twisted to face them. Push on their hip and chop back with your foot to take them down. Again, use the sleeve grip to come up, while still pulling their foot to your hip with your hand. Also remember to still control their foot on the way up, as you don't want them to put you in guard.

Sparring was from open guard. I was with Callum, meaning that as often happens with Callum, I kept thinking I'd passed, only for him to spin through and scupper the attempt. He's really good at spinning, so I must remember to pick his brain about it next time we're both at an open mat. I need to work out how to control both his hips when I pass so that he can't simply spin away from me, going into various inverted guards and the like.

Underneath, I thought that looked like fun so I'd give it a go too. Unfortunately, I'm not anywhere as good at it, so generally just got passed instead. Still, good to try it out, as I'm relatively flexible, so don't mind my legs being over my head. I wasn't able to establish my preferred open guard, which is spider guard with a deep lasso on one arm. Callum was wise to that, so made sure I couldn't get it in deep.

That meant that although he put a knee up, I couldn't attempt the sweep I'd be practicing for when people raise a knee, because it depends on having the lasso. Hence the back up plan of spinning around. Didn't prove successful, but it's essential to not rely on just one thing, even if the one thing is a series of moves. If you can't get into your starting position, you need something else to try.

The second of my two rolls that class was with a female white belt I hadn't seen before, Hayley (Haley? I think it normally has two 'y's). She was wearing a Roger Gracie Academy gi, which either means she was visiting from HQ, or Kev sells the patched up RGA gis at his club too. Either way, she was a good training partner, and doing the right thing when I was trying to pass, stopping me from getting good control of her leg.

She also gave me an opportunity to go into instructor mode, which is always nice. My purple belt, despite being A2, is kinda long for me, so the ends dangle temptingly for anyone playing guard. She asked if it was allowed to grab the belt and use it to attack. I said that it was, unless the belt actually falls off: you can't go ahead and tie a noose round somebody's neck (although this guy tried, as you might have seen linked on some forum or other).

When we switched positions shortly afterwards, I could then demonstrate, sweeping her by bringing the end of her belt behind one of her legs and passing it to my hand. It wasn't a very good sweep, but hopefully illustrated the point. I was thinking of the de la Riva sweeps I got shown at Gracie Barra Birmingham a while ago.

Also finally picked up my contributors copy of Jiu Jitsu Style issue 2, as Callum had left one with Kev for me. If you're wondering what bits I did this time round, I provided the Barbosa DVD review and the Carlson Gracie Academy history. Good review of the whole mag by Leslie over on BJJ Grrl, which I think is due to be joined by various others. If you don't fancy a print copy, remember you can pick it up through iTunes, or there is a non-Applefied digital version over on PocketMags.

14/01/2011 - RGA Aylesbury (Beginner)

Class #373
RGA Aylesbury, (BJJ), Kev Capel, Aylesbury, UK - 14/01/2011

My parents have now moved to temporary accommodation near Tring while the new place in Aylesbury is being built. I certainly can't complain about the view from my laptop: should be a pleasant way to finish off my time here, before heading off to the city (unless my girlfriend buys somewhere in Bristol before then, but I can't imagine we'll have anything sorted by March).

That also means that training has shifted yet again, although I can still stick with RGA Bucks. The difference is that rather than the High Wycombe location, I'll now be going to the one in Aylesbury, which is closer (and will obviously be even more convenient once we move to Aylesbury itself). Just like the previous time I went to the Aylesbury branch, I got lost and had to phone Kev. Hopefully that won't happen again, especially now that I've got smartphone GPS map power. :)

Tonight's lesson was essentially a repeat of this one from a few months ago (a good thing, as that was an excellent class). The open guard drill I liked so much last time had a handy addition, during the third stage where you're bringing your legs past your head then pushing off your toes to roll back into guard. You can instead continue your roll and end up on your knees, ready to initiate a takedown. This is especially helpful if your opponent is larger and has already started to drive their weight into you. Attempting to roll to guard at this point may leave you stuck halfway. If you roll the other way, to your knees, that lack of space is less of an issue.

Kev added in a useful tip about the tripod sweep, in regards to establishing that grip on the ankle. If you first hook behind their leg with your same side foot, that means they can't avoid your grip by stepping back. You can then adjust your feet into the necessary positions. As before, that then shifts into a sickle sweep if they go side on, on a De La Riva back-take if they turn too far (see my earlier write-up for details).

Specific sparring with Callum from open guard was rather one-sided, particularly when I was trying to pass. I wasn't getting anywhere, though I was at least trying to use pressure and driving my hips forward. I was mainly attempting to trap one of his legs by sitting on it, then working to pass from there. However, even when I did isolate the leg, Callum was able to use a combination of his other leg and good hip movement to recover guard, or indeed sweep me. I flew past his head, got rolled from deep half and was taken down by the very same rolling to knees move we'd just learned.

Still, it is all useful in the sense that it helps me become more familiar with the pressure I need, where to control and how to balance. The only way to improve is to fail repeatedly first, making sure I think carefully about exactly where and why I'm failing. I guess BJJ wouldn't be as much fun if it was easy. ;)

Underneath I fared slightly better, as I could use my legs to hold him off. I tried the foot in bicep tactics that I'd been playing with in Bristol, which worked for a while, but I eventually got bunched up and passed. The spider guard with a deep lasso on his arm worked better, as that gives really good control, but I wasn't able to do much with it. As Kev advised before, I still need to attempt more attacks.

Closest I got to that was looking for the De La Riva sweeps I'd been taught at GB Brum, but as ever I struggled to maintain any tension with the leg pressing into the knee. Callum had no trouble at all disengaging that pressure, controlling the leg and moving round for a pass. I also need to consider linking the sweep with that other one where you switch your legs and drive forward (which doesn't need the same pressure into the far knee).

Like Thursday classes at RGA Wycombe, the Friday class at RGA Aylesbury then moves into an extra hour of sparring. I started off with a blue belt, where the foot in bicep guard worked better. I was able to move into a triangle, and then somehow ended up in mount. My legs were unlocked, but it was clearly a dominant position. However, I then mostly just started at him, fiddling uselessly with his arm to see if it might magically trigger some memory of a submission.

Eventually I clumsily moved into a vaguely locked triangle, but the choke wasn't on. He tapped a bit later, but only because I was squishing his head, rather than any kind of actual submission. So, mounted triangles are clearly yet another technique I need to greatly improve: I did try rolling into a more conventional triangle from guard, but I think ended up back in mount, somehow.

My next partner was a white belt, who I think was a little bigger than me. Either way, after a bit of footsie against his arms from open guard, I found myself in some random positions. He was looking to choke me with his legs, but didn't have my arm. So, it was uncomfortable, particularly when he tried using his own arm to get the choke (which I have seen done), but I was able to squirm out to his side control. That led to the inevitable running escape posture, which is where I stayed until time ran out.

I was with a blue for the next roll, and the gods of jiu jitsu decided to punish me for stalling. I had my leg up defensively as my partner was looking to pass. He started to apply pressure, while I countered with my leg at a slightly awkward angle. I pushed to try and recover guard, which resulted in a loud ripping sound.

Having seen the numerous knee injury war stories passed around on forums, visions of months in hospital immediately sprung to mind. However, after that moment of panic, I realised that I wasn't screaming in agony clutching my knee, so it can't have been that bad. At this point I was hoping the noise originated from my trousers somewhere, although I couldn't see a rip.

After I gingerly squeezed my knee a few times and carefully tested if the leg could hold my weight, Kev advised that I should be ok to go light, but to stop if anything twinged. The rest of the roll was therefore gentle, so although I ended up in side control, I think that had a lot more to do with my partner's concern he might have just messed up my knee rather than any skill on my part. I don't think the injury was anything to do with him, as the main pressure came from my attempt to recover guard.

Either way, I'm not one to take risks (almost certainly a large part of the reason my game, if I can call it that, is so passive), so I sat out the rest of the sparring. Now that it is a few hours later and I've walked around, I can be more specific. The pain is in the right tendon on the back of my left knee, whatever that's called. It feels sore, but as I can still stand up and put weight on the leg, I'm hoping it will heal up ok in the next few days. I'll have to be careful not to crouch though: that definitely hurt when I just tried it.

30/11/2010 - BJJ (Beginner)

Class #364
RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 30/11/2010

I arrived back from Germany late last night, which made for a pleasant short trip, plus some very tasty food courtesy of my grandparent's Diamond Wedding Anniversary in Maastricht. Unfortunate that all the art galleries in Aachen appear to be closed on Mondays, but still, bunch of other stuff to see: write up here, if you're thinking of a trip there yourself.

If you're interested in winning some Scramble gear, check out the new competition Matt is running, in conjunction with a bunch of other sites. Also, I think I've mentioned the Robson online seminar already, but either way, they've now got a podcast up about it, here.

Kev started off with a cool open guard drill, building up through increasingly difficult positions. All of them had one person doing a basic bullfighter pass, stepping to your side, and then you readjust to recover guard. The first stage, they don't step particularly deep. So, you can bring your outside foot to the inside of their nearest leg, then use that to square back up in open guard. Make sure you hook with that foot, or they'll be able to easily step out and continue to pass. If you're got a hook secured, you'll follow them when they try to move.

The next stage, they've gone a bit deeper, so their foot is by your hip. Now, you will have to shrimp a bit before you can hook, pushing off their leg with your hands. You can then proceed as normal, again hooking and squaring up. If you're very flexible, you could try hooking without the shrimping motion, but it isn't advisable.

For the final stage, they've passed to knee on belly. This time, you hook around their knee with your near hand, then step the foot nearest their legs right over your own body. You're aiming to turn your hips, so that you end up with your bum in the air, both feet past your head. You then push off your feet and roll back into guard.

On an interesting terminological note, when I mentioned the similarity to Saulo's running escape, Kev said he'd also seen Jean Jacque Machado use the same escape, except that Machado called it the coffee grinder. Well, I found it interesting. ;p

The first full technique was the tripod sweep, which we've done a few times before (although I referred to it as a cross guard sweep last time). You can also see it on page 228 of Theory & Technique (though they use the term 'hook sweep' instead). In short, you have a cross-grip, grabbing their same side heel with your other hand. Push on that hip with your same side foot, while simultaneously hooking and pushing behind the other leg. Come up from there and slide past into side control, stepping over their leg with your other foot.

Kev moved on to another technique demonstrated in Theory & Technique, the sickle sweep (page 226): as I mention in the review, the organisation of that book is completely random, so these two basic techniques are in the brown belt section. They combine together very well, as Kev showed. You're going for the tripod sweep, but they angle themselves to the side, avoiding your hook and stepping that leg back. Rather than trying to wriggle into place to try again, you can instead switch the position of your feet.

So, you will remove the foot your had on their hip, replacing it with your hooking leg. The foot that was on their hip now goes behind their other foot. As before, you push on the hip and yank back with your hook, knocking them to the floor. The main difference is that when you come up to pass this time, your other knee will be up, so you'll need to make sure to shove their leg down and step over, enabling you to complete your knee slide.

The third option wasn't demonstrated, but said in passing, because some people were stepping too far during drilling. If your partner steps way back so they're very side on, then they've basically given you their back. You can now take their back, using the De La Riva technique I've seen previously.

Sparring was from open guard, and I started with Kev. On top, I wasn't able to do much, so tried to drive my hips forward and attempt to grab his leg with both hands, yanking it up and then sliding down to side control. Every time I tried that, he just turned to his knees. So, I'm definitely doing something wrong there, as he had loads of space.

Underneath, Kev advised that I need to break his grips, which is a relatively simple technique. Reach behind their grip with your arm, grabbing your own gi if you require additional leverage. Then kick out to strip the grip. However, don't do what I did, which was kicking out to the side: that cunningly gifts them a pass.

I also tried that spider guard grip again from Braulio, which I got, but as I was looking to move into the triangle attack, Kev had already circled his hand behind my leg and initiated his escape. Finally, I had a go at reverse De La Riva, but as Kev said when I asked him afterwards, I was forgetting the key detail of both grabbing the heel of their trapped leg and swivelling to hook the other hand behind their other leg. If you don't do that, they have all the time they need to push your knee to one side, because they're not under any threat.

09/11/2010 - BJJ (Advanced)

Class #357
RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 09/11/2010

Kev asked everyone who was staying for the next class what they wanted to work on, and the general response was how to go from closed guard to open guard when somebody stands up. Kev suggested that moving to cross-guard was a good option, which is what you call the position where you are gripping their opposite sleeve, your same side foot on their hip, the other foot hooking behind their other leg.

In order to go from there to a cross guard sweep, use your free hand to grab their same side heel. Lock that to your hip, lifting their foot slightly off the floor. Push on their hip with your foot, while simultaneously pulling with your hook behind their other leg. If you're having trouble knocking them down, angle the direction of your push a little, in the direction you want them to fall.

Once you finally manage to get them down, you can use that hold on their sleeve to sit up, bringing your knee across their leg. You can now go straight into a knee slide pass, pulling up on their sleeve to hinder their defence. It's the same technique Kev taught at the start of this year, if you're looking for a longer explanation.

That was it for technique, though Kev did suggest that deadlifts might be a good option to help develop better base when standing up in guard (which I'm pretty pants at, hence why I asked). I'm too lazy and undisciplined for weights, but if it would be cool to get some kind of regular standing up in guard drill going with my gf.

We then moved into sparring, which was free sparring except that you had to start in guard, and you also had to pass standing rather than from the knee. I forced myself to stand up a few times and almost immediately got swept, but still, only way to get used to it (though I have been saying that for years now). It also meant that I ready to defend straight away, so was generally at least able to switch to guard rather than simply get passed after getting knocked to the mat.

With both Howard and Kev, who were the two people I sparred that class, I found myself in a position where they were going for my back, but didn't have both their hooks in yet. In both cases, I was able to grab on their arm, with the intention of pulling on that and driving into them with my shoulder to move into top half guard. That didn't go as planned, as it mainly seemed to just stall them from securing the back.

However, Kev did say that it was the right idea, so I guess I need to just keep working on that and improve my pressure and angle. It would also be worth keeping Saulo's escape in mind, where he scoops down and then slips to the side (though that seems more like a late defence, compared to the early escape using their arm).

The onset of November also means that sweaty men have been sitting on my face for the last four years. For some reason, I keep coming back for more. ;p

12/01/2010 - BJJ (Beginner)

Class #274



RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 12/01/2010

Grr. That is now three sessions in a row I've been unable to make at Wycombe due to crappy weather. Buckinghamshire has been buried in snow since late December, in the coldest winter since 1981 (IIRC). Most annoying. On the plus side, the guy who made that awesome Functional Half Guard video a few years back has just started a blog. Check out Indrek's site here (which I noticed thanks to Aesopian: if you haven't subscribed to either his Twitter or Facebook, do so now.)

There has been a change to the beginner classes for 2010, which is that they'll now (unfortunately for me, but good for any less wimpy, sensible BJJer who wants to improve their throwing) include takedowns at the start. Previously, the throwing was in the advanced class, so it isn't too much of a shift.

I don't normally bother commenting on throws, but this one was interesting in that it moved into an Achilles lock. Foot locks and white belts aren't something I like to see together, but they are allowed to use a straight footlock like this (so be warned if you thought you were safe from lower body submissions at a white belt tournament!)

First technique after that was a simple cross-guard sweep. Cross-guard is basically straightforward open guard: you have a cross-grip on their sleeve (cross-grip is grabbing the opposite sleeve). On the cross-gripped side, you also have your same side foot into that hip, and you're holding their ankle with your same side hand. Your other foot hooks behind their other knee.

From here, the sweep isn't complex. Clamp the foot you're holding with your hand to your hip, pushing them a little backwards with your foot to make that easier. Note that you don't want to lift their foot any higher than your hip: it only needs to be slightly off the ground. You can now keep pushing on their hip and slightly on their arm, moving them a little sideways to create some torsion.

Remember to keep your other hook tense, as you don't want them to free that leg and step around, because that will enable them to regain their balance. Once you knock them down, because you have that grip on their sleeve, you can pull yourself up as they go back, moving through into side control. Should you lose your sleeve grip, the sweep is still there, but it will be harder to sit up and move through to side control.

Kev then moved on to an open guard pass, known as the 'toreador' (sometimes misspelled as 'toreandor') or 'bull fighter' pass. Begin by securing a firm grip on the inside of their knees, bringing your elbows in (you don’t want to leave them space to get spider guard). Step your outside foot to the side, swinging your other leg back (to stop them catching it in half guard), pushing their nearest leg backwards at the same time. Maintain your grips on their knees throughout, before moving forward into knee on belly.

Of course, that is a lot easier said than done, especially when you're absolutely terrible at passing guard like me. From what I can tell, you don't want to step too far with that outside leg, as otherwise they might be able to get a leg in the way. However, like I said, my guard passing is really bad, so definitely possible I misunderstood.

There is then a variation, where instead of moving into knee on belly, you drop your shoulder onto their stomach, keeping your legs back so you end up on your toes. This is a bit more dynamic, and you're moving further to the side. If you're drilling this, be careful you don't knock all the wind out of your partner.

The last twenty five minutes of the lesson was tough, as Kev had us do the open guard drill again. That starts with both hands tucked into your belt, then just one, then both hands free. It makes for an intensive cardio workout for both people, as you're constantly spinning on the floor (hard on the abs) or running around in a circle (hard on the legs).

My passing was completely useless, even with both my hands. Fortunately I was with Kev, so he could immediately diagnose the central problem: I fail to drive my hips forward and put my training partner under pressure. I was being super-cautious as usual, so tended to stay back, then when I did tentatively make my move, it was easy for Kev to set up a sweep and roll me.

I was being similarly passive on the bottom, though I always feel much more comfortable in guard. Still, I have to threaten with something, rather than just trying to hold them there. As with most of my long-running problems, this is nothing new. I need to really focus on making some kind of offensive move from guard, so that the initiative isn't completely with my training partner.

17/09/2008 - BJJ (Advanced)

Class #178



Roger Gracie Academy (BJJ), Nick Gregoriades, London, UK - 17/09/2008 - Advanced

I came down with some kind of illness last week, which annoyingly meant I didn't get any training in. On the other hand, that's the first week I've had off training since getting my blue belt in February, so could be worse. Shame though, as I was looking forward to trying out my new headguard (earguard? Still not sure what the proper term is: I've seen both, though the latter probably makes more sense as its for protecting the ears rather than the head).

On a random technical note, I noticed recently that this blog looks horrible in Internet Explorer. As it’s a generally crappy browser, I avoid IE, but I'm forced to use it at work (presumably they have to code in various blocks and the like to annoy people trying to read Bullshido, who instead get a Websense page because apparently Bullshido is 'violent'. Grr). If you have the choice, you should really be browsing with Firefox: way better, and the tables don't all get whacked out of place like in IE.

I love listening to podcasts, and had a new one to check out recently (or at least one episode: I don't think this particular podcast is generally focused on martial arts). Well-known internet poster and SAMBO instructor SamboSteve appeared on LA Talk Radio a little while ago. Check out the show here. He's one of a number of guests, who also discuss topics like MMA, competition and martial arts cinema.

Tonight Nick showed us two open guard sweeps, helpfully strung together off the same position. I think the first one is called the tripod sweep, but I'm not completely sure on that. You start from closed guard, immediately getting both your hands gripping one of their sleeves, bringing your elbows in tight. Then your partner stands up, while you stay clinging on: finding that they have a strong base you can't break down, you bail to open guard, still maintaining that two-on-one grip, immediately pressed a foot firmly into their hip. Combined with your sleeve grip, this should bend them in half, making it more difficult for them to prepare a pass.

Hook your other foot behind their same side knee, then switch your other hand to grip their free leg, by the heel. You can now complete the sweep by simultaneously pushing on their hip, pulling on their heel and yanking back on their knee. As they fall back, make sure you keep that hold on their sleeve, pulling it tight: this will stop them posting on that hand or elbow. You can also use it to bring yourself forward. To further aid passing through to mount or half-guard, bring your pushing leg back to trap their shin, then slide into position on top.

If that doesn't work, you can try another open guard sweep. You're in position, ready to pull/push/pull with your three limbs, but their base is too strong. That is the time to try a different tactic, removing your hold on their heel, so you can switch your grip on their sleeve to that hand. You're then going to swing the leg you had behind their knee all the way to their other foot, keeping it close to the floor: your aim is to chop their leg out from under them. At the same time, you're going to push with your other foot (which is still on their hip), while using your other hand to yank on their same side foot (note: don't fling that foot straight into your face, which is what I did the first time round. Hurts!)

We followed that up with sparring from open guard, a position I'm still struggling with. I think my big problem continues to be a lack of proactivity and clear goals. I'm much happier when I can settle, establish grips and limb positioning, like under side control. Open guard doesn't allow that, as you have to keep moving, which is difficult for a person of my temperament, who likes to slow things down, analyse and plan the next move.

Instead, I should be immediately establishing a grip (e.g., the two-on-one we were shown tonight), then working for a sweep, not allowing my partner to get a good base, constantly trying to break them down. My first goal should be to get that grip, then I can build on top of that. This would at least give me a sweep to aim for, so I'm going to try and approach open guard like that next time.

The same is true on top, as again I'm trying to settle into a position and think about my next move, while my partner keeps working and sweeps me. My guard passing is terrible in general, but its even worse from open guard: in closed guard, I can at least fall back into defensive mode, but that option is taken away in open guard.

Yasmine and Christina provided an interesting contrast, as while Christina stays really tight and applies lots of pressure, Yas is relatively, staying very mobile, shifting round quickly to exploit any openings. They both had no trouble passing my guard, whereas the same could not be said for me when the situation was reversed. I did manage to sweep Yas with an elevator (I think) at one point, hooking her leg and lifting it up while dragging her arm down and trapping the other leg, but it was rather lucky in that I happened to catch her off-balance, and there is also the weight discrepancy to consider.

Free sparring started with Herman, who has definitely gotten much tougher to roll with over the last few months. He felt a lot tighter, and I had more trouble escaping. I also couldn't suck him into my guard and work for the kimura, which is what I used to frequently do in previous spars. I did eventually get on top and try to pass half-guard, trying to use my shoulder and skull to limit his head movement, but wasn't able to get my leg free. However, I'm glad I have those technical tips from Bruno and Helen to aim for when in top half-guard.

Helen was up next, but like me she's just come back from an illness, so we kept things fairly light. That would probably explain why I was able to spin out of side control back to guard: normally the side control would be far too tight for that. Indeed, that proved to be the case later on, when I found that she trapped me securely between her elbows and knees, so that it was difficult for me to make enough space to escape.

I put the forearm positioning tips from Christina, Kev and Bruno to use, trying to keep my elbow out of danger by tucking it under their armpit, but still needs some work to reduce the vulnerability to kimuras and Americanas.

The class finished on both a good and bad note. Christina unfortunately got injured in her last roll, possibly dislocating her elbow due to getting her arm stuck behind her at an awkward angle. Hopefully she recovers soon: she seemed in less pain at the end of class, so will have to see how the injury responds to the usual RICE (rest, ice, compress, elevate) method of recuperation.

The good news was that a much deserved blue belt was finally awarded. After over two years of training, Herman at long last got to move up from white belt, which was really great to see. His job involves extended periods of travel, which makes consistent training difficult, so cool that even with those obstacles, he has still managed to develop the skill to earn a blue belt.

My headguard felt ok rolling and drilling, though it does make your head a little hot, reduce hearing and you also have to watch how much you tighten the chin strap. I think it got loosened during rolling, but not entirely sure. Still, I was pretty happy with how comfortable it felt, as I didn't find myself desperate to fling it off. Once I've rolled with it for another month or two, I'll be able to stick up a review. I also need to stick some masking tape or something on it, as quite a few people have the same Brute Shockwave earguard: need to distinguish mine so I don't accidentally pick up somebody else's.

Roy Dean fans will be interested to hear that his next DVD, about wristlocks, is getting towards completion. He put up a post about the cover here: should be interesting, as I can't think of other DVDs which try to incorporate aikido into BJJ.