September 20th 2014 - Weekly Review

I was loaned Ryan Hall's Deep Half Guard which was the coolest thing that happened this week.  I watched the first two DVDs of 3 took some notes and tried out a few of the things in class.  It's a great series so far and I've gotten a lot of great ideas on things I can fix and some new stuff.


Theme & Techniques
Beginner/All Levels: Double Leg Takedown, Americana from Mount, Paper Cutter Choke from Side Control

Double leg is something I continually trying to get a grasp on.  I understand the concept, but it may never feel comfortable since I had my knee issues.  I'm getting a little better with my posture and not leaning over too much though.

It seems like the paper cutter choke has been evolving since Greg taught it the first time.  We're now doing a kind of sitout to a plank position after getting the collar grip to keep pressure on them and keep them from regaining guard.  I tried it a few times during rolling and found it to work pretty well for me but not sure if it will take the place of the leg push method that I use currently. 

I felt good during the rolling sessions.  I was even able to roll with blue belts Robert on Tuesday and Mike on Friday. 

Advanced: Omoplata! Stretch Sweep, Back Roll Sweep

I was pretty excited when I heard that we were working on something I feel like I'm good at.  I was even able to pass on some advice to the class concerning the back roll sweep.  I was having the hardest time with it a year ago and what I discovered was that I shouldn't hold on to the underhooked leg so tight because it wasn't giving my neck and shoulder enough room for the roll. 

I was able to roll with Ken which I haven't done in a long time.  I'm no longer used to his style as there were a few things that he did that no one else does, but I felt like I did a lot better against him than I've ever done.  I was able to get to the omoplata position with Greg and I almost completed the back roll sweep but let go of his sleeve and got my back immediately taken.

Open Mat

Before class I reviewed my DVD notes.  The main takeaway so far is an improvement to my regular half guard using a knee up to block their other hip and then controlling the inside space.  

• Keep Spine Straight
• Plant Feet After Hip Escape
• Knee Up In Half Guard
• Control the Inside Space
• Use Wizzer Entry to DH

Rolled with quite a few people today.  There was a new guy, Felipe that is a blue belt from Brazil.  He was pretty fun to roll with as he's a pretty small guy with good technique.  Had a great roll with Jerad and felt like I played open guard a little better against him.  I helped out Austin and Brian AF with some techniques.  Unfortunately I didn't make it to deep half guard, however I was able to do some different things with my regular half guard.

Esteemed Colleagues and Honorable Mentions

Mike (Tumbleweed): It was great to have him around in Friday class.  We discussed some of the stuff from the DVD.  It's cool to bounce ideas off of him as he has a very analytical eye.  The major thing from the past week though is that my side control escape improved dramatically after he gave me a hint about using my arms a little bit more to escape.  He's been a big part of my Jiu-Jitsu development and I have learned a lot from Mike over the past 3 years.