Kids Class
Technique: Triangle
Rolling/Game: Rolling, Blob Tag
Small class today as a few of the kids were at the Circle of Iron tournament. I ran a special holiday warmup with some different exercises and some extra stuff. We worked on the triangle yet again so hopefully my kids don't forget it.
We did a couple tournament style sparring matches at the end. Jayden has been more into sparring lately and it's heart breaking when he doesn't score any points. I can see him getting better though and try to tell him that.
Jace is also doing well and picking up new things all the time and he's willing to try anything. He's really into knowing how many points he's scored and tries to carry his points over to other matches.
Open Mat
Rolled With: Jordan, Andy, Chris, Jerad, Bhuvana
Game Plan: Look for Cross Collar
Had some good rolls with Jordan and went light to keep tabs on my knee. No problems today although it was a little tight. I attempted a few cross collar chokes from mount but had a hard time getting around his headgear. We worked on some mount escapes afterward.
Andy was a student at the old school but had to move out of town. He's back and actually signed up today! He was still pretty good for not training as often.
Jerad was the most difficult match of the day as usual we rolled and while we had a good discussion after rolling about what happened I don't remember much about it now. I feel like the back and forth is better lately and I'm able to match him move for move for a while but I eventually make a mistake that he capitalizes on. It is very difficult to escape his mount after that. He submitted me with an armbar and a mounted triangle.
Chris was told by Greg to get with me to prepare for the submission challenge tournament coming up since we are of similar size. We went over some of his game plan with a sweep, and a guard pass. I did my best to share what works for me. I think it will be interesting to see how much he improves before the tournament.
Bhuvana just wanted to work on omoplata from cross guard. I'm a little picky with the technique since it's my go to. We also worked on troubleshooting getting the underhook from half guard with Jerad.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Friday, October 30, 2015
October 30th 2015 - Gi All Levels
Theme & Techniques: O-Goshi, Armbar from Guard, Cross Collar Choke
Partner: Craig, Dave
Went and got my knee checked out yesterday with a chiropractor that visited class a few weeks ago. He moved my leg in every imaginable way and made sure that everything was okay with my knee. He gave me some exercises and said a couple muscles in my leg were pretty tight. I felt like I had been through a workout after this session.
Felt pretty good when I got up this morning, but was still a little hesitant to push it too hard during class. Had a couple of times during the day where it felt weak or moved around a bit, but there was no pain.
Dave was pretty impressed with the armbar from guard and for some reason Craig and I tried to talk him out of it. To me it's a pretty tough submission to complete. We showed him how easy it was to pull the arm out if it wasn't tight enough and maybe dissuaded him a little bit, but I felt bad about it.
Rolling: Guard (6 x 4 min), Free Rolling (4 min)
Rolled With: Dave, Craig, Josh, Anthony
Rolling went well, I did my best to attempt the techniques of the day. From the bottom, I did get an armbar during a sweep but not technically the way we practiced it. I was able to complete a couple collar chokes which really surprised me. I think just going for the technique of the week has made me be a little more innovative on the fly.
From the top I wasn't too active to make sure I didn't hurt myself but also to give my partner a chance to work on the techniques. Most of the passes I did complete were from the knees. I did attempt a tozi pass but wasn't able to open the guard in the end.
Office Hours Partner: Dave, Josh
Went over the drop shoulder throw some more with Dave. He hasn't been working on it long but seems to do it well. He was a little concerned with people telling him to just pull guard. They're probably right, it's safer to pull guard but it would be cool to see him do the throw.
Helped Josh with getting the overhook from guard. Then went over troubleshooting dealing with my top guard game when he was on bottom. I was pretty much not giving anything up and hunkering down. My advice for him was to open his guard on his terms.
Partner: Craig, Dave
Went and got my knee checked out yesterday with a chiropractor that visited class a few weeks ago. He moved my leg in every imaginable way and made sure that everything was okay with my knee. He gave me some exercises and said a couple muscles in my leg were pretty tight. I felt like I had been through a workout after this session.
Felt pretty good when I got up this morning, but was still a little hesitant to push it too hard during class. Had a couple of times during the day where it felt weak or moved around a bit, but there was no pain.
Dave was pretty impressed with the armbar from guard and for some reason Craig and I tried to talk him out of it. To me it's a pretty tough submission to complete. We showed him how easy it was to pull the arm out if it wasn't tight enough and maybe dissuaded him a little bit, but I felt bad about it.
Rolling: Guard (6 x 4 min), Free Rolling (4 min)
Rolled With: Dave, Craig, Josh, Anthony
Rolling went well, I did my best to attempt the techniques of the day. From the bottom, I did get an armbar during a sweep but not technically the way we practiced it. I was able to complete a couple collar chokes which really surprised me. I think just going for the technique of the week has made me be a little more innovative on the fly.
From the top I wasn't too active to make sure I didn't hurt myself but also to give my partner a chance to work on the techniques. Most of the passes I did complete were from the knees. I did attempt a tozi pass but wasn't able to open the guard in the end.
Office Hours Partner: Dave, Josh
Went over the drop shoulder throw some more with Dave. He hasn't been working on it long but seems to do it well. He was a little concerned with people telling him to just pull guard. They're probably right, it's safer to pull guard but it would be cool to see him do the throw.
Helped Josh with getting the overhook from guard. Then went over troubleshooting dealing with my top guard game when he was on bottom. I was pretty much not giving anything up and hunkering down. My advice for him was to open his guard on his terms.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
October 27th 2015 - Gi Beginners
Theme & Techniques: O-Goshi, Armbar from Guard, Cross Collar Choke
Students: Jerad, Abdul
A rare occurrence of Jerad in noon class and until Abdul showed up, I thought we were going to be the only 2. Very odd as last week we had quite a few students in class. Unfortunately my knee is still a little tight. I demonstrated the techniques and did fine with that, but didn't want to chance messing it up rolling. I'm hoping to be back Friday morning though. It was a little odd being the instructor while Jerad was the student, but I just went with it.
Some tips on today's techniques:
I came close to deciding to roll but decided against it. I did my best to coach Abdul through rolling but it was kind of difficult. It was a lot of basics and common problems that beginners do. Leaning forward too much in guard, crossing the center line with his hands, trying to submit in the closed guard, etc. I tried not to harp on things over and over and Jerad took it easy on him. He did do some good thing and started to almost pass his guard at one point.
Students: Jerad, Abdul
A rare occurrence of Jerad in noon class and until Abdul showed up, I thought we were going to be the only 2. Very odd as last week we had quite a few students in class. Unfortunately my knee is still a little tight. I demonstrated the techniques and did fine with that, but didn't want to chance messing it up rolling. I'm hoping to be back Friday morning though. It was a little odd being the instructor while Jerad was the student, but I just went with it.
Some tips on today's techniques:
- When doing any of the hip type throws I like to think of focusing on getting under their belt knot. So if a person is much shorter than you, you have to get your hips lower than someone who is taller.
- For Armbar from Guard it seems like the people have the hardest time rotating their body. I had 2 things that I think about to deal with this. One is the bend in their knees. If they are sitting back on their heals they are harder to armbar or sweep. When turning you kick them in the armpit to drive them forward.
- The other point I make is that I try to make it as easy as possible to kick my leg over their head. If it's difficult to get around their head I need to turn more and I'm not at the correct angle.
- For the collar choke the biggest thing that helped me get it right was keeping my wrist as straight as possible after getting the deep grip. If you bend your wrist backward it might feel strong but you are actually conforming to their neck instead of shoving your forearm into it.
I came close to deciding to roll but decided against it. I did my best to coach Abdul through rolling but it was kind of difficult. It was a lot of basics and common problems that beginners do. Leaning forward too much in guard, crossing the center line with his hands, trying to submit in the closed guard, etc. I tried not to harp on things over and over and Jerad took it easy on him. He did do some good thing and started to almost pass his guard at one point.
Friday, October 23, 2015
October 23rd 2015 - Gi All Levels
Theme & Techniques: Shoulder Throw RNC Defense, Farside Armbar, Scissor Sweep from Guard
Partner: Ethan
Ethan was a pretty good partner, I haven't seen him around that much but he seems to have a natural ability. Maybe he wrestled a bit previously.
Unfortunately I tweaked my knee a bit while doing the farside armbar. It doesn't hurt or anything just feels kind of tight. I'll keep an eye on it and hopefully it will heal up soon. I'm thinking about doing the submission challenge tournament and want to get some good training in leading up to that. Plus I want to lose 5 pounds at least so I'm not in the "and up" division (206 and up to be exact).
Rolling: Guard Up/Down/Out, Side Control King Of the Mat
Rolled With: Conan, Craig, Ethan, David, Anthony, Justin
Since we had a large group I suggested up/down/out. It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to do it. I remember hitting one scissor sweep, which was difficult to setup as everyone was expecting it. I had to use the knee push one. I think I got around to rolling with everyone which was nice.
When we switched to side control I didn't get much of an opportunity to do the farside armbar. I did see Ethan complete one though which was cool. A couple times when I would bridge my knee felt a little off still so I decided to sit out of a couple rolls. No pain but I didn't want to risk anything. Now as I sit here writing this, it's a little tight but I'm walking without a limp so I think I'll be okay.
Office Hours Partner: Dave, Anthony
I saw a couple things for both Dave and Anthony in half guard. They were getting an underhook but they were pretty shallow. I went over getting it all the way to the shoulder and scooting the butt out so their weight isn't on you.
I helped Dave with some tournament prep and showed him some guard pulling and a drop seoi nage. He seemed to take to the throw and I resisted a couple times and he was able to switch to pulling guard out of it.
Partner: Ethan
Ethan was a pretty good partner, I haven't seen him around that much but he seems to have a natural ability. Maybe he wrestled a bit previously.
Unfortunately I tweaked my knee a bit while doing the farside armbar. It doesn't hurt or anything just feels kind of tight. I'll keep an eye on it and hopefully it will heal up soon. I'm thinking about doing the submission challenge tournament and want to get some good training in leading up to that. Plus I want to lose 5 pounds at least so I'm not in the "and up" division (206 and up to be exact).
Rolling: Guard Up/Down/Out, Side Control King Of the Mat
Rolled With: Conan, Craig, Ethan, David, Anthony, Justin
Since we had a large group I suggested up/down/out. It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to do it. I remember hitting one scissor sweep, which was difficult to setup as everyone was expecting it. I had to use the knee push one. I think I got around to rolling with everyone which was nice.
When we switched to side control I didn't get much of an opportunity to do the farside armbar. I did see Ethan complete one though which was cool. A couple times when I would bridge my knee felt a little off still so I decided to sit out of a couple rolls. No pain but I didn't want to risk anything. Now as I sit here writing this, it's a little tight but I'm walking without a limp so I think I'll be okay.
Office Hours Partner: Dave, Anthony
I saw a couple things for both Dave and Anthony in half guard. They were getting an underhook but they were pretty shallow. I went over getting it all the way to the shoulder and scooting the butt out so their weight isn't on you.
I helped Dave with some tournament prep and showed him some guard pulling and a drop seoi nage. He seemed to take to the throw and I resisted a couple times and he was able to switch to pulling guard out of it.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
October 20th 2015 - Gi Beginner
Theme & Techniques: Shoulder Throw RNC Defense, Farside Armbar, Scissor Sweep from Guard
Partner: Anthony
Almost forgot to write this. Took a week of vacation to use up some days and I'm getting lazy I guess.
This week's techniques are some of my high percentage ones. I'm pretty decent at scissor sweep and often get farside armbar from knee on belly. Some pointers that I use:
Rolling: Side Control (2 x 2 min), Guard (4 x 2 min)
Rolled With: Anthony, Jason, Brian
Had some success with attempting the techniques during rolling. For the armbar I think I need to focus on securing the arm to my head during the transition. That's where some can escape by jerking their arm out at the right time.
I rolled with Jason on his first day and tried my best at giving him a crash course on positions. It's very interesting to roll with someone on their first day.
Partner: Anthony
Almost forgot to write this. Took a week of vacation to use up some days and I'm getting lazy I guess.
This week's techniques are some of my high percentage ones. I'm pretty decent at scissor sweep and often get farside armbar from knee on belly. Some pointers that I use:
- For the shoulder throw getting them on your hips is a big part of the battle. There was a recent video with Rickson where he described using a sitting back on a couch motion to help load them up, I like the analogy.
- For Farside Armbar, I like to emphasise a tight knee squeeze. As soon as I rotate I'm squeezing enough that even if I don't use my arms they couldn't get free.
- For Scissor Sweep, I think of it like a Judo throw. I pull them forward and load them up on top of me and then do the kick.
Rolling: Side Control (2 x 2 min), Guard (4 x 2 min)
Rolled With: Anthony, Jason, Brian
Had some success with attempting the techniques during rolling. For the armbar I think I need to focus on securing the arm to my head during the transition. That's where some can escape by jerking their arm out at the right time.
I rolled with Jason on his first day and tried my best at giving him a crash course on positions. It's very interesting to roll with someone on their first day.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
October 18th 2015 - No Gi Beginner
Theme & Techniques: Darce, Japanese Necktie
Partner: Conan
Conan added some movement exercises to the warmup. We did armbar from mount and guard and hip bump sweep.
We did the Darce from half guard and for a few of the students it was their introduction to the technique. Some things to remember:
Rolling: Half Guard (4 x 4 min)
Rolled With: Ken, Tyler
It's been a while since I rolled with Ken and he's still challenging. His ability to explosively shrimp from anywhere. I did do better against him than in my younger Jiu-Jitsu days though.
I felt a little bad for the size disparity between Tyler and I. I did my best to try to use only technique but he's pretty skillful. We talked about passing knee shield and we both have each other problems with it.
Office Hours Partner: Mo
Had some good bouts with Mo. He's becoming more like Mike in his guard passing. He prevented my one legged x-guard entries and had some other fancy footwork to get around my legs. Oh I hope he doesn't figure out the leg drag. I messed around with setting up some ankle locks.
Partner: Conan
Conan added some movement exercises to the warmup. We did armbar from mount and guard and hip bump sweep.
We did the Darce from half guard and for a few of the students it was their introduction to the technique. Some things to remember:
- Controlling their posture is the most important thing. Don't let them arch their back.
- Don't settle for crappy grips before falling to your hip. Secure the grip in the bicep
Rolling: Half Guard (4 x 4 min)
Rolled With: Ken, Tyler
It's been a while since I rolled with Ken and he's still challenging. His ability to explosively shrimp from anywhere. I did do better against him than in my younger Jiu-Jitsu days though.
I felt a little bad for the size disparity between Tyler and I. I did my best to try to use only technique but he's pretty skillful. We talked about passing knee shield and we both have each other problems with it.
Office Hours Partner: Mo
Had some good bouts with Mo. He's becoming more like Mike in his guard passing. He prevented my one legged x-guard entries and had some other fancy footwork to get around my legs. Oh I hope he doesn't figure out the leg drag. I messed around with setting up some ankle locks.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
October 17th 2015 - Kids & Open Mat
Kids Class
Technique: Double Leg, Triangle
Rolling/Game: Guard, Free Rolling
Good but small kids class today. Greg gave out some stripes but since my kids have 4 already they didn't receive any. Both of them tried hard today with both the warmup and the techniques. We got there a little early and had some time to work on front rolls with Jayden and made some progress.
We've been doing some techniques each night before bed and that has been good for them. This is the first week they've worked on the triangle and while they aren't great at finishing yet the steps came naturally.
Open Mat
Rolled With: Roland, Fuji, Mike, Travis, Conan, Lucas, Jerad
Game Plan: Look for Ankle Locks
Had a rough day of rolling today and several rolls reminded me that I'm not as good as I sometimes think I am. I'm writing this on my phone so hopefully this doesn't seem poorly written.
I did do some nogi and went for some ankle locks but didn't have much success. I defended some as well. I did see some of my reps come through in my attempts I think I need to work on finishing.
Roland is getting better. I had a harder time dealing with him than in the recent past.
Fuji was difficult to navigate and during our first roll I played as safe as I could and tried not to over commit to anything to retain the top position. There was a lot of turtle and shifting sides. In our second roll he ended up getting a leg and taking the top position.
Today was Mike's day to dominate. While I did a few good things he seemed to get to leg drag position pretty easily. He attacked my back a lot and had me in crucifix after I attempted the funk roll.
This was the first time that rolled with Travis and it was fast paced. I didn't feel like I could pin him at any point which is rather frustrating and kept me from Controlling the pace. I had the bulk of the leg lock battle with him. I attempted a straight ankle, a heel hook, and a toe hold on him and he caught me with a heel hook. I used up a lot of energy in this roll.
Conan and I rolled pretty light. I played some top side control and had to deal with his guard retention stuff that he's been showing to me. I had to have patience. After we rolled we had a good discussion about ankle locks and what he thought of them.
Had a hell of a roll with Lucas. I started out with some shin on bicep guard but his pressure was immense and constant. He passed my guard once and I regained. He eventually passed again and I was too weak to stop the americana.
I had nothing for Jerad. I tried but he went through me like butter.
Technique: Double Leg, Triangle
Rolling/Game: Guard, Free Rolling
Good but small kids class today. Greg gave out some stripes but since my kids have 4 already they didn't receive any. Both of them tried hard today with both the warmup and the techniques. We got there a little early and had some time to work on front rolls with Jayden and made some progress.
We've been doing some techniques each night before bed and that has been good for them. This is the first week they've worked on the triangle and while they aren't great at finishing yet the steps came naturally.
Open Mat
Rolled With: Roland, Fuji, Mike, Travis, Conan, Lucas, Jerad
Game Plan: Look for Ankle Locks
Had a rough day of rolling today and several rolls reminded me that I'm not as good as I sometimes think I am. I'm writing this on my phone so hopefully this doesn't seem poorly written.
I did do some nogi and went for some ankle locks but didn't have much success. I defended some as well. I did see some of my reps come through in my attempts I think I need to work on finishing.
Roland is getting better. I had a harder time dealing with him than in the recent past.
Fuji was difficult to navigate and during our first roll I played as safe as I could and tried not to over commit to anything to retain the top position. There was a lot of turtle and shifting sides. In our second roll he ended up getting a leg and taking the top position.
Today was Mike's day to dominate. While I did a few good things he seemed to get to leg drag position pretty easily. He attacked my back a lot and had me in crucifix after I attempted the funk roll.
This was the first time that rolled with Travis and it was fast paced. I didn't feel like I could pin him at any point which is rather frustrating and kept me from Controlling the pace. I had the bulk of the leg lock battle with him. I attempted a straight ankle, a heel hook, and a toe hold on him and he caught me with a heel hook. I used up a lot of energy in this roll.
Conan and I rolled pretty light. I played some top side control and had to deal with his guard retention stuff that he's been showing to me. I had to have patience. After we rolled we had a good discussion about ankle locks and what he thought of them.
Had a hell of a roll with Lucas. I started out with some shin on bicep guard but his pressure was immense and constant. He passed my guard once and I regained. He eventually passed again and I was too weak to stop the americana.
I had nothing for Jerad. I tried but he went through me like butter.
Friday, October 16, 2015
October 16th 2015 - Gi All Levels
Theme & Techniques: O-Soto Gari, Basic Side Control Escape, Side Control Americana
Partner: Craig, Visitor
A friend of Craig's attended today and did pretty well. I guess he had a little bit of prior experience.
Kept focus on the things I've been working on. Big bridge along with timing my breathing in the side control escape. Keeping a low profile and not flaring my elbow while setting up the americana grip.
Rolling: Side Control (2 x 4 min), Free Rolling (5 min)
Rolled With: Craig, Josh
I felt like I used a lot of knee on belly during rolling. I went for the techniques of the week and was able to succeed sometimes.
Looking back on my mission to use the techniques of the week was pretty fruitful and I could see some improvements in setting them up. I think doing this every week is going to help shore up deficiencies I have with the fundamentals.
Office Hours Partner: Dave, Josh
Did some more tournament prep with Dave. We worked on the throw he wanted to work on and Conan gave some tips on kazushi. Then we went over 2 on 1 for a while.
I put him through a tournament roll starting from standing and put some pressure on him. I put him in some bad spots and talked him through escaping them and not giving up.
Rolled with Josh also starting from standing and I realized I really need to take control and try some things from standing. Once we were on the ground I gave him some more knee on belly so much so that Conan said he'd go over defending it on Monday morning class (message me if you're curious about this). Josh and I went over escaping kimura afterward and I think I helped him with an epiphany on moving shoulders to get your back flat in mount it north/south.
Partner: Craig, Visitor
A friend of Craig's attended today and did pretty well. I guess he had a little bit of prior experience.
Kept focus on the things I've been working on. Big bridge along with timing my breathing in the side control escape. Keeping a low profile and not flaring my elbow while setting up the americana grip.
Rolling: Side Control (2 x 4 min), Free Rolling (5 min)
Rolled With: Craig, Josh
I felt like I used a lot of knee on belly during rolling. I went for the techniques of the week and was able to succeed sometimes.
Looking back on my mission to use the techniques of the week was pretty fruitful and I could see some improvements in setting them up. I think doing this every week is going to help shore up deficiencies I have with the fundamentals.
Office Hours Partner: Dave, Josh
Did some more tournament prep with Dave. We worked on the throw he wanted to work on and Conan gave some tips on kazushi. Then we went over 2 on 1 for a while.
I put him through a tournament roll starting from standing and put some pressure on him. I put him in some bad spots and talked him through escaping them and not giving up.
Rolled with Josh also starting from standing and I realized I really need to take control and try some things from standing. Once we were on the ground I gave him some more knee on belly so much so that Conan said he'd go over defending it on Monday morning class (message me if you're curious about this). Josh and I went over escaping kimura afterward and I think I helped him with an epiphany on moving shoulders to get your back flat in mount it north/south.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
October 14th 2015 - Gi All Levels
Theme & Techniques: O-Soto Gari, Basic Side Control Escape, Side Control Americana
Partner: Ben
Had a good session with Ben a couple things came up and Ben commented a few times "That makes so much sense." So I'll take that as experience points on my teaching skill. The main pointers were:
Rolling: Side Control (4 x 2 min), Guard (4 x 2 min), Free Rolling (4 min)
Rolled With: Dave, Morgan, Ben, Austin, Tom
I had a really good day of rolling. I pushed myself to do the techniques from class and I also wanted to hit the straight ankle when possible. In side control top I had some success with the americana I found that going to north/south and then returning to the side gave me a little bit of time to get the grip I wanted.
From the bottom my bridging felt very strong. I'm feel like my breathing is syncing well with my bridge and I'm having to think less about it. Morgan probably gave me the best compliment when he asked me what he could do to prevent himself from flying off of me when I bridged. I think the biggest thing was he wasn't using the crossface effectively to turn my head.
In the bottom of guard I focused on the cross guard in the hopes of hitting a funk roll that I've been looking into recently. I came pretty close once but I need to experiment with it more. Otherwise I was using omoplata and flower sweep when it presented itself. I got caught in turtle a couple times and relied on the granby to get back. I've been trusting it more lately and realize I just need to go for it to get it. From the top I was all about going for the straight ankle lock but ran into the putting on the boot defense whenever I went for it. Greg explained later that I need to get their leg bent again using my free hand behind their knee.
During free rolling I spent some time in lasso and was looking for the turtle to omoplata setup but always seem to have my distance off. I may need a outside opinion to watch me do this this because I think it could be a viable part of my game and I am just missing a minor detail.
Office Hours Partner: Dave
Greg gave both Morgan and Dave some things to focus on for the upcoming tournament I think. Dave was looking at the 2 on 1 to scissor sweep which I like myself. I'm not sure how Greg chose that specific technique but Dave seemed to do well with it after a few reps. It was pretty cool to witness the beginning of someone's personal game.
Partner: Ben
Had a good session with Ben a couple things came up and Ben commented a few times "That makes so much sense." So I'll take that as experience points on my teaching skill. The main pointers were:
- Time your bus driver movement with your step in o-soto gari
- When trying to get the grip for the americana put squeeze your hand into position by sliding it across your own chest and then flipping your hand.
Rolling: Side Control (4 x 2 min), Guard (4 x 2 min), Free Rolling (4 min)
Rolled With: Dave, Morgan, Ben, Austin, Tom
I had a really good day of rolling. I pushed myself to do the techniques from class and I also wanted to hit the straight ankle when possible. In side control top I had some success with the americana I found that going to north/south and then returning to the side gave me a little bit of time to get the grip I wanted.
From the bottom my bridging felt very strong. I'm feel like my breathing is syncing well with my bridge and I'm having to think less about it. Morgan probably gave me the best compliment when he asked me what he could do to prevent himself from flying off of me when I bridged. I think the biggest thing was he wasn't using the crossface effectively to turn my head.
In the bottom of guard I focused on the cross guard in the hopes of hitting a funk roll that I've been looking into recently. I came pretty close once but I need to experiment with it more. Otherwise I was using omoplata and flower sweep when it presented itself. I got caught in turtle a couple times and relied on the granby to get back. I've been trusting it more lately and realize I just need to go for it to get it. From the top I was all about going for the straight ankle lock but ran into the putting on the boot defense whenever I went for it. Greg explained later that I need to get their leg bent again using my free hand behind their knee.
During free rolling I spent some time in lasso and was looking for the turtle to omoplata setup but always seem to have my distance off. I may need a outside opinion to watch me do this this because I think it could be a viable part of my game and I am just missing a minor detail.
Office Hours Partner: Dave
Greg gave both Morgan and Dave some things to focus on for the upcoming tournament I think. Dave was looking at the 2 on 1 to scissor sweep which I like myself. I'm not sure how Greg chose that specific technique but Dave seemed to do well with it after a few reps. It was pretty cool to witness the beginning of someone's personal game.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
October 13th 2015 - Gi Beginner
Theme & Techniques: O-Soto Gari, Basic Side Control Escape, Side Control Americana
Partner: Bhuvana
I believe that this is week 1 of the beginner curriculum if anyone is interested. Here are some things that came up today for these techniques:
Rolling: Side Control (4 x 2 min)
Rolled With: Robert, Ben
So I went through with attempting the techniques from class. It was very difficult for my brain to adjust to not doing my usual responses to certain things. I had a pretty tough time because both Robert and Ben aren't slouches. Attempting the americana on Robert was difficult because if I let go of the crossface he was able to turn into me and start looking for the single or double leg. I at least put the wrist to the floor but wasn't able to fully finish.
From the bottom I was able to at least get my knee in and regain half guard and butterfly. The thing that I'm focusing on most is not telegraphing with my breathing before I bridge and it's getting better.
Office Hours Partner: Robert
Had 3 five minute rounds with Robert after class. I tried to push myself to stay active throughout the time but did find myself stopping on the bottom of side control a few times. I spent most of the time on the bottom and he was able to submit me near the end with a kimura. I played some half guard and used some butterfly to regain. He's so difficult to move and I often end up on the bottom during a scramble.
I'm glad that he's around because he's different than the other guys that are better than me. Actually everyone that's better than or challenges me has something unique in their rolling style. Greg, Conan, Jerad, Mike, Adam, Alejandro, Fuji, Henry, Zac, Robert all give me trouble in different ways. If I didn't include you it's because we don't roll enough or you need to step up your game ;)
Partner: Bhuvana
I believe that this is week 1 of the beginner curriculum if anyone is interested. Here are some things that came up today for these techniques:
- For O-Soto Gari step so you are hip to hip and time the hook movement with your step
- For Side Control Escape drive your knee all the way to their other hip. When kicking in the end to free your foot don't try to lift their leg off the floor push their leg back across the floor.
- For the americana once I get the wrist to the floor I like to use my head to control their wrist until I can get my grips set.
Rolling: Side Control (4 x 2 min)
Rolled With: Robert, Ben
So I went through with attempting the techniques from class. It was very difficult for my brain to adjust to not doing my usual responses to certain things. I had a pretty tough time because both Robert and Ben aren't slouches. Attempting the americana on Robert was difficult because if I let go of the crossface he was able to turn into me and start looking for the single or double leg. I at least put the wrist to the floor but wasn't able to fully finish.
From the bottom I was able to at least get my knee in and regain half guard and butterfly. The thing that I'm focusing on most is not telegraphing with my breathing before I bridge and it's getting better.
Office Hours Partner: Robert
Had 3 five minute rounds with Robert after class. I tried to push myself to stay active throughout the time but did find myself stopping on the bottom of side control a few times. I spent most of the time on the bottom and he was able to submit me near the end with a kimura. I played some half guard and used some butterfly to regain. He's so difficult to move and I often end up on the bottom during a scramble.
I'm glad that he's around because he's different than the other guys that are better than me. Actually everyone that's better than or challenges me has something unique in their rolling style. Greg, Conan, Jerad, Mike, Adam, Alejandro, Fuji, Henry, Zac, Robert all give me trouble in different ways. If I didn't include you it's because we don't roll enough or you need to step up your game ;)
Sunday, October 11, 2015
October 10th 2015 - Kids & Open Mat
Kids Class
Technique: Paint Brush, Double Leg Trip
Rolling/Game: Side Control, Stand up Sparring
Kids have been doing well lately. Jayden has been timid to count during warmups. Greg has been trying to work with him on that. He also has not been doing well with front rolls which he was previously good at, but everything else is fine.
They had a little trouble with the double leg trip. They would shoot fine but then fall backwards when trying to step up.
Sparring was good, they are picking up the importance of position. It's been a while since they've done some standup. The main thing that they need to focus on is grip fighting.
Open Mat
Rolled With: Josh M, Austin, Henry, Chris, Ben, Moe, Jerad
Game Plan: Attempt Ankle Locks
Had a great day at open mat after missing it for 2 weeks.
Josh and I drilled the twist sweep for a little while. I still don't feel comfortable with it but got something out of the training. We rolled later on and I could see some improvement from our previous rolls and wasn't able to freely push him around.
Austin's skills have also increased. I attempted the ankle lock a few times but he foiled me with the defenses that we worked on. I may have reaped the knee a couple times on accident.
Henry and I had an epic battle. I had to dig deep a couple times to talk myself out of giving up and taking the easy way out. A couple of common things came up. He's one of a few that can stand up in my half guard. Also there were a couple times when I came up into the dog fight position but didn't feel adequate to out wrestle him from there. The main thing I did well was to prevent his collar choke attacks as soon as possible to not allow them to get too far.
With Chris I was pretty laid back. He walked right into my closed guard and did a decent job of keeping forward pressure. Eventually I swept with a flower sweep he gassed out soon after that. We discussed what he wanted to do in the guard and how he was wasting energy.
Moe gave me a hard time while attempting to pass my open guard. It made for quite a technical battle with grips and shins. Once I swept and got on top I worked for a guillotine.
Ben and I did no gi and apparently he hasn't had much experience with it. After rolling a few times we went over some passing possibilities without using the gi pants.
Saved the best roll for last with Jerad. We had some back and forth where both of us controlled the fight for a while. Once he got to mount though I wasn't able to escape and he finished me with an armbar. He gave me a few compliments saying that he's noticed improvement lately. The extra work I've been doing has been paying off!
Technique: Paint Brush, Double Leg Trip
Rolling/Game: Side Control, Stand up Sparring
Kids have been doing well lately. Jayden has been timid to count during warmups. Greg has been trying to work with him on that. He also has not been doing well with front rolls which he was previously good at, but everything else is fine.
They had a little trouble with the double leg trip. They would shoot fine but then fall backwards when trying to step up.
Sparring was good, they are picking up the importance of position. It's been a while since they've done some standup. The main thing that they need to focus on is grip fighting.
Open Mat
Rolled With: Josh M, Austin, Henry, Chris, Ben, Moe, Jerad
Game Plan: Attempt Ankle Locks
Had a great day at open mat after missing it for 2 weeks.
Josh and I drilled the twist sweep for a little while. I still don't feel comfortable with it but got something out of the training. We rolled later on and I could see some improvement from our previous rolls and wasn't able to freely push him around.
Austin's skills have also increased. I attempted the ankle lock a few times but he foiled me with the defenses that we worked on. I may have reaped the knee a couple times on accident.
Henry and I had an epic battle. I had to dig deep a couple times to talk myself out of giving up and taking the easy way out. A couple of common things came up. He's one of a few that can stand up in my half guard. Also there were a couple times when I came up into the dog fight position but didn't feel adequate to out wrestle him from there. The main thing I did well was to prevent his collar choke attacks as soon as possible to not allow them to get too far.
With Chris I was pretty laid back. He walked right into my closed guard and did a decent job of keeping forward pressure. Eventually I swept with a flower sweep he gassed out soon after that. We discussed what he wanted to do in the guard and how he was wasting energy.
Moe gave me a hard time while attempting to pass my open guard. It made for quite a technical battle with grips and shins. Once I swept and got on top I worked for a guillotine.
Ben and I did no gi and apparently he hasn't had much experience with it. After rolling a few times we went over some passing possibilities without using the gi pants.
Saved the best roll for last with Jerad. We had some back and forth where both of us controlled the fight for a while. Once he got to mount though I wasn't able to escape and he finished me with an armbar. He gave me a few compliments saying that he's noticed improvement lately. The extra work I've been doing has been paying off!
Friday, October 9, 2015
October 9th 2015 - Gi All Levels
Theme & Techniques: Straight Footlock and Defense
Students: Craig, Dave, Robert, Josh
Had the opportunity to teach today and was excited to do it as always. Did a couple extra things with the warmup with some standup grip fighting and some throw fit-ins.
I felt like I taught the ankle lock well but I don't feel as confident with it as other technics. I thought about it after class and figured out the reason is that I haven't finished any straight ankle locks in sparring. I don't even try to set them up. So I don't have any good tidbits of advice to help people finish it like I do with other techniques. So my new mission is to improve this and other techniques from the beginner curriculum until I have practical knowledge of them.
I added the single leg x entry from butterfly for fun as another way to get to the ankle lock position. Although it was a little difficult to get to the ankle lock.
Rolling: Full Guard (2 x 2 min), Free Rolling (3 x 5 min)
I sat out for a lot of the rolling due to even number of partners. I did help with some coaching but nothing to really write about.
Had some good rolls with Dave and helped him through some stuff.
Students: Craig, Dave, Robert, Josh
Had the opportunity to teach today and was excited to do it as always. Did a couple extra things with the warmup with some standup grip fighting and some throw fit-ins.
I felt like I taught the ankle lock well but I don't feel as confident with it as other technics. I thought about it after class and figured out the reason is that I haven't finished any straight ankle locks in sparring. I don't even try to set them up. So I don't have any good tidbits of advice to help people finish it like I do with other techniques. So my new mission is to improve this and other techniques from the beginner curriculum until I have practical knowledge of them.
I added the single leg x entry from butterfly for fun as another way to get to the ankle lock position. Although it was a little difficult to get to the ankle lock.
Rolling: Full Guard (2 x 2 min), Free Rolling (3 x 5 min)
I sat out for a lot of the rolling due to even number of partners. I did help with some coaching but nothing to really write about.
Had some good rolls with Dave and helped him through some stuff.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
October 7th 2015 - Gi All Levels
Theme & Techniques: Head Lock Escape Over Head Roll, Straight Footlock and Defense
Partner: Casey
I'm not sure if I'm feeling better about the straight ankle lock or not. Yesterday I felt good about it but today I had some trouble with getting the toes right in my armpit. Then the angle felt off with my forearm and their ankle. Hopefully I can get this sorted out on Friday. For the headlock escape Greg commented that I needed to push into them more and then not pause before rolling them over.
Rolling: Closed Guard (4 x 2 min), Free Rolling (2 x 4 min)
Rolled With: Casey, Morgan, Ben, Dave
I've been a little concerned about resting on my larals lately. Not that I do everything perfectly or that I'm not getting a good workout but more like I'm resorting to the same things that work for me instead of trying some new stuff. So the question is what should I introduce or what should I limit. I think I'm going to really focus on trying to complete the technique of the week first and foremost. Yeah it's going to be difficult because it's on everyone's mind and I'll probably fail, but I should get a lot out of it too.
So while rolling today I attempted a couple of straight ankle locks but failed miserably. Mostly with maneuvering around their other leg to get my leg positions. I don't think anyone went for an ankle lock against me in guard. From a training session with Mike A. recently we discussed how not having to defend ankle locks can make you be a little sloppy with your leg positions. Like knee shield or the basic side control escape.
In my last roll with Dave I think I surprised him because I walked him through passing my guard, attacking from side control, going to mount, going to high mount, then finishing an americana. I did some small resistance with each movement and then told him what to do next. He seemed to appreciate it.
Office Hours Partner: Tom
We rolled a couple times, not sure if it was humidity or what but I was already feeling pretty hot. I found myself attacking the kimura but not to finish with the technique but more to move to back mount. It didn't workout that I got a submission from there but it was an interesting exercise. Close to the end I went for an ankle lock but he defended it well and somehow pulled sleeve, putting my arm into a type of armbar. I was able to recover, but I don't really know what happened.
Partner: Casey
I'm not sure if I'm feeling better about the straight ankle lock or not. Yesterday I felt good about it but today I had some trouble with getting the toes right in my armpit. Then the angle felt off with my forearm and their ankle. Hopefully I can get this sorted out on Friday. For the headlock escape Greg commented that I needed to push into them more and then not pause before rolling them over.
Rolling: Closed Guard (4 x 2 min), Free Rolling (2 x 4 min)
Rolled With: Casey, Morgan, Ben, Dave
I've been a little concerned about resting on my larals lately. Not that I do everything perfectly or that I'm not getting a good workout but more like I'm resorting to the same things that work for me instead of trying some new stuff. So the question is what should I introduce or what should I limit. I think I'm going to really focus on trying to complete the technique of the week first and foremost. Yeah it's going to be difficult because it's on everyone's mind and I'll probably fail, but I should get a lot out of it too.
So while rolling today I attempted a couple of straight ankle locks but failed miserably. Mostly with maneuvering around their other leg to get my leg positions. I don't think anyone went for an ankle lock against me in guard. From a training session with Mike A. recently we discussed how not having to defend ankle locks can make you be a little sloppy with your leg positions. Like knee shield or the basic side control escape.
In my last roll with Dave I think I surprised him because I walked him through passing my guard, attacking from side control, going to mount, going to high mount, then finishing an americana. I did some small resistance with each movement and then told him what to do next. He seemed to appreciate it.
Office Hours Partner: Tom
We rolled a couple times, not sure if it was humidity or what but I was already feeling pretty hot. I found myself attacking the kimura but not to finish with the technique but more to move to back mount. It didn't workout that I got a submission from there but it was an interesting exercise. Close to the end I went for an ankle lock but he defended it well and somehow pulled sleeve, putting my arm into a type of armbar. I was able to recover, but I don't really know what happened.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
October 6th 2015 - Gi Beginner
Theme & Techniques: Head Lock Escape Over Head Roll, Straight Footlock and Defense
Partner: Ben
I was actually happy to see the straight footlock come up this week. I recently trained with Mike A. on some no gi footlocks and decided that I want to spend some time improving them. This week couldn't have come at a better time.
The things that I took note of today:
Rolling: Guard (4 x 2 min)
Rolled With: Robert, Brian G.
It was good to roll with Robert again, as it's been a while. The thing that he's able to do to me more often than anyone else is find a way to stand up while I'm attempting to pass his guard. It was even on my mind today and I tried to take the precautions to prevent it but he still did it. From the bottom I held him at bay but wasn't able to sweep. At one point I felt like I had him in a loop choke that was locked in, but he weathered the storm and eventually got free of it.
Office Hours Partner: Brian G, John
Rolling with Brian at the end of class and after was good. He put me on my butt at one point with a scissor sweep but gave me enough space to come up and regain the top. When he was attempting to pass there were a couple times when I felt like he was almost locking my legs down but I could just scrape by a little bit and get my knee free and regain guard.
John did a couple of good things that I didn't expect. 2 times when I was attempting to pass his half guard he was able to regain the underhook and turn the position around on me. I'll have to think about if I'm leaving an opening there or if he's doing something extra to get that underhook. I caught him a couple times with my modified butterfly sweep, that he was kind of surprised by. I showed it to him after we finished rolling.
Partner: Ben
I was actually happy to see the straight footlock come up this week. I recently trained with Mike A. on some no gi footlocks and decided that I want to spend some time improving them. This week couldn't have come at a better time.
The things that I took note of today:
- After opening the guard, grab the heel and push their foot forward until their toes are in your armpit.
- Your elbow will kind of stick out with some space because you want the skinnier part of your arm against their achilles.
- After you fall to your side you will then collapse your elbow underneath you, look to the floor, open your shoulder, and finally bridge.
Rolling: Guard (4 x 2 min)
Rolled With: Robert, Brian G.
It was good to roll with Robert again, as it's been a while. The thing that he's able to do to me more often than anyone else is find a way to stand up while I'm attempting to pass his guard. It was even on my mind today and I tried to take the precautions to prevent it but he still did it. From the bottom I held him at bay but wasn't able to sweep. At one point I felt like I had him in a loop choke that was locked in, but he weathered the storm and eventually got free of it.
Office Hours Partner: Brian G, John
Rolling with Brian at the end of class and after was good. He put me on my butt at one point with a scissor sweep but gave me enough space to come up and regain the top. When he was attempting to pass there were a couple times when I felt like he was almost locking my legs down but I could just scrape by a little bit and get my knee free and regain guard.
John did a couple of good things that I didn't expect. 2 times when I was attempting to pass his half guard he was able to regain the underhook and turn the position around on me. I'll have to think about if I'm leaving an opening there or if he's doing something extra to get that underhook. I caught him a couple times with my modified butterfly sweep, that he was kind of surprised by. I showed it to him after we finished rolling.
Friday, October 2, 2015
October 2nd 2015 - Gi All Levels
Theme & Techniques: Basic Open Guard, Tripod Sweep
Partner: Craig
I was surprised to see such a small class. Not sure if it's the weather change or what, but Fridays haven't been as big lately. I know that Friday is early for some of you out there, but if you are looking for some personal attention, it's a great class to attend. Especially if you are willing to stay after class I will gladly roll or drill with anyone and Conan always has good advice. This goes for any class that I attend. Please come roll with me. Hopefully that comes off as pathetic as I meant it to.
There was a little confusion with the curriculum sheet this morning, but we got it sorted and I helped a little bit since Conan hadn't attended a beginner class this week.
Rolling: Open Guard (6 x 4 min)
Rolled With: Craig, Morgan, Conan
Rolling felt good. I actually setup a triangle which really excites me. It would be great to finally figure out the triangle choke. I've got to get over this thought that my legs are too short and focus more on getting the technique and angles as perfect as possible. I think my biggest problem is still controlling the posture.
When rolling with Conan he set me up to see if I would notice where he was off balance. I saw it and attempted to sweep him but I knew that his hand was free to base. We discussed it a bit. He said it was good to go for it, because if I didn't he would take advantage of it. I've been contemplating whether going for something that I know isn't perfect is a waste of energy or if I just need to think about it as a possible opening for something else. I think that is how people have dominated me in the past, I wait for a perfect opportunity of a sure thing and the time never comes and I get run over. Interesting to think about.
Office Hours Partner: Morgan
We did a few more open guard rounds after class. I helped Morgan out with the omoplata after he ended up in a good position to do one, but didn't know. It's difficult to think that with all of my experience with the omoplata that many of the beginners have little knowledge of it. I guess it's because it's not a part of the beginner curriculum.
Partner: Craig
I was surprised to see such a small class. Not sure if it's the weather change or what, but Fridays haven't been as big lately. I know that Friday is early for some of you out there, but if you are looking for some personal attention, it's a great class to attend. Especially if you are willing to stay after class I will gladly roll or drill with anyone and Conan always has good advice. This goes for any class that I attend. Please come roll with me. Hopefully that comes off as pathetic as I meant it to.
There was a little confusion with the curriculum sheet this morning, but we got it sorted and I helped a little bit since Conan hadn't attended a beginner class this week.
Rolling: Open Guard (6 x 4 min)
Rolled With: Craig, Morgan, Conan
Rolling felt good. I actually setup a triangle which really excites me. It would be great to finally figure out the triangle choke. I've got to get over this thought that my legs are too short and focus more on getting the technique and angles as perfect as possible. I think my biggest problem is still controlling the posture.
When rolling with Conan he set me up to see if I would notice where he was off balance. I saw it and attempted to sweep him but I knew that his hand was free to base. We discussed it a bit. He said it was good to go for it, because if I didn't he would take advantage of it. I've been contemplating whether going for something that I know isn't perfect is a waste of energy or if I just need to think about it as a possible opening for something else. I think that is how people have dominated me in the past, I wait for a perfect opportunity of a sure thing and the time never comes and I get run over. Interesting to think about.
Office Hours Partner: Morgan
We did a few more open guard rounds after class. I helped Morgan out with the omoplata after he ended up in a good position to do one, but didn't know. It's difficult to think that with all of my experience with the omoplata that many of the beginners have little knowledge of it. I guess it's because it's not a part of the beginner curriculum.
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