Good training today, working mostly self-defense (one-two with push-kick to body clinch takedown ... headlock escape) and some specific training from side control. Got in a little bit of rolling, continuing to work "burienbyarmbar" only with more control and precision. I think part of what went not-exactly-right with my last armlock was that I was attacking the left arm rather than the right. And while I am very proud of myself for recognizing the opportunity on my "weaker" side and attacking rather than demurring, I am not impressed with having a "weaker" side where this particular technique is concerned. A part of what I think is going to make burienbyarmbar work is the ability to attack either arm with equal speed and fluidity. So, onward for that.
Also, too ... I need to work on my Flat Pass to the right. To the extent that I'm starting to develop some go-to guard passes, I want to make sure that my best passes are right where I want them to be when I need them. There have been too many times when I've been stymied in the guard because my preferred pass side was blocked (by a collar-choke attack, for example). Simply by being able to go to the other side, I'll be able to make those attacks work for me rather than against.
160.3 on the scale post-train. Typical Monday weight. Ideally, I'm down around 157 or so come Wednesday.
Showing posts with label armlock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label armlock. Show all posts
Monday, November 05, 2012
Friday, November 02, 2012
Season of the Armbar
The dark art of joint locks came home to roost a bit to finish the training week. I'd promised myself that I'd develop a "go to" submission from the closed guard this year and, after a few months of work, it looks like that submission has arrived.
I'm hoping everything is OK. And I'll admit that the latest armlock has me realizing that now's the time to ease back and start to focus on the little details that are allowing the submission to work. I've been thinking about some sweep and take the back options, as well. But more centrally, I need greater and greater control of the position with more and more efficiency and ease.
Wednesday noon training and twice on Friday for a short, 3x/week. I'm not entirely sure how my schedule is going to change once I start Clark Kent-ing for Finovate later this month. But the odds of me making it to the noon class three times a week every week are probably not great.
As long as I'm able to get in at least one Fundamentals class and one Advanced/Black Belt class ahead of Friday's pre-dawn session, I think I'll be okay. I'm not sure how nimble I'm going to have to be to make everything work. But I have to admit that the past 4-5 months have been an atypically opportune time for training, and even if I have to kick back to a 3x/week schedule, it will be far from the end of the world.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
A Day at the Revolution, Part 1
A great time at The Revolution down in Bonney Lake this afternoon.
There was a moment when I noticed Jeff and Gina in a moment of pure event execution that just typified the incredible amount of work that is poured into this tournament series year in and year out. Having been involved in more than a few events in my day - from FM radio promotions at the local bar & grill to artsy stuff like college theatre productions and the annual Tucson Poetry Festival - I am a bit of a stage manager geek and love to watch professionals at work - even when it's just the crucial minutiae that ends up making the difference between a good event and a great one. There's always a lot of inspiration at The Revolution and it isn't only on the mat.
Had a couple of great conversations this afternoon that I'm going to work on abstracting over the course of the week. In their different ways, they all were about goal-setting and allowing yourself to fall in love with the choices you've made.
Looking forward to getting back on the mat next week. I'm training at a very nice pace for me, averaging 4x a week and setting new training records for a fourth month in a row (including this month). Some of the technical goals I've set, like improving my armbar from the closed guard, have been more than met - a true testament to the value of a little extra focus and a lot of extra training.
I'm also a little freaked out that I've made it through September and October without catching a cold. I'm supplementing regularly these days, and doing a double dose of Vitamin C about twice a week. That, and/or dumb luck, I suppose. But this streak of good health is also something I'm especially grateful for of late.
There was a moment when I noticed Jeff and Gina in a moment of pure event execution that just typified the incredible amount of work that is poured into this tournament series year in and year out. Having been involved in more than a few events in my day - from FM radio promotions at the local bar & grill to artsy stuff like college theatre productions and the annual Tucson Poetry Festival - I am a bit of a stage manager geek and love to watch professionals at work - even when it's just the crucial minutiae that ends up making the difference between a good event and a great one. There's always a lot of inspiration at The Revolution and it isn't only on the mat.
Had a couple of great conversations this afternoon that I'm going to work on abstracting over the course of the week. In their different ways, they all were about goal-setting and allowing yourself to fall in love with the choices you've made.
Looking forward to getting back on the mat next week. I'm training at a very nice pace for me, averaging 4x a week and setting new training records for a fourth month in a row (including this month). Some of the technical goals I've set, like improving my armbar from the closed guard, have been more than met - a true testament to the value of a little extra focus and a lot of extra training.
I'm also a little freaked out that I've made it through September and October without catching a cold. I'm supplementing regularly these days, and doing a double dose of Vitamin C about twice a week. That, and/or dumb luck, I suppose. But this streak of good health is also something I'm especially grateful for of late.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Training Day: Wednesday
More work on the pendulum sweep today, which was great insofar as I can already feel my sweep getting smoother compared to my efforts on Monday. As I said to Brian during the drilling, I could train the same technique all week. With something as technical as jiu-jitsu, repetition is definitely some kind of solution to learning, if not mastery.
Today we added another armlock to the sweep, as well as a variation in case the guy steps up with one foot, but keeps it too far out of range for you to reach it. Here, you reach under your lower back - almost as if you were "handcuffing" yourself - in order to block the guard passer's near knee. If you can sweep the knee, so much the better. But likely all you'll need to do is block it in order to carry out the same pendulum sweep. The armlock for today also dealt with that same posture on top from the guard passer. Here, the key was to pull on the foot of the near leg (again, under you), in order to initially break the base. Done correctly, the guard passer almost falls into perfect position for the armlock.
Very vigorous Live Training today, with two 8-10 minutes sessions with Chaim. There may not be a more difficult guy for me to spar than Chaim in many ways, not the least of which is that we have similar styles ("three yards and a cloud of dust"). It can be a sobering experience. But I'm trying to focus on how much benefit this kind of training will be over the longer-term, as I am forced to adapt to a bigger, stronger "opponent" with the same sort of positional goals that I have.
Still no new battery for the scale, so my post-training weight is a mystery for a second session in a row. I was about 153 before class this morning, so I'm guessing that I might have even tipped below 155 (without the gi) by the time Wednesday's time on the mat was done. It's a tricky balance. But if I can stay around these lbs, and gradually bring my consumption back up, that would be ideal.
Today we added another armlock to the sweep, as well as a variation in case the guy steps up with one foot, but keeps it too far out of range for you to reach it. Here, you reach under your lower back - almost as if you were "handcuffing" yourself - in order to block the guard passer's near knee. If you can sweep the knee, so much the better. But likely all you'll need to do is block it in order to carry out the same pendulum sweep. The armlock for today also dealt with that same posture on top from the guard passer. Here, the key was to pull on the foot of the near leg (again, under you), in order to initially break the base. Done correctly, the guard passer almost falls into perfect position for the armlock.
Very vigorous Live Training today, with two 8-10 minutes sessions with Chaim. There may not be a more difficult guy for me to spar than Chaim in many ways, not the least of which is that we have similar styles ("three yards and a cloud of dust"). It can be a sobering experience. But I'm trying to focus on how much benefit this kind of training will be over the longer-term, as I am forced to adapt to a bigger, stronger "opponent" with the same sort of positional goals that I have.
Still no new battery for the scale, so my post-training weight is a mystery for a second session in a row. I was about 153 before class this morning, so I'm guessing that I might have even tipped below 155 (without the gi) by the time Wednesday's time on the mat was done. It's a tricky balance. But if I can stay around these lbs, and gradually bring my consumption back up, that would be ideal.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
Great Transition from Back to Armbar from Toquinho
Not a fan of his leglock game, so much. But all the love in the universe for this transition.
Monday, September 06, 2010
500 Armbars a Month. Final Offer.
At this point, the 50% discount is probably more realistic.
I'm finding a few early adopters here and there - for which I am extremely grateful. But I'm no iPad.
500 armbars a month means 33 a night (3 sets of 10 with one extra rep per set for good measure) training 3-4 times a week.
6,000 armbars in year one alone.
I'm finding a few early adopters here and there - for which I am extremely grateful. But I'm no iPad.
500 armbars a month means 33 a night (3 sets of 10 with one extra rep per set for good measure) training 3-4 times a week.
6,000 armbars in year one alone.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Straight Armlock from the Guard from Abhaya
Not the sort of armbars I'll be drilling right now. But a good example of the sort of armlock I do want to make more and more a part of my guard attack.
Monday, August 23, 2010
1,000 Armbars a Month
Some institutions have years that begin and end on months different from the calendar year. In my jiu jitsu world, the "year" begins in August.
And as with all new years, resolutions must be made. For the 2010-2011 jiu jitsu year, one of those resolutions will be to drill 1, 000 armbars a month, every month.
I'll be looking to split those armbars between armbars from the guard and armbars from other locations (mount and knee on belly, especially). But the meta-goal for this project is to develop an armlock from the guard that is as automatic as anything else in my game.
If I train 15-16 times a month, then my 1,000 armbars a month goal means drilling about 60 armbars a night - again, with half from the closed guard and the other half from dominant positions.
I look at it, in part, like this: if you do weight training after jiu jitsu (as "Zen Machine" Mario Sperry used to advise), then you might do 3 sets of 10 reps of about 3-5 different exercises max. That comes to between 90-150 work reps - far more than my goal of 60 armbars a day.
This will require more than a little help. John helped me get in 30 armbars last Friday (3 sets of 10). Today, we trained a little late and nobody even looked remotely like they had the juice to keep going. So I'll admit that I don't expect to be able to get in the other 970 before Septemer 1st ...
But with a little kindness from not-too-exhausted teammates and a prorated target near 300, my mark may be made after all.
And as with all new years, resolutions must be made. For the 2010-2011 jiu jitsu year, one of those resolutions will be to drill 1, 000 armbars a month, every month.
I'll be looking to split those armbars between armbars from the guard and armbars from other locations (mount and knee on belly, especially). But the meta-goal for this project is to develop an armlock from the guard that is as automatic as anything else in my game.
If I train 15-16 times a month, then my 1,000 armbars a month goal means drilling about 60 armbars a night - again, with half from the closed guard and the other half from dominant positions.
I look at it, in part, like this: if you do weight training after jiu jitsu (as "Zen Machine" Mario Sperry used to advise), then you might do 3 sets of 10 reps of about 3-5 different exercises max. That comes to between 90-150 work reps - far more than my goal of 60 armbars a day.
This will require more than a little help. John helped me get in 30 armbars last Friday (3 sets of 10). Today, we trained a little late and nobody even looked remotely like they had the juice to keep going. So I'll admit that I don't expect to be able to get in the other 970 before Septemer 1st ...
But with a little kindness from not-too-exhausted teammates and a prorated target near 300, my mark may be made after all.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Training Day: Tuesday
I knew that Tuesday would be the hardest training of the week. Tuesday includes the Advanced Program (along with Monday and Saturday), which right now is a circuit of moderate pace alt takedowns, armlocks from the guard, squats and pushups. After that, guard/pass guard specific and rear mount/rear mount escape specific, then an 8-10 minute sparring.
Good hard work. I worked with Nick (the gamer tech), and trained a little with Andrew, Benn and Benny. I was pretty whipped by the end of the session, holding positions rather than being able to advance them. I'm not especially happy about that, and I can tell that there are still too many instances where I'm working too hard. But that is fixable in the intermediate term, if not shorter.
Here's the Fundamentals program for tonight:
2B: Tue pm, Wed am, Thu pm
1. Hip throw counter to standing choke
2. Hip push sweep from guard against standing
3. Armlock from guard against standing
Notes: (1) From tricep grip, penetration step with far side leg and "elbow uppercut", reach around head as if for headlock throw, reverse pivot - Rodrigo and Fabiana included a regrip on the triceps where you swim your arm over and inside and regrip. I'm not sure if I understand this regripping. (2) Knees together for better leverage. Hip split as you come up, plant with one hand and pull up on the collar with the other. Slide the knees in tight to secure the mount. (3) Split the elbows. Crawl the legs. Grip. Underhook off leg and pivot. Swing leg over for armlock.
I really tried to work in opportunities for #2 with the white belt I was working with (Corey, I think). There's no better time for someone to try out a new position than shortly after he or she has learned it. So I'm trying to make it a priority to work the Move of the Day into the initial specific sparring when I'm working with white and blue belts. Benny joked that we ought to have some "thing" we do everytime someone does the Move of the Day in the specific sparring. I think it's a great idea - just some sort of cheer or commendation. We'll see what happens.
Down to 158.0 post-train. The LSD workout I did earlier in the day probably helped that a bit. And I've started dropping calories, too. So far so good.
Good hard work. I worked with Nick (the gamer tech), and trained a little with Andrew, Benn and Benny. I was pretty whipped by the end of the session, holding positions rather than being able to advance them. I'm not especially happy about that, and I can tell that there are still too many instances where I'm working too hard. But that is fixable in the intermediate term, if not shorter.
Here's the Fundamentals program for tonight:
2B: Tue pm, Wed am, Thu pm
1. Hip throw counter to standing choke
2. Hip push sweep from guard against standing
3. Armlock from guard against standing
Notes: (1) From tricep grip, penetration step with far side leg and "elbow uppercut", reach around head as if for headlock throw, reverse pivot - Rodrigo and Fabiana included a regrip on the triceps where you swim your arm over and inside and regrip. I'm not sure if I understand this regripping. (2) Knees together for better leverage. Hip split as you come up, plant with one hand and pull up on the collar with the other. Slide the knees in tight to secure the mount. (3) Split the elbows. Crawl the legs. Grip. Underhook off leg and pivot. Swing leg over for armlock.
I really tried to work in opportunities for #2 with the white belt I was working with (Corey, I think). There's no better time for someone to try out a new position than shortly after he or she has learned it. So I'm trying to make it a priority to work the Move of the Day into the initial specific sparring when I'm working with white and blue belts. Benny joked that we ought to have some "thing" we do everytime someone does the Move of the Day in the specific sparring. I think it's a great idea - just some sort of cheer or commendation. We'll see what happens.
Down to 158.0 post-train. The LSD workout I did earlier in the day probably helped that a bit. And I've started dropping calories, too. So far so good.
Monday, March 08, 2010
Training Day: Monday
Fundamentals Class:
2A: Mon am/pm, Wed pm
1. Standing two-handed, "rape choke" counter
2. Armbar from the guard
3. Triangle choke from the guard
Notes: (1): Tuck chin, step back and to the side under (or through) the wrist grip of the attacker. Be sure to keep forearms in position to defend against knee strikes. (2): Here, I was making my major mistake of not getting perpendicular on the swing. I've got a drill I used to do that will fix this - but it's a drill I haven't done in some time. (3): I'm definitely a proponent of catching the shin and then stepping off to adjust the angle.
The live training/specific training was pretty good. Rodrigo's been doing short rounds (90 seconds), alternating with sweeps only and sweeps and submissions for the guard player in the guard/pass guard specific. The short rounds are very, very nice (they are longer in the advanced program) because you get conditioned into operating with a fairly finite period of time. Another great addition as Gracie Barra Seattle 3.0 continues to be rolled out.
2A: Mon am/pm, Wed pm
1. Standing two-handed, "rape choke" counter
2. Armbar from the guard
3. Triangle choke from the guard
Notes: (1): Tuck chin, step back and to the side under (or through) the wrist grip of the attacker. Be sure to keep forearms in position to defend against knee strikes. (2): Here, I was making my major mistake of not getting perpendicular on the swing. I've got a drill I used to do that will fix this - but it's a drill I haven't done in some time. (3): I'm definitely a proponent of catching the shin and then stepping off to adjust the angle.
The live training/specific training was pretty good. Rodrigo's been doing short rounds (90 seconds), alternating with sweeps only and sweeps and submissions for the guard player in the guard/pass guard specific. The short rounds are very, very nice (they are longer in the advanced program) because you get conditioned into operating with a fairly finite period of time. Another great addition as Gracie Barra Seattle 3.0 continues to be rolled out.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Jiu Jitsu and WEC 47
What's not to love about World Extreme Cagefighting?
Last night's event was another great show from the little guys (155 and under). For all the worrying about what will happen with the WEC vis-a-vis the UFC, it seems more and more clear to me that the smaller weight divisions have more than enough fighters to go around. I'm thinking that the WEC will be just fine.
More to the point, props to a number of fighters for their submission finishes Saturday night. Great finishing guillotines from Jorgensen and Benavidez. And elbow-popping armbars from Palaszewski and Javi Vasquez.
Read Sherdog's play-by-play coverage of the event here.
Last night's event was another great show from the little guys (155 and under). For all the worrying about what will happen with the WEC vis-a-vis the UFC, it seems more and more clear to me that the smaller weight divisions have more than enough fighters to go around. I'm thinking that the WEC will be just fine.
More to the point, props to a number of fighters for their submission finishes Saturday night. Great finishing guillotines from Jorgensen and Benavidez. And elbow-popping armbars from Palaszewski and Javi Vasquez.
Read Sherdog's play-by-play coverage of the event here.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Training Day: Monday
After last week's focus on the armlock from the guard, this week began with a counter and guard pass off the armlock attack.
The CBDP for the move was:
Hug / Step / Head / Pull / Clinch / Switch
HUG the head with the free arm. STEP up with the trapped side leg behind him to set your base - keeping your other knee on the mat and tight against his body. HEAD is a reminder to keep low and use your head to apply pressure to the leg so that he doesn't open up and transition to the triangle when you pull your arm free. PULL is the "jackhammer" motion to pull your trapped arm free. CLINCH refers to grabbing the shoulder with the now-free arm on the same side. SWITCH is to switch your hips to get in position for the pass. The easy way to think of it is that the knee that is up goes down and the knee that is down goes up. This makes it easy to scramble around, pass the guard, and get to side control.
I'm going to try and use this method for remembering moves as I learn them, instead of when I'm trying to recall them. Setting up a CBDP and then repeating it as I drill the move might be just what I need to better retain what I learn on a day-to-day basis.
Tatame was a mixed bag. Honestly, I put in an average performance - particularly for a Monday. I didn't feel as if I was able to focus on anything in particular - though I did a halfway decent "first day focus" on standing to pass the guard. I even had some success with that Ricco Pass, which I've never had before.
For now, my guard passing is going to be focused on standing to pass OR forcing butterfly guard and working my butterfly guard passes, mainly the Wallid and the Watchdog passes. I actually had some success with the Wallid pass today, which I mostly credit to being aggressive (something that Rodrigo has been emphasizing for the past few weeks - though mostly with regard to the guard).
That's another point. Rodrigo has been talking about being aggressive when pulling guard, of pulling guard to go for the sweep instead of just pulling guard because you feel "more comfortable" on the bottom. I think that's especially true for guys like me who are 90% sweep oriented anyway when it comes to the guard. I also think it's applicable to guard passing as well. You want to move to create opportunities - and then to jump on those opportunities immediately when they present themselves. This is part of what my practice in trying to force the butterfly guard is all about. But it is also a part of what I'm trying to learn about passing the guard from standing. What can I do to create those "green light" moments when the leg is low enough to drop my knee, for example - or high enough to be scooped as part of an underhook pass?
This I need to keep up as my primary project - not just for the next two weeks before the Inter-School but as The Project for 2010. For what it's worth, I do think that consistent guard passing - and a somewhat more diverse guard game - represent the difference between burien top team qua faixa roxa and burien top team qua faixa marrom.
Rodrigo incidentally showed us a very nice variation on the armlock from the guard - something I don't think I ever remember seeing him show us before. Essentially, it's a combination of the flower sweep (or windmill sweep or pendulum sweep or whatever, you know what I'm talking about) and the armlock, where you control the arm at the elbow, and dive under the leg with the other arm (this is from the closed guard). Kick your legs wide as if going for the flower sweep, but instead of kicking your arm-control-side leg back under you, you roll back over and swing the leg over the guy's head for the armlock (you've maintained control of the arm throughout and can bring your other arm into play to help finish.)
You never know what variation of a technique will suddenly make that technique work for you. This flower sweep armlock has made me more optimistic about actually having a coherent armlock from the guard attack than I've ever been.
156.6 on the scale post-training. Given that the weigh-in is IBJJF style for the Inter-School on the 13th (155-169 in the gi), I'm right where I want to be.
The CBDP for the move was:
Hug / Step / Head / Pull / Clinch / Switch
HUG the head with the free arm. STEP up with the trapped side leg behind him to set your base - keeping your other knee on the mat and tight against his body. HEAD is a reminder to keep low and use your head to apply pressure to the leg so that he doesn't open up and transition to the triangle when you pull your arm free. PULL is the "jackhammer" motion to pull your trapped arm free. CLINCH refers to grabbing the shoulder with the now-free arm on the same side. SWITCH is to switch your hips to get in position for the pass. The easy way to think of it is that the knee that is up goes down and the knee that is down goes up. This makes it easy to scramble around, pass the guard, and get to side control.
I'm going to try and use this method for remembering moves as I learn them, instead of when I'm trying to recall them. Setting up a CBDP and then repeating it as I drill the move might be just what I need to better retain what I learn on a day-to-day basis.
Tatame was a mixed bag. Honestly, I put in an average performance - particularly for a Monday. I didn't feel as if I was able to focus on anything in particular - though I did a halfway decent "first day focus" on standing to pass the guard. I even had some success with that Ricco Pass, which I've never had before.
For now, my guard passing is going to be focused on standing to pass OR forcing butterfly guard and working my butterfly guard passes, mainly the Wallid and the Watchdog passes. I actually had some success with the Wallid pass today, which I mostly credit to being aggressive (something that Rodrigo has been emphasizing for the past few weeks - though mostly with regard to the guard).
That's another point. Rodrigo has been talking about being aggressive when pulling guard, of pulling guard to go for the sweep instead of just pulling guard because you feel "more comfortable" on the bottom. I think that's especially true for guys like me who are 90% sweep oriented anyway when it comes to the guard. I also think it's applicable to guard passing as well. You want to move to create opportunities - and then to jump on those opportunities immediately when they present themselves. This is part of what my practice in trying to force the butterfly guard is all about. But it is also a part of what I'm trying to learn about passing the guard from standing. What can I do to create those "green light" moments when the leg is low enough to drop my knee, for example - or high enough to be scooped as part of an underhook pass?
This I need to keep up as my primary project - not just for the next two weeks before the Inter-School but as The Project for 2010. For what it's worth, I do think that consistent guard passing - and a somewhat more diverse guard game - represent the difference between burien top team qua faixa roxa and burien top team qua faixa marrom.
Rodrigo incidentally showed us a very nice variation on the armlock from the guard - something I don't think I ever remember seeing him show us before. Essentially, it's a combination of the flower sweep (or windmill sweep or pendulum sweep or whatever, you know what I'm talking about) and the armlock, where you control the arm at the elbow, and dive under the leg with the other arm (this is from the closed guard). Kick your legs wide as if going for the flower sweep, but instead of kicking your arm-control-side leg back under you, you roll back over and swing the leg over the guy's head for the armlock (you've maintained control of the arm throughout and can bring your other arm into play to help finish.)
You never know what variation of a technique will suddenly make that technique work for you. This flower sweep armlock has made me more optimistic about actually having a coherent armlock from the guard attack than I've ever been.
156.6 on the scale post-training. Given that the weigh-in is IBJJF style for the Inter-School on the 13th (155-169 in the gi), I'm right where I want to be.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Training Day: Tuesday
More armbars from the guard today. A big class, with more than a few new folks that Rodrigo worked with. Jesse was there to lead the warmup and teach the class, adding a few extra details to the move on to what Rodrigo and Lindsey went over on Monday.
One thing that Jesse helped me remember is that you are often going to have one side that really works and one side that is competent at best. I actually overheard Rodrigo making this point to Troy and his training partner a few days ago, so in a way the point was only more reinforced.
I don't have a very good armlock from the guard. But the movement to attack the right arm for the armlock is much better than the movement to attack the left arm. So more than just having one side that is not going to feel as good during drills, I also know that when I try to do the armlock in actual sparring and guard/pass guard specific drill, I need to focus on the attack on the right arm, that set-up and others that go well with it.
A couple of observations from the tatame: guys are all over my Flat Pass lately. It reminds me of what happened to my half guard awhile back as guys became more and more accustomed to it. I think the high point of my half guard came this spring at the Revolution when I pulled half guard in my first two matches to go up 2-0. Now is a good time to start to move away from it more aggressively and start to cultivate some other guards that will work for me at the higher levels.
The same is becoming true about the Flat Pass. Part of my disappointment at the last Revolution (a large part) was the fact that I was looking forward to testing the Flat Pass in competition and never really got the chance. Maybe that opportunity will come in December at the inter-school.
But even if it does show up and perform, the Flat Pass needs to go back on the shelf while I develop other guards, especially Scissorhands (given the work on the armbars from the guard), the cross guard and sitting/butterfly stuff, as well.
I like how Rodrigo has been emphasizing only pulling guard to attack with the sweep. I managed to get a couple of good hook sweeps in over the past two days based on trying to follow that thinking. One of the problems with my half guard game has been that I'd started to get into the habit of "Cadillac-ing", hanging out in a position I felt relatively comfortable defending almost indefinitely. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if part of my problems with my shoulder have to do with spending too much time on the bottom on my side.
One of the good things about the sitting guards is that you can't really hang out in them. You're either gaining ground or losing it. There's a little drill I've been trying where I butt-scoot forward quickly and shoot in the hook sweep, the kind of move that can be incorporated into a number of semi-scramble situations.
156.2 on the scale after training. This is about where I want to be for now. I'm looking to train Thanksgiving morning and again on Saturday which will give me a nice four-train week.
One thing that Jesse helped me remember is that you are often going to have one side that really works and one side that is competent at best. I actually overheard Rodrigo making this point to Troy and his training partner a few days ago, so in a way the point was only more reinforced.
I don't have a very good armlock from the guard. But the movement to attack the right arm for the armlock is much better than the movement to attack the left arm. So more than just having one side that is not going to feel as good during drills, I also know that when I try to do the armlock in actual sparring and guard/pass guard specific drill, I need to focus on the attack on the right arm, that set-up and others that go well with it.
A couple of observations from the tatame: guys are all over my Flat Pass lately. It reminds me of what happened to my half guard awhile back as guys became more and more accustomed to it. I think the high point of my half guard came this spring at the Revolution when I pulled half guard in my first two matches to go up 2-0. Now is a good time to start to move away from it more aggressively and start to cultivate some other guards that will work for me at the higher levels.
The same is becoming true about the Flat Pass. Part of my disappointment at the last Revolution (a large part) was the fact that I was looking forward to testing the Flat Pass in competition and never really got the chance. Maybe that opportunity will come in December at the inter-school.
But even if it does show up and perform, the Flat Pass needs to go back on the shelf while I develop other guards, especially Scissorhands (given the work on the armbars from the guard), the cross guard and sitting/butterfly stuff, as well.
I like how Rodrigo has been emphasizing only pulling guard to attack with the sweep. I managed to get a couple of good hook sweeps in over the past two days based on trying to follow that thinking. One of the problems with my half guard game has been that I'd started to get into the habit of "Cadillac-ing", hanging out in a position I felt relatively comfortable defending almost indefinitely. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if part of my problems with my shoulder have to do with spending too much time on the bottom on my side.
One of the good things about the sitting guards is that you can't really hang out in them. You're either gaining ground or losing it. There's a little drill I've been trying where I butt-scoot forward quickly and shoot in the hook sweep, the kind of move that can be incorporated into a number of semi-scramble situations.
156.2 on the scale after training. This is about where I want to be for now. I'm looking to train Thanksgiving morning and again on Saturday which will give me a nice four-train week.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Training Day: Wednesday
I had told myself before the Saulo seminar that I could use some jiu jitsu wisdom. What I got, in addition to a couple of techniques that I'm looking forward to trying out in training, was not quite wisdom so much as attitude in the "frame of mind" Suzuki sense of the word (the Western sense of the word has connotations of obedience that I don't sympathize with). It was a calming down, a "remember to breathe," a think-in-short-elemental-movements kinds of wisdom Saulo imparted, something along the lines of presence, maybe, or what people are always saying after getting the opportunity to train with Rickson Gracie. You can definitely feel the Zen in it - an interesting sensation for a non-Zen Old Testament Buddhist like myself - and I think it's actually making it easier to do just about everything I've been doing at home at GB Seattle. Even in the midst of trying to get back my conditioning, I could find myself at peace in the luminous whirlwind of jiu jitsu.
There were a few good instances of this - though the best might have been with a relentless white belt who flew around my guard Connor-style. Getting back to guard and to sweep took awhile, and I felt myself processing at a pretty good pace, taking incremental step after incremental step to improve the situation until I was in a position to try and take the advantage. It was some good training.
Rodrigo has got us in competition mode, three weeks out from the Revolution (more like two and a half) and about eight or nine weeks out from the Interschool Tournament That Needs a Good Name. The pace is hard, but Rodrigo typically knows just how to bring us to the threshold. I'm doing better than I thought I would.
The instructional, by the way, was the double bicep side control escape. I was dragging through this drill late, but again, I wasn't alone in that regard (Charlie).
Some good work with the Twist Back tonight. With the tournaments coming up, I'm giving myself the "all clear" to work with my competition gameplan type moves from now until December 14th. I'd like to work in the slingshot and the armdrag from half - and the success I had with the Fowler Series 3 from the latest Gracie Magazine tonight means I'll likely be adding that to my top half game.
But the name of the game is still takedowns and guard passing. I'm feeling fine enough about the former, and the latter is coming rather than going. Clint is among the guys doing a really good job of testing my Flat Pass, and I'm starting to get the nerve to go left as well as right. Shield and Sword with Stephen turned out to be a stalemate (I should have gone for the Leozinho!), but I want to continue to work it as the opportunities arise. My suspicion, though, is that I'll either end up relying on the Flat Pass or the Leozinho if I find myself in guard at the Revolution (or if I get lucky off the Leozinho, the Butler or the Jack Pass).
There were a few good instances of this - though the best might have been with a relentless white belt who flew around my guard Connor-style. Getting back to guard and to sweep took awhile, and I felt myself processing at a pretty good pace, taking incremental step after incremental step to improve the situation until I was in a position to try and take the advantage. It was some good training.
Rodrigo has got us in competition mode, three weeks out from the Revolution (more like two and a half) and about eight or nine weeks out from the Interschool Tournament That Needs a Good Name. The pace is hard, but Rodrigo typically knows just how to bring us to the threshold. I'm doing better than I thought I would.
The instructional, by the way, was the double bicep side control escape. I was dragging through this drill late, but again, I wasn't alone in that regard (Charlie).
Some good work with the Twist Back tonight. With the tournaments coming up, I'm giving myself the "all clear" to work with my competition gameplan type moves from now until December 14th. I'd like to work in the slingshot and the armdrag from half - and the success I had with the Fowler Series 3 from the latest Gracie Magazine tonight means I'll likely be adding that to my top half game.
But the name of the game is still takedowns and guard passing. I'm feeling fine enough about the former, and the latter is coming rather than going. Clint is among the guys doing a really good job of testing my Flat Pass, and I'm starting to get the nerve to go left as well as right. Shield and Sword with Stephen turned out to be a stalemate (I should have gone for the Leozinho!), but I want to continue to work it as the opportunities arise. My suspicion, though, is that I'll either end up relying on the Flat Pass or the Leozinho if I find myself in guard at the Revolution (or if I get lucky off the Leozinho, the Butler or the Jack Pass).
Monday, August 31, 2009
Training Day: Monday
Huge class Monday - maybe 30 folks or more, with half of them very, very new. Lindsey led the warmups, but Rodrigo was there to teach the class.
After some stand-up (the Machida) for about 10 minutes we went into the instructional, which was more work out of and against the sitting/butterfly guard. We continued working on passing the sitting guard by grabbing the knees and leaning in with the shoulder, the "stiff-arm toreano" so to speak. The guy on the bottom's job was to rotate, with one hand planted behind him, keeping the guy from getting to your side.
We also worked on an armlock from the sitting guard when the guard passer sits down and traps your legs. The trick is to get one leg out at a time, then to underhook the guy's arm with a yoke grip, pulling on that arm and strteching him out with a foot in the hip. Slide your head along the length of the arm to keep the pressure tight. Rotate toward face down to put on the pressure for the straight armlock.
Tatame was interesting to say the least. Rodrigo got more than a little concerned about the some of the sparring by the blue and even purple belts in the first group. Without naming names, Rodrigo was mostly worried about the example being set for all the new folks - like I said, I can't remember the last time I saw so many new students at one class. "If somebody didn't know better, they would think you guys were really fighting," he said.
Yikes. Fortunately, I was in the second group, matched up with Connor. I decided it was an excellent opportunity to continue working on the kind of "deep practice" I've been reading about in Daniel Coyle's book, The Talent Code. I focused exclusively on standing to pass the guard and, rather than commit to passing, I committed to trying to avoid being swept and maintain at least a minimum pressure for the entire time without pause.
The idea is to habituate myself to standing against the guard: discover where the hooks go and how to defeat them, learn where and how my balance is most likely to be tested, explore how different avenue for passing actually open up (instead of me forcing them). I should be able to make the guy on the bottom work hard - too hard - to deal with my passing pressure. My jiu jitsu is largely an attrition game, where the goal is to induce a sense of despair and inevitability as I go for the sweep or the pass or the finish. And in the long run, I think I'm going to have more success in passing the guard and creating this pressure if I attack from standing. So I might as well get used to it.
After some stand-up (the Machida) for about 10 minutes we went into the instructional, which was more work out of and against the sitting/butterfly guard. We continued working on passing the sitting guard by grabbing the knees and leaning in with the shoulder, the "stiff-arm toreano" so to speak. The guy on the bottom's job was to rotate, with one hand planted behind him, keeping the guy from getting to your side.
We also worked on an armlock from the sitting guard when the guard passer sits down and traps your legs. The trick is to get one leg out at a time, then to underhook the guy's arm with a yoke grip, pulling on that arm and strteching him out with a foot in the hip. Slide your head along the length of the arm to keep the pressure tight. Rotate toward face down to put on the pressure for the straight armlock.
Tatame was interesting to say the least. Rodrigo got more than a little concerned about the some of the sparring by the blue and even purple belts in the first group. Without naming names, Rodrigo was mostly worried about the example being set for all the new folks - like I said, I can't remember the last time I saw so many new students at one class. "If somebody didn't know better, they would think you guys were really fighting," he said.
Yikes. Fortunately, I was in the second group, matched up with Connor. I decided it was an excellent opportunity to continue working on the kind of "deep practice" I've been reading about in Daniel Coyle's book, The Talent Code. I focused exclusively on standing to pass the guard and, rather than commit to passing, I committed to trying to avoid being swept and maintain at least a minimum pressure for the entire time without pause.
The idea is to habituate myself to standing against the guard: discover where the hooks go and how to defeat them, learn where and how my balance is most likely to be tested, explore how different avenue for passing actually open up (instead of me forcing them). I should be able to make the guy on the bottom work hard - too hard - to deal with my passing pressure. My jiu jitsu is largely an attrition game, where the goal is to induce a sense of despair and inevitability as I go for the sweep or the pass or the finish. And in the long run, I think I'm going to have more success in passing the guard and creating this pressure if I attack from standing. So I might as well get used to it.
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