Monday's class was a relatively light class. Throws for warm-up. Then a guard replacement drill that I had a hard time catching. Fortunately, it is one of the guard replacement drills in Peligro's The Essential Guard on page 48-49.
You are defending an attempt to stack you. You've got one leg up and over the shoulder, and the other leg butterflied out (knee out) with the hook on that foot on the other side of the body. Both of your feet are on the same side.
Release the hook and kick that leg out to the side. You will elbow escape to that side.
At the same time, bring your up leg down, sliding the hook on that leg on the other side of his torso just above the waist. You're basically sliding it down his face, down his chest to his belly.
After you escape your hips to the side (the butterflied side), swing that leg up and over the other side of the guy's head.
Back and forth you go.
The important thing is the first step, which is to release the body hook and plant that leg out to the side in preparation for a deep elbow escape in that direction. Slide the upper leg down and hook it into place. Then swing the other leg up and over, crossing his face.
I had a tricky time with this one, so I didn't get to practice the next step that Mamazinho was showing the blue belts. I was probably going too fast with Jeff. I'll have to make sure I slow it down next time.
On a similar note, Rodrigo mentioned me working with some of the beginning white belts from time to time. I don't know if it is because I've been struggling in sparring or because of my injuries or what. I want to be prepared for the tournament on the 29th, but I may take him up on his offer.
My biggest "problem" in sparring is letting guys get to my side in the beginning. Basically, I'm lousy at pulling guard. I think I need to be closer when I drop down so that the guy doesn't have as much room to maneuver and set up a pass. Brandon the judo guy caught me in an armbar from scarf hold and then had a kimura on me from the guard that had me feeling like Royler against Sakuraba. I managed to get top position a few times. But couldn't finish him.
I rolled with Mario's friend, Jeff. A strong guy, at least two weight divisions higher than me. Very hard to control from the top. I managed to catch him with a choke and an armbar that I applied too quickly. But it was a real struggle all the way.
I rolled with Casey, and did better this time around--mostly in terms of overall aggression. His advice this time was to "defend everything" ... He went for a few collar chokes that I didn't defend well, which I've got a tendency to do since there is so much "grey area" in most of the chokes I get caught in.
Last I had a short roll with Cindy, who's working her way back from neck surgery. She was no-gi and not being able to use head control against her didn't give me a tremendous amount of options--not that it would have mattered. She caught me in a couple of things: a choke, an armbar, an omoplata and a wristlock. But I think I made it at least worth her while.
As far as Day One of the gameplan was, I'd give it a gentleman's C. I tried one omoplata against Brandon, and it was pretty much more of a sweep. I did get a scissors sweep on him. I wasted too much time on top with Jeff instead of going for the submission early.
The fact of the matter is that my most effective submission has been the armbar from the mount. I don't do it anywhere near perfectly, but if I'm in the mount and your arms go vertical, I'm going to slap an armbar down rapidinho.
That's how something becomes part of a competition gameplan. As much as I wanted to make chokes and shoulder locks the staple of my game, that armbar from the mount is my best submission. I need to work on the far-side armbar (the one with the wrap) and the Cindy (the keylock transition to armbar) and include them as my main finishing moves. Because I seem to be able to work those better than anything else.
So I'll make a post about escapes from side control (Peligro's hook method) and escapes from scarf hold (Mamzinho's Twist Back-style reversal and Angela's Leg Over). But I need to work on not getting caught in side control in the first place.
