Last week's, post-tournament practices were really good. Tonight, hopefully, will be an example of the new "okay, but not so hot" practice going forward.
I felt a little fatigued. Nothing big, but I really didn't have the hustle I like to have during free sparring. That said, I accomplished a few things, and learned some new things I have to try against folks who've figured out some of what I like to do.
Accomplishments? PTMU. I got six PTMUs tonight, a few of which actually led to guard passes. Late in the session, I didn't feel like I had the juice so I floundered around in the closed guard with my posture shot to hell during my last roll. But a little PTMU is better than no PTMU. And tonight was more than a little.
Clint did a really good job of pummeling for the underhook when he was on top in my half-guard. I'm getting better at realizing when to hit the lockdown and when to abandon it for better position or attack. But it is still a bit of a crutch. I've got to realize that the overhook on the lockdown side is just as legit as the underhook, especially if the sweep I want to use is a twist rather than a tackle. I've got to start working the inside leg position better. If the guy avoids that south hook on the ankle by bending his leg, then he should be vulnerable for a sweep. Open up the lockdown and twist.
Speaking of twists and tackles, I did an okay job of rolling out of bottom positions, particularly side control and scarf hold. I baited the keylock for a reversal once or twice, which felt good. But one problem about the rolls that didn't work is that I end up blocking my body with my mat/down leg when I turn over to the side to, basically, do a shoulder throw on the ground.
I think the trick is to switch my base, switch my legs so that the mat/down leg is back and the up leg is forward. It should be a precursor to coming to the knee, in the same way that Marcelo does in that side control escape clip a few posts back. It's the same move in the half guard tackle sweeps from Eddie Bravo that I've not been missing.
One thing that Saulo says a lot that I like to remember is the idea of not blocking your body. It's a simple thing, like all of jiu jitsu--or maybe, a fundamental thing is a better way of putting it. By switching your legs and bringing the underneath mat leg back behind you, you make it FAR easier to move your body, at least in part, in the space formerly occupied by that very same mat leg.
I'm going to try and listen to Mike Fowler's interview over at Fightworks a little later. He talks about what it took for him to become a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. But one thing that definitely seems to be important at some early point in the process is to figure out how to learn jiu jitsu, how to do what you see--even if ineptly for a while. I'm hoping that between last weekend and the next tournament, I'll be able to say that I've finally started to learn how to learn.
