In the beginner class we worked some very good guard pass drills. There were three, and all of them were based on the wedge break of the closed guard.
Rodrigo emphasized posture and keeping the guy's back on the mat with your post hand when you are in the guard. As you turn out to break the guard open, make sure to keep that posture and to actually turn away. Like being on your side when you are on the bottom, sometimes you think you are turning your body when you really are just turning your head or twisting your shoulders. Turn, lean back and guide that leg down to the mat.
One thing I need to do when in the guard (other than POSTURE!) is to make sure I'm keeping my knees wide. I'm not sure if it is a big mistake. But I know it is something I don't focus on, so I might as well start checking the next few times I'm in the guard.
Here's where the variations begin.
#1 was a sprawl pass. Pike up, keeping your weight on the leg that is down and keeping his hips pinned with your post and your elbow. Walk around to the knee-down side and slide into side control, hooking the head and blocking the knee with your south side leg.
#2 was the knee pin. In this one, as soon as you get the knee down, you pin his leg to the mat with your outside leg, your knee on the mat on the one side on the leg and your toes on the other side.
If you pin the leg above the knee, then you can go and do a tight pass, hooking the head and back-stepping. Here you want to use your pinning leg as a hip block as you turn your body into the backstep. Keep your weight on him and take your time - don't give space.
If you pin the leg below the knee, then you want to get as flat as possible to keep that leg down. Use your stomach to keep the pressure on the leg. If you don't, then the guy will be able to rotate his leg out of there and potentially back into a guard or half guard.
#3 was the step over into half guard. Put the leg on the mat and and instead of knee pinning it, step over it and slide into half guard. From here, hooking the head and shoulder (forward harness grip), use your free leg to help wedge your trapped leg free and look to pass to mount.
One point Rodrigo made is that if you are having a hard time getting your free leg up high enough to help wedge your trapped leg free, then lower your hips to bring his locked legs lower. That will make it easier to hook the foot of your free leg inside the half guard and wedge it open.
Very good stuff for the beginner class - another reason why I think I'll always attend two of these "basic" classes a week. They are always helpful and a great opportunity to learn and refine.
The advanced class was mostly specific: sparring starting from standing. I had to leave at 7:30, but managed to get two sessions in which wasn't bad at all. I sparred with both Steve and Lance and picked up a couple of holes in my standup and ground that I'll leave for Straight Outta Tatame this weekend. But it was good training - just what the doctor ordered a month out from a tournament.
I do think I need to work in more explosive work in my daily conditioning routine. I want to get over that system shock of initial contact when sparring - especially standing. I think the emphasis that Rodrigo is putting on this will pay off huge - especially for the lower belts. But adding Berardis to my weekly workout will probably be a good thing for the next four weeks to help tighten things up.
I still don't have an agenda from standing that I feel 100% comfortable with. I go from notion to notion, try this and try that. Nothing is really sticking. Admittedly, the more I train standup the clearer my options will become. For now though, the truth is that I'm still trying to figure it out from the beginning. Some of the things we do I just don't feel comfortable with using in training - its my phobia, having jacked up a guy's knee years ago during standup sparring (a white belt no less who had barely started). But I don't feel as if I have to "work through it". There are other options. I just have to learn and develop them.
159.2 on the scale. My calories were way down on Tuesday, which probably helps explain part of the four pound swing from Monday night post-train to Tuesday's post-train.
