A good sized class for the Tuesday beginner session. We worked on toreano style guard passes after Rodrigo provided some good analysis on the importance of guard passing when it comes to competition. I couldn't agree more. In every match I've been in, the difference maker was my ability to pass the guard. If I passed, I ended up winning. No pass, I always lost.
The first pass was the one I called "The Butler." I worked with Bruce and Angela. While it is perfectly fine to work with a single partner, there is something nice when three people are working on the same technique because you get to spend one rotation watching the technique being done over and over. It also should make it easier to train at full speed since you also get an opportunity to rest. Just a thought.
The second pass - and we were working against the spider guard - has you do the same Butler move, only this time you get caught in half guard. There were two variations on this. In the first one, you checked the guy's far shoulder with your inside hand and pulled on his inside arm sleeve with your outside grip. Rodrigo described it as a push/pull.
Turn your knee out and slide your hip down as you Ichiro into second base, passing the guard.
The variation - the third pass - has you put up your inside knee as soon as you get the Butler snapdown. As you are snapping down, you are bringing that knee forward. Get your underhook and, tucking your head to the outside/pass side, lower your shoulder into the opponent's chest.
You want the grip on his inside sleeve with your outside hand, as well. If he's controlling your sleeves, this shouldn't be a hard grip to get.
Drive through Ichiro style for the pass.
In the advanced class we started with some full, start-from-standing sparring. I rolled with Brandon, the judo guy I haven't seen in months, and Jeff, who runs the Revolution Tournaments. It was a very star-studded sparring session. Sparring with them back to back, I started to fade around the 6 minute mark (one four-minute round each). Not great. But not a bad assessment with about four and a half weeks to go.
I later rolled with Rodrigo and Lindsey. Again, great training partners on Tuesday. I'm still afraid that I'm losing the touch to hit the twist sweep out of half guard due to my obsession with getting the tackle, Old School, right. But that's something I can fix Thursday night.
Lindsey also showed me some interesting things about how he forgoes posture in the closed guard, instead locking the hips with a wide base with elbow/knee connect, weight back and collar grips. I think it might be something for me to try out since I'm fighting a losing battle it seems over maintaining posture for very long unless I stand up.
Maybe that's the point: either get low in the guard or stand up and out of it.
