Preparation Issues:
I didn't make getting back into top shape a priority after recovering from my cold in early October. I did a pretty good job of getting back on the mat. Over the four weeks after getting back to training, I averaged four training sessions a week (a "4.0 average" so to speak). But at least three out of those four weeks should have been spent trying to get back a bit of an edge in the conditioning - even if that meant just LSD work and tempo training.
Strategy Issues:
The guy I fought was sort of Sean Sherk like in build. I'm exaggerating a bit. But the point is that twice I made bad strategic decisions given my options. The first was in the takedown, when I insisted on trying for trips and footsweeps instead of using my superior length to snag an ankle pick. Part of this has to do with a deliberate decision to try the footsweep attack. And part of it has to do with my reluctance to change levels aggressively, which is largely a conditioning issue (lower body muscular endurance, to be specific).
The second strategic mistake was to attack with the Flat Pass first. I never want to make the Flat Pass the first option. It's always better to divert and distract with a legitimate standing pass attack first. But especially when dealing with guys who are relatively small, it is better to deal with their lack of length with a standing pass, rather than to remain at their preferable range with the Flat Pass.
Execution Issues:
I didn't commit enough on the footsweep attack to really get a good sense of how well it might have worked anyway. I could hear Casey yelling at me to commit to it more. But it is still a relatively new takedown for me, and I could feel my reluctance to truly pursue it. I mentioned some of the Flat Pass issues in a previous post. I think the general issue is that I'm too high up on the body and too much in the middle, rather than fully shifting my weight all the way over and using my shoulder to help keep the guy's back down. None of the videos (the Justin Garcia video or the Tozi video) spend a lot of time on the specifics of the underhook. So this will be in part more trial and error.
Lastly, my deep half was a little off. I think I was starting to settle into it a bit better when time ran out in my first match. Spending more time attacking with the deep half in training will fix a lot of this. Again, the deep half is a relatively new "focus" component to my half guard game. So the bugs are to be expected.
Overall:
A little tight and a little tentative is probably how I'd describe my performance overall. I think a lot of it can be chalked up to some unfamiliarity with relatively new techniques, as well as a few flaws in some of the old standbys that are keeping me from being as effective as I could against equal or better competition. Developing a surer strategy for the middle game of passing the guard from standing is probably my most critical goal between now and the next revolution, which has implications both for conditioning as well as technique/skill development.
