Eight Months Out, Two Weeks In

After being off the mat for eight months due to injury and The Big Move Back, I finally returned to the tatame last week.

There's a lot to say about my current and future jiu-jitsu home and I do plan on getting around to saying much of it. I'm currently training twice a week with a great bunch of guys and gals at a school here in Tucson that I'll name later. 

What's making the biggest impression on me right now is how my jiu-jitsu game will change with my current set of training partners - compared to those folks I've trained with for years, decades even. 

Presently, I'm almost always the smallest and oldest guy on the mat. I've had success with some of my bread and butter moves from days of olde. But there are a few new areas I want to underscore as goals for 2024.

Omoplatas Uber Alles

One of the very first jiu-jitsu magazines I ever bought boasted the effectiveness of omoplatas against larger opponents. I suspect leg v shoulder attacks could become very valuable submission tools when I'm giving up a major size advantage. Rafa has more than a few ideas. 

No Bull Sitting Guard

I'm not going to give up my Leandro Lo guard any time soon. But there's likely a lot I can gain from using the sitting guard that Cobrinha, Otavio Souza, and Rodolfo Viera have so effectively deployed. 

Typically, I've held back using it with training partners my own size. Now, with larger training partners, it may be an optimal time to take off those gloves. Tip o' the hat and a bow at the waist to BJJ Scout on this one. 

Ole, Ole! ... Ole, Ole!

Speaking of bulls ... I want to murder this maneuver. In 2024, I turn every guard pass into an opportunity to train the toreando. 

There's more, especially when it comes to preferred dominant positions going forward (attention S-mount!), as well as full body guards like Marcelo Garcia's X-guard. But for the first few months of training in 2024, these three concepts will be my guide.

2024: Operation Omoplata

Otavio's Omoplata

With a significant amount of teaching and drilling in my near-term, on the mat, future, Pan Middleweight Champion Otavio Sousa's omoplata attack from the arm wrap guard is near the top of my list as far as the latter is concerned.

Omoplata from Spider Guard

Love the omoplata, but lacking a high percentage set-up? You're in luck!

Training Day: Monday

In a perfect world, I'd be able to spend 45 minutes doing my conditioning routine BEFORE the Fundamentals class on Mondays and Wednesday, then do the Fundamentals class AND Live Training afterwards.  And truth told, at least in the short term, I may be about to experience at least a fortnight of such perfection.

But we'll see.  The key to this latest turn in my conditioning has been to focus on shorter-interval work, with some short-term HICT work early on after the most intense part of the workout (sprints in the first third or so).  While I want to continue to pay attention to the cardio base that comes from LSD work, I also want to make sure that I stay heart and lung conditioned for the kind of high intensity that continues to come my way on the mat.

As Stephan Kesting pointed out years ago, part of this conditioning is just about helping keep you calm and collected under stress (something I think I was losing track of late in 2011 for a while when I was poorly defending back attacks).  I'm paying a lot of attention to breathing during the conditioning sessions, and hoping to be able to better translate that to class and Live Training.  There's a notion going around that one of the things that Rickson Gracie focuses on most when he trains is his breathing.  I can definitely notice a difference when I do so during conditioning.  It's worth working on.

159.2 on the scale, post-train, a great Monday number in the gi.  In addition to conditioning and a pair of 8-minute sparring sessions during Live Training, I got in some very nice drilling with Mark.  We focused on the omoplata from the Rap Star (arm wrap) position, and how the foot on the hip is key to both getting space and breaking posture to set up the omoplata.

Many, many reps.  And an ideal version of what I want to spend more time doing after training.  At this point, maybe just two "spars" is plenty if I'm going to get to spend the next 8-10 minutes instead drilling a specific position that I'm trying to add to my game.

Training Day: Friday

Prof Carlos led Friday's class. He had us working an omoplata and back take off of the "arm DLR guard". The big key in this move, one I might actually end up making a part of my guard game, is opening up on the free side so as to provide room for the turn of the omoplata on the ADLR. Prof Carlos kept double sleeve control, and pulled the outside grip in to the middle as he planted the free foot on the mat and began to open up into the omoplata. Another key detail was making sure to have your ADRL deeply hooked so that you get a good control on the shoulder lock.

Prof Carlos argued against triangling the legs as you finish the omoplata, saying that you've got more strength if your legs remain straight first, before tucking them away (hip split style). What was more key for me was the idea of scooting away from the guy and pulling him by the hip toward you. In this way, he almost omoplata's himself.

The detail on the back take was to make sure that you push down on the trapped elbow as you make the move over the top (Bibiano-style).

Some good training in the Live Training session. I got to work the Feitosa and got caught in a very tight reverse triangle when I was working the middle pass and didn't fully secure the position as I moved to the side. I knew this was a danger in the pass, so it was good to see what happens when I'm not careful. More than a little patience got me out of the bad spot. But, again, the issue was an error in the pass (specifically not making the elbow/knee connection to trap and pin the hips).

158.7 on the scale post-train.

Training Day: Monday

More good hard training on Monday. Judo to start things off as we worked the osoto gari throw. Synching the details - turning the elbow out, the "palm heel uppercut with the collar control, the footwork - is the tricky part as always. And one of the challenges will be to remain technical and in "learning/trying/failing" mode when we begin stand-up sparring in another week or two.

In part, I think this is why I want to work the foot sweeps more than the throws per se. I've been intimidated away from them, thinking that long legs were a prerequisite to making foot sweeps a major part of your judo. But now is as good a time as any to challenge all of that.

Competition prep-type training with a lot of specific to start things off. I'm starting to get my timing back, bit by bit, and pretty much on schedule as I come out of my first 4x week in awhile. Continuing to open up the omoplata game, including as a cross guard option when the guy doesn't stand. It's an atypical entry for the omoplata, since the arm is crossed rather than elbow out - which most folks are hip to. This may account for some of the surprising success I've had with a submission I don't think I've ever consistently trained.

From the top, the Marcelo series is still a main go-to against the open guard (a lot of folding pass tonight). Flat pass right is getting a little better and really needs to be trained whenever the opportunity presents itself. I'm also liking what I'm able to do by way of a combat base out of the squat pass - though I need to be more focused on how the struggle to free the hips creates the pass opening rather than just going for the wedge/smash immediately.

A very nice light 158.3 post-train, especially good for a Monday.

Training Day: Friday

A great session on the mat. Prof Rodrigo kept the warm-up short and sweet so we could get quickly to the drilling.

We spent most of the session working on the clock choke variations.

1 the basic clock choke
2 clock choke with hip switch
3 spin and sit to the back
4 back escape return to clock choke

Very nice work - and Rodrigo had us going at a pretty good pace. It certainly didn't hurt to have worked the position just a few days ago (and with the same partner).

A lot of specific (rear mount, closed guard), which went well. I actually managed to work my omoplata game - a game I know I haven't even touched in a year, no lie. For sure, watching a few minutes of Stephan Kesting's omoplata DVD got the move in my head. But one of the things that I know helped me really get fully into position is all that triangle drilling I do as part of my matwork BJJ conditioning routine.

So it was nice to see that off-site training paying off a little.

Now, with about a month or so to go before the tournament I'm not competing in, the goal is to up the intensity and really push the endurance. Today, I was the last guy on the mat, which is something that - like my lonesome omoplata - has been a real rarity for some time. I was on my way out the door at a respectable time, but then decided, to hell with it, it's Friday. I'm getting some more training in.

159.8 on the scale post-train - a very nice little number. Too spent to do HICT - hopefully I'll have enough left after Saturday's training to get 6 laps in.

Mendes/Atos Omoplata from Side Control

Halfoplataville

Because I didn't quite spend enough money over the winter holiday season, I took advantage of Stephan Kesting's great holiday deal to pick up a pair of instructional DVDs to add to the collection: The Dynamic Half Guard and Omoplata and the Dynamic Guard.

This purchase was mostly a matter of patching holes and adding to inventory. I'm thinking that the half guard DVD will provide a good check on my half guard basics as I plan for the fatter end of the 2010-2011 training season (the seven months and two Revolution tournaments between now and the end of July 2011). Even after just a a few minutes, I can see a couple of fundamental issues that I've been neglecting that could make my life a lot easier from the bottom.

With the omoplata DVD, I'm trying to expand my King Crimson attack from the closed guard (kimura, guillotine, omoplata, crossover/hip bump sweep/take the back etc.) and add a a submission from the guard that will probably be more high percentage than the triangle or the armbar given my body type (note that fellow half-hobbit Marcelo Garcia is a big omoplata guy).

Training Day: Wednesday

Before starting a training session, opt for training-specific warm-up exercises, mimicking moves you would use in Jiu-Jitsu. Jumping jacks and those short-motiohn abdominal crunches, leg-raises or lateral crunches have been played out for ages.

--The white page, Gracie Magazine, January 2011, #165

First day back on the mat in a week (no dispatch last Wednesday).

Prof Carlos had us doing a different type of warm-ups to get things started. Old school running, some Arte Sauve moves down the mat (i.e. Granby rolls, which I can actually do years after Stephan first showed them to me), and then a series of partnered alternating triangles, omoplatas and armbars against standing for about 2 minutes each. The armbars were especially brutal insofar as they required the most vertical hip extension. But I'm hoping those drills become a more common part of our warmup - they are similar to (though infinitely better) my "chair jiu jitsu" drills where I drape a gi jacket over the back of a weighted chair and go to work attacking with armbars and omoplatas from the guard.

Over the next few days, I'm trying to get a running start on some goals and habits for 2011. Without making too much of it, I'd like to do better in some critical areas and think I've got plenty of time to make that happen. To the degree that the time spent from white through brown belt is all about building what I like to call a "black belt version" of yourself, there are still a few major aspects of that self to be constructed and there's never as much time as there used to be.

159.6 on the scale, post-train, everything but the coat. Consistently sub-162 post train weight-ins are another goal for 2011.

Training Day: Wednesday

Live Training only today - though I did arrive early enough to do a little bit of the Fundamental (back control, RNC and the one-handed choke).

I was pretty worn out by the end of training. Training three days in a row is a serious pace for me, all the moreso doing an hour-long conditioning session in the middle of it. I'll take Thursday off, and finish off the week with training on Friday and Saturday.

Continuing to work the two-on-one guard. I'm starting to see how I actually want to control the wrist to set up armbars and omoplatas, as well as armdrags and sweeps. I'm trying to commit to this guard attack almost exclusively for the rest of the year as a way of opening up things and getting me out of my half guard comfort zone. Watching and rewatching and rewatching the Marcelo Garcia/Hillary Williams sparring session is helping me see how to put all of the different elements of this guard to work.

158.4 or so on the scale post-train.

Leo Kirby: Omoplata from Marcelo Guard

Marceloplata, Barataplata ...

Lobsterplata?

GB New Mexico's Rafael Barata Freitas

Omoplata Counter from Mike Fowler and JT Torres

The latest gift from Lloyd Irvin, Mike Fowler and J.T. Torres: Omoplata Escape.

I don't know how long this will be up - or at its current location. So I wanted to get a screen capture of at least one of the critical steps in the counter.

Here's a quick transcription of the main idea:

"When JT gets me in the omoplata, what I need to do know is I need to step up. So, watching my back leg, I'm going to put my leg up. From here, I'm going to slide my foot in like I was doing a butterfly sweep right here. My feet are together and my knees are out. Now what I want to do is I want to push using my arm and shoulder into him and put him up on his shoulder. I'm going to be going right to my butt. Now here's the thing: I don't want to fall to my back. I want to go from my knee to my butt to my other knee. As I roll him over like this, I want to control his pants. And I'm going to push him all the way over. That way when we land, my arm is now in the back and I'm kinda out of the danger of that omoplata ...

The second explanation.

"From here, I'm going to step my foot up, slide in - and from here, remember, don't keep your head up so high - keep everything locked in nice and tight. That way when I step up and slide in and go from here to here, I've got a nice strong base and I'm not going to be stuck with anything else. Now here's what you need to watch our for. JT is going to look out for that triangle as I come up too. That's why I'm waiting for him to unlock. So as I come up, I'm going to block and keep his legs open and now I can come out and now I've got his legs open and I can start working for a pass ..."

Training Day: Monday

First, the instructional. Rodrigo started out with a self-defense move after the warm-ups. The move was coming back to standing after getting pushed or knocked down. First, to fall properly, Rodrigo had us fold our hands across our chest (dying man pose), and then squat. This is to (a) keep you from reaching back to break your fall with your arms and possible hurting your arm and (b) get your center of gravity as low as possible in order to better to control the fall.

From here, from the squat, you essentially "sit" back out of the squat and breakfall by slapping the mat/ground with both hands at the same time.

Next is the stand, which we did as the technical lift. The correct process is: left knee up, right leg checks the attacker at the knee, while left hand defends against punches and kicks and the right hand plants behind. From here, kick the right, checking leg back and perform the "lift" to standing.

The move of the day was the scissor sweep. One mistake I was making was in not getting the shin block in place, which probably has to do with not getting a full rotation and turn over to my side. I've had some success with the scissor sweep over the past several months, so this was a very nice tune up. Rodrigo made the point that I need to make sure I'm doing this with proper technique because, based on the new class set-up, there's a more than small chance that I'll be showing this move to some new, white belts one of these days in 2010.

It was that kind of night. I'm not sure if I can sufficiently mask in metaphor some of the more interesting developments of the evening. We had to visiting black belts, Christiano from Gracie Barra Yakima and another guy I'd never met before Rafael "Barata" who had a GB school in Hawaii but is now in New Mexico.


The audio is messed up. So I suggest you just turn it down so it doesn't distract. But at least you can get an idea of the submission.

From my perspective, I did very well with both visiting black belts - "very well" meaning that I was able to attack (if not pass) their guards effectively from standing without being swept in 10 seconds. I got caught in Rafael's baratoplata twice and Christiano got me with a baseball type choke. But without getting into particulars, I was able to do something I've wanted to do for probably almost a year now and nothing would make me happier than to have the opportunity to do it again - and with a little more "Bob's Your Uncle" next time.

162.8 on the scale post-train. Not bad for the Monday after the Super Bowl, I suppose, though it's starting to get a familiar above 160. I overheard Christiano saying that he's at 158, which is relatively heavy for him compared to where he competes (at 154 lbs. in the gi, one division below me), which actually made me feel a little better about floating around north of 160 for week after week.

Training Day: Thursday

We skipped the running because of the heat and went straight to the gymnastic calisthenics her warm-ups always include.

The instruction was pretty much classic stuff: the arm stuff triangle, the transition to omoplata if he hides his arm to avoid having it brought across, and the omoplata roll if the guy tries the step-over move to avoid the omoplata pressure.

I got in a few rolls: a young guy I didn't recognize (who was also my partner during the drills/instructional), a visiting black belt and Angela - who almost caught me in an armlock after evading my half guard. I had some good success with my go-to sweep from half guard - which never gets old, as far as I'm concerned.

A good night on the mats. The kind of nice training you can have when you're still months away from the next competition and the last one has already been filed away in the memory banks. Things should stay nice and slow for another month as summer plays itself out in earnest (record temperatures here in Seattle), and it seems like a great time to maximize my training time before training gets more specifically "goal-oriented" in September and October.

Sherdog's Submission of the Year

Not only a great submission victory for Jorge Gurgel-trained Brazilian jiu jitsu blackbelt Dustin Hazelett, but also this Sherdog article shares some very interesting, pro "jiu jitsu in MMA" comments from the young UFC fighter as well. Props to Justin Breen of Sherdog.com for a very well-written piece on Hazelett.

Dustin Hazelett v. Josh Burkman: Hazelett by Armlock: Sherdog Submission of the Year 2008

"I work really hard. I love jiu-jitsu and I want to make jiu-jitsu cool again," Hazelett says. "Back in the day, everyone wanted to do jiu-jitsu because of Royce Gracie's impact. Then guys learned defense, or jiu-jitsu guys couldn't get takedowns, got knocked out or lost decisions, and people were less interested in jiu-jitsu.

"For a while, everyone wanted to brawl, everyone wanted to see people bang. That's awesome, don't get me wrong, but now there's more jiu-jitsu guys doing well," he continues, with just the slightest sliver of boast in his voice. "The card I fought Tamdan [McCrory] on, almost every jiu-jitsu guy on the card won."

Thursday Night Training

Rodrigo was still out sick on Thursday, so Shawn led the gi class.

After a really vigorous warm-up, Shawn had us working on the half-guard passes some more. I think it might have been the third or fourth day in a row (for me) that we worked on these passes. But I'll be damned if I don't have them pretty well burned into my muscle memory.

What is especially nice about the two passes - the Royler and the Switch - is that they are very different from my current standby half-guard pass. This gives me three solid options - not including standing out of the half guard. The trick, of course, will be to integrate all three into my game so that I feel comfortable switching to whichever one looks most appropriate for the moment.

Cindy's no gi class was also a review of sorts - again, no complaints on my end. We worked the duck-under, the arm-stuff triangle and the omoplata. Doing the arm-stuff triangle, I actually started to have visions my myself actually being able to use the triangle choke in sparring.

Visions - or delusions, perhaps. I've been watching a lot of Ryan Hall stuff of late, looking for different set-ups: the chicken wing, the shin/chin smash ... But one thing I realized Thursday night was that if I just focus on getting the basic triangle leg lock in place and then grab my shin with my opposite hand and "fit" the triangle into position, I might actually be able to start pulling them off.

I have a pretty good sense of the mechanics of the triangle AFTER I've got that basic leg lock in place. I've just done a poor job of getting to that initial step. A large part of it, I know, is my perennial inability to break posture from the closed guard, which means that I'm really just throwing my legs up in a vain attempt to catch the guy.

In any event, I'm not going to make the triangle a big part of my game all of a sudden. But it is something I want to at least have as a credible threat.

A little sparring afterwards. Nothing too remarkable. I'm getting increasingly comfortable with north/south as a dominant position and the kimura as a finish. I need to start turning those kimuras into armlocks and those north/souths into take-the-back. But so far, so good.