Class 37...

Into a beginners’ class and the usual warm-up. The plus side of this was that press-ups are no longer impossible so my hyper-extended arm is clearly on the mend.

In the class itself we continued the work from a week or so ago where we worked a collar choke from the guard by grabbing the gi flap of the opponent’s gi and passing it over his shoulder. This was good because I'd totally forgotten the following variations which I now have a better idea of.

The setup for this was:

The opponent postures up in your guard with one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest; grab the sleeves of his gi at the elbow and flare his sleeves out at the side with these grips and pull him toward you with your guard to break his posture down; once his posture is broken down then secure his body by using an overhook with your left arm to keep him in place; with your right hand unravel the flap of his gi jacket and pass it over his back; secure this with your right hand and then pass it to your left as you prepare to go for the cross choke;

It is at this point the armbar variation comes in:

The opponent defends the choke by passing his head under your right arm; so swap hands and grab the gi collar with your left arm again and drag it over his left shoulder and with your left hand pull it to your left; as you do this plant your right leg on his left hip to ensure his right arm is trapped; climb your legs further up his back and raise your hips high so his right arm has no base; then pass the right arm to your left with your right hand; from here use your right hand to cross his head and push it towards your right; then swivel on your left hip; secure the arm; sweep the right leg over his head and chop down; raise hips for the armbar.

The other variation of this technique comes when he defends the armbar by grabbing hold of his bicep with the attacked arm and holding the leg of the opponent with the other. In this situation:
Swap the hands holding the gi jacket collar and switch back to a closed guard and tighten the collar to choke; if the opponent is not tapping then scissor sweep him but also remember to grab the trouser leg of his gi with your free left hand; then apply the choke and if the choke fails at least you end up in mount.

LESSON FROM TODAY: Close the space down when grappling; any space gives your opponent the chance to work himself free.