Classes 77 & 78...

A beginners class followed by an open mat session.

The beginners class focused on strategies for fighting from the knees, using adapted hip throws, driving forward and through an opponent, and falling back to get your opponent in either your guard or to get your butterfly hooks in. Drills included trying to put your opponent on his back, trying to get your opponent's back and trying to get him in your guard.

This was good and I need more of this sort of class because I often too easily surrender position from the start and have to fight to re-establish my position.

The open mat session was all sparring and I did OK with two white belts who were better than me and a blue belt who competes quite a bit. I rarely threatened submissions and tapped a few times, but I did escape some tricky positions and my defence held out OK under constant attacks.

I also started using a few escapes I've recently learnt, such as the Lion Kill Defence and the Ninja Star Defence from armbar attacks. I do need to work on my leg triangle escapes, though. I managed to use an old judo escape to get out of a couple of leg triangle attacks, but I couldn't apply the one we were taught in class a few weeks ago and I kept posting the wrong leg... so I got swept when I tried to stack.

One of the white belts, however, gave me a good tip to survive when a leg triangle is locked in. This involved stacking the opponent and grabbing hold of his belt at the back of his gi to secure the stacking and compress him even further until he releases the attack.

LESSON FROM TODAY: Spend some time on strategies for fighting from the knees; spend some time on leg triangle escapes.

Class 76...

A continuation of the previous beginners classes with the armbar, omoplata and leg triangle attacks followed by the armbar, omoplata and leg triangle escapes.

Some details I missed at the previous classes were the emphasis on posture when escaping the leg triangle, and using your trapped arm to frame and pin down your opponent's hips while posturing up.

Stacking the opponent and using the knee to ensure your opponent can't twist out are also important details, as is securing the opponent's knee on the triangle escape. More good stuff.

LESSON FROM TODAY: Same as before: practise basic drills and ensure you keep good grips.

Class 75...

Another beginners class and a continuation of the previous classes on the armbar, leg triangle and omoplata drill. But today we also added defence techniques into the mix.

These went something like this:
The armbar defence was the lion kill defence: this involved the man on top being attacked and pulling the attacked arm up with his free hand and wrapping it around the opponent's knee so that both arms are wrapped around the opponent's leg and are preventing the arm straightening for the armbar. The knee then wedges in to prevent the opponent moving as you crunch and stack your opponent and gradually pull your arm free. You then secure the knee and the head and drive into you opponent in side control.
The triangle defence was twofold: the first involved using the attacked arm to posture up and solidify your frame, then posture up even further to prevent the opponent collapsing your posture, then using the space you've created to bring your other arm in and go back into guard or escape guard; the second involved posturing up, then securing the opponent's knee with one hand, driving your own knee into the opponent's hip to prevent him from turning, then corkscrewing around until you break the opponent's legs before sinking into side control.
The omoplata: this involved driving your bum into the air and basing on you head and free arm, then kicking one leg next to the other and moving clockwise over the top of your opponent until you come into side control.

Some very cool stuff today and all of it basic and all of it worth knowing.

LESSON FROM TODAY: Same as before: practise basic drills and ensure you keep good grips.