Competition No.2: Part 2...

One of the key lessons I learnt from watching everyone else compete today was that I have nothing to fear at BJJ events.

I didn't see anything extraordinary that made me truly humbled and amazed. Some of the kids were brilliant and a few of the adults, both men and women, were very impressive. But there was nothing there I couldn't do. It's about levels of competency and the people who won their respective divisions had their technique honed and a clear understanding of tactics. Strength without technique wasn't enough to win in any match I saw.

I watched one of the very good blue belts that I train with coast to two wins in his division by simply getting his opponent in guard, threatening a submission, turning it into a sweep and maintaining position. Obviously, it wasn't just this simple because he also had answers to everything else his opponent tried to do, but he never looked in trouble. He also checked the scoreboard a few times to ensure he had points in the locker. I'll learn from this.

In terms of my own matches, I was pleased that I didn't panic when I found myself in some bad positions. I was calm, I was analytical and I devised answers and at least tried to implement them. The answers didn't always work, but I felt I was in the right area rather than scrambling in the dark. 

I also spent a bit of time in guard in my opening fight and I felt OK with this. I also ended up in half-guard in my second fight and also didn't feel too threatened. I also managed a few submission attempts and converted one of them into a sweep. 

My stamina and fitness was also pretty good, though I could have managed my weight loss more sensibly as I didn't eat the night before because I was worried about hitting weight. That tired me a little but it's one aspect of many that will be improved for the next time. 

I was taken down a bit to easily and, although I got barriers in place and secured some sort of defensive position, I need to work on my takedown prevention and defence. This is key, particularly as I'm generally quite comfortable in the stand-up exchanges.

But overall it was a pretty successful day. Victory at anything happens in stages. And today I narrowly won my first fight and that was better than losing it. I've also got another two fights under my belt and I also picked up a bronze medal and contributed a point to my team's overall victory.

A team-mate also gave me some brilliant advice in the changing rooms. He said that now, because there are so many different positions and strategies in BJJ, he just focuses on learning everything he can about one position. 

So the guard will be my focus for the next several months.

But I'm very happy. I do know future days at competition may not always be this successful, though.

Competition No.2: Part 1...

My second competition and this time it was a much bigger one, with six mats and lots of people from lots of different schools, who all fight under the Checkmat banner. 

I had three simple goals at this competition: one was to make weight after dropping more than a stone and a half since Christmas; the other was to not do anything reckless and survive for a full five-minute round; and the final one was to watch and learn everything I could.

First up, I made weight with something to spare. It may sound like a minor thing but it was a battle for me and this part of competition discipline is totally new to me. 

My first fight saw me taken down quite quickly, but I recovered and worked my way to turtle, then I took the opponent down and worked my way to guard  After this, we both fought for position and I spent most of the fight in guard and had a choke attempt and a kimura attempt. I turned the latter into a sweep and ended up in mount, before we had another positional scramble and he worked to a sort of side mount but couldn't pass to full mount. The bell went and I won the fight by a point but I could have easily lost it. With about 30 seconds to go, I heard my opponent's supporters telling him he had to get points to win so I desperately defended for all I was worth. My opponent was ridiculously strong and both his strength and his speed took me by surprise. He was also kind and gracious in defeat. 

My second fight similarly saw me taken down quite quickly by a very strong and fast opponent. But I recovered from an attempted head and arm choke, then felt my opponent tire as he'd put everything into this submission. I scrambled an escape and felt like I was about to pressure him into letting me go, then something popped in my ribs. I struggled on for another minute or so but the pain meant I couldn't move when I needed to and he eventually tapped me with an Americana. 

It took me a few minutes to get off the mat as my ribs were in agony. Fortunately, a quick trip to the paramedic, some painkillers, then a freezing gel from a team-mate pulled me through so I could watch the rest of the day.

The pain was almost certainly worth the experience, though.

Private Class No.2...

My second private class and a review of the guard breaks and the guard passing we did last time. Then it was onto moving from side control to north-south and back into side control on the other side; before getting mount. The latter featured a very cool trick  about moving backwards, then using the hand to slide the foot over the opponent.

The basics emphasised were to always secure the position, keep everything tight, and ensure your opponent is carrying your weight at all times. 

We also did some work on pulling guard from standing, which involved getting an elbow and sleeve grip, then planting the foot on the same side as the elbow grip and dragging the standing man down into guard. 

Another great class. I need to keep these up. 

Things to remember: Knee up, knee down; the drag into guard.

Classes 140-141...

Two early-morning classes in preparation for my first major tournament on Saturday. 

In both classes, we worked on guard passing fundamentals and we drilled the Toreador pass, the hand on hip and hand on knee pass, and taking the back. 

In sparring, I did OK and my very basic and new understanding of structure helped lots. One knee down and one knee up is a mantra I'm trying to incorporate. 

I've trained hard for this event and lost a shedload of weight. Win or lose, I'm winning one personal victory by just getting onto the mat, and my simple hope is that I don't do anything stupid and I can maybe last a full round without being submitted.

Victory happens in little increments. This is another step. 

Things to remember: Structure, pressure, barriers.

Private Class No.1...

Today, a private class ahead of my first proper competition and first up were some fundamental tips on guard passing. 

Guard passing fundamentals when defending:
Maintain secure posture, which is elbows inside knees and hands defending your core, and head not too far forward.
Strip opponent's grips and secure your own grips.
Retain base and balance at all times.
Hips follow position of opponent's hips.

Guard passing fundamentals when standing and attacking:

Maintain secure posture, which is elbows inside knees and hands defending your core, and head not too far forward.

Strip opponent's grips and secure your own grips on opponent's legs.

Retain base and balance at all times.
Hips must escape position of opponent's hips to bypass them.
Squat with head at same height as opponent's head.

We then worked on two escapes. 

The first was a standing guard break from being seated in the opponent's full guard: 

i) Secure opponent's arm with two hands and drag it diagonally across his body; foot stands up on the side of the secured arm; other foot stands up and you stand with feet parallel; nearest hand pushes opponent's undefended knee down; at the same time you open your hips on the side of trapped arm to force the knees open but stepping backwards; as the opponent's guard opens, you drop vertically down and slide your knee over the opponent's knee with your foot hooking his leg from the back; the opposite knee is vertical with your elbow connected to the inside of your knee; undertook the head to secure head control on the exposed side and close the space by driving in to to secure the position; place hand on opponent's up knee which is facing up, then press down as you kick your vertical leg back 90 degrees and drop your hips into your opponent; secure the position 

The second was a guard break from being seated in the opponent's full guard: 

i) One hand grabs lapels to pin chest; turn hand to lock in place. Push down; the other hand pushes the hip down to nail that in place; note that elbows should be inside opponent's knees; push into the opponent and edge hips back, then aggressively turn the hips to break the legs open; IMPORTANT: if this fails, don't close the hips and reset; instead, move hands lower down opponent's body, secure the grips, then apply pressure and move back further; posture up with one knee up and the other flat; slide the nearest knee over the opponent's knee and hook the foot at the back of the leg; other knee is vertical and connecting the knee to the elbow; then the same passing motion as before. 

Things to remember: Apply constant pressure to the man on the bottom; connect elbows and knees to form a barrier so the man on the bottom cannot regain his guard.

Judo: Class 3...

In Judo, we worked on a sacrifice throw (tomoe nage), which went like this: 
i) Both players are standing and both have a lapel grip and an elbow control; you then drop down and slide under the opponent with your left leg between his legs and your right foot on the hips; you drop to the floor on your back with your hips under your opponent's hips, then throw him over you.

We then worked on a couple of sweep variations from this position in case the opponent postures up or drops back in time to deny the throw. These were: 
i) extend the hip foot to take the opponent up; at the same time use an outside hook with your free leg and chop down with the hook and go up with the leg to sweep him to the side. Hands also replicate the push-pull motion. 
ii) Extend the hip foot to take the opponent up; at the same time place an inside hook with your free leg and circle round and up and chop down to sweep him to the side. Hands also replicate the push-pull motion.

We then worked on a few escapes from scarf hold (kesa getame):
i) Man on bottom can shrug and muscles backwards to take the back of the opponent. 
ii) Man on top can attack the exposed arm and do an arm bar between his knees. 
iii) Man on top can also attack the exposed arm and figure four the arm with his legs then apply the shoulder lock with his arms. 
iv) Man on bottom can also kick his outside leg up, then connect his hand behind his leg to the opponent's collar, and drop his leg to move the opponent back and end up on top.

Class 139...

Today was an intermediate BJJ class working on guard-passing fundamentals. We worked on three drills. These were: 

i) The opponent is on his back with his knees up defending his front; the standing man grabs the knees of the opponent's gi pants; he moves the knees to one side, then quickly throws them to the other side and steps through to the opposite side where the opponent's legs have been thrown. The standing man has gone from directly facing the opponent with his hips, to cross-stepping through so his nearest leg blocks the hips of the opponent and the outside leg is at the side. Hands grips on knees are maintained throughout.

ii) The opponent is on his back with his knees up defending his front; the standing man grabs the knee of the opponent's gi pants on one side and pushes the opponent's hip to the floor on the other side; the standing man has now stepped in between the opponent's legs so the hip hand and the standing man's knee on the same side must connect and protect; with the knee grip, the standing man flattens the knee to the floor and pins it there; slide the nearest knee over the flattened knee of the opponent with the knee connecting to the floor and the foot hooking the back of the leg; the hand flattening the knee is now redundant so cure head control on opponent; retain hand on hip and kick other leg out to pass; then drive opponent onto opposite side.

iii) This was a variation of the first pass but the opponent frames out as you attempt to pass, so you spin through to take his back. I lost mots of the details on this pass.

Things to remember: Connect elbow and knee to protect.

Judo: Class 2...

Today, we focused on one throw, O Goshi. 

This is a major hip throw but the key points emphasised were: 
i) You need to drop down through your knees as you secure the grips and drive the hips into place, then keep turning so your momentum is going forward as you throw the opponent. If you drop back, it makes it easy for an opponent to counter-act the throw. 

We also worked on a  footwork drill and a few other technique drills. It's good stuff. I'm enjoying these lessons.

Things to remember: Footwork, structure and turning forward on O Goshi.

Judo: Class 1...

Today, my first judo class at the BJJ school and this was hard work. My falling is of a good standard and I know some throws but I wasn’t sure what the rules were in randori (free sparring) so I played it safe by trying a few sacrifice throws then pulling guard.

The two throws we worked on were similar to throws I’ve done elsewhere but the addition of a resisting opponent made it much harder work. The throws were:

Foot sweep: Use the left hand to feed a collar grip to the right hand; grab the opponent’s right hand with your left and; ensure your right foot is forward and close to the opponent’s left foot; step through with the left foot so the opponent steps back and takes his weight off his front left foot; then use your right foot to sweep the opponent’s left foot from the back before it rebases on the floor; at the same time, pull down and forwards with your right hand and push forward and up with your left hand to collapse the opponent’s structure.

Inside trip: left hand grabs the opponent’s right sleeve at the elbow; right hand grabs the opponent’s collar near the chest rather than the neck; step back with the left foot so the opponent reacts and steps back with his right foot to pull you back in place; your left foot steps forward at a 90 degree angle with the toes pointing to the outside but close to the opponent; the elbow grip moves the opponent’s elbow in side towards his belt line while your right foot hooks inside the opponent’s left leg; your right hand moves his gi over his shoulder so his body twists; you then drive your momentum forward and drive him through a diagonal line via your right hand; look at the place you aim to collapse him.

Things to remember in judo: think moving the opponent’s limbs outside their normal range of movement and outside their strong positions to help secure grips. Footwork, footwork, footwork…

Class 138....

First up was an intermediate class in which we focused on three drills based around passing the guard of an opponent on the floor while you were standing. 

Each drill emphasises a different aspect of guard passing and they went something like this:
1) Stability drill: Standing man places right and on left hip of opponent and nails it down to the floor; he then places his left on the right knee of the opponent and pushes it to the floor so it's horizontal; he then steps out to his left and switches hand position so the left hand is on the inside of the knee and pushes it in the other direction so the knee ends up pushed down next to the opponent's other leg; drive in to squish the moving knee and release your leg and start to pass. 
2) Pressure drill: Standing man is in half guard with both his knees on the floor; he threads his right hand through the top leg to grab the opponent's gi pants near his bottom knee; his left hand secures lapel control on the opponent's left side; pull the opponent in using the lapel grip; then right foot stands and left foot stands; drive in to squish his knees while keeping the grip on the gi pants to pin the knee; as his knees compress, the trapped leg can escape; as this happens you drive in using holder pressure; once past the legs, drive the opponent onto the opposite side and secure tight side control.
3) Speed drill: Do the first drill but the opponent shoots for a single when you move to the side; as he does this, your left hand surrenders the grip and shoots round his back to set up the seatbelt as quickly move round to take back control. 

I missed a lot of the finer points of these drills and I struggled my way through specific sparring. But stability, pressure and speed are god principles to remember for guard passing. 

Things to remember: Stability, pressure, speed when passing the guard.

Class 137...

An intermediate class to kick things off and the focus was on guard passing, with the man on bottom on his back defending against a standing man trying to pass.

Pass one: standing man grabs opponent’s legs at ankles and, with his left hand, pulls opponent’s right leg into his own left hip. The standing man squats down, then his left hand secures a collar grip on the opponent’s right collar and the pressure between the hip and the collar grip secures the opponent’ left leg. He then steps his left leg to his opponent’s right with his left leg. The right hand pushes the opponent’s left knee flat and your left knee slides over his left leg. The right leg then comes over and you move into side control.

Pass two was similar to the above pass but it involved baiting the opponent into a triangle and crossing the hand gripping the pinned leg to secure the other leg attempting the triangle. There was also a detail about stretching the other leg past its comfort zone so it pings back and makes the pass easier.

We then did some work on passing the De La Riva guard from a standing position.

Pass one involved moving the grabbed hand to secure the trousers and using the inside of the arm as a frame to prevent the leg re-guarding, then stretching the leg on the unhooked side and sliding the hand inside the leg so one is controlling the opponent’s hooking leg and pinning it to the floor at the knee and the other hand is passing the other leg over the head to allow the pass.

The basic principles of all three passes were to secure the grips, move the limbs to unfavourable positions, then pressure and collapse the limbs and move to side control.

In sparring, I focused on slowing down and trying to work out my paths and I did OK. A senior bet also showed me a good escape from on top in half-guard, which involved pressuring the opponent’s neck to secure position and the opponent, then arching up to create space to help free the trapped leg.

Things to remember in BJJ: posture, pressure possibilities on guard passing and keep everything tight to restrict the opponent’s movement. The half guard escape.