Class 253...

A last chance to roll before the Xmas break, but we faced a stamina-sapping series of stomach-strengthening drills beforehand. 

Somebody added them all up and we did 580 in total, which is a lot. I was fine with most of them, but I still suck the big one at press-ups.

We then did four five-minute rounds. I was fine with two white belts and I hit a couple of wrist locks, chokes and I even caught a gogoplata at one point. I then held my own against a decent blue belt, before taking a gentle mauling from a purple belt.

I defended OK against him and I escaped a few tricky positions and I threatened a toe press at one point. But he was just much better at controlling a dominant position.

An ace way to end the year, though.

Things to remember: Grips and controlling tension. Keep attached when attacking.

Class 252...

A final class with a very good black belt, who is not only is a very successful competitor but also a very skilled teacher.

He taught some basics about pulling guard and retaining guard. The take-home lessons were:
I) Keep grips at all times to collapse him into guard, to break his posture in guard and to threaten attacks and submissions.

II) When attacking, keep connected and close distance; when defending, create distance and lose connections.

I also got to spar with the departing black belt, too, and it was a gentle and controlled mauling. It was good to roll with a high-level competitor and see the above lessons in action. He always maintained contact and never let the pressure stop.

Things to remember: grips, pressure and connections.

Class 251...

A class going over some basic drills. These were the armbar, the triangle and the hip bump sweep, then some work on kimuras. 

The key advice when attacking for kimuras was: be compact. The wrist lock is also a possibility when opponent defends the kimura by straightening an arm.

In sparring, I fended off a good purple belt for a round and I hit a guillotine sweep using butterfly guard. I again struggled to escape both mount or side against bigger opponents, though. I am starting to drill basic escapes from these positions, though.

Things to remember: be compact and act as a unit when attacking with the kimura.

Competition Time...

My first competition as a blue belt and I fought a team-mate from London Fight Factory!

My preparation was good and, because I knew I was fighting a judo blackbelt, I went in with a specific game plan. This was to keep a low posture and pull guard and attack from there.

This worked for about the opening 90 seconds, then he postured up and escaped my guard. I then got careless and was tripped from a re-stand. He then secured position, got mount and choked me out.

Takehome lessons for me were:
Attack their posture and be more offensive when in guard.
Be more careful from re-stands.
Stick to the game plan when you have one.

I still loved all the preparation, the event and the fight, though.

Private Class No.15...

I'm competing in a few days so I booked a private class to work on some stand-up techniques, particularly on pulling guard.

The take-home on this was simple: 

i) Secure grip on the opponent's sleeve and collar. 

ii) Place foot in hip of opponent.

iii) Drop back and pull opponent into guard. 

iv) Fight to close guard. 

v) Secure over hook. 

vi) Attack. 

That, obviously, is the ideal scenario, but from standing the key is to keep my posture low. If the opponent secures grips, then strip the grips and block the hip to avoid hip throws.

Also, if the opponent postures up in guard, keep his posture broken and continue to attack. 

Class 250...

Work is hell so I've missed a few normal classes and, instead, I attended the Thursday dinner rounds class.

This a class where the rules are simple: fight any opponent over a seven-minute round; then find a new opponent and repeat; and repeat. It's tiring and brutal but it's also fantastic.

I did OK against a couple of very big and strong opponents, but I struggled against a friend who's a strong wrestler. Once he gets side control, it's difficult to escape from under him.

I need to work on this. I hit a few ezekiel chokes, though, and threatened a few wristlocks.

Class 251...

A class featuring three standing techniques, plus a wrist lock from full guard. These went something like this:

Takedown from standing with cross collar grab:
Collapse opponent from cross collar grab and shoot for opposite side single leg; secure leg and pull down collar and elevate leg; keep corkscrewing round to collapse opponent.
There is also the option of across collar choke from this position.

Wrist lock from standing:
Opponent grabs collar; turn his wrist and grab his tricep with both hands; angle his elbow into his rib cage and compress to attack his wrist.

Wrist lock from full guard from same side wrist grab: opponent grabs same side wrist; swim hand under to turn his wrist; connect your other arm to own bicep in crossed arms to trap wrist at broken angle; compress with knees to finish.

Sparring was OK. I struggled to escape from side bottom against a strong white belt. But I survived against a much better blue belt and escaped various bad positions.

I am threatening wrist locks from bad positions. While I am not hitting them, the threat is a solid distraction tactic.

Things to remember: wrist locks are a good option for me.

Classes 255 & 256...

More work on the same side wrist control and collar grab.

The takehome was the collar grip always needs to be on the opposite side the opponent is trying to pass to. In guard, the use of one foot on the hip of the opponent to either control distance or collapse his posture was also emphasised. This can also set up triangles and omoplatas.

I did ok in sparring and got double unders on opponents' legs a few times to aid passing. Side control escapes are also improving. I need to look at mount escapes and reguarding again.

Things to remember: Use collar control to retain tension, work on side control and mount escapes, use foot on hip.

Classes 253 & 254...

More work on the same side collar and sleeve control from open and full guard.

The key ideas from both classes involved stuffing the arm with wrist control and hip escaping to the side, then attacking the back to apply neck pressure and a choke.

Maintaining grip tension to collapse the opponent's frame was a key concept. Keeping mobile hips is also important to connect this position to the omoplata.

I got battered in sparring by senior belts, but I at least offered some resistance and the threat of wrist locks from unlikely positions is giving opponents something to consider. Unless I can hit a fast sniper wrist lock, I probably need to focus on fighting for and retaining position.

But I'm still playing with things at the moment and trying to introduce butterfly guard attacks and wrist locks so there will be mistakes and a learning curve along the way.

Things to remember: Always position before submission; drill wrist locks if you are going to use them.

Class 252...

Some work from open guard. This involved using a same side collar grip on the gi jacket and securing a same side grip on the sleeve. 

The takehome was retaining tension on both grips to off-balance the opponent to set up sweeps. Another key idea was to stuff the arm and attack the back.

In sparring, I got ruined by a bigger and better blue belt and a very fluid purple belt. I also struggled to escape side control against a good white belt.

Things to remember: Stuffing the arm and attacking the back; drill side control escapes.

Class 250...

A class continuing work on securing the collar grip on the opponent, then shooting for either a single leg or pulling guard.

I am sort of OK at pulling guard, but I suck at single and double legs and I need to drill these, particularly as I have my first tournament as a blue belt coming up.

Sparring was fine and I hit a nice kimura and threatened attacks from overhook. I also hit a nice wristlock from an unusual position transitioning to side control. I am not hitting lots of these but the threat of them sometimes keeps my opponent busy.

Things to remember: Drill single and double legs.

Classes 248 & 249...

A couple of classes working on grip fighting, pulling guard and shooting for the single leg from an opposite collar grab. 

I am sometimes sort of OK at pulling guard and I get how securing the grip on a collar or a sleeve is the trigger to pull guard and put a foot on the hip of the opponent, then pull him from the top while falling backwards. I still, however, totally suck as defending single and double legs against decent wrestlers. I need to work on this and my defensive sprawl big time. 

The single leg from standing relies on establishing the opposite collar grip and using that to collapse the frame of the opponent, then stepping to the side to scoop the opposite leg, then continue the turning and collapsing momentum to ground the opponent. Once he is collapsed, continue with a guard pass and establish side control.

In sparring, I did OK. It was a tough couple of classes and I struggled to contain a couple of dynamic white belts, but I wasn't disgraced by higher belts. Tough and determined is sometimes OK when skill levels fail. I also caught a nice collar choke at one point.

I am also experimenting with wrist locks from unlikely positions. I sometimes get close to hitting these, but even if I can't get them I can use the threat of getting them to move to a better position if escaping a bad one. 

I also asked one of my two coaches about using a certain type of z wrist lock. He said it's totally legal but also suggested I was unlikely to catch anyone good with it. He then showed me the crunching wrist lock from standing I'd been working on, plus a very sneaky one where you use the flap on your gi and bring it inside then over the wrist of the opponent to trap the wrist before applying pressure. That's getting worked on and used!

Things to remember: Be first to the grip when pulling guard.

Private Class No.14...

A private class working on wrist locks for BJJ. 

We worked on a few gooseneck compression locks from side mount, triangle and mount. The key dynamics were backstop opponent's elbow, turn wrist at an angle, then compress.

My favourite, however, and the lock I intend to use right away is the compression lock from a gi collar grab. The mechanics of this are:
Opponent grabs same side gi collar; use both hands to lock opponent's arm in place above bicep with elbows in tight; move in with head on opponent's shoulder facing away from him; move opponent's arm towards his rib cage and roll shoulder in to attack integrity of straight wrist; pull opponent's arm in and retain shoulder roll to close space and get tap.

This is an attack that can be used from both standing and kneeling to either force a submission or take an opponent down.

I also talked to my teacher about how I was using the overhook to link full guard and half guard; and how I was also starting to use butterfly guard. He suggested I also use the overhook attack to link all three guards. 

This is going to take silly amounts of time but my mind is now officially blown by new possibilities!

Classes 247 & 248...

My first class as a blue belt and we worked on a sweep from half guard for the man on the bottom. This went something like this:

Man on bottom is up on one hip in half guard with cross grip on opposite side of opponent's collar; other hand has wrist control of opponent's opposite hand; knee is up in frame under opponent's armpit; stuff arm of opponent then rock back onto own back and pull him in so centres are aligned; then use your knee in frame as a lever and turn into a back somersault to sweep and land on top.

We also worked on a choke using a similar start point and entry, but I missed some of the details.

In the second class, we worked on grip fighting drills.

In sparring, I did ok. I won some and got smashed by some. I am experimenting with seated butterfly guard at the moment and mixing and matching with half and full guard, plus the overhook attacks.

I also started trying to incorporate wrist locks into my attacks. I had some success, but it will take a while to adapt this element of my hapkido into my BJJ. I also need to ensure I don't stop working on the BJJ stuff that got me here, too.

Things to remember: Sweep from half guard.

Grading...

 

The past weekend saw the annual grading at London Fight Factory and I got my blue belt.

I was equal amounts thrilled, daunted and humbled. The good news is that this now opens up wristlocks. The bad news is I now have to be better and rise to the challenge.

These are daunting but exciting times.

Class 246...

A Friday morning class and an hour of sparring. It was exhausting and intense, but I did OK and threw in some half-decent submissions.

The takehome was retaining frame. This saved me on the many, many occasions I started to gas.

Class 245...

I've had a two-week lay-off due to an ongoing knee injury, but today I tentatively ventured back onto the mats and it was OK. 

We were working on half guard positions and the take-home was:
Man on the bottom has to avoid getting his head controlled and keep his trapping legs active; frame also has to be in place and the high and long frame sets up attacks. 
Man on the top has to escape his trapped leg; establishing head control also helps to drive forward and flatten opponent out if you are not guard passing. 

I did OK in sparring and felt surprisingly OK after two weeks off. The butterfly guard knee kick and guillotine attack is paying dividends. I'm also using the overhook guard from both full and half to threaten attacks or set up back takes, too. 

Things to remember: Keep attacking. It's the best form of defence.

Classes 243 & 244...

A two-week break thanks to a fabulous holiday in Greece and now straight back to class with two early morning sessions. 

In the first class, we worked on an attack from half-guard on the bottom, where you grab one of the opponent's legs and bring it to you neck, then clamp down with your top leg to retain the other leg of the opponent. You then swim under his free leg with your free arm and start to off-balance him before driving forward to sweep him and secure top position.

In the second class, it was four rounds of ten-minute sparring. This was tough, but I felt OK, even though I was heavily passed, wrapped and tapped by a good purple belt and a high blue belt. 

Things to remember: I continue to experiment with using the overhook clamp and attack from closed guard, and the butterfly guard. I'm having some success with the goodbye choke from the overhook and the guillotine choke attack from a seated guard.

Classes 241 & 242...

Two early morning classes and some ideas of how to attack when on top with the man in the bottom in high half guard. 

Man on top gets up on one knee with a foot out away from the opponent; grabs the pants of the opponent at the ankle; pull the leg straight and attack for head control; then grab the opponent's gi with your free hand and pass it to the hand securing head control; grab the hip of the opponent and pull him in; kick out the trapped leg and base out to secure side control. 

The follow-up choke from here relies on passing the gi to the other hand so its like a collar choke; then bring the other hand over like a collar choke and choke. 

If the opponent tries to defend the choke by pushing the hands off, stuff the arm to the side and compact him and squeeze for the Brabo choke, which is a sort of arm triangle. 

Sparring was fine and I continue to experiment with overhooks and butterfly attacks.

Class 240...

A brutal morning class featuring lots of exercise and grip fighting and toreador drills, with occasional bouts of sparring.

I did some additional sparring at the end of the class and I tried out a few things, which included attacking from full guard with leg triangles, armbars, omoplatas and chokes, and from overhook position in full guard. I now have several attacks from the latter, which include a leg triangle, an armbar, a kimura on both arms, an ezekiel choke and a guillotine. 

I also played with butterfly guard and am working on a sweep, an arm drag and a sweep from x guard. I played with a sweep from butterfly guard, too, where I kick out the opponent's legs out attack for a guillotine.

Private Class No.13...

Some more work from half guard position on bottom. 

A quick question about the competition fight I lost and the key to not allowing an opponent to pass from a high frame half guard position is for the bottom foot hooks to stay active. Ways to improve the position included cross gripping with thumb up on left hand, and the right hand managing distance on the opponent's arm. The knee also has to connect to the left elbow to form a solid frame.

Options:
When opponent tries to flatten you, go to overhook and attack using triangle armbar or omoplata.
When opponent tries to posture up, underhook with left arm round waist; switch hooks and stretch leg to attack opponent's base; then go to knees; but keep leg trapped; then attack for back, knee tap with right hand and drive forward with undertook.
When opponent tries to posture up; underhook with left arm round waist; switch hooks and stretch leg to attack opponent's base; go to knees but trap leg; then knee tap with right hand; if opponent bases out to prevent the knee tap; then drive forward with shoulder to collapse opponent.

Classes 238 & 239...

Two early morning classes focusing on half guard from a high frame. These were:

Man on bottom keeps a knee in shoulder of the opponent and elbow connecting to knee; shifts up on hip with right hand posting on opponent's arm to prevent head control; use knee to push opponent off and attack for the underhook; secure head on belly/chest of opponent with left arm holding hip around waist of opponent to secure head position.

From here there are several options:
attack for the back
opponent uses whizzer; then clamp down and sweep to same side as trapped leg and arm
knee tap and drive into side control

Other options are also to go deep under and secure hip control and rock one way or the other to attack the back.

If opponent tries to smash pass using knee grab, then secure hand on knee and sweep using rocking method. 

Sparring was OK. I was paired with higher belts and did OK.

I also did some work on overhook position using the kimura and the guillotine.

Classes 235, 236 & 237...

More morning classes and work on a few more techniques. These were:

A throw involving a sort of armour and wrist and elbow lock and a drop down. I missed the details of this but it looked quite good.

We also worked on an escape from the De le Riva position: flare knee out; strip the grip; push the leg to the side; start a smashing pass.

Sparring was OK. I am still experimenting with a guard game that uses overhook position to threaten submissions. I'm also having some success with sweeps from butterfly guard.

Classes 233 & 234...

A couple of morning classes working on a few different things. These were:

Guard pass following guard escape: one hand on hip and one hand on knee; the hip hand pins the hip and the knee hand drives to one side; drop into side control; if the opponent goes for single leg to defend, then take a big overstep to attack the back.

I also worked on overhook attacks using the leg triangle and the sneaky armbar, and the collar tie to fend off opponents who manage to grab both my legs and smash into side control.

Class 232...

An early morning class focusing on attacks from full guard. They went something like this:

The opponent is in your guard and he stands to escape from your guard; secure wrist control on one side; keep guard tight as opponent stands; lose grip with guard and slide down and reguard around his knees; clamp your guard tight and ensure his base is compromised; drag arm down and topple him over; move the leg on top to under the legs of the opponent; scoop opponent's legs up and drive into side control

The opponent is in your guard and he stands to escape from your guard; secure wrist control on one side; keep guard tight as opponent stands; grab gi pants near foot with other hand; use legs to annoy and get a reaction; if opponent brings in other hand to break grip, climb up for triangle; if opponent brings in other hand to break grip, climb up for armbar; if opponent stays put, sweep for omoplata.

We also worked on an attack from overhook guard position; attack for leg triangle; if opponent defends, then switch attack to kimura on other side; or let trapped arm slide out and attack for kimura on overlooked side.

Sparring was exhausting in the heat but I did OK.

Classes 230 & 231 ...

A couple of early morning classes focusing on attacks from full guard. The key idea went something like this:

From full guard: stuff the opponent's arm to the opposite side to collapse frame their frame; if they posture up, then sweep them to unbiased side; if they stay still, then attack the back.

Sparring was OK and I'm having some success with attacks from full guard.

Private Class No.12...

A private class focusing on the double-leg takedown. 

The key details were: 
Secure wrist control on opponent's right wrist; take a penetration step into the opponent's structure; drop down onto right knee with left leg going past the opponent's right leg; secure head on side of opponent's rib cage and look ahead to avoid guillotine; hands grab back of opponent's knees; either stand up and side step to collapse opponent to side; or drive forward while pulling opponent's legs in to collapse opponent forward. 

Competition Time...

Last year, I missed the BJJ Surrey Open through injury, so I was delighted to be turing up to compete at this year's event. Even better, I was in the correct age category with two other fighters who were born before 1970.

I'd put a solid couple of months of training into preparing for this and I was about as injury-free as I get these days. I'd also been really careful about making weight in the months leading up to the event, so I didn't have to lose excessive amounts in the weeks before it, and I made 181 lbs with something to spare.

My key goal at this event was to not make stupid mistakes and try to attack more, and I think I did that. 

In the first fight, I pulled guard from the off and threatened chokes from there, then got mount, tried an Ezekiel choke, spun into an armbar, got back to mount and finished with an Ezekiel choke. Although a decade older than me, my opponent was stupidly strong and was a karate fighter with 30 years experience. But I got into a dominant position and I didn't relinquish it.

In the second fight, I tried to pull guard and managed half guard. I threatened a loop choke at one point, but it was very much a game of me not managing to establish full guard and launch any meaningful offence, while he moved into better positions, which meant I was always playing positional escape and trying to re-guard. I didn't feel in any danger of getting submitted, but he beat me by a lot of points so that doesn't really matter. He was better than I was. 

Overall, though, I was pretty pleased with today. I'm never going to be a really aggressive or exceptional grappler, but I can be a solid one and today I felt OK to be competing again. 

On the mats, I will have better days than this and I will have worse days than this. The trick is to just keep having days and to keep learning. I think that's the right attitude.

Classes 228 & 229...

Only two classes this week as I was protecting an injury, but both classes involved working on positional escapes from side control and full guard and lots of sparring, which I did OK in.

I'm competing on Sunday at the Surrey Open and I feel I'm in OK shape. 

I've just got to fight for a strong position, then attack from it. 

Things to remember: Extended posture guard break,

Classes 225, 226 & 227...

Three early-morning classes focusing on guard passing and guard retention from half-guard. 

The two take-home points from these classes were using the frame on the bottom to attack the man on top and destabilise him. 

One attack involved securing an underhook on the same side as the trapped leg, then securing the opponent's opposite arm and pulling that in and driving off the foot on the floor to sweep. The other involved securing an overhook on the closest arm at the side of the trapped leg, then using the overhook as a whizzer, and driving through the opponent to collapse him into side control. 

The other take-home from these classes was a Eureka moment and it was simple: a defensive frame can also become an attacking frame. This is such an obvious thing and one that I know from other martial arts, but I'd never made the conceptual connection at BJJ. 

I did fine in sparring against my peers and survived against a few higher belts and even threatened a few submissions. I also got to roll with a brown belt and was thoroughly outclassed in all departments. It was both a humbling and quite inspiring experience, because he didn't do anything too flash. But what he did do was so competent and sleekly executed. 

I also picked up a minor back injury, too, but I should be OK for my opening tournament of the year in nine days. I hope.

Things to remember: use the defensive frame as a launchpad to attack.

Class 224...

A sparring class when I hadn't trained for a week and a half, and I was too slow to react to everything. I got pretty comprehensively pumped, although I did secure a few strong positions and a few submissions against decent opponents.

I was too slow and not sharp enough today. But that will come back in a few weeks. I hope so as I'm competing in just over two weeks!

Classes 221, 222 & 223...

Three early morning classes all focusing on slightly different things, but all looking at escaping guard and passing to control an opponent on the ground. 

The toreador pass, plus attacking one side then spinning to the other side were all worked on. There was also old school shoulder pressure applied, too.

We also did a lot of sparring and I did OK. I feel like I'm making progress attacking from strong positions. And this is good. 

Things to remember: Establish strong position, then attack from it.

Classes 219 & 220…

Two early-morning classes focusing on guard passing, involving one man positioned on his hip in open half guard with one hook in and the other using a smashing pass to escape. This was hard work as the man on the bottom was not allowed to close guard at any point to retain the position so it was a lot of grip fighting and trying to retain hooks for him.

The man on top had to escape the initial hook and knee slide then pressure pass into side control.

There were a few variations, one including the man on the bottom monkey gripping the free arm to prevent head control, plus a variation where the man on the bottom also grabbed the ankle of the opponent and the sleeve or collar, then moved into a sweeping position.

The takehome from these lessons, though, was for the man on top to apply pressure and close the space down when attacking and ensure the opponent’s hip movement is blocked, while the man on the bottom used frame and posture to defend the position and eventually turn in it into an attacking or sweeping option. 

Sparring was OK and I did fine against my fellow white belts and I defended well against a decent and much bigger blue belt. At one point, I got stuck in side control and drew a total blank trying to remember my side control escapes, so I spent some time drilling them after the classes. I’m confident these will eventually bear fruit, though. 

Things to remember: Use frame when defending and close down space when attacking.

Private Class No.11…

My first private class for a few months and a quick review of the techniques we’ve covered so far. 

The mechanics of the trio of armbar, leg triangle and omoplata are mechanically ok. The key improvements to make were:

Armbar: angle off more when turning and securing arm before attacking with hips.

Triangle: angle off more when turning using foot on hip and under hook to secure arm before attacking with hips.

Omoplata: Edge hips out once you have moved to secure back of opponent. This creates space to collapse opponent.

My palm up, palm down choke was decent today, and my teacher advised me to use that to attack because it offers other possibilities when the opponent defends.

I also got a great tip on the sleeve choke, which involves punching the hand grabbing the gi collar the knuckle side to get the opponent to react and move the other way. This creates the space to loop the arm over, before dropping back to the ‘punching’ side to tighten the choke.  

We then did some work on escapes from side control, which is an area I need to work on. The tips here were: 

Guard recovery: hip escape instead of bridging. It’s a smaller movement and it means less potential damage to your hips. Once you’ve hip escaped and inserted the knee, stay on your side and monkey grip the arm of the opponent that will attack for head control, then hip escape out and establish full guard. 

Come to knees: Fight for the underhook and don’t have a gap between getting you knees then driving forward. 

Spinout escape: Use this when the opponent is blocking your hips to prevent guard recovery. Trap his hand with your nearest hand, then elevate the legs and swing in and away from the opponent to create momentum. The drive and spin away, and look to recover guard or half guard as soon as possible. 

Things to remember: Work on the side control escapes; use the choke position to create other options.

Classes 217 & 218...

First up was another morning class doing guard passing drills and sparring. I was mainly partnered with junior white belts, so I was fine in sparring. We then ended the session with a brutal series of press-ups and sit-ups. It was a high-intensity session but a good one.

Next up was another morning session, this time focusing on arm dragging a standing opponent from a seated position. The take-home on this was to synchronise your weight dropping backwards and to the side while tugging the opponent's weight forwards. If the opponent defends against the arm drag, the follow-up attack involves driving forward and doing an ankle pick and driving through the opponent. 

The key defence against the arm drag involved moving to face the opponent at a point where they cannot base, then grabbing a leg and driving into the opponent to secure side control. 

We also worked on two attacks against a seated opponent who had a sleeve grab in place. Both attacks involved stepping into the opponent and securing the arm then falling into an attack. The opening attack involved an armbar, while the second one was a leg triangle. I can see me using both of these attacks.

In sparring, I was mainly partnered with junior white belts and I was fine, hitting armbars, a reverse kimura, an omoplata and a triangle. I then got partnered with a much heavier white belt and I tried everything possible to shift him when he secured top position in side control. I cracked the door open a bit but his smothering game was very good.

Things to remember: Keep attacking from guard; keep working on side mount escapes; use the step-over armbar and leg triangle.

Class 216...

A layoff of a few weeks through injury and missing my first tournament of the year to boot. Bugger. But today it was back to training and a morning class doing guard passing drills and sparring. 

My back is now fine and my hamstring injury is healing up slowly but nicely. I'm also working on side mount escapes at the moment and I got the chance to drill a few of those.

Sparring was fine, too, and I did perfectly fine against my fellow white belts.

It's good to be back. 

Things to remember: Keep attacking from guard; work on side mount escapes.

Classes 214 & 215...

An early morning class followed by a brutal Thursday dinner sparring session.

The early morning class focused on an x-guard sweep from deep half guard, which was similar to a de la RIva sweep from previous classes. We then went into sparring where I struggled against a few decent blue belts and a couple of much bigger and stronger white belts. 

The dinner sparring session was OK. I was pretty comprehensively manhandled by higher belts and a few fellow white belts were too mobile and fast and strong for me. I did OK against a few people, but it wasn't a great week on the mats. 

Things to remember: Retain frame and attack at all times. I was too slow off the mark this week.

Classes 211, 212 & 213...

My BJJ rolling has been on something of a roll as far as class attendance is concerned in recent weeks. The cancellation of my regular midweek hapikdo class has certainly helped and, with me struggling to make other hapkido classes, any additional BJJ classes have become my default option. 

First up was a sparring class. It was also my 47th birthday and I thought this would be a good way to begin the year. It was, but an hour of six-minute rounds with minimal rest was also exhausting. I did OK, though, and tried to defend against the higher belts and attacked against my white belt peers. If nothing else, it was a good exercise in getting into an attack mentality. 

The next couple of classes were early morning affairs and there was some drilling, based on the trinity of armbar, triangle and omaplata, and holding position with underhooks in butterfly guard and an overhook in closed guard, then it was sparring.

We worked on specific positional sparring from these positions before we went into straight sparring. 

I did OK at sparring and I defended OK against the blue belts I was paired with and even threatened a few submissions. I did better against my white belt peers and successfully attacked with back climbs, omaplatas, triangles and kimuras. I feel like I'm getting nearer to blue belt status at the moment, but I'm still running into very good white belts who run over me. I'm doing OK, though, for a bloke who's giving somewhere between 10 and 20 years to a lot of opponents. 

Things to remember: Attack is the best from of defence, so always look for attack options.

Classes 208, 209 & 210…

With work stupid busy, I’ve only made an open mat and two early morning classes in the past three weeks.

 The open mat session was brutal and consisted of me sparring for about 70 minutes with a couple of decent blue belts and a couple of white belts. I did OK for the opening 40 minutes and was tough to tap and even threatened a kimura and a footlock at one point, but then I gassed and I was essentially cannon fodder for the rest of the time.

It was a decent test of my cardio, though, which remains OK, despite me feeling like I had collapsed before crossing the line.

The two early morning classes both focused on the front guillotine choke and drilling the entry, then getting the tap from guard or using it as a sweep. The key points of the entry from standing are to push the head down and to swim the arm around so the blade of the wrist is under the throat of the opponent. The hands connect in a cup and saucer grip, then the top arm pulls the blade of the wrist up to secure the choke.

The sweep essentially relies on securing this technique, then falling back into guard. Keeping everything tight, you insert a foot hook on the opposite side of the choking arm, then drop back and roll the opponent to the side as your hook lifts him in the air. You then come on top to secure the choke or a better position. 

There’s also a variation where you can use the guillotine to pretty much flip your opponent over 180 degrees, too.

In specific drilling, my attacking from a seated position against a standing opponent was OK, but my using the guillotine to attack for position from standing was less good.

In sparring, I had some success with the Ezekiel choke, which is rapidly becoming a go-to move for me. But I also got ruined by a couple of blue belts that I can sometimes cause a few problems.

But it’s good to be on the mats and there’s some slow signs of progress. I’m also booked in for a tournament in May and a tournament in July, so I have a few things to work towards.

Things to remember: Snap the head down when using the guillotine to attack from standing; continue to drill footlocks and the Ezekiel choke.

Classes 206 & 207...

An early-morning class focusing on guard passing drills and defending guard passing, then an open mat with pretty much constant sparring for about an hour.

My guard passing and defending still needs work but my sparring is still pretty solid for a white belt. I can fend off decent white and newer blue belts and I'm slowly learning to attack and use my legs as either a weapon or as a barrier. 

It's slow and gruelling progress but I'm still loving it. The victory for me at BJJ is not in getting the tap but in making the class and picking up something new.

Class 205…

An early morning class and some work on pulling guard and passing guard.

My guard pulling from standing is sort of OK at my level, and my foot on same hip as elbow grab and collar drag seems to work pretty well. I need to play with a few other set-ups, though, as I can’t just rely on that one.

Sparring was OK and I more than held my own against my fellow white belts and held out against a decent blue belt, too. I’m trying to remember the basics of frame and attack so I’m doing OK.

At one point, I did spar with a very good blue belt, though, and he was all over me. A little lesson in humility just in case I thought I was getting somewhere.

I’ve also entered the inter-club tournament in May and a bigger tournament in Guildford in July. I now just need to find an event in June and I reckon that will be me competing for the year sorted out and give me a three-month window to train to and maintain my fitness during. 

Things to remember: Same lesson as the last one. Retain frame, constant attack and use legs to attack and defend.

Class 204…

It’s been usual mayhem at work so class attendance has been spartan in the past fortnight, so the open mat today was a chance to blow away the corporate cobwebs and do some sparring. 

 

And, all in all, it was pretty successful. I sparred with a very nimble and fast brown belt, who could have tapped me about 20 times in a 15-minute round, but he took it slowly so I got to play with positional defence and attack while he used me for movement practice.  

I then got to spar with a bigger blue belt and a bigger white belt and pretty much held my own against both. I’m pretty sure they would have both eventually prevailed if we’d have had longer rounds, but the basics of retaining frame and constant attack seem to be paying dividends at the moment. Even if the attack isn’t particularly potent, it gives an opponent something to think about while I figure out what a better BJJ practitioner would be doing. 

 

I also caught a couple of people with Ezekiel chokes and the sort of reverse kimura I threaten with when I’m on the bottom and my opponent is rear mounting me. 

My coach also made the point that I should use my legs to secure guard and threaten triangles from, so I’ve been playing with that a lot more, too. 

 

A fun open mat and some little chinks of light in the darkness. Probably…

Things to remember: Retain frame, constant attack and use legs. They’re strong from years of doing other things and they’re long and agile and they need to be utilised.

Classes 202 & 203...

A Friday lunchtime class and one of the very good purple belts who regularly competes did an impromptu seminar on arm locks. He took us through various set-ups and entries, but the main takehome was to drive or climb the crotch into the joint to be attacked and to close the space when attacking. He also showed a very good set-up for a straight armlock from both guard and half-guard. This starts with a kimura attack, then turns into a hip escape, before tightening the grips on the arm as you fully extend it.

This was followed by an early-morning class, which featured some drills on grip fighting and securing a grip on the opponent's gi collar, wrists and pants.The takehome here was to fight for grips at all times or to fight to remove the opponent's grips. 

Sparing at both classes went pretty well and I more than held my own against my fellow white belts and successfully fended off a couple of blue belts for six-minute rounds, too. I even caught a few oponents in a couple of different types of leg triangles. 

Things to remember: climb the crotch on armbar attacks; fight for grips when attacking.