Classes 257 & 258...

A couple of early morning classes working on armbars from the top in side control. The techniques went something like this:

Armbar from on top in side control: right hand grabs opponent's gi at collar to pin his back to the floor; left hand secures bicep of arm that is furthest away; base out using other hand and move onto toes and pull bicep up, then swivel 180 degrees so left leg goes over head of opponent and goes under his rib cage on other side; then drop back and apply armbar. 

Armbar from on top in side control: right hand grabs the opponent's gi at collar to pin his back to floor; left hand secures bicep of arm that is furthest away; move onto toes and pull bicep up, then swivel 180 degrees so left leg goes over head of opponent and goes under his rib cage on other side; if opponent defends by using hand on hip, then grab own gi collar to secure opponent's arm; base up on feet and other arm then lock arms together, and sit up and apply armbar from seated position. 

Sparring was OK. It was my first time back for a while and I rolled with white belts and wasn't spectacular, but I escaped a couple of tricky positions and threatened some submissions. I then rolled with with a bigger and stronger blue belt, and I used wrist locks to threaten attacks and used them to move into better positions. 

The second class featured a couple of chokes from side mount. These involved passing the gi collar of the opponent under his neck, then swapping the gi from one hand to the other and then choking the opponent out. 

It's good to be on the mats.