Classes 109-110...

Pressure at work equals not many classes attended. It's a shit equation but there is some light on the horizon with a new job promising better control of my hours and less 50-hour weeks. 

I have managed to sneak a couple of open-mat session in, though, and these are always good. 

In the first class, I mainly rolled with a new white belt and realised I had actually learnt enough to show him a couple of things. I then got to roll with a blue belt friend. My defence was OK and I got tapped a few times but I did threaten a submission of my own at least once. 

In the second class, I got to roll with with another blue belt and got tapped all over the place. Annoyingly, I wasn't even doing the basic stuff well, but I know that's because I haven't had much mat time and that will come back. He did, however, suggest only trying to pass guard while standing and we did some work on this.

I also got to roll with a fellow white belt. We were about the same level six months ago, but he's now incredibly fluid and just has so many more attacks in his armoury. But he's also put the work in so he thoroughly deserves to be that much better. 

There's no secret to improving at anything. Just put the work in. And that's something that will be happening soon… 

Things to remember: Standing guard passes.

Classes 107 & 108...

First up was an open mat session where I got to roll with two blue belts. My defence was sort of OK and I threatened a few times to cause them minor problems with submission attempts, but the truth is they were better than me and knew more. It was still god fun, though.

Second up was a beginners' class and we worked on four escapes from side control.  
i) Side control escape: bridge and get knee in, fish for leg, secure half guard, bridge again, salute as you bridge and move to back control.
ii) From half guard and shoulder pressure on head: push under opponent's armpit to escape head, then from one shoulder bridge again and use arms to escape to back of opponent.
iii) From half guard and shoulder pressure on head: if opponent secures position with whizzer, simply secure his whizzer then bridge from one shoulder and roll him onto his trapped side.
iv) Escape from side mount: hand under chin and bridge up then spin onto knees to face opponent.

Things to remember: Pick one escape and drill it, then drill it again and again and again.

Class 106...

Today was all about specific drilling and we did 30 minutes on avoiding the opponent's guard, then 30 minutes on guard sweeps. 

And it was exactly the sort of repetition drilling I needed to help me improve some of the technical but essential basics I need in my game. The sweeps I worked on included a sweep from half guard, a kimura sweep, a hip bump sweep, a scissor sweep and an upa.

It was then on to sparring and I was partnered with mainly my fellow white belts and I did pretty good without going too crazy. It was a good class.

Key points: Drill the basics. Then drill them again.

Class 105...

A class on specific drilling, with lines of people fighting several people in the middle to either pass guard or retain guard. This was pretty exhausting and, even though I claimed a few victories, it was either by stealth or brute strength. There wasn't a huge amount of technique on display. 

On the plus side, I did remember to protect my front leg with my same side arm so there was a small victory for some technique. Of sorts. 

Onto sparring and I pretty much held my own with good fellow white belts. I didn't get tapped and escaped some good submission attempts but I also didn't submit anyone either. 

Not that either of them are brilliant, but my defence is definitely better than my attack at BJJ. And that has to change as I've just entered my first tournament. 

So my training is about to ramp up a level. And hopefully my attacks will, too.

Things to remember: Attack is the best form of defence.

Classes 101, 102, 103 & 104...

In the first three classes, we were working on positional drills and avoiding guard. 

There was also a sweep from open guard that relies on swimming your left leg over the arm of the opponent so your foot ends up in his armpit, virtually trapping his arm. Your right hand then swims under his opposite leg to grab his gi trousers and you pull him in, then pull him over you.

It was all quite basic stuff but this is the sort of quite basic stuff I wouldn't mind spending more time on. I certainly need it. 

The final class, however, was the real treat: a 90-minute class with 12 six-minute rounds of sparring broken by 30-second intervals. I got tapped, I got bruised, I got sweaty, I got a bit injured, I ended up in some dodgy positions and I even avoided some dodgy positions. I also used my new sweep from half guard to good effect.

 It was one of those really challenging and really tiring but amazingly life-affirming things.

Things to remember: Drill the basics; keep using and refining the half-guard sweep.

Classes 99 & 100...

First up was a dinner-time session.

This was all about maintaining dominant position and defending/escaping poor position, so the drills involved one person having an opponent in either his full guard, his half-guard, his side control or his rear mount and the other man defending and trying to escape or improve position.

This was quite tiring work. Then it got even more tiring when we started shark tanking it by splitting into groups of three, with one man in the middle and the other two alternating as his opponents with no rest in between. I did OK at this, although I was better escaping and improving than I was defending.

Next up was an open mat session. This was all sparring and I picked up some good pointers from senior belts. For example, I've recently got into the habit of using my legs to prise arms off, but this is compromising my balance and making me easier to sweep if I don't move them away once they've done their job. It also leaves me open to leg locks, which I need to be more aware of.

I did, however, get to briefly drill some leg locks and I also got to try out a new half guard sweep I've been trying to learn. And I also completed my 100th class, meaning I've now got something like 150 hours of mat time in. I may still not be very good but at least it now all feels much more familiar.

Key tips: Protect your legs from locks; don't compromise your balance.

Classes 97 & 98...

A special week of classes with Checkmat head coach Leonardo Vieira and, luckily for me, I made one of them!

In this class, we did some work on takedowns and worked a single leg takedown that involved confirming a collar grip on one side and stuffing the opponent's hand into his stomach on the other side, then shooting for the leg. The man under attack had to sprawl to defend the takedown.

He also demonstrated a move where you attack by pretending to go for the collar grips, but then switch to the secure higher collar grips that allow you to move the gi over the opponent's head and drag him down.

Next up was an open mat session and I got to roll with two very good blue belts.

The first showed me a good way to escape spider guard, which was essentially to go into a standing posture and thrust forward with your hips and drive into the seated opponent to break the grips.

The other blue belt showed a very effective choke from the guard. This involved securing a deep diagonal collar grip then swimming the other arm over the back of the opponent and grabbing onto his belt so there's an X shape with your arms. Then it was a matter of tightening the grips and extending the legs and puling the arms together.

Key tips: On takedowns, use fakes and look to attack one area while in reality going for another; ensure the front leg is defended by the front arm when standing; drill the collar choke from guard as it's highly effective.