Class 113...

A 90-minute lunchtime class, which are always brilliant... but also quite brutal and physically demanding. The warm-up involved getting into pairs then carrying your partners while they locked in their full guard and hung on via a seatbelt hold. We then worked on three techniques from guard. 

First up was a takedown from standing. This went like this: 
Stand facing opponent and pull guard on him with your legs wrapped around his waist while he is standing; secure wrist control and cross the opponent's wrists over; then drop down to the floor while still in guard; use the wrist control to collapse his posture; then use your guard to pinch his legs together and collapse him onto the floor; follow his fall and end up on top of him.

Then we worked on two chokes from guard. The first went like this: 
Opponent is in your full guard; insert your left hand into the opposite collar with your palm facing your opponent, your thumb down and the blade of your arm against the opponent's throat;  then insert the other hand underneath your other arm into the opponent's collar, palm facing you and thumb up; collapse his posture and drop your elbows to the floor to tighten the collar against the opponent's carotid arteries. 

The second one went like this:
Opponent is in your full guard; insert your right hand into the opposite collar with your palm facing you and your thumb up; collapse his posture using your legs and your right hand; then loosen the opponent's gi with your left hand and pass it over his head so your left hand ends up with your little finger by his carotid artery; drop your elbows to the floor to tighten the collar against the opponent's carotid arteries.

We then did two 20-minute rounds of sparring. In the first round I got paired with a stronger and better white belt. He didn't submit me but he was all over me. My defence held up, though, which I was quite pleased about. In the second round, I got a less experienced white belt and defended then launched a few attacks of my own. I even got a tap with an upside-down triangle from side control. I've used this technique a couple of times recently and I like it as it's unexpected. A great class. 

Things to remember: keep working the chokes.

Classes 111-112...

First up was a beginners class in which we focused on escaping and retaining guard. 

Basics emphasised here included strong posture and not allowing the opponent to collapse your posture if you are in guard, and collapsing the opponent and not allowing him to posture up if he is in guard. 

The second class was a special session with Chico Mendes, the Head Coach of Checkmat Europe. The focus here was also on guard escapes, with a focus on creating distance and maintaining posture when breaking out of closed guard. 

We worked on escapes from half-guard and the De La Riva Guard, too. 

I particularly liked the breakout escape from half-guard, where you sit up and use the knee of your opponent to force the guard open and move backwards. I also liked the driving through move to collapse and flatten the opponent on the bottom in half-guard.

Things to remember: Posture and distance when breaking guard.

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.