Butterfly Guard: the 3 Most Common Errors

The 3 Most Common Errors in the X Guard

Reflections

I had a great roll with Justin this Sunday before Memorial Day. Justin taught the Sunday class in which he showed many arm bars and variations resulting from an arm bar setup.

• Justin's advice to me after rolling is don't flare out my knee to much when I open guard.
• When someone stacks my triangle, try to finish with a collar choke. This works for when someone does a double leg stack pass too.
• When working a trip, bait them with a tap to their front foot fist, when they step back sweep/trip the front leg. (Sam)

Dominic is back teaching

Professor Dominic is back teaching because Professor Steve is away on vacationing in China. Dominic has been teaching half-guard techniques for the last 2 weeks. He says that the half-guard techniques will continue for several weeks. So far the focus of the techniques are from the bottom of half.

Techniques that we learned are:

1. Leg lift to regain full-guard.
2. Leg lift to opposite site to the back.
3. Frame and shrimp out to pummel under your opponent's armpit, then underhook their ankle and pass it to your arm that is pummelled under their arm around their butt, once the other hand is holding their ankle, drive into their body to sweep them (hook their knee if needed).
4. Frame and shrimp out to pummel under your opponent's armpit, now instead of passing their ankle to your other hand behind their butt, pass their gi skirt or belt (this is referred to as diaper grip), and finish the same as the sweep with their ankle.
5. Frame and shrimp out to pummel under your opponent's armpit, if your opponent wizards your arm, try to grab their pants at the knee or you can underhook the knee and sweep them backwards over their trapped arm.

Some things I learned from wrestling:

1. The side you sit out to is the side that your opponent is applying the less amount of weight too.
2. Single leg defence = wizard your arm in between their arms to grab your own leg, make sure to apply shoulder pressure, push their temple away. try Now try to pull your leg out or you can roll them.
3. When I shoot for the sweep single, I should go for their left leg.

[Updated] The World Jiu Jitsu Expo Sucked!

Alby, Luis, and I headed to the first ever World Jiu Jitsu Expo and spent the whole day in Long Beach. We drove up in the morning and got there around 11am. Alby and I ran out of things to do at the expo around 2pm. We ended up grabbing Luis to headed across the street from the Long Beach Convention Center to CPK and had some expensive non-fulfilling pizza after a long wait. We dropped off our gear in Alby's truck before we headed back to the expo to wait for the super fights. The audience setup for the super fights was pretty whack! And after all that, Nick Diaz doesn't show up but there seemed to be some kind of controversy about Braulio Estima not making weight. The rumors flying around also hint at the promoters being shady with the donation. I think Nick got screwed in this one but didn't express himself well.

More detailed Reddit Post: The World Jiu Jitsu Expo was not a good experience, probably would not go to another for a very long time.

 

[Update] Cesar Gracie's official statement regarding Nick not showing up.
[Update] Braulio Estima's response to Cesar.

Visited Gracie Barra Encinitas

Last Saturday, Wayne and I headed to GB Encinitas for a charity seminar. The charity was for a young girl named Jacklyn who is having her lip surgically repaired by GB Encinitas student. I was feeling pretty lazy when Alby cancelled and Wayne wanted to meet there instead of carpooling. Luckily, Wayne changed his mind and we met up and carpooled, good thing too because the E-light for my gas tank came on.

The seminar started off with about 4 black belts each teaching a technique. A lot of people showed up for the seminar. I'm thinking at least 50 people because the mat was packed! There wasn't much room at all to do some of the techniques, especially the ones involving takedowns and rolls.

Techniques:

1. Standing opponent headlocking you from the back.
2. Knee slide on turtled opponent's back to roll, then finish with an armbar. I like this one, the setup involves an underhook cross-collar grip
3. Opponent headlocking you bent forward. (Dominic's)
4. Rolling an opponent when they are in top and you are turtle to side control.

After technique, we did pass the guard "King of the Hill" and it started with the black belt's guards. So there were about 7 black belts down and ~50 students waiting in line to pass their guard. It started off slow because we lined up in ranked order so the brown and purple belts were up first. They were more slow and technical. After sometime, as expected, it got faster and faster because belt and white belts were much easier for the black belts.

I was in there 3 times and each time with a black belt. Those guys capitalize on every mistake. The first one I was going to try a stack pass, but he threw up a triangle. I was able to defend it to just end up back in his guard. Eventually, he opened his guard and I was trying to do a knee slicer pass, but then he kicked my legged and took my back. This was the most memorable attempt. My 2 other failed attempts: another back take and ended up in turtle position.

After 3 failed attempts at passing a black belt's guard, I called it quits and talked to Dominic off the mats for a little bit. He said he was teaching Tues/Thursday classes now. After that Wayne and I walked around the facilities before leaving.

Their facility is huge! There's a boxing and workout gym downstairs! Raquetball and basketball courts down the hall. Passed what it seemed like another private gym, there was a fusion yoga class. It was like a physical workout Mecca!

2nd stripe on my Blue!

Steve Gable awarded me with my 2nd stripe on my blue belt today! Good to know I'm heading in the right direction. ;)