Things I Learned July 2, 2011

• De La Riva Sweep - This one you get under your opponent and use your leg to pendulum forward while holding onto their arm so they can't post.

• Double Leg Takedown from Brian (wrestler) - lower your level, shoot, hook behind their knees, then start moving sideways. Tip is don't shoot unless you can touch them.

Double Leg Takedown and Another Standing Guard Pass

Double Leg Takedown:

• Lift up opponent
• Side step
• Dive in with double behind the calfs (make sure to keep body upright)

Another Standing Guard Pass (used when opponent keeps closed guard):

• To Open Guard
• If opponent has hand gripping on your lapel, straight arm them on the same side
• With your opposite hand, grab their wrist
• Step up with your leg on the side of the arm that is being controlled
• Keep holding onto the wrist grip and let go of the lapel grip to press down on their leg
• As make sure to take a step back with the side you are pressing down
• To Pass
• Put your your inner knee down and press down on their inner thigh
• Put your elbow down
• Pressure and pass
• Look for video 

My First Tournament & Promoted to Blue

I just competed in my first ever tournament last Saturday, San Diego Grappling X - June 25, 2011. It was double elimination and I lost both matches.

My first match was against a strong tall 6' 5" (I'm only 5' 6", 155 lbs.). I shot in for a single leg, but he double underhook and smashed me so I pulled out and pulled guard. Dude was super strong, everytime I tried to go for anything he just postured and pressed my hips down. Everytime he put one leg up to try to pass I would try to pendulum sweep him, but I couldn't finish it due to him having the pressure on my hips. The match went into sudden death, I was hesitant trying to take him down because of what happened the first time so he took me down got points, stalled, and won the match. My arms were burnt out after the match.

The next match, I got schooled... I think it was because I used all my energy I had in the first match already. I felt like jelly and got Americana. I felt kind of crappy because my prof was there to watch this match but not the first.

Monday, June 27, 2011, I went to class, my prof ask how did I like the tournament. I told him it was a real eye opener. That I had to work on my takedowns and takedown defense. He made the whole class spar starting from standing the whole session! At the end of class, I felt beat up, soaked in sweat, and started questioning my skills. That's when Prof. Dominic Parker rewarded me with my blue belt! Part of me still doesn't feel like I deserve it and the I still have so much to learn.

To those that haven't compete, you should try it. It really shows where you need to improve on.

Open Mat

Today I went to open mat with Glenn and Justin. I don't usually go to Friday's open mat but wanted to put in some training time before I drown white water rafting over the weekend. :P

Anyway, I tapped out Glenn with a Bow & Arrow choke and an arm bar. Glenn's was sure working his cardio and has got mass heart. Justin tapped me twice with an Ezekiel choke and choke from the back. I wonder if I'm focusing so much on offensive that my defensive is slipping.

I was working with Glenn on some submissions. We were working on the triangle and Mark stopped us. I was teaching Glenn to grab the back of the neck, but Mark said it was unnecessary if you have the correct angle. He said to have no space where you clamp your knee and be at an angle where you can look into your opponent's ear. The triangle was a lot tighter, and this technique is a lot more applicable for a person with short legs like me.

I worked with Mark (purple belt) on some takedown techniques. I was never able to successfully take him down and was taken down several times. The two that still stick in my mind are:

•  Variant of Drop and Roll on shoulder
• start with grabbing your opponent's lapel
• stiff arm and lock their shoulder
• once you have this setup you can roll onto your other shoulder and basically roll your opponent
• i did not find this drop and roll as easy as the one David (purple belt) showed me, but this one is probably more effective if done right
• Arm grab to back to trip your opponent backwards 
•  when your opponent starts to go for your lapel, you swat their hand and do a bicep grab.
• at this point you have a very good opportunity to grab their back, however if you don't the arm that grab their becip now moves over to the opposite shoulder and you square up with them and trip their closet leg
• if done right you can end up in knee on belly when the opponent falls

Another valuable tip that Mark gave me was something to help me escape from an opponent's side control. He saw that I had problems replacing my knee when he had me in side control. The key is to move your legs to the side then hip out quickly and replace your knee. Moving your legs out creates the space needed to replace your knee. If done too slowing your opponent will close the space back again.

9 of the Best Black Belt Open Guard BJJ Techniques

9 of the best black belt open guard bjj techniques

Vale Tudo Guard Passes

Vale Tudo Guard Passes: It doesn't matter how good your stand-up is, you will inevitably find yourself in your opponent's guard - and you need to be prepared to get out as quickly as possible. In this DVD, Erik outlines a complete arsenal of passes that you can integrate into your ground game.

Master Strauch Playing Guard

Master Strauch (rio de janeiro) showing a combo of submissions from the guard.

North South Choke by Marcelo Garcia

Marcelo Garcia talks with Stephan Kesting about how to set up and execute the North South choke.

The Art Of Killing

Some nice throws in this video: Budo: the art of killing (1978)

Advancing Position While Opponent Is In Turtle Position

Mark taught class today because Dominic was out of town. Mark taught some very moves when the opponent is in the Turtle Position.

1. Rolling forward and putting in your hooks:
1. Start out behind your opponent. Make sure to keep your hips close and apply weight near your opponent's hips.
2. Double under hooks and grab your opponent's gi collar with each hand.
3. Force your opponent's head down by grabbing their collar deep.
4. Now start applying pressure across your opponent's back with your head diagonal across their body. Your head should be close to their head if not more over.
5. Tuck your chin in and roll forward diagonally.
6. While your opponent is in mid-air put in your hooks.
2. Chest bump to side control:
1. Start out with your body perpendicular across their back.
2. Grab your opponent's arm and ankle farthest away from you. Note that your knuckles are faced up. Also, you are NOT reaching around their head and butt; and you are not reaching under their arm and leg. You are reach across their arm and legs.
3. Pull their arm and leg towards you and use your chest to bump and roll your opponent over. Do not let go of the ankle, use this to obtain side control.
3. From behind to North-South to arm bar:
1. Start from behind.
2. Under hook grab your opponent's closest arm.
3. Now start to go perpendicular to your opponent.
4. Now get your opponent to lay down on their side by collapsing the arm.
5. Continue into North-South position.
6. Place your knee on their rib while hanging onto their arm.
7. Finish with arm bar (knee in arm pit).
4. Roll opponent over knee:
1. Start by pressuring down on one of your opponent's shoulders across back.
2. Grab your opponent's belt with arm parallel to your opponent's spine.
3. With your other hand grab your opponent's ankle. The grab is more like an upwards cup.
4. Put your leg straight on top of their head. It's kind of like help tucking in their head.
5. Next, roll back and use your momentum to roll your opponent over your leg.
6. Take side control.

Learned 2 takedowns from "Russian" David.

1. Single leg takedown:
1. Start by going for a double or single leg take down. Mostlikely you will end up with only one leg.
2. Now trap their leg in between your legs. Also hold onto their leg with your arms.
3. When ready, shoot down for their other leg while keeping the trapped leg in between your legs.
4. This should take them down because both legs are trapped.
2. Drop and roll:
1. Start by trapping your opponent's arm. Almost like in a figure-4 grip, but not necessary.
2. You can try to step in and go for a single leg hook sweep. Usually this does not work, but it gets them to square up with you.
3. Once they are squared up with you, you can drop the other leg in and lay down, pull and roll them. You will mostlikely end up in side control. What you are basically doing is blocking their arm so they can't post and using your body to break down your opponent's dead zone.

David also offered me another tip. He said to control your opponent's wrist as much as you can. Especially, when they have you in side control. Don't let the opponent control your head, but instead grab their gi/wrist and push it across their chest (i.e. push their arm to your side) and hip escape outward.

Tip from Mark. I had the Omoplata on Dan but couldn't sit up and finished. Mark walked by and shook his head then said, "change into a triangle." I totally forgot that you should use your opponent's momentum when trying to sit up preventing the Omoplata as a transition into a triangle. I need to remember this!