Friday BJJ Class 02/22/08 Plus Open Mat
Something was in the water tonight because everyone was hyper and ready to roll. We were waiting for class to start and Big Rick was trolling the waters, looking for someone (anyone) to get going. Coach came out and 10 minutes before class starts, the two of them are sparring takedowns. In the meantime, three other pairs of guys spontaneously start rolling around. I took the opportunity to drill a couple of moves I need to work on with Jeremy.
It was hilarious. Coach lines up the class at 5pm and half the class is panting and sweaty. So, we did the logical thing: started warm-ups. Of course.
The techniques we covered were the same three move combination we worked on Wednesday: Americana to Straight Armlock to Kimura.
Instead of rehashing those techniques, I'll jot down one of the moves that Jeremy showed me from a top turtle position. I mentioned a few days back that in the tournament I was able to get a rolling reversal a couple of times. Instead of ending up with control of the arm, I ended up facing my opponent with an over/under grip. I knew then that there were many chokes, but I just flat out didn't know them.
The technique I'm going to work on is an Gator Roll/Anaconda choke. Check out the video found on YouTube posted by trainfightwin.com. This is a move more often done no-gi, because it's easier to slide the arm all the way through. The added friction of the gi can actually get in the way. Also, it's a little more difficult on really big guys, because you have to get the right grip.
One functional difference between what Jeremy showed me and the technique detailed above is that Jeremy recommended moving my hips/legs the opposite direction the instructor in the video showed. He does mention that you can go either way in the video. The only other difference is that Jeremy locked in the grips before he rolled.
Either way, it's something to work on so that hopefully I can begin to capitalize on my positional dominance following my reversal.
Sparring was great. I felt strong and worked hard. I got several matches in during sparring, had success passing guard, and against the big guys, worked my own guard game to keep from getting submitted. Against Big Rick, I ended up under his side mount, but kept my arms in and avoided giving him the tricky chokes he was working. We have several guys tuning up for the Pan Ams, and the next few weeks are going to be great, because as they ramp up their intensity, it will help us all get better.
Funny thing happened during open mat. A few new students (a father and his son) were in the class. They were really nice, and both eager to learn. So, during open mat, they were ready to go. They weren't quite sure what to be doing or working on and I heard the father say to his son, "Maybe we should work with one of the more experienced guys." Then I noticed that he was pointedly looking at me. '
In desperation, I looked around for a blue belt, and seeing no help, said, "Well, err... what are you guys working on? Are you drilling your guard pass?"
So, I showed them a very basic guard pass (Coach calls it Guard Pass #1). Bing, a blue belt, came over to give a few pointers, as well. It was fun, and I really got a kick out of their enthusiasm.
Best advice I heard, though (and I can't remember if it was Bing or someone else who gave it): "It all starts to make sense after about three months, so no matter what, just stick out the first three months." Good advice.
