Thu, May 26

Tech: 4 Chokes.
Sneaky Choke 1: From Bottom Side -- Standard arm on shoulder like you're going to frame; bridge and get other gi grip for choke (which is usually the first grip in a palm up, palm down choke); bring him back down and finish choke.

Sneaky Choke 2: From Guard, off a failed Scissor Sweep, keep the collar grip, sit up and reach for his belt on his back and pull up as tighten the collar grip toward the ceiling.

Choke 3: Baseball choke off Knee on Belly.

Choke 4: He goes for double leg, label choke (usually seen in choke from Back); same grips and sprawl. Need to be heavy on him and rest my weight on him.

Izzy Blue - americana from mount and that baseball choke i think. I was defending the cross face and he waited for me to bridge and got his grip under and finished.

2 taps: Total: 116.

Good: Guard/Pass Guard drills -- only got passed a couple times; didn't pass anyone but only got swept once. I even swept Izzy Blue when he stood up, but I was so shocked that I scrambled too slowly and he came up on my side for the pass. And rolling with Ryan Blue -- defended the whole time but didn't get submitted; defended the Back well enough but still couldn't quite escape. But I was moving alot from Back to Turtle to Back to Mount so he couldn't get comfortable to finish anything.

Need to work on:
*Side ESC.
*Back ESC
*Mount ESC -- especially shrimping back to get him back to low Mount.
*Bridge Series from Guard - didn't try any of this.
*Scissor Sweep & Reverse Sweep.
*Butterfly Sweep.
*General: 1. Keep Moving; 2. Be Heavy (especially transitioning, and when I'm resting, rest on him).

Add to Drills: Bump Sweep (esp. non-favorite side). So the drills on non-class days look like this.
1. shrimp x 20
2. sit outs x 20
3. Guard Control / circle x 20
4. Bump sweep.

Might need to replace the sit outs with something else in about a week.

*** and got a idea for BJJ shirt. will post pic when I make it.

Tue. May 23

Tech: Standing Takedown -- standard grips (collar and under elbow); staggered stance with lead foot same side as collar grip); pull with collar grip, make a L with that hand against his chest to push; leg hook in his forward leg; he should fall when you push.

Taps: 4: Total: 114.

Rolling with Purple Chris -- same damn thing every time. He mounts and gets High S Mount and wraps my arm around my neck and threatens the arm bar on that arm. Tried to turn and he gets the back.

Need to review Turtle attacks -- he Turtles to let me attack and I'm generally clueless there. I did okay defending the back (Controlling his top arm with two arms, but I didn't get to do the rest of the escape).

Need to review -- Trumpet Dan's Half Guard Passes; and Half Guard in general. I could not pass or sweep. At one point, Purple Morecai had top and I couldn't get underhook because he was trying to kimura that arm and I had a Lockdown but my other arm was under his leg, stuck halfway in Old School and Plan B. Dumb. I needed to get the underhook and go for the ankle for Old School.

Need to review: Bridge Series from Guard.

Third Stripe, White

Tech: Review of the Failed Footlock -- switch his foot to the other side, grab his collar and come up in Side Control.

Taps: 5. Total: 110.

That Smashy Hulkin' new White Belt was there again. I would guess he's about 250lbs. So about 100 more than me. He tapped me twice on Tuesday. But not today. He was on top was of the roll and tried various subs but I finally Upa'ed toward the end and roll ended before I could do anything.

This was right after I got my third stripe and was called a Sandbagger because I didn't have any stripes showing on my new belt.

Purple Vince gave me a good Bottom Mount tip. He saw me needlessly protecting me neck when I didn't need to, opening myself up for armbars and musclely kimuras. He said to keep my arms down until they start getting their hands inside the collar and are actually going for the choke.

Purple Chris said I'm doing better with my defenses and not panicking like most Whites. I felt I was, too. But only half the time. The other half, I wasn't panicking but my brain was a blank. I knew I was in a bad position but I didn't have any escape ideas so I stayed inert and then had to tap.

At least, the good parts were that I was moving and trying stuff and that made it difficult for them to finish.

So the takeaway: Always Keep Moving and changing Angles and Keep Trying Stuff. So they don't have such a easy path to finishing the sub.

Need to Review: Back Escape; S Mount Escape; Side Escape (especially from the non-favorite side).

Class: Tue May 17

Tech: review of Guard Pass Defense - where they try Single Under and you have to push their elbow away before they grab your gi and shrimp out and re-Guard.

New Guy, big hulking White, and big red flags and alarms went in my head. I drilled with him and later rolled. He's got about 50lbs on me, maybe more. Mucho stronger, too. I had no problems tappin to him twice, once a kimura from side and label choke from side.

And Purple Chris got three taps on me, probably could of have alot more. He gets Mount and he gets an arm bar whenever he wants because I'm defending my neck from chokes.

Total taps: 105.

Side Escape Update: I did manage to do the two things (elbow down on mat, other arm underhook), and even got to third step (got him to go Kesa Gatame); but got stuck there and didn't remember what I was supposed to do next.

Have to review: Side Escape Theory 1.

Teeny Little Bit of Progress

Sat. May 14 -- Taps 3 (could have been a lot more, but the Purple I was rolling with was flow rolling). Total: 100.

Progress: On positional drills (Guard/Passing Guard - Gauntlet) ... previously I'll be in guard and it'll be like this: pass my guard, pass, pass, next pass, pass, pass, next repeat. But today, it was pass, almost pass; next pass, almost pass. That's progress.

Same thing in my trying to pass: this time it was sweep, almost pass; almost pass, stuck.

Need to work on: Side Escape -- but more specifically, just to these two things first: 1. My elbow in, down on mat; 2. other hand, get underhook. Go from there, and try the rest of the escape.

Thurs. May 5, 2011

Technique: Side Control -- to Kesa Gatame and variations. Key: getting that near arm up and controlled and following and not letting me shrimp away.

Taps: 8. Total: 97.

Work on: Passing Guard, Passing Guard, Passing Guard.

Maybe I'll figure out what to do in Guard that way.

May 3, 2011

Tech: Sit Down Guard -- remove the grips on pants; drag down cross collar to Back.

Taps: 7. Total: 89.

Work on:

1. Mount ESC.
2. Side ESC
3. Breaking Lockdown.
4. Roger's Half Pass.

A purple told me to get to Mount and see how others escape.

Sun. April 20, 2011

Techniques: 3 Takedowns

1. From Knee Sweep: Left- under elbow sleeve grip, Right - collar grip. Right foot - hook like a half butterfly; tuck other under butt like I'm pulling guard; sit down and in an angle; pull that leg out and tap/lock his knee as I flip over with hook.s
2. From Stand up: Same grip set up. Then Step on/lock his lead foot as I sit down.
3. From Stand up: Same except drive in with my head against his neck on opposite side as I step to side.

Taps: 7. Total: 82.

Back to Basics. Need to work on.

1. Mount Escapes
2. Side Escapes
3. Back Escapes
4. Half Guard Escapes
5. Guard - Breaking their Posture

Side note: If they pull Guard, try to put Knee up and try that pass.