Class Sat., Sept. 24, 2011

Taps: 3. Total: 205.

Perhaps my progress is an illusion. Vaguely dissatisifed. Can't quite put my finger on it. Illusion part is that the Purples go easy on me, the high Blues shut me down, but at least I can hang with the low Blues.

Had some success with the Rolles Pass. Need to remember that I'm not fully standing. If I do, I need to control that side sleeve (a la T. Dan) so he can't underhook my leg. More of a half stand.

Need to Review:
1. Kesa Gatame Escapes. Key Details: Get my near hand on the MAT. Other hand needs the deep, deep, far underhook.
2. Guard Pass Prevention. Re-Guard techniques.

Class, Thu, Sept. 22, 2011

Techniques were review of that Turtle Turnover attack and DLR sweep.

Taps: 1 (RNC). Almost tapped to another RNC but time ran out. Total: 202.

Need to Review:

1. Guard Breaks/Passes: T. Dan and Rolles.

2. Kimura from Guard. Having some success with Bump Sweep, but need to follow up with Kimura if they post with their hand.

3. Side Escapes. And the 3 Kesa Gatame escapes.

Tue, Sept. 20, 2011

Tech. 1 - Turtle Turnover to arm bar.

1. Reach under, across his neck to control his far elbow.

2. My other hand reaches under his stomach for that same elbow.

3. Pull that elbow as I push his body with my shoulder.

4. Into Kesa Gatame and control that arm/elbow that I pulled.

5. Hip down lower and get leg over his face and arch back for the arm bar.

[I really like this turnover. Simple. Easy to remember and execute.]

Tech. 2 - (review) Gi Wrap Choke from Half Guard.

Rolling. Starting to give fits to the lower Blues, doing okay with the Purples, who don't go too hard, and getting on top with most Whites. Starting to grip fight more at the beginning, but everyone keeps pulling Guard, and I'm having trouble breaking Guard and passing.

Edgar the White (two stripes) said I've improved, but he has, too. Wished I was more encouraging to him. He was active in Guard, really tried for Triangle and defended my Standing Pass attempts very well. I think I eventually passed and Turtled and tried to re-guard and I got his Back and he defended my RNC and I got Mount. He defended chokes and almost bucked me off and left his arm out and I rolled into an an arm bar. I didn't quite have it and thought it was better to let it go than try to muscle it any more, and he tapped as I released.

Blue Phil got me with an arm bar from Mount. Rolled the wrong way and didn't pull my elbow out in time. I did manage to get my elbow out and escape in that very same situation with him a few minutes ago.

Taps: 1. Total: 201.

Need to Review:

1. Breaking Guard -- Trumpet Dan (standing). Tozi/Wilson/Sao Paulo.

2. Passing Guard -- Martin Aedma. Hell Pass and Open Pass, p1.

3. Next 1000 rep drill: Hitchhiker Escape. (1000 each side).

200 Taps

200 Taps and counting. Jammed my right toe a week and half ago. Had to miss a class. Thought it might of broken it. But I don't think so.

Sat., Sept. 18, 2011

Tech 1 - DLR sweep.

1. Push out with right leg against his hip to off-balance and pull him down.

Tech. 2 - Choke from Half Guard Top, Using his Gi to Wrap.

Rolling -- Purple chris (small chris) -- he took no prisoners and tapped me like riverdance, six times, using all of his Purple Belt tricks because the normal stuff doesn't work anymore.

Need to work on:

1. Side Escapes

2. Mount Escapes -- frame and scoot up. Get out of high mount.

3. S Mount Escape.

4. Half Guard Bottom -- prevent cross face and get underhook.

5. Passing / Standing -- Trumpet Dan

a. sitting passes - Robson; Xande; Tozi.

Colors and Belts

I can tell the color of someone's belt just by sitting in their Guard.

Whites are sloppy. They just wrap their legs around you and there's a ton of space. Blues are tighter. Purples are tight tight. No space. I haven't rolled or drilled enough with Browns or Blacks to see how they are different.

Class, Tue. Sept 8, 2011

Taps: 2. Total: 194.

Got a nice compliment from Purple small Chris. Did pretty well on Mount Escape drills. Only small Purple David gave me problems. He did have very good Mount maintenance. At least he did not sub me.

Review:

1. Side Escapes - looks like I'm going to be reviewing this for the next 1000 taps. Just when my escapes are good enough for Whites, Blues and up take me apart and it's back to drawing board.

2. Guard Passes.

3. Arm bar Escapes.

Class, Tue, Sept. 6, 2011

Tech 1 -- from Guard, choke with gi wrap.

Tech 2 - Guard Pass with gi wrap under, to Side Control, then choke with gi wrap.

Cane Prevost talks about the fallacy of technique and he's right, oh so right. All the important stuff in BJJ starts with P. Posture, Pressure, Possibilities, Principles.

One Purple was showing another Purple a sub North-South Turtle, kind of a crank, guillotine type thing and they used me as uke. Then the low Purple asked if I wanted to try it, and I politely declined. At this point, I don't need any more technique or any more subs, since I barely pulled off the ones I do know.

I need to learn more Postures for each Position, more principles. So I worked Half Guard Bottom with Purple Steve. Really worked on preventing the cross face, but he said I needed to fight for the underhook on the other side.

So Half Guard -- same time, underhook and prevent cross face.

Rolled with Purple Dave, who's small, maybe my size and weight, maybe a little smaller. He always sweeps me with his Spider. I just could not pass his Guard. A little better success with Half Guard, almost got an Old School sweep, but when he got side control, not much room or space for me to try for underhook. At least I had a plan. I couldn't quite execute but I had a plan, so that's tiny teeny progress.

Earlier in positional drill, I got to work on my guard -- six of eight (all upper belts) just passed easily. They waited for me to try my Bump, my scissor or something as I opened my legs, then wrapped up up my knees and passed. I need to shrimp out, get my knees out. The other purple stayed in my guard, didn't really tried to pass, but just let me work and defended whatever I was throwing out at him. The other lower Blue I've bump swept him before and I did again, almost scissor and flowered swept but time ran out.

Taps: 3. Total: 192.

Back to the Drawing Board

Class, Sept. 3, 2011.

Tech. 1 -- Cross Guard set up.
1. Set up from Butterfly. Fall back, lift him with with both hooks.
2. Underhook his ankle, get my head near that leg as
3. R. Leg across his hip with knee in between and under; L. Leg under his leg in the Cross position.

Tech. 2 - Sweep from there.
1. Grab his far posting arm.
2. Push with R. Leg, as R. arm pulls up on his ankle.

Taps: 9. Total: 189. That's more like it. If I'm not tappin', I'm not learning. Purple I haven't seen before, tapped me really quickly. Like three times in a minute. But he was nice about it. Muscled the finish a little.

A Blue was another very efficient in tapping me out. Not unfriendly, just very business-like. But at least I saw how to do Half Guard properly. He didn't get me get cross face and he kept me at a distance with his knee.

Review:
1. Side Escapes.
2. Half Guard
3. Half Guard Passes.