Journey of BJJ / Progression

Taps: 319.

These are my thoughts these days as a baby Blue belt.

Level 1 - Learn Techniques. Learn the process of learning a technique. For me, the slow and sure way has been Drilling. 1000 reps.

Level 2 - Realizing that Techniques alone Does NOT WORK. Assuming that I drilled the technique into my muscle memory, the other guy is not going to just there and let me get my grips and set up the technique.

Level 3 - Along with Technique, I need Timing. Timing means I need to wait for the right Opportunity or create the Opportunity. Pulling so that he pulls back and I can use his momentum. Moving one way to force a reaction. Creating an Opportunity means I need to learn Weight Distribution and Balance, and to learn that I need to learn Sensitivity and Connection so that I can feel his Weight and Balance.

I'm not sure what Level 4 is, but as I slowly get my reps in on techniques, I am tiptoeing into the deep end that is Level 3 but not knowing exactly how I can acquire Timing, Opportunity, Weight Distribution, Balance, Sensitivity and Connection.

Birthday training, Jan 26, 2012.

All I got for my birthday is a key chain with a picture of my two girls and three taps. I'm a lucky, lucky guy.

Total taps: 319.


Tech 1 - Takedown/Judo Throw to Elbow Lock.
1. Start with standard grips, my left hand under his elbow sleeve; right hand on same side collar.
2. My left hand shoots up towards the sky, breaks his grip, gets overhook, and my elbow traps his arm near my armpit.
3. At the same time, I shoot to his right, my right hand pummels and gets underhook and grips his waist or his belt and I'm facing his hip, my legs on either side of his hip and crouching, squatting and my shoulder into his body.
4. Swing my right leg in front of him, get my hip on the outside of his hip and lift him with my hip and throw down.
5. My right knee comes down on his chest in KoB position and my left hand still has his right arm trapped, which I Kimura grip at the elbow and I arch back for the Elbow Lock.

Tech 2 - Takedown/Sit Down
1. Same set up as above to the first three steps.
2. He is trying to move away and I follow, then my right foot blocks his back leg and I pull down on his belt as I sit down.
3. He falls back and I scissor my legs and come up in Side Control.

Rolling Notes - Fail.
1. From Knees - couldn't pull of f anything.
2. Sit out from Turtle.
3. Side Armbar escape.
4. Half Guard sweeps and getting out of Reverse Half Guard.
5. X Guard - couldn't get into the set up at all.

Almost Pulled Off
1. Mendes Deep Half to the Back - had my grips on his pants, but I don't think I rolled over the correct shoulder.
2. Monkey Guard - had his arm around his head but he was able to get his head out. (I remembered to go High Guard but I didn't hip out and get to the side.
3. Side Control Top - I keep forgetting SHOULDER PRESSURE.

Success
1. Hip Bump.
2. Side Escapes x 3 - came belly down, up to knees to Turtle.
3. Turtle to Guard - controlling a knee and sitting back to Guard.

Takedown from Knees

Taps: 316.

My basic plan from the knees. Braulo's Push Ankle Pick/Pull Collar Drag.

Push/Pull Takedown.

Outside Trip.

And lastly, Marcelo Arm Drag.

Tue. Class Jan 24, 2012

Taps: 7. Total: 316.

Open mat for an hour and half.

Still got some techniques and lessons from Purple Chris and Brown Vince. And Purple Izzy's getting sneaky lately. I turtled and he got me with a Clock Choke using his own gi rather than mine. Totally didn't see it coming.

Purple Chris showed me a S-Mount Attack Series. It's basically the same attack series from the Back that Black Chris showed us, but you do it from S-Mount and the arm wrap hides the grips on the collar.
1. I'm in S-Mount with my right leg up tight against his belly. I have his Right hand wrapped around his head, holding it with my left hand.
2. My right hand pushes on that elbow to keep it tight, then releases and opens his right collar.
3. My left hand releases his wrist and grabs that collar as my right hand goes under his hand and behind his neck for the choke.

If he rolls into me, I go with him and get his back and go for the Basic Collar Choke from the Back, since I have the first grip and my right hand just reaches for the other. Then there is also the Armbar, too.

Then Brown Vince's X Armbar Grip Break:
I have his right arm, and I'm sitting about to sit back but he links hands or elbows to defend.
1. My left hand under his trapped hand and grab my right collar.
2. Wait as he swings his legs back and forth as that's the only part he can move. I have his upper body and head locked down. With my right hand grab his near leg behind the knee and grab my left collar. My hands form an "X" in front of my chest.
3. Release my right hand and it goes under my hand and under his hand and onto my left bicep for an RNC type grip and lean back. That should break his grip.

Need to Review (** Ongoing)
1. **Side Control: Maintaining Top.
2. Half Guard Bottom Series (Deeter)
3. Side Control Escapes: a. Shoulder Walk; b. Sit Up.
4. X Guard Setup (when he stands).
5. Tripod 1/2 Pass (Gerbil and J.Will).
6. Turtle roll into Guard (Granby?).

Sun. Class Jan. 22, 2011

Taps: 5. Total: 309.

All taps from Black Joel, who teaches the Sunday classes.

Tech. 1 - Judo Throw - Outer Reap.
1. Standard grips, left on side side sleeve at the elbow, right hand on collar.
2. Move in, right hand underhooks and grabs belt.
3. Pivot hip, hip under him and reap with my right leg.

Tech. 2 - var.
1. Instead of belt grip, grip underarm, arm.

Four Levels of Competence
1. Unconscious Incompetence.
2. Conscious Incompetence.
3. Conscious Competence
4. Unconscious Competence.

For me and BJJ, there's only three levels: 1. Not knowing what to do; 2. Knowing but not being able to pull it off; 3. Knowing and pulling it off. The fourth level is so far off that I don't really think about it.

What made me think of this was I was rolling with a White and I passed his Guard easily and was top Side and he asked me, "What should I do now?" So in Side Control Escapes, he was at Level 1 and I was at Level 2 most of the time and once in awhile at 3. I gave him a couple of pointers: hand position (posture); pressure and the possibilities for escapes. Which he was able to execute on me right away.

Need to Work On:
1. Top Side Control - maintaining.
2. Closed Guard: 2 on 1, Monkey Guard, Flower Sweep.
3. 2 on 1 Standing Pass.

Sat. Afternoon, Jan 14, 2012

Taps: 4. Total: 304.

Shark Mike taught.


Tech. 1 - Mike's Super Tight Side Hold. 
1. My left hand under his head; right hand under his elbow; Gable grip with my hands.
2. Unlink hands, left hand grips armpit, shoulder, while right hand goes on top of his bicep, palm up.
3. Gable grip there, pressing down on his bicep and getting my right elbow on the mat.

Tech. 2 - Choke from Side. (saw this as no-gi side choke).
1. Move my right arm across his chest, arm across his neck. Bring my elbows together.
2. Move a little towards his head, right hand down towards mat, lift left hand a little, like a paper cutter.

Bonus - from Purple Jordan.
*Side Tip: Put shoulder pressure.
** Half Guard Sweep. 
   I was trying one of John Will's Half Guard Pass on him and he pulled this sweep on me. I had my hips up and was just about to bring my knee down and across, but he swept me first.
   Anyway, if I have his right leg trapped in Half my right leg over left on his leg, and he has the underhook on that side. A. I whizzer that underhook to trap that arm; B. Switch to my left leg on his trapped leg and push it to the left; C. with my right leg bride and sweep to the left.


Positional drilling -- like a dummy, I didn't try the Super Hold once, but my did try Lil Bro Mike's Side Control Series, just trying to cycle through the three hold positions to tiny bit of success.

Need to Review:
Footlock defense: Now that I'm a Blue, higher belts are trying Leg locks and knee bars and I need to learn the counters to those.

300 Taps

Taps: 2. Total: 300.

A year later, and as a baby Blue, I tapped for the 300th time.

Brown Vince taught.
Tech 1 - Deep Half (Bottom).
** Got his right leg (bottom leg) trapped, and his left leg is near my head.
1. Get on my side, left hand gets underhook and grab his belt.
1a. Right hand prevents cross face, hand on his biceps is okay, but preferably just a hand near my face keeps me closer for the next move.
2. Wait for his move, then my right hand doesn't go for his near leg but rather his bottom/trapped leg around the thigh, which gets me into Deep Half.
3. I can rock back and forth, and if he bases out over my head with both hands on mat, I keep going that way.
4. If he sits back, go the other way.
* You don't grab the top leg because he can just sit back on it and trap it and he has a clear path to a choke.

Tech 2 - Deep Half 2 - Grab Top Leg.
** If he gets the trapped knee down on the mat.
1. My right hand gets that top left leg onto my shoulder and stretches him out.
2. Keep the triangle lock on his other leg, come onto my left elbow.
3. Hip out a little, then open legs and get my right knee against his thigh of his left leg.
4. Sit up and lift that leg as I push with my right knee.

Brown Vince didn't go over any Deep Half Counters but I remember watching somewhere and I taught it was a Ryan Hall who said the key was getting an Underhook from top, but I just can't find it anywhere.

Bonus/Private -- Back Attack Series.
Brown Vince was showing a higher Blue and used my as an uke. I'm pretty sure he showed 5 but I can only remember four of them.
1. Basic collar choke.
2. From the Basic, but second hand goes under his arm and behind his neck.
3. Bow and Arrow.
4. Armbar.

Rolling.
My last roll was with Blue Edgar who got promoted the same time as me. Real back and forth, but I gassed bad and he got top, but was able to escape Side in the end. I used way too much energy trying to sub him.

Class Tues, Jan 10, 12

Taps: 2. Total: 298. 

Tech -- Closed Guard Series. 
All review, and yet I've picked up a detail here and there.
1. Bump Sweep: a. Swim in to get his hands on the mat; b. come up in a diagonal.
2. Kimura: if he counters by basing out with that lead arm, use my back hand, grab his hand and lock in the figure 4 grip; fall back down and get sideways, perpendicular to him.
3. Guillotine: Sit up, scoot butt back to get room to get my first grip in; stretch him back with my legs as I finish.

Rolling
Really tried to slow down and see the lay of the land and try things.

Funny, new Purples working on Deep Half with new Brown Vince. As new Blue, am I supposed to work on Spider? I'll stick with the Butterfly for now.

Goals for 2012

Year Two.

White Belt -belt of survival, escapes, and learning how to tap, and as Roy Harris put it, "putting in my dues."

Blue Belt -- this is also from Roy Harris excellent essay on Belt Progression.

"This is the belt of survival. It is the belt where the focus of your training must be on escaping from most of the inferior positions (the mount, the guard, the side mount, the wrestler's cradle and headlocks). Having the ability to escape from most inferior positions is paramount to having the ability to get on top of a person, positionally dominate them and making them tap. I know that there are a number of submissions from inferior positions (not necessarily the guard), but these submissions require a high level of speed, power and explosiveness. The reason why these submissions require speed, power and explosiveness is because your body, when placed in an inferior position, can not effectively apply leverage. To compensate for the inability to apply leverage, you substitute it with speed, power and explosiveness to effect the lock. (Anyone who tells you any different is either purposely misleading you or very unknowledgeable with grappling! I know that some may argue this point, but I stand by this point.) Not only do you have an inability to apply leverage from an inferior position, you also do not have control of your opponent's body! So now do you see why escapes are so important to building a firm foundation in grappling?

When you can easily escape the tightest pin (from just about anyone), you will find yourself on top more often. When you find yourself on top, you have more chances for submission. However, you should not jump right into submission just yet because you have not developed the skill to hold someone down with finesses and ease. I have seen too many blue belts begin their journey into submission too soon and often become frustrated because they just can't finish their opponent. They get so close, but they often fail at finishing their opponent. This usually leads the blue belt to seeking out more and more submission techniques. He thinks that the "new" and "sneaky" techniques will make him more skilled at submissions. However, what he doesn't realize is that his inability to finish his opponent is directly related to his inability to positionally dominate him. The blue belt feels good when he has escaped a hold down and has landed on top. However, he also feels like he has ONE SHOT at sinking in the submission. He knows if he fails, he will end up on his back and have to fight for the top position again. So, he usually stalls, waiting for his opponent to make a mistake so he can hopefully capitalize on it.

Once the blue belt has a firm grip on positional escapes, he should then move on to positional dominance: which is "the ability to control an opponent." When the blue belt can readily escape from most of the bottom positions, he should focus his training on learning how to control his opponent with greater ease and finesse. Although anyone can control their opponent if they can use all of their strength for short periods of time. It will take some time before a person can effortlessly hold down their opponent.

Once the blue belt has a good grip on these two aspects, he should then begin to develop a few good submissions. Still, he should not be consumed with them because there are still a few more areas to train before a lengthy period of time should be spent on submissions. (Yes, yes, yes, I know that submissions are the more enjoyable part of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I am not saying that you should not train them at all. However, all I am saying is this, "Don't focus on them quite yet. Wait until you are a high purple belt!")

The blue belt should have a large repertoire of positional and submission techniques. However, his depth of knowledge of these techniques is very limited because of his experience level. And because of his limited experience, he will still require a good amount of speed, power and explosiveness to effect most of his techniques. This is to be expected.

Another interesting thing happens at the blue belt level: the bar of performance raises itself to highly competitive levels. I remember when I was a white belt, it felt OK to tap to everyone because hey, I was a white belt. However, once I was promoted to blue belt, many of the bigger, stronger and more talented white belts began to set their cross-hair on me. What once was a shared journey of joy and frustration suddenly became field of itchy trigger fingered snipers. Many of the white belts who were once fellow sojourners now wanted the privilege of being able to say, "I made a blue belt tap!" It seemed like overnight the game of Jiu Jitsu suddenly became very competitive. Well, if you think the game was interesting at the blue belt level, wait until you hear about the highly regarded purple belt!"

 With this in mind, the goals for year two (2012) are:
1. Escapes.
2. Maintaining Top Positions.
3. Few Guard Attacks: Scissor Sweep, Bump Sweep, Flower Sweep, Butterfly Sweep.
4. Few Passes.

Sat. Class, Jan 7, 2012

Taps: 1. Total: 296.

First class of New Year.

Tech. 1 - Back Attack: Basic Collar choke.
Tech. 2 - Back Attack: Armbar.
   a. Double under, right hand grips right shoulder.
   b. Push his head away as twist to side.
   c. Left leg over his face for the armbar.


Tech. 3. - that Armbar ESC.
   a. before he sits back, right hand grips my left collar; left hand grips my right elbow, locking it in, and tighten against my chest and lock in his hand if he's got in under my arms trying for the grip break.
   b. when he relaxes, my left hand pushes his bottom leg between my legs for Half Guard.
   c. my left hand pushes top left and scoots my head over it so back of my head is on his leg.
   d. roll into him, to get top Half Guard.
   e. Get underhooks.

Bonus: Side Escape.
   From Purple John: Hand Position 1 -- left hand Underhook; right hand against his hip.
                                  Hand Position 2 -- left hand on his shoulder, lift elbow into his neck; right hand same.
    1. Escape 1: HP1 -- over shoulder bridge into him, then go to his back, or onto my knee.
    2. Escape 2: HP2 -- Hip escape twice, knee in for re-Guard; over come onto knee.

Couple of cool things I saw from Purple John: he had me in his Spider Guard, and I thought I was making progress when his knees got lowered and almost together, so I thought I could pressure them down and make my pass but he set my up with a Scissor Sweep. All because I had my weight down on him.
     The other thing: he was showing Blue Emil, a Overhook from Guard, and the guy pulls that trapped arm out, you can go easily grab that arm for an Arm Drag. Pretty slick. 

Speaking of Spider Guard, I was getting stuck and need to practice my Grip Breaks. And Guard Attacks, like armbar, and Flower Sweep and look into 93.

New Gi - Kauai Kimonos

Okay, I bought myself a new Blue Kauai gi for Christmas. This is my second gi (first is the Padilla and Sons). This is so light I feel like I'm rolling naked. I've had my P&S for about four months. No complaints. Only rolled once in my Kauai. Like it very much so far.

Start dates for my gis: P&S Aug. 2011. Kauai Jan. 2012. So I know how long they last.