3906 at Thur A.M. club

Taps: 6. Total: 3906.

BB Vince ... drillin the Hitchhiker Armbar ESC from KoB. As he goes for the far side Armbar and he steps over, I step over my leg, go belly down.

II. Kimura from Half Guard Top.
 1. Get Kimura grip, but he turns into me, stays on his side - can't finish in that position. Straighten my right, trapped leg; left leg above his head and fall to my left hip; I'm so far up, my right trapped leg is almost out and easily free my leg.
 2. If he turns away, keeping the Kimura grip -- follow and Take the Back; If he turns into me, switch my hips, my right hip against his, Side Control and try to finish the Kimura.

III. Side Control to N/S Kimura.
 1. Side Control -- heavy pressure with Kesa, if he turns in, go N/S and wait for an arm available to Kimura; he turns away, the near arm should be available.

Rolling: Didn't get to try the Half Brabo; did try from Closed Guard, not much luck, only to see Blue David use it on Blue Joey. He couldn't get it the first few times, but was able to take the Back with it. I thought he also missed a chance to drag the defending arm across and trapping that and getting the Choke; eventually he did get the regular Brabo Choke at the end of their roll.

Telles' One Arm Kimura from Half -- i was able to get most of it, could not get the sweep or Back Take. Need to re-watch and try again. (I didn't post my free hand.)

3900 at Sunday Confessions

Taps: 3. Total: 3900.

Funny, Blue and I both going for the Brabo at the same time. He was top Half Guard and I from the bottom. I had better leverage and was able to get my second grip before he could but I couldn't finish.

Another Blue also going for Brabo but he was driving his head into my chin as the Finish rather than using his other hand. Almost got it too, but I had to give up the Pass or tap.

Back to the drawing board with:

• Brabo from Half bottom and Closed Guard
• Octopus to back from Half Guard bottom. 

White Belt Problems #1 and #2

Just something I noticed rolling with White Belts.

#1. Closed Guard, Standing (Top) / Passing

a. My style/advice is to Stand to Pass, when in Closed Guard Top. There is only one thing to worry about -- being SWEPT. That's why, you need to STAND PROPERLY. And I've seen most Whites not doing that.

b. Control one sleeve grip, lift foot on that Same Side. Pinch knees tight and lock in his hips.
c. Open his Guard, by reaching behind you, between his legs or pushing down on his knee and leaning opposite way, shucking, shaking.

#2. Closed Guard, Bottom.
 a. Having no plan, as he tries to pass. My plan (before he Stands) -- Break Posture.
 b. If he is able to STAND -- SWEEP HIM.

As I've heard, if he opens your Closed Guard, you're being Passed; if you open your Guard, you're playing Open Guard. Another way of saying, Open your Closed Guard on your terms, when you're ready.

3897 at Turkey Roll Open Mat (Legacy)

Taps: 5. Total: 3897.

1. Footlock.
2. Armbar
3. Armbar, trapped the wrong leg on the escape.
4. Armbar
5. Can't remember.

Need to play around with Mike's Brabo Series from Half Guard Bottom.

1. Knee up straight up against his shoulder.
2. Top elbow connects with knee, frame under his neck.
3. Other hand lower on his arm, near his wrist and top hand is near his shoulder; both hands keeping the Cross Face from happening.
4. Right hand gets gi, feeds it over his shoulder to my left and when time is right, feed it back to the right.
5. Go for Choke, left knee is occupying his top hand, if he defends with is left, drag it across and trap it with my chest and hug behind head for more pressure for the Finish.

3892 at Sunday Confession

Taps: 1. Total: 3892

Finally got Glen's Kimura series to the end ... Kimura to Arm Triangle to Ezekiel. Hit Mike's shoulder hook sweep a couple of times and also the Mount to S Mount Armbar BB Chris showed last week.

BB Tarca ... Counter to Leg Drag, ends in Knee Bar.
 a. as he leg drags, get Outside Leg in between his legs, go deep and lasso around his leg, my other leg comes over the top, triangle my leg and press down -- he should fall.
 b. Go belly down, get my arm under his leg and Knee Bar finish.

Fail: kimura to back take from turtle ... Freitas. Also, Leite Armbar.

Keep working: Closed Guard ... overlook Triangle and omoplata, Brabo, Marte and Lapel, High Guard to sweeps or Armbar.

3891 at Thur. A.M. club

Taps: 2. Total: 3891.

BB Chris ... Overhook Series from Closed Guard

1. Cross sleeve (my right on his right), left hand under his right arm and link with my right wrist. Lift up, over and under his arm, grab his collar with right and feed to my left.
2. Shrimp to my left, break his posture a bit, lock in Side Guard, my right hand comes over the top and side for Choke I.
  i. Choke II - Thumb inside, four fingers out.
  ii. Choke III (he didn't show this but I learned it from BB Tarca 2 Sunday Confessions ago) -- four fingers in, palm up, fingers punch into his neck.

II. Triangle
 a. Same as above to shrimp, lock in Side Guard, my right hand keeps his left hand away.
 b. Get my right knee free, then shrimp the other way to the left to free my foot and get it over is head to lock in the Triangle.
 c. Don't need his arm across my body for the finish, just HUG under my right knee and back of his head together.

III. Defends and hides his arm by his butt - Reverse Triangle
 a. Unlock regular Triangle, reach with my right hand (against side of his head) for my left ankle.
 b. Lock Reverse Triangle with my right foot on top of my left leg.
 c. Finish with left hand Hugging under my left knee along with back of his head.

2nd Hour
BB Chris ... review of Mount to Americana and Mount to S Mount Armbar.

Getting good at Armbar Escapes ... stuffing the leg, but I need to turn in and come up. Also, if he has the leg tucked in instead of over my belly, then I go for the Hitchhiker ... if he's attacking my right arm and he's on the right of me ... thumb down, my right leg swings over the left and come up.

Working on: Berimbolo and Closed Guard and Passing.

3889 and Stripe Two on Purple

Taps: 7. Total: 3889.

Recap on Purple progress:

Purple - Dec. 2014
One Stripe - April 2016.
2nd Stripe - Nov 2016.

BB Chris ... Mount Attacks
 I. Americana
  a. Toes tucked in, high Mount, knees close to his armpits
  b. Left arm under his head, right hand lifts his head to get left arm deeper and reach deeper to under armpit.
  c. Chest and Shoulder pressure to turn head to the right (he can't bridge to left because of the pressure); right hand bases out wide.
  d. If he brings left out, then my right hand gets under his elbow and Spidey walks up towards his head and hugs my hands together, almost to an Arm Triangle.
  e. When he tries to bring his hand back down, my left hand comes out from under his head and grabs that wrist, my right hand goes under his arm and links to my wrist for Americana.
  f. At same time, my left leg grapevines his leg and i drop my left hip and stretch my grapevine leg.

II. Straight Armlock
 a. if he straightens his arm from Americana ... make sure my right arm gets lower, just below his elbow and lift.

III. S Mount Armbar
 a. from the Spidey Walk and his arms are both straight up in the Field Goal position ... lift his head up and bring my left knee against the side of his head.
 b. my right leg chops under his other side armpit, squeeze my knees together, with his head and both his arms trapped between them.
 c. Attack the arm that is on top ... if it's the right arm, trap it at wrist, grab my collar high, lean to right and get my left leg over.
 d. if top arm is the left, trap and armbar switch.

BB Chris - 2nd Hour ... Mount Escapes.
 I. to Butterfly Guard
  a. cup and press his hips, bridge and get my knees and legs in for the Butterfly Guard.

II. Elbow Escape to leg over trap into Half Guard.

III. Cup and Machine Gun pump ... Archy Bumper.
 a. get to one side and get a knee in.

Rolling with Purp Webb ... he got me with 2 Inverted Triangles, 2 knee bars at the end of endless footlock attacks, and a footlock early on. Man, I was on the defensive the entire time.

Bro Mike's Shoulder Grip to Hook Sweep ... hit this a couple of times.

3882 at the Sunday Confession Open Mat

Taps: 2. Total: 3882.

Small crew. Only six of us and half of them were women.

Blue Lis kept trapping my near leg while she was in Turtle. Quite annoying and I couldn't do much while my leg was trapped. I asked her about it and turned out it was Dogfight position ... she just happened to get to it from Turtle, which totally threw me off.

I know that position, but more from her side ... it's Leite's Knee Torque.

She also defended well and didn't let me take the back from her Inverted Guard, kept her hips and legs high.

Purp Ira had some dirty gi tricks: ie. stepping on my gi to keep me immobilized. He also plays around with gi wraps and pseudo Worm Guard stuff.

Work on:
Closed Guard ... Marte
Berimbolo drill
Guard Recovery roll.

3880 at Annual Prof Magno Seminar

Taps: 2. Total: 3880.

Got a couple of rolls in pre-seminar and a couple post-seminar.

Seminar Focus ... Self Defence.

I. Double push on shoulders, steering wheel vs. guy coming forward and throwing punches.
 a. Duck under to take back or Double Leg.

II. Vs. one hand on chest pushing ... Wristlock
 a. Grab wrist, move his hand on center of my chest, my hands behind his elbow, step into him to bend his hand and wrist (starting at 12 o clock, then downwards)

III. Vs. one hand on my neck from front .. straight arm lock
 a. Grab his wrist with both hands, turn my back to him, my butt pressing on his lead leg, pull up on his wrist

IV. Kimura series ... from double wrist push down to kimura grip on one side
 a. Options .. twist up to get him down
 b. Sumi sac throw over
 c. Outside trip or inside trip

V. Vs. double fists ...
 a. Snap down both fists, pummel for Underhook on one side, step outside on that side, deep deep underhook and angle should get great shoulder control and makes him bent over
 b. Other hand on back of his hand for knee in face or outside trip for takedown.
 c. Or back to other direction to sink in Guillotine with free hand ... details on guillotine: 1. Guillotine hand cups the chin turns it up, twisting his whole head to the side, THEN get my same hand under the neck; 2. Link my other hand and step into him and raise up on my toes.

VI. Standing Guillotine Escape
 a. My opposite hand on the choking side goes over his back
  $$$ ... if he starts lifting up to tighten choke, raise up and put my knees on his thigh, let him carry all my weight.
 b. Walk to side of him away from choke, bend him with the back hand and knee him behind his knee to get him down to Side Control.
 c. if he holds on to headlock from bottom of Side Control -- frame on his neck, circle N/S big heavy steps, heavy hips, turn head away until i break headlock grip.

VII. Sit Up Guard Counter Series ... I. Loop Choke
 a. open gi with left, get grip with right hand
 b. push him to the opposite side of grip and make him post that side.
 c. as he recovers and comes back up, I STEP IN CLOSER, trap his head between my legs, stepping in leg is right against his shoulder.
  II. Armbar
    a. Underhook his left hand that was trying to wrap my lead leg.
    b. Step over his head, get my other leg on outside of his legs, sit down for Armbar.
 III. Leg Scissor
    a. if he reaches for the far leg ... stretch it outside his reach, Underhook hand goes behind his head and post on mat.
    b. Fall down behind him and Scissor his head and get Kimura grip on his arm.

VIII. Breaking up a Fight if someone is on top in Mount or top Closed Guard
 a. Grab top guy's wrist and bend it back behind him and keep walking in a circle twisting him off the poor guy on bottom.

3878 at Sunday Confessions

Taps: 1. Total: 3878.

The one tap from sneaky, sneaky counter to my Kimura grip when he was on bottom.

BB Tarca -- Overhook Choke with other Four-finger grip.
 1. From Turtle ... reach under arm and get four-finger in grip / other hand goes over top and gets four-finger in grip, pushes against his neck, switch base and sit on left butt for finish.
 2. Also, from Closed Guard ... Overhook series ... can't get normal second grip on shoulder choke, go to the Four-finger in and push into neck.

Need to work: Open Guard Passing and remember to turn in instead of giving my back in Escapes. And Guard Recovery Invert Drills.

3877 at Thur A.M.

Taps: 7. Total: 3877.

BB Vince -- some random stuff.
 I. RNC finish ... from top of Turtle not the back.
  a. push the guys head toward the choking hand, to get under the chin

 II. Quarter Guard top
  a. Gift wrap choke
  b. brings off hand and it's palm up, control that wrist with gift wrap hand, lift his elbow for Americana.

III. Arm Drag/Armbar from Guard
 1. off the armdrag, take Back
 2. Armbar ... get wrist tucked under my armpit
   i. he braces with other arm on my face, grab behind that elbow
   ii. swing right leg under his armpit, tuck my head down by his knee
   iii. swing LEFT LEG over the head for the armbar

Ok, most of the taps were from rolling with my buddy Purp Webb and I've got some back story about why his Leglock game has gotten to a whole new level. We rolled 6 or 7 times, most of them lasting under a minute as he caught me in a Heel Hook or Knee Bar or his old standby Reverse Triangle.

So apparently he has a good buddy who's a Black Belt and trains at Renzo's in NYC. Last time he was back East he trained at Renzo's and his buddy set up Privates with Danaher, like 6 or 7 of them. And helping Danaher was Eddie Cummings and Gary Tonon. No wonder.

And this is the same guy who goes down to San Diego and trains at Atos and M. Liera and Oregon for a week with Roy Dean.

My only two small moments of almost glory during all the roll with him: 1. nearly Ezekiel from Closed Guard (yay borrowing from Judo); 2. nearly Capazzi N/S Guillotine (didn't have my chin in center of his chest, didn't scoot down and didn't adjust my lat against side of his face).

Other notes rolling with strong White Belt ... Half Guard Leite Sweep to top Half and Pass to Side and Roger MO to Mount bait Kimura ... then Glen's Judo Kimura Break (didn't work: he was holding on to his gi low not the belt); went to Magic grip and choke but he reached up against the Magic grip and defended choke; grabbed my leg for Single, made him pay with Crucifix set up and he defended as time ran out.

From Kimura, I should just step over and try Armbar and Leite Arm break from there and see what happens.

Drill: Invert Guard Recovery x 100 / Glen's Armbar Fake to Sweep.

3870 at the Tues A.M. Club

Taps: 5. Total: 3870.

BB Vince ... Back Attack Drills/Series
 1. Seatbelt to Basic Grip Choke 1
 2. Kimura grip pass over head to Armbar
 3. Thread bottom leg through, let back fall behind his head ... grab my ankle and lock in Triangle.

... Side Control -- Reverse Kesa Gatame
 1. To Mount, then S Mount ... a. underhook elbow, inch up; b. that side bend foot and get near his ear; c. lean other direction to get other knee comes on TOP of his forehead; d. squeeze legs together and gather/hug both arms for armlock (but i really want the bottom) ... i can swivel to regular armbar from side.

Scare: Brn Gors keeps trying that Reverse Smash Cut over the thighs, but this time he did it from my Open Guard and really could busted my Knees. Need to be careful rolling with him.

Purp Webster -- Great tip: Half Guard Pass with Kimura Grip -- wedge free leg then roll over my shoulder and hear his head, but make sure to STIFF ARM with Kimura grip near his waist/belt. That's a much better control and he has no space.

And we talked about Side Stepover Armbar but he was thinking of Bear Trap. I was really going gor the Milton V's variation. Also, Cannonball grip attack from Back.

Finally, want to work on:
1. Terere Half Pass - Long Step.

2. Invert Guard Recovery
3. Reverse Butterfly Sweep ... Continuation/Transition to Armbar?? ... Keep the arm and try for armbar.

Lil Bro Mike Sessions

Need to get him to show and tape.

1. Passing Series
2. Brabo Series from Half Guard Bottom
3. Underhook over shoulder lock control  (which he did show me)
  i. Sweep and straight Armlock.

3865 at Garage Session with Glen

Taps: 1. Total: 3865.

Glen is a Brown Belt and a family friend. He hasn't trained in about a year due to injuries. Had a one-on-one session in his garage on his hard, hard puzzle mats.

I. He preferred to AVOID my Half Guard altogether with Knee Cut start but then goes high and wide around to a half-scramble to N/S. From there, he starts Kimura Grip Series of Attacks.
 A. Usually can't get Kimura, shoots off hand for Arm Triangle.
 B. If he defends by turning away, left knee against his back, sit up for Ezekiel Choke.
  *knee against his back so he can't turn back flat; also a good idea to keep him on his side during Kimura.

II. Judo Kimura Break if he holds belt
 a. pull up strongly, but slowly, slowy, then JERK DOWNWARD fast toward mat

III. If he holds gi high up
 a. Magic grip series
   1. Choke - reach around and over.
   2. Choke 2 - let go magic grip and put that hand behind his head
   3. Crucifix setup - step over his far arm and trap.
 
IV. Closed Guard ... armbar fake to Underhook Thigh Flower Sweep.

V. Drills -- DLR Pass
 a. grip under ankle, hip forward and up thrust, Leg Drag.

VI. Stand up Game
  a. Fake low wrestling Stance
  b. Low stance, pull down and set up Double Leg
  c. Foot sweep and counter foot sweep
  d. Judo grip, grip low then high to the grip I want / grip break by pulling my gi away.