Thu Nooner 19 / 76 n Convert #1

Taps: 1. Total: 76.

Prof Crane - DLR to X Guard x 3. 

I. Back Take

1. Regular DLR on left leg, switch to right side, hook his left leg/pants grip with my right hand. X guard - right leg on top/left leg hooks under
2. Stretch him out w X legs / pass his left leg over my head to other side / Crab knee in / Crab ride to the back

II. Sweep to the Right / Leg drag to Bow n Arrow Choke

1. can't pass his leg over / flare open his knee to the right and make him sit down
2. left leg hook lifts him high / reach for collar and come up into Leg Drag pass
3. pass collar grip into Bow n Arrow choke

III. Overhook ankle sweep to straight ankle lock

1. Overhook the near leg w right arm
2. Left foot on his near hip / push n make him fall into Straight ankle lock

BB Uday ... "i took a page out of your playbook. I started counting my taps. I have a Taps Tracker." 

Sweet. Got Convert #1. One more n it's a trend. 

Benefits of counting taps:

1. Roll w tougher guys. 
2. Feedback loop. Tells you what to work on. What to learn, if you opp. has good attacks. 
3. Reduces ego by 20% -- a scientific number i just made up. 

BB who's good at Half Guard n has similar game as mine ... practice / drilling w him about Octopus Roll Over Sweep. Gave me good tips:

• i need to control near arm on the sweep or else he posts w it. Just like Shaolin Sweep, which controls that cross sleeve.
• he's got two more Backtakes ... one hooks n other one where he lets you pass, then takes the Back. 

Man, i didn't attempt ONE pass w the Jthom HQ system. sheesh. 

Did BJ Penn Half Pass, but not that efficient, took a long time to Pass Brown Anton. I need to push on his knee with my right hand. then? He had such a tight grip on my ankle with his legs. 

   I need to Crossface w the right hand, underhook left side. 

Still having trouble picturing the KoB ESC. Turn INTO the KoB. Top leg goes between. My knee goes over his ankle, my elbow locks his over his knee, my hand under his crotch, behind my knee, Reverse Shrimp, come up to Leg Drag or Double Unders. 

Fail on Tainan Side Armbar. Need to step over his head, get his head between my knees. 

Thu Nooner 18 / 75

Taps: 2. Total: 75. 

BB Marco teaching review of DLR Pass, steering wheel to Knee Cut. 

Both taps to Darce. One of them to Prof. Crane. Only the second time i've ever rolled with him. Known him for almost 6, 7 years? He did promote me to Black. crazy. 

Review:

• Octopus, Octopus, Octopus. esp the Shaolin Roll over shoulder sweep. 
• Darce ESC. 

Sun 17 / 73

Taps: 3. Total: 73. 

Ego and Fear. 

Ego wants to roll with the toughest, biggest dudes. Fear of embarrassment prevents me from rolling with the biggest, toughest ... especially if they are non-Black belts. 

Passing ... keep getting off-balanced, esp with higher belts, or getting sucked into SLX. 

Subs ... fail with Tainan Armbar from side. Didn't control that arm very well, let it link with the other arm.

Subs ... from side, got Zach Choke twice. 

KoB ESC ... got it once vs BB; he asked about it after roll / Turn INTO the KoB, my top leg goes on top, my knee on top of his ankle, my hand reaches behind my calf, that elbow clamps down on top of his knee, Reverse Shrimp to sweep. 

3 Directions / angles of Octopus Sweeps, esp when they reach for Crossface. 

Thu Nooner 16 / 70

Taps: 3. Total: 70.

Real hard time getting myself to the mat today. Jammed fingers still sore, my right shin is bruised and tender from staying in someone's Lockdown too long. Really didn't want to go today. But sooo glad i did. 

BB Marco taught some DLR passes. 

My focus, stay focused:

• JThom Pass from HQ
• Tainan Side Armbar
• Braulio Cradle Half Pass

Blue Yee Yo showed me his go-to Takedowns bc i asked bc i noticed he's got a slick TD game. 

• Blast Double: He sets it up with a Cross Ankle Pick. They will step back with their right leg, and when they bring the leg back -- Blast into Double.
• also Ouchi Gari -- high collar grip, Leg work first (step, backstep), then push collar and twist him, just before the inside trip. 

I've been thinking about:

• Ouchi Gari to Osoto Gari with the high collar grip ... pushing then bringing him close for Kouchi, then Osoto. 

Sun 15 / 67

Taps: 6. Total: 67.

Graugart Focus / 3 months/ Quarterly ... til Aug 1. 

• Passing / JThomas HQ
• Side Control Attack -- Tainan Armbar
• Roger Cross Choke from Mount
• from Closed Guard??? 

Passing -- got swept to left, couple of times by different peeps. Need to react with Knee Cut? Or don't press into the knee, but swing that knee side to side. 

Also need:

• Takedown
• Pin ESCs / Side, Back and Mount

Fri 11a Aside 14/ 61

Taps: 1. Total: 61.

Visited BB Arman's place for a class. Been helping with his little tots' class now and then. 

Tap to Blue to toehold, which is my Achilles' heel. ha ha. First roll, he spins into a Triangle and i spend nearly the entire roll getting out of it, then he gets me in a Calf splicer that i nearly tap to, and i try a footlock into a toehold, which fails miserably. Then he locks up a toehold himself which i tap to. 

Lots of new people, lots of young, strong, fast Blues and Purps. Slightly out of my comfort zone, definitely out of my familiarity zone as i get feedback on the holes in my game. 

Injury Inventory:

• Right pinky jammed. 
• Sore throat, like i have a cold, but i think someone was prob trying a choke on me. can't remember.
• Right calf sore. Been thinking that i was cramped from dehydration, but it just it me last night that it was the Calf Splicer that i didn't tap to. 
• Left knee sore. has been for a few weeks and feels like permanent arthritis. 

Like how Arman has his peeps start their rolls on the feet. Man, i need to work on my Takedowns. It's non-existent. 

• Safada
• Ankle Pick
• Uchimata
• Single Leg

Passing

• JThomas system

Watching the Globetrotters' doc on Christain Graugart. He said he used to work on two techs for a whole year. Need to borrow that model for a bit. Maybe one or two months. 

Sun 13 / 60

Taps: 4. Total: 60. 

Focus:

• Passing
• Side Control / top n bott
• Mount / top n bott
• Turtle ESC / sit outs drill