DV8 - 25th July 2013.

Managed to get in a couple of good sessions on the mats with Chris Cook this week. Chris's game is really coming along with him trying out loads of new stuff I've never seen from him before and really tightening up his defense too.

At Ian's class this week there was once again quite a good turn out with some new guys coming along for the session. It's always good to see new young guys turning up and lately a lot of them have been sticking to it as semi regulars. Promising things for a potential strong future team. Keep it going.

Venue: Sweat FA, Weston Super Mare. Uk (Possibly for one of the last times as we're supposed to be moving in August sometime).
Instructor: Ian Rossiter (Checkmat Black Belt).


Ian started us off with some Spider Guard drilling for positioning and how to improve your spider guard grips and how to maintain it under duress. Starting out with you on your back and the opponent standing, you have grips of the opponents cuffs and feet on hips, you can transfer the feet to the arms or the shoulders. When the opponent is trying to pass your guard on one side of you, you extend your leg on that side, keeping him at bay. We drilled this with your opponent lazily trying to pass you while you practice the motions of keeping him away.


From there we use the feet on hips Spider Guard to unbalance the opponent pushing him backward then, when he tries to push back forward you use his momentum to kick your legs up and flip him over the top of you. This is remarkably easy to pull off in rolling when everything is random and yet, when a training partner knows it's coming they sometimes have a problem giving it up for practice sakes and end up squatting a bit to much stopping you from landing it. It's just instinct that you don't want to be flipped on your ass I suppose. Great move when you land it though.


We then mess about a bit with a Spider Guard Helicopter Arm Bar. When you're got the position for the flip, instead of flipping the opponent over you hold them up in the air so your legs are extended up and the guy is being balance on your feet (with you still gripping his arms at the cuffs). Now, dropping your left leg out to the side while simultaneously pulling the guy's left arm in close to your body and pushing his right over the top of it, the guy should neatly deposit to the south of you. With a quick adjustment your right leg is in tight below his arm and you pass your left leg over his head for a nice arm bar.



Last up was a Clock Choke on Turtle. The guy is huddled up in his turtle with you out to left side leaning across him, keeping him down in turtle using your body weight. You reach through under his neck with your left hand to grab his collar quite deep, then reach over his back and under his right arm with your right arm to grab his forearm. Pulling this forearm in whilst putting body weight on him will push his elbow out so he can't roll you over at this point. Now you switch your legs so your whole body is facing north of him by kicking your right leg through under you and out. You now apply wicked pressure to this move by walking yourself around his head. This is a great move when you land it (which I never have properly in sparring or comp). Very tight. I just never find myself remembering it when I'm in that position. I will have to make it one of my aims for the next few months.


Good session in all and I am happy that I'm now back to full rolling with the rib injury a distant memory. Let the good times roll (sic). ¬m/

Two Man Training. 14 and 15-5-12

In my ever increasing endeavour to fit mat time in to my hectic family and work lifestyle I have taken to visiting the dojo at Sweat FA, Weston Super Mare, with my good buddy, Marcus Hedley, for a bit of two man training two days a week. What this basically consists of is Marcus and I bringing some pre-thought out techniques along for learning/drilling, after which we ragdoll the shit out of each other across the mats with a lot of sparring.


Monday:

Now this week I was a bit of a slacker in the pre-preparing techniques department, falling back on Marcus' foresight in gathering a few moves for us.

First up he'd been watching a lot of Kurt Osiander stuff recently on YouTube and wanted to try some of his moves. We started off with a failed Armbar from Guard - Transition to back. Thanks to the beauty of YouTube, I can actually show the technique so I don't have to go into too much description. The key thing is to ensure his secured arm is pulled through and to your nearside so when you open the arm bar position you can easily swing around to his back. I was very impressed with the simplicity of this transition and can easily envision me using it a lot as I often take the chance on an Arm Bar from Guard so the move gives me a good option after the opponents stacked me.

The second move we drilled was another Kurt Osiander. This time a North South Kimura Escape to Arm Lock. The technique came from the last 40 seconds of the next video that Kurt refers to as his "bonus move". Basically the opponents got you set up for the North South Kimura, you block by grabbing your gi lapel (Kurt believes this to be the best way to block a North South Kimura) and grab his outside leg gi pant with your free hand (on that side). Using that grip you can push on his leg and pop your head out of the hole. Now push yourself up toward him so your head is in his lap and pull your feet in tight to your ass for the bridge. Now bridge up (bulldoze as Kurt puts it) and turn toward him so he flips over on his back and you have his arm perfectly set up for the arm bar. Lovely technique this one.

For the next move we were doing the kimura from closed guard, but with this it was demonstrating how it can still be hit without the opponent having to put the hand to the ground. The opponent has his hand on your leg, you just sit right up for the wrap over hook and form the figure four with your other hand grabbing his wrist and pushing his arm out a bit and turning so you're perpendicular to him for the easy kimura. For so long I'd laboured under the idea that the Kimura was unobtainable unless the hand is on the floor or at least away from your bodies. This was a great way of catching an opponent unaware and could also be backed up by an omoplata if it fails.
No vid for this one though. Sorry.


Neither Marcus nor I could remember any of the other techniques we did on the Monday (if indeed there were any, pretty sure there was though).

We finished the session off with a healthy dose of rolling. Very hard, intense back and forth round and a good 25 minutes too. Glad to say my grappling cardio is picking up really well.


Tuesday:

Marcus got his brand spanking new Koral Gi delivered Tuesday morning so we gave No Gi a miss this week in favour of letting him try out his new Gi. Pretty cool gi, very light weight and nice fit. Bastard.

We started off the day with a Robson Moura Arm Bar from Side Control. Featured in the first 2 minutes 45 of the below YouTube video, the move is pretty awesome and offers a great deal of control through the crucifix position you attain. I didn't realise there was more to the instruction until I found the video tonight but we had theorised that there was loads of options from the set up position.

The next technique we tried our hands at was the Helicopter Arm Bar. This move is awesome, we both loved it and if one day I actually get to pull it off in live training or (total pipe dream) in competition it would be a feckin dream come true. Start with opponent in your guard, then secure hand holds on his gi cuffs and get your feet to his hips. Then, wait for the moment when he stands up and pull him toward you while push up your legs so you have his whole weight up in the air balanced on your two feet. From there you just remove one leg so he drops down on one side whilst steering him with his arms into the arm bar position. I could not love this move more. We are talking Disco Inferno!! Love it.

This clip of Rosendo Dias demonstrating the Helicopter Arm Bar comes courtesy of 3GJiujitsu

Next up was a little move I saw in a copy of Jiu Jitsu Style magazine. Braulio Estima demonstrates a flashy escape from Side Control which I've always found a pretty cool and amazing little trick. I mean, if your gonna escape from Side Control, why not chuck an Arm Bar in there too :oD.  You start with the guy having a good side control position on you but you've got your forearms in place to start a traditional escape. With this though, you push the guy down and away a little to create space and bring your legs up. You bring the near side leg up and tuck it in so the knee is tight against his ribs. With the offside leg (the one furthest from his torso) you bring that up on the outside of his arm and then under and around his head being sure to trap the arm in place. Whilst bringing that leg up you should be securing the guys trapped arm with your off side arm. Once all this is in place you can apply pressure to it for the Arm Bar. I could not find a Gi demo of this move but a No Gi one will suffice.

Video comes courtesy of NewcastleJudo.

 

I can not fully remember the details of a couple of other techniques we did so I will not post them until a later date (when I've had a chance to drill them further). These techniques were a Spider Guard Pass, a Triangle from Turtle Guard and a pass of Turtle Guard to a Head and Arm Triangle.

We finished of the sesh with another exceptionally high tempo roll that lasted about half and hour. By the end we were both totalled. An absolutely fantastic couple of days of training though leaving me waiting for Thursday's class with a near rabid fervour.

Keep on rolling guys. \m/