BJJ Class 111

Long class today. I arrived late for the early class again as usual and joined it after a brief warm-up. Technique was an armbar from standing – get grips, get close, fall back and lift hips for an armbar. After that we did a variation of the technique from the knees.

There was one round of rolling after. I paired off with another whitebelt and did some light rolling. After I was able to get position, my partner started rolling a little bit more aggressively, and I did my best to stay relaxed, which I think I was able to (for the most part). I remember getting a few subs (armbar, americana, triangle, and an incomplete straight armed omoplata). But the good part was that I was able to work on my guard. I can’t remember what I did exactly as all the rolls have melted together in my mind into one big, lengthy roll.

The second class started with a long pummelling warm-up and technique was a double-leg takedown to a double armbar. There were some very good tips and pointers on this one. In case I don’t get to illustrate this, here are some of the tips I picked up:

Double armbar can be done slowly, speed isn’t necessary. It’s actually better done slowly
Stay tight and heavy, even when transitioning from one position to another
Keep shoulder pressure on and control the head
Positioning the knee properly is very important when transitioning

After that was several rounds of rolling. I’m going to copy Patrick’s (of Murasaki BJJ) style of recap and toss all the rolls together.

What I did right:
Relaxed and fought the temptation to match a few training partner’s energy/aggressiveness output. I think I used to be a relaxed roller, but that was way back when I was training more often. I did a good job (in my opinion) of doing guard work. I got a few sweeps but was unable to get the chance to try the Scissor to hip bump sweep, but trying to set it up gave me the chance to experiment with various grips and counters – lots of experimentation. Lastly, when passing guard by grabbing both legs together, I remembered to keep my head close and down and managed to avoid getting guillotined.

What I did wrong:
There was one guy with whom I just couldn’t manage to get out from under side control, so I muscled my way out of it. I got out, but I really have to work on technique and not forcing and muscling my way to something. My shrimping needs work, particularly I need to recognize when I should hipscape (shrimp) to the other side – I’ll be fine with going on one side again and again, but just don’t see when I should go the other way. Also, I had difficulty sweeping tall, lanky people.

What I need to work on:
Sweeps and recounters to sweeps, hip movement when escaping and attempting armbars and triangles from the bottom.

Name game:
Dunno why I even bother with this one. I’m just plain horrible.

This week is the first week that I’m supposed to go to BJJ more than once a week. Unfortunately, I have an appointment with an oral surgeon for consultation tomorrow before BJJ, so its unsure whether I can make it. And with a packed weekly schedule of school after work and only seeing my fiancee on weekends, I really only have mondays and tuesdays to train. Here’s hoping I make it.

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