So I've been working on a few things, specifically the use of butterfly hooks. I think this is especially important in no-gi. I've noticed that there are a few things that are making me semi-suck in no-gi. One is my general lack of hook use, and the other is the fact that I don't change my game to compensate for lack of grips. Sure, in gi I have a collar to control in addition to arms, but in no-gi you have to do other shit. You need to establish body control with underhooks and overhooks, pay better attention to head control (since there's no collar) and use hooks effectively. You simply cannot use all the same grips. I'm looking to get better with no-gi now instead of chastising it like a bastard child. I'd like to make some of the UGA grappling classes and roll with a variety of people, and I think if I can get this going I will be really solid by year end.
On a similar note, I've been working the classic butterfly sweep a bit and I almost hit it today. I drove my leg to the sky but couldn't get my opponent's body to turn with it. I believe you have to drive it up and "over" your opponent's shoulder. My overhook was not bad.
This weekend was ADCC, the most prestigious no-gi tournament in existence. Unfortunately I didn't pay for it, but it seems that most matches were pretty badass. My boy Paul Harris fucked up some legs, pretty much heel hooking everything. The one guy he couldn't heel hook got kneebar'd like FUCK. Ol Treestump is definitely a retard of some nature. Here's some interesting shit he did this weekend:
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f2/rousimar-palhares-continues-bizarre-behavior-1828767/
Anyways I guess that's it mostly. I learned a nice arm triangle escape from Josh which will be immensely useful since I always get caught in those. Seriously, that's like 95 percent of the submissions I get stuck in.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Friday Gi & Sunday No-Gi: 9/18
So on friday we had a smallish class. Casey went over some back attacks from double underhook control. First is, when your opponent has one arm up blocking access to the neck, you can grab their other arm and pull it hard across their body, which then frees up your other arm (the one on the same side of the arm you're pulling) for the choke. Second technique was the armbar on their lowered arm (not the one up protecting their neck), after you reach across and secure a figure-four grip and push their head down/bring your leg up and over. Third was pushing your arm under their neck-blocking arm, rotate your body and grab your other bicep for a back-mounted head-arm choke.
I got to roll with Casey which was fun. It's an interesting feeling knowing that not a single thing you do will work and you're going to get subbed or swept any second. It also sucks that you can't even bullshit stuff to throw him off. He got me with whatever he wanted, including a wristlock. Pretty much everything he gave me was a trap.
I've been using the lapel a lot to throw people off and it seems to work to some extent. I made a rage comic illustrating my strategy:
Only stayed for the fundamental class. Worked some half guard knee-through passes and the bottom of half knee bump --> single leg reversal.
I got to roll with Casey which was fun. It's an interesting feeling knowing that not a single thing you do will work and you're going to get subbed or swept any second. It also sucks that you can't even bullshit stuff to throw him off. He got me with whatever he wanted, including a wristlock. Pretty much everything he gave me was a trap.
I've been using the lapel a lot to throw people off and it seems to work to some extent. I made a rage comic illustrating my strategy:
Only stayed for the fundamental class. Worked some half guard knee-through passes and the bottom of half knee bump --> single leg reversal.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Bad Manor FIghts and Wednesday Jits
So the fights were last friday and they were fucking excellent. This was my first live MMA experience and it was a good one. Thing is, I got there early and stood by the cage so the view was near perfect. I don't think I should hope to have such great "seats" all the time, so I guess the experience depends on that. We saw some great fights; 2 hard-fought decisions and 4 finishes, 3 of which were submissions. I hope Athens organizes fights again soon because I'd go as often as possible. And at 15 bucks, you can't go wrong.
Back on the mats yesterday, we worked a bunch of paper cutter attacks. I think I've blogged about most of these before. You start in side control, move to north/south and clear their near arm. Get an underhook, grip the back of their collar, then move back into side control and finish the choke. The variation was kesa to get the finishing grip, then basic side control.
We drilled from side control and I had little trouble pulling off escapes. I turtled against the new guy and hit a sweet "fat boy roll" -- over my own back into side control -- on the new guy, Michael. I rolled with him and pulled the same thing, then rolled with a new wrestler guy who pinned me down in side control with some sort of half nelson-ish maneuver. I turtled with him and hit the same escape, ultimately taking mount and hitting an armbar. From then on I worked full guard with him because those fucking wrestlers are great at passing guard. Hit a flower sweep into mount again. Rolled with Johnny and Coe who both raped my life, but that's obvious and fully expected. Johnny's top game is great and I have virtually zero opportunity to launch any offense against him.
Feeling really good on my escapes and my ability to reverse positions on people. I feel like I can compete with most newer blue belts now and there's no reason why I shouldn't be promoted. But still, no rush. As much as I hate being a white belt after almost a year and a half, I don't need the blue belt pressure just yet.
Gotta work on maintaining side control and launching subs from there. I have no problems changing positions but I want to work on that a bit.
Back on the mats yesterday, we worked a bunch of paper cutter attacks. I think I've blogged about most of these before. You start in side control, move to north/south and clear their near arm. Get an underhook, grip the back of their collar, then move back into side control and finish the choke. The variation was kesa to get the finishing grip, then basic side control.
We drilled from side control and I had little trouble pulling off escapes. I turtled against the new guy and hit a sweet "fat boy roll" -- over my own back into side control -- on the new guy, Michael. I rolled with him and pulled the same thing, then rolled with a new wrestler guy who pinned me down in side control with some sort of half nelson-ish maneuver. I turtled with him and hit the same escape, ultimately taking mount and hitting an armbar. From then on I worked full guard with him because those fucking wrestlers are great at passing guard. Hit a flower sweep into mount again. Rolled with Johnny and Coe who both raped my life, but that's obvious and fully expected. Johnny's top game is great and I have virtually zero opportunity to launch any offense against him.
Feeling really good on my escapes and my ability to reverse positions on people. I feel like I can compete with most newer blue belts now and there's no reason why I shouldn't be promoted. But still, no rush. As much as I hate being a white belt after almost a year and a half, I don't need the blue belt pressure just yet.
Gotta work on maintaining side control and launching subs from there. I have no problems changing positions but I want to work on that a bit.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Tornado Guard Success!
Well last night was a really fun session consisting of a bunch of great lightweights to roll with. We drilled 6 alternatives to the failed scissor sweep, including the sleeve-switch sweep, a collar choke, omoplata option, and some others that I don't remember too well. We drilled from closed guard and I worked a ton of guard passing and sweeps. I found myself in half guard with plenty of space and remembered the option for Tornado guard. Basically, it worked nicely and I hit the sweep off it. I think it's definitely NOT a good option against opponents larger than you, but equal in size it can work nicely. Tried to be really technical and had some great, dominant rolls with everyone except Antony and Josh who usually take a lot out of me because they're better. Called out Coe like usual and tried shooting in for a double underhook pass which worked, but he's so good about stiff-arming me away from side control that I had to attack his foot for the toehold, which also worked. At this point Coe probably goes like 60% with me, but it's whatever. I feel like I have extra motivation to maintain guard or avoid sweeps because of his ~80lb weight advantage and the fact that the match is over as soon as he lays on me or goes to knee-on-ribs.
Nothing else to talk about. Oh, also hit a nice armbar from backmount. I guess as far as standing sweeps go, I'm gonna continue playing with the De La Riva hook and see how it improves my game.
Nothing else to talk about. Oh, also hit a nice armbar from backmount. I guess as far as standing sweeps go, I'm gonna continue playing with the De La Riva hook and see how it improves my game.
Friday, September 2, 2011
9/1- Armbars Everywhere
So I took Wednesday off because of a cold I had on Monday/Tuesday. I felt pretty decent aside from a lingering sinus discomfort which usually takes several days to drain completely. Regardless, went in today at 7:30.
Very small class consisting of me, Kati, Casey, Sergio and a new guy named Jeff who's a senior at UGA and roughly my size. He has a background in JJJ, so that's pretty cool and different.
Techniques were from side control. One was an armlock from scarfhold. Another was a mounted triangle from when they defend a kimura or something by hiding their arm over their own stomach and allow you to step over it and roll onto your back. Last was a combination of those two, but instead of finishing the triangle by rolling, you step with the other leg over their head for a power armlock.
Drilling was from side control, and I worked the underhook escape and generally controlling their far arm on my leg to make space for guard recomposure. No inverted triangles this time, just me trying to improve position by sweeping or escaping. Rolling was a giant gauntlet and a huge armbar clinic for me. I swear, probably 90% of my game at this point is armbars. I hit them from guard, mount, north/south. It's pretty awesome. The other 10% of my subs are comprised of kimuras from north/south, various collar chokes and the occasional triangle.
I gassed HARD today which must be due to sinus-related equilibrium problems. Still managed to do whatever and work sweeps and various subs on the new guy, including a nice loop choke and bow and arrow.
Agenda for me, still, are more technically sound guard passes. My single and double underhook passes are fairly decent, so I need to really work the knee-over variants. I know how to execute them, but I usually get sloppy and end up not hooking their trapped leg long enough to avoid half guard.
Very small class consisting of me, Kati, Casey, Sergio and a new guy named Jeff who's a senior at UGA and roughly my size. He has a background in JJJ, so that's pretty cool and different.
Techniques were from side control. One was an armlock from scarfhold. Another was a mounted triangle from when they defend a kimura or something by hiding their arm over their own stomach and allow you to step over it and roll onto your back. Last was a combination of those two, but instead of finishing the triangle by rolling, you step with the other leg over their head for a power armlock.
Drilling was from side control, and I worked the underhook escape and generally controlling their far arm on my leg to make space for guard recomposure. No inverted triangles this time, just me trying to improve position by sweeping or escaping. Rolling was a giant gauntlet and a huge armbar clinic for me. I swear, probably 90% of my game at this point is armbars. I hit them from guard, mount, north/south. It's pretty awesome. The other 10% of my subs are comprised of kimuras from north/south, various collar chokes and the occasional triangle.
I gassed HARD today which must be due to sinus-related equilibrium problems. Still managed to do whatever and work sweeps and various subs on the new guy, including a nice loop choke and bow and arrow.
Agenda for me, still, are more technically sound guard passes. My single and double underhook passes are fairly decent, so I need to really work the knee-over variants. I know how to execute them, but I usually get sloppy and end up not hooking their trapped leg long enough to avoid half guard.
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