See the non-wiki version of this technique here.

[In case the images and text do not show after clicking on "Click here to view…", please use this link to view the wiki]

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Wiki: North-South Armbar and Some Options

I came in early and warmed up with a speed rope again, like I did in the last no-gi class. When class started, we did some running and BJJ stretches and warm-ups. Then we did some pummeling and drilled the classic butterfly guard sweep with the overhook/underhook and double over hook variations. Key tips:

• Whether with the under-hook or overhooks, always control the arms tight and always pin the arms to your body by pinching your elbows in
• Position your head low, on your opponents chin. While there are variations with that, keeping your head in between your sweepee (person you’re sweeping) nad yourself helps optimize the distance and leverage you need

A couple of rounds of rolling of seated/butterfly guard against passing followed. I rolled the first four rounds with a fellow blue belt I was promoted with. I was able to get the sweep we had drilled once or twice, the rest of the rolls was just fighting for maintaining control of his arms and body. I was able to defend well. I need to be more aware of positioning my hips and where I put the pressure when I pass.

I rolled next with a white belt who didn’t want anything to do with seated guard. I was able to get to side control a few times, but am still struggling with transitioning to a submission when my opponent is defending well.

My last rounds was with another fellow blue belt I was promoted with. He’s a skinny, flexible, quick guy. I haven’t rolled with anyone so quick in a while. He’d be able to take my back without telegraphing his intentions in a flash from guard and half-guard.

I wish I could train more in a week. Heck, I’d be happy if I was able to workout by myself once a week, which I haven’t been able to do since wedding planning.

Anyway, hope you’ve got great plans for July fourth!!

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BJJ Class 150

I started by rolling with a blue belt, then a purple.  They both kicked my butt, but I’m happy to have been able to setup and go for a kneebar with the purple belt.

Class started with pummeling, then moved on to a guard pass counter that lands you in either guard or knee-on-belly.

Rolling started as seated guard versus passes, mount vs submissions, north-south vs escapes, then finally open rolling.  It was actually a lot of rounds.  I was with a blue belt the whole time and he kicked my butt.  He did give me some tips for when my game was totally lacking, lick in seated guard.

My best round was the last one.  I was able to pass guard, maintain side control and switch to the other side of side control. My game plan stalled as  wasn’t able to get or bait anything. While getting desperate for something to do, my opponent went for an escape.  I did a late armbar attempt, he reversed and was trying to get side control when time ran out.

My game plan on top is to capitalize on the movements the guy on the bottom makes.  If he doesn’t do a thing, I have no strategy.  Actually, I don’t have much game in any position.  I feel like I’m starting jui-jitsu again and everything I see is new and I’m learning for the first time.  Except my head isn’t like a sponge and it isn’t retaining much.

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BJJ Class 149

I didn’t get the exact technicalities of the sweeps, but they felt pretty good. They all involved grabbing the pants by the ankle and the opposite wrist, either shrimping or pivoting, and using the momentum of your legs.

Rolling was sweeps and reversals versus defense. I was paired with a whitebelt for all of the rolling. When I was doing sweeps, I quickly got a few out, then my opponent got savvier and it got harder and harder to sweep. When I did defense, I wasn’t swept but was reversed once. Next round was the same, but starting with the guy on top having an arm trapped to one side, with the shoulder pinned on the bottom guy’s chest.   The round went pretty much the same.

We did some open rolling after. My guard sweeps and general guard offense needs a lot of work.  I noticed that whenever I opened my legs for a sweep, my opponent would grab my legs and sprawl out nullifying my attempts. I clearly need a better game plan, one that doesn’t telegraph what I’d like to do.  I also need to work on my triangle defense, both when attempting the basic one armed stack pass and the late defense, when my arm is isolated inside my opponents legs but the choke isn’t cinched yet. The first needs a modification of how I control my opponents legs and the second needs me to be more aware and act correctly quickly.  Of course, prevention is better than escape.  What’s that old saying, “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure”?

On the plus side, I got my second legit knee-bar.  While attempting a single arm stack pass where I controlled my opponent’s other leg the wrong way, my opponent went for an armbar.  The arm-bar defense and escaped flowed perfectly into a kneebar.  It was Sweet!!! Also, I was able to demonstrate to myself the importance of squeezing the knees together when doing an arm bar.  Because I had a grip on my opponent’s elbow with my knees, no matter how much he struggled to escape, he couldn’t get his arm free and I got the armbar.

Ok, time to sleep!

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BJJ Class 148

To minimize the occurrence and contamination of various skin diseases, my school has a new policy.  When doing no-gi, you should wear long pants, such as jogging pants etc as opposed to shorts, and a long-sleeved rash guard or long-sleeved shirt.  These steps will decrease the skin on skin contact.  I just hope that things won’t get so bad that we’ll have to wear latex gloves ad socks too! LOL!!

Anyway, both my shoulders, both front deltoids to be exact, have been bothering me lately and were very sore.  I stretched and warmed them up good before class started.  Then I got on a speed jump-rope, which I haven’t done in yeaaarsss, and was glad that I was able to do most of my skip rope routines:  basic jumping, high-knees, single leg jumps, hip twists, right-right-left-left single jumps, and doubles (two ropes spins per jump).  Of course I wasn’t as good as I used to be and couldn’t do as much as before, but it felt great to do them again.  I feel motivated to skip rope again – it’s great for building stamina and for cardio.

Class started with a heavy warm-up, which wasn’t in my favor since I did a heavy self-warm-up just before.  Techniques was kimura from half-guard.

Some specific tips:
Sink your base in
Don’t lean forward to much
If your opponent defends by grabbing his pants or leg relax a second, jerk quickly opposite the direction you want to go, then proceed with the submission

Some rolling followed after.  I ‘m starting to feel better about my rolling – but my bottom open guard and half guard still suck!!

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BJJ Class 147

The second class, which I took a part of, started with heavy drills which quickly revealed to me how out of shape I am.  We moved to a standing guard pass, a high guard shoulder lock, a gogoplata from armbar variation, then guard passing versus chokes rolling.  There was a long round of rolling after.

During the open roll, I found myself going for kneebars and ankle locks a lot.  They’re cool and a lot of blue and whitebelts don’t know how to defend them.  And I felt a bit bad too since I should concentrate on my basics more: chokes, which I never get, guard passing and half-guard.

Those are the things I’d like to work on and think I should concentrate on over leg submissions.  Do you agree?

Incidentally, I ended up working on a half-guard pass with another blue belt after class.

I’m an introvert by nature, which is why public blogging is strange to me – and I do it anyway, and why I don’t get too personal with blogs.  Anyway, I have a harder time making friends than most people and I was just reminded that it would be great to have a buddy to train regularly with before and after class, not that there’s a shortage of training partners at the school – the extra drilling would be cool.  The ones I have made in the past have stopped training or have left.

Anyway, I’ve been married exactly two months now.  Whooo!!!

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BJJ Class 146

As with all other sessions, class was nice. Long warm-up then straight to drilling. Technique was a nice single-leg defense sprawl to taking the back. I’ve gotta illustrate it, it’s a cool technique.

For rolling, we played Highlander, as in the movie about the sword swinging immortals with the line “there can be only one!” It was basically a four-on-four grappling rumble match. We did three rounds and teams were changed each time. Each round I faced off with a fellow blue belt that I got promoted with. The first round, we went straight for each other and eventually two more of his teammates ganged up on me and I tapped out. In the second, I went for a RNC while he was attacking someone else then a teammate of mine came up and we tapped him out together. In the last round he came to RNC me while I was attacking someone else and I tapped him with a knee-bar (my first successful kneebar). Then it was a two on two rumble until I got tapped out. My teammate kept fighting and couldn’t be submitted for several minutes, until he gave in to an ankle lock.

We did a few exercises where two guys control one guy. No regular rolling followed.

Cool techniques and cool rumbling!!

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BJJ Class 145

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Eww, gross!!

The one from the last class was a big cut on my lip, which started bleeding a lot into my mouth. Anyway, a day later the cut started getting infected and hurting a lot, which is why I missed training last week. I can’t even put a mouthguard on. It’s getting better, but it still hurts to talk sometimes.

I’m going to start wearing a mouthguard EVERY time I roll from now on.

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mouth infestation

* I’m going to keep my posts short for the near term.

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BJJ Class 144