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31/05/2012 - Teaching (Preparing to Pass the Closed Guard)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 31 May 2012 20:58:00 +0000

Teaching #057
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 31/05/2012

There are three main approaches to pass the closed guard (I should note, I'm still pretty crap at all three, even after six years ;D). The first option, and probably the hardest, is to go from the knees. This has the advantage that you are less likely to be swept, but you're in much more danger of being submitted. As is so often the case in jiu jitsu, posture is very important: if you reverse engineer the lesson on maintaining closed guard, that means you don't want them to grip your collar or get a hold of your head.

Stay upright, back straight, head up. Also don't let them bend your arms: keep at least one of them stiff into their hip. It is very important to control their hips, as they need to angle off to attack effectively. Your other hand is ready to push them down if they attempt to raise their torso towards you, or more typically, gripping both collars and keeping their back on the mat.

For a strong base, widen your knees, sitting on your feet. Alternatively, you could try squeezing your knees to their hips to stop them moving, but that will result in a less sturdy base. Make sure you do not put your elbows on the outside of their legs: keep them inside, or they can start kicking up into your armpit for triangles, armbars, flower sweeps etc.

Another way they'll be looking to disrupt your base is to angle their hips away. To prevent that, you can simply follow them, making sure you keep squaring back up so they don't have that attacking angle anymore. You could also try caging their hips by squeezing your knees together, but that can result in a less stable base.

You can pass the guard from the knees, but personally, I've always found that incredibly hard. Most of the time, to have any chance of passing you'll need to stand, bringing gravity into the equation. This is therefore the second approach for passing the guard. Ideally before you stand, it's useful to grab one of their sleeves: I'd suggest grabbing their sleeve with the hand you want to press into their hip, as then you can accomplish two goals at the same time. It also very helpfully means you'll be able to step your foot up on that side with impunity, as they can't use their arm to attack it.

There are a few different ways to stand up. First, you can simply post your hands on their torso and jump up. That's fast, but it leaves you open for attack if you aren't able to swiftly get your posture once you've stood up. A second, more gradual option is to swing your head towards your collar gripping side, then step up your foot on the hip pressing side. You can then twist your other foot to help you stand up, or just get to your feet: it depends on if you need that intermediary step.

Once you've stood up, thrust your hips forward, head up and back straight. You don't want to be bent forwards, or they can break your posture down. Also try to maintain a hold ideally on their sleeve, or failing that, their gi or belt. Your goal is to have them squashed on the floor, unable to easily move their hip. The best situation would be that they're 'stacked', which means they're squished up onto their neck. Obviously be careful if your partner is smaller than you and in that position, as you never want to put a lot of stress on a training partner's neck.

Naturally it isn't going to be that easy to either open the guard or even stand up. In order to attack, they are going to want to disrupt your base and break your posture down. The first way they'll probably do that is to establish a strong grip, on your sleeve and collar. You don't want that, so try to strip any grips before beginning your pass. Not to say that it's impossible to pass if they've got grips, but you'll find it easier if they don't.

If they grab your collar, use both of your hands to grab either side of that sleeve or wrist. Push it forcefully away from you, while simultaneously leaning back slightly. If you remember the grip break from the maintaining closed guard lesson I taught a while back, this is a similar principle, but from the opposite position. Another option is to put both your hands on their gripping arm, trapping it to their torso. Posture up forcefully to break the grip.

If they get a grip on your sleeve, then grab their sleeve with your free hand. To break the grip, yank your trapped hand back as your gripping hand drives forward. TrumpetDan has a good video on this, here. I don't generally recommend YouTube, but he is one of the better teachers on there. A simpler option is to circle your hand either inside or outside of their arm, then chop downwards to break the grip: there is a good explanation of that in Beneville's excellent Passing the Guard.

Should they get a hold of the material by your knee, you can use a similar grip break. Grab their gripping wrist with your same side arm and press it to the mat, then kick your trapped leg back. Ideally, as with the previous grip break, this will now give you control of their arm, which you can immediately use to initiate your pass.

When standing, there is another basic option you can try if they attempt to hook your foot. Kick your foot forward and out to break their grip, then put it back down out of their reach. This is particularly effective if they are only grabbing behind your heel, slightly less so if they have a firm grip of the gi material. It is also advisable to step a leg back to prevent them from having the grip available. Another possibility, which TrumpetDan suggests, is to simply turn your foot inwards, to prevent the handstand sweep.

The third option for opening the closed guard is perhaps the simplest, but also the most risky: bait a submission opportunity. The idea is that you make them think they can get a submission where they have to open the legs (e.g., triangle), but carefully prepare your frames. That way, as soon as they open their legs for the attack, you can capitalise and begin your pass. This means you don't have to work to get their legs open, but it puts you in a lot of danger if you aren't good at escaping submissions. So, I wouldn't recommend you try this until you're very confident in your defence.

21/05/2012 - USA Training Trip in November & GB Bristol (Opening the Guard)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Mon, 21 May 2012 22:59:00 +0000

Class #456
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Nicolai 'Geeza' Holt, Bristol, UK - 21/05/2012

For years now, I've been saying I want to go to the USA and meet up with some of the many awesome BJJers I've got to know online. I've always had five states in mind: California, Florida, Texas, Virginia and Oregon, based on the people I want to train with in each of those states. Canada is also somewhere I want to go (or rather, return to, as I went way back in 2002). I'm intending to visit all of them over the next few years, though I've no idea how long that's going to take. My girlfriend wasn't keen on doing a long haul flight this year, so I'm saving California and Florida: I think those are the two states she would most enjoy, possibly Virginia too, due to the landscape, sunshine and beaches (well, not so much Virginia on the latter two ;p).

That meant that this year, I've decided to go to Texas. My flights are booked, so I'm leaving on the 17th November, then coming back on the 30th November. At the moment, the only two places I'm definitely going are Dallas and Austin, with Houston being a likely third destination. So, if there are any BJJers from Texas reading this, let me know your suggestions. Though I should note I'm a bit weird in that while it would be fun to train with big names (Carlos Machado is the main one I'd like to check out), I'm a lot more interested in meeting fellow bloggers. :D

Speaking of big names, well-known BJJ film maker Hywel Teague is looking for contributions to his first full-length project, where he will be interviewing several red belts. The amount of first hand historical knowledge these guys possess is unmatched, so if you want to help out (the film will be freely available online, by the way, so this isn't a profit-driven project), go here.

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Getting back to training, tonight will be the only session I get in this week. That's because it's my girlfriend's 30th. Every other evening is going to be dedicated to her instead. Should be fun, as I have a short trip planned, along with an outing to Phantom of the Opera (she's a big fan, so this will be the fourth or fifth time I've been with her in the eleven years we've been together). Hopefully I'll be able to get back into my Tuesday training pattern after that: there has been a lot more teaching recently rather than training. Of course, I do enjoy teaching, but it's important to still get in some drilling and sparring time for myself too. At least I'm not feeling as run down as last week, meaning I should be back to normal soon.

Geeza focused on guard passing basics tonight, specifically opening the guard. He began with a drill he's taught before, which tends to get a few laughs as it looks a little odd. The idea is to use cats and dogs as a guide for your back positioning. You're on your hands and knees, starting in the 'dog' position: head raised, back curved down, chest up. From there shift into the 'cat', where you arch your back and dip your head slightly.

The application is posturing in somebody's guard. Your back should be in the 'cat' position, though not too pronounced. One hand is in front of the other, with each hand gripping both collars. Twist your hands so your palms face up, also using your skeletal structure to make a solid rod of your forward arm. If they try to grab your elbows and pull you forward, that forward hand can brace against the ridge of their sternum. If they keep trying to drag you towards them, they're merely going to rub a raw red mark on their chest where your knuckles dig in. Which incidentally can make this a bit painful to drill more than a few times. ;)

You also want to make sure your head position does not shift further forward that your lead hand. Otherwise, they'll have an easier time breaking your posture. They are eventually going to get frustrated and stop trying to yank you forwards by your elbow. This is when you shift to the more orthodox posture, turning your lead hand palm down, but still gripping both collars and keeping that skeletal structure in play. Your other hand presses into their same side hip: although this is difficult in practice, you want to use that to prevent them moving their hips.

Next, put your knee into their tailbone, then step back with your other foot. Aim to slide your hip into their linked feet, until you can break them open. As anyone experienced will know, this is tough, especially if they have long legs or are simply stronger than you. However, passing from the knees is 'safer', in that you're less vulnerable to sweeps, though arguably you're more vulnerable to submissions.

So, most likely you're going to have to stand up. First you need to trap one of their arms, pressing it into their stomach. If you don't, then there is a much higher danger of them controlling your legs and getting a sweep. Geeza likes to use his head as a pendulum, so he swings it one way in order to lift his leg on the other side. Twist your other leg and stand. From there, simply shake up and down until gravity forces them to open their guard. Geeza used the metaphor of shaking a ketchup bottle to get the contents out, which is apt.

We did a bit of specific sparring at the end, which this time was very specific. Starting in the guard, all the person on top had to do was open the legs, while the person on the bottom was supposed to just maintain their position, no subs or sweeps. It's a good drill, as that enables the top person to really focus in on balance and the mechanics of popping open the legs. On top, I was generally able to open the legs by standing up and shaking, but I doubt I would have been successful if subs and sweeps were in play. I'm still leaning too far forward and I'm also continuing to grip too long on their collar, meaning my posture is hunched and weak.

On the bottom, I mainly just bounced my hips over each time they tried to insert their tailbone. I also took the opportunity to practice bringing them down as soon as they tried to stand up, by sucking my knees into my chest. Each time I did eventually get my guard opened, but it was as ever a good exercise. The more specific sparring, the better. :)

Gi Review - Tatami Nova (Tatami Fightwear)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Sun, 20 May 2012 17:31:00 +0000

Short Review: Several BJJ companies now have budget gis available for the beginner. The Nova is Tatami Fightwear's contribution to that market and it's a good one. Lightweight, slim-cut and soft, the Tatami Nova is a strong contender. I'd still recommend a judogi as a first option due to the cheaper price, but as the Nova is £52.50, there isn't a huge difference in the strain on your wallet. Even the shoulder patches come off without leaving much of a trace, which is excellent news for plain-gi obsessives like me. It comes in either white or blue, and will presumably be available to buy from Tatami's BudoVideos page at some point.

Full Review: I often have beginners ask me what gi they should buy. My first recommendation is always a basic judogi, such as my £20 Blitz Kokuba (currently about £30), followed by two budget gis: the Black Eagle Basico and the Tatami Nova. However, up until now, I’ve always had to add the proviso that I haven’t personally tried the Nova. So, I’m pleased to have the opportunity to review Tatami Fightwear’s budget offering, as that means I can give a more informed opinion to those beginners in future.

The Nova currently retails at £52.50, making it roughly £10 cheaper than the Basico. Gi companies love giving their weaves new names: Tatami have dubbed the method used for the Nova a 'unique High Tech Weave'. Neologising aside, I like the softer feel of this weave. The 8oz cotton twill trousers also seemed less bulky than normal, but also more comfortable as a result, almost as if I was wearing ripstop. The Basico is possibly a little thicker and coarser, but there isn't much in it. Either way, the thinner construction is a point in the Nova’s favour. I have a preference for lighter gis: less damp in my house, reduced sweat when I'm training and more room in my travel bag. However, I can’t yet vouch for its durability. I’ll update the review a few months down the line if I notice any problems.

In keeping with other Tatami gis, the trousers are tied with a bungee cord rather than a flat drawstring. I'm still coming round to the idea of a bungee cord, but having used it for some time now with other gis, it's growing on me (though I still prefer the flat drawstring, like on the Basico). There are only two belt loops, which may bother some, though personally I'm not all that bothered by loop quantity as long as there are at least two.

In terms of reinforcement, all the usual places are triple-stitched, with double-reinforced knee padding on the trousers (or at least that's what it says on the website: as far as I can tell, that means an extra layer of fabric has been sewn into the trousers from just above the knee down to the lower shin).

The collar looks to be much the same thickness as the Basico. In common with many other lightweight gis, that collar is made of rubber rather than foam, which means that the website can tout its resistance to bacteria and quick-drying properties. I can't vouch for the former without being a microbiologist, but the latter is true. The Nova dried fast, taking about 12 hours to go from soaking wet to completely dry. That's while hanging off a clothes horse in a cold English kitchen, with a few hours in the sunshine the next morning.

At 425gsm, the weight is comparable to my Kingz Ripstop, though the Nova weave is smoother. I was surprised to see that my Padilla Ultra Light is apparently a bit thinner at 400gsm, according to the website, but the Nova nevertheless feels lighter (possibly also because the skirt on Padilla & Sons products tends to be longer). In fact, it feels so light that this is the second best travel gi I currently own, after my Gorilla ripstop. The Nova has been perfect for the intro sessions I’ve been teaching at Aro Ling, as that involves about an hour of cycling.

When I first started BJJ, I always bought A2, but since then I’ve realised that I prefer a tighter gi. A1 has therefore been my size of choice for the last couple of years. Like the Basico and Predator, the Nova has a form-fitting cut, without lots of fabric left flapping around. Helpfully, Tatami have a swish gi size calculator on their site, which makes it easy to get the right size. Of course, I’ve only tested this for my own frame, but at least in my case it seems to be accurate.

Before washing, the Nova jacket was 160cm cuff to cuff. The trousers were slightly longer than I expected, at 97cm long: I had hoped they would be closer to 90cm, as my preference is for gi trousers to stop just above the ankle (probably higher than most people like). After one 30 degrees Celsius wash, the jacket shrank to 157cm cuff to cuff, while the trousers went down to 95cm. That's where it stayed after a second wash. Assuming it doesn’t shrink much more than that, the Nova A1 is a very good fit on my 5'7" and 145lbs/65kg frame.

Anybody who has read my gi reviews in the past will know I don’t like patches. The Tatami Nova is fairly clean, with no embroidery and nothing on the trousers except a small patch. The main bling is in the two shoulder patches, which are also sewn under the collar. There are two rows of stitching, so they are slightly tougher to remove than those on the old Zero G. Having said that, the stubborn sliver of patch which is normally left clinging on under the collar was much smaller than normal. I was able to remove the vast majority of that patch residue with a bit of fiddling.

For those who don’t share my strange obsession with eradicating gi ornamentation, in an effort to be objective, I would say the design of the patches is tasteful, the bold blue contrasting well with the white and black. Naturally that comes down to a matter of taste, but this will appeal to more minimalist gi buyers, rather than somebody who wants a head-turning piece of kit. For fashionistas, Tatami have numerous other offerings, with as many patches as you could want. ;)

The Nova also comes with a white belt, which isn't always the case with gis. Admittedly, it is a pretty thin belt, so lower quality than the white belt that comes with the Gorilla ripstop, but still better than the Gracie Barra belts (which are the flimsiest I've seen to date). Regardless, it is more than capable of holding your gi closed for a couple of years, which is all you need from a white belt. Bought on their own, the average belt can range from anywhere between £5 to £20 (top of the range belts, like Kataaro and Eosin, are of course much more). If you're a beginner buying your first gi, it is therefore worth factoring that into your price considerations.

This looks to be an excellent choice for a beginner. It is slightly more expensive than the judogi I would normally recommend, but only slightly. For that extra £20, you get a better fit, smoother fabric and lighter weight. It's also a potentially good option if you're looking for a travel gi, but can't afford a ripstop gi (I'm only aware of Grab & Pull who do that in the UK, which costs something between £70-80). It comes in either white or blue, and will presumably be available to buy from Tatami's BudoVideos page at some point.

18/05/2012 - BJJ Intro at Aro Ling (Closed Guard Sweeps)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:20:00 +0000

Teaching #056
Aro Ling Buddhist Centre, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 18/05/2012

Having gone through mount escapes on Monday, I could have shown them how to hold the mount too. I instead decided to move on to the guard, which is arguably the most fun position in jiu jitsu. As the last lesson put them in guard after shrimping out of mount, it seemed like a useful progression. The most simple sweep I know is the scissor sweep, so I went with that.

Start by getting a deep grip on their opposite collar, then with your other hand grab their same side elbow. Alternatively, you can grip their wrist and pin it to your chest. Rener makes a clear distinction here, as he suggests grabbing the sleeve if they are pushing into your bicep, grabbing the wrist if they are pushing into your chest. Either way, your intention – and this is true for lots of sweeps and reversals – is to prevent their ability to post with that hand. That makes for a straightforward test for whether or not what you’re using is effective: can they put their hand on the mat and prevent the sweep?

The next step is to put your foot on their same side hip (or the floor, depending on your preference) and shrimp out slightly, to make space to insert your knee. Slide that knee over, once again to that same side, until your shin is across their stomach. Hook your instep around their other side. Another option is to angle your knee towards their shoulder, which can act as an entry into the triangle.

A key detail is to then raise your elbows towards your head, so that you're pulling them onto your shin. The aim is to load them onto your leg, which in turn means that their weight is no longer on their legs. Extending your torso back, rather than remaining curled up, may help that weight transfer.

This should make them lighter: drop your other leg to the mat, chopping underneath them as you bring your hooking leg over, rolling into mount. Ryron has two handy tips here. Firstly, use the heel of your hooking foot to swivel and clamp to their side, becoming a leverage point to assist your shift into mount. Secondly, bring the elbow of your sleeve gripping arm further backwards, to put your opponent even more off balance.

As it turned out, one of the people attending the session has problems with her back and leg, which made the scissor sweep difficult for her. From my perspective as a teacher, that was great, as it meant I had an interesting challenge to overcome. Fortunately, BJJ is adaptable for body type, so I instead showed her the flower sweep. There are lots of options in terms of grips, but to keep things simple, I stuck with double wrist control. Kick your leg to swivel your body to a perpendicular position, which should also put your other leg right up into their armpit.

Bring that armpit leg over your body (go diagonally, towards your shoulder), while chopping the other leg underneath. It's important you clear that leg out of the way, in order to smoothly roll through to mount. If you fail to chop that leg through, you'll roll your opponent on top of your own leg. At best, you'll then end up with a very sloppy sweep, but at worst, you'll block your own technique and end back in guard. I hadn’t prepared for teaching that sweep, so it was a bit off the cuff: next time, I can be more thorough.

The scissor sweep shouldn't require much strength, so if you're having to strain, you probably haven't pulled them forward enough first. You can also get this sweep if they raise a knee up, which is the classic way to teach it. Drop your same side knee towards their opposite hip, then continue the sweep as above. If you're finding that when you try and chop their leg they simply step over it, raise your chopping leg slightly. You might even try hooking behind their knee with it, as that will immobilise the leg, although it may also make it more difficult to get a smooth chopping motion.

If for some reason you're having trouble chopping out their leg, you can switch to a push sweep, which is very similar to the scissor sweep. Everything is the same, except that you don't chop the leg. Instead, move your head back in line with theirs, so your torso is square on, then slide what would have been your chopping leg backwards. You now have room to use the foot of that leg to push into the side of their knee. Tracing a semi-circle, you're then going to shove their knee straight back, which will knock them off balance, whereupon you can roll through to mount as before.

A common mistake is to try and push the knee backwards right away. That is unlikely to work, as there will probably be too much friction. You need to push the knee slightly sideways first, then trace that arc to get the leg back. They should start to fall as soon as you do that, meaning that gravity will help you initiate the sweeping movement.

17/05/2012 - Teaching (Closed Guard Sweeps)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:45:00 +0000

Teaching #055
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 17/05/2012

As I’m going to be teaching this again tomorrow, I decided to go with the scissor sweep. Start by getting a deep grip on their opposite collar, then with your other hand grab their same side elbow. Alternatively, you can grip their wrist and pin it to your chest. Rener makes a clear distinction here, as he suggests grabbing the sleeve if they are pushing into your bicep, grabbing the wrist if they are pushing into your chest. Either way, your intention – and this is true for lots of sweeps and reversals – is to prevent their ability to post with that hand. That makes for a straightforward test for whether or not what you’re using is effective: can they put their hand on the mat and prevent the sweep?

The next step is to put your foot on their same side hip (or the floor, depending on your preference) and shrimp out slightly, to make space to insert your knee. Slide that knee over, once again to that same side, until your shin is across their stomach. Hook your instep around their other side. Another option is to angle your knee towards their shoulder, which can act as an entry into the triangle.

A key detail is to then raise your elbows towards your head, so that you're pulling them onto your shin. The aim is to load them onto your leg, which in turn means that their weight is no longer on their legs. Extending your torso back, rather than remaining curled up, may help that weight transfer.

This should make them lighter: drop your other leg to the mat, chopping underneath them as you bring your hooking leg over, rolling into mount. Ryron has two handy tips here. Firstly, use the heel of your hooking foot to swivel and clamp to their side, becoming a leverage point to assist your shift into mount. Secondly, bring the elbow of your sleeve gripping arm further backwards, to put your opponent even more off balance.

The sweep shouldn't require much strength, so if you're having to strain, you probably haven't pulled them forward enough first. You can also get this sweep if they raise a knee up, which is the classic way to teach it. Drop your same side knee towards their opposite hip, then continue the sweep as above. If you're finding that when you try and chop their leg they simply step over it, raise your chopping leg slightly. You might even try hooking behind their knee with it, as that will immobilise the leg, although it may also make it more difficult to get a smooth chopping motion.

If for some reason you're having trouble chopping out their leg, you can switch to a push sweep, which is very similar to the scissor sweep. Everything is the same, except that you don't chop the leg. Instead, move your head back in line with theirs, so your torso is square on, then slide what would have been your chopping leg backwards. You now have room to use the foot of that leg to push into the side of their knee. Tracing a semi-circle, you're then going to shove their knee straight back, which will knock them off balance, whereupon you can roll through to mount as before.

A common mistake is to try and push the knee backwards right away. That is unlikely to work, as there will probably be too much friction. You need to push the knee slightly sideways first, then trace that arc to get the leg back. They should start to fall as soon as you do that, meaning that gravity will help you initiate the sweeping movement.

14/05/2012 - BJJ Intro at Aro Ling (Mount Escapes)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:35:00 +0000

Teaching #054
Aro Ling Buddhist Centre, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 14/05/2012

There are two major barriers to entry in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Firstly, it is an expensive sport. Monthly fees can be anything from £50 to upwards of £100 per month, then on top of that you will need at least one gi, which again can vary from £30 (I’d recommend a Blitz Kokuba judogi to start) to well over £100. BJJ can also be intimidating, as the close body contact makes many people uncomfortable. That's understandable, particularly if you're a woman: the prospect of rolling around on the floor with a sweaty male stranger (unfortunately, the majority of BJJ students tend to be male, something I'd like to help change) is not appealing to most people.

One of my main aims when I began writing about my BJJ training after I started in 2006 was to encourage more people to try out jiu jitsu, especially women. So, when a friend of mine told me that a number of her friends were interested in BJJ but didn't feel ready for the club environment, I jumped at the chance to put my words into action.

I'm not sure if this will turn out to be a one-off or an ongoing project, but either way, it wouldn't have been right to charge anything: I'm hoping that after getting a taste of BJJ from me, people might feel more confident about checking out one of the various BJJ clubs in Bristol. The main Pedro Bessa academy is a few minutes walk up the road, while the club I train at, Gracie Barra Bristol, is a short drive away in Redfield. There's also a Checkmat affiliate (for those who don’t know, Checkmat, like Gracie Barra, is another large team with outposts around the world) at Trojan Free Fighters.

I kicked things off with a warm-up: as I didn't have to include star-jumps and press-ups, that meant it was purely drills related to BJJ, specifically bridging and shrimping. As we had limited space, that meant I could go into much more depth than usual on how to bridge and shrimp. Along with the how, I talked a bit about the why, as it's helpful to be able to put things in context. My intention was to lead into the two techniques for tonight, which would therefore add in the application.

For the technical portion of class, I would normally go with the rear naked choke when teaching absolute beginners. However, having earlier chatted to my friend about what she thought would most interest the group, this time I decided to take Rorion Gracie's early years in the US as my inspiration. Rorion is large responsible for expanding Brazilian jiu jitsu outside of his native Brazil. In 1979, he travelled to the US for a second time, with the intention of establishing BJJ in North America.

Initially he found work as an extra in Hollywood, while teaching BJJ out of his garage. Thanks to those connections, over the years Rorion was able to encourage actors, directors and writers to come train with him. Around 1990, Ed O'Neill had a part in a popular comedy: his acting friends had been pestering him to give the Gracie Academy a go. To shut them up, O’Neill reluctantly agreed to try it out. Rorion, who has always had a knack for marketing, offered O'Neill a simple challenge. If Rorion sat on top of him, could O'Neill throw the small Brazilian off?

O'Neill decided to accept: as a fairly large man, it should be easy enough. However, try as he might, O'Neill couldn't budge Rorion from his position. Smiling, Rorion then suggested that perhaps O'Neill might find it easier to hold Rorion down. After the demonstration O'Neill had just felt, he felt that surely he would be able to use his size advantage to stay in place for at least a few seconds. However, again Rorion surprised him, with a quick reversal. O'Neill was hooked, and over a decade later, he earned his black belt. He tells the story himself in this video.

I'm no Rorion Gracie, but I thought the same strategy was worth a try in 2012. So, my first technique was a basic trap and roll escape from the mount. A typical starting point would be when they try to establish their first grip on your collar for a choke. That provides you with a chance to trap their arm. The usual grip would be to grab their wrist with your opposite hand, then their elbow with your other hand. There are various other possibilities, like wrapping the arm, but the essential thing is to stop their ability to post their hand for base. You could bump to knock them forward, meaning they will normally catch themselves by putting a hand on the mat. You can then bring your linked arms over that extended arm, bending their elbow and trapping the arm.

You also need to trap their leg on that same side. Otherwise, they will be able to use that for base as you attempt to roll them. In order to prevent that, step your same side foot over their lower leg, hooking it in tightly. This means they are now like a chair with two of its legs missing. A common problem is that you're having trouble trapping their foot, because it is too high up. If that happens, try to use your elbow (or even your hand, if you need more reach, but that could leave your neck vulnerable) to shove their knee backwards, until their lower leg is in range.

To finish, you're going to bridge towards that trapped side. Get your heels close to your bum first for maximum leverage. Bridge up and over your shoulder, turning to your knees: this puts you in their guard (i.e., their legs are wrapped around your torso). Make sure that you're bridging over your shoulder and turning to your knees, not simply rolling over to your side. If you don't raise your hips properly, you may merely give up your back.

The trap and roll escape does work, but on its own may not be enough against an experienced opponent. Personally, I prefer the elbow escape, which relies more on shrimping than bridging. As a rule of thumb, if you're underneath, you don't want to be flat on your back. So, start your elbow escape by turning to your side and working your elbows inside their knee. Keep defending your neck throughout, so that your elbows form a frame. Create some space by bridging. You can then use your frame to help you shrimp into the space you just created, pushing against their leg.

The idea is to make enough space to pull your leg through: don't just bridge and plop back down. That leg will need to be flat, the other raised, or it will be hard to pull it free. After you're on your side, you can simply bump slightly, then simultaneously shove their knee with your elbow while sliding your flat leg underneath. Once it's out, you can then use that leg to wrap around one of theirs. Getting half guard may be a possibility here, but generally I'd recommend you keep working towards full guard. To do that, continue shrimping and framing until both legs are free.

You can also use a frame against their hips, one arm across, the other bracing against that wrist, elbow in tight. That's also handy for stopping them moving up higher in mount. However, be extra careful with your neck if you do that: as your arms are down by their hips, that could leave you vulnerable to chokes.

As with any technique, try to combine your escapes rather than obsessing over just one. Also, don't give them your head: that's what the person on top wants for control. Connected to that, make sure you always defend your neck and keep your elbows tight. I'm a small guy, so this is what I tend to do most classes: stay really tight, elbows in, knees curled up, not leaving anything loose for them to attack, or space for them to wedge their hands through.

I'll be running another session on Friday: hopefully some of the same faces will then move on to a real club, like Gracie Barra Bristol, Checkmat or Pedro Bessa. Also, if anybody interested in trying BJJ is reading this, you might find it useful to take a look at my BJJ Beginner FAQ. :D

10/05/2012 - Teaching (Maintaining Closed Guard)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:50:00 +0000

Teaching #053
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 10/05/2012

My first formal encounter with grappling was back in 2004, during my first stint living in Bristol to raise some money for a round the world trip. Inadequate women’s changing facilities. That class was taught by a certain Kevin O’Hagan. Eight years later, I find myself teaching his daughter-in-law Soeli (though I’m sure she’s seen it before, as she’s already got a fair bit of experience). Kirsty was also there tonight, as was another woman, who was popping in to check out the club.

Hopefully that increasing number of women will mean that the women’s changing room gets expanded to accommodate them. At present, it’s only big enough for one woman at a time, meaning the women end up queuing. However, as there are two large changing rooms (currently both designated for the men), I would assume one of them will be allocated to the women instead. I think it would be a lot more welcoming to future potential female students if there was greater provision for their needs, particularly as the facilities are already in place.

For tonight’s lesson, I was keeping things especially simple. The most basic method of breaking posture is probably pulling their elbows out and then towards you. This is particularly handy if they've got both hands on your hips, or something like that. Using your legs is key here, to help you pull them forwards. This is a general point for the guard: make sure you involve your legs, as they're a lot more powerful than your arms alone.

This is also true if they want to stand. Carefully time the right moment, then as they stand, pull your knees towards your chest. That should knock them back onto the ground. It could also put you in a better position than before, as they may end up falling into you, meaning you can get superior control. Ideally, they'll make the mistake of posting on their hands, as that means you can go for various attacks, like the kimura.

The tips John Will taught on Tuesday fit in nicely here, so I added the sequence which starts by reaching over their head with your arm. They will naturally try to recover their posture by raising up. As soon as they do, reach your other arm deep into their opposite collar. Having secured that grip, your head-wrapping arm then also grabs the collar, next to your collar hand. If they try to recover their posture now, get as much of your body off the floor and hang off that grip. Even if they’re bigger than you, this should make it very difficult for them to return to an upright position.

After that, I moved into the usual discussion of closed guard grips. A basic but very useful grip is to get a really deep grasp of the collar: you may find it helps to sit up to get that in really deep. As Roy Dean discusses in Brown Belt Requirements, an especially deep grip can help your choke as well as give you authoritative control. Once you have it, that provides three main advantages. Firstly, this gives you great control, as you can pull them down towards you. Second, it could be the beginning of a choke, and perhaps more importantly, it will make them start to worry about that choke rather than thinking about passing.

Thirdly, it means you can establish a collar and elbow grip. There are various attacks you can do from there, the most common of which are probably armbars, scissor and push sweeps. I then suggested double wrist control, which meant I could emphasise the two main types of sleeve grips: either make a pocket with your thumb and insert your four fingers (rather than putting four fingers inside the sleeve or trouser cuff: that's not only competition illegal, it's dangerous), or get a pistol grip, where you grab a heap of cloth in your fist.

Another grip is to grab their trousers by their knee, the other hand on their sleeve. This again can be useful for sweeps. It also helps to stop them getting a knee into your tailbone, as you can use that grip on the knee to bounce your hips back over their knee. It might also make them nervous, as they'll assume you're setting something up, whether or not you actually are. That’s when they’re liable to make mistakes which you can then exploit to your advantage.

Seminar: John B Will

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:15:00 +0000

Seminar #007
Dowty Judo Club, (BJJ), John B Will, Gloucester, UK - 08/05/2012

There aren’t many sources of BJJ history available in English. The main text is Kid Peligro’s The Gracie Way, an interesting if biased biography of several figures from the Gracie family. John Danaher has been involved in two instructional books with significant historical sections, Mastering Jujitsu and BJJ: Theory & Technique, though the historical section of the former is essentially an update of the latter. Aside from that, it is mostly MMA histories like No Holds Barred and Total MMA.

However, there is another useful historical source, contained within the pages of John Will’s ‘Rogue Black Belt’ series of books, specifically the second and third volumes of his three part biographical sequence. Hence why I jumped at the chance to meet him in person for an interview, which should be appearing a little further down the line in Jiu Jitsu Style. Thanks to Mark Collett, I was able to meet Will before his seminar on the 8th May, as well as attend that seminar myself.

I already knew both from Will’s books and Mark that this would be a very different class format to what I'm used to. First of all, everybody faces the same way, with Will standing against a wall he designates as ‘north’. Every technique is drilled like that, which makes a lot of sense: it means that the instructor can easily scan the room to see any errors, and can just say “move your right leg a little to the left”, knowing that there is no need to try and mentally adjust to the varied configuration of each pair of training partners.

Secondly, for the demonstration of the technique, Will does the usual thing of having everybody gather around him in a circle. This again makes sense, as you can get the best angle that way, maximising the space, rather than being spread out along a wall. Thirdly, when drilling he talks you through the technique: if you weren't paying attention during the demonstration, the instructor now has a chance to correct you. Finally, everybody drills a couple of times at their own pace. After that, you switch, so the process can be repeated for your partner.

Given his extensive history in the sport (we’re talking about a man who first trained with Rorion in the 1980s, years before the UFC brought BJJ to international attention), there were plenty of anecdotes. Rigan Machado’s teaching methodology was used to illustrate one point, Hélio Gracie’s attitude to private lessons fleshed out another. Hélio also served as the central reference for the first set of techniques, which Will referred to as ‘the four days of Hélio’: the structure and content was taken directly from four private lessons Will had experienced with Hélio himself.

The four lessons built up to a sweep from the guard. Hélio didn’t assume you already had the grips: the starting point was in guard with no grips at all, while they still have good posture. So, lesson one was extremely simple. Grab behind their elbows (and it needs to be the elbows, not the gi material around them, as that can move), pull their elbows outwards and towards you, while simultaneously bringing your knees to your chest. This should collapse their posture.

Hélio’s second lesson was to reach over their head with your left arm. They will naturally try to recover their posture by raising up. As soon as they do, reach your right arm deep into their opposite collar. Having secured that grip, your other hand then also grabs the collar, next to your first hand. If they try to recover their posture now, get as much of your body off the floor and hang off that grip. Even if they’re bigger than you, this should make it very difficult for them to return to an upright position.

The third lesson is opening your guard. I haven’t seen this before, and initially it seems counter-intuitive, but judging from drilling it’s also effective. Spread your legs out wide and straight, so that they are across the knees of your training partner, also shifting your second hand to their sleeve. Again, this should make it extremely tough for them to stand up. Next, your feet go on their hips, then using your legs in combination with your collar and sleeve grip, stretch your training partner out.

Finally, your knee should now be next to their elbow. Collapse that elbow by bringing your knee across, in order to clear a path to their belt. Switch from feet on hips to butterfly hooks, then reach for their belt with your sleeve-gripping hand. Lean back and use your grips to pull them down, clamping the elbow of your belt-gripping arm to your side. Like in the previous lessons, this should make it hard for your partner to recover posture.

As they are basically stuck, the instinct will be for them to post their hand on the floor and push up. That gives you the opportunity to underhook it with your same side arm, reaching around to hold their same side shoulder. Use your elbow to bring their arm out of alignment, also shrimping your hips towards that arm two or three times. Your shin on the other side drops towards their knee, then simultaneously push out their leg with your shin (similar goal to a push sweep follow-up after a failed scissor sweep) while lifting with your remaining butterfly hook.

Don’t be greedy and go to mount, as you’re liable to at best get caught in half guard, at worst rolled right under their mount (as your underhook would then work to their advantage). Instead, stick to side control. Once you’re there, immediately control their far arm with both of yours, clamping with your head before they can get a forearm into your neck. Your hand on the other side will be waiting for them to try: when they attempt to move their arm around, you can grab the wrist and go for the americana.

Will announced a brief two minute break, before going into the next section of the seminar, which focused on the head and arm choke. He started off by showing the mechanics of the choke, beginning in side control. You’ve managed to get their far arm to the upper side of your head (i.e., the side nearest their head, rather than nearest their legs). This is a good position for you, so you want to keep their arm trapped there.

Having clamped their arm to your head, put the hand you have nearest their legs on their hip. Push off that, in order to curl your head (and by extension, their arm) towards and around their head. This is sort of like a ‘pre-stretch’ in plyometrics, if I understood Will correctly, setting your choke position in place to make it easier once you get the rest of your body there. Walk your feet towards them so your hips rise into in the air, then hop over to the far side.

The second option is to pass over more gradually. Slide your knee over their belt line, as if you were going for mount. Once that knee is on the mat by the far side, use your other foot to hook around their far knee. Pull that towards the near side, then drop down next to them on the far side. Be certain to use the space you’ve created: in the process of pulling them over, you’ll have turned them on their side, leaving a gap you can fill. This should help you make the choke even tighter.

However you get there, next establish a ten-finger grip around their head and arm, locking your hands together: you’re curling your fingers and linking them, rather than the more typical palm-to-palm gable grip. In order to complete the choke, you need to take out any slack. Raise their head up slightly, extend your arms, then use your near side arm to cinch in the arm by their neck as tightly as possible. Re-establish your choke position, then drive with your shoulder to elicit the tap.

That was followed by lots of other entries. From north-south, dig your head along their chest to get into position, reaching under their armpits with both hands. You don’t want to be too deep: just get your thumbs inside, rather than grabbing all the way down by the belt or something like that. Get them up on their side, still keeping your elbow down (like Rodin’s ‘Thinker’) so they don’t have any space to slip their arm out.

Do a sort of push-up to keep your weight pressed into them, also driving your shoulder into their elbow. This ‘staples’ their arm in place. Walk around, at which point you could go for a kimura, but in this case you're going to attack the head-and-arm choke instead, reaching the thumb towards their neck. You can then use the method Will already went through (i.e., ten finger grip etc).

There was also a handy little pointer here for the common problem of them grabbing cloth to block a kimura. Push a little to make them think you still want the kimura, then backstep around their head, using your bodyweight to either break their grip, or move into the head and arm choke.

When attacking the turtle from the side, putting your knee next to theirs on the near side, reach under their near armpit and grip their far shoulder. Your other arm goes to the inside of their far knee, just blocking it rather than gripping anything. Roll into the near side – Will describe it as ‘disappear underneath them – to bring them over your body, putting you back into the choke position.

The next situation is that they’re escaping your back control, specifically by turning towards you and beginning to put their back on the mat, on your choking arm side. Similar to Marcelo Garcia’s option for retaining back control, switch your non-choking-arm-side hook from inside their thigh to the outside, then hook under their knee. That will briefly halt their turning motion, giving you a bit of time.

Will advises against having your choking arm hand on top when using a seat belt grip in back control. Instead, he suggests your non-choking hand should be protecting your choking arm. The reasoning is that your opponent will probably go for the easiest arm to grab, which is the one on top. If they pull your non-choking arm down, then that's better, as it clears a path for you to put your choking arm right into their neck.

I have seen other instructors teach it the opposite way around, but with the same end result. If I recall correctly, they argued that if the choking arm is on top, that means you can capitalise more quickly if they ever leave their neck free. Xande has yet another option, which merges the two: when he teaches the rear naked choke, he uses a gable grip. The palm of the choking arm hand points away, which he then twists as he inserts the arm for the choke.

For this technique, when you’ve hooked under the knee and are ready to go into the choke, switch your hands so that the choking hand is on top. You can then use that choking hand to pull yourself into the head and arm choke position, completing the submission as before.

The final entry was from what Will called headlock control, also known as scarf hold. This was specifically the classic scarf hold, where you’re reaching under their head to grab your own leg, rather than modified scarf hold, where you’re reaching under their far armpit. Will made the point that this position wasn’t as common as it used to be, because people often have a bad experience. They go into scarf hold, pulling their opponent’s arm up...then the opponent links arms behind their back and rolls them over. The move can often be discarded by beginners as a result of that bad experience.

However, Will does it differently, the key detail being that linking arm. Instead of pulling it up and trapping it under your armpit – which exposes you to that linked hands escape – jam your arm next to your raised knee so they can’t get their arm around your back. Will's route to getting into scarf hold is itself also unorthodox. From side control, Will focuses on the arm pushing into your hip. Underhook that arm and walk your fingers along the mat, then literally lay your body on top of the arm, squashing it flat.

In some ways this is reminiscent of the Sao Paulo/Tozi/Reis pass (it has lots of names), in that it feels counter-intuitive, because you think you’re exposing your back. However, if you’ve distributed your weight correctly, they should be stuck in place. Their next move tends to be turning towards you, which is when you wrap their head with your other arm. You can now switch into scarf hold, remembering to block their ability to reach through for your back. They are probably then going to try and push into your neck, giving you the opportunity to push their elbow to bring their own arm past their head, then transition to the head and arm choke once again.

All in all, it was an excellent class. John Will is without any doubt the best seminar instructor I’ve seen to date, so I made sure to pick up a couple of his DVDs at the end (especially as he was selling them at a discount). I wanted to see if the same style of teaching had been captured for an instructional, so I’ll be reviewing both of them at some point in the future. I’ll also be using them to illustrate this post, along with some of the great photos Esther took on the day.

Thanks again to Mark for inviting me to the seminar: I’m intending to head to Cheltenham some time to check out one of Mark’s own classes, as I’m curious to see what his teaching methodology is like. The club he runs with his business partner Tony is a John Will affiliate, of which I think there are currently only two in the UK. The other one is where I briefly trained in Coventry, under John Will purple belt, Rich Green.

Make sure you're at one of John Will's UK seminars next year! ;D

Seminar photos included by kind permission of Esther Smith

07/05/2012 - Gracie Barra Bristol

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:30:00 +0000

Class #455
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Nicolai ‘Geeza’ Holt, Bristol, UK - 07/05/2012

I was pretty ineffectual tonight, but then that’s jiu jitsu: some days your game feels great, other days you feel like a white belt. I couldn’t even remember blocking kicks from technical stand up properly, which as much as I find self defence very boring still isn’t something I should be forgetting.

The main technique for tonight was the pendulum sweep. Geeza likes to hook under the leg when they lift it off the mat, which helps set you up to swing your leg and hips out. Keep your head close to the hooking hand, then kick into armpit and tuck your swung leg underneath. From there, you can also switch to an armbar from guard, or indeed use your grip on the leg to finish up in a mounted armbar.

During sparring, I had a chance to play in guard, so there were a couple of basic sweeps I wanted to try. That mainly involved grabbing the knee, which isn’t something I’ve done much in the past. However, I’m looking to expand my guard game from “sit there and wait”, so sweeps seemed a good area to revisit. I did land it once, but that was against a fairly small white belt.

When passing, I tried to follow my own advice and stand up. I also made sure to grab an arm first in order to make their sweep counters more difficult. However, my posture is still far too bent forwards, as I’m tending to linger too long with the grip on the collars, rather than getting upright and thrusting my hips forwards.

I also had the common experience of a big strong beginner, who was going all out with strength. The goal for the person on top was to simply open the person on the bottom’s legs, which he did with relative ease. Now, in that situation I feel a bit silly telling somebody they shouldn’t rely on their strength: after all, from their perspective, it just worked great. Still, I think it is useful to advise people that by using strength you’ll blow your energy quickly and also struggle against anybody as strong or stronger, so I mentioned it anyway.

03/05/2012 - Teaching (Maintaining the Back)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:30:00 +0000

Teaching #052
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 03/05/2012

It is common when on the back that you might find they manage to knock off one of your hooks, or perhaps you're struggling to establish that second hook. If that happens, in order to take the back fully, use the grip you have with your arms to put them on your side, towards your remaining hook. Come up a little on your elbow and pull your remaining hook up slightly. Bring that foot across their body to hook their other leg. You're looking to retain enough control that you can then reinsert your second hook, particularly if their reaction is to kick out that leg.

That does take a bit of flexibility, so it may not fit into everybody's game. There is another option, which Marcelo Garcia calls the 'hip extension'. This doesn't depend on flexibility. If they are blocking your second hook, cross your free foot over your hooking foot. Although crossing your feet if you had both hooks would be asking to get foot-locked, if you only have one hook, it means they can't properly apply pressure against your ankle. You can then thrust your hips forwards into them and pull with your seat belt grip.

The result should be that your partner is bent around and stretched out, so that they can no longer connect their knee and elbow to block your foot. That's your chance to quickly insert a second hook, before they can recover their defensive position. When doing the hip extension, don't forget to keep control of their lower leg with your first hook. Otherwise they can just pop over and escape.

Another simple option to keep in mind is when they've managed to clear one of your hooks, or it's slipping and you want to replace it. You might find that you can simply put the cleared hook foot on the floor (still keeping your knee tight) and bridge, to roll them back to the other side and re-establish that hook. Be careful though, as they are obviously going to react if you release a hook: you'll need good timing and close control.

Similarly, and again this is a Marcelo tactic, you can use your foot on your underhook side (so, the side on which you arm is threaded under their armpit) to hook behind their same side knee. Lift that high in the air, then dump then back towards your overhook side. This is particularly useful if they are trying to get back to the centre, bridge and press their weight into you, in order to start wriggling their shoulders to the mat and begin their escape.

Incidentally, Marshal Carper (one of the co-authors on Marcelo Garcia's latest book) did a handy video on maintaining the back Marcelo-style.

01/05/2012 - Gracie Barra Bristol (Choke from the Back)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Class #454
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 01/05/2012

Geeza has shifted the schedule around, so Dónal's class is now only one hour of gi, followed by another hour of nogi. I'm not at all fond of nogi, so for the moment I'll just be sticking with the gi class. I might give the nogi class another try in future, but I generally find nogi relies too much on physical attributes for my liking. However, that's probably because I haven't got anywhere near as much experience rolling without a gi: I'm still at least that thirty lesson total of nogi BJJ.

Dónal frequently comes up with innovative drills during his warm-up. Tonight, there was one I hadn't seen before where you start sat on your knees. Put your hands in front of your to hop into a crouch, then rise up and thrust your hips forward. Sprawl, go back to your knees, then repeat. It is a little bit like a burpee, but with more jiu jitsu relevance.

The technique was a choke from the back. It isn't something I'm likely to use, as it's a bit nasty in that it relies on pressing into their throat rather than closing off their arteries, but it's still good to know. As with leglocks, even if I don't want to use an attack myself, knowing how to do that attack at least means I should be better prepared to defend against it.

Start by getting a deep grip on their opposite collar. Put your head tightly on the collar side, then drive your shoulder into the back of their head. The combination of twisting your hand in the collar and that shoulder pressure should grind your forearm into their windpipe, resulting in lots of coughing and tapping. I experimented with my arm position, and found that the elbow of your choking arm can be either point first into the mat (uncomfortable and not very stable), lying on its side against the mat (comfortable but less effective), or you make a sort of right angle with your arm for support, which is what Dónal showed when I asked him.

That led into specific sparring. I was with one of the blue belts, who unfortunately has been experiencing some major issues with his asthma. That meant he was a little short of breath during the warm-up, so I was a bit concerned initially about sparring. However, he soon showed that in this particular situation, he was still more than capable of rolling. In fact, he surprised me with just how good his back control was. I really struggled to avoid his second hook coming in, whereas normally I can pop the hook off and begin my escape. Not this time.

When I finally did start to escape, I didn't pay enough attention to the deep grip he still had on my collar. As a result, I managed to choke myself while trying to turn to guard: I could feel it coming on, so tapped after a few moments to see if I could relieve the pressure. Previously I've been in the same situation with a white belt, but was able to slip free. Having to tap to it was a good reminder not to be complacent about defending your neck and especially not letting them secure or maintain a solid grip.

I was able to escape the second time without getting choked, because I was much more wary of the grip. Still, I was in a similar situation again, just with a slightly better barrier. That indicates I need to review how I'm escaping back mount, as I shouldn't be putting myself in danger of getting tapped when I turn to the guard. So, I should take a lesson from Roy Harris in that brown belt evaluation I watched last week: more active legs.

When I was on his back, my main aim was to maintain it, as that is what I taught last week and will be teaching this week as well. I just about managed that, although the first time round, I didn't stop him turning flat to his back properly so ended up in top half. Not a bad position, but much worse than being on their back. So, the second time I used my head to block that route, attempting to prevent him rolling out. I was also moving him from the centre back to my choking arm.

However, although that's the right idea, I was relying far too much on my arms. It is easy to tell when you're doing that, as after the roll your arms will be burning. I managed the hip extension to get my second hook in once, but had difficulty getting in a second time. Another reason my arms were sore is that at one point, I almost had a rear naked choke sunk in. I wasn't able to finish before the end of the round, so I assumed my arm wasn't quite on his neck. Asking him afterwards, it turns out that my arms weren't the problem. He was able to turn his hip to relieve the pressure because I didn't have good enough control with my legs. Again, more active legs! ;)

Free sparring therefore immediately became a more interesting prospect, as I basically couldn't use my arms. Fortunately both spars were with white belts, meaning I could be lazy and stay in a crunched up defensive position for most of the roll. Although I still have to be careful, as I'm pretty sure I might have been caught in a baseball bat choke from knee on belly if he'd been willing to drop his weight. I asked him about it earlier, and he was trying not to use strength, which is absolutely a laudable goal, but there is nothing wrong with steadily applying a technique using your bodyweight in a controlled fashion.

I also continue to be a bit crap at creating a decent frame when I'm getting back to guard from side control. Against the other white belt, about three of four times I moved to guard then immediately got passed again, because I wasn't properly blocking them from re-taking side control. I finally got to guard towards the end of the roll and established an overhook, but he was able to power out of it. Still, I should have capitalised and transitioned into an arm drag, something I would like to improve (my arm drag needs a great deal of improvement...)

DVD Review - Brown Belt Requirements (Roy Dean)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:07:00 +0000

Short Review: If you're an experienced purple belt, there is now a DVD set aimed directly at you, with the intention of suggesting some ideas to help you develop into a brown belt. As in Purple Belt Requirements, a concept lies at the heart of the DVD, but this time it is pressure and efficiency rather than combinations (though combinations are still very much in evidence). The gap between teacher and student has shrunk, so that the instruction is more like a discussion amongst peers than a lesson delivered to schoolchildren. The assumption is not only that you know the basics, but that you have an established game which you understand very well. There is a good reason why this is called Brown Belt Requirements, so I would recommend you don't tackle its contents until you're at the right level. Available to buy here, or from iTunes here

Full Review: When Dean released Purple Belt Requirements almost three years ago, it was one of the very few DVDs that looked beyond the early stages of BJJ. The list of DVDs aimed at intermediate and advanced students is not very long: the vast majority of instructionals cater for white and blue belts. This makes sense, as that corresponds to the demographics of jiu jitsu. It takes a long time to move through the belts, so proportionally white and blue belts make up the largest slice of the audience.

However, as the sport continues to grow, there is an increasing number of advanced practitioners. You'll occasionally read on forums that 'purple is the new blue', an indication of the incredible expansion BJJ has undergone, particularly in the United States. Yet purple is also seen as the first 'teaching' belt. In other words, this is when you're supposed to have reached a certain level of maturity in BJJ. At the elite level, purple belts are supremely skilled: for example, competitors like the Miyao brothers and Keenan Cornelius, more than capable of holding their own with the average black belt.

If purple opens the doors to teaching, then a brown is essentially a junior black belt. It is not unheard of for brown belts to defeat black belts at the highest levels of competition: to take the one example from recent years, Rodolfo Vieira smashed his way through the 2009 World Pro trials at brown belt, claiming numerous black belt scalps and the nickname 'Caçador dos Faixas Pretas' ("black belt hunter"). Several female world champions in the combined brown/black division gained their title while still brown belts, like Lana Stefanac, who won double gold in 2009.

That means the instructional level of Brown Belt Requirements needs to be quite different from almost every other DVD set. In fact, the only real comparison is Dean's own Purple Belt Requirements. By this point, the practitioner is not normally looking to add a vast array of techniques to their arsenal. A purple belt is likely to already have a considerable store of knowledge. Therefore a DVD aimed at that market needs to do more than simply show them a few more moves.
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Brown Belt Requirements is split across three DVDs along with (as far as I'm aware, uniquely) an audio disc containing some of Dean's musical output (he has previously released a four CD collection, Arc and Shadow). I briefly reviewed an early version of the first disc, Pressure and Options (an hour and twenty-eight minutes), back in January of this year. I described that unfinished version as progressing to the undergraduate level of jiu jitsu, with a sense that you were sat with several other senior belts engaged in an exploratory technical exchange. I also thought it followed the same style as Purple Belt Requirements. There had been a dramatic shift between Blue Belt Requirements and Purple Belt Requirements, which is far less pronounced in the progression to Brown Belt Requirements. I felt that this new DVD retains the conceptual nature of the previous release, except the focus is a little different and instructional detail is trimmed down even further.

The finalised DVD version begins with a lecture on becoming a brown belt, in a similar vein to its excellent counterpart in Purple Belt Requirements, except that this new offering has a heightened sense of style. For example, Dean plays around with his voice, throwing in lots of echo. It's followed by a technical overview, running through numerous techniques, again to a soundtrack. I would assume this is a précis of everything taught on the DVD, though I can't be certain it's completely comprehensive.

The orthodox introduction to the set is titled 'creating opportunity', which was closer to what I've come to expect. In Purple Belt Requirements, the key was combinations. For brown belt, Dean instead emphasises pressure from the top and bottom, which in turn means this is the belt where you become adept at submissions. Due to that pressure, you create opportunities, as per the title.

Appropriately, the next section goes right into that very topic: pressure (around four minutes). First Dean runs through a few options from side control, showing how you can make some adjustments to not only increase the pressure, but potentially even elicit a tap. There are then several subdivisions of pressure, beginning with shoulder pressure. Most people reading this will be familiar with the cross-face and 'shoulder of justice'.

Dean suggests ramping up the force by reaching right over to their armpit. If they bridge into you, then that helps to set up your cross-face. You can also try slapping your hand in between their shoulder blades, for greater control. He then switches to pressure from the guard, demonstrating that as they try to pass, if you can get the underhook and bump, it's possible to obtain what he calls the 'low waist position', a different kind of pressure that begins from guard and ends in side control. Finally, there is pressure from simultaneous pulling and pushing while still in the guard.

This leads into leg locks, which remain an area I avoid as much as possible. However, as has always been the case with the Roy Harris lineage, leg locks are an integral part of the system, something Dean emphasises for brown belts. In 'strategic overview' (techniques with a voiceover, which I much prefer to talking heads), he notes that it is foolish to ignore 50% of the body, along with stating that lower body submissions can be a great equaliser for size and strength. I'm still solidly in the "too dangerous" camp, but perhaps I'll change my opinion in future.

Dean spends roughly six minutes on straight footlocks, rolling toe holds, calf cranks and that old bugbear, heel hooks. The section on leg entanglement was particularly interesting, where Dean uses what looks reminiscent of a lockdown to prevent his opponent from rolling out of a heel hook. As one of the major reasons I don't use leg locks is that I'm terrified my partner would roll the wrong way to escape and mess up their knee, perhaps this is one way of alleviating that concern.

The disc continues with top game and bottom game, where again there is a 'strategic overview' to kick things off. Dean is fond of using the metaphor of BJJ as a debate, which he extends here. For example, "Brown belt is not about learning new words, it's about adding conviction to your argument." He progresses to a rapid sequence from low mount, switching from an americana to a footlock into a triangle then an armbar. The instruction is very fast (that complex combination is explained in only three minutes), even compared to Purple Belt Requirements, which is a clear indicator of the high level practitioners this DVD is aimed towards.

Top game follows, starting with 'low mount attacks', an ideal sequence for me as that's my preferred mount. A minute on 'deconstructing the choke' comes up next, then a three minute sequence with a multitude of knee-on-belly armlocks. 'Failed kimura options' caught my attention, as that's a common problem. Dean suggests a wristlock on their other hand, recovering side control, or unusually, a scissor choke on the neck. That's a submission I first saw in Gracie Jiu Jitsu Basics and had discounted, until I saw another Roy Harris black belt, Sheila Bird, using it effectively in an MMA fight. It still isn't something I'd be likely to try, but it is clearly a more potent attack than I'd assumed.

Three more minutes examine the figure 4 position and the numerous attacks it provides, before a minute on what Dean dubs 'reverse knee on belly'. That opens up a transition similar to the switch from mount to side control Geeza taught recently, and fits in perfectly with Roy Dean's remarkably smooth BJJ game. Dean then moves into two minutes of knee on belly chokes, again packing lots of options into a short space of time. That starts with a methodical run-through of each choke, accompanied by a second demonstration zoomed in, to highlight the hand positioning.

Dean's discussion of 'tail chokes' (by which he means using the bottom of the gi lapel) is slightly longer, at five minutes. He emphasises that once you have that grip, don't let go of the 'tail': even if your partner gets to their knees, it's still a good launching point for your offence. Their applicability in a situation when your opponent is being overly defensive looked to be useful too, as that happens frequently from mount. Like in previous sets, Dean also notes how you can use this attack to generate a reaction, which will then lead into another choke.

Another two minutes are spent on reverse sidemount (which looks similar to what I'd call reverse scarf hold), including a gorgeous back take. The section closes with a few minutes on positional transitions with pressure, revisiting one of the DVD's main themes. For example, when switching from side control into a north south kimura, you can get your arm deep into their armpit using two pressures simultaneously.

The sit out kimura closes off the segment on top game. That features a rare return to the basics, as Dean swiftly summarises how to use the wrestler's sit out, before adding something more offensive. As you'd expect, there is then a corresponding segment on the bottom game. Dean's introduction is based around the concept of simplicity. In the progression from purple to brown, Dean found that he simplified his techniques, trimming down the store of knowledge he had built up over the years to the essential movements.

Fittingly, the first technique covered (in less than two minutes) is one of the most basic: a cross-choke from guard. However, this variation, referred to as the 'Relson choke', is slightly different. You start by coming up on your elbow to reach in as far as possible, so that your hand slides all the way around the back of their collar to the other side of their neck. Lift with your forearm to help insert your second hand, but note that it won't need to be as deep as usual.

The elevator sweep takes up the next couple of minutes, from several situations, before three minutes on an overhook series. This has some similarities to the overhook attacks in Purple Belt Requirements, discussing the central attacks from that grip: choke, triangle and omoplata, along with some sweeps. There's a useful tip on kicking the legs forward to knock them to the ground for the omoplata, rather than trying to wriggle yourself into position by scooting sideways.

'Play your corner' is a more conceptual three minutes, talking about how to get into a better position to start your attack, angling off, then attempting to generate certain reactions to go for the submissions you want. That's followed by a couple of sweeps (about a minute on each). The first starts from side control when you haven't quite managed to get your leg free. The second is essentially the scissor sweep but from spider guard, using the bicep rather than your shin on their stomach.

As this is a brown belt DVD, the bicep slicer isn't out of place, though given that Dean has long included heel hooks on his DVDs, the specific IBJJF restrictions have never been all that much of a concern. This set-up is from the spider guard, using the lasso, which can also flow into sweeps or you can swivel into a triangle. Finally, Dean makes a few points on adjusting the armbar from the triangle, similar to 'play your corner' from a few minutes ago.

Before kicking off his next major segment on passing the guard (which takes about ten minutes), Dean talks about becoming 'a perfect student'. Interestingly, the emphasis appeared to be that you had to reach a certain base level of isometric strength, flexibility and balance. This message of 'mastering the physical' arguably contrasts a little with one of my favourite Roy Dean metaphors, from Blue Belt Requirements: you don't need a bigger gas tank, just better fuel economy.

The balance part applies directly to passing the guard, where I often struggle. There's a smooth scissor sweep counter to start, using a backstep to switch direction and negate the sweep. Passing under the leg with a crushing grip on the collar moves right into a clock choke, should they try to roll out to relieve the discomfort. That includes what I know as the Felipe Souza version of the choke, bracing an elbow against their head.

Passing the z-guard differs depending on if their ankles are crossed or not. If they are, Dean shows how you can wrap up their legs and sprawl to break it open. If they are not, then swivel your lower leg to bring your ankle through. The same body part is key for the 'ankle flare', by which Dean means getting that ankle over their shin as soon as you can get their knee to the floor.

Sprawling on their knee is another helpful concept, before Dean gets on to a technique the DVD titles as 'toriani', again incorporating a backstep. This pass is probably one of the better examples of how confused BJJ terminology can get. I would call it the bullfighter pass, but I've seen it called all sorts of names: the toreador, toreandor, toreando, toreana, toreado...the list goes on. Google Translate tells me the Portuguese for bullfighter is 'toureiro', which like all the others will also bring up videos of the bullfighter pass. Dean completes his passing segment with the x-pass, involving a leg drag to go straight to the back.

The final chapter of the DVD is on counters and escapes. The 'strategic overview' makes several excellent points:

Escapes must be done in combination. [...] You should now be leading the movement with beginners, and encourage them to attempt submissions on you. Allow yourself to be vulnerable. [...] Occasional failure is the price of progress. On the road to brown belt, you've already tapped a thousand times, so don't let one more bother you.

Dean then takes a minute to demonstrate a 'roll reversal', which is what he calls grabbing their arm when in turtle then rolling to take the top position. To help that roll, he suggests you should kick your leg back on the side you want to roll, as that will make it easier to spin through. Otherwise, you'll be fighting against your own base. Dean also includes the classic judo approach after having rolled them: finishing with a waki gatame.

Several flowing armlock escapes take up the next minute and a half, looking to roll backwards and spin into the top position. That's followed by counters to the kneebar and ankle lock, then slightly longer on escaping side control. Dean starts with a Demian Maia style bicep bump into their head, using timing and momentum to roll the opponent. The key is to get them to commit to pushing back, as that gives you the force you need to bring them over the top. There's also a nifty wristlock you can land after tangling their arm with your legs.

Coverage of mount escapes is again about a minute and a half, making some advances on the principle of trapping and rolling. Dean prefers to go directly into a footlock, a tactic you'll see on previous DVDs as well as many of the belt demonstrations. The counter to scarf hold again reminded me of Maia, as that works by pushing on their elbow just before they can secure the position, sliding out to take the back. Dean's guard pass counter uses the same principle. Another artistic piece, 'Expressing the Technique' rounds off the DVD, which as far as I can tell is the same footage from the opening lecture.
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Brown Belt Requirements's second disc echoes one of my favourite parts of the previous Purple Belts Requirements: sparring footage with commentary, denoted by its title, rolling and evaluation.The first half is made up of three 'rolling' sections, 'Naples Seminar', 'Naples Analysis' and 'TJ and Brendan'.

The 'Naples Seminar' section felt somewhat redundant, as it is the same footage as in 'Naples Analysis'. The difference is that the latter has commentary, along with slow motion replays for techniques and movements Dean particularly wants to emphasise. I presume the intention is that you could watch the Naples Seminar to arrive at your own conclusions, then compare that with the commentary. However, you could just turn the sound off for that: I would have preferred the option of perhaps two audio tracks, one with commentary and one without, but then I'm guessing that might be either difficult or expensive to do.

Either way, the seminar itself features Dean rolling nogi against several students. They are mostly big, strong white belts, clinging on tightly as big, strong white belts tend to do (though there was at least one blue belt). Dean isn't exactly small – he's over six foot – but he is lean rather than beefy. So, there is an element of seeing how a smaller, experienced grappler should tackle muscular noobs. As Dean says, he feels that part of being a brown belt is possessing the ability to deal with a room full of beginners. The sparring also included one woman, which is good to see.

'TJ & Brendan' refers to a purple and a blue belt respectively, meaning that the commentary provides more advanced analysis this time. If you've been following Roy Dean's work, then you'll be very familiar with TJ Brodeur: he has been the main uke for many years now. The most useful aspect here is that you get to see lots of the techniques from the first DVD in action.

The second half of the DVD surprised me, as it wasn't what I was expecting. The clue is in the title, Brown Belt Evaluation, split into two parts, 'The Challenge' and 'The Evaluation'. At first, you assume this is another belt demonstration, with somebody going for their brown belt. The techniques all look smooth, the demands on stamina are significant and it's all brought together by Dean's trademark musical stylings. However, from what I can gather this was not an actual test, but rather a method of ascertaining how much more needed to be done.

That leads into 'The Evaluation', which for me was the highlight of the whole set. The purpose of the preceding exertion appears to have been to judge what still needed to be done to reach that brown belt level. Throughout the test, Roy Dean and his teacher Roy Harris have been watching and taking notes. The evaluation is Harris' chance to run through those notes, saying exactly what he wants to see by the time of the real demonstration in December.

Harris is famously analytical, to an almost obsessive degree (a huge plus point in my book, as I love over-analysing! ;D), meaning that he can break down the task into clearly stated points. That begins with a discussion of the areas he felt were lacking, which progresses to his proposed solutions. It's a tough proposition: for example, Harris wants to see not only combinations of one or two moves, but all the way up to five. He also expects there to be a constant threat of attack, particularly from the guard, something I personally find very difficult as I have an extremely passive game.

Over the course of the next fifteen minutes or so, Harris dissects the candidate's guard, side control and mount. He doesn't just talk about it, but also grabs an uke to demonstrate. This is what I love about jiu jitsu. On the one hand it's a very cerebral sport which lends itself to thorough theoretical examinations, while on the other it is also a physical exercise that requires practical demonstration and pressure testing against resistance. I hope that for Black Belt Requirements, there will be lots more commentary and evaluation, as it's a wonderful addition to an instructional DVD.
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The third DVD is where you'll find the belt demonstrations, something that has come to be an expected part of any Roy Dean Media production. As ever, you can find them all on YouTube, but that can't compete with the quality of a DVD version. They are also all demonstrations to earn a purple belt: I would assume that's because there haven't been enough brown belt demonstrations yet (the only one I can remember seeing is Jimmy Da Silva, though I would assume there have been at least one or two others since then).

Whenever I watch a Roy Dean belt demonstration, my first thought is always "wow, I definitely wouldn't be ready for a [insert colour] belt if I trained there!" That's especially true with the purple belt demonstrations, as the rapid combinations, smooth transitions and of course leg locks are all well beyond me. You'll notice similarities between all of the demonstrations, so it would be possible for a senior student to pick up plenty of details simply by viewing this third DVD of the set.

Along the same lines, my second thought is that I would love to see a DVD from Roy Dean that simply went through all the techniques expected for one of these tests: perhaps an accompanying "Curriculum" series to complement the Requirements releases. Although I assume that given the considerable variety on display as Dean's DVDs have evolved, he might well find a mere explanation of a curriculum a bit dull at this point, though I'm sure it would sell well.

The third DVD finishes with some trailers. It is followed not by a DVD, but an audio CD of ambient electronica. If you like the soundtrack to Dean's work, then you should enjoy the tracks. Several of them are quite long, one going to sixteen minutes. Dean mentions in his blurb for the DVD that you could listen to the music while rolling, which would make the length understandable. I'd say that the music is closest to my favourite of Dean's four albums in his last musical release, Second Sound, rather than the harder edged End of Days. Having said that, there is a hint of industrial on certain tracks, like 'Systems Degree', but only briefly.

I had a feeling about this DVD set which crystallised upon a second viewing: it isn't just meant for purple belts, but more specifically, experienced purple belts. I still count myself as a very mediocre purple. I can't pass the guard. I almost never submit anybody. I haven't got a clue about footlocks. So, this DVD is not intended for people like me. All the way through, Dean talks about how by this stage, you already know your game, you're already good, it is a matter of becoming efficient and exerting your will. Therefore if you're not at that level, it would be advisable to leave off buying this set until you reach it. Available to buy here, or from iTunes here

26/04/2012 - Teaching (Maintaining the Back)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:54:00 +0000

Teaching #051
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 26/04/2012

As we're now shifting from mount to the back in the lesson plan, I wanted to start off by showing how you can take the back from mount, specifically technical mount. If for some reason the foot you have by their hip is slipping and they try to catch it in half guard, try sliding your other knee right to their head and rolling them to the other side. Due to their half guard attempt, they've already given you one hook, so you just need to insert the other. You don't have to wait for them to try for half guard, as you can also simply fall back, pulling them behind you to establish back control.

Once on the back, if you find you start to lose the position, Andre Galvao shows a simple option for retaking the back, which works well as a drill. This is quite similar to the back take you've just done. They manage to clear one of your hooks and start bringing their hips over. Before they can get their shoulders to the mat, press your chest into their shoulder and roll them onto their side, in the direction they were escaping. Use the foot they've dislodged to post , raising yourself up enough that you can slide your dislodged knee high up their back. Sit back and roll them towards your remaining hook, onto their other side, then re-establish your second hook. You can keep doing that from side to side as a drill.

Taking things full circle, note that you can also recover mount from the back. This time, they've not only cleared one hook, they've also managed to put their shoulders onto the mat. It might be tough regain your back mount from here, especially if they've moved over your leg or have it under their body. Instead, shift so that you can bring your remaining hook over their body. Clamp that heel to their far hip, making sure it is providing you with enough control that they can't simply shrug you off. Pull out your elbow for base, then turn and slide through into mount.

20/04/2012 - Gracie Barra Bristol (Mount & Side Control Transition)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Class #453
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Nicolai 'Geeza' Holt, Bristol, UK - 20/04/2012

I was intending to train on Tuesday this week, but like last week, my gf asked if I could shift my days around, so again I was in on Friday. Should be back to the normal schedule of training Tuesday next week, though: I'll be interested to see if Dónal has made any adjustments now that the gi class is only an hour, followed by nogi.

Tonight Geeza discussed the transition between side control and mount. Unusually, he demonstrated mount to side control, which isn't something you'd typically expect: on the one hand, that's dropping down the positional hierarchy, which isn't normally advisable. However, if you're about to lose position, it makes sense to go for one almost as solid before you fall even further down, such as into guard or half guard.

Another interesting comment Geeza made was that he feels that side control is preferable to the mount if your opponent is going nuts trying to escape. If you'd asked me which I prefer a year ago, I would have said side control, no question. More recently, I've been feeling increasingly comfortable in the mount, so now I'm not sure (although on the other hand, on the rare occasions I do submit somebody, it's almost always from either side control or top half guard and pretty much never from mount).

So, if you find that they're about to escape by turning and bridging, then you can switch from mount to side control by swinging the leg (on the side to which they're turning) over their head. Turn your body to face the mat, swinging your other leg around in the process. You can then reverse by swinging back over their head, to land in s-mount (particularly if they turn towards you after you've just spun to side control). Essentially, you're breakdancing on them, which looks awesome if you get it right, but it's a risky move.

A safer transition is the standard side control to mount. Secure a solid side control with one arm under the head, cross-facing, while the other goes under their far armpit. Prying their near elbow open with your near knee, bringing that in tight to put their near arm out of commission. Crawl up towards their head with your far side hand, then slide your knee across their belt line. Once it's far enough, turn your body slightly to slap the side of that foot on the mat (to avoid getting stuck in half guard), then secure the mount.

We finished up with a bit of specific sparring. Geeza put an interesting twist on it, as you could start in either side control or mount, but the goal was to make at least two transitions. That was good for the person on top, as it forced them to work their mobility rather than clamping down in a static hold, while the person on the bottom could work on timing their escapes with those transitions.

On top, I tried starting in both side control and mount, generally going for side control with the less experienced training partners, as mount seems almost unfair in that situation. I didn't with everyone though: one of the blues quickly punished my sloppy attempt to switch to mount from side control by catching my leg in half guard. It's always good to get a reminder of the danger that comes with trying to rush that transition.

From mount, as Geeza said, it's easier to make that transition, because you're starting in a more dominant position. It also gave me a chance to practice holding mount against someone much bigger. My tactic of loading up my weight on one side by putting my head in the opposite direction when they roll (something I learned from Roger, IIRC) wasn't quite enough when the size difference is really big, or rather, I need to pull it off perfectly when the discrepancy is that large. Another good lesson to keep in mind.

Underneath, the person on the bottom almost had the advantage, as the person on top had to move. It was mainly a matter of waiting for them to start shifting their weight, or baiting them into motion. I like the drill, so something I'll look to incorporate into mount lessons in future. It would combine well with the Saulo side control, as that's a fluid position. Also, I'm not sure what criteria Geeza uses, but I got a stripe.

19/04/2012 - Teaching (Mount Escape: Heel Drag)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:32:00 +0000

Teaching #050
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 19/04/2012

I've reached the milestone of my fiftieth class as an instructor: pleasingly, it's one I'm comfortable teaching, as I went through my favourite mount escape, the heel drag. It is also quite simple, which is another reason I like it. You're in mount, your elbows in a good place for defence, down by their knees. For this escape to work, you need to have one of your legs out flat. You also need to get on your side: a slight bridging motion will help.

The big danger at this point is that the person on top will switch to technical mount. You therefore need to make sure that your neck is safe if that happens. You also don't want to let them settle into technical mount: immediately prepare your frames to start escaping before they secure the position. You may even be able to disrupt them as they try to shift, using that shift in their base to enter into your escape.

If they don't get to technical mount, or you're able to work back to the previous position, wedge an elbow underneath their knee. You can either make a frame against their hips, or if you're concerned about your neck, adjust so that you can still pry your elbow under their knee while protecting your collar with your hands. As well as chokes, you also need to be wary of their cross-face: if they can control your head, they can flatten you back out, which will make the escape less effective. Use a combination of your elbow and shrimping to shove their knee backwards, on your flat leg side.

Bring your other foot over both your flat leg and the leg they have next to it. That means you can use the heel of that foot to drag their leg over your flat leg. As soon as you get it over, lock half guard and shrimp towards their trapped leg. In half guard, you want to get onto your side as quickly as possible: if you stay flat on your back, you've already done their work for them, as they will want to flatten you out in order to pass half guard. If you're comfortable in half guard, you could stay there and work your attacks.

Alternatively, keep shrimping in the other direction, in order to free your other leg, just like you would with an elbow escape. It's also worth noting that some people, like Roy Dean, recommend just pinching your knees rather than fully triangling your legs around theirs, so that's worth trying too. To help recover full guard, you can also bring your arm across to their opposite shoulder, impeding their movement while aiding yours. Emily Kwok has a handy tip too: if their foot is too flat, making it hard to get your heel in for a drag, shove under their heel with your knee to pry it up and create that space between their foot and the mat.

A very similar escape, which I don't use much, is the foot lift. Dean shows these two escapes in sequence on his awesome Blue Belt Requirements. The foot lift is for when they have some space underneath their in-step. People won't often do that, in my experience, but if they do, this time just step over your flat leg. Use your foot to hook underneath their instep and lift it over, then as before lock up half guard (your legs are already in position), or shrimp to recover full guard.

Make sure that you pay particular attention to shoving on their knee with this variation, as it is easier for them to slip free (though if that happens, you can always switch to the heel drag). With both escapes, it is important to get the knee of their trapped leg back behind your legs. If they still have their knee past your legs, it makes it much easier for them to move straight into a half guard pass, by driving their knee to the mat and sliding through.

13/04/2012 - Gracie Barra Bristol (Escaping Technical Mount)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Class #452
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Nicolai 'Geeza' Holt, Bristol, UK - 13/04/2012

Tonight was also my first chance to test out the Gracie Barra Premium gi I got for my birthday (my parents paid £90 from GB Shop Europe, with about £7 shipping). I'm not a fan of being restricted to an official uniform, but if I have to wear a GB gi, it might as well be comfortable. Judging by tonight's first outing, the Premium is an improvement over the basic model, but that may be more down to getting an A1 rather than my previous A2 (which is still a little large on me for my liking). My main concern is the shrinkage: I don't mind too much if I end up with a tiny gi, but hopefully it won't shrink too much (especially as I always wash gis at 30 degrees Celsius and hang dry).

The advanced class follows straight after the fundamentals, and kicks off with a bit of specific sparring from closed guard. That was a good reminder of how completely rubbish my guard is, both on top and bottom. Underneath, I spent most of the spar with head control, badly attempting three things: trying to either push their arm across to get my chest to their shoulder and take the back; push their arm over my leg to set up the kimura; look to get their hand to mat and overhook. Didn't get anywhere. My elbow problems didn't help, but still, I really need to come up with a better selection of options to work towards. It might be time I tried to get back to the flower sweep, which is something I never really worked out despite spending ages on it at white belt.

On top, I did at first try to stand up to keep working on my base, but as soon as my partner looked to go for sleeve control to disrupt my position, there was a shooting pain up my arm so I sat straight back down. Nothing much happened from there, except some attempts to get to combat base. I also tried to stay in a low crouch and get hold of the collar, but it was pretty much a stalemate. I eventually managed to get to top half guard, but that was off a scramble, so not at all technical.

The technique for the advanced class was, usefully, escaping technical mount. The key is getting either your arm or your elbow inserted into any space between the back of their knee and your torso. Your other hand (so, this will be the arm you have closest to the floor) needs to be grabbing your opposite collar tightly, as otherwise they'll have a clear route to choke you. Once you can get through arm into the gap behind their knee, reach through and grab your gi trousers, by your knee.

Start moving your legs towards your head, until there is an opportunity to shove their leg between yours and switch to deep half guard. From here, you can continue to run towards your head, then quickly turn the other way: this is what Jeff Glover calls the 'Homer sweep'. If your partner is wise to that and adjusts their weight accordingly, you may still be able to pop out the back.

I was a bit wary of sparring due to the complaints my elbow was making, but one of the advantages of training at GB Bristol is that Geeza is more than happy to accommodate injuries like that. So, I was able to train with two of the women present: as I've said many times, women tend to be more mature, considerate and helpful training partners, meaning they're perfect for rolling when injured. I had a relaxed roll with somebody who I think started that night (but she's also a 2nd dan in judo, so no stranger to judo), then Vikki.

As I'd failed miserably to do anything in guard earlier that class, I wanted to be a bit more varied this time, so attempted to move into butterfly guard (not very successfully, but I'll get there in the end if I keep trying it). I'm still keen to get better at that guard, as like I've said in the past, I don't think spider guard is going to be good for me long-term, given what Chiu told me about it completely mashing his fingers. Improving my closed guard is important too, along with my basic foot-on-hips guard, where I can keep working my tripod/sickle sweep combination.

13/04/2012 - Gracie Barra Bristol (Ezequiel Choke)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Class #451
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Nicolai 'Geeza' Holt, Bristol, UK - 13/04/2012

If there is anyone else who has been having trouble getting certain blogs into their RSS reader, I just realised there is an easy workaround (at least for a blogspot blog). If you don't care and are thinking "make with the training already!", click here. ;)

If you're still with me: all you need is the blog ID number. I understand almost nothing about coding, but with a decent browser (i.e., Chrome or Firefox), you can just right-click on the blog in question, then in Chrome, click on 'Inspect Element'. That will make a mini-window with lots of code appear at the bottom of your browser.

Chrome has a handy 'search elements' bit in the top right of that mini-window. Look for 'blogid', which should be accompanied by a long number. Once you have that number, you can put it in the middle of this url, replacing '###' with the blog ID: http://www2.blogger.com/feeds/###/posts/default?alt=rss. Then voila, you should have a working feed to paste into the 'subscribe' bit of Google Reader (or whatever RSS reader you use).

This makes me happy, because for many years, I haven't been able to put one of my favourite blogs (Dagney's BJJ Training, by a cool female brown belt who trains in San Diego) in my Google Reader. As I read everything via that, it also meant I kept forgetting to check Dagney's site, so would never be up to date. BUT with this workaround (which results in this feed for Dagney's blog), I can at long last add her to my many other blog subscriptions (also why she's now in my 'blog feeds' bit to the left of my blog, which I reserve for my absolute favourites: the full list is here). Awesome! :D

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I haven't been to one of Geeza's classes in ages, but tonight I had an opportunity to pop down, as my girlfriend had a couple of old friends over she was looking to catch up with. Unfortunately my elbow is still a bit knackered, and got worse over the session, but it was useful to at least test it out again. Annoying that I have no idea how I did it a couple of weeks ago, though: at least if it was from an armbar or something like that, I'd know I just needed to tap earlier. ;)

Anyway, class was going to focus on a submission I've been trying to get for years but never quite manage, the ezequiel choke from mount. Geeza's version was a little different from what I'm used to, in regards to the finish. It started as usual, getting one arm under their head with the bicep tight to their neck, grabbing inside your opposite sleeve. However, rather than emphasising getting that bit of loose cloth into the other side of their neck, Geeza focused on attempting to get your free hand across to grab your other sleeve, then close off the gap around their neck.

He had a few other tips on stopping their hands getting in the way, which is always the most frustrating part of setting up an ezequiel. First, you could try getting both of your knees over their elbows, to stop them getting their arms in place. Second, if you can only get one arm that way, it still gives you more scope to attack. Finally, you can try dragging one of their arms across and trapping it under your chest, again increasing the vulnerability of their neck.

We then did some king of the hill sparring from mount: I'm assuming the idea was to keep going for that ezequiel rather than another submission, but even if not, I took it as a chance to keep on doggedly going after the same choke when on top. However, I wasn't able to properly clear the neck. I tried Saulo's option of reaching through the crook of their elbow, then dragging their arm back to their side to pin it, also staying tight with my head. Each time, I wasn't able to keep it tight enough, as my partner was able to keep working their hands back into a defensive position.

On the plus side, I was able to maintain the mount for a good long while. Unusually for me, I wasn't just relying on grapevines to stay rigidly in position, but crawled my way up into a higher mount, pressing the soles of my feet into their side with my knees out wide for base. Come to think of it, that may have hindered my ezequiel a bit (as normally the low grapevine mount is a better place for that attack), although I think it was more down to my inability to get past those defensive hands.

Underneath, I was mostly relying on my usual foot drag escape. I did try to think about the normal elbow escape too, given my own personal resolution to use a greater variety, then later I went for the stiff-arm their hips and pop to butterfly. However, I don't think I would have got that against a heavier training partner.

Interview: Mauricio Gomes On Belt Tests & Wrapping Up

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:04:00 +0000

~ (1) (2 (3) (4)

In the previous instalment of this four part interview, Mauricio spoke about his history teaching BJJ. In the final part this week, he shares his views on the growing trend of belt tests in BJJ, along with a couple of closing statements.

slideyfoot.com: There are several schools in the US which use a formal belt test to grade their students, do this technique, do that technique and so on. For example, Alliance, Pedro Sauer and ATT. What do you think of that practice?

Mauricio Gomes: I don't really know what that is, so I can't really comment directly on that, as I don't really know what they do. We still use the old style, if you want to put it that way, if testing is a new style: I don't really know, that's why I don't want to compare. The only thing I can say is how we do it. The student gets their stripes, then when they get their fourth stripe, they're considered for their next belt. But, first there will always be respect for the rules of the international confederation. I believe that no matter what happens, in any situation, you need rules. Those rules are given by a board of people who are there for that. In a country, it is the congress that gives the laws, in our case, it's the confederation.

I see people nowadays using the same belt as me, and they got their black belt ten years after me. It's very hard to swallow that. I think they probably had their reasons, I'm not going to go into that, because it doesn't really concern me, but I would be extremely ashamed knowing that I'm not there yet but have the belt. It's like, if a guy is a blue belt, you give him a brown, but skipped purple belt and it doesn't matter, you're a brown belt now. There has to be that process, going through your four stripes, then there is like a minimum of two years to get from one belt to the other. There are some situations you've got to respect. That's what the rules are there for.

slideyfoot.com: Talking about this, one of the arguments I hear from the people who like the belt testing idea is "well, otherwise the instructor can't know if the student understands all the techniques, maybe they're just strong, maybe they're just really good with their triangle."

Mauricio Gomes: No, that's not possible, no. A good instructor, that is training their students, with them every day throughout the year, believe me, they know who is capable of doing what and who is ready for this or that. Believe me, they know. I know, so they must know too, right? If not, what are we doing here? Having a coffee while everybody is training? You are there to do your job. Your job is to look after your students, teach them the best you can and help them through. That's what we're there for.

Otherwise, it would just be open the door, put a mat down, then "let's rumble," then "ok, time to go." You wouldn't need an instructor. What do we get paid for, for nothing? I believe that the instructor knows what they're doing, has to know what they're doing. They will know who is ready for this or that. They have to know.

slideyfoot.com: Do you happen to remember who the first female black belt was? I've asked various people this question, as have others. So far the top three contenders seem to be Karla Gracie (Carlinhos' sister, mentioned in a 1997 Black Belt Magazine), Patrícia Lage (who competed as a black belt at the 1998 Brasileiros, though she herself has said there were others before her) and Kim Gracie (Rickson's ex-wife, who may possibly have been a black belt in 1997).

Mauricio Gomes: Honestly, I'm not going to lie to you, I don't know. I think a lot of girls were training, but it's probably the same situation with something like "who did the first flight?" The Wright brothers, or that French guy who was living in Brazil, Santos-Dumont. There probably were a lot of things going on, so who is going to know the first black belt woman in history? I don't think you'll ever find that answer. It would probably be things happening more or less at the same time. Alexandre Paiva's wife is one, I remember her getting her black.

I'm quite certain that these girls, Kim and Karla, I don't think they trained at all, or if they did train, not enough to get a black belt. This is me guessing, and I know them both. Maybe they did, I don't know.

slideyfoot.com: The main source that the Karla story comes from, and perhaps it wasn't well researched, is that Black Belt Magazine article. It was going through all the Gracie family members, then it said Karla was "the only female family member to reach black belt." Maybe they got the name wrong, or it was a political thing to put that in?

Mauricio Gomes: I think in the Gracie family, the first woman to get a black belt was Kyra. No doubt about that, no other Gracie woman got her black belt. No way, I would have remembered that, because Karla would be my ex-wife's sister. So I would have known, or somebody would have told me, "oh, Karla got her black belt," or I would hear "oh, Karla has been training a lot."

slideyfoot.com: You are well-known for your knee on belly. Is that something you've always been really good at and worked on?

Mauricio Gomes: I worked on it a lot, yeah, over the years. You know how fighters are, over the years. If a judo player trains for many years, they will have one or two really, really great takedowns that if they catch wind of it in any position, they'll take their opponent down. In jiu jitsu, it is probably the same thing. My knee on belly is something that I'm so comfortable with, I've been doing it for so long, it's something I now do well.

slideyfoot.com: Did you start doing that at blue belt, white belt, or did it come in later?

Mauricio Gomes: Blue belt. It is one of those things, you like what you do. Blue and purple belt is the time you start experimenting with a lot of things. "I like this, I don't really like that much." I probably got along well with the knee on stomach.

slideyfoot.com: Is there anything else you'd like to say to the readers of this website?

Mauricio Gomes: Keep on training! [laughs]

[Pic included by kind permission of Zafar Hashmi]

Thanks again to Mauricio for agreeing to speak to me, and thanks also to Geeza for bringing him down to GB Bristol. For more Mauricio, check out Issue #7 of Jiu Jitsu Style, available now.

~ (1) (2 (3) (4)

12/04/2012 - Teaching (Mount Escapes)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:18:00 +0000

Teaching #049
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 12/04/2012

Tonight, it was time to again cover the two simplest methods of escaping the mount. Like last time, there were a few drills I wanted to include, beginning with shrimping in pairs (one person standing by the others armpits, bottom person shrimps back to guard). I also had them do bridges from side to side, then with a big step.

The first basic escape is the trap and roll. A typical starting point would be when they try to establish their first grip on your collar for a choke. That provides you with a chance to trap their arm. The usual grip would be to grab their wrist with your opposite hand, then their elbow with your other hand. There are various other possibilities, like wrapping the arm, but the essential thing is to stop their ability to post their hand for base. You could bump to knock them forward, meaning they will normally catch themselves by putting a hand on the mat. You can then bring your linked arms over that extended arm, bending their elbow and trapping the arm.

You also need to trap their leg on that same side. Otherwise, they will be able to use that for base as you attempt to roll them. In order to prevent that, step your same side foot over their lower leg, hooking it in tightly. This means they are now like a chair with two of its legs missing. A common problem is that you're having trouble trapping their foot, because it is too high up. If that happens, try to use your elbow (or even your hand, if you need more reach, but that could leave your neck vulnerable) to shove their knee backwards, until their lower leg is in range.

To finish, you're going to bridge towards that trapped side. As with the side control escape, get your heels close to your bum first for maximum leverage. Bridge up and over your shoulder, turning into their guard. Make sure that you're bridging over your shoulder and turning to your knees, not simply rolling over to your side. If you don't raise your hips properly, you may merely give up your back.

You can still trap and and roll if they bring an arm under your head: simply reach back as if you were combing your hair to trap their arm, then progress as before. Finally, you might find you need to remove their legs from being threaded in between yours (known as 'grapevining'). To clear them, bring one of your feet back to your bum, then push off their hook on that leg with your other foot. Another method, which Rener uses, is to just circle your leg around, though that depends on how well they're using their grapevine.

The trap and roll escape does work, but on its own may not be enough against an experienced opponent. Personally, I prefer the elbow escape, which relies more on shrimping than bridging. As a rule of thumb, if you're underneath, you don't want to be flat on your back. So, start your elbow escape by turning to your side and working your elbows inside their knee. Keep defending your neck throughout, so that your elbows form a frame. Create some space by bridging. You can then use your frame to help you shrimp into the space you just created, pushing against their leg.

The idea is to make enough space to pull your leg through: don't just bridge and plop back down. That leg will need to be flat, the other raised, or it will be hard to pull it free. After you're on your side, you can simply bump slightly, then simultaneously shove their knee with your elbow while sliding your flat leg underneath. Once it's out, you can then use that leg to wrap around one of theirs. Getting half guard may be a possibility here, but generally I'd recommend you keep working towards full guard. To do that, continue shrimping and framing until both legs are free.

You can also use a frame against their hips, one arm across, the other bracing against that wrist, elbow in tight. That's also handy for stopping them moving up higher in mount. However, be extra careful with your neck if you do that: as your arms are down by their hips, that could leave you vulnerable to chokes.

As with any technique, try to combine your escapes rather than obsessing over just one. Also, don't give them your head: that's what the person on top wants for control. Connected to that, make sure you always defend your neck and keep your elbows tight. I'm a small guy, so this is what I tend to do most classes: stay really tight, elbows in, knees curled up, not leaving anything loose for them to attack, or space for them to wedge their hands through.

Interview: Mauricio Gomes on Teaching in the UK & Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:51:00 +0000

~ (1) (2) (3) (4) ~

In the previous instalment of this four part interview, Mauricio spoke about his son, Roger Gracie. This week, he reflects on his time as a teacher, especially in the UK.

slideyfoot.com: You were a pioneer of BJJ in the UK. Did you ever meet Chen Morales, who was here a little earlier?

Mauricio Gomes: Chen Morales used to teach in London, I met Chen. I brought Renzo over for a seminar, and Chen attended the seminar, that's where I met him. He used to teach at the Budokwai, the club that later on was given to us, we're still there. I'd heard of him, and then his students used to go to Birmingham once a week on Saturdays, to train with the guys there. I think I did one lesson in his academy, he invited me. I think he moved to Spain after that.

slideyfoot.com: So you didn't have a chance to check out the other schools in the UK at that time?

Mauricio Gomes: No, I started my school, and I used to work so much, all day. You put all those classes on, you have to be there. Even if only one or two students show up, it doesn't matter, you know? That's what I tell these boys now. The classes are full, there are always a lot of people. I had a zillion times where I had one person show up, or sometimes two. You've still got to do your job, right? [laughs]

slideyfoot.com: I guess because you taught in various other places around the world, like Japan, you already knew what it was going to be like, so you had the motivation to get past those small numbers. Or was it just that you knew jiu jitsu was good, so classes would eventually start expanding?

Mauricio Gomes: You always have the motivation, as when you start something, you want to see it through. When I started that school in Japan, in about two months, I had 290 students, something like that. But Tokyo is an easy city to have a lot of students: one block around you, there's a zillion people living there! [laughs] It's a very populated city.

I think once you're confident in the work that you present, you don't worry so much. People have to understand that a jiu jitsu school is like any other business. It's like having a shop. You open up your door in the morning, stay there all day, close the door at night, go home to bed. The only difference is that we fight all day. [laughs]

slideyfoot.com: As you've been teaching for many years now, do you approach it differently, to try and maintain your interest level, or has it become your job? Is there still that passion?

Mauricio Gomes: I still have the same passion. I teach today as if I was teaching for the first time. I care a lot about the quality, trying to do the best I can. Also, we are so few, that came from Rolls, I to this day still try to give exactly the same I was given. I think I've succeeded in that. I can go to bed and sleep calmly at night, thinking to myself "ok, I've tried my best to pass on the information as I received it."

slideyfoot.com: Do you have any other favourite memories from the early days of BJJ in the UK?

Mauricio Gomes: I've got a lot of good memories in the UK, in my school, students that are doing well, sometimes when you have a visitor from another place and your student takes care of it, that kind of thing. It is very rewarding. The compensation of a teacher comes in seeing their students. It is like when you are trying to grow something. You plant it, and if you plant it well, it will grow nice and strong. That's what jiu jitsu does. You plant a little seed, then you see that flourish.

slideyfoot.com: Speaking of growing, there are quite a few home grown black belts in the UK now, thanks to pioneers like you: do you think the UK has reached maturity in BJJ, or does it still have a long way to go?

Mauricio Gomes: There is still a long way to go. The maturity will come. It is very big, it has grown a lot, but I think the maturity of all of this will come when you have loads of kids and adolescents participating, competing and all that, like they have in the other martial arts. That's your future. It is when you get a six, seven, eight year old and see them all the way through to black belt, that's maturity.

For now, you see that the ages are getting lower. There are a lot of young people now, and that age needs to get lower and lower. It's a long process, but I think it is already starting. It will mature pretty soon.

[Pics included by kind permission of Amari Stark]

~ (1) (2) (3) (4) ~

05/04/2012 - Teaching (Maintaining Side Control)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:46:00 +0000

Teaching #048
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 05/04/2012

Very, very small class tonight, as only one person showed up. Hopefully that's due to it being the start of the extended Easter weekend (for those outside the UK, we have a national holiday on the Friday and the Monday), rather than my teaching being incredibly pants. :)

So, that basically meant I was teaching a private lesson. I'm fortunate that this week we're doing side control, where I'm fairly comfortable teaching techniques from the top and bottom. I was going with maintaining side control tonight, kicking off with the two technical sections I'd already planned (based on my previous times teaching top side control). To start, I went through the basics of holding side control.

In order to maintain side control, the first thing is to reverse engineer the escape. When you're underneath, one of the worst things that can happen is they control your near arm. Now that you're on top, that is therefore exactly what you want. Start by digging your knee in to get it into the armpit. You want to slip it right under, bringing your knees in close to their head.

Next, you want to apply the cross face. If you're not familiar with the term, that means bringing your near side arm under their head. From that position, you can then drive your shoulder into the side of their head, aiming to get their head to turn away from you. If they can't turn back towards you due to the shoulder pressure, it will make it much harder for them to create space and escape. This is what SBG call the 'shoulder of justice.'

So, you've got control of their near arm and their head. You're now going to deal with their far arm. Reach under that far elbow with your arm, coming under the armpit. You have a couple of options here.

Option one is linking your hands together with a gable grip and sucking them in towards you, providing a very tight side control. This is how Tran showed it to me several years ago, and has been my preferred control ever since. Option two is gripping around their shoulder, to bring their shoulder off the mat. To mention Liam again, he demonstrated in his lesson how you can also use the elbow of your far arm to squeeze into their far hip.

You want to keep control over this far arm for two reasons: first, they can use it to defend, by getting it into your neck. Second, there are a number of attacks you can do from here, which I want to cover next week.

Final point I wanted to emphasise was chest position. Picture an imaginary line between the middle of their chest and also between yours. You want to bisect those lines: don't be too far over them, or they can easily roll you (if they DO try and roll you and it's working, put your far arm out for base). Too far back, and it's easier for them to slip out and escape. Stay low, dropping your hips: don't leave them any space.

This is what I would call orthodox side control, and it's the one I use all the time. I prefer this position, because here I feel like I have the most control, as my opponent has no space. I also tend to clasp my hands, in what Xande calls the 'super hold' on his DVD, with good reason. It's a powerful grip.

At this point, I wanted to note that there are a bunch of different things you can do with your legs. I prefer to bring both knees in tight. Other people like to sprawl them back and drop the hips. Then there are others who will have one knee up by the hip, the other leg sprawled back. Play around and see which you like, and also be ready to switch depending on your partner's movement

Saulo's method for maintaining side control, which he shows on Jiu Jitsu Revolution, is to keep that hip stuck to theirs throughout. He keeps his hip constantly next to his opponent's hip. The only time he lets off the pressure is if he gets something better, like strong control on the far arm. As they move, turn and put your other hip to theirs, following them around with your legs sprawled back. Your elbow is across, blocking their other hip. Your weight is constantly on them, because of that sprawl: don't touch the floor with your legs or knees.

I was keen to emphasise mobility in side control as well as focused pressure. Although it can be tempting to just seize up in side control, you have to keep moving: otherwise, you aren't reacting to your opponent and they're eventually going to escape.

In order to practice that mobility and weight distribution, I added in a progressive resistance drill where neither person is using their hands. The idea is that the person on top is simply using their weight to maintain control, moving around, focusing all the pressure through their chest. The person on the bottom also gets to practice their escape mechanics, focusing on their hips and legs. I wasn't sure if this drill would work, but wanted to give it a go anyway.

So, staying mobile means switching around, reacting to your partner's movements. That includes different types of side control, and also sub positions of side control. I was ready to show up to three, but people seemed happy with just the one.

We followed up with a sub-position, scarf hold. This is a good one to switch to if they start shoving into your neck and bridge. Turn your body, resting your torso on them, leaning into them for extra weight. It is also very important you pull up on their arm and keep good control of that elbow. If they can get their elbow back and dig it back under your hip, they can start to make space and escape.

There are various attacks you can do on the arm, or like good judoka, you can simply pin them here. If they try and shrimp away, you can return to side control, and switch between the two. Also, make sure to stay right up into their armpit, rather than going low by their hip.

Finally, this can also combine well with the Saulo position I demonstrated earlier. If they are really shoving their forearm into your neck, you can go with that pressure but still keep control, 'connecting the hip' like Saulo advises.

As there was only the one guy, that gave us plenty of time to play around with that principle using the balance balls at the gym. I had him drill with the two balance balls for around four minutes, starting with the larger one then moving on to a smaller one. From what he said that made a difference, which is cool: his motion certainly felt more fluid on top when we did a bit of resistance afterwards.

I finished off by going through a transition to north south and the kimura very briefly, just to give him some further ideas of stuff to play with. It's a shame that my arm wasn't working very well and he's much bigger, as that meant I wasn't an ideal training partner when it came to upping the resistance to test if he's got the concepts down. Still, hopefully he'll now have a chance to put that into practice in later classes. I'll be interested to hear how (or indeed if) it works for him.

03/04/2012 - Gracie Barra Bristol (Escaping Side Control)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:38:00 +0000

Class #450
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Luke Chamberlain, Bristol, UK - 03/04/2012

I received an email a little while ago asking if I'd answer a few short questions for a blog article. I'm always happy to talk about myself (I don't think it's possible to blog without at least a small strain of narcissism ;D), and here is the result, on Dan Faggella's blog, The Science of Skill. I'm one of twelve sites he contacted, including Georgette, Seymour from Meerkatsu, Julia from Jiu-Jiu and Dave from Jiu Jitsu Lab.

Dónal is unfortunately suffering from food poisoning at the moment, so as Geeza was also away, Luke was in charge tonight. He's a good teacher and obviously growing in confidence, so I hope that in future he'll become a regular part of the schedule. It's beneficial to have a range of perspectives, as well as a range of sizes and games. That was evident in the first technique he taught. It was the same basic technique I taught last week, escaping side control to your knee, but with a different spin due to a different teacher with a different training background.

Luke uses Geeza's terminology of 'cup and knife' for the framing arms (or was it seashell? Can't remember now), where the knife your forearm pressing into their neck, while the cup is your hand by their hip. In this variation, the elbow further along from that arm goes right to your opponent's opposite hip. It then proceeds as normal, bridging up and into them, making space to thread your neck-arm through to their far arm. Shrimp by straight-arming your 'cup' hand into their hip, then turn to your belly, reaching high with your arm over their back.

That's to stop them simply running around to turtle in that direction, which means you're ready for them to move the other way and recover guard if necessary. Alternatively if they just try to drop their weight, grab hold of their same side knee, then bring your own knees up to shift into turtle.

Next up was the other standard escaping, where you shrimp to guard. Again Luke's method was slightly different. As before, you frame your arms then bridge into them, making space to bring your knee through. The unusual part is that your other leg comes over their back. Underhook their arm with what was your hip arm, then adjust your legs into guard (you may need to shrimp a little more to make space to get your leg out). It is a little reminiscent of Roy Dean's methord, where he moves straight into an attack.

The last escape is one I don't generally use, where you escape to butterfly guard, so it was good to get a reminder. It is the same as the previous guard recovery, up until you bring your knee through. This time, you don't bring your knee all the way: instead, you just insert it far enough to block their knee. What happens after that depends on your flexibility. If you're able, put your other foot inside their thigh, establishing a butterfly hook. You could also hook it by their ribs.

If you aren't flexible enough for that, then again brace against their hip with a straight arm, using that to shrimp out until you have enough space that you can insert your butterfly hook. Once that's in, switch your hip hand to overhook their same side arm, reaching for the collar as you would with an overhook/overwrap guard. Secure both butterfly hooks, then readjust so you're sitting up, ready to attack.

Sparring started off specific from side control. I was pleased to be able to work with Vikki again, as she's a really good training partner (not far off my size, technical and gives helpful advice). I started off trying to shift to north-south and go for the kimura, but couldn't quite isolate the arm and properly stabilize my position. I then shifted to see if I could get that step-over triangle, but Vikki was wise to that so I wasn't able to lock my legs under her head.

Finally, I also tried getting a gift wrap, but I need to be careful of fingers: I don't think I was actually grabbing the fingers, but one of them started to get bent back. We stopped as soon as she let me know, but something for me to be aware of in future with that position.

That was followed by two rounds of free sparring, where I started with John. He has a fair bit of size on me, so I immediately looked to move to the top, but got stuck in his knee shield half guard. I was able to switch into an omoplata set-up when he tried to take the back, but I failed to flatten him out. I also totally messed up following that with sweep into side control: instead, I ended up underneath his side control, which definitely wasn't the idea! ;)

To finish I was with Vikki again. This time, I wanted to pull butterfly guard, but didn't close the distance well enough. Falling back into spider guard, I fiddled with Abmar Barbosa sweep where you put the leg across into their far armpit, but couldn't get the set-up. Towards the end I was just about to move into an overhook guard, which I probably wouldn't have secured, but the clock ran out at that point regardless.

It's a shame Vikki is leaving in a few weeks. As Kirsty isn't normally in the same class as me, tonight was a rare opportunity to train with my preferred kind of training partner (a woman about my size, due to the fact that in my experience, women are more mature, considerate and helpful to drill and roll with) since the old days at RGA where there were loads of good women about my size or bigger, like Christina, Indra and Joanna, along with skilled smaller partners too, like Dominique and Pippa.

Interview: Mauricio Gomes on Roger Gracie

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:54:00 +0000

~ (1) (2) (3) (4) ~

In the first instalment of this four part interview, Mauricio spoke about the development of competition in BJJ. In this week's discussion, he talks about his son, Roger Gracie.

slideyfoot.com: It's interesting you mention sponsorship there, because in Roger's case, he always wears a plain gi, you don't see lots of sponsors all over him.

Mauricio Gomes: He never really had a sponsor, except Keiko Sports, who have been helping him since he was about sixteen years old. They sponsored him for quite a while, blue belt, purple belt, all the way to black. Even now, I think at Roger's last two competitions, he made a deal with Keiko on the day to use the gi. I don't know what kind of terms, because I don't get involved in the financial side of things.

Roger still has his gym, so he still has to look after his gym, teach, see what's going on, is it good, is it bad, is anything missing. On top of all that, he has to train three or four times a day for months and then go to the competition. A lot of other guys that are competing at that level, they don't have gyms. They are part of some gym, but they usually don't have their own gym, running it, not all of them. Marcelo Garcia has his, but most of them, they come from a group. That group is their training camp.

But it's a lot of money, and these competitions don't give you anything back. It's a medal, a handshake and an "attaboy!" [laughs] But you have to see it that way, because it's an amateur sport. Amateur sports maybe give a prize, but other than that, you would have to go to the professional level, which would be MMA or something like that.

slideyfoot.com: I'm sure you've been asked this many times before, but do you think there is anything unique about your son Roger that enables him to be so successful, or was it just down to hard work?

Mauricio Gomes: I'm a bit biased of course, for me he is a very special boy. Not only because he is my son, but it is about what he has achieved and the humility he always has. I see sometimes a very clear example. You see at this competition we're at now [the GB Submission Only], you see people fighting, one has to win, the other has to lose, everything is normal. Now, how do you win and how do you lose? That's the main quality that the fighter will have to show sometime in their life.

I see people sometimes, they won the fight, fair and square, no doubting about that. Then the other one, perhaps they're hurt for some reason, a popped knee, or something like that. The first guy, they won, so obviously they're happy. I've seen in some situations the guy screaming his head off in the middle of the mat, while his opponent is lying on the floor, all wrecked, but the winner doesn't have the decency to help out the other guy. "What happened, are you ok, what can I do," something like that. No, he goes around screaming this and that, jumping up and down. I find that is a huge lack of respect to your fellow competitor.

Obviously, some people don't care about that, I see that as a negative point. Maybe it is just me, maybe I'm an old timer, but I find it weird.

slideyfoot.com: Roger is of course well know for being humble, he wouldn't do that.

Mauricio Gomes: Exactly. The fight he had with Demente at the last Mundial, Demente's arm was about to break. Roger let the arm go to try something else, you know? That's a good demonstration of fair play in a fight. You're fighting, it's all fine, anything goes, you can do this, you can do that. It's all damaging, really bad. But how do you apply that, how do you deal with that? How do you win, how do you learn to lose? A fighter is composed of many things. It's not just an ability to fight and how much gas there is in the tank, no. There are also the qualities that will make that fighter always grow. Otherwise my friend, we're just here eating grass.

slideyfoot.com: Since RGA 2 opened in Kilburn back in 2009, there are quite a few RGA affiliates now, even internationally with Helio's school in Angola among others. Do you see the Roger Gracie Academy as a separate team, or still an off-shoot of Gracie Barra?

Mauricio Gomes: I think that Roger, when he competes, to this day, he never used his academy name. So as far as I'm concerned, he is still Gracie Barra. If he is Gracie Barra, competes for Gracie Barra, training at Gracie Barra his entire life, I would say it's still the same thing. I don't see a difference, not yet, anyway.

[Pics included by kind permission of Zafar Hashmi]

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29/03/2012 - Teaching (Escaping Side Control)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:13:00 +0000

Teaching #047
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 29/03/2012

The first BJJ class I taught, which was only back in last May, was on side control escapes. Tonight I'll be returning to that material, so it will be similar lesson. To begin the basic side control escape where you shrimp to guard, I started by focusing on your hand and arm positioning. First thing to note is that they will want to kill your near arm. This is bad for you, because it means you can't stop them shifting up towards your head. From there, they can make as much space as they want and pass to mount.

So, you need to get your arm inside, the forearm pressing against their hip. That will help block their movement, and initiate your attempts to create some space. It should also help you block them moving to north south, as if you clamp it by their side, they'll move you with them as they try to switch position.

That arm is also the first part of your frame, so once you have that first arm through, you're going to add your other arm: this defends against the cross-face, which I didn't do enough. There are many other options for hand positioning, but I wanted to stick with the basics to avoid overwhelming people.

Anyway, to get that grip: grab the gi material by their shoulder, close to their neck, then pull down. Twist that arm up into their neck, keeping the elbow in: you need to be tight here, as otherwise they will go for a figure four on that arm. Once you've got the forearm into their neck, they can't press down into you, as they'll essentially be choking themselves.

Next I moved on to the legs. Your legs have two main purposes here: first, blocking your opponent getting to mount. Raise your near knee and drive it into their side. The idea is to wedge them between your knee and the arm you have by their hip. Personally, I like to keep my knee floating, glued to their side. This is where the one leg bridging from earlier comes in.

That makes it easier to slip my knee under as soon as they give me any space, which is something I learned from Roger. Many people prefer to cross their foot over their knee, which is something I used to do in the past as well. However, as this long Sherdog thread discusses, that can leave you open to a footlock, and also limit your mobility. Then again, you can see it used at the highest levels, like here at the Mundials.

The second use for your legs is bridging. Marcelo Garcia has a handy tip for this (although the escape he is doing there is slightly different), related to increasing the power of your bridge. To do that, bring your foot right to your bum, up on your toes. That increases your range of motion, so you can really drive up into them.

Make sure you turn into them as you bridge, rather than just straight up. This will help the next part, which is to shrimp out as you come back down. That's why you've created space in the first place: if you simply plopped back down, then you've wasted the opportunity. As soon as you shrimp out, slip the knee pressing into their side underneath. I could have added another thing here, noting that you aren't trying to lift them with your arms. Instead, you want to push off them, moving your body rather than theirs.

Once your knee is through, you need to be careful they don't immediately pass by pushing down and moving around that knee, ruining all your hard work. To prevent that, keep your hand by their shoulder. Straighten it, then add further support by bracing your other hand into their bicep (same side as the blocked shoulder). Your new frame should create a barrier to their pass, giving you enough time to recover your guard, or even move into a submission.

Alternatively, you can control their arm with your hip-bracing arm as you escape, like Roy Dean demonstrates in Blue Belt Requirements. That will also stop them pushing down on your knee, as their arm is trapped. It is worth trying both and seeing which you prefer, or which one the situation demands.

The second side control escape was the other basic one, where you go to your knees. It begins in much the same way, again establishing that frame with your arms, knee into the side and bridging. As an instructor, that meant I could review what we'd just done once again, which is useful: whenever possible, I also want to closely link whatever techniques I'm teaching.

After you bridge and shrimp this time, you're going to do something different with the arm you have into their neck. Rotate it under their armpit, then reach for their legs, bringing your leg and head up on one side. Grip the gi by their legs, then drive towards them while pulling their legs in the other direction. That should enable you to move through into side control.

Roy Dean has a modification on that, as he moves around to the side, puts his hand by the far knee, then drives forward to take them down. Caio Terra's version is a little different, as he grabs the near leg with both arms, then yanks it out so he can grab the foot. Pulling that up and driving forward, he drives them to the floor, then adjusts his grip to encircle both legs. Continuing to drive, he can then settle into side control.

Gi Review - Kingz Ripstop

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:02:00 +0000

Short Review: If you want an ultra lightweight gi, but don't feel comfortable with the extremely thin ripstops like Gorilla and Kauai, then the Kingz Ripstop serves as a happy medium. It is still ripstop, and therefore lightweight and quick-drying, but at 420gsm it is also much thicker than either the Gorilla or Kauai. In addition, the trousers are not ripstop, but sturdy standard cotton, with the same unusual flexible crotch panel as other models in the current Kingz product line. Available to buy here.

Full Review: I enjoy training while I'm travelling, which is why I picked up a Gorilla 'Hitman' ripstop a little while ago. I was very pleased with that gi when it arrived, as it fulfilled all my requirements: plain, super-light, quick-drying and fairly cheap. I was therefore intrigued by the prospect of comparing it with another ripstop offering, from Canadian company Kingz Kimonos.

When other gi companies use ripstop in their products, they will often opt to go with ripstop trousers and a lightweight gi top. A few companies, like Gorilla, also offer a completely ripstop gi. Kingz has taken a different route, as their ripstop gi has a ripstop jacket, but standard cotton twill trousers. These appear to be the same trousers which are included with the heavier 550 Comp model, with that same flexible crotch panel. They're superb trousers, as I mentioned in my review of the 550 Comp, but they're certainly not ultra-light.

This meant that for my purposes, the Kingz Ripstop is slightly less convenient, as I was hoping to use it when training further afield. Another option, which I tested out during my recent trip to Scotland, was to switch the Kingz trousers for a ripstop alternative: in my case, I went with the ripstop trousers from my Black Eagle Predator (reviewed here). However, at 420gsm, the Kingz Ripstop jacket is beefier than typical ripstop, meaning it does not pack as tightly as I would have liked. The Gorilla ripstop jacket is almost half the thickness at only 250gsm.

Of course, not everybody is looking for a gi to take travelling. If you simply want a light gi for training at your home club, then this remains a good choice, particularly if you're nervous about the thinner varieties of ripstop gi currently available. It's possible that the combination of ripstop stitching with a heavier material is particularly durable, but I can only speculate as I haven't had the gi very long. It's also possible that this thicker ripstop is more common than I'm assuming, given that I've so far only worn two ripstop gi jackets (Kingz and Gorilla) and rolled with training partners who were wearing two other brands of ripstop jacket (Kauai and Koral).

In terms of patches and embroidery, the design across the four models (Women's, 550 Comp, 420 Light and Ripstop) in the Kingz line is currently very similar. The only difference is the secondary colour, which on the Kingz Ripstop is blue, along with the model name included on the patches. As with the 550 Comp, they're understated, so will appeal to those who like a minimalist gi. For those who like me are more obsessive and want something even plainer, again as with the 550 Comp, the patches are not difficult to remove (and because the Kingz ripstop jacket is thicker than average ripstop, the needle holes won't show, unlike the patches I removed from the Predator trousers), with two exceptions.

Firstly, the shoulder patches are stitched underneath the collar, so you won't be able to get rid of that last edge. You'll be left with a dark line of black fluff under the collar, though it isn't especially noticeable unless you're right up close. Secondly, the tape around the bottom of the jacket cannot be removed at all, as it is holding together a fold of unhemmed material. I guess you could unstitch it and then replace it with a plain white tape, but that's beyond my sewing comfort zone. ;)

Given that similarity of design, almost everything I said in my 550 Comp review applies to the Ripstop as well. There is the same reassuring level of reinforcement on all the major stress points and a generous six belt loops to keep your trousers up. The collar is rubber, which Kingz states will not warp under typical levels of heat in a washing machine. In my garden on a sunny day (although this is in the UK in March, so it still wasn't especially warm), the gi took about seven hours to go from soaking wet to completely dry.

Yet another similarity between the 550 Comp and the Ripstop is that there isn't much shrinkage, at least at the 30 degree Celsius temperature I use to wash my gis. My A1 stayed at 156cm cuff to cuff on the jacket, while the trousers retained their 92cm length. For my frame (5'7 and about 65kg) that was comfortable, though I would be happy enough with a couple more centimetres off the sleeves. As long as you don't throw this in the tumble drier on a high heat, then as it's pre-shrunk, the figures on the size chart should be an accurate reference.

Several gis use ripstop for reinforcement to help lighten the weight, such as the ripstop cover for the Padilla Ultra-Light collar. The Gorilla Ripstop also uses ripstop over the collar, but the Kingz Ripstop opts for tougher cotton twill, in keeping with the more orthodox gi jacket. This is a little heavier, but should presumably mean the Kingz collar is less prone to fraying.

The Kingz Ripstop is a quality product relatively free of bling. So, I'd still recommend this if you want a light gi for training, but there are better options if you're looking to take it with you travelling. Available to buy here.