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Website Review - BJJ Library (Saulo & Xande Ribeiro)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Sun, 19 May 2013 17:18:00 +0000

Short Review: Both Xande and Saulo Ribeiro have respected DVD sets on the market, as well as arguably the best instructional book to date, Jiu Jitsu University. BJJ Library follows on directly from that work: video versions of the techniques taught in Jiu Jitsu University currently account for the majority of BJJ Library's content. Due to the youth of BJJ Library the archive is not yet extensive, though new videos are being added every day.

This site is ideal for people who are not looking for the latest flashy acrobatics, but instead want to develop a steady pressure game. Having said that, there are regular guest seminars from current luminaries like Leandro Lo, meaning more ostentatious BJJ will presumably be covered when somebody with that style is brought in to teach. You can sign up for a $25 monthly membership here, with other packages available.

Full Review: When I wrote about online training at the start of 2010, it seemed that the success of Gracie University had prompted many others to follow suit. Almost three years later, MGinAction (which I recently reviewed here) appears to have become the model others are trying to emulate. Cyborg, Paragon, Andre Galvao and the Mendes Brothers have all set up online training sites, among numerous others. Two other major names have entered the fray: Saulo Ribeiro and his brother Xande.

The main factor which will make it difficult for new instructional websites to break into the market is that MGinAction has such a large archive. As a result, the consumer may well think, "well, MGinAction has over 15,000 videos: nobody else comes close." The Mendes brothers can potentially compete, because they are trendy at the moment: not only are both brothers current champions, they are fashionable due to their popularisation of flashy techniques, especially the berimbolo.

BJJ Library has a different appeal. Both Saulo and Xande can boast lots of gold medals from the highest levels of competition. Xande is still active and retains his place in the tournament elite: he will be appearing again at Metamoris in a few weeks. You may well see the name Alexandre Couceiro Ribeiro listed amongst the Mundials medallists shortly after that.

Yet neither is known for their flashy style. Instead, they are valued for the solid substance of their technique and mastery of old school, reliable pressure. That too has an audience, of which I am a part. Personally, I have no desire to learn the details of the berimbolo, beyond a simple defence. I want that old school pressure. Therefore it is the brothers Ribeiro who most peak my interest, not the brothers Mendes.

The Ribeiro brothers' website does not yet have the incredibly rich labelling of MGinAction. In the description of each video there is a part that says 'tags', but for most of them it is blank. Having said that, plenty of thought has clearly gone into the organisation of the material: there are two main configurations to choose from, for a start. When you open the site, the default is the first tab at the top, entitled 'Library'. This shows all the content on BJJ Library, split by position in a menu on the right hand side.

You can also select the 'Curriculum' tab to see the archive broken down in an alternative arrangement. This is exciting if you own Saulo's book, because 'Curriculum' is where you will find videos for each technique featured in Jiu Jitsu University, corresponding to the same chapter and sub-chapter categorisation (with a few other related videos thrown in, such as the seven part '2 on 1 guard' series). Another benefit is that structuring part of BJJ Library as live versions of the book has provided the Ribeiro brothers with the opportunity to revisit those techniques. In the example below, I have clicked through to a video: the listing window remains in place on the right.

For example, my favourite defence to side control is the running escape. I first learned this from Jiu Jitsu Revolution 1, which was then refined by the sequel. Once Jiu Jitsu University came out, that shifted the focus of the escape again, this time emphasising the leg swing to guard. In 2013, there is yet another variation.

Saulo starts off his BJJ Library version with the same method as in the book, pushing off his feet into his training partner then swinging through to guard. There are a a few tweaks, so as I regularly teach this escape, watching that video earlier this week was useful for my most recent lesson. Saulo then does something entirely different, combining the running escape with a more orthodox approach. As soon as he gets his shoulder free, he walks his shoulders back and shrimps out to recover guard.

If it wants to keep up with its rivals, then the vidoes on BJJ Library will need to increase in number at a faster rate. As of Sunday 19th May, BJJ Library has a mere 203 videos, which is up from 192 this Monday. As far as I can tell, all of the videos are presently gi. This does not bother me personally, as I barely train nogi, but many others do: again, they will look to MGinAction, where a large proportion of the database is made up of nogi.

There is the argument of quality over quantity, but that initial proposition facing the customer - choosing between 15,000 videos on MGinAction and 200 on BJJ Library - must be dealt with. One of the unique features BJJ Library can offer to tempt potential subscribers is the Jiu Jitsu University curriculum, which benefits from the immense good will towards the book. Another is BJJ Library's growing range of guest seminars.

The Ribeiro brothers have already brought in some huge names, including Rafael Lovato Jr and Leandro Lo, along with an upcoming Terere session. According to a post by site admin Dave Kim on Sherdog, the intention is to get to a point where the site becomes a 'Netflix for BJJ', with hour long seminars from top level instructors every week. If that will be included in the standard membership it sounds appealing, but if not, the price per seminar will be interesting to see. Budovideos have been offering live seminars with a replay for a while now (although not on a weekly basis): generally they have cost between $10 to $20.

Currently, each seminar on BJJ Library is divided into short videos, which from what I've seen so far are shot as if they were a DVD: the instructor addresses the camera rather than a class, they show each technique from multiple angles and (generally) they wear a different colour gi to the person they are using for the demonstration.

The Lovato Jr series is an intriguing example. He has his own online instructional site, which received some bad press due to marketing practices. Appearing on BJJ Library gives him a chance to present his technique in a more neutral environment, freed from the unpleasant overtones of Lovato Jr's maligned marketing approach. He mentions his website twice, at the start of the first video and the end of the seventh, which is not intrusive (particularly as Lovato Jr's opening 'introduction' video, which is essentially an advert for his website, can be completely ignored because it does not contain any techniques).

Lovato Jr's teaching is excellent. He is a student of the Ribeiro brothers, so it is perhaps unsurprising there was a lot that I could see fitting well into my own game. The pressure passing system is relatively straightforward, with several elements that reminded me of what I've been learning from Dónal in his private lessons on guard passing. Dónal taught me a comparable passing start point to what Lovato Jr calls the 'headquarters' position. There are plenty of similarities between Lovato Jr's 'cross knee pass' and Dónal's 'knee cut', which I look forward to testing out in sparring.

Leandro Lo's introductory video to his seminar does not include any sales pitches (although that's mainly because Lo does not have an instructional site, as far as I'm aware). Lo speaks in Portuguese, but there are subtitles. If like me you're interested in learning Portuguese, that's a cool addition. The last word of the subtitles is occasionally a little obscured by the BJJ Library watermark, but it is just the end of the sentence.

After briefly explaining his background, Lo moves into teaching his variation of the bullfighter pass. I especially liked that at the end of his video, you get to see Lo working through the technique with Saulo and Xande, as they compare notes on how they prefer to apply the bullfighter pass. That's accompanied by a much longer video (almost eighteen minutes) on the same lines, in the BJJ Library section dubbed 'Lifestyle', presented as a 'behind the scenes' perspective on the Lo seminar.

The translation is occasionally somewhat unclear, though that is probably because they are being fairly literal, meaning the phrasing is unusual to English ears. For example, in the above screenshot, where the line is "You know, I open, I try to get some space and then do this, but if he will so strong". Then again, that is mitigated when you consider this is a far less formal situation than instruction, as you're basically watching a bunch of jiu jitsu people sat in a room chatting about technique. That necessarily impacts on the clarity of their language.

Unlike the videos on MGinAction, BJJ Library does not tend to cram a massive chain of techniques into each video. Instead, they are tightly focused, like three variations on the scissor sweep, an explanation of the running escape or how to finish the bow and arrow choke from the back. This is a matter of preference: some may plump for the convoluted combinations on MGinAction. Both make for a perfectly sensible instructional methodology.

The BJJ Library approach is a better fit with my learning style. When there is more than one technique in a video, it is normally different variations. To make a comparison, on BJJ Library, the descriptive nomenclature consists of titles like 'JJU 4-0, 4-1, 4-5, 8-1, 8-2 Side Control Survival & Escape', or 'Scissor Sweep 3 Variations - Low, High, Knee Push'. By contrast, on MGinAction, you can find the monster titles 'Frame Escape vs Underhook and Head Control, Guard Recovery vs Side Control, Bridge Escape vs North South, Guard Recovery vs North South' and '2on1 Control from Butterfly, Cross Arm and Belt Sweep from Butterfly, 2on1 from Butterfly to Back Control, Rear Naked Choke'.

There are similarities to Jiu Jitsu Revolution, in that Saulo still loves to talk. As a result there are several lectures to the camera, such as the video on side control survival and escapes. This combines multiple segments of Jiu Jitsu University, resulting in slightly over eight minutes of instruction. However, the first two and a half minutes are Saulo sat on his own, explicating his theories on side control.

The same thing happens in a video on mount survival, filling three out of the ten minutes. What Saulo says is certainly useful, but if you prefer less exposition in your instructionals, Saulo's loquacious tendencies are worth keeping in mind. Of course, there is plenty of Xande instruction on BJJ Library, giving a certain breadth of teaching style. A small number of non-seminar videos are taught by other staff at the two schools, but unlike MGinAction it is overwhelmingly the star names teaching right now (though in fairness, that is easier to do in 200 videos compared to 15,000).

If you've read my previous reviews of Saulo's material, then you'll know I generally enjoy his lectures: after all, he is responsible for my favourite quote in jiu jitsu, made during Jiu Jitsu Revolution. In regards to BJJ Library, Saulo makes some salient points in his two and a half minute discussion on surviving side control, stating that:

Before you escape, you've got to defend yourself against mount, knee on the belly and any kind of choke or any kind of situation that would make you tap. So, what's the message here? Don't try to escape and get into a worse position. Set yourself and take your time. The cross-side position is about taking your time. We can't have the mentality that is just for tournaments, we've got to escape right away. Man, you already let them pass your guard. You already allowed them to cross-side you. Take your time. You cannot allow something to get worse.

Many of the videos are not simply recordings of Saulo or Xande teaching class. For example, the six minute video based on JJU 36.01 (the bow and arrow choke) features Saulo and his demonstration partner on their own, teaching directly to the camera rather than any students. That can be seen in how the video starts, with the two sat next to each other in classic DVD fashion, followed by a "hey guys, today we're going to show you the bow and arrow choke," finishing with a look at the camera while they wait for the cut. Also in keeping with a DVD, Saulo shows the technique from multiple angles (although unlike a DVD, they are wearing the same colour gi).

Most of the videos I have watched have been from between three minutes to ten minutes in length, which is comparable to the selection I viewed from MGinAction. It is nowhere near as long as the videos from the blue belt stripe 1 guard chapter I bought from Gracie University, but then that's because Gracie University is not a typical subscription site. In fact, I would argue the subscription model fits it poorly, because the videos on Gracie University are very long and infrequent: you can still buy individual videos or chapters, as I did, which makes a lot more sense in the case of Gracie University. The subscription model works best when there are numerous videos appearing each day, as is the case with MGinAction and BJJ Library.

For those who are interested in self defence, there is a section on that too, taught by somebody called Phillip Wyman. I'm not sure if that will prove to be a one-off seminar series, or if the self defence section will be a growing part of the site. I presume the latter: it is not an area of BJJ that interests me from a practical standpoint (I discussed the issue at length during my Gracie Combatives review), but it is another indication that the audience for BJJ Library has some differences to the audiences for the Mendes brothers' site or MGinAction.

Like MGinAction, BJJ Library includes drills. At present, this is a series of sixteen Ginastica Natural warm-ups performed by Xande and Saulo, rather than lots of methods for drilling specific techniques. The latter would be a useful addition and perhaps will be enhanced in future. There are a few videos that include a drilling option to aid the technique: e.g., Saulo demonstrating the hip-bump/sit-up sweep.

Another feature the two sites share in common are sparring videos, which on BJJ Library are grouped under 'Rolling'. Again, I am not certain how much this part of the site is due to grow, as it consists of just one video at present, where Xande spars with Leandro Lo. It is only three minutes and again lacks the exhaustive labelling of MGinAction, so while you get to watch two elite competitors spar, there is not yet detailed tagging to tell you exactly which techniques are being used. What I would most enjoy seeing is some commentary from Xande and Lo discussing the roll afterwards, providing analysis of what they did and what they were looking to achieve. Roy Dean does this on his DVDs (e.g., No Gi Essentials) and it is fantastic: hopefully that format might be considered for BJJ Library in the future.

There is a forum (listed in the tabs on the main screen), which is just a basic vBulletin without a lot of content at the moment. Still, it looks as though the site admin posts on there regularly, meaning you should be able to present feedback and get swift answers to any technical issues with the site or perhaps video requests. On individual videos, as can be seen in the above screen cap, you can leave comments (although I do not know how interactive that will be, in terms of directly communicating with Xande and Saulo).

If I was going to join an online instructional website, my choice would be BJJ Library. However, that's because I'm a fan of Saulo and Xande's teaching and the old school elements of their respective BJJ games. I also thought Jiu Jitsu University was a great book with a brilliant structure, which therefore means I am really pleased to get the chance to see the pictures from the book come to life. The main challenges will be the (currently) small archive and the question of cost.

At the moment, you can sign up here for a monthly membership of $24.99, with the option of three months at $74.99 or a whole year for $249.99. That is comparable with other instructional sites. However, it is being advertised as a limited time offer: should the price significantly increase, that's a potentially dangerous path, as it would mean the MGinAction database - which will remain far more extensive than BJJ Library for the foreseeable future - becomes the cheaper option.

14/05/2013 - Teaching (Running Escape)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:30:00 +0000

Teaching #108
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 14/05/2013

Quick update from GrappleThon.org: it looks like there is going to be a Grapplethon in California on the 8th June. I'm waiting on further details so I can hopefully publicise the event, but for now I've added it to the events schedule on GrappleThon.org, here. The fundraising for the GrappleThon in Support of RapeCrisis is continuing, with a current total of £8,611. You can still donate here. Oh, and if you haven't already Liked the GrappleThon Facebook page, that's here. :)
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Last time I spent a good while on the running escape as a survival posture. Today I originally wanted to focus more on the actual escape techniques, but then caved in to the easy option and just repeated the structure from last time.

Kicking off with those tips on the running escape as a survival posture, I first pointed out the importance of blocking their arm from reaching through past your hip. Ideally you want to block that by jamming your forearm to your thigh, so that you elbow is by your hip. This will need to be mobile, as they will be trying to wriggle past.

Putting your arm under your knee can work too, depending on your flexibility, but be careful of reaching too far under your leg. It may leave you vulnerable to them collapsing your leg on top of your arm, trapping both limbs (unless you're flexible enough to get your heel right to your hip, which should be a strong enough structure to prevent that).

If they do manage to get their arm in, dig it back out using your elbow and knee. You can also drive your shin into the crook of their elbow and recover your position, or potentially try and recover guard by spinning off that leverage point (Beneville calls this the 'shin in elbow trick' in his book). I should note that it is possible to escape while their arm is through (Marcelo teaches it that way, IIRC), but personally I find it much tougher when they have that arm through.

The second survival tip is being very careful of their attempts to take your back. Especially if they have an arm through and can reach your opposite hip, they will try to lift you up and slide their leg underneath. That will then help them to put in their hooks and take the back. If they do start to take your back, block their second hook with your elbow and knee (in the same way you were blocking their arm), hopefully setting you up to either get back to the running escape, or perhaps starting a pass off the back escape. Blocking the first hook with your hand is another possibility, but that could potentially leave your neck vulnerable.

Which leads into the third point: protect your neck. You are relatively safe in the running escape, but if they can reach a hand past your neck and grab a collar, that's dangerous. If you feel their hand beginning to sneak past your shoulder, immediately dive your head into your lower armpit. It is a strange position, but that motion should close off their route to your neck. This isn't somewhere you want to stay very long: just enough to prevent that choke set-up.

Moving on to the actual escape, saulo's version in Jiu Jitsu University (p69), which begins by making a little space and turning to the survival posture, links directly to his knee on belly escape. I normally just teach that knee on belly escape as a drill for my open guard maintenance lesson (e.g., back in October), as the swinging motion is a useful skill to learn. However, in his book, Saulo uses that motion to recover his guard from under side control, rather than the swivel he uses in Jiu Jitsu Revolution 2 (he does a much quicker version in his first set, Jiu Jitsu Revolution 1).

The risky part is as you're swinging through with your legs in the air: if your partner is prepared and you aren't able to perform that motion smoothly and efficiently, they may be able to set up a double-underhook pass. It is therefore important to clamp your legs down as Saulo does in the last picture, rather than leaving them dangling and vulnerable. If they do get that double underhook, make your legs heavy, wriggle back on your shoulders, then hook your insteps inside their thighs.

Saulo has a little tweak to this guard recovery option, which I noticed on his new instructional site, BJJ Library (review forthcoming). It may be he did this previously, but it was highlighted on the running escape video I watched last week. In the past, I have used a wide base, securing my weight on my shoulder and two feet. The way Saulo did it in the video was with a much narrower base, pushing off with his feet straight from the running escape position rather than stepping out to wide the legs. He also makes more of a push with his hips into them, staying close, rather than a swing. If you can manage to push them with your hips, that leaves less space for them to move right into the double-underhooks pass.

Be careful to time your escape, staying sensitive to their weight distribution. If they are driving into you with lots of pressure, it will be hard. A good moment to attempt the escape is when they are looking to attack or transition to another position. Often, there will be a brief moment before they start when they take their weight off you. That is the time to spring the escape.

It is possible that the person you are training with won't often use near side grips from side control. Speaking personally, I tend to go for the orthodox grip under the head and the far arm. That doesn't mean you can't use the running escape, it simply means you have to put yourself into position, forcing them to use near grips. All you need to do is make enough space that you can turn away and curl into a ball.

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Teaching Notes: I at first wanted to try and include the 'new' version of the running escape I'd watched (or new to me at least), which Saulo calls the 'quarter escape' on BJJ Library. However, I decided I really didn't understand that technique well enough, particularly after practicing it right before class. But to mention it here, it combines the orthodox escape method with the first part of the running escape: you don't actually spend any time in the running escape posture, so I decided to teach this one first, as it is a sort of pre-emptive escape with less of a middle step. As soon as you are able to clear your shoulder, immediately shrimp out, turning towards them. This is not a typical shrimp, as you walk back on your shoulders to recover your guard.

Pushing with the hips helps, though lots of people were getting knocked over in drilling (which is unlikely to happen in sparring). I think it was a good idea to add in a more thorough discussion of the defence to the stack pass: though it doesn't quite fit into a side control escape lesson, I think it makes sense as that would be my main worry when trying the leg swing guard recovery. Of course, as Jeff Rockwell (or was it jnp? Maybe both of them) taught, the way they can stop the guard recovery more simply is by anticipating your swing and jamming their head by your outside hip.

I'm not sure I saw anybody use the second option at all, which I mentioned briefly (basically, you turn into guard) so I don't think I'll bother including that next time. Instead, I'll focus more heavily on the leg swing. Although I still want to keep trying the turn in sparring, so I can work out the kinks. On that score, I annoyingly found my stupid groin injury flared up again: it's just refusing to go away! Grr.

Next time, I think I'll include the turn at the start, coupled with the survival tips. I can then focus purely on the leg swing guard recovery in the second option, which should make for a more streamlined lesson.

Website Review - MGinAction (Marcelo Garcia)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:03:00 +0000

Short Review: By far the largest database of any online BJJ instructional site currently available, MGinAction gives you full access to the jiu jitsu of an elite competitor. The comprehensive labelling system is impressive, with a range of learning options, such as 'drilling', 'discussion' and 'in action. There are numerous playback options, including 'mirror image', several speeds and full-screen. However, Garcia will not always be the one teaching, though his assistants are undoubtedly capable. This is also just footage from class, so there are rarely multiple angles and sometimes both demonstrators wear the same colour gi.

I also disliked the way that videos were almost always techniques in long combinations rather than individual moves. While that makes sense in terms of how the technique would be applied in practice, I found it distracting when I was looking for specific details on a specific technique. Still, there is the option of a free week-long trial (which is easy to cancel before you get charged), so it is worth taking a look, here (you'll need a promo-code, IIRC). It will set you back $25 a month at the moment, with annual options that come with various perks (e.g., a week's training at Garcia's academy, if you can make it to New York).

Full Review: Due to another instructional site asking me to review their content, I decided it was about time to collate my notes about MGinAction and put up a review, in order to prepare a comparison. In the case of MGinAction, I'm relying on what I saw over a week during Christmas 2012, when I signed up for the trial (being a BJJ geek, I did not do a whole lot else other than watch MGinAction for those few days). Before getting started, I should therefore note that six months down the line, there will be considerably more videos on the database and other things may potentially have changed as well.

Arguably, the success of MGinAction has prompted an explosion in online BJJ instructional websites, with numerous other elite instructors and competitors following suit (for example, Andre Galvao, the Mendes brothers, Draculino and the Ribeiro brothers, whose site I'll be reviewing next). MGinAction was not the first example of the genre: Jean Jacques Machado has had an online instructional site since around 2006 and the infamous Gene Simco was another early pioneer. Yet it was not until 2009 that the concept of teaching jiu jitsu online went mainstream, with the arrival of Gracie University. Rener and Ryron made a huge splash in the online BJJ community due to their high quality instruction coupled with the still extremely
controversial decision to award belts based purely on video submissions from distance-learning students.

MGinAction (which certainly does not award rank) was unique at the time it was launched, because unlike the earlier examples, it presented the complete game of an active elite level competitor. Marcelo Garcia is regularly described as the best pound for pound grappler in the world, his peers a very select group of people. Another unusual element to MGinAction is the close involvement of co-founder Josh Waitzkin, who combines several disparate achievements: he was a high level chess player, a BJJ black belt, a tai chi push hands champion and the author of The Art of Learning (which I haven't read, as I'm put off anything that smacks of self-help, but the title at least indicates somebody interested in pedagogy, a good trait if you're heading up an online instructional site).

The content of MGinAction consists of videos filmed of Garcia and his instructors teaching classes at his academy. This is as distinct from Gracie University, which records videos specifically for the online public, rather than class recordings. Although given that MGinAction has now been around for several years, the instructors presumably teach with their online audience in mind as well as the students they are teaching in person.

This also means that the videos are not optimised for viewing in the way a DVD would be, or indeed the videos on Gracie University. You do not get multiple angles, the people demonstrating are not always wearing different colour gis (which can make it hard to distinguish which limb becomes to which person) and there is not much in the way of close-ups, although to be fair to MGinAction, they do zoom in every now and then.

Marcelo Garcia fans should also keep in mind that it is not always Garcia himself teaching. Much of the instruction is done by his assistant instructors, who of course are also very capable, but they lack that star power. Sometimes there is an interesting guest instructor (Fabio Gurgel appeared in one of the videos I saw), but unfortunately there was not a specific label for the instructor. That would be useful, as often you may find you prefer a particular instructor's style.

The biggest single advantage of MGinAction is the sheer number of videos. The selection is enormous: during my trial week in December 2012, you could choose from a total of 14,356. There are numerous categories, which can be drilled down in increasing detail. The broadest distinction is between gi and nogi: if like me you are not especially interested in nogi, then it is worth keeping in mind that a large proportion of MGinAction is nogi (which reflects his approach to BJJ). You can also select the position, top or bottom, which subcategory (e.g., sweeps), then the specific technique.

As you can see if you click on the picture near the top of this review, there are yet more sub-divisions available. In the tabs along the main window on the left, there is 'Fundamentals', 'Advanced', 'In Action', 'Sparring', 'Drills' and 'Discussions'. Each time you click on a label for a particular technique or category, the MGinAction database will split the results into those categories (though quite often several of them will have a '0' in brackets, depending on the breadth of your chosen label).

The demarcation between 'fundamentals' and 'advanced' is somewhat unclear, but that's a problem with BJJ in general, not MGinAction specifically. If I take the cross choke from mount as an example, the version I watched under the 'advanced' label used a set-up where you bait them into half guard to finish. The 'fundamental' video to which I compared it started off the same, including the detail on pushing their defending hand underneath your chest, but did not have that bait finish. Presumably there is either somebody making the decision that one technique is advanced, or perhaps something much more straightforward: e.g., the advanced techniques might be the ones filmed in the advanced class as opposed to the fundamentals class.

'In Action', justifying the name of the website itself, is a short clip of the technique being performed by Garcia in sparring. The video will begin a few moments before Garcia actually applies the technique, then stops immediately after he has landed it (meaning each video is just a few seconds long). It is fascinating to watch the same technique being hit over and over again, on a range of belts and sizes. If you are trying to research a particular technique in depth, this is a potentially handy addition to your learning resources. It is also a very impressive exercise in categorisation on the database administrator's part.

'Sparring' is similar in that you get to see techniques in action, but these are longer, wider-ranging videos of several minutes. They also include a few celebrities, as nothing on the mats appears to escape the camera at the Marcelo Garcia Academy (which from a viewer perspective is really cool: I am assuming that visitors who find themselves filmed sign some kind of disclaimer to allow their footage to be used). As with everything else, you can pick out rolls that feature particular techniques by clicking on the one you want listed. Given the dynamic nature of sparring, that means each sparring video has many, many labels.

A 'Drill', as you would expect, is a drill for practicing a particular element of a technique: e.g., countering a double-ankle grab sweep by kicking your leg free and stepping it back. Again, these videos tend to be short, as a drill does not normally take very long. This section is ideal for instructors looking to build a well-structured lesson where everything flows together, moving from the warm-up straight into the techniques. It would also be useful for students with access to an open mat, who want to work on technique rather than just sparring the entire time.

'Discussions' presented perhaps the most intimate look at the academy of all the videos. In the examples I watched, whoever was holding the camera appeared to be wandering around in an open mat setting, where Garcia was sharing some tips with two purple belts. That evolved into a discussion, with several students sitting around Garcia questioning him about the intricacies of a particular technique. I am not sure how useful it is as a learning experience for the viewer, as although Garcia obviously has lots of useful advice, it is largely just him talking, rather than visual demonstrations of what he is saying. Either way, it is a great way to feel that you are right there with Garcia in his school.

There are several helpful playback features on MGinAction. My favourite was the 'mirror image' option, which flips the video, making it easy to work the technique on both sides. There are also more standard controls like adjusting the speed, looping and expanding to full screen. That's in addition to a toolbar which adds in further functionality, including the ability to queue videos into a personal playlist.

Unfortunately there is no option to download the videos, so you have to have an active internet connection: to date, the only instructional site I've seen that offers that option is the Grapplers Guide, much to Jason Scully's credit. As I have a limitation on my downloads and bandwidth (admittedly my fault for getting a very cheap internet package), I can't watch too many streaming videos before I hit my download cap. I also prefer studying a small number of techniques over months or even years, which is why the subscription model is not one that has tempted me so far: I still prefer DVDs. Although I did buy some videos from Gracie University, as they've combined the payment methods by also providing an option to buy individual lessons as well as a subscription model.

Very occasionally, there will be mislabelled videos on MGinAction: for example, 'Guillotine from Side Control, North South Choke from Side Control' popped up under gi but is a nogi video. That long title is typical of MGinAction, where almost all of the videos appear to be extended combinations rather than individual techniques. On the one hand, that is positive and reflects the importance of chaining techniques in your training. On the other, it can be annoying if you are looking for instruction on something specific, then have to dig that out from underneath five other techniques. It may also be irrelevant to what you're looking for: say you want some advice on taking the back from mount, but the video you find only shows you how to do it after you escape side control.

Having said that, if you did a search on 'taking the back' or just clicked the label in question, you will be rewarded with an extensive list where you are sure to (eventually) find what you need. I liked that the titles are thorough, encompassing all the techniques in the video. Although it can look rather clunky on the screen, it tells you exactly what you're going to get when you hit 'play'.

I should note that the actual instruction also tends to be good, with a few 'what if' details, grip variations and little tweaks, such as grabbing their hand and stuffing it under your chest if they try to block your collar choke. I was a bit disappointed that I found it difficult to find videos for maintaining positions, as there wasn't really a label for that. There was a label for grips, but not for simply how to hold a position. I would have found some in-depth discussion on maintaining position useful. If the videos do in fact exist, they were sufficiently buried that I could not find them.

Strangely, some standard techniques did not appear to be on MGinAction: I couldn't find the ezequiel choke from mount. However, I suspect that is an issue of terminology (and possibly spelling: I've seen it written as both ezequiel and ezekiel, among other variants), which when it comes to instructional sites becomes an irritating problem. The only other option is to try and search through every other choke from mount to try and discover whatever Garcia calls it. Other videos I certainly did find and they were also of immediate use to me, such as Garcia's take on the stiff-arm escape (which he calls the 'elbow push') from side control.

If you ever want to cancel your subscription, the process was simple. I did not have to jump through multiple hoops to get to the right screen, as MGinAction is refreshingly free of the obnoxious marketing nonsense that has unfortunately afflicted certain sections of the online BJJ world. All you have to do is select 'cancel subscription' from 'Update Account Information' on 'My Page', which is precisely where you would expect it to be.

For those who want to emulate Marcelo Garcia's game, there is no better resource. The database is huge, there is plenty of detail and you get an unprecedented ability to drill down further, thanks to the 'In Action', 'Sparring' and 'Discussion' clips. The amount of categorisation is amazing, although there is the odd mislabelled video. More angles and making sure the instructor wore a different colour gi to the person on which they're demonstrating would have been helpful, plus there is sometimes an issue with terminology, but that isn't MGinAction's fault.

The big question is whether or not you have the time, money and inclination to sign up to a monthly subscription site. You're going to need decent bandwidth, as there is no option to download the videos (though I'm sure there are programs that will do that for you). You also need to make sure you can dedicate some serious time to exploring the techniques: to make this worth your monthly subscription will necessitate a lot of study. Finally, you need to be a fan of Garcia's approach to BJJ: if you enjoy butterfly guard, x-guard, particular types of choke and nogi, then you'll be very happy.

If you are only interested in refining basic techniques, then you will still probably find much to like on MGinAction (particularly as due to the huge archive you are virtually guaranteed to bring up at least one video related to what you're looking to work on), but other sites could be a better fit. I don't want to have to extract the technique I want to study from a bundle of other techniques and I want to keep things as simple as possible. Hence why I personally was much more excited to get the chance to check out Saulo and Xande Ribeiro's website, BJJ Library (review now up here), but that is just preference.

The MGinAction trial is free and fairly generous (it may have changed since I did it, but I got a whole week), so if nothing else I can recommend trying it out to see if you find it useful. You'll be charged $25 a month, with annual subscription offers too that come with perks, the most exciting of which is the chance to train for a week in person at Garcia's academy (though that does of course require you to make it out to New York).

I should mention that I know of one person where I train who has massively benefitted from MGinAction: the positive impact it has had on Mike's game is obvious whenever you roll with him. I'm hoping he'll stick up his thoughts about MGinAction in a comment to this post, as I know he has been using that site for much longer and in far greater depth than I ever could in just a week.

07/05/2013 - GrappleThon.org Launched & Teaching (Knee Cut Pass)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:30:00 +0000

Teaching #107
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 07/05/2013

The 2013 GrappleThon went really well, with over £8,500 raised so far: full write-up here, in case you missed it (my donation page will stay open for several months too, if you'd like to donate but haven't had a chance to do so yet ;D). I also decided to finally do something I've been considering for a while and set up GrappleThon.org.

The idea is to not only give me a place to put all my GrappleThon related material, but hopefully encourage other people to set up their own GrappleThons, perhaps even internationally (to which end I also wrote a quick guide to running a GrappleThon, based on how I've done it: obviously not the only way, but may be of some use to people who aren't sure how to start). It would be awesome if one day there were multiple GrappleThons a year in lots of different locations, all raising money for charity and bringing the BJJ community together. :D
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I've done quite a bit of work on the knee cut pass with Dónal, as he's taught me multiple private lessons on the topic. I therefore wanted to try and condense that into a class, as I continue to find it useful to teach techniques I'm working on myself. There was a good range of different body types tonight, which is always handy for establishing the important elements of a techniques.

To start off, I tried to teach a basic version of the knee cut pass. Rather than going through the numerous details I gleaned from Dónal and trying the pass out in sparring, I tried emphasise three key details: your initial grip, cutting your knee across and establishing control of the upper body.

The basic idea is to step between their legs in open guard, with one leg on the outside. Although I didn't go into depth on the grips, I did mention Dónal's tip about gripping halfway down their shin, then curling your knuckles down to take out the slack. That makes it easier to punch downwards and pin their leg to the mat. Cut your inside leg across their thigh, then get control of their upper body. I prefer an underhook, though there are various other options: again, I didn't go into detail. Pull up on their arm and shift into side control.

After some progressive resistance, I added in some of those nuances to the knee cut pass. Again, grab low on their same side trouser leg with your shin hand, knuckles forward. The elbow of you other arm stays inside your other knee: drive that into the back of their other leg. Keep squashing forward until it your other hand can safely (i.e., without getting triangled) reach high on their same side collar, pulling back towards you as much as possible. You want to curl their body, so their shoulders are off the ground. This makes it much harder for them to sweep you.

Drop into a relatively low crouch, legs apart for base. They will probably have a foot on your hip at this point, on the side where you're trying to get your shin behind their leg. Turn your leg inwards slightly, pressing into their foot, then swing the leg back and over. The grip is important here: you're going to roll your knuckles down so that they are pressing into the shin, straightening your arm. This provides a firm control. Another grip option is to shove straight down into their ankle with the space between your finger and thumb, trapping their leg under you.

Next, you're going to cut across their thigh (still on the leg you just stuffed with your grip), using your opposite knee. As you do, also be sure to yank them towards that side with your collar grip, again to prevent sweeps. Drop in low, trying to secure an underhook, also keeping your head in tight. To get the underhook, put your elbow on their side, then circle your arm around, rather than diving straight for the underhook. You can also just maintain your grip on their collar.

Either way, it is essential that you have your elbow inside. You don't want them to either be able to bring their arm inside for an underhook, or insert their knee in front of you. If they can manage the knee or the underhook, the pass isn't impossible, but it makes it a lot more difficult to finish.

When you've pinned their leg with your shin, you can switch your grip from their leg to their arm and pull up. From here you'll slide through as normal. To secure your position, walk your hips back before you settle (there is a good Mendes brothers video on this), getting your hips underneath them to shove their legs out of the way. That's when you can then solidify your side control.
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Teaching Notes: I like using a structure that has a simplified version at the start, then goes into depth later: if you've read this blog before, you'll know that's how I write my reviews. In the context of a class, that means a basic technique followed by more advanced details. I'm still considering how best to do that, so will keep working on it when I come to teach this lesson.

The feedback from students was that they seemed to like having a chance to practice a simple version first, though I think I could be more coherent in that first section. At present, it was an attempt to teach the technique by chopping out lots of the details, focusing instead on what I thought were key elements: initial grips, sliding that knee across and getting the underhook.

Mike reminded me of a handy little detail, putting your head next to theirs for control. I do something similar for half guard passes, as per Xande's method, but I hadn't thought about its applicability to the knee cut pass. Something I could include next time. He also mentioned I could perhaps emphasise the importance of angle (I think? I may have forgotten, as I'm writing this a good while later: hopefully he can remind me if he reads this ;p).

04/05/2013 - Rape Crisis BJJ Charity GrappleThon

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Sun, 05 May 2013 08:01:00 +0000

For a long time now, a major goal of mine has been to support women already in jiu jitsu and encourage others to give BJJ a try. I was therefore appalled earlier this year when I read that a woman had been raped by two of her team mates, which was followed by further disturbing revelations about what has been called a 'rape culture' at that team. I had not intended to run another GrappleThon until next year, but because I wanted to turn the strong feelings about that incident towards something positive, I decided to get something organised sooner. in aid of the important work undertaken by RapeCrisis to increase awareness about sexual violence, press for change and help survivors.

Last year was the first time I had run an event like this. It won't surprise anybody who knows me or reads this blog regularly that I took a lot of notes, with various spreadsheets proliferating during the planning process. That meant I had plenty of material to draw upon for the second GrappleThon this year, including a sort of 'action plan' based around the steps I took in 2012. First up was asking Geeza if he was happy for us to use his club again, to which he generously said yes. That was followed by checking Seymour was willing to do another design for the event, as he was absolutely key to the success of 2012. As Seymour is an awesome guy, he immediately said "no problem" and got to work. Tatami Fightwear were the third important element, who also quickly replied that they would be happy to print the t-shirts for 2013.

The big change this year was that I made an effort to reach out far more broadly than just Gracie Barra Bristol, the academy where I train and teach. There were two reasons for that. Firstly, since going to Texas a few months ago, I have increasingly realised just how amazing BJJ is as a community, rather than simply a sport, hobby or martial art. I'm keen to push that aspect of BJJ, giving back through charitable work as well as providing an opportunity to expand the camaraderie that I've found to be such a notable aspect of BJJ. The GrappleThon is intended to raise lots of money for good causes, but I'm also hoping that it can bring academies and people together.

My friend John 'jnp' Palmer shared the event over on Bullshido, which was then highlighted again here. We also got lots of coverage on Facebook, such as the pages for Jiu Jitsu Style, British BJJ Brands, Mobile Black Belt and Tatami Fightwear. Plenty of blogs took up the story too, such as Just A Girl BJJ, Fighting at Forty and Mr Tickle BJJ and of course Meerkatsu, whose amazing Heavenly Footlock shirt had a connection to the event (the UK portion going to RapeCrisis, the US to RAINN). My friend Megan kindly featured us on GiFreak too, here and here.

In the weeks leading up to the GrappleThon, my girlfriend wrote a press release and sent it out to lots of newspapers and websites (naturally including RapeCrisis, who put it on their Facebook page). I'm not sure how many picked it up, but I do know that the BBC read it. That's because a few days before the event took place, I got an email from Sacha Bigwood at BBC Radio Bristol telling me to call her. That led to a live interview being arranged for Saturday 4th May at around 07:40. I was more nervous than I expected and thought I stumbled at the start, but it sounded much worse on the phone compared to the broadcast. That should be on the BBC iPlayer for a while, here (skip to 01:48:39), but when that disappears, you can also have a listen here.

An hour later, I was on my way to the GrappleThon, carrying a laptop, two gis, lots of cereal bars, some collection boxes and a banner. The latter two were again sorted out by my girlfriend, meaning that I could make sure RapeCrisis was featured prominently on the live stream. Perhaps most importantly for the fundraisers, I was also carrying a large box of t-shirts from Tatami Fightwear with Seymour's design. Carrying on the format from last year, these were for a special competition for fundraisers: I had a limited quantity in various sizes, which were given out in order of amount raised. That meant if there were only three shirts in your size but five people raising money who wanted one, you had to make sure you raised enough to rank in the top three. The cut-off point was 9am on Saturday: I double-checked everyone's total just before things got started.

That little element of competition brought out some impressive fundraising efforts. Jack McDonald was the champ, ending up with almost £1,000 on his page by the deadline (and passing it afterwards). I should note I wasn't counting the biggest single contributor, Seymour, who gave our total a huge boost when he added his t-shirt sales to his JustGiving page. Various others got well into three figures, some in a very short space of time: Paul only found out about the GrappleThon in training a few days before, but by the time Saturday rolled around, he had already managed over £200.

Another competition helped in a different way, as it did last year: the 'most time sparring' battle. Seymour brought down a print of his 'Heavenly Footlock' design, which I used as the prize, eventually earned by Christian with a ridiculous 95 rolls.

That's a total of at least five hundred and seventy minutes. I say 'at least' because the tracking was inherently vague, as I was relying on the timer beeping after each round: there is a gap of anything between 30 seconds to a minute and thirty seconds once it beeps. So, Christian was most likely sparring for over six hundred minutes! He was looking to break the 100 roll barrier, which he very almost managed, but ran out of time towards the end. I'm sure he'll be back to try and make that target next year. Considering his admin skills, I may also try and rope him into helping me run GrappleThon 2014 too... ;p

Christian was closely followed by two fantastic gentlemen from Dartford BJJ, Danny and Shane. Not only did they raise plenty of money, they were the first people rolling and the last to leave: Danny finished with 93 rolls while Shane had 91. They were ahead of Christian for most of the event, then after he passed them they made a powerful effort to try and reclaim the top spot, only missing out by two rolls.

If you want to learn how to pace yourself in jiu jitsu, then clearly you need to head to Dartford BJJ. Or indeed just learn from Marc Walder: another grappler from that same affiliation, Mike, managed a very respectable 63 rolls. The same affiliation also boasts an elite level blogger whose insightful writing has influenced me ever since she started up her site: Meg Smitley. It's a shame she couldn't be at the GrappleThon this year, but hopefully I'll finally get the chance to meet her at some point down the line.

I was looking forward to seeing some old friends, some of whom I had not seen since I was a white belt. The one who I hadn't seen for the longest time - though she is so active on social media that I still felt I was in touch - was Pippa, who arrived around 10am. She was literally the first person I ever met in BJJ, as she was behind the desk at RGA when I turned up for my intro lesson with Oli (the second person I ever met in BJJ) on the 26th October 2006. It was great to catch up with her and also with Howard, who was my regular training partner at RGA Bucks. He now calls Brighton home, based at Elements BJJ: two other members of the Elements team came with him to support the event. By the 6th May, the Brighton boys had raised over £1,000 for RapeCrisis.

Geeza appeared forty minutes or so later, in order to run a class he wanted to teach. At that point we split the mat in half, angling the live stream camera towards the near side while the class continued for roughly two hours. Conor, another old friend (this time from the Belfast Throwdown) arrived shortly after that class started. I was expecting a lot of people at 12:00, as most people had told me they would be there between 12:00 and 18:00: the mats were stuffed.

It was cool to see so many brown and purple belts on the mats, including Rob T and some of his students from Swansea, as well as Dónal's brother Paddy (I first met both of the Carmodys up at Gracie Barra Birmingham in 2010). The private lessons I've been taking from Dónal served me well today, as I was able to get in some practice on a number of the technical details we discussed. That also means I have lots of material to work on for my next set of private lessons with him. :D

Alison and birthday girl Paula from Gracie Barra Bath got there at about 12:30, bringing some delicious sweets. That was far from the only confectionery to grace the event: the front desk ended up looking like the dessert counter at a fancy cafe (a tradition I feel should be a part of every academy ;D). With so many people it started to get quite difficult to keep track of everybody on the spreadsheet, particularly once Geeza's whole class joined in with the sparring. I therefore apologise if I missed any of you, or just called you 'Big Guy 1' and 'Small Guy 2'. ;)

The mighty Meerkatsu himself walked through the doors around that time too, packing a brown belt, a camera and some nifty mat skills. At about 13:30, yet another blast from the past hit the mats: Chris Williams, who was among my favourite training partners in the early days of my training. We first rolled in February 2007, where I was intimidated by the enormous guns Chris had at the time. It turned out there was a lot of brain to go with that brawn, as every time I rolled with Chris I learned something new. He has the excellent habit of analysing rolls afterwards and offering constructive tips. Since 2007, he has lost about 20kg of brawn, but none of the brain. Fantastic training partner: as I'll discuss lower down, we had a good roll in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Looking at the timings spreadsheet (not everybody picked a particular time, but most of the fundraisers are on there), it was clear that to get a photo of as many fundraisers as possible, I would need to do it in the early afternoon. I decided on 14:00, unravelling the various tangled bodies in order to rearrange them for a photograph. Or rather, Seymour did, as unlike me he's a professional. He then took what proved to be my favourite picture from the day. Most of the photos on this page come courtesy of Seymour (the rest are from Facebook).

A few hours later, Raphael dos Santos, a black belt who runs Gracie Barra Cornwall, was on his way to London for a seminar. He then saw the GrappleThon mentioned on Facebook. That prompted him to make a quick detour to Bristol and jump on the mats, as well as helping us with a donation on JustGiving. Exactly the kind of thing that makes me love social media!

As we got into Saturday night, the twenty-four hour crew was getting tired. Danny and Shane went to sleep around 20:00, which is when Christian was able to close the gap and overtake them in the sparring competition. Other members of that same group also managed to rack up plenty of sparring. Conor finished on 40 rolls (but managed to impress with his eating skills), while Carlos racked up 38 despite an injury to his arm. Kyle didn't quite match his previous competition-winning 63.5 rolls, with 40 this year, but two of the younger participants from last year returned to match their 2012 totals. It was good to see children on the mat, adding to the family atmosphere of the event.

In 2012, it got increasingly difficult to keep the rolling going after 22:00. This year, there was no such problem, in large part thanks to people like Danny, Shane and Christian who were unstoppable, but also because of the stalwarts from Gracie Barra Bristol. I was expecting the locals to be essential for the late shift, which proved to be true: it would have been much harder without the efforts of Luke (34 rolls), Mike F (36 rolls) and Ben K (32 rolls). Maeve was also a big help, bringing cake, coffee, cups and plenty of rolling too (you'd expect nothing less from a woman who did 60 rolls almost non-stop last year).

At 2am on Sunday morning, the last two fundraisers materialised in a flash of blindingly colourful gi threads. David's fabulous dye job is a sight to behold, while Tanya was as always resplendent head to foot with the latest in gi fashion from Meerkatsu. I sadly didn't get a chance to roll with them, but I'll have to rectify that next time. They stayed until a bit after 5am, not long after which submission only champ Nando from GB Bath arrived. Like Raphael, he saw the event on Facebook and decided he wanted to come and help.

After we wrapped up at 9am, Christian and I went back to my house to get some rest. A few hours of snoozing later, we headed off to Cafe Grounded for a filling brunch. While he was sleeping, I was able to count up the collection boxes, which coupled with Rich L's £60 came to over £200. The present grand total for the GrappleThon (at the time of writing) is a superb £8,406.97. My own page was pushed past the £1,000 during the event, which was a great feeling. Of course, you're more than welcome to make those totals even higher: given the present team total and the herculean efforts of all the fundraising team, there's a chance we could hit £10,000, which would be amazing.

Seymour got his write-up wrapped up quickly, putting it out a couple of hours after the GrappleThon finished, here. Pippa has also written one for her blog, here. The first highlight video popped up on the 6th May, which like last year was a sped-up version of the full event, edited together by Steve:

Next time, I'd like to delegate a lot more, perhaps even go home for a sleep every now and then (although as Luke C pointed out, that's exactly what I said last time. Ahem). To that end, I've set up a specific social media presence for the GrappleThon (e.g., Facebook page, Twitter account and separate website, GrappleThon.Org), which should mean that from 2014 onwards, it doesn't have to be me in front of the laptop the entire 24 hours. I do enjoy spreadsheets, of course, but I'd like to get more involved in socialising. I didn't get to speak to people anywhere near as much as I would have liked, so in 2014 I'm hoping to change that.

Thanks again to our awesome sponsors, Meerkatsu for designing the t-shirts and Tatami Fightwear for printing them. Massive thanks to Geeza for letting us use his spectacular venue, Gracie Barra Bristol, and of course thanks to all the fundraisers. Let's do it all again in 2014! :D

Class #500
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Bristol, UK - 04/05/2013

It's fitting that my 500th class (which isn't a lot of classes, seeing as I started back in late 2006!) is a GrappleThon. I rolled less than last time, partly because the attendance and activity online was much higher than 2012. Still, I got in twenty rolls, which as ever gave me plenty to think about. I wanted to focus on using the techniques I've been working on with Dónal in our private lessons, though I also spent a fair bit of time in my typical slow, stalling positions. As a general point I should be more proactive, but at least some of that time was stalling on top, which is an improvement from stalling on the bottom. ;)

My first bit of rolling was with Alison and then Pippa (I think in that order? I'll have to check the videos when I get hold of them). Last time I rolled with Pippa, I can remember my neck feeling rather vulnerable. That was several years ago, but Pippa's ability to get to the back remains high (although hindered by an injury to her arm). Stupidly I forgot about her injured arm at one point and went to set up an armbar from the back way too quickly. Fortunately she tapped early, enabling me to realise my mistake and let go.

Seymour was taking some snaps while we were rolling (like the one above), meaning I could get in a spar with him before he had to catch his train. We spent the whole roll (I think) working on grips, in my case trying to get to Dónal's knee cut pass position, in Seymour's case using his feet and hands to close that down. I was getting stretched out whenever I tried to get in tight, but couldn't capitalise on being pushed back with a bullfighter pass because Seymour also had good control of my arms. It was an enjoyably technical roll and gives me some ideas of what to ask Dónal next time we cover that pass.

Rolling with Howard is always cool, at about 16:30, where again I found myself frequently in my favoured running escape posture. For some reason all the higher belts I rolled with (which IIRC was Howard, Pippa, Paula and Seymour. Oh, and Geeza, but he was going very light as he waited for me to work, because he wanted to see if I'd gotten less complacent since last time we rolled) were trying to set up footlocks on me, but that was a good reminder to keep my feet out of trouble (I don't generally leave my feet dangling anyway, but it's useful to remind yourself why you shouldn't). Howard also showed me a nifty trick where you trap their arm, put your elbow on the floor then rest your head on your hand. From there, Howard does something where if they do pretty much anything you can catch them in a figure-four. Pre-order the DVD now. ;p

[Update: After watching the video which features my roll with Howard (a bit hard to see as we're way off in the corner, but it starts around 44 minutes in), there must be something up with my posture when trying to pass his guard. He swept me EVERY TIME, so I need to work out what I'm doing wrong (or indeed what Howard is doing right). It's a shame I can't make it out more clearly, as it would be interesting to check out the grips and whatever sweep Howard keeps getting on me. Also amusing that it looks like Geeza is watching the roll and presumably shaking his head at how I repeatedly got knocked onto my back ;p]

After that, I stiffened up even though I really didn't roll very long by comparison to everyone else. It could be I'm just not used to rolling more than a few minutes, or just that my body is pants at the moment - as Chris said, I should really sort out my diet. More of a concern was that the groin injury which has been plaguing me since last year began to act up: I originally noticed it after the GrappleThon 2012. I'll make sure to take it (even) easier before my upcoming trip to California.

At around 04:30 on Sunday [Update: video of it here, starting from about 12 minutes in towards the far corner], Chris and I got back on the mat for the first time since 2007. He was pretty tired by this point, so I was able to get on top a few times and work my mount as well as side control. My mount continues to be rather lacking in submission finishes (even when I do get them, they tend to be sloppy and my combinations are poor), but I can at least generally maintain. The same is true for side control. I'm also almost always getting my pass by forcing half guard. Which works, but much better to circumvent it altogether.

I need to be far more careful of my neck in guard: I got caught in a guillotine and then a head and arm choke. Better neck defence when in guard would be sensible. I'm too complacent about my neck from there, as I forget it is still at risk if they're able to get a good hold. Earlier in the day, Paula almost caught me a few times too: if she was the same size as me, I'm sure I would have been tapping. I should get those hands in place and react before they get it sunk in.

On the plus side, I was able to get the windscreen wiper sweep a few times. Interestingly, the John Will version I taught earlier this week proved effective, combining it with what Dónal taught me. I also hit the sit-up sweep just like Dónal showed, but wasn't able to combine it with the windscreen wiper very well.

There is full video of the entire event (Steve has been uploading the whole thing onto YouTube plus highlights, but I'm waiting for the high quality originals), so once I get my hands on that, I'll update this post (with the links, if nothing else). That should give me some further understanding of what lessons I can learn from the sparring, especially as I haven't seen decent quality video footage of my sparring in a very long time. I'll also update if I see any further links, videos, write-ups and the like about GrappleThon 2013.

30/04/2013 - GrappleThon This Saturday & Teaching (Windscreen Wiper Sweep)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:16:00 +0000

Teaching #106
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 30/04/2013

After three months of planning, the GrappleThon in support of RapeCrisis is this Saturday! I've been very pleased with how the fundraising has gone so far: we've already doubled the amount we raised for Meningitis UK last year, which I'm assuming is because the issue of rape has (rightly) been very high profile in BJJ since the start of this year. It's not too late to donate: please go here and spare as much as you can for a fantastic cause. :D

Watch the GrappleThon 2013 LIVE from 9am Saturday 4th May!

Like last year, the event will be streamed live. This time round, we're going with uStream rather than Justin.tv: the link is here. It would also be worth following my Twitter here, in case anything goes wrong with the stream. I'll be tweeting regular updates throughout the 24 hours, again just like last time. If you haven't already, you can also join the event page over on Facebook, which has a few more details regarding address and the like. I look forward to speaking with you on the live stream. ;)
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The windscreen wiper sweep is something I was first shown by Ciaran at the Belfast Throwdown. That's also the terminology he used: as I think it's the most descriptive I've heard, I have continued to follow Ciaran's lead on that ever since. I next saw it demonstrated on Andre Anderson's closed guard DVD, where he called it the 'Rey Diogo sweep', after his instructor. John Will does something similar he dubs the 'bearhug ankle lift', except that his grips are different. Nic Greogiades included it in his 'big class' at GB Bristol a while back, when he called it the 'Xande sweep', due to Xande having also used it regularly in competition.

I kicked off with a 'basic' version, with a couple of grip variations. Start off by grabbing the same side wrist (alternatively, you could grab the elbow, or use John Will's method where he grips over the back, making sure to trap the arm and prevent them posting). You also need to grab either the outside of their knee or the lower part of their trousers. Be careful, as if your opponent knows this sweep, they may post their other leg out to stop you.

Before they can do that, put your same side foot by that other leg, keeping it tight so there is no room for them to wriggle. Anderson prefers foot on the hip, but personally I find that difficult to pull off: still, be sure to try both versions to see which works best for you. Next, kick your foot on the trouser-grip side up into their armpit, aiming to curve their body away as you do. Swing your head around (so that you're looking at your knee: same principle as with Ryan Hall's version of the triangle). To finish, kick forward with that leg, lifting the trouser, then roll through into mount.

I then moved on to Dónal's version, as per the private lesson from a few weeks ago. Grab the cloth then turn your hand inwards, pressing your knuckles into the side of their forearm. Just like when they sit on their heels and make the trousers too tight to hold, by turning your hand in their sleeve becomes tight and restricts their movement. They can no longer easily circle their hand around to break your hold.

On the sleeve grip side, put your foot on the mat by their leg, keeping it tight so there is no room for them to wriggle. You could go straight for the windscreen wiper from here, but Dónal uses a combination instead: he starts off with a sit-up sweep. Angle your hips slightly towards your sleeve grip, then shove their arm into their other hip. Do the sit up sweep as normal, coming up diagonally towards the knee grip side and bumping into their hip. Their natural reaction will be to press forwards to prevent your sweep, which sets you up perfectly for the windscreen wiper (if they don't push back, simply continue the sit up sweep). On the knee-grip side, kick your leg into their armpit, curling it around their back as you do. It's important that this leg stays tight to them, right from the moment you do a sit-up: imagine that leg is an arm, which you're using to hug them tightly.

You'll drop back slightly too. In order to do the hip bump, you'll have probably come up on your elbow. Don't drop straight back down. Instead, angle off in the direction of your knee grip, moving the shoulder of your posting elbow across. Your leg should end up across their upper back, the foot near their opposite shoulder. Kick the leg forwards to knock them over, thrusting up with your knee grip arm, then roll them into mount.

Keep hold of their leg and sleeve, also extending the sleeve forwards. Holding the leg makes it hard for them to bridge, while holding the sleeve and straightening the arm could lead directly into a submission, such as an americana. To further help with that, slide your knee up on the sleeve grip side, so they can't bring their elbow back to their side.
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Teaching Notes: Based upon some feedback Mike sent me, I shifted the end of the lesson around, so that stretching is at the end rather than the technique review. What Mike said makes sense, as doing more techniques after stretching does somewhat go against the point of stretching out and relaxing at the end of the lesson. Again, please send me feedback if you're reading this: I may not always implement it, but if I don't, I can guarantee I'll at least tell you why. ;D

A few people found this sweep a little complex, which is to be expected: I've been struggling to land it myself. However, I think it is worth sticking with, as once you've got it down it's a high percentage, low risk sweep. I also find it much easier than the flower and pendulum sweeps: although they are generally seen as 'basic' techniques, I've never managed to get them to work well for me.

I didn't get any sparring in, unfortunately, as I decided closed guard sparring fromt he top probably wasn't a good idea for my injury. That still hasn't gone away, though it is much reduced. Annoying, as I wanted to be fully fit for both the GrappleThon and my US trip in June: we'll see how it goes.

23/04/2013 - Website Back Up & Teaching (Rear Naked Choke)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:30:00 +0000

Teaching #105
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 23/04/2013

At 05:11am on Wednesday 24th April, I got an email from Blogger telling me that my website had been automatically deleted, apparently because it was a spam blog. Obviously that was a little surprising to read after almost a decade of blogging. Fortunately, you can appeal deletion, particularly as it is an automated system so they assume they will get some false positives.

You just go to your blogger dashboard, click on the bit that will now say 'deleted blogs', then hit the 'Restore' button. You'll be asked for a phone number, to which they will text an activation code. Once that's done, your blog is put into the review queue. They say two business days, but it can take a little longer (in my case, it wasn't far off two days).

I sent the unlock request at around 17:00 on the 24th April. I then set about getting something sorted so readers wouldn't see a 404, shifting my custom domain to another blogspot with a temporary page, with links to my back-up blog on WordPress. As something like this has happened before, when the domain registrar went down after a DDoS attack and as a result took the blog offline, I already had a fairly full back-up of everything up until January (the rest I could get from Google Cache).

At 12:56 on the 27th April, I got another email from Blogger thankfully telling me the blog had been reinstated, acknowledging that indeed it was not a spam blog and they had made a mistake. It's an automated message, so there was no indication of why it had been deleted in the first place, but at least it is back. Checking around, I can see there is a place where you can report spam blogs. That makes me wonder if it was malicious, considering the blog went down right after I put up a prominent link to LloydIrvinRapeTruth.com. That's probably just paranoid of me, though. ;)

I used to really like Google, but this year they've now done two things that have annoyed me: getting rid of Google Reader and then randomly deleting my blog with no warning. It's quite worrying that Google can apparently pull the plug any time they feel like it, particularly as I've got no guarantee it won't happen again (although on the other hand, they do provide this platform for free, so I can't complain too much ;D).

Still, if it does ever go down again, I'll try the same back-up process. If you're reading this via a feed, then should I ever go quiet for an extended period, it would be worth checking my back-up, here (presuming that doesn't go down too).
________________

I had considered teaching something else tonight, but as I've been super-busy with writing commitments over the last few weeks (for some reason, the important deadline for all of them seems to be tomorrow, which is the same day as a big meeting at work), I stuck with a familiar lesson. There was only one slight tweak I wanted to add, from the Leverage Submission Grappling seminar #03, which relates to the finishing position.

The RNC is a fundamental technique to BJJ. Everybody with more than a few lessons under their belt knows that you're going to be looking for it, so they will immediately be trying to create barriers with their arms and hands. In order to clear a route to the neck, there are numerous options.

First, you can adjust your hand positioning to maximise your efficiency. If you have one arm under their armpit and the other over the shoulder, then it can be helpful to grip palm to palm or grab your own wrist, with your shoulder arm on top. That means that as soon as there is any gap between the neck and chest, you can immediately slide your arm into their neck. Others prefer to grip with the armpit hand on top: that way, if your opponent pulls your armpit hand down, they are giving you access to their neck with the choking hand, which is what you wanted anyway.

Another problem is that people will also tend to tuck their chin. Some people advocate unpleasant methods to force your way through to the neck in that situation. For example, Stephan Kesting has a list here: the results of that kind of approach (though Kesting does make a point of saying he is not fond of pain-based options either) can be seen in this video of a brutal Baret Yoshida match. That is not how I want my jiu jitsu to look.

My goal is smooth, technical, leverage-based jiu jitsu, causing as little pain to the other person as possible. As Saulo says in my favourite BJJ quote:

"You have to think that your partner, the guy that you're training [with], has to be your best friend. So, you don't want to hurt him, you don't want to try to open his guard with your elbow, make him feel really pain, because jiu jitsu is not about pain. You have to find the right spot to save your energy"

I strongly feel it is best to avoid hurting your training partners, for four additional reasons:

You're in class to learn, not to 'win' at all costs. Save the 'win' mentality for competition.
If you're always hurting the people you spar, eventually nobody will want to train with you, making it rather hard to improve.
Presuming you're in BJJ for the long-term, you're going to be spending a lot of time with your training partners. Therefore it would make sense to build a good relationship.
Even if you don't care about your classmates, everybody has a different pain threshold. So, the efficacy of pain-reliant techniques will vary from person to person. The efficacy of leverage does not: that's based on physics, not how tough somebody is.

There is a less nasty option you could try for opening up their chin, from Andre Galvao. If they really shove their chin down, this may not work, but it is worth a go. Twist your hand so that your thumb is pointing down, then as you slide the arm to their neck, twist the thumb back up to lift their chin.

If I find I have no option except something brutish (e.g., crushing their chin until they tap from pain or lift their head), my preference is to instead transition to a different attack, like an ezequiel, a bow and arrow choke or an armbar (which I'll be covering in later lessons). In my opinion, if I get to the point where force and pain are the main routes to finishing a submission, then my set up was poorly executed.

You can also try tricking them into giving you access to the hold you want, a handy tip I saw on a John Will DVD. For example, when you try to get an arm around their neck, a common reaction on their part is to grab your arm and pull it down. If you respond by pulling up, they will normally pull down even harder. This means that if you time it right, you can suddenly switch direction and swing the arm they are pulling down across your body. This should sweep their arms out of the way for a moment (try to catch both of their arms when you do this). Make sure your other hand is ready and waiting near their shoulder, as you can then immediately bring that other arm across their suddenly undefended neck.

Even better, you can take their arm right out of commission. With one of your hands, grab their wrist. Shove it down towards their legs, then step over that arm with your same side leg. When you then re-establish your hook (or pin your heel to their ribs, or put your leg behind their back), they are left with only one arm to defend against both of yours. If they've grabbed your wrist, twist your palm outwards, shove it down and out, then again step over their arm with your leg. Make sure you maintain pressure, so they can't simply swim their arm free.

There is also the method I learned from Dónal. Grab their wrist with your armpit hand. Drop to the choking arm side, twisting your hips to increase the range of motion for your leg. Shove their arm down, then swing your leg over your armpit arm. Grip your own shin with the armpit hand, then using both your leg and arm, get your foot to their spine to trap their limb.

Now that we've got an arm into the neck, it's time to complete the rear naked choke. The elbow of the choking arm should be under their chin. You don't want to leave any space, as the idea is to press into both sides of their neck. This will close off their carotid arteries and prevent the flow of blood to the brain. That is an efficient and safe way of subduing an opponent.

Reaching past their shoulder, you are then going to grip the bicep of your free arm. This is to lock the choke in place. It will be difficult to grab your bicep straight off, as your opponent knows that's dangerous. You can instead secure your initial arm by gripping the back of their shoulder. Stephan Kesting has a useful video on RNC details, where he talks about holding the ridge of bone at the bottom of the shoulder blade, using what he calls a 'tiger palm'. From there, switch to gripping palm to palm over their shoulder, dropping the elbow of your back-arm down along their shoulder blade. That will further help to lock it in position: as Demian Maia demonstrates, you can even finish the choke from there. If not, you can then do what Kesting calls the 'creep', wriggling that elbow across their back to cinch up the choke.

When you have managed to grip your bicep, make sure both your elbows are in front of their shoulders. In other words, your armpits are resting on their shoulders. The elbow drops straight down. As Levo emphasises, this now means that both your wrists are hidden, making it difficult for them to strip your grip. It also makes the choke tighter, as both of your arms are directly by their neck.

Bring the hand of that bicep arm to the back of their head: a commonly used version is to press the palm into their skull, but there are various options, coming down to personal preference. Using the back of your hand against their neck is arguably better, as that may slip in more securely than palm down. Also, palm down is easier for them to grab, if they try to peel your fingers off their skull. Either way, when you're locking in the choke, don't reach your hand forward over their shoulder. If you do, then they can armbar you using their shoulder as a fulcrum. Instead, slide it behind the head.

Bring your head next to theirs on the bicep gripping side, to further cut off any space. If for some reason after grabbing your bicep you can't get your other hand behind their head, grab your own skull, using that grip to finish from there. Staying close to their back, expand your chest and squeeze your elbows together.
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Teaching Notes: In terms of teaching, I cut down the first section a good bit, which I think works better. I could add in a few other good methods of trapping the arm, but at present I'd rather use those for a future lesson on some other submission from the back, perhaps the ezequiel or sliding choke.

This lesson was useful for my own learning too, in regards to escaping the back. I got in plenty of sparring time, so had a chance to practice what Dónal taught me. First off, I forgot to bring my leg up on the choking arm side first. I'm also still escaping straight underneath their side control rather than getting on top. I think partially that's because I'm not being confident enough and shoving their leg with my arm, and I'm also forgetting to hook their leg as I pop my hips out.

I won't be taking private lessons again for a few weeks, because Dónal has some important exams coming up so I can happily wait until he's done. When he gets back, I definitely need some more work on back escapes! :)

Equipment Review - Gi Drawstring/Gi Cord (Z-Strings)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Short Review: If you've had problems with the traditional flat drawstring, then the Z-String may be a welcome step-up in quality and practicality. Speaking personally, I have never had any issues with the flat drawstring, but I know there are those who find that it bunches, particularly when wet. You may also simply enjoy customising your gi, in which case the range of four colours available from Z-Strings may appeal to you. Finally, it obviously works as a replacement string if the one on your trousers has broken. Available from the Z-Strings site for a slghtly expensive $10 each, here.

Full Review: In the years I've been running this website, I've both read and written plenty of gi reviews. Invariably, reviewers will have a preference for either the classic flat drawstring or the more recent round bungee cord. Generally speaking I've tended towards the traditional drawstring, but I don't have a strong opinion either way. An increasing number of the gis I own have a cord, which has worked just as well. The only irritation I've had so far is that sometimes the cord is far too long, meaning that it dangles down to my knees before I tie it up. Due to that length it's vulnerable to getting yanked and therefore becoming undone.

Actually selling the gi trouser cord separately, with a range of different colours, is an interesting concept. It reflects the increasing fashion element present in BJJ gis, which has accelerated over the last few years. This is despite the IBJJF attempts to clamp down on any divergence from the standard gi, with increasingly draconian and sometimes haphazardly applied rules at their competitions. The ridiculous scenario of forcing somebody to buy a new belt because it is the 'wrong shade' stands out.

As merely one tournament provider among many, the IBJJF fortunately does not have any executive power outside of its competitions, although its influence is difficult to completely ignore given that a medal from the IBJJF Mundials remains the most prestigious for a gi competitor. I'm not aware of any rules dictating gi cord choice, but it would not surprise me if the IBJJF imposed restrictions, should variety become more common. Either way, the Z-String is supposed to be an improvement on the classic flat drawstring, designed to avoid bunching, stay tied throughout a training session and provide customisation options to those who are so inclined.

The Z-String was created by David Zwanetz, a lawyer who trains at Crazy 88 in Maryland, a team previously associated with Lloyd Irvin. Zwanetz has assured me that the Team Lloyd Irvin affiliation no longer exists and that Z-Strings has no business connection to them or indeed anybody else. Nevertheless, he does continue to train and teach at Crazy 88, with a team logo on the Z-Strings website. If you're unaware of why it is important to ask that question, read this factual summary of the deeply unpleasant revelations that have come out about Team Lloyd Irvin over the last few months.

Up until I received these gi drawstrings, I had no idea how to re-string a pair of trousers. The process is described fully in the video at the bottom of this review, embedded from the Z-Strings site, but for those of you concerned about bandwidth, I've put up some pictures. Taking it step by step:

1. Get a wire coathanger. Pull it straight, then create a loop at both ends by squashing the hook. Tape up any bits that stick out and could potentially snag on cloth.

2. Remove your current drawstring from a pair of gi trousers by pulling until you are able to pop the end out of the opposite side of the trousers, both on the front and back. If there is a thick knot, it will take a bit more force.

3. Put the coathanger through the front of the now-stringless trousers, so there is a loop sticking out of each end.

4. Wrap some of the new string through one of the loops.

5. Pull the coathanger out the other side of your trousers, until the end is fully fed through.

6. Put the coathanger through the back of the trousers, again with loops visible.

7. Insert one of the ends of the threaded string into the nearest loop.

8. Pull the coathanger out of the other end of the trousers.

9. For a final time, insert your coathanger through the back of the trousers. Make sure the loop is visible on the non-threaded side.

10. Put the final non-threaded end of the string in the loop, then pull it out the other side.

You now have a beautiful newly strung pair of gi trousers. Pink floral bedcovers are optional. :)

The colour range is red, navy blue, white or 'neutral', which is basically beige. In the pictures on the website there appeared to be a black version too, but either that's me being colour blind or it was discontinued. For the rope tip Z-Strings has a broader choice of colours: red, black, blue, purple, yellow, brown, orange, green, white and pink. That tip is no wider than the rest of the cord, so you'll need to be careful it does not slide straight back through the trousers. This is in contrast to all other gi bungee cords I'm familiar with, which have a thick knot at each end to prevent that from happening.

The sizing is not as diverse as I might have liked, given that they are grouped into kids, A0-A2, A3-A4 and A5-A6. I dislike a long rope, but therefore had to go with the A0-A2. A true A1 would have fit much better than something designed to also fit somebody larger than me. I would guess that is a demand issue: perhaps more sizes will be added in future, if and when the market for Z-Strings expands.

Zwanetz claims in his video that the rough texture of the string will stop it coming untied during class. Up until now, it has lived up to that claim, unlike some other bungee cords which I've found regularly come loose. I would therefore have to concede that the extra length does not seem to have made it equally vulnerable to coming undone, at least in the few weeks I've been testing them up until now.

At $10 (£6.50 at the current exchange rate) the Z-String is perhaps a little overpriced for a length of cord, considering you can get a good quality pair of gi trousers for $25, but not excessive. If you have a flat drawstring you want to replace and enjoy customising your gi, this may be a good option. Available from the Z-Strings site, here.

18/04/2013 - No Gi (Turtle Escapes)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:30:00 +0000

Class #499
Gracie Barra Bristol, (No-Gi), Miles Pearson, Bristol, UK - 18/04/2013

I've mentioned numerous times in the past that I'm not a big fan of nogi. Out of the 500 lessons of BJJ I've taken over the years, a mere 30 of them have been nogi. When I've gone to nogi, it has normally been because I had no choice as I couldn't make any other class in the schedule. That's exactly why I find myself in the GB Bristol nogi class: Thursdays and Tuesdays are still by far the best days for me to train, so as I now teach on Tuesdays, it looks like I'll be taking off the gi on Thursdays.

This time, I do at least have a new element to make it interesting: Leverage Submission Grappling. I've been to two of Nathan 'Levo' Leverton's seminars so far, which I will be using as a nogi syllabus to work through. Every time I train nogi, my main focus will be LSG techniques. Fortunately for me, tonight was straight out of the LSG playbook, with several techniques Levo taught back at the Leverage Grappling Seminar #03. Miles kicked off with the wrestler's sit-out (which Levo calls the 'peek out'). They are in front of you, with their arms past your armpits but not locked. Base on an elbow and the opposite foot, then knock back their same side arm with your non-basing elbow.

Bring your non-basing foot through right across to the opposite corner, getting your head up, then spin behind them. Your inside hand stays by the leg in case they try to run behind. Also make sure you are putting your weight onto them when you bring your head through. If your weight is sat on the floor, the person on top can simply put their head on the floor, bring their leg over and mount.

Miles combined this with the arm roll, which applies when they lock their arms around you. Of course, a good grappler isn't going to give you their arm like that when you're in turtle, but it is still worth knowing. Same position, but this time you reach back and lock their arm. Look in the direction of the wrapped arm, then drop your same side shoulder to the mat and roll them onto their back. Turn towards their legs to come on top (if you turn towards their head, they can take your back).

Miles finished off with defending the over-under. This is when you have a more knowledgeable opponent, who reaches under your neck with one arm and your armpit with the other. From there, they can move into chokes, so you don't want to hang around. Miles said that some people advocate the usual sit-out, but that he finds it doesn't work well for him. His preference is to drop to the mat, firmly gripping their arm, one leg back and the other curled up high.

That should mean you are now heavy because your centre of gravity is low, hopefully giving you time to work free of their grip. When drilling, Liam tested out some variations on the Peruvian neck tie (although I've heard of it, that was the first time I'd seen it in the flesh), which he thought might make that defence problematic, although trouble-shooting with Miles, the defence seemed sound.

I was nervous about sparring, as my groin injury decided to flare up again due to Tuesday (I didn't restrict myself as much, which was a mistake), but it turned out ok. Specific sparring from turtle gave me the chance to try and shift into Levo's front headlock position, but I was having trouble because we all had to start with that arm-wrapping grip. Although even if we hadn't started there, I would still have run into difficulty: I'm not settling my shoulder into their upper back properly, meaning they can still move forward and take out my legs.

Underneath I also had problems, again partially due to the grip. Normally if I'm in turtle I would be trying very hard to prevent them getting any kind of grip, with my elbows in tight. What I should have done was practice the escapes we'd learned, but I got overly fixated in attempting some tips from LSG #03, particularly the point on always shifting backwards to make them follow you then go for a leg.

Moving into free sparring, I was reminded yet again just how little I know about nogi. I really struggle to get any sort of grip in guard: not having lots of gi to grab makes a massive difference. That meant that instead, I was grabbing the head and failing to get over and underhooks. Keeping them tight is another high priority, which I need to work on. I have been to Levo's closed guard seminar, but would benefit from going again, along with his session on open guard.

I vaguely looked for deep half at one point, but as I don't use that in gi either, I just ended up curled close to their legs. That curled up position featured heavily when I sparred Luke too, this time facing the other way, in the running escape survival posture. I could defend from there, but because I was squashed on the mat, I couldn't do much else except work to block arms digging in. I was impressed by Luke's control, as despite being a huge guy, he took it nice and easy, staying technical even though I'm sure he could have just picked me up and thrown me across the room. ;)

16/04/2013 - Teaching (Bridging Back Escape)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:30:00 +0000

Teaching #104
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 16/04/2013

Tonight I'm going to look at what I call the bridging back escape. Saulo isn't a fan, listing the bridge escape under 'common misconceptions' in the back survival section of Jiu Jitsu University, but it is nevertheless standard at most schools I've visited. The motion is roughly similar to the bridge and shrimp under side control or mount to recover guard, but the body arrangement is quite different. Rather than trying to bridge and shrimp to crawl away from a weight on top that has pinned you to the mat, you're bridging to pin them and then crawl over the top of a weight behind you.

The basic method I'm familiar with was taught to me by Kev Capel (which incidentally is the same way Feitosa teaches it on Gracie Barra Fundamentals). Cross your hands under your jaw, pressing the back of each hand against your face, elbows in tight. This should both block attempts to press a forearm into your neck, while still enabling you to use your hands to intercept theirs. Interestingly, Brandon Mullins grabs their choking arm with both of his, reaching back to grab behind their elbow with one hand and their wrist with the other. He then pulls it across to create some space. Personally, I'd be worried about my neck with that method, but it's an option to try.

Bridge up, trying to get your head to the mat, with the intention of getting your shoulders to the mat. Keep moving to the side until you've created a bit of pressure on their hook. Brandon Mullins talks about a continuous motion of incremental shifts to the side and twists of the hips, until you can pop their hook off. Feitosa pushes it off with his same side hand, whereas Mullins prefers to use hip pressure, just like Xande and Saulo in the escape I've taught before.

Whichever method you use, do a big step over their leg (Mullins does a 'high step, bringing his knee up high towards his head, then putting the foot over) as soon as you pop it off, then move your hips over onto the floor. Grab their leg (the difficult part here is knowing when to move your hand to the leg, as you don't want to give them access to your neck), then push off your outside leg to bring your weight onto their chest.

You need to make sure that you keep your weight on their chest the whole time, gluing their upper body to the ground. Aim to get your shoulder onto their chest if possible, but be careful of not going too far over, or they might be able to roll you. Like Xande, Mullins notes that they will mostly likely try to come on top as you escape. You still have their leg, so you can always just recover guard (though if you can get on top yourself, that's preferable).

To get to side control, gradually walk around with your feet, maintaining that pressure on their chest. With your other hand (this will be the same hand that released their hooking foot earlier), reach over and grab their opposite leg. This is to stop them turning into you. It should now be a simple matter to twist into side control. You can also try hooking around their head: the picture above is from a slightly different scenario, as Xande is escaping the turtle, but similar principles apply.

That's the basic version. As you'll know if you've been reading this blog regularly, I've been taking regular private lessons from Dónal for the last couple of months. The purpose of that was firstly to enable me to train while still injured, secondly to continue training under Dónal (as he sadly doesn't teach a regular evening class at GB Bristol since the birth of his son) and finally the usual reason of trying to improve (though in my case, that's both as a student and an instructor). We covered back escapes fairly recently, building off this escape along with a couple of others I've taught in the past.

For Dónal's back escape (which has more similarities to Xande's version than Feitosa, but is slightly different to both), start off by immediately bringing your knee up on the choking arm side. In one quick motion, move your head forwards and simultaneously shove their head sideways (this is presuming they know what they are doing and have their head tight to yours for control). Look towards them, keeping your head and neck firm in order to stop them moving their head back into place. Push off your leg and bridge back, aiming to get your shoulders and spine to the mat. Angle your choking arm side knee towards the other side, to stop them dragging you back over to the choking arm side once you start escaping.

Due to your body slipping off to the side, they are probably going to try and come on top. To do that, they need to be able to turn their legs down and then away from you. Keep your legs in tight to block them: with your leg back, that forms an effective barrier to their efforts to turn. There are a couple of ways you can do that. The first one Dónal showed was hooking their top leg (if they're trying to turn on top, they'll be on their side) with your near leg. Alternatively, step your near leg behind the knee of their bottom leg and pinch your own knees together.

With your near arm, grab their trousers by their top leg (either by the knee or a bit lower). When you have the opportunity, switch to grip with the other hand, which means you can bring your near elbow down past their body, on the inside. At this point, make sure you've got your outside knee angled towards them, for base like before. Shrimp away, get your near arm back, then turn straight into the leg squash pass position.

I ended up doing it a bit differently when drilling with Dónal, as I like to get control of the shoulder and head. I diverged at the point after you switch your grip on their trousers. Instead of getting my elbow to the floor and turning, I preferred to either reach across their neck and grab the gi, or better, reach under their head, grip the far armpit then lock my shoulder into their head and shoulder.

Either way, I then shrimp away and turn to try and come on top. With your grip on the knee, stiff-arm so they can't lock their half-guard (if they do lock their half guard, this puts you in the opposite side half guard pass position, so proceed from there). Free your leg and move into side control. Note also that deep half is another common finish to this escape, if you like that position.
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Teaching Notes: I could probably tweak my understanding of blocking their legs on the second one, though the main thing is hooking the top leg. During drilling, there were odd numbers, so I went with Mike. What I usually do when that happens is let me partner drill for two minutes, then walk around to see if anyone has questions for the next two. When everybody switches, I let me partner have another two minutes, then walk around again.

The disadvantage of that is it doesn't always give me enough time to see everyone do the technique at least once within the four minutes I allocate for each person to drill. Today that meant the drilling ran over a little, because I wanted to make sure I saw everyone. As a result, there were a few minutes less for sparring. I think that may be unavoidable though, unless I have people drill in a three (which works, but I prefer that everybody gets the full four minutes for drilling and three for progressive resistance each).

This is the first lesson that I've really been able to do the "here's the basic version, here's the more advanced one" thing, which I like, particularly as the student mix in my classes is officially 'all levels' (though I gear everything towards beginners, as I prefer to keep techniques as simple as possible). I'll be trying to do that more in future if I can.

10/04/2013 - Dónal Private: Windscreen Wiper & Sit-Up Sweep

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:15:00 +0000

Class #498 - Private #009
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 10/04/2013

As ever with jiu jitsu, the sweep I worked on today has several names: Andre Anderson calls it the 'Rey Diogo sweep' after his instructor. I first learned the windscreen wiper sweep from Ciaran Toal in Belfast, so I sometimes refer to it as the 'Ciaran sweep'. However, 'windscreen wiper' seems like the most descriptive term, which I therefore use most often.

Dónal was pleased when I mentioned I'd like to study this technique in more depth, as it is one of his favourites. He had various modifications to the versions I've learned before, beginning with his grips. Anderson grabs the elbow and pushes in. Dónal grabs the sleeve with his same side hand, grabbing just below their knee with the other hand. If you can't get any material, pull your legs inwards to knock them towards you and take their weight off their legs. That should enable you to get a good handful of cloth by their knee.

You don't just grip their sleeve with a typical pocket grip. Instead, Dónal used a principle similar to the grip on the shin when doing the knee cut pass. Grab the cloth then turn your hand inwards, pressing your knuckles into the side of their forearm. Just like when they sit on their heels and make the trousers too tight to hold, by turning your hand in their sleeve becomes tight and restricts their movement. They can longer easily circle their hand around to break your hold.

Remember the advice from Anderson's DVD about bringing your hips off the mat and closer to your partner. That way, they don't have as much space for a guard pass: you've taken it away, so to even begin a guard pass they have to first create that space. On the sleeve grip side, put your foot on the mat by their leg, keeping it tight so there is no room for them to wriggle. Anderson prefers to put his foot on the hip, but as I found during the Nic Gregoriades 'big class' on this topic, I think foot on the floor works better for me than foot on the hip. You could go straight for the windscreen wiper from here, but Dónal uses a combination instead: he starts off with a sit-up sweep.

For this initial technique, the sit-up is a bait. Angle your hips slightly towards your sleeve grip, then shove their arm into their other hip. Do the sit up sweep as normal, coming up diagonally towards the knee grip side and bumping into their hip. Their natural reaction will be to press forwards to prevent your sweep, which sets you up perfectly for the windscreen wiper. On the knee-grip side, kick your leg into their armpit, curling it around their back as you do. It's important that this leg stays tight to them, right from the moment you do a sit-up: imagine that leg is an arm, which you're using to hug them tightly.

You'll drop back slightly too. In order to do the hip bump, you'll have probably come up on your elbow. Don't drop straight back down. Instead, angle off in the direction of your knee grip, moving the shoulder of your posting elbow across. Your leg should end up across their upper back, the foot near their opposite shoulder. Kick the leg forwards to knock them over, thrusting up with your knee grip arm, then roll them into mount.

Keep hold of their leg and sleeve, also extending the sleeve forwards. Holding the leg makes it hard for them to bridge, while holding the sleeve and straightening the arm could lead directly into a submission, such as an americana. To further help with that, slide your knee up on the sleeve grip side, so they can't bring their elbow back to their side.

Keep in mind this is a combination: the option of completing the sit up sweep is also available, switching back and forth depending on where and how they resist. Sit-up diagonally, bumping with your hip, again shoving their arm into their other hip as you do. You also want to lock their arm in place with your sleeve grip side hip, pressing that into them.

If they don't lean forwards to resist (if they did, you'd go to the windscreen wiper), they will most likely post their arm on the knee grip side behind them. Let go of their sleeve and instead reach slightly below the elbow of that posting arm. Push it forwards and hook it, then continue the sit-up sweep/hip bump motion.

Bring your knee up to trap their arm again, for submission opportunities. Also don't let their other arm free: because you shoved it into their hip and clamped it in place at the other end with your hip, once you roll into mount it should be totally stuck underneath you. That means they can't use it to defend, putting you in a great position to attack.

09/04/2013 - GrappleThon In A Few Weeks & Teaching (Maintaining Mount)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:30:00 +0000

Teaching #103
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 09/04/2013

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There are two basic types of mount to choose from, which I'll call low and high. Once you've achieved mount, I find that low mount provides the most control. First off, you want to immobilise their hips, as their main method of making space is to bridge up forcefully.

Bring your feet right back, threading them around their legs to establish two hooks: this is known as a grapevine. Alternatively, you can also cross your feet underneath, which has the advantage of making it much harder for them to push your hooks off. Your knees are ideally off the ground, to generate maximum pressure. How far off the ground they are depends on your dimensions: the key is getting loads of hip pressure. Another option, which I learned from Rob Stevens at Gracie Barra Birmingham, is to put the soles of your feet together and then bring your knees right off the floor.

Whichever option you're going for, thrust those hips into them, using your hands for base, where again you have a couple of options. Either have both arms out, or put one under the head while the other goes out wide for base. Try to grip the gi material by their opposite shoulder, or even better, by the opposite armpit. Keep your head on the basing arm side, loading up your weight there. If they're bridging hard, you can switch from side to side.

A basic escape is to trap an arm, bridge and roll. So, don't let them grab your arm and crush it to their side. Instead, swim it through, like Ryron and Rener demonstrate in the third slice of the third lesson in Gracie Combatives. Be sure to do it one at a time, or you may get both arms squashed to your sides.

The drawback to the low mount is that there aren't many submissions from there: the ezequiel is one of the few high percentage attacks. In terms of their defence, they are mostly going to be trying to unhook your feet and digging their elbows under your knees, so you'll be battling to keep those in place.

To attack, you're better off climbing further up, into high mount. Again, you need to worry about their hips. To control them, put your feet by their bum, tucking your toes underneath: Roger Gracie points this out as of particular importance. In what you might call 'middle' mount where you're still over their hips, Saulo suggests that you 'ride' their bridges, like you were on a horse. Lean back, then as they bridge, lift up: you’re aiming to move with their hips, rather than just leaving a big space. So, this takes a good understanding of timing.

He also recommends against leaning forward, as he feels that gives them more space and leverage to escape. Hence why he leans back instead. Experiment, seeing how holding the head works for you versus leaning back. I think Saulo’s method requires more experience, and personally I feel unstable there, but as ever, I want to offer students choice whenever possible.

The danger of leaning back is when you're facing somebody with flexibility and/or long limbs. They might be able reach their legs over to kick into your armpits, either sliding out through your legs or pushing your over. You must control their hips with your feet, to prevent them from bending their body. Swimming the arms through might help you out here, this time against their legs, depending on how they attack. If they do get their feet in place, I generally grab on the back of their collar, stay really low, then attempt to gradually work my hips back to flatten them out: that worked for me last time it happened.

Another option is to move off their hips, shifting into an even higher mount. Gradually walk your knees into their armpits (pulling on the top of their head may help) being careful of the elbows. If they start to work an elbow into your thigh, twist to one side and raise that knee. Pull their arm up with whatever you can grab, then reinsert your knee. I've seen Rob S teach grabbing their sleeve with your opposite hand, while Mauricio likes to grab the elbow with their opposite hand and Felipe essentially shifts to technical mount for a moment.

A final thing I wanted to mention, from Demian Maia, is that you can also use the cross-face. If they turn on their side to get their elbow back in, you can use the cross face to bring their head out of alignment: moving them with their head is easier than trying to move their shoulders or arms or whatever. Also, the body follows the head, so they are going to have trouble bridging or turning if you've got a solid cross face.

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Teaching Notes: This is becoming a fairly defined lesson now, but as ever I'm still looking for tweaks. I think that the opening section on low mount is rather lighter on detail than high mounts, so I can shift some parts across. Next time, I will add the arm swimming to low mount, leaving the cross-facing in high mount. The cross-facing is something I emphasised this time, as I personally find it useful. Also, turning to the side, lifting a leg slightly then pulling their arm.

Something else I will add next time is grabbing the head and using that to either stop them sliding away when you've got to high mount, or to help pull yourself up into high mount from low mount. I was reminded of it when sparring Geraldine (again: she's making a habit of being a useful training partner for things like this ;D), because I was commenting how people will try to slide back up under high mount. She immediately used it on me, quite effectively, which was cool.

I'm not sure if it is worth including the Saulo option, as I don't think many people use it (though I know one student specifically said it worked well for him, so I can't discount it). However, it is handy to demonstrate what you can do with a more upright posture, which leads into the warning about their legs reaching to grab your armpits.

While teaching, I used something I saw on a video a while ago, I can't remember who from (Jason Scully or Jeremy Arel, possibly?) Very simple, but to show hip pressure from mount, get the person you're demonstrating on to go through the alphabet without pressure. Then have them do it again, but this time apply pressure partway through. The change in voice hopefully gets a little laugh and helps solidify the concept in peoples' heads.

03/04/2013 - Dónal Private: Escaping the Back Details

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:15:00 +0000

Class #497 - Private #008
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 06/04/2013

There were three key details I want to take away from this private. First off, I can relax a bit on my defence: I don't need to clamp my arms by my neck the entire time, as that also locks me in place. Secondly, the importance of getting your head under theirs. You can literally dig your head into place if their head is still in the way when your drop to your side. Finally, hook their top leg as you start to escape. That means you can both shift into deep half if necessary and block their attempts to turn.

For blocking the neck, the Saulo method is worth using, with a thumb in the opposite collar, the other free to defend. If you miss that, then there is the option of grabbing the elbow or gi sleeve and yanking it down. Bring your knee up on the choking arm side, heel closer to your bum. That leg is there for base, so angle your knee in slightly to prevent them turning you.

Push head their head across like last time, then drop to the open side. Wriggle your shoulders and spine onto the ground. As you start to escape, hook your leg on their top leg, so they can't turn to side control. If possible, you can even step your foot right onto the ground to lock their legs in place.

If they have a grip and are going for a single collar choke as you try to escape, your first option is to peel it off with a free hand. Don't let them sit up, or they can tighten up the choke: block that with your leg entangled in theirs. I find that if I can get my near arm under their head, pinching it between my shoulder and arm, I can retain enough control to start moving on top.

When you've got their leg hooked, the route to deep half opens up. If you do that, remember to so they can't underhook, which is the first thing the person on top will look to get against deep half. Grip under their knee cap, using that to turn their leg slightly outward, spin to top and pass.

If you can't push the head, drop to the side and use your foot to push off their opposite hook. Immediately start to slide free, keeping their leg hooked as before. That again gives you the option of either going to deep half or simply trying to keep them locked in place so you can work to go on top.

While doing light sparring this week, we got into some weird positions. At one point I was lying next to him, stepped my leg right over and locked into behind his knees. That prevented turning, then I could spin through into side control. Somewhat random, but fun to play with stuff like that and see what happens.

02/04/2013 - Teaching (Mount: Elbow Escape & Heel Drag)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 19:30:00 +0000

Teaching #102
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 02/04/2013

Dónal has stepped back from teaching (understandably, as he's a new father), so the class schedule is shifting around to accommodate that. From now on, I will be teaching the Tuesday class, meaning that Thursdays will be just the one nogi class. That does have the advantage of meaning I'll be on the main mats again, which have more space, more heat and a better timer.

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, bump slightly, then simultaneously pry their knee up and over with your elbow while sliding your flat leg underneath.

Aim to pop your knee through initially. If you can pull the whole leg out in one, great, but don't be greedy. Getting that knee through will mean you can then brace it against their thigh, aiding your second shrimp to free your other leg. Once one of your legs is fully out, you can then use it 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 (towards the trapped leg side: you should be able to base the trapped leg foot on the floor if you've already got your knee into their thigh) and framing until both legs are free. Another option is to put the leg around their back.

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. Use a powerful bridge followed immediately by shrimping to make space, then complete the escape as before.

The elbow escape is related to my personal favourite mount escape, the heel drag. The heel drag is also quite simple, which is another reason I like it so much. 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, just like before. Again, 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.
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Teaching Notes: I suspected something like that might happen, so wasn't overly surprised when Geeza rang me today to ask if I could teach. Fortunately this week is mount escapes, an area where I'm fairly confident of teaching material. Like I said last time, I wanted to rejig up my lesson plans for mount escapes, as I think elbow escape and heel drag goes together better than with the trap and roll.

A lot of people were forgetting to clamp down on the leg after shifting towards half guard, so I'll emphasise that more next time. I think I'll also review removing grapevines, as I could probably demonstrate the second option of bringing in a leg and stepping on their hook more effectively. Sparring was handy, although I think I learned more about being on top, as I didn't spar underneath much, except for a bit of progresive resistance.

So on top, cross facing (making sure to use your shoulder) is handy when they're getting up on their side and wriggling free. Crossing your feet under their bum, like I often do, works well but does mean they can stamp on your feet, which isn't comfortable. Then again, that serves as a good reminder to crawl up into their armpit and go on the offensive.

It's very common for people to snatch half guard and stall when sparring from mount. I generally say that people should keep on working from half guard if that happens, then if nothing is progressing reset in mount. I'm not sure what the best cut-off is: I was getting put in half guard a few times myself, which I took as an opportunity to practice working free, but there's a line: it's good to practice getting free of half guard as that is so common from mount, but not to the level where it takes away from practicing mount in general. Something to think about for next time. :)

28/03/2013 - Teaching (Side Control Transitions to North-South & Scarf Hold)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:30:00 +0000

Teaching #101
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 28/03/2013

When moving around to north-south from standard side control, start by shifting your grip. You'll need to place one arm by their near hip. A useful tip from Braulio is to anchor your hand flat on the mat by their legs, elbow near their bum. If you instead grab their gi or their trousers, they will be able to follow you with their legs as you turn. If you put your hand in the way, that acts as a barrier, meaning you can scoot around but they can't scamper after you. Your other hand will normally wrap under their far shoulder.

As always with top positions, you must make sure you are maximising the weight you're driving into them. Stay on your toes as you walk around, also establishing solid grips with your hands. Press your chest down to turn their head to one side: that is a good general rule of thumb from top position, as if you can turn their head to one side, it is tough for them to turn their body in the other direction.

As ever, there are numerous ways you can grip in this position. A common option is to basically flop your upper body onto their head, bringing your knees in. My personal preference is to move off to one side of the head, driving my weight onto their shoulder, my head low and pressing down, sprawling back with my legs.

You can also experiment with various grips. The most basic is probably grabbing under their shoulders and reaching for their belt, then pulling them in towards you. You could also try putting your elbows into their armpits, or maybe wrap up an arm, perhaps sliding your arm under the head. Another common approach is to have one arm over their arm, while the elbow of your other arm digs into their armpit.

Generally you want to keep your hips low, like in side control, but there are variations where you raise your hips, driving your weight through your shoulders. As Jason Scully over on Grapplers Guide mentioned, if they try that escape where they wriggle out and fling their legs over to take your back, raising your hips can be useful. You can then drive your forehead into their chest to stop them completing the escape.

The best place to learn about maintaining the north-south probably isn't BJJ: its parent art judo is much better at pins. In judo, the orthodox north-south is called 'kami shiho gatame', with lots of variations. For example, the above picture shows three options mentioned in an old instructional book from 1952, Higher Judo: Groundwork, by Dr Moshé Feldenkrais (not only a good judoka, but an engineer, physicist and founder of the eponymous 'Feldenkrais Method').

Scarf hold is useful 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. You can have your knee up (to provide a counter if they start forcefully bridging into you), but be careful they can't hook that with their leg. You can also sprawl your legs out, one crossed over the other. Keep your head low for additional control.

The position is also handy for when you want to kill the near arm. Scoop up their elbow with your near hip, digging it underneath as you switch to scarf, pull up the arm, then return to side control. Bring your knees in tight and suck your partner in with your arms to remove any space for their arm. From there, shifting backwards and sliding through to mount becomes much easier.

Most instructors would say that it is very important you pull up on their arm and keep good control of that elbow in scarf hold. If they can get their elbow back and dig it back under your hip, they can start to make space and escape. However, John Will disagrees. He feels 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.

For Will, the key detail is 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. There are various attacks you can do on the arm if you use the non-Will orthodox scarf hold, 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 demonstrate in my side control basic maintenance class. 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.
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Teaching Notes: North-south is my personal favourite transition and I also often shift into scarf hold. I've combined north-south with knee on belly in the past, but I think knee-on-belly is better served by a separate lesson. I'll have to think of what to combine it with: perhaps reverse scarf hold and a transition into mount? That might be too much for one lesson though.

Today ended up being quite conceptual, which is hopefully useful. I know I like general principles that can be broadly applied, but then not everyone likes to learn in the same way. I'm at the point now where I'm confident on at least one lesson for each position, but still working on how best to introduce techniques beyond that.

That's one of the downsides about only teaching once a week, as I can't test things out as regularly as I'd like, but then teaching more often on a regular basis at this point would essentially become a job, so I'd need to get paid to make it viable. Hopefully some day in the future that might happen, but for now once a week is cool. :)

26/03/2013 - GrappleThon Passes £4000 & Teaching (Side Control Basic Maintenance)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:35:00 +0000

Teaching #100
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 26/03/2013

For my hundredth class, it's a pleasure to be able to say that the GrappleThon has now passed £4,000! The team continues to grow: if you'd like to help the fight against sexual violence and rape culture, then please donate here. You can also get involved and start fundraising yourself, if you're able to get to Bristol on the 4th May. Feel free to contact me if you're interested. :)

Tonight I'm covering what has become a favourite topic of mine, maintaining side control. I kicked off with the conceptual framework John described to me in Texas, which I've mentioned before: the primary control points are the hips and the triangle of shoulders and head, secondary control is inside the knees and elbows, then finally tertiary control relates to the wrists and ankles. John goes into more detail over on this thread. I think it's helpful to have that framework at the start, as then the students can hopefully see how that principle filters through everything we'll be training today.

Another key point to keep in mind is that when you're underneath, one of the worst things that can happen is they control your near arm. Now you're on top, you therefore want to get control of that arm. Dig your knee into the armpit, aiming to slip it right under, bringing your knees in close to their head to trap their arm. You can also try switching to scarf hold briefly, scooping their arm up with your hip, then switching back to side control.

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 and/or arm into the side of their head or neck, aiming to get their head to turn away from you and/or generate some choking pressure to distract them. If they can't turn their head back towards you due to the shoulder pressure, it will make it much harder for them to create space and escape. "The body follows the head" or "where the head goes, the body follows" is an old adage and a true one. Choking pressure can also open up opportunities to switch to mount or consider initiating a submission attempt. 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: this is something Dónal likes to do, which isn't surprising as I think I first saw that on a Braulio video. 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. 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 or your forehead 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 generally prefer to bring both knees in tight, although more recently I've been sprawling the leg nearer the head back. If you can sprawl, it will help your control in that you'll be able to lower your hips. That means more weight on top of them. However, if you have both legs sprawled back, there is a chance they might be able to bring their knee inside: you need to block it somehow, which would commonly be with your hip, your hand or your knee. Play around and see which position you like, and also be ready to switch depending on your partner's movement

That leads into the second section, where I wanted 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. The old "it's better to bend than to break" cliche comes to mind.

That transitional, mobile element to side control can be seen in Saulo's method for maintaining side control, which he shows on Jiu Jitsu Revolution. He keeps his hip stuck right by theirs throughout. 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: however, be careful of pinching that in too forcefully, as that may help them initiate an escape where they roll you over the top.

Your weight should constantly be on them, because of that sprawl: don't touch the floor with your legs or knees. You can also reverse, which Saulo's brother Xande discusses in detail on his DVD. Turn your hips in the other direction, so that you're now facing their legs. Control their far arm, also making sure to block their near hip to prevent their movement in that direction.

To continue emphasising the importance of that hip connection, I then brought in the drills I first taught a while ago, with sparring from side control without using your arms, then another round where the bottom person can use their arms but the top person still can't. My intention was to help students improve their sensitivity and weight distribution, both on top and on the bottom. That progresses into general specific sparring.

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Teaching Notes: I'm still not sure of the best order to teach this in. Last time I had the Saulo method first and orthodox side control second, but the problem with that is it means I'm saying "stay mobile, don't lock", followed by "here's how to really clamp down." It probably works better starting off with the tight control, then progressing to mobility. But meh, hopefully I'll get some feedback that will establish what students prefer and find more useful.

I'm also continuing to experiment with arranging people for sparring. I've tried counting people off, putting them in two lines and king of the hill. I went with king of the hill again today, initially in two groups, one heavier the other lighter. Two people stayed on top, then I switched in another two for the next round. The problem with that is that one person is often left out, so I have to either add in an extra round for them, or switch things around mid-round (which could potentially cut somebody's else go short).

At the end I did a typical king of the hill, except that if you stay on for three goes, switch out. I'm going to continue experimenting with that system and see if it works. Ideally I want something that gives everyone a chance to work the technique, doesn't confuse anybody in terms of where they are supposed to be and also enables me to jump in if I want to.

I didn't today, though I was sorely tempted, because I don't think my injury is up to extended side control bottom sparring yet. I'm fine on top, and progressive resistance with somebody I trust is ok, but I'm still being careful when it comes to sparring. Nevertheless, it was useful doing progressive resistance with Mike: he had an interesting escape attempt where he put his arm at his side and used that as a brace to try and spin the other way.

24/03/2013 - Leverage Submission Grappling Fundamentals 03 (Turtle & Back Mount)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Seminar #012
Leicester Shootfighters, (Submission Grappling), Nathan 'Levo' Leverton, Leicester, UK - 24/03/2013

My initial entry into Leverage Submission Grappling, a nogi system being codified by veteran UK instructor Nathan Leverton, was last year, with my team mate Steve from Gracie Barra Bristol. Steve kindly gave me a lift in 2012, but this time he wasn't able to go. I decided to take the opportunity to do some more CouchSurfing by coming up on the train the day before, as I had such a good experience in Dallas.

[I'm going to ramble a bit about CouchSurfing now, so if you don't care, scroll past the next three paragraphs ;D]

If you're not familiar with CouchSurfing, it is a social media website which people use to meet up and stay with each other. While that sounds rather bizarre to a lot of people, particularly those who do not spend much time on the internet, it's a process that works very well in practice. There are checks in place, such as a system of references and vouching to warn others if anybody turns out to be dodgy. Leicester was my second time staying with somebody, which I'm also hoping to do when I head over to the US later in the year.

My host this time was Dani, who very handily is only about a mile away from Leicester Shootfighters. After cycling over (the Google Navigation thing on my phone is fortunately quite thorough, so my total lack of a sense of direction didn't matter), it didn't take me long to work out the right house: flags from around the world were peeping out from behind the window. Dani has travelled to a LOT of countries! ;) She and her housemate Justyna greeted me with a big bottle of Becks and a tasty spaghetti meal.

Another CouchSurfer, Sara, was also there: just like in Dallas, there is a vibrant CouchSurfing community in Leicester. We headed out to a local shisha bar, followed by some excellent cheesy music at Hakamou (it was a bit full for dancing, unfortunately, though I could still have a good wiggle). While there we met two cool Canadian students (randomly, it turns out that Pete was well aware of BJJ, as he did some MMA and JKD back in Alberta), who Sara invited back to her flat where we all had a good chat until 4am. Slightly later than I was intending to get to bed, but Dani and Justyna are so hilariously entertaining that I was laughing too much to care. It's impossible to not have a good time with those two, so I'm looking forward to seeing them again before the next LSG seminar. Thanks for the great night out, CouchSurfers of Leicester! ;D
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There has been heavy snow this weekend, which prevented a few attendees from coming along to the seminar. Then again, that does have the positive outcome of more personal attention from Leverton, which is a good thing from a student perspective. As with LSG 04, LSG 03 kicked off with an introduction. Leverton handed out a sheet detailing the techniques to be taught today, again aiming to cover it all off within five hours.

The seminar proper began with around two hours on turtle top position. I rarely go anywhere near turtle, so although many of the techniques looked familiar, I can't think of the last time I used any of them in sparring. My main interest for this seminar was the back mount portion, but I knew that some focus on the turtle would be good for me, given I don't seem to use it much these days. Particularly in regards to turtle, there was a key difference between LSG 03 and LSG 04: wrestling. As LSG 04 was on the guard, the predominant influence was jiu jitsu, but for the turtle, wrestling provides an excellent base.

Leverton's first technique was defending against the person in turtle trying to grab your legs, as they will often be looking for a takedown. The simplest method of blocking that attack is to sprawl. Whether they have grabbed one or both of your legs, start by grabbing behind their armpit, the other hand going on their head (not their neck: aim for the end of the lever where they're weaker). Push their head towards the mat and then sprawl back. It's important you then square up.

When sprawling, you want to make sure you aren't jumping backwards, as that gives them the opportunity to complete their takedown. Instead, thrust your hips into them then slide down. The aim is to create a wedge with your body that means their forward momentum is dissipated. You can then establish a front headlock, shifting your head-hand to wrap around and grip their chin. Drive the point of your same side shoulder into the base of their neck, right where it meets their back. Similarly to the sprawl, this blocks them moving forwards.

Your other hand clamps onto their triceps, then slides down towards their elbow. Come up on your toes, getting your ear into their armpit on the triceps-gripping side. Lower your chin-grip side knee slightly, then pull back on their arm. From there you can go behind, with two main options. The meaner version seemed to be 'snapping' them (a term I've heard in regards to takedowns, but don't really understand in technical detail because I never work takedowns. Ever), driving with your shoulder first then dragging their arm back. The goal is to get them extended, so that it is difficult for them to react as you move around behind.

The nicer option is moving the arm on their chin to the other side of their head. The back of your hand is on their shoulder, while your arm is still pressed against their head. From there, move around. Leverton suggested this as a good option for when the person turtling is mainly trying to stay tight, rather than making any aggressive actions like a wrestler would. It therefore sounds like it could be a good option in the context of BJJ.

The standard way of maintaining control on top of turtle, or at least the option I'm familiar with, is sprawling out the legs connecting your hips. This is a bit like what Leverton called the 'side ride', which he noted was good for strikes (he should know, given he has a long history of training successful MMA fighters). Leverton prefers a different position, where he uses his forearms to create initial hooks before replacing them with his legs. Crouched directly behind them, brace your forearms into their hips (but not your elbows, or they can try to control them) and squeeze your knees into them.

This is just a transitional position, so don't stay there long. You aren't sprawled back from here because that is space they can move into. From here, twist around to one side. On one side, your forearm stays in as a hook on their hip. Leave a leg behind on that side too, still tight to their body. Your remaining arm reaches for their arm on the other side, joined by your other knee.

If there is space, you can just replace your forearm with your leg to insert your hooks. Note that for the second hook, you will have to turn your body before you can insert it, or you'll find the motion awkward. Most likely they won't let you do that and will stay tight. In that situation, Leverton suggested trying a tilt to back mount, with two options. At this point there was a degree of jiu jitsu influence again, as Leverton described these techniques as the 'Maia' and 'Marcelo' back takes respectively.

For the Maia, you're shifting diagonally into their bottom corner. Move your body backwards slightly, diagonally behind you and away from them on the arm-gripping side. Leave a small space, then pull them into that space. That will roll them over the knee you had on the arm-gripping side, ideally straight into back mount. You'll also want to establish a harness/seat-belt grip, with an arm over the shoulder and the other under the armpit.

By contrast, the Marcelo shifts forwards into their top corner. This is more difficult, as it feels like there are more parts to the motion. Start by jamming the knee on their arm-gripping side into the gap between their thigh and their arm (if they are tight there won't be much space, but digging your knee in should open it up). Sliding over their shoulder, drop onto your own shoulder, pushing off your leg to roll them onto you. A common mistake is to just leap over and hope your body weight will be enough to roll them, which almost certainly won't be the case: you need to be pushing off the mat with your leg. During that roll, pinch your knees around their leg to stop them walking through and escaping.

Next, swing the leg you have underneath around their leg to get your hook. You then want to bring your second hook in, which they may block. If they do, you still have one hook, which allows you to use Marcelo Garcia's 'hip extension'. Lock your feet together, then pull them towards you with your seat-belt grip and thrust your hips into their back. That should stretch them out, giving you the space to secure your second hook.
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After a short break, Leverton moved on to bottom turtle, which again was roughly two hours. I was initially nervous when I saw this was due to feature takedowns, as that was liable to exacerbate my groin injury, but fortunately the takedowns were from turtle and staying low, rather than a big lift and drop. The overarching theme for this section was making your turtle dangerous, rather than a purely defensive position.

The other major point was scooting backwards while in turtle. Bring one arm back at a time, to reduce your vulnerability. By moving backwards, this helps to extend your opponent and open up opportunities for attacking and escaping. That does mean you may mash your knees up drilling, as you're sliding them back and forth on the mats (especially if you are just wearing shorts so the skin is exposed), but meh. Hopefully my awesome Pony Club Grappling Gear spats will arrive at some point: the Yang seems to have gotten stuck in transit from Australia a couple of months ago (possibly customs? Or just Royal Mail being rubbish, as they are frequently crap with getting stuff to the office).

Keep your knees wide for base, elbows inside, then defending your neck with your hands (either Aisling's 'Shirley Temple' defence, or crossing your hands). You need to keep the person in front of you so that moving back becomes particularly effective. Leverton ran us through a quick drill, where the person on top just put their hands on your upper back while you were in turtle, the person on the bottom adjusting to stay facing them.

From here you can attack with a single leg, wrapping their leg and keeping your head on the inside, elbows tight, trying to bring their knee into your chest. This can be set up by backing away: even if they're sprawled, they are going to have to come forward to stay on top. To finish the takedown, keep your inside hand locked behind their knee, grabbing their ankle with the other. Pull that out, then move around, put the leg between your knees and bump them with your shoulder.

This combines well with the double leg. Should you get the opportunity, grab both legs, bring your head outside, drive with your outside leg and move on top. In many ways this was similar to how I've been taught to complete the side control escape to your knees. A detail I wasn't doing (or at least haven't emphasised) is sliding your other knee in. Like Roy Dean's takedown, Leverton pivots to the side rather than staying straight on, but wrapping both legs rather than using a knee block.

I've familiar with the peek out, which I know as a wrestler's sit-out. Although when I say 'familiar', it isn't something I use a lot because I'm lazy and don't like to move very much. The situation is that they have made the mistake of wrapping arms by your hips. Base on an elbow and the opposite foot, then knock back their same side arm with your non-basing elbow.

Bring your non-basing foot through right across to the opposite corner, getting your head up, then spin behind them. Your inside hand stays by the leg in case they try to run behind. Also make sure you are putting your weight onto them when you bring your head through. If your weight is sat on the floor, the person on top can simply put their head on the floor, bring their leg over and mount.

I prefer the arm roll, which I think I first learned during my very brief stint of judo way back, as a set up for waki-gatame. Of course, a good grappler isn't going to give you their arm like that, but it is still worth knowing. Same position, but this time you reach back and lock their arm. Look in the direction of the wrapped arm, then drop your same side shoulder to the mat and roll them onto their back. Turn towards their legs to come on top (if you turn towards their head, they can take your back).

The sit back to guard is another basic option I'm used to, but it turns out that I have been doing this wrong. This is not the same as trying to pull guard off a takedown attempt. As Leverton noted, jiu jitsu guys can get away with that as their opponents don't normally know how to hold the top turtle position properly or perform a decent double or single leg, at least by comparison to a wrestler. Instead of pulling guard, you are sliding over your leg. Do not kick out your leg: just rock back into guard. Leverton came over several times to correct my positioning, so clearly I have some bad jiu jitsu habits to iron out.

Once I do, this could be very useful for escapes I use all the time, especially the running escape. Which is cool, as I've been struggling to finish that escape properly (as opposed to just stalling with the running escape) for ages. I'm looking forward to seeing if I can incorporate Leverton's details, along with the scoot back Geraldine did the last time I taught the running escape. Although as you can see from the picture, the scenario is somewhat different, so perhaps it isn't entirely relevant.

To perform a front headlock escape, there were two versions, early and late. If you can control that arm before they secure it around your neck (this therefore also applies to guillotines and the like when you're in turtle). Grab their wrist and push it down to the floor, then run your head up the outside of their arm until your reach their shoulder.

If you're late and they've managed to get a bit deeper, the focus will still be on that arm. Reach for the elbow of the arm they have by the neck and try to pull it down into your chest. Use the kind of motion as if you were climbing a rope, hand over hand. After you've secure it towards your chest, switch your knees and step around, reaching an arm around their back. This ends up looking a bit like an arm drag.

Leverton took the opportunity here to make some comments about what he called 'sport jiu jitsu'. I know what he means, but it's a term I dislike: I associate it with the marketing campaign to separate 'self defence' and 'sport' BJJ into two distinct styles, which I think is a false dichotomy: that came up again recently here and I also babble about it extensively here.

He basically said that currently in elite BJJ competition, you will see double-guard pulls where top jiu jitsu competitors fight to grab each other's feet. That looks ridiculous even to an educated viewer. Leverton far prefers to get on top, smash with wrestling and look to submit. Given I'm assuming I was one of the few jiu jitsu people in the room, I kinda feel I have to respond. ;p

Not that I disagree with any of that: I don't like the manner in which some competitors currently aim to play footsie either. I also have absolutely no interest in 50/50 and similarly over-complicated guards, aside from countering them with as simple a pass as possible. The main point I want to make - and I'm sure Leverton is fully aware of this - is that there are lots of people within jiu jitsu saying the same thing. For example, Xande Ribeiro, amongst the greatest competitors of all time and still active in major tournaments today. Speaking to Inside BJJ, Xande stated in #58:

Double guard pull? This is insane. You watch a match, and seven minutes is in the same position. [...] You see fights, black belt fights, seven minutes in a position that is not an end, you know? There's a beginning, there's a middle, but no finish.

I even hear people say, "Well, what if you mount the guy for three minutes..." Yeah buddy, I'm mounted on you. That's totally different. I am in a dominant position. But when you are in a position where the only thing that you can do is a toe hold, get an advantage, or maybe an armbar that some people do from there, that's it. What else is in there? I didn't go to a tournament to have someone fight for their life to wrap their legs around my leg and stay there for eight minutes.

I tell people, grab my fricking arm and pull my arm for ten minutes! Pull my neck for ten minutes! Do not pull my leg and wrap around it tight. That's not the jiu jitsu I teach for my students. Double guard pull? What is this double guard pull? All of a sudden jiu jitsu is two guys fighting for the bottom? I don't really appreciate it, it's ugly, it's bad.

People should be a little more proud and think "I'm a bad ass passer. I'm going to pass your legs, go around to your side, hold on to you and you're going to suffer." I think that should be more the mentality, not just a sweeping art. "Ok, I sweep you, then I stall and I get two advantages, then I sit my butt on the floor again."

I wasn't raised like that. I'm from a time when you could slam in jiu jitsu, you could reap the knee. People fought for the finish, points were just consequences of your work.

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Back mount lasted around an hour, brought over from another seminar in the series that was overly long. Starting with the top, lower body control discussed hooking your feet inside. Bring your knees up higher to shorten the length of your legs, as this will provide less space for their escape. Tense the hamstring if they roll, following them over remaining stuck to their back.

Upper body control looked at the seat-belt grip, also known as the harness, which is the basic over the shoulder and under the armpit grip. Leverton prefers to cover his choking hand with his armpit hand: as I've discussed in the past, there are various opinions on the best option. Some instructors teach that covering with the armpit hand means you can go straight to the choke if they try to knock it off. Others prefer having the choking hand on top, so that you already have that immediate route to the neck.

The body triangle depends a lot on both your body type and that of your partner. In my case, I'm quite flexible, but there was no way I was locking my short legs around my partner, who was a fair bit bigger than me (even with Leverton's handy tip about opening your hips by turning your toes downwards).

Next up was a few tips I recognised from Marcelo Garcia, as these are both techniques I've taught in the past and had success with in rolling, based off Marcelo Garcia's material. Marshal Carper, who was among the co-authors for Garcia's book, produced a handy video detailing the techniques in combination. First there is moving them from side to side with your legs, particularly if you have them on the choking side and they try to roll away, then secondly there is the 'hip extension' method for opening up space to insert your second hook (covered more briefly earlier in the seminar).

Leverton also examined the standard transition to full mount if you're losing the back, which looked familiar to how I've seen it taught elsewhere (lock your heel to their far hip and swivel around), althrough I don't normally grab the arm. That's a useful detail to keep in mind.

Leverton then moved into two submissions (incidentally, it was cool that Leverton focused on controlling position rather than loads of submissions, in contrast to numerous other seminars). I have taught the rear naked choke a number of times, but was looking forward to Leverton's version, hoping to learn some useful tweaks. Leverton did not disappoint, providing simple details that could make a huge difference. The most important distinction is the way he places his locking arm, so that it becomes more involved in the choke.

It is entirely possible most other instructors do this, but it is not something that I can remember being emphasised. Set-up the choke in the usual way, bringing your choking arm around their neck with your elbow under their chin and your body tight. The second arm locks up with the elbow in front of their shoulder, not behind. Both of your armpits are therefore resting on their shoulders.

That minor shift in position makes it a lot tighter, along with the considerable advantage of hiding both your wrists (which they now can't grab). Leverton noted that while there are lots of ways of finishing off the choke, such as expanding your chest (which I like to do), you have your arms around their neck so squeeze those before anything else.

Leverton's variation reminded me of the palm to palm lock Kesting does to walk his arm into position. It is also something I've seen on Demian Maia's DVD, where you are essentially choking them with one arm. This is useful if for some reason you can't get that second arm into place, though it is naturally not as strong a choke as when you can get both arms locked in for a true RNC.

If they tuck their chin, you can bring your arm over the head for a nasty Neil Adams style armbar from the back, which involves a vicious grip that is almost a bicep slicer. If for some reason you haven't heard of Neil Adams, he has two Olympic silver medals in judo and is very, very good at armbarring people. When Adams tells you how to do an armbar, you should listen extremely closely. ;)

Grab their wrist, then reach your other arm over. Grab their wrist with that other hand, whereupon you can switch your first grip to your own wrist, securing a figure four grip. Drop to your shoulder, swinging around: as you do, bring your leg across their hips, swinging the other leg out. This spin should be the same kind of motion as when you spin for an armbar from guard (I've always sucked at armbars from guard, so wasn't very fluid at this).

Hook the swinging leg over their head, so the back of your calf is pressing into their face/temple rather than their neck (for the same reason as a Thai clinch, because holding higher on the head is harder for them to resist than gripping by their neck.) Move your arm deeper, so that instead of grabbing your wrist, you're now grabbing nearer your elbow. Curl your wrists up and you can also turn the hand nearer you elbow upwards.

Straighten your leg into their head as you apply pressure with your arms. Speaking from experience, this feels horrible. I would be tapping long before the actual armbar. If your opponent is tougher than me (which is highly likely), use that hold to unlock their hands (which they will normally clamp together to defend the armbar), then drop back for the submission.

You can briefly see Neil Adams himself use the grip in this video, which is from another seminar at Leicester Shootfighters:

Leverton's demonstration of back mount escapes was quick by comparison to the rest of the seminar, beginning with some basic survival details, such as hand placement on the neck. Again, you can use the 'Shirley Temple/Home Alone' or the hands crossed over the neck. Elbow inside, knees up, keeping your abs tight. You can then move into the escape, which was a fairly standard drop to the side and shrimp.

It was essentially the same version Xande demonstrates on his DVD set. Leverton calls it the 'scrape escape'. Drop to your side, bringing your knee in, then lift and pop their knee off with your hip, just like Xande. Shrimp out pushing on their leg, ready to move into guard should they try to move on top, as people normally will attempt. If they've got a choke in the early stages, it is especially important to get your head and shoulders to the mat to reduce their efficacy.

You can also turn to your knees, using the same motion as if you're escaping from under side control to your knees. This is useful for when they've locked their legs in a sort of 'side-on back mount', making it hard to complete the usual escape. If you can drop your elbow, then there is a chance you can thread one leg under the other, turning on the spot to come up in their guard. Leverton also mentioned escaping the body triangle using a similar motion to the scrap escape (personally I just step over their foot and bridge into their locked feet, as he demonstrated, but it as he said it's good to keep practicing that scrape escape motion).

I realised at the end that I had been drilling with Jake from Fighting at Forty blog, which is a good site I've been reading recently. I love meeting fellow bloggers whose work I enjoy, which was therefore a cool way to end the seminar. I'm looking forward to making more of them, which will also mean I can get in some more CouchSurfing fun. All in all, great weekend, particularly as when I got home, I saw that the GrappleThon has now raised over £4000 for Rape Crisis! :D

21/03/2013 - Teaching (Running Escape from Side Control)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:30:00 +0000

Teaching #099
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 21/03/2013

I started off by focusing on the survival posture for the running escape. Rather than gripping under your head and far arm as in orthodox side control, for tonight's scenario your opponent is using near side grips (i.e., an arm under your head and by the same side hip). That means that it is very difficult to bridge towards them and shrimp, because they've trapped that side. However, you can still bridge away from them, as that side is completely open.

A simplified version of the running escape starts in much the same way as an orthodox escape: bridge to make some initial space. Your aim is to create a gap so that you can turn on your side, getting your hand past their near shoulder. Use that hand as a block, then step out with your bottom leg. Be careful you don't elbow your partner in the face as you do that, especially if you're pushing off their shoulder with your hand.

The defensive position you're looking to reach is turned away from them, with one leg over the other, foot based out. Your top elbow is clamped to that stepping leg (your forearm should be glued to your upper leg), while your other hand goes behind your head for defence. This can be a handy place to catch your breath, although it can also be tempting to stall.

You need to keep several things in mind while in your defensive posture. First, don't let them sneak an arm around your waist. If they get an arm in, you aren't going to be able to turn away and free yourself. Should they get an arm inside, you'll have to either wriggle your elbow and knee back underneath, or shift to a different escape. It's possible you may be able to roll them, as when somebody reaches too deeply in turtle, but most likely they will start making space to insert their leg.

That leads into the second point: be careful they don't take your back. This is the most common attack people have done to me when I've tried it. If they can lift you up enough to slide their bottom leg through (if they have an arm around your waist, this becomes much more likely), you're in trouble. If it does happen, stay tight and don't let them get that second hook in. Your elbow is already by your hip and knee to block the first hook, which means you can use the hand of that same arm to help protect your other hip from their second hook. You might also be able to move into turtle and roll them, but that needs good timing and control of their arm.

Third, watch for chokes. Saulo confidently states that they are never going to be able to choke you if you duck your head, bringing it next to your arm to block their entry. However, you can't just lie there and assume you're immune to being choked: you still need to take care they aren't able to set anything up. Should they get hold of a collar, you can try yanking that same collar outwards to remove their grip, but it may be too late if they've already got a solid grasp and started cinching the collar tight against your neck.

Moving on to the actual escape technique, I went with two options. Saulo's version in Jiu Jitsu University (p69) begins by making a little space and turning to the survival posture, then links directly to his knee on belly escape. I normally just teach that knee on belly escape as a drill for my open guard maintenance lesson (e.g., back in October), as the swinging motion is a useful skill to learn. However, in his book, Saulo uses that motion to recover his guard from under side control, rather than the swivel he uses in Jiu Jitsu Revolution 2 (he does a much quicker version in his first set, Jiu Jitsu Revolution 1).

The risky part is as you're swinging through with your legs in the air: if your partner is prepared and you aren't able to perform that motion smoothly and efficiently, they may be able to set up a double-underhook pass. It is therefore important to clamp your legs down as Saulo does in the last picture, rather than leaving them dangling and vulnerable. Jiu Jitsu University is more recent than Saulo's DVD set, so I'm not certain if this version of the escape is a progression that has been stripped of superfluous elements, or a simplified version which is intended as an introductory option to the full technique presented in the second DVD set.

The second and perhaps more difficult option is from Saulo's DVD. Push off the floor with your back foot, using that to move your body forward, your hips raised. Base on your head and shoulder, then turn your top knee inwards. Continue the rotation until you can recover open or half guard. This is probably the simplest option, but I find it is difficult to secure that position, as I have to scramble for a grip before they pass.

Whichever option you go for, be careful to time your escape, staying sensitive to their weight distribution. If they are driving into you with lots of pressure, it will be hard to make space and turn. A good moment to attempt the escape is when they are looking to attack or transition to another position. Often, there will be a brief moment before they start when they take their weight off you. That is the time to spring the escape.

Finally, as you start to recover guard, you need to make sure you secure the position. If you aren't careful, they can just keep moving round and put you back in side control. That's where I tend to get caught. If you're having trouble, you could instead try going to turtle, or perhaps use the principles of guard recovery: block their shoulder and bicep, get your legs in the way, hook their leg into half guard, etc.

It is possible that the person you are training with won't often use near side grips from side control. Speaking personally, I tend to go for the orthodox grip under the head and the far arm. That doesn't mean you can't use the running escape, it simply means you have to put yourself into position, forcing them to use near grips. All you need to do is make enough space that you can turn away and curl into a ball.

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Teaching Notes: I added in a bit more detail on the swinging legs escape, in regards to recovering if you mess up and they underhook both your legs. I could go into more detail, but I just advised to make your legs heavy, wriggle back on your shoulders, then hook your insteps inside their thighs. As I'm separating the escapes part into a separate section, I don't think I was overloading by adding that in, but I'll ask for feedback and see what people think.

Also on the escapes, I could probably make more of framing after doing the second escape, when you just turn. Geraldine (who has recently moved to Bristol from Torquay, where she trained with the Fightworx crew, so ex-team mate of Vikki and She-Beast) did something interesting when I was drilling this with her, as she simply scooted back.

I hadn't thought of that, so will add that in next time, as it's a good idea, along with framing and/or securing grips. Geraldine proved to be a great training partner (particularly as she was doing stuff that I think will help when I next teach this escape, like that scoot back), so hopefully I'll be able to roll with her more in future (plus she said she's read my blog, which means extra cool points ;p).

Judging from what the two big guys in the class said, I don't think they found the running escape as useful as the smaller people, so that's something to think about. I could try asking some of the other bigger people if they ever use it, like Nick, or indeed Geeza. Steve mentioned that he generally just turns to turtle: I guess the running escape could be handy as an intermediary stage if you like going to turtle under side control anyway.

I'm also continuing to get in plenty of sparring with students, which is nice from a selfish "I want to train more" perspective, but also handy for testing out stuff I want to teach, in this case top side control. It is especially good that Tony is back training regularly, as he and Mike are two of my favourite training partners. I know I'll get a challenging roll from both of them, but it will be technical. Mike hit a nifty stiff-arm escape on me, which is something I can never manage myself, so will have to pick his brain on it (he mentioned it's been working well for him recently).

Speaking of Tony, he had an interesting point during sparring. When teaching, I had mentioned that it is generally a bad idea to reach under your leg to grab it, as then they may be able to collapse your leg on top of your arm, trapping both limbs (something I think Jeff Rockwell taught me). Tony likes to put his arm under, but he brings his heel in tight to his hip, as if he was technically mounting himself. That means the knee is up high, so it's difficult to collapse. Next time I teach it, I can therefore mention that you break that 'rule' if you're sufficiently flexible.

20/03/2013 - Jamie Teaches GB Fundamentals on Side Control Escape to the Knees

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:30:00 +0000

Class #496
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Jamie Horsman, Bristol, UK - 20/03/2013

I was looking forward to seeing what the new instructors would be like, which is the main cool part about Geeza being away. Jamie hasn't taught before, so I also wanted to make sure I was there to support him. He started off with some self defence, as this was a Gracie Barra Fundamentals lesson, taking someone down when they headlock you then moving into an armbar.

The main technique was escaping to the knees from under side control. Jamie uses Geeza's method (which presumably is the official GB method: I haven't watched the DVDs for a while, so can't remember how Feitosa does it). Under side control, cross your hands over your neck, to stop your opponent having much in the way of offensive opportunities. You're then going to shift to the 'knife and seashell', which is another way of saying put a forearm into their neck, cupping their hip with the other hand (I prefer using the forearm on the hip too, but this is a viable alternative).

Bridge into them, then turn to your knees. Geeza and Jamie end up straight on rather than off to the side. Bring your knees up one by one, then go to turtle. Straight on is how I first learned it at RGA, though I find that when I do that I tend to have trouble avoiding them sprawling on me and stuffing the escape. Hence why I teach the Roy Dean method of coming up on the side instead, but that doesn't mean straight on is any less viable, I just have trouble with it. ;)

Sparring was specific from side control. I'm relying too much on grips, which will end up burning out my hands if I'm not careful: I need to try and be less 'grippy' for want of a better word. Next time I'll try just placing my hands there, cupping the shoulder, the armpit etc and see if that works ok.

I focused on digging out their near elbow, along with just maintaining position and staying heavy. With white belts, they tend to get frustrated and start bridging wildly, meaning they get tired, so you can just swing your leg over quickly to mount. However, that's a bad habit, as swinging the leg over is risky: they could snatch half guard, or worse, time their bridge and come up in guard.

So, staying heavy was relatively effective, as I was generally able to hold position. Except with Nick. As normal, he rolled me immediately: the fact he's 105kg to my 65 obviously makes a difference, but still, I need to focus on transitions with bigger guys. I'm always telling people when teaching that side control isn't static, you need to keep moving, but this was a good reminder to do it more myself. :D

Underneath was less succesful. I was able to escape a few times and I think I did ok at conserving my energy, but a number of times after bridging and getting my knee through, I found myself spinning around unable to stop them following me. I need to block them from doing that: perhaps controlling the arm, like I taught yesterday, or simply controlling the knee? Another instance where I don't think I'm following my own advice properly!

I'm also not bridging enough, though that's partly due to my groin injury. I gave the spin out escape a try, where you reach under their body, but that didn't go too well. I also attempted the stiff arm without any success: I think I need to commit more, as I'm possibly giving up on it too early.

On my way off the mats at the end, I was amused by one of the kids watching. He stared straight at me and said "You're the strongest!" Especially entertaining as I was standing next to Nick at the time, who quite clearly takes that title. Unless he meant it in the Brazilian sense, so was in fact telling me I'm using too much strength and my technique sucks? The wisdom of children... ;p

20/03/2013 - Dónal Private: Escaping the Back

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:15:00 +0000

Class #495 - Private #007
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 20/03/2013

For today's lesson with Dónal, I decided to move on from guard passing. The reason I started off with passing is that it has long been one of my major weak areas, which thanks to Dónal now feels much stronger (or at least I have a clear route to take). My other current big weakness is the guard...but my injury won't let me work on that. Therefore I plumped for yet another weak point for me, which is back escapes.

As ever, I was looking for simple and efficient, preferably building on what I already know. Dónal came up with the perfect option, which is essentially a modified combination of what I've taught in the past, namely Xande's variation where he falls to the side and the basic back bridge escape. Those modifications are important, as they make the escape much more effective.

Start off by immediately bringing your knee up on the choking arm side. In one quick motion, move your head forwards and simultaneously shove their head sideways (this is presuming they know what they are doing and have their head tight to yours for control). Look towards them, keeping your head and neck firm in order to stop them moving their head back into place. Push off your leg and bridge back, aiming to get your shoulders and spine to the mat. Angle your choking arm side knee towards the other side, to stop them dragging you back over to the choking arm side once you start escaping.

Due to your body slipping off to the side, they are probably going to try and come on top. To do that, they need to be able to turn their legs down and then away from you. Keep your legs in tight to block them: with your leg back, that forms an effective barrier to their efforts to turn. There are a couple of ways you can do that. The first one Dónal showed was hooking their top leg (if they're trying to turn on top, they'll be on their side) with your near leg. Alternatively, step your near leg behind the knee of their bottom leg and pinch your own knees together.

With your near arm, grab their trousers by their top leg (either by the knee or a bit lower). When you have the opportunity, switch to grip with the other hand, which means you can bring your near elbow down past their body, on the inside. At this point, make sure you've got your outside knee angled towards them, for base like before. Shrimp away, get your near arm back, then turn straight into the leg squash pass position.

I ended up doing it a bit differently when we were drilling, as I like to get control of the shoulder and head. I diverged at the point after you switch your grip on their trousers. Instead of getting my elbow to the floor and turning, I preferred to either reach across their neck and grab the gi, or better, reach under their head, grip the far armpit then lock my shoulder into their head/shoulder.

Either way, I then shrimp away and turn to try and come on top. With your grip on the knee, stiff-arm so they can't lock their half-guard (if they do lock their half guard, this puts you in the opposite side half guard pass position, so proceed from there). Free your leg and move into side control.

The other option is to go to deep half, then do the Homer Simpson sweep to come on top and pass. This starts off the same as before, but the difference is that when they try to come on top, they've been a bit more canny and locked their heel into your far hip. That is going to make it more difficult for you to reach the top position. Instead, shove that leg between yours (either bridge and push it in between, or kick your far leg and swivel it round to trap their leg).

Pinch your knees, also stepping your near leg behind their bottom knee. Alternatively, you can hookin your near leg around the back of their top knee. Shrimp away, then curl your near hand underneath their butt, leading with the back of your hand. Use that to bump them off balance, turning into deep half. Hold onto their knee and turn it outwards, run around with your legs (this is the 'Homer Simpson' part of the sweep), then spin to come on top (be careful they don't underhook your arm, as that's awkward) and pass. I'm not a fan of deep half as I put it in the category of "flashy stuff that is too complex for me", but this is probably the most basic application, so something I'm willing to try.

When you come on top, you can go into a useful knee cut/single underhook pass position, which allows you to go for either pass depending on their reaction. I think that's in the Gracie University stripe 1 lesson on passing, which I should take another look at (also reminds me I still haven't reviewed the guard chapter I bought ages ago, so will have to get round to doing that at some point.

I headed straight over to Jamie's lesson afterwards, which continued the side control escape theme from this week. There was a chance I'd get to practice the back escapes, but then last time Geeza taught a GB Fundamentals on side control escapes, you stopped specific sparring as soon as they were able to turn to their knees, so probably not.

19/03/2013 - Teaching (Side Control Escapes)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:30:00 +0000

Teaching #098
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 19/03/2013

Geeza is away in the US again, so various senior GB Bristol members are sharing teaching duties for the next week or two. Now that I'm back from Paris (I'll do some kind of write-up and stick the link here, in case anyone cares), I'm covering the next two Tuesdays along with my usual Thursday classes: there won't be a nogi class, so the Thursday gi class will be on Mat 1.

Tonight I went with the basic guard recovery under side control. Along with the running escape, this is the escape I personally use the most. 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: this is a bit more reliable that grabbing the gi material, as they can potentially still bring their body onto your hand and collapse it due to the loose material. The forearm into the hip 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 your arm by their side, your body will move with them if they try to switch position.

One thing to note is that having your forearm by their hip like that does leave you more open to the cross-face. So, you could potentially block inside their cross-facing arm instead, which will prevent their shoulder pressure. This is the Saulo method from his book, which has advantages, but personally I prefer to block the hip.

With your other hand, 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. Note that this is a block: you don't want to start pushing and reaching, as that may leave you vulnerable. Reach too far and they can shove your arm to one side and set up an arm triangle.

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.

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 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. Note you aren't trying to lift them with your arms. Instead, you want to push off them, moving your body away rather than pushing theirs higher up.

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.

Roy Dean is also a useful reference point for the second side control escape I like to demonstrate, where you go to your knees. It begins in much the same way as the shrimp back to guard, 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. Roy Dean shifts out to the side, ending up crouched next to them (as in the picture). From there, he reaches for the far knee and drives forward, moving to the top position.
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Teaching Notes: I managed to get in more sparring today, as given it was a Tuesday there were enough people for me to join in. I decided to split the class by weight, as there were some quite big guys along with people more my size. I don't normally mind rolling with somebody bigger when it is side control, as that's a great test of my ability to maintain and escape, but when I'm injured it's entirely different. As to the students, I think most of them prefer somebody around their weight, though I know a few also enjoy rolling with bigger people, such as those who like a self defence angle to their training.

So, the methodology I used this time for breaking up the sparring pairs was have two groups, one of bigger people the other of smaller. Within those groups, half the people went on their backs and stayed on their backs, the other half rotated on top. That then switched for the next round. It did mean that everyone didn't get to roll with everbody else initially, so in the third round I mixed them up to make sure there was enough variety.

In terms of teaching, I'm fairly happy with how the lesson went. As this is the lesson I've been teaching the longest, I'm confident about the content now, though I'm still looking for areas to refine. A number of people were forgetting to put their knee up to block the transition to mount and also not bridging enough, so those are two things I could emphasise more next time.

13/03/2013 - Private: Passing Details

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:15:00 +0000

Class #494 - Private #006
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 13/03/2013

Today's lesson was a little different from the others, as it was less clearly focused. This time round, we mostly just did some very light specific sparring on passing to work out some potentially useful additional details. That makes sense, as we've done a fair bit of work on passing already, so a kind of review is useful at this point.

When I was trying to pass in previous lessons, I was having some trouble getting to the starting position, crouched low, grips on the leg and collar, pressuring forward. Lots of people were shoving back forcefully, though that did set me up nicely for the bullfighter pass instead (as Dónal mentioned, higher belts are unlikely to fall into that trap). I should also remember to twist my leg inwards to make it harder for them to push it back. Another key point I'm still forgetting is to grab their collar and pull their shoulders off the floor. This is absolutely essential, as it makes it much tougher for them to sweep you.

The first of many useful tips related to when they pull your arm forwards. If you simply pull back, it will probably be hard because they've got a strong grip. Instead, turn your hand so your little finger and elbow are pointing down. That gives you a far stronger structure, so it should now become a lot easier to pull your arm back.

If you can't get your arm as far back as you would like (e.g., if you want to get your hand back to push on their ankle), use your forearm instead. You can also trick them by manipulating the direction of their force, like you would when trying to clear the arm for a RNC. In the context of passing, you push forward to lift their foot up off your hip, they start pushing it down to counteract, whereupon you immediately switch and continue that push down.

You can then move into the strong passing position, shoving their leg under your thigh to put it out of commission. Similarly, when pushing their knee across your body you can use your forearm. This time it is a matter of efficiency. Pushing it with your hand is less powerful then using your whole forearm and twisting your body. That provides better leverage.

When you're doing the leg squash pass, grip their gi collar with your free hand, don't base it on the floor. Swing your leg up to keep the pressure on their thigh. That collar grip should be relatively low down on their lapel, because that means you can stop them turning away. Lock your elbow by their other hip: they are going to find it tough to turn from there. With the lapel grip, you can just reel them back in.

Yet another good tip relates to when they try for an underhook. They start to get their hand through for the underhook. Trap your elbow against their hip, pressing into their other hip with your own. This should lock the arm in place. Make sure you're manoeuvring them flat onto their back, bringing your chest forward, to stop them shrimping away.

Dónal had a little point on cross facing too. You can just bring your arm into the side of their face, lifting up your elbow. This will work even if you aren't putting your hand on the ground. I'm teaching a class on top side control in a couple of weeks, so will see if I can add that detail in.

Something else to keep in mind: don't focus too much on what you're used to if there is an easier option. The example that came up today was when they have that grip on your arm and sit up. I tried to force half guard as usual to pass from there. However, it uses less energy to just go for the knee cut as usual: when I did it after Dónal pointed this out, it felt like a very 'Dónal ' movement, fluid and natural. Cool!

12/03/2013 - Half Guard Passing with Liam

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 20:30:00 +0000

Class #493
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Liam Knapp, Bristol, UK - 12/03/2013

Even though my injury is gradually becoming less of a hindrance, as I can at least spar lightly with controlled smaller people, it continues to stop me joining in with the warm-up. That was particularly frustrating today, as Liam was doing some cool guard drills, such as sit-ups when they've stood up in your guard, followed by 'monkey climbs' around their back. Hopefully I'll be able to get back into it properly in a few months (especially as I'll be in California in June), but I'll have to wait and see.

The first technique was a z guard pass, reliant on speed and timing. This combines well with the option Dónal showed a while ago. As tends to be the case with z-guard/knee shield, you need to get that knee down. If it stays high they can control the distance and block your pass.

Having got their knee down, bring your trapped knee up and point it backwards, sliding to try and break their leg grip. Presuming that's successful, post your nearest hand by their hips (they will probably be up on their side, so you can place your fist by their hip to block their motion that way). You're also going to be pressing your weight down into their legs, sprawling your own legs back to maximise pressure. They will most likely try to frame with their arms. That's your cue to spin around your posted fist, with the aim of harvesting one of their arms for a north-south kimura as you do.

The second half guard pass, for a more basic half guard, is more about pressure and grips than speed and timing. You're in the usual top position, when you notice they are going for an underhook. Bring your opposite arm underneath their attempted underhooking arm, bringing your elbow back into their armpit. Grab a handful of gi material to lock your arm in place, adjusting your weight to stop them moving.

With your other hand, push their knee off yours, then pull it into your shin as you maintain pressure with your leg. The idea is to stop them re-securing a half guard lock higher up. Shrimp back until you have room to wedge your other knee next to your trapped knee. Keeping hold of their trouser leg, continue to shift back until you can free your leg, then transition to side control, being careful to block their hip so they can't recover guard.

During my limited bit of sparring, I was looking for the Jason Scully style pass against z-guard/knee shield. I missed out some key details initially so that become a bit scrambly, but managed to get it more smoothly later on. I kept forgetting to bring the trapped knee through into their hip, which when done right enables you to settle your weight down onto their legs to put them out of commission. I was focusing too much on getting my head into their armpit and grabbing their leg.

It is really cool to have a breadth of instructors, as that means different perspectives, different technical preferences and indeed different sizes, which necessarily impacts both your game and the details you pick up from sparring. So, hopefully Liam will be able to teach more classes in the future. Geeza is away for a couple of weeks, which will mean several other people will also have the chance to teach. I'm away for a while myself, but should be able to make it to a few of those classes.

07/03/2013 - Teaching (Tripod & Sickle Sweeps)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 20:30:00 +0000

Teaching #097
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 07/03/2013

We've covered maintaining open guard, so next I wanted to add in two basic, high percentage sweeps. They are each known by a whole variety of different names: I'll use the terms I'm familiar with. They also both start from the same position, which is apparently known as 'cross-guard'. As with the previous lesson, this owes a lot to Kev Capel, who taught several excellent classes at RGA Bucks on the topic I'm about to cover.

I added in a drill to help people get used to thrusting their hips forward, as that's useful for the sweep. You start sat on the floor, one leg curled in front, the other foot out forwards. Raise yourself up with the curled foot, then thrust your hips forward. As you sink back down, switch your legs and repeat the motion for the opposite side.

For the tripod sweep, the easiest way to start off is probably grabbing their sleeve with both hands, pulling it in tight, locking your elbows to your sides. Put your feet on your hips to control the distance. You are looking to now block off one side, so put your foot on their hip and grab their same side ankle. This should leave you gripping their sleeve with your opposite hand. On that opposite side, hook behind their knee. From here, you're going to push with your hip foot, pull with your knee foot and block with your foot hand. That should knock them over, meaning you can come on top.

There are lots more details to that, of course. When you grab for the ankle, you can control it in two main ways. Simply cupping the ankle is the quickest, but that means there is a chance the can kick their foot forwards and dislodge your grip. If you grab the trouser cuff instead, that escape becomes much harder for them.

If you do go for the ankle cup, then a good tip from Kev is to pull that ankle onto your hip, clamping it there. This should also help with off-balancing them. Other options for the set up are initially hooking behind their leg with your same side foot, as that means they can't avoid your grip on their heel by stepping back. You can then adjust your feet into the necessary positions.

Remember to keep your other hook behind their knee tense, as you don't want them to free that leg and step around, because that will enable them to regain their balance. You can also put it lower on the leg, or even right behind their foot, but be careful, as just like the ankle grip, that can increase the risk that they'll step out and avoid your control.

Either way, once you knock them down, because you have that grip on their sleeve, you can pull yourself up as they go back, moving through into side control. It also stops them basing with that hand, as you're sweeping in that direction (which is why you use a cross grip, rather than same side). Should you lose your sleeve grip, the sweep is still there, but it will be harder to sit up and move through to side control.

If you're having trouble knocking them down, angle the direction of your push a little, in the direction you want them to fall. It is important that you react decisively after you've knocked them down. Otherwise, they'll simply get up first, returning to your guard. That would mean you were back where you started.

As ever, there are a couple of options. My preference is to come up and slide your inside knee over their leg, leaning your body towards them: you may find it useful to keep hold of their foot (which means you are both basing on your hand and maintaining control of their leg) to stop them moving, but you can still pass without doing so. Your other foot will step over their other leg, like a typical knee slide pass. From there, you can grab their sleeve, underhook their far armpit, them slide through into modified scarf hold. If for some reason you get your knee stuck in their gi, which has happened to me in the past, change your grip to their elbow, drop your bodyweight and move into side control. Here's my instructor at RGA Bucks, Kev Capel, demonstrating the full sweep:

You'll notice the finish is different in that video: instead of the tight knee slide, you can do a sort of technical stand-up which ends up with a looser pass. This is what Geeza taught yesterday, and as it's also what Kev shows, that's presumably how Roger teaches it these days. After you've knocked them down, put your hooking foot on the floor, bring your other leg behind you. From there, stand up, still holding on to their trouser leg (you could also keep hold of the sleeve, which will enable you to pull on both limbs for the pass, but it makes it harder to stand up), pulling up. That will make it difficult for them to recover, as you move around to a dominant position like side control or knee on belly. Standing up when someone has your foot in the air is hard.

Saulo shows that sweep a little differently in his excellent book, Jiu Jitsu University. On page 163, you can see that he starts from the foot in bicep open guard I'm fond of myself. I notice that in the picture, there is also a variation in gripping that ankle: Xande is holding the front of the bottom trouser leg, rather than the back. On Xande's DVD, he also uses a different grip for the tripod, grabbing high on their collar rather than controlling the arm. If you can get it, this has the advantage of breaking their posture even more than the sleeve grip.

The tripod sweep combines well with the similar sickle sweep: again, that almost certainly has other names (the most common alternative is 'hook sweep'), but I'm using the term from Theory & Technique (page 226). A good time to try this is if when you attempt the tripod sweep, they turn to the side to avoid your hook, stepping their leg back. You could attempt to readjust to recover your position, but it is probably easier to change your feet position and go for the sickle.

Of course, the sickle works on its own too. Indeed, Rener teaches this before the tripod on Gracie University. The entry he shows is to hook their leg, pulling yourself in to grab their ankle, then switching into the sickle position: foot on the ankle-grabbed side hip, then chopping low on their other leg with your other leg, using your calf or possibly your heel.

If you're following on from the tripod, you're basically going to switch your feet so that they're performing the opposite role they did before. Remove the foot your had pushing into their hip, replacing it with the foot previously hooking behind their leg. That foot which was on their hip now goes behind their other foot (not the knee, so it isn't an exact mirror of the tripod. You could try the knee, but it isn't as effective). From there, you can again push on the hip and pull back with your hook.

In order to get the angle, you'll have to turn towards them (or like Rener shows, hook their leg to pull yourself in. If you're going from the tripod, you'll already have their leg hooked). Note that when you follow them up this time, your other knee will be raised. That means you'll need to make sure to shove their leg down and step over, enabling you to complete your knee slide. Remember, there is also the other option of trying the technical stand up instead.

There is a third option too, if they step round really far, which is to take the back. I didn't show this in the main technique, as I try to limit things to two techniques at most. However, I did expect at least a few people to discover that if they step round further, both the tripod and the sickle are less effective. So, for those people, I quickly demonstrated the back take while they were practicing.

Change to a de la Riva hook on your pushing foot, then bring your other leg around behind. Use that to start moving to their back. Switch your hand from their sleeve to their belt as you shift your position, then put both your insteps behind both their knees. From there, kick out with your feet and pull on the belt, dropping them right into back mount. Michael Russell executes it perfectly during his classic match with Andy Roberts. Geeza has the video on his YouTube channel, here.

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Teaching Notes: The class went pretty much as I wanted, except that I couldn't take part in the sparring, which was disappointing after feeling confident on the injury front yesterday. The problem was drilling the sweep, as that resulted in repeated impact to my injured groin, which was starting to complain by the time it got to progressive resistance.

While I mentioned the de la Riva back take follow up to the tripod and sickle, I decided against showing it, as three techniques is too much. However, it's a good technique, so something I'd like to use for another class. I just need to think of something that would combine well with it: perhaps a method for me to move from teaching basic open guard, like the tripod and sickle, into a class on de la Riva sweeps? Something to think about (not right now though, as my injury means de la Riva is currently a very bad idea).

I also wondered if there was some way I could separate out the pass from the sweep, but I can't think of how to do that while keeping the timings. Again, something I'll consider for next time. Reviewing the technique at the end of class, it was odd numbers, so I demonstrated on Mike rather than in the air like normal. However, that did mean I got a bit mixed up on left and right, ending up just saying "the leg". Next time, I should either demonstrate both times myself (which would mean my partner wouldn't get a chance to do it), or have one group in a three (which would mess up the timings).

06/03/2013 - Gracie Barra Bristol (Tripod Sweep & Closed Guard Back Take)

noreply@blogger.com (Can Sönmez) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:30:00 +0000

Class #492
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Nicolai 'Geeza' Holt, Bristol, UK - 06/03/2013

I headed down to Geeza's class straight from the private lesson. I was especially keen to attend to today, as Geeza said in his text message he was covering one of my favourite techniques, the tripod sweep. I'm always interested to glean more details on techniques I teach in my own classes, so was hoping Geeza would have a different take (which he did). Which means I can add that into the class I'll teach tomorrow.

The 'self defence' bit was basically a double leg takedown, driving straight forward. Due to being positioned as 'self defence', this was off ducking a looping overhand punch. I'm more familiar with slipping round to the back, as that's something I've drilled more often: in tonight's version, you drive straight forward, putting yourself in their guard. I had to be careful when it was my partner's turn, as heavy impact on the ground is exactly what my injury doesn't need. Hence why I was completely ignoring the proper way to breakfall, instead putting my hand behind me and lowering myself down slowly.

Getting on to the tripod sweep, grab their sleeve with both hands, putting your feet on the hips. This helps control the distance. From there, leave one foot on the hip while the other drops down behind their other heel (I prefer behind the knee, so that already reminded me of a variation I can add when I teach it). Leaving a hand on the sleeve, use your same side hand on the hip-foot side to grab their ankle.

Geeza prefers to cup their ankle, which requires good timing: the other option is to get a grasp of their trouser cuff. There appears to be some disagreement between black belts as to which is the better grip, but the latter makes most sense to me. First time I learned it 2008, Nic G advised cupping the ankle, which looking back seems to be true every time I've learned this sweep so far. If Geeza is reading this, you're right: Roger has always emphasised grabbing the trouser leg rather than cupping the ankle, as this is the post I was thinking of. ;)

From here, you're going to push with your hip foot, pull with your other foot and block with your ankle gripping hand. That should knock them over, meaning you can come on top. Again, Geeza does this differently to the method I normally use, as he moves back rather than forwards. After you've knocked them down, put your hooking foot on the floor, bring your other leg behind you. Let go of their sleeve.

Stand up, holding on to their trouser leg, pulling up and then pushing the leg towards them. That will make it difficult for them to recover, as you move around to a dominant position like side control or knee on belly. Standing up when someone has your foot in the air is hard. My instructor at RGA Bucks, Kev Capel, teaches the technique the same way in this video:

I was expecting Geeza to follow up with the sickle sweep, but instead he showed a back take, presumably in keeping with the Gracie Barra Fundamentals syllabus. They have the standard grips inside your closed guard. Grab the hand by your chest with both hands, gripping the sleeve on either side of their wrist. Thrust that hand away from you (same direction as the side their arm is on), also turning slightly and moving your shoulder back for increased leverage.

Maintaining your grip, pull their arm back across the other way as far as you can. Let go with your near arm and reach around their back, aiming to lock them to your body in an awkward position turned on their side. Clamp your chest to your back, so that you can then release the grip on their sleeve and use that hand for base. Slide your knee out, then swing the other leg over to establish your first hook. From there, you can roll them into back control.

Specific sparring was from open guard, with the proviso that the person standing can't kneel. This was a perfect follow-up to my private lesson earlier, as now I could practice my passing. It was all white belts and none of them were significantly heavier than me, which is a good environment for testing out techniques you haven't used often. The first hurdle to overcome was reaching the starting position for the pass. Which I didn't.

The difficulty was getting in tight enough to then step my leg forward, driving into the back of their knee, in order to get a grip on the collar and pull their shoulders off the mat. I wasn't able to stop them pushing me back with their legs, though I did still get the knee cut several times more sloppily. However, it seemed that when they push you away with their legs like that, it can set up the bullfighter pass quite nicely. That's something I'll ask Dónal about.

I could perhaps use the knuckles into the shin grip more: my natural grip is inside the knees, as that also means I can pop their foot off my hip with my elbow and then punch my hands into the mat for the bullfighter. I was also using my back-up half guard grip a lot, where you have an elbow behind their head, gripping their back, facing their legs. I used that to force half guard and pass from there a few times. However, I was clearly using too much strength, as I was breathing heavily afterwards (I didn't get a break during king of the hill, which obviously contributed, but still, I shouldn't have been using that much energy).

On the bottom, I went for the tripod and sickle over and over again, which generally proved successful, but then it was small white belts. I was pleased that my leg appeared to hold up ok, meaning that is the first bit of sparring I've been able to do without feeling crippled since September, which is cool.