Thursday, 8 September 2011

On the Mat Day 192: Passing the Guard

We focused on guard passes from standing last night. Starting by gripping both knees of the opponent and circling the legs to the inside of his. We were taught a cross legged pass and the sliding pass which are considered basic but I am not so great at. If I could do the 2 passes we were shown and do them well I guess I would not need anything else. In my opinion, they do require quick movement and a good balance because more often than not the guy on bottom will be pulling at your arms or lapel to unbalance you. For the final technique F-sensei also showed what to do when the guy on bottom stops you from rotating the leg by hooking his leg around your knee. I can only describe it as a DelaRiva hook with the opposite leg. Perhaps even a little bit like a spiral guard hook. I will write the tech in my notes this week because it was a good counter that had me flip forward and take the back.

I used the balance ball for a time while watching the guys sparring. Quite depressing actually so I went home early after getting tired of feeling sorry for myself. It is interesting to watch the other folks sparring, and I mean really watch them with a critical eye. I think it is good to watch and think "What would I do now in that situation?" "How would I escape?" Kawai-san (purple belt) talked to me a little. I don't know if he understands me well because he is deaf and has to read my lips. Maybe it is hard to read the lips of a foreigner speaking Japanese. He told me that he had busted both his knees. His ACL took 6 months to heal. I was wide-eyed at that but he did say he sparred when it was sore so there you go.

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