Monday 19 March 2012

On the Mat day 246: Sitting Guard Sweeps

The lesson on Sunday started off with F-sensei giving me pointers about the closed guard armbar. I like to use a high guard but sometimes have problems getting my leg to stay on the shoulder. I really need to drag their arm quite far across to be able to get the leg up there. I have also been crossing my feet the wrong way. The foot of the leg on the shoulder should be under the other leg. Kondo-san the new guy came a bit late and swapped out with F-sensei for drills. I was shocked at how bad his shrimping and general movement on the floor was, considering how well he escaped my attacks the last time. I think he is one of those people who is better at sparring than drilling. If he thinks about it, he wont move well. I am like that at times, particularly under the scrutiny of a higher belt.

During sparring F-sensei gave me some pointers. I must always work to get from between the opponents legs when I am standing and they in open guard. If both my legs straddle his then I should trap them between my legs and pass. Always push with my legs against his to cut down his range of movement. I also asked him about passing on over-under and them getting one of their legs over my head and blocking me. He told me to go around the leg and keep pressure with my head and shoulder on their leg. It makes sense and I don't know why I didn't do it but when the guy is resisting it can still be hard to pass. I have come to the conclusion that the 3 hardest things in BJJ for me anyway are:

1. Passing
2. Takedown
3. Escaping side mount

These 3 things require a lot of energy to do. Maybe I need to build my stamina or something because what happens is I go for a pass, get blocked and am so tired after my attempt that I cannot keep attacking. These are major holes in my game right here and imo they are the most important aspect of sport jiu-jitsu. They really make or break whether you win a match or not.

My 40th birthday is soon so as a present to myself I ordered a new BJJ kimono. I love my Vulkan gi so much that I decided to buy a white one too. I did consider the Tatami Zero G but I don't like the patches with the white gi. I also thought about the Estilo but it is too heavy for the coming Summer here. I need something light for the intense humidity when it starts. I also thought about waiting for the Meerkatsu gi he has made but couldn't wait. My rashguard took ages to come and I don't want to wait so long again.

Sparring time: 3 x 6 mins = 18 mins

Notable moments: Getting rear naked choked across the jaw by Masaharu. I just took the pain but didn't tap to it. I would have if the pain got too much though. I need to lock my jaw a bit better when this happens.






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