On the Mat Day 353: High Mount Armbar

I travelled to Tsurumai on Thursday because the temperature dropped again. I was really hoping to go to Nonami because more people are gravitating to the bigger gym now that we are entering Spring. K-sensei, Fuji-san, Dmitri and I were the only ones to train that night.

K-sensei began by teaching us the movement to swivel the hips while sitting on your opponent's chest. The opponent with his arms stretched upwards allows you to armbar him. He stressed how important it was to have one leg straight out (not bent at the knee) while the knee of the other leg is virtually on top of the guys cheekbone. This movement seems like something I need to practice. It seems possible to solo drill it over a medicine ball or something similar so I will try that. The hard part was keeping the feet in the same position at all times. He continued on with other armbar techniques and one at the end that finished in a triangle/tight armbar position.

Sparring was fun. I tried to stand with Dmitri just to get some rhythm into how he moves, relaxes and grips. At the end he mentioned about grip fighting and how to control the hand on the sleeve so I don't get thrown with uchi-mata. I can see how relaxing your body until the moment of the throw helps to avoid being thrown. A relaxed body moves quicker to counter.

Anyone for grip practice?

Only a few of us for training but it was a fun night and my energy was uncharacteristically high. I also feel like I'm losing weight but not actively doing so. Perhaps the increase in training has made a difference. I'm considering going from Lightweight class to Featherweight class so I need to lose about  5 kg. If I do so it will have to start this week.

Sparring time: 5 x 6 mins = 30 mins