time for my monthly update.... i think i'm developing the start of an open guard game. i'm really comfortable in that position for some reason. i mentioned the spider guard in my last update. i'm using that considerably along with the de la riva. i think the reason that i'm comfortable in it is that i've forced myself to keep guys in front of me because i hate being side or full mounted. also starting to develop bit of a closed guard game. haven't had success yet, but i've had a couple very close instances of putting someone in a triangle choke. close but no submission yet. you know what i stink at (amongst other things)? getting out of a guillotine. i've had a lot of people do this to me lately both on the ground and in standup mode. either they don't like my face (entirely possible) or i'm leaving something exposed. have to work on the escape. any particular advice on escaping the guillotine?
If you are getting guilloteened in guard my advice is to:- Take hold of the choking arm with same side hand. Creating space an alieviating pressure. Try to tuck chin as much as possible Wrap other arm behind opponants back (going over the collar/shoulder same) Stack your weight in and drive your shoulder into th eopponants face/neck from here you can make it uncomfortable enough and make the angle to twist your head free. disclaimer: I usually end up getting out (when I do) due to the opponants discomfort and/or them gassing out their arm. YMMV. PS I used to love de la riva guard too, till I jacked my knee (unrelated) now I'm very tentative in playing it It offers really nice control and sweep set ups that felt very natural to me If the above description is unclear then I'll look for vids edit - here you might like this... http://www.grapplearts.com/De-la-Riva-Guard.html
oh one other thing.... i'm again super glad that i've moved on to functional martial arts. there's another discussion going on in an unnamed forum about the shenanigans of some group that's claiming lineage, which is of course, bullshido. and all these other people are up in arms about the lying. and fake certificates and nonsense. and even among supposedly 'legitimate' organizations, there's a very real argument going on about who's authentic. it's basically "we're authentic because of exhibit a. b. c.", "but no, we're really 'authentic' because of this and that, come train with us", and then the other guys are all mad because they think they're also 'authentic'. in functional martial arts, it doesn't matter. what's important? someone is across from you, what are you going to do about it. that's about it. in no-gi, there's not even ranks and bowing and all that eastern martial nonsense. just fighting. does anyone care if the boxer standing directly across from you was trained by a master that was trained by another master, ad infinitum? no. that guy's coming to knock your head off. again, the question is: what are you going to do about it?
thanks killa. i get what you're saying about the guillotine. my instructor has shown me some techniques. have to be better at putting though into action though.
Same. I often find myself stalling out that defence I gave you till they abandon the sub. But hey still works and keeps you safe! :hat: I added an edit by the way
hi guys. i'm back. had to take some time off, but have started going over posts again. miss you! haven't taken time off from bjj, the important part. training 3xweek very regularly and have seen major improvement. my short-term goal is to compete in the chicago ibjjf tourney on march 3rd. long term, compete in more tournaments and go farther in the school's holiday tournament. won my first ever match this time around, lost by flying armbar 15 seconds into my second to a purple belt, lost my first loser's round match (but thought i could win if i had a better strategy). this is the hardest tournament i'll ever be in--no age, belt or weight categorization. was a serious eye-opener into how much work i need to put in.
The end of last year, I got both of my kids involved in a kids BJJ class. I have spending so much time there for them, I decided to move my membership to this school. Last night was my first class and whoa what a difference. Completely different then my previous school, not in a bad way, just a much structured approach to learning the fundamentals. Highest belt in the class was a Blue with 1 stripe, taught by a brown belt from the school. There were 5 of us new to class and 22 total, he took his time making sure each of us got to feel the proper technique at least once before moving on. My body is wrecked today, and I love it!
I had the same experience - had put my kids in boxing and wound up becoming interested in the Muay Thai class that was being held concurrently. These tough-as-nails schools are worth their weight in gold. Giovanni - glad to see you back! I was afraid you'd had enough of the dog pack and went elsewhere.
can't wait to get my boys started in judo and/or bjj. been thinking a lot about kids and martial arts since the whole jerry sandusky thing. got some time to go since the oldest is 2 1/2 and the youngest is almost 1. but it's going to happen at some point. definitely before they start participating in sports or going to school full-time. thanks toller. good to be back and talking to you all. just had to take a break from the site, not from martial arts.
Its awesome being able to involve your children, my eldest son got to blue belt and my middle son a two stripe yellow belt, they dont train anymore which is a shame as we used to have the best fun ever having hard full on sparring sessions and traveling the country competing with them, man i seriously miss that :cry:
So I wanted to ask you man, your first post was over a year ago, how much do you feel you improved? I'm really interested in knowing
I'm thinkin of messin with some Jits as it's a part of my membership at my current gym and as far as I'm aware they're the best in scotland atm. Any tips on beginning from someone who's got a bit of experience but not too much that the beginner feeling isn't fresh anymore?
Don't try to muscle your way through techniques (particularly when training with smaller people) and tap before you get injured!
I'll also add that 'feeling' is really important and I don't mean in some silly pseudo-mystical way. Learning to 'feel' your opponent's balance points (so you can sweep them or unbalance them or escape from a hold) and your own is a good skill, learning to be 'heavy' when on top is good. In a way not being a beginner can be just as dangerous as being a beginner, so don't go in with the attitude that because you've been training and fighting MT you're not a complete beginner (not saying you would, but some folk do!). The best advice is to leave your ego at the door, and relax as much as possible - not always as easy to do as to type! Don't get frustrated because you get dominated by everyone in sparring, it can take time to start to show progress. Ask your partners for advice, where you went wrong, what you could have done differently etc
That ought to be required for membership, lol. We've to post our milestones all along the way - the good, the bad and the ugly < personally, I have the ugly down pat. - That's a brilliant quote, BTW
Just utilize the same work ethic you clearly have in MT and listen to your coach. They tell you everything you need to know. Simple. If you still fancy some light reading try this short piece: http://www.grapplearts.com/Beginning-Grappling.htm and this slightly longer one: http://www.grapplearts.com/Starting-BJJ-Classes.htm Hope you enjoy it!
Do not be afraid to tap, after rolling yesterday I was tapped so many times I lost count. We can not afford to get injured so just be humble Have fun too! I love it, even being tapped out so much
Are you at the griphouse? as someone who is currently teaching some guys with heavy thai backgrounds and who is just starting thai himself. id say leave the thai neck plum alone until you have a better grounding on the floor. Itll save you many bad habits in the long run.
