Tournament for stripes.

Mid-American is having Rodrigo Vaghi in town, teaching and grade BJJ students out. We had a number of blue belt promotions this morning and one purple belt.

I was expecting to just roll a bit and show technique for stripes. I was, however, mistaken. Instead, we weighed in for a round-robin tournament. It was very good to compete again so soon after my last tourney, because I felt that I could immediately apply lessons learned from there....and I did.

My first match went well, as I started in guard and managed to pass guard twice, using two different passes. I was pretty happy with that situation and won on points.

My second match was a loss, but one that I don't feel bad about. The guy I faced is a stud (Abe Wagner from TUF 10) and won the entire weight class. I shot a weak double leg (I'm staring judo soon....enough of this) and ended up with him on my back. I defended well, at least well enough, and avoided the choke and the arm bar attempt, ending up in his guard. I fought to break his guard, but he was just very strong and harassing, with an active guard that kept me unsettled. I attempted a low posture pass, but he stuffed it and got back up to his knees, pushing me over into my guard, though I never really got to establish closed guard and didn't shrimp fast enough to avoid the pass. He smashed me in side until he got me to move my arm out of position and then he got the Americana on me. I need to protect my arm more.

My third match went well, though also a loss. I attempted a few sweeps, but eventually pulled guard. I tried my flower sweep twice, a pendulum, he was too locked in posture for a hip over, nothing seemed to be working. I went to open guard and ended up in De La Riva, which is too loose for me....but it worked, so maybe I just need to get over it. I got the sweep from there. Somehow, or another, he ended up in knee on belly on me without getting any pass points and our time ran out. 2 to 2. Sudden death overtime. So, I attempted a drop Seoinage which didn't work and ended back up in my guard. I rolled to an omaplata which I just could not turn into anything, either the finish or the sweep, and he ended up passing guard. I need to work the mechanics of that betters, so that I don't waste the opportunity again.

My final match was probably my favorite (though I like the 3rd very well too, from a technical stand point). I shot a double, again, that went no where and the guy swarmed me like a pack of wild dogs. He was all over me. I turtled to weather the storm. He pulled me over and I turtled again, avoiding the hooks. Finally, I was able to Granby Roll to guard. I held him there for some time, looking for collar chokes. He stood in my guard and I went to spider guard and tried a sickle sweep from them, which unsettled him so he dove back into my closed guard. He left his arm on my chest, so I arm dragged it across and trapped it there, looking for a pendulum type sweep. He changed his base to defend it, so I started creeping around to his back, finally taking his back and keeping it when he rolled over to his back. I worked a clock choke but he started to spin hard, so I moved to mount and started a collar choke again. Once his hands got high, I shot my knees up his arm pits and found that one of his arms was just dangling in front of me....Americana from mount.

Most importantly, Rodrigo and Ed both watched my matches and had good things to say, so I'm on my way to ranking with them.

Monday Night Class

Had a great technique class today, though it was seriously hot. The thermometer said over 95 degrees for at least a few minutes in there.

We worked triangles for a long time and got to see a few set ups, which was good since I failed my triangle attempt at my last competition.

We also worked on the entry to the arm triangle from mount and a sneaky secondary attack, in the form of an ezekiel choke. Very nice.

We also worked a nice little flow drill to feel some transitions. We started mount and pushed the arm for an Americana, slid up to S-Mount on the defense, worked the arm bar, allowed the roll out and set up the triangle, allowed them to sit out and switched to the omoplata and then finished with a toe hold. It was nice.

Finally, I got to roll with Matt for a while and work on my half guard passing. He's so good at getting under you for the sweep.

Cornhusker State Games

I had a great day today, winning a silver medal in the Jiu Jitsu tournament at the state games.

I won and lost, and while losing is not fun it is educational and something I needed to do. To this point, I'd been undefeated and really need a loss so that I could stop dwelling on losing as being the worst thing that could happen.

I was able to execute a game plan, to some extent. I finally got a finish in a competition, a bow and arrow choke, in a match that I had to work from being down in points to get the victory.

Things change, things stay the same.

So, in honor of the change in schools, I've reinstated the Thursday night BJJ gathering at my house. Call it show and tell. We get together, perhaps roll and I share the most recent techniques I've seen or have interest in.

We work together, everyone gets a say. It's good because we have a few new people to lean on for solid new techniques.

Anyway, I'm going to be competing a week from today...or yesterday (it's really early) in the Cornhusker State Games. I'm usually very much about going for a take down, but I'm concerned. Not about getting taken down, but about the mental aspect of being out of my comfort zone.

I've gotten very comfortable with guard and getting sweeps. A sweep is something that I can build off, psychologically. That gives me momentum in the match. Sure, a take down does too....but is my take down game safer than pulling guard? That's a good question.

While I get to practice guard all the time, my take downs are suspect and rarely used. Also, if I do get the take down, that starts me at a point in my game that is....well, not weak, but less certain. Maintaining top pressure, passing guard, not getting reversed or trapped in a half-guard game. I think I have tools there too....but honestly not the types of tools that excite me.

So, that's the big question. Do I pull guard? Tough call. I mean, the result would ultimately be the same as a take down, if I get the sweep....except that the bulk of my sweeps land me in mount or KOB position....much more dominant than a take down, which at best nets you side control (normally) or being stuck in their guard....

I think I'll discuss that with the "show and tell" group this week.

Different World

So, a lot has happened since I last posted.

I left Tiger Rock over some differences of opinion which don't need to be repeated. Simply put, it was time to move on.

I am now training at Mid-American Martial Arts (the MAMA's boys), under Ed Shobe (a Rodrigo Vaghi brown belt) and Anthony Carlson (Rodrigo Vaghi purple belt).

The attitude, training and atmosphere are entirely different. I moved from being on top of the heap at my old school to something close to the bottom, in terms of skill level. Everyone there simply knows more...like they've been training with a brown belt constantly or something.

This move came at a good time, when I felt like I had no reason to train any longer. I felt lost, without direction or instruction, trying to tackle an art that is monumentally difficult.

I'm finding it hard to set aside my past two years of training, but I really need to for the sake of my progression. Simply put, it has to mean nothing to me to start completely from scratch and relearn everything.

It's been a while.

Well, I've been training this whole time since my last post, but life has been crazy. New chickens, goats and more fence to put up. I'm teaching a law class and I have a new home job.

All this is killing my BJJ time, which I hate. Once the law class that I'm teaching is over, it will be back to a more normal schedule, but that's another 6 weeks away and I hate it.

I've been watching Roy Dean's Purple Belt Requirements now for a few weeks. I really enjoyed the Blue Belt requirements (having committed it to memory) and have implemented a number of the newer technique chains into my game, especially those from knee on belly, mount and guard. I'm having a lot more success with mount submissions, as well as, sweeps since then.

Combine that with some solid triangle information and hip bump basics from Ryan Hall and the Over wrap guard control (overhook combind with a collar grab by the over hooking arm) from Saulo, Half Guard stuff from Eddie Bravo and Robson Moura, and various other positional ideas from Damien Maia....and I'm gathering myself a fairly complex game (at least for the group I'm rolling with on a regular basis).

I'm getting this stuff to work on a regular basis...which is good. Regrettably, I'm getting it to work with relatively inexperienced partners. Oh well...mat time is mat time and I'll take whatever I get right now.

Week of ending with June 13th.

Training this week has been great. I was able to make it to two separate classes and one open mat session.

In class we worked various submissions from guard, getting our entries more crisp and refined. We worked specifically on the arm in guillotine and it seems effective off of the attempted take down. We also worked a bit on various entries into the omoplata. I specifically enjoy using it is response to the defense of the hip bump sweep...when your opponent counters by throwing their weight back into you.....you simply divert the energy to one side and swing out for the omoplata. I'm excited about this technique because it now gives me various options from the guard....and I love the "chess" of playing with options...and playing options off of each other.

I'm beginning to look at how people react to certain set ups and I'm trying to insert my own counters (various counters actually) to each reaction. This really follows the idea of energy conservation and I know that they'll move in the direction of their reaction with much more force than I can exert in any direction that I attempt to pull them. Using that energy is key to remain fresh while making them feel like a rag doll...toss to and fro.

I am rapidily beginning to feel technique win out over athleticism and strength, as people that have given me trouble in the past become easier and easier to deal with. There is not a sufficient skill gap yet to allow me to dominate, but I can see how having much more skill (rather than slightly more skill) would help even more. I know that seems obvious, but early on when people's skill levels are similar, it can wear on your mind. You can lose faith in the techniques, because you feel that they don't work on everyone...especially larger, stronger or faster people. You're told that it is because you lack sufficient skill to offset the physical advantages, but that it can and will come with time. It's nice to see that starting to happen.

As for my own work during open mat time, I've been working a lot with a closed guard arm wrap control position, which allows me to threaten with a cross collar choke, a straight arm lock and work a triangle position. It's also a great position to transition to various open guards, as I have a lot of torso control. I also worked on mount a lot this week, following the example of Roger Gracie who recent tore through the Mundials, winning all 9 of his matches by collar choke from the mount (or in one case, a barely remaining half guard). I've been looking at entries to the collar choke from different angles and with different grips. I've also been taking a long look at foot/body placement in mount while setting up the choke (because you give up an arm) or simply attempt to maintain it against a person with solid escape fundamentals.