Daily Submission

Today we worked guard passes. This first one was an open guard pass. It is essentially the same pass Mario Sperry teaches here:
http://tonyssubmissions.blogspot.com/2008/04/daily-technique.html

The next pass was a butterfly guard pass. The technique starts with getting your opponents head off you chest, creating space then getting your head under his. From there you push him to his back, and scoot your hips up tight to him. Place your head to the side, maintain shoulder pressure and reach back as you grab his pants at the ankle and press down to staple his feet to the ground. This prevents him from using the hooks to sweep you. Next you jump over his legs, rolling on the shoulder that is in his chest. In other words, if your right shoulder is in his chest, you would roll over that shoulder to his left side. This leaves you in a bridge position with your back to his chest, bad place to stay. To gain cross side position, you reach with the hand that is by his head over your chest and grab his pants where your other hand is grabbing. Release the other hand and pull it under you as you spin into him. Remember to maintain pressure at all times.

I find it important to enter each class with a goal. Last class it was work on Half Guard. This class it was work on controlling my opponents posture in the guard. Being a wrestler and have MMA experience, I like to create space, push off and scramble to my knees for a reversal. While that is good in one way, it is not BJJ. So today's goal was breaking posture. To do this I used a couple of methods. One was under hooks, I really fought for the under hook in the guard today and I had some succes with it. I think I will play that game more often because it fits so well into the Half Guard and Butterfly guard games I am playing right now. Another was something, I saw in Eddie Bravo's Mastering the Rubber Guard book. It involves an arm triangle but only around his head. I tried that a few times but I also used a true arm triangle. I like the latter better because it can lead right to a sweep or submission but I can see how it would be harder against a good player. I even tried a little bit of rubber guard to help keep his posture broken. It needs alot of work but I will say one thing: You don't need to be as flexible as Eddie Bravo to work a basic rubber guard. I am one of the least flexible guys on the planet and I was able to achieve Mission Control a few times and even New York once.

One of my favorite things about grappling is helping others learn and teaching. The guy I have been rolling with the last few days is a true white belt. Like most of Adam's students he is better that one would think a White Belt should be but clearly less experienced than me. Today when we rolled, since I really want to work on position and controlling posture in the guard, I needed him to reverse me a few times. I refuse to give someone a technique, I don't think it is helpful at all. However, I do believe in not countering the things I am telling him to do. I managed to coach him through a nice hip escape from mount to half guard and through a bow and arrow choke. It is really rewarding watching your training partner advance from working with you just as you advance from working with them.

I had posted earlier that Adam was a Brown Belt under Marcus Soares. It turns out I was wrong. I had seen him wearing a black belt but I thought maybe it was from one of the many instructor ranks in other arts he had. But it turns out he was awarded his Black Belt like 3 weeks ago. Congrats to Adam as Soares does not give out a lot of black belts. It is a very hard earned rank.