Friday was my first day back after a week and a bit lay off from a sore knee. It was also the first time I rolled no gi since I got back. I rolled with two guys, Chris one of the blue belts, and Andrew who I have known for a long time and actually used to help teach grappling to sometimes. If I haven't mentioned before, blue belts are the highest belts we have next to Adam, who is a black. But they are also Marcus Soares blue belts. Marcus does like giving out belts, he only has like 7 black belts and he is Carlson Gracie's highest ranking student. They are pretty good. I was hoping to do better than the last time I rolled with one of the blue belts because this was no-gi and I am normally harder to finish without a gi.
I did do better but not much. For one, he triangle me and got me in a rear naked choke. Those don't happen often. Because of my wide shoulder, general lack of a neck and strong posture, even if some one locks a triangle on, I can defend it just by posturing up until he loosens up trying to re-adjust. This time he locked it on fast and tight and broke my posture. It was a losing battle. He showed really good arm drags. Adam's advanced students have really good wrestling for BJJ guys.
I had a really good roll with andrew. I outweigh him by a fair amount but he is in awesome shape and used to fighting bigger guys. One of the things, I forgot about no-gi, is just how hard it can be to finish someone. I played a good positional game, had a couple sweeps, took mount a few times but I couldn't finish. We rolled back and forth for like 20 minutes which was a huge step for me because I am finally in grappling shape. I still have to get better but at least I can go for a while.
I also got some help from one of the blue belts with my triangle choke. I don't have the kind of build that allows for easy triangle chokes. I have short, thick legs so I have a hard time. I am determined to get them down, even if it will never be one of my go to moves. One little tip that made all the difference, it seems was putting the opposite foot on the hip. It allowed me to push off to get my hips up and spin to the side to help get my leg across his neck. The other thing was grabbing the shin before you lock the other leg on. Apparently, I have been doing it the old school way ( it did learn more than 10 years ago) which is much harder. I will have to give it some more reps over the next little while.
I have a new goal for the next 4 weeks. Last month was half guard. I have worked almost exclusively on my half guard game and I have seen exponential returns because of it. So I am going to apply that same focus to another part of my game that needs work, my butterfly game. I am going to try to pull butterfly guard almost exclusively and try to become as comfortable as I can in that area. I started friday and I managed 3 sweeps from butterfly guard. Hopefully I can pick it up better over the coming weeks.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
UFC 84 Breakdown Sokoudjou vs Nakamura
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura.
This is a fight between two of the better Judo stylist in MMA. Nakamura is a Japanese national medalist, and Sokoudjou is a US Open judo gold medal winner. Here is how I see the breakdown.
Striking:
Both are actually pretty good strikers despite being judo fighters. Sokou is athletic, fast and has very good power. Nak has improved his striking considerably over his career and has developed some pretty strong boxing. I would have to give the edge to Sokoudjou based on his proven power and quickness.
Wrestling:
In this case, it would be judo. Both are accomplished judo players. Sokoudjou probably has the better pedigree, and training at team quest with Dan Henderson should help him learn to apply judo with out a gi. However, we just haven't seen it in his MMA fights. Machida was able to take him down and finish him. Nakamura has been much more consistent using his Judo in MMA so I would give the edge to him.
Jiu Jitsu
This is another area where Nak has the proven edge mainly because we haven't seen much of anything from Sokoudjou. Nakamura hasn't shown an amazing ground game but his only submission loses come against Lil Nog and Josh Barnett which has more to do with those guys being pretty amazing grapplers. Sokoudjou was submitted by Machida, but Machida is a BJJ black belt.
Cardio
Nakamura doesn't have the best cardio in the world but Sokoudjou hasn't been to a decision since his first fight. Kaz has gone the distance 10 times in his career and while he is no Sean sherk or Tito Ortiz cardio wise. He will be able to keep his work rate up at a reasonable level for all three rounds. Sokodjou looks like he is in good shape and training with Dan henderson has got to be good on the cardio but who knows. Edge Nakamura
Level of Competition.
Normally someone with wins over Arona and lil Nog and a fight with Machida, will be the favorite in this category but not in this case, For Kaz, like many japanese fighters in PRIDE, his skill or experience level had less to do with his matchups then his nationality. Accordingly his record is a who's-who's of PRIDE superstars. After fighting Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira (lil Nog) in his first fight, he went on to fight: a rematch with Lil Nog, Bustamante, Henderson, Randleman, Vovchanchyn, Silva, Kondo, Barnett, Rua and Machida. He went 5-7 in those matches. Although he has a losing record against "name" opponents, he is quite used to fighting in big fights. Edge Nak.
Conclusion
In theory, Nakamura has most of the advantages here. He has fought tougher competition, shown better use of his judo and proven his ability to fight for 3 rounds. But Sokoudjou demolished two of the better LHW is the world, one of who holds two wins over Nakamura. He hasn't really shown his ability, or lack of ability, in so many areas. That makes him somewhat of an unknown still. Nak is going to want to take this to the ground because he has shown a tendency to eat punches rather than block them. I predict that Sokodjou will be able to keep this on the feet and use his striking to batter Nakamura. Nak is tough as they come so I don't expect an early stoppage but I think Sokoudjou overwhelms him late in the fight for the stoppage.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
UFC 84 Breakdown - Ortiz vs Machida
Machida vs Ortiz
By far the hardest bout to call because there are so many questions surrounding both fighters. Is Machida for real or just untested? Is Tito done as a top fighter?
Striking;
Edge Machida. Machida has a very unorthodox striking game as he is one of the few fighters who uses a Karate based style in MMA. He has used it to his advantage as most fighters have had a hard time figuring it out. Tito has never been a particularly great striker. He lacks power and a natural striking rhythm. He does have a very good cage and throw very tight technical punches. Against Griffin, he managed to throw tight hooks inside of Forrest’s wide swinging punches (a fact that is often over looked) and even hurt him at one point. Remember he has basically spent most of the last 3 years training to beat Chuck Liddell. However, Machida is a natural striker who will be more comfortable on his feet.
Wrestling
Edge Ortiz. Ortiz has very good wrestling and has used it to good effect through out his MMA career. He appears to have slowed down a step due to a nagging knee injury. The question is can he take Machida down? I think he can, even he has to crush him against the fence. Tito is a very strong LHW and will have to use that to his advantage. Machida is not without wrestling skills of his own. He has a sumo background and it will be interesting to see how he uses it against Ortiz.
Jiu Jitsu
Edge Machida. Machida is a BJJ black belt although he does not use his BJJ as often. Much like Anderson or Wandalei Silva, he prefers to stand rather than use his BJJ to submit and opponent. Against Sokoudjou he showed a decent top game prior to winning by arm triangle. Tito how ever hasn’t been caught in a submission since his second fight at UFC 13! That is more than 10 years ago. He has a great base and is hard to sweep. He has not shown much on the ground other that his solid top control game.
Cardio:
Edge Ortiz. Tito has legendary Cardio although it may be beginning to fail him. Tito has always concentrated on his conditioning, training at altitude, and more than once simple out lasted his opponents. Tito has gone 5 round 3 times in his career, something Machida has never done. Tito may be able to push the pace late in the fight although I doubt either fighter will gas in this 3 round fight.
Level of Competition:
Edge Ortiz. Tito has faced Liddel (twice), Couture, Belfort (early Belfort, also known as good Belfort), Frank Shamrock, Ken Shamrock (3 X although only one was a challenge), Evan Tanner, Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans. Machida only has two really proven fighters on his resume. A BJ Penn (puffed up to 205) and Rich Franklin prior to Frnaklin dropping down to 185 and winning the UFC Middleweight title.
Conclusion:
This is Tito’s fight to lose. He should be able to take Machida down, pin him against the fence and elbow him towards a stoppage or decision. He needs a big win for the last fight of his UFC contract or he will see his stock fade as he joins a new organization. If he can’t take down Machida, expect a boring decision win for Lyoto.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
UFC 84 Breakdown- Silva vs. Jardine
Silva vs. Jardine
I’m sorry, I have never been sold on Jardine. He lost to Rashad Evans on TUF, lost to Stephan Bonnar and lost to Houston Alexander. His win against Forrest was legit but it didn’t really show anything other than he has some power. It did more to show that Forrest needs to stay out of the pocket rather than drop his head and brawl. His win against Chuck, was a matter of Chuck expecting him to drop from a right hand. In the third when Chuck finally turned it on, he did not look as good. Lets quickly break this down.
Striking:
Edge Silva. Jardine is a decent kickboxer but so is Silva and Silva has more power and more tools. Silva’s clinch is a deadly weapon and he throws every punch with bad intentions. He is also more than capable of dealing with Jardine’s leg kicks which is his best weapon.
Wrestling;
Edge Silva. Silva’s wrestling isn’t amazing but it is solid. Jardine has not shown any wrestling ability at all. Also Silva has a create Muay Thai Clinch and while it is mainly a striking weapon, it means that he can control the action against the fence. He is also working full time with Randy Couture which can’t hurt.
Jiu jitsu
Edge Silva. Silva is a BJJ black belt and the few times we have seen him use his BJJ it has been very effective. He has shown a very active guard that allows him to prevent damage and scramble to his feet. Jardine has not shown any real skill on the ground.
Cardio:
Edge Silva. Unlike a lot of former Pride stars, Silva has not shown a tendency to gas. His 3 round war with Liddell was at as fast of a pace as you could hope for and he was throwing as hard, and as much, in the third as he was in the first. Jardine’s cardio isn’t bad either but Silva has shown time and time again that he will bring the intensity for the entire fight.
Level of competition:
Edge, Silva by a landslide. Sliva has faced Lidell, Jackson (twice), Arona (twice), Hendo (twice), Hunt, CroCop(twice), Sakuraba (3X) Ortiz, Belfort and more. He has faced 4 UFC belt holders and was PRIDE champ for a long time. Liddell and Griffen are the only two top fighters on his record and he does hold wins over them but he has also lost recently to prospect Alexander and Bonnar.
Conclusion:
Silva owns every advantage on paper. He is as good or better the Jardine in every aspect. However, Silva has lost 3 straight. Those loses are to Henderson, Liddel and CroCop (at HW) so he didn’t lose to second tier fighter like Jardine but questions remain as to his ability to continue as a top fighter. Silva has been through numerous wars in his career and they look as though they may have taken there toll on the Axe Murderer. Jardine could win this by virtue of being less abused. He also has a great game planner in Greg Jackson, who could plan a strategy of picking apart silva’s somewhat reckless style. Another question is how much of an effect is Randy Couture going to have on silva’s game plan. If there is one guy in MMA who can out game plan Jackson, it is the Natural. I predict Silva by destructive KO, in a fight that re-establishes him as a top fighter.
Friday, May 16, 2008
UFC 84 Breakdown- Penn Vs Sherk
UFC 84 breakdown
Penn vs. Sherk
This fight has generated a ton of hype and wildly differing opinions. The Penn fanboys claim that BJ will win by “whatever he wants” while Sherk’s fan claim that BJ has no gas tank and no heart. Lets break this down by skill set and see how they match up.
Striking:
This one is actually fairly even although most people don’t like to admit it. Sherk has a very tight, technical “small man’s” striking game. He punches in flurries and keeps his punches nice, short and always brings his hands right back to a tight cage. Penn’s punching is more fluid and natural but no less effective. His boxing is good enough that no one faults him for relying on it rather than his jiu-jitsu, unlike a Andy Wang or Jorge Gurgel (who I am told are pretty good on the ground but I have never seen it).
The difference is more in the style, BJ fights from a distance while Sherk is an infighter. The advantage will go to who can impose their style on the other. Due to the size of the octagon and his reach advantage, I think that will be Penn.
Wrestling:
This one is pretty clearly in the favour of Sherk. His wrestling is very good and 3 of Penn’s 4 losses have come to strong wrestlers. Penn’s supporter’s claim that it was his gas tank that lost him those fights (or a rib injury in the case of Hughes II). But the fact remains that he has lost to wrestlers in the past. Sherk bases his style around his takedowns and ground and pound. He will likely attempt to take Penn down early and often. BJ has shown some very good takedown defence in the past and Sherk will be hard pressed to take him down early but over time, Sherk’s aggressiveness and persistence will be rewarded with takedowns.
Jiu-Jitsu:
As clearly as the wrestling goes to Sherk, the BJJ has to go to Penn. He is easily one of the most talent BJJ fighters in MMA. A lot of people think he could be competitive in Abu Dhabi right now. He is that good. But Sherk has fought some very good BJJ fighters in the past and he has never been submitted in 35 fights. All three of his last opponents are BJJ black belts, (Diaz was a brown at the time) and well known for having good “BJJ for MMA” which is not always the case with BJJ black belts. Neither Florian or Franca, could use that BJJ at all against Sherk; in fact, Sherk passed Franca’s guard like Franca was a white belt. Diaz was more of a challenge and also the most similar in his BJJ to Penn. Diaz is a slick, natural grappler somewhat like Penn and was competitive but ultimately overwhelmed by Sherk’s non-stop pace. The question is not so much who is better, it is clearly Penn, but how BJ handles Sherk’s pace.
Cardio:
By far the easiest aspect to call, both fighters are legendary in respect to cardio. Sherk is known for ability to compete at top speed for 25 minutes. Penn is legendary for is ability to gas after 10 minutes. Questions still remain though. Was Sherk’s cardio a result of steroids? Does Penn have a new found respect for conditioning? I got go with the historical precedent and give the advantage to Sherk by a landslide.
Level of Competition:
I have to call this a draw. Both guys are champions. Both have been in big fights. BJ has fought: GSP, Hughes, Gomi, Machida, Renzo Gracie, Pulver and Serra. Sherk has fought GSP, Hughes, Diaz and Parisyan. Both have had mixed success against top competition but most of it was outside their natural weight class of 155.
Conclusion:
Very even bout on paper. In each area that one person has an advantage; the other has a proven track record of nullifying that advantage. Penn does not want to let this get into the later rounds. Even if he has concentrated on his cardio to a level he never has before, Sherk is a monster in that department and will push the pace for 25 minutes. BJ has to use his reach and takedown defence to punish Sherk early make his hesitant to shoot for a takedown (no easy task as Hermes Franca can attest to). I picture BJ winning the early rounds but Sherk will come on strong late and grind out a hotly disputed decision.
Penn vs. Sherk
This fight has generated a ton of hype and wildly differing opinions. The Penn fanboys claim that BJ will win by “whatever he wants” while Sherk’s fan claim that BJ has no gas tank and no heart. Lets break this down by skill set and see how they match up.
Striking:
This one is actually fairly even although most people don’t like to admit it. Sherk has a very tight, technical “small man’s” striking game. He punches in flurries and keeps his punches nice, short and always brings his hands right back to a tight cage. Penn’s punching is more fluid and natural but no less effective. His boxing is good enough that no one faults him for relying on it rather than his jiu-jitsu, unlike a Andy Wang or Jorge Gurgel (who I am told are pretty good on the ground but I have never seen it).
The difference is more in the style, BJ fights from a distance while Sherk is an infighter. The advantage will go to who can impose their style on the other. Due to the size of the octagon and his reach advantage, I think that will be Penn.
Wrestling:
This one is pretty clearly in the favour of Sherk. His wrestling is very good and 3 of Penn’s 4 losses have come to strong wrestlers. Penn’s supporter’s claim that it was his gas tank that lost him those fights (or a rib injury in the case of Hughes II). But the fact remains that he has lost to wrestlers in the past. Sherk bases his style around his takedowns and ground and pound. He will likely attempt to take Penn down early and often. BJ has shown some very good takedown defence in the past and Sherk will be hard pressed to take him down early but over time, Sherk’s aggressiveness and persistence will be rewarded with takedowns.
Jiu-Jitsu:
As clearly as the wrestling goes to Sherk, the BJJ has to go to Penn. He is easily one of the most talent BJJ fighters in MMA. A lot of people think he could be competitive in Abu Dhabi right now. He is that good. But Sherk has fought some very good BJJ fighters in the past and he has never been submitted in 35 fights. All three of his last opponents are BJJ black belts, (Diaz was a brown at the time) and well known for having good “BJJ for MMA” which is not always the case with BJJ black belts. Neither Florian or Franca, could use that BJJ at all against Sherk; in fact, Sherk passed Franca’s guard like Franca was a white belt. Diaz was more of a challenge and also the most similar in his BJJ to Penn. Diaz is a slick, natural grappler somewhat like Penn and was competitive but ultimately overwhelmed by Sherk’s non-stop pace. The question is not so much who is better, it is clearly Penn, but how BJ handles Sherk’s pace.
Cardio:
By far the easiest aspect to call, both fighters are legendary in respect to cardio. Sherk is known for ability to compete at top speed for 25 minutes. Penn is legendary for is ability to gas after 10 minutes. Questions still remain though. Was Sherk’s cardio a result of steroids? Does Penn have a new found respect for conditioning? I got go with the historical precedent and give the advantage to Sherk by a landslide.
Level of Competition:
I have to call this a draw. Both guys are champions. Both have been in big fights. BJ has fought: GSP, Hughes, Gomi, Machida, Renzo Gracie, Pulver and Serra. Sherk has fought GSP, Hughes, Diaz and Parisyan. Both have had mixed success against top competition but most of it was outside their natural weight class of 155.
Conclusion:
Very even bout on paper. In each area that one person has an advantage; the other has a proven track record of nullifying that advantage. Penn does not want to let this get into the later rounds. Even if he has concentrated on his cardio to a level he never has before, Sherk is a monster in that department and will push the pace for 25 minutes. BJ has to use his reach and takedown defence to punish Sherk early make his hesitant to shoot for a takedown (no easy task as Hermes Franca can attest to). I picture BJ winning the early rounds but Sherk will come on strong late and grind out a hotly disputed decision.
Daily Submission
Wednesday nights class was pretty solid. Adam like to show some fairly advanced moves in class. Considering his highest ranking students are a couple of blue belts, I kind of wonder at that approach. I think it hurts a lot of the less experienced guys because they are being taught basics, like how to properly pass guard. However, maybe he cycles through basics and some harder stuff and I just have happened to be there for the harder stuff. Who knows? Only time will tell I guess. The long and the short of it is that some of the techniques are ones that I am merely filing away for later after I get back up to speed in my grappling. I drill them when he shows them, file them away and then work on the things I know I need to work on. Like my half guard.
Half guard is really becoming one of my favorite places to be. I nailed another guy with the electric chair sweep but I didn't tap him this time with it this time. This guy was new to me but I think he has been going during the day mostly since I have been there. Probably the closest match to my skill level, and weight, I have rolled with since I have been with. It was nice to roll with a guy that I didn't dominate yet didn't dominate me. I did fairly well, with the sweep and I manged to take his back. I screwed up the swim move armbar again and ended up in guard. I went back to half guard and used my lockdown to control his leg. He could not escape my halfguard no matter what. eventually he grabbed a kimura and while he wasn't able to isolate it, I didn't want to give him the time. I manged to sweep him but he held on to the kimura and secured guard. I tapped pretty soon after that. He had me, no need to risk my shoulder.
I also worked with my powerlifting buddy, Damien. Damien tapped me for the first time since we started rolling. He managed an americana from inside my half guard. Last time he tried it, he couldn't lock it up, so I showed him how to bring the elbow down to ribs in order to secure the lock. This time he did it right and with his power, there was nothing I could do. While the competitive part of my likes to win these rolls, the teacher in my likes it when I can help some one progress. I did manage to armbar him once though :). Working with Damien has been great because I have been forced to really tighten up my technique. I just can't over power him and if I am a little sloppy he makes me pay. I tried 3 armbars from the guard against him and each time I was too slow extending. He stacked me and I had to release the technique.
I did manage to hurt my knee some time during the practice, so I am laid up a bit right now. I think I am going to give the knee an extra days rest and roll no gi on tuesday. We will see how that goes. Oh and I will be posting breakdowns of some of the fights for the upcoming UFC 84.
Half guard is really becoming one of my favorite places to be. I nailed another guy with the electric chair sweep but I didn't tap him this time with it this time. This guy was new to me but I think he has been going during the day mostly since I have been there. Probably the closest match to my skill level, and weight, I have rolled with since I have been with. It was nice to roll with a guy that I didn't dominate yet didn't dominate me. I did fairly well, with the sweep and I manged to take his back. I screwed up the swim move armbar again and ended up in guard. I went back to half guard and used my lockdown to control his leg. He could not escape my halfguard no matter what. eventually he grabbed a kimura and while he wasn't able to isolate it, I didn't want to give him the time. I manged to sweep him but he held on to the kimura and secured guard. I tapped pretty soon after that. He had me, no need to risk my shoulder.
I also worked with my powerlifting buddy, Damien. Damien tapped me for the first time since we started rolling. He managed an americana from inside my half guard. Last time he tried it, he couldn't lock it up, so I showed him how to bring the elbow down to ribs in order to secure the lock. This time he did it right and with his power, there was nothing I could do. While the competitive part of my likes to win these rolls, the teacher in my likes it when I can help some one progress. I did manage to armbar him once though :). Working with Damien has been great because I have been forced to really tighten up my technique. I just can't over power him and if I am a little sloppy he makes me pay. I tried 3 armbars from the guard against him and each time I was too slow extending. He stacked me and I had to release the technique.
I did manage to hurt my knee some time during the practice, so I am laid up a bit right now. I think I am going to give the knee an extra days rest and roll no gi on tuesday. We will see how that goes. Oh and I will be posting breakdowns of some of the fights for the upcoming UFC 84.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Daily Submission
Last night, we worked on some options from "S Mount". I have mentioned before the love of naming things in the BJJ community, S mount is no exception. To me it was just part of your top control game and typically I just used it as a transition position. But I guess guys are using it offensively. We worked an armbar, a choke and and other transition to an armbar. To be honest, I didn't quite grasp it.
I rolled with a new guy last night. He is about my size and has been there longer than I have. As usual, I went with my half guard game. I swept him pretty quickly with Old School, but we had to pause after I cleared to side control as I had accidentally hit him in the eye. We restarted and I pulled half guard again. We wrestled around for a bit and then I managed to get the Electric chair sweep. I actually subbed him with the Electric Chair which was pretty cool. It was a first for me. We stopped for awhile because he wanted to learn how to do it, so I showed him.
Next I rolled with my 240 pound power lifter friend. I worked my half guard game again but having seen it last week he was a lot more prepared for it. I still managed to take his back from it once. I tried to do the armbar from the back, a move Eddie Bravo calls the swim move. Essentially, you hook his arm and then take your far side shin, put it on his neck and roll. He should roll over and you armbar him just as you would normally. Unfortunately, I just didn't have the weight to roll him. I ended up scrambling to half guard again. We stayed there awhile because I just couldn't get under hooks or on my side. He really used his weight well to control me. He tried an americana a few times which I defended. Eventually, I regained full guard, moved to Z guard and swept him. I finished with an armbar. It was a hell of a work out.
Next I rolled with Adam, my instructor. I hadn't rolled with him before. He pretty much beat me like a rented mule. I don't know how "good" I am but I know some tricks. It didn't matter besides being a BB under Marcus Soares, he is a Combat Submission wrestling and Shooto Instructor. Did I mention he is a Muay Thai Kru and a JKD/Kali instructor? Bottom line, he has been around the block and seen it all. At one point, he tried to take my back from half guard, I managed to sit out (rather nicely I thought) and he just flowed with me and took it anyway. At another point, I had passed to half guard but was to high to consolidate my position. Normally, I would spin to a knee bar but there was no way he was going to fall for that. While I was trying to think of something else, he swept me. We rolled for 5 maybe 10 minutes and he tapped my 4 times. It would have been more but he was toying with me.
I rolled with a new guy last night. He is about my size and has been there longer than I have. As usual, I went with my half guard game. I swept him pretty quickly with Old School, but we had to pause after I cleared to side control as I had accidentally hit him in the eye. We restarted and I pulled half guard again. We wrestled around for a bit and then I managed to get the Electric chair sweep. I actually subbed him with the Electric Chair which was pretty cool. It was a first for me. We stopped for awhile because he wanted to learn how to do it, so I showed him.
Next I rolled with my 240 pound power lifter friend. I worked my half guard game again but having seen it last week he was a lot more prepared for it. I still managed to take his back from it once. I tried to do the armbar from the back, a move Eddie Bravo calls the swim move. Essentially, you hook his arm and then take your far side shin, put it on his neck and roll. He should roll over and you armbar him just as you would normally. Unfortunately, I just didn't have the weight to roll him. I ended up scrambling to half guard again. We stayed there awhile because I just couldn't get under hooks or on my side. He really used his weight well to control me. He tried an americana a few times which I defended. Eventually, I regained full guard, moved to Z guard and swept him. I finished with an armbar. It was a hell of a work out.
Next I rolled with Adam, my instructor. I hadn't rolled with him before. He pretty much beat me like a rented mule. I don't know how "good" I am but I know some tricks. It didn't matter besides being a BB under Marcus Soares, he is a Combat Submission wrestling and Shooto Instructor. Did I mention he is a Muay Thai Kru and a JKD/Kali instructor? Bottom line, he has been around the block and seen it all. At one point, he tried to take my back from half guard, I managed to sit out (rather nicely I thought) and he just flowed with me and took it anyway. At another point, I had passed to half guard but was to high to consolidate my position. Normally, I would spin to a knee bar but there was no way he was going to fall for that. While I was trying to think of something else, he swept me. We rolled for 5 maybe 10 minutes and he tapped my 4 times. It would have been more but he was toying with me.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
Good Luck Gavin
One of the blue belts from my gym, Gavin Neil, is fighting tonight on HDnet at MFC 16: Anger Management. Good luck Gavin.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Daily Submission
Last nights class was run by one of the blue belts while Adam is away in Edmonton, cornering one of the guys at HCF on Friday. We worked three options off of an over hook while grabbing the opposite side lapel. The first was hiza gatame, and two gi chokes. My partner today was massive. He outweighed me by 45 pounds. I couldn't even get a true closed guard on him. I think I could cross my big toes, HA! He was just come back off a layoff after surgery. He tore up both his shoulders practicing for strongman competitions.
Because he was pretty out of shape, we didn't go all out. That suited me fine, it was hard enough work just moving the weight. As has been my pattern lately, I pulled half guard and worked from there. I secured lockdown and used my legs to push him up to get double under hooks and whip up to my side. I was very surprised just how easy that was. When you try to use your arms alone it is next to impossible but with the legs it was very easy. I managed a few sweeps and to take is back a couple of times. Even going at a fairly low intensity, I was tired as hell. Just moving the weight was a good work out. Towards the end of the roll, I ended up turtling. He reach over my back and under my arm to grab my collar and start working for a choke. A lot of the time people do this, they over commit and I can wrap their elbow, then I can sweep. The sweep I use looks a lot like Soto makikomi, just from the turtle. I wrapped his elbow and I think I could have said out loud, "This could hurt" and went for the sweep. This particular sweep has all his weight over your back for awhile. It took a lot of energy. You know how sometimes you will give a yell to get the last little bit of power? Well, not only did I do that, it was loud enough that every one in the gym pause to look over at us. Good thing I don't embarrass easy. We had to call it quits shortly after that because he cramped up. Couldn't blame him because a few weeks ago I felt the same way.
My half guard game seems to be revolving around a few options at this point: Old School, a driving sweep, plan B, the electric chair sweep and taking the back. I think I will stay with those options for awhile and just drill the hell out of them until I get nail them all high percentage.
Because he was pretty out of shape, we didn't go all out. That suited me fine, it was hard enough work just moving the weight. As has been my pattern lately, I pulled half guard and worked from there. I secured lockdown and used my legs to push him up to get double under hooks and whip up to my side. I was very surprised just how easy that was. When you try to use your arms alone it is next to impossible but with the legs it was very easy. I managed a few sweeps and to take is back a couple of times. Even going at a fairly low intensity, I was tired as hell. Just moving the weight was a good work out. Towards the end of the roll, I ended up turtling. He reach over my back and under my arm to grab my collar and start working for a choke. A lot of the time people do this, they over commit and I can wrap their elbow, then I can sweep. The sweep I use looks a lot like Soto makikomi, just from the turtle. I wrapped his elbow and I think I could have said out loud, "This could hurt" and went for the sweep. This particular sweep has all his weight over your back for awhile. It took a lot of energy. You know how sometimes you will give a yell to get the last little bit of power? Well, not only did I do that, it was loud enough that every one in the gym pause to look over at us. Good thing I don't embarrass easy. We had to call it quits shortly after that because he cramped up. Couldn't blame him because a few weeks ago I felt the same way.
My half guard game seems to be revolving around a few options at this point: Old School, a driving sweep, plan B, the electric chair sweep and taking the back. I think I will stay with those options for awhile and just drill the hell out of them until I get nail them all high percentage.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Daily Submission
Last nights class was focus around Spider guard. We learned a sweep, a spin into a triangle and a spin into an omaplata. The spins are going to take some work. I was not very good at them. I rolled with a buddy of mine, that I actually taught beginning grappling to almost 10 years ago. I out weighed him by a fair amount so I tried not to over power him and just roll. We had a good time. Same story for me, I am having trouble finishing. I got to take more risks maybe. I can get positions pretty easy but I am kind of slow on the subs. I am sure it will come eventually. I decided to work on "twister side control" a little last night. I didn't do a whole lot with it but it makes getting the mount a breeze. Definitely something I need to explore. I am starting to nail the old school sweep from half guard at a reasonable percentage. The focus is paying off.
I bought an Ouano kimono from www.fullcontactsports.ca and I wore it for the first time last night. Pretty nice, I will do a full gear review in a few days.
De La Riva is coming to my gym in June. 2 days for like 100 bucks. That is insane. I can't wait.
I bought an Ouano kimono from www.fullcontactsports.ca and I wore it for the first time last night. Pretty nice, I will do a full gear review in a few days.
De La Riva is coming to my gym in June. 2 days for like 100 bucks. That is insane. I can't wait.
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