10/23/08 - BJJ - Warriors Edge

Last night was the gi class. We worked on an arm drag from butterfly guard/combat base. From the arm drag you take their back, let them roll, and either do an arm bar or a choke.

Sitting into combat base from knees

• From knees, step your right foot in between their legs
• Let your left leg follow and sit down
• With your left hand, control their sleeve/wrist
• With your right hand grab their lapel or their head
  

Arm Drag from combat base to taking the back

• Take your right hand and grab behind their tricep
• Hug their arm with your body
• Lay back as you pull their arm across your body to the right
• Grab their belt and start working your way up their back, getting your hooks in
• Grab their lapel with your left hand, break them down or roll with them
  

Arm bar from back

• Your left hand has their collar so let them think your going to choke them
• With your right hand, start to isolate their right arm
• Your right leg goes across their stomach
• Push their head down with your left hand and swing your left leg over top
• Finish arm bar

Choke from back

• Your left hand already has their lapel
• Swing your hips to the left as your right leg goes over their stomach just like the set up for an arm bar
• Your right hand grabs their right leg
• Arch back as you pull their leg toward you and stretch your right leg out for the choke

After class I got to roll with the other instructor (I forget his name) but he was a purple belt as well. He was the one who actually did most of the teaching.
I tried a few of the moves we learned in class and after a few minutes of him dominating me, he stopped and asked if there was anything I wanted to work on. I said I always get stuck under side control. So he put me in side control to see what I do. After that he critiqued it and gave me some pointers.

1. Post my right arm on the hip. Its used for stopping them not pushing them
2. Keep my left hand by my neck to protect both my neck and my arm
3. Really try to get that knee in between us.
   
4. Once the knee is there I don't have to keep pulling it in to replace guard. Use it to push him away more. Guard will eventually get replaced.

Then I rolled with other instructor Ted. He dominated me again but also gave me some pointers.

1. The arm drag only works if the opponent isnt in guard. (ie - if they are passing, or trying to stand)
2. When someone is trying to pass my guard I need to make sure my head is lower than theirs. If my shoulders are square and my back erect then they can just shove their shoulder into mine to force me onto my back as they pass.

Awesome class!