My BJJ TRAINING LOG

Turtle Attacks Recap

2011-07-23T23:32:00.000-07:00

@ Gravity BJJ

So I haven't been able to train at all except Monday this week and of course today due to house selling/shopping stuff.

Class started with more Ouchi Gari and Seoi Nage drills. Similar to the ones we did the past 2 weeks except we added another where you tie a belt around a partner and Seoi Nage the belt. Very similar to the video below.

Turtle Attacks

Double Under Rear Lapel Controls.... awesome position to obtain and control opponent. The double under lapel grip from behind is strong and immobolizes the opponents arm, as you pull them from turtle onto their side/back... they can not defend the hooks as you are restricting arm movement with lapel control
Not sure what the name of this technique, but it involved obtaining a near side hook, and the rolling to the far side leg and towards the 'south' position. You end up taking the back from this roll, can also do 'banana split' and a calf slicer

Turtle Attacks

2011-07-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

Stand Up Technique

worked on Ouchi Gari with partner and also a combo attack Ouchi Gari followed with Seoi Nage.

Also did the Seoi Nage drills with partner with sleeve grips and collar grips.

Attack the Turtle

worked on holding top position if opponent in turtle. Focus on chest press and keeping on toes for maximum pressure. Circle around opponent similar to drills you can perform on a Swiss exercise ball.

Obtaining Back Control. We worked on two ways to get the hooks in. first technique is to take belt and rear collar control and jump on opponents back like spiderman, fall to side while slipping in hooks. second technique, straight forward, jump on back and just pull up on their rear collar to creat space.

Attacks when back control obtained
When hooks in, use double under control and pull opponents wrist to drop them on their stomach and flatten... Go for rear naked choke or rear collar choke.

Other option if cannot flatten opponent, pull collar and try to lean over to take opponent so that you are both lying on side with back control... They will either fall over or if they post an arm, dive for a rolling Armlock.

Attacking from the Side if Opponent in Turtle. Can work a clock choke, either with double collar control, single wrist control or with arm posted between their legs.

Found a video on YouTube with the Clock Choke and an interesting variation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0Zvvt3fBZg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVTgtoJ8NVk

Location:Gravity BJJ

Training Update

2011-07-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

Blogging Hiatus and Training Update

Been a while since i've blogged my training sessions. Been pre-occupied with some personal business as well as work... so i've been a bit too lazy to blog.

This past week or two (from what i can remember) ... we've been working some back attacks.

Standard rear collar chokes/ rear naked chokes, sliding leverage choke
Bow and Arrow Choke + variations (shin and hamstring)... my current favorite technique
Armlock from Back Mount
Armlock variation from Back Mount (technical version gripping own wrist)
Inverted Triangle Set Up from Back Mount (via Arm Trap with Leg)

Boxing and Kickboxing

Been attending boxing/kickboxing fairly regularly after the Monday and Wednesday BJJ classes. I think my overall striking has improved (i'm talking going form 1/10 to a 1.5/10 rating). I feel that my defense needs alot of work, i guess one can never get used to getting punched in the face. Cardio wise, i feel kicking really takes a lot of energy, perhaps i'm not kicking properly or maybe i'm just not that effecient with my technique. Overall i'm enjoying punching and kicking the pads as it's a pretty nice workout and great stress relief.

June Injury Plagued....

This past month suffered a minor rib injury when rolling with Sean ... ended up aggravating it a few days later under Logan's Kesa Getame. Then more recently my right shoulder has been really acting up.... this is an injury i've had for awhile.... I can't really do pushups, breakdancer drills or even bear crawls without it hurting. And even yesterday doing warm up ...hurt my right lower back doing jumping shoulder rolls... landed flat on my tailbone area.... had some bad spasm last night while lying down, seems to have gone away today, thankfully.

3rd Degree Blue Belt

2011-07-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

Promotion

Today Logan awarded me with my 3rd Stripe on my Blue Belt. Maybe another 2 years to purple belt??? time to get to work....

NoGi Thursday

2011-06-09T23:03:00.001-07:00

Started the class with some clinch work... Working body shots... To combos.. Then takedowns

Continued with Knee on Belly Theme

180 arm bar
Baratoplata setup on far arm

Rib still a bit tender during sparring.

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Location:Gravity BJJ

Week in Review....

2011-06-09T00:20:00.001-07:00

It would seem logical to use Sunday or Monday for a review day, but seems like I only have time on Wednesday night to blog nowadays. Now from what I remember my past week's schedule is as follows:
Wednesday(BJJ/boxing)
Thursday (fitness world/conditioning)
Saturday (BJJ)
Sunday (Bikram's Hot Yoga)
Monday (BJJ/Boxing)
Wednesday ... Tonight...(BJJ)

Thinking back, I can remember last weds/Saturday we continued with the Top side control attack theme.

Wrist locks on the far arm
Paper Cutter (move from side control > n/s > opponent bear hugs > back to side control)
Getting into crucifix position from side control ... This is one of those super control position where p you can have a variety of attacks including neck crank, lapel chokes with near or far collar, reverse triangle, shoulder lock, reverse Armlock, reverse omoplata... So yah... an overall awesome position....

I'm sure there was more tech these days, but these were the ones I remember.

Monday and Wednesday (today) we started on Knee on Belly Series

Takedown of the week ... I can only describe it as a shoulder check, using same side lapel control and inside leg trip... Very similar to takedowns you can see in some highlight videos of Jacare and Terere... Very aggressive type of takedown.

We drilled some 'windshield wiper' and 'Reverse KOB' ... Think Andre Galvao knee spinning on the opponents chest.

Attacks from Knee on Belly

We covered a variety of attacks from this position....
Armlock on near arm
Collar choke/sprawl if opponent attempts to turtle into you
Farside Armlock "180 armbar"
Baseball bat choke
Variety of chokes with Lapel/skirt .. Cross choke, Brabo style lapel choke

180 arm bar combo This combo would probably work from any standard armbar. If opponent defends Armlock, transition to reverse triangle, if no sub, shoulder lock, if no sub... Hammer grip near arm.. The one not in between your legs, slide into side control Kimura. Will try to work on this combo more as I do have some trouble when opponent defends the Armlock. Almost got this combo on big Ryan during sparring today.

Unfortunately popped/injures my right side rib area during post class sparring so had to skip the boxing class today.

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Week in Review

2011-06-02T01:03:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday had the regular class at Gravity. We worked on top side mount attacks... Specifically near arm attacks. ... Armlocks, Paintbrush with Leg, Vampire Choke.

Later on Logan,Jon,Mark,Omar and I headed out to Elite International Martial Arts in N. VAn to meet up with one of our purple belts Gabriel. He has been teaching BJJ to some guys at this kickboxing school and we came out to help him out. I didn't know much about this school before heading there but it appeared to have a TMA feel there. The students, from what I could see would not be your 'typical' BJJ or mma student.. Like I said seemed to be a TMA school but to be fair I don't know what kind of martial arts they teach, but all the students and the owner were white belts in BJJ. It was interesting to help out as I got to practice helping newish people with BJJ... I usually get stuck with the newer guys so not a big deal for me. I figure if I can teach/ explain a technique it will help me understand the theory better. We did the same techniques we did earlier in the day.. Side Mount Attacks of the Near Arm.. Also some Bottom Side Control escapes... Anyways it's always fun to visit other schools, will maybe visit these guys again if the team heads p again.

Later on Saturday night went for another workout in my Vibrams. Basically hit the nearby park and did some skipping (lots of skipping actually) running, box jumps.... Also ran the equivalent of about 2 km after... Again barefoot in the Vibrams on concrete!! Left foot started to hurt so had to stop.

BJJ and Boxing Monday

Continued with side mount attacks. Specifically worked on far arm attacks. I was late so not sure what else was going on but they were working on wrist locks on far arm... Also a variation if opponent swims in with the under hook, trapping the wrist under your south side armpit.

Drilled some attacks from north south, same as last week's Armlock and Kimura, if opponent gets seatbelt control from bottom before u can trap their arm... worked on a paper/bread cutter choke.

Did the boxing class after. Warmup with some skipping... Seems like my home practice has helped.. Got some good double under action... Maybe got about 5 or 6 in a row. Did a ladder workout.. Jab/cross > Kick L/R > Burpee x1 rep... Then 2 reps until at 10. Also sparred with Mark for a couple 3 minute rounds. Almost pulled the BJ Penn RNC again but boxing gloves got in the way. Spent a bit too much time in bottom guard taking damage.. I think I will work on more defense from bottom guard. Was heard to sweep bc he has good base and likewise hard to sub due to wearing boxing gloves. Maybe I should just practice getting back up as opposed to using the guard.

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BJJ and Random Fitness Stuff

2011-05-28T01:41:00.001-07:00

Last weekend picked up a pair of Vibram Bikalas from the Fairhaven runners store in Bellingham, WA. I own alot of shoes... Probably more than one guy should own, but this is only the second time I've ever bought a pair of shoes at an actual specialty running store. Usually I shop at your standard bigger retailers such as Sport Chek or Nike Store.. And I have to admit the smaller Running stores definitely give you better service and the salespeople actually know their product.

I have been researching barefoot running and the Vibrams for a while.... About 2 years back I got some Nike Frees and started to "train" my feet. And maybe back in January 2010 I decided to focus on my running more... Primarily I was doing indoor/treadmill running and I used to religiously track my runs with the Nike Plus system. For a while I think i was doing a 5k run almost every other day. I somewhere along the way switched to Nike LunarGlides (I think their flashy colours got me), which are probably the most cushioned shoe there is. I could run with confidence in LunarGlides because those shoes are like running on pillows.

By now I have been able to correct my stride and have eliminated heel striking (or I like to think I have) despite using the ultra cushy LunarGlides. Meanwhile I was still intrigued with the whole barefoot running thing, so the past few weeks I switched back to running on my Frees. Now finally I got my hands on the Vibrams. first day I decided I would just skip some rope.... No problem ..... Next day... Time to hit the road.

Now this is where I went wrong... Running on concrete on my first day was probably not a good idea. I would run around the little park by my house and intermixed some jump rope/pull ups/box jumps ... While jumping rope my left calf was getting sore. Stupid me decided to run back home and on the way I started to feel better and ran around the block twice before calling it a night. Next day at work I was limping bad as that pain in the left calf seemed to travel to both my ankles. Four days later I think I can now say i'm fully recovered. Next run in the Vibrams is going to be on grass or maybe on the Holy Cross track where the ground is not so hard.

BJJ @ Gravity BJJ

Was a long weekend so no class last Saturday. Some of the guys went down to a tournament this past weekend in Seattle, Mark got gold in his division, Jon got silver in his division. I ended up hitting up Bikram's hot yoga on Saturday and Sunday.

Was able to get to Wednesday Gi and Thursday NoGi class. We worked Top side mount offense this week. No kickboxing this week due to my calf "injury" from running.

Some techniques this week:

Kimura/Armlock combo... Start in cross side, work to north/south, trap far arm with shin, sit up and capture the near arm, Armlock/Kimura or can sit back for an Armlock. If opponent defends, transition to reverse triangle.

Top Side/ NorthSouth Positional Control Drill... Start at Top Side Mount...Kesa Gatame... North South... Reverse Kesa Gatame... Top mount... Repeat.

Takedowns off Strikes/Pummelling Clinch I think need to penetrate a bit deeper to get my hips in. My striking is a work in progress so hopefully I can string the two together a bit better.

Sparring

Got some good rolls in this week. We put on the mma gloves for NoGi this week. Striking definitely adds a different dimension to BJJ, as now I have to worry about not getting hit. Had to practice avoiding strikes by blocking opponents biceps or wrist control when attempting sweeps. My half guard sweep definitely exposes me to some good shots to the face. Likewise... Striking can also help with my submissions. I was able to use the BJ Penn technique ... by securing back control... Soften opponent with a few strikes...Trap an arm with my legs... Then slip in the RNC. I had a real good battle with Mark, he has a fight coming up so his intensity is on a different level than mine. I wasn't expecting the punches to come thru and some of them did get me good. In general I'm not used to getting hit anywhere as I don't really train striking... And after the first hit to my eye.. I was like "oh shit".. but after regaining my composure (and vision).. I was able to cope a bit better and we had a good battle. Adding the element of strikes gave me a different kind of rush. Having to modify my technique to avoid getting hit just adds to the whole chess match feel of jiu jitsu. I think once I get used to getting hit in the face I will "enjoy" grappling with strikes more.... Maybe

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Location:Chilling on the couch with my new iPad!!!

BJJ and Some Kickboxing/ Boxing

2011-05-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

@Gravity BJJ

Last week i got my neck all messed up from a white belt holding a guillotine/neck crank a bit too long. Ended up having to take a day off work last week due to the stiffness....i was able to see a RMT to get the spasm out of my neck. It is hard as hell to find one that's free/open on the day you want.

Seeing a RMT is not only relaxing but it really worked, after my session I was able to turn my head again. I went again to see the RMT yesterday to work on my neck/shoulders again. I passed out on the table, it was so relaxing.

BJJ Training

This past week went to BJJ on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. Also on Monday and Wednesday i did some standup classes, Boxing/Kickboxing. I am not much of a striker... probably less than 10 classes overall in the last 3 or 4 years... so yah pretty much a noobie.

Many of the guys are prepping for a tournament in Seattle this long weekend so we did some drills and light sparring this week.

Partner Drills... alternate with your partner ....

Takedowns, Sweeps, Submissions (catch and release)

Logan worked some partner flow drills this week.. some that i remember below.... i'm sure there was alot more but these are the ones i could sort of remember.

Scissor Sweep > Mount > Opponent Knee to Elbow Escapes to Guard > Scissor Sweep
Scissor Sweep > Opponent Blocks Sweep and transition to X Guard
Bump Sweep > Opponent transitions to half guard and taking the back
X Guard series... primarily with the Technical Lift and transition to Double Under Hook Smash Pass

The past few weeks i've been focusing on alot on my bow and arrow chokes. I have been able to incorporate it along with my half guard to back transitions on some of the lower belts. I find it alot easier to go for the bow and arrow vs. a standard rear collar/rear naked choke as it only requires one collar grip. Been able to catch people from multiple positions....

Half Guard sweep to Back Mount
Top Mount, allow opponent to knee elbow escape.. transition to S Mount
Arm drag from bottom guard... climb on to back
Back mount (Jon wanted to drill escapes.. so i got to work bow and arrow alot with him)

Boxing / Kickboxing

Actually got 2 classes in this week... or was it 2 classes the past 2 weeks???? Damn weeks are melding together.

Class starts off with some skipping 3 x 3minute rounds, 1 minute rest. Skipping is alot harder than it looks. I will need to work on this at home during my free time... i have read its a good cardio builder, but my right shoulder (the one that seems to give me problems) gets pretty sore.

Some of the combos/drills i vaguely remember at this point, but a few things i need to work on :

Keeping opposite hand up to block counterstrikes
Turning my leg away when checking a kick
everything else!!

For sure if we get into this new house i'm going to put a heavy bag in the basement so i can practice my striking at home. This week i think I will need to find some instructionals online to at least get my theoretical knowledge up to standards. I think i have Anderson Silva's MMA striking DVD, but i will also look up some more straight Boxing DVDs later.

I ended up buying some new boxing 10 oz bag gloves by Reevo from MMAHQ.com, pretty good deal... i already had some old "One" 16oz gloves.. from what i read, heavier gloves are for sparring... i need to research some shinguards next... yay more shopping! Also got my free Jaco longsleeve rashguard from MMAHQ !!! it looks and feels sweet....

BJJ Class

2011-05-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

@Gravity BJJ with Logan

Haven't trained in a week since i've been busy with trying to sell our home. Nice to be on the mat again. Came in about 15 minutes late and the class was working on takedowns

Uchi Mata (Inner Thigh Throw)
Now this is the first time I've done this throw, but i think i got the hang of it relatively easily. The technique seemed to work better if you turn your body/head away from opponent to help break down their posture
We also worked in a combo where the opponent defends the throw by hopping on leg, then you switch to a foot sweep/ankle by blocking their one hopping leg... fairly straight forward.

Guard Passing drills

BJJ Class

2011-04-30T16:24:00.001-07:00

@Gravity BJJ with Blue Belt Steve K

Triangle Chokes

Worked on triangle chokes from bottom positions

Overhook control on one side
Finishing with the right angle

For opponents with strong posture, 2 on 1 control, same side foot to near side knee (disrupt base), opposite foot on shoulder, kick foot over shoulder (similar setup as a triangle off spider guard)

Open Mat

2011-04-29T22:44:00.000-07:00

@Gravity BJJ

Open Mat, did mainly NO-Gi rolling. Some shark tanking

BJJ Class

2011-04-25T22:59:00.000-07:00

BJJ with Blue Belt Steve K @Gravity BJJ

Logan is out of town this week so Steve taught class today.

Osoto Gari Takedown, also worked a variation w/ Arm Triangle Control

Also worked a variation with a Arm Triangle Grip Control, will work better if you are shorter than your opponent as regular high collar control may be a bit harder. Drop down for a fake single/double leg, then drive head under their near arm, then clasps hands into arm triangle position. Step through for the sweep.

Butterfly Guard, worked basic butterfly guard sweep. We were working it with an Over-Under grip. But Rodrigo Gracie's video below shows a variation where instead of an overhook, you drive their arm between the legs.

Second tech, if fail at butterfly sweep, back up and with your knee shield, drive it diagonally across their knee and do a knee slide type pass, will work better as they are posturing back up from your butterfly guard as their energy is going backwards. I had trouble with this specific technique as i found it hard to get back up to my knee shield position especially since i have dropped down to my side for the sweep.

Positional Sparring from Butterfly Guard
Found it a bit difficult to maintain my posture as opponent quickly collapsed my body and put pressure on legs to tie them up. I quickly abandoned butterfly guard and worked more spider/lassohalf. Actually found it 'easier' to just back up and run away as opposed to go deep for a sweep. Ideally i should be doing the techniques we learn in class, so next class ill focus on butterfly guard. From top position I used my weight to collapse opponents legs and then proceeded to drive into their upper body and pass, which seemed to work with some success.

Saturday AM BJJ

2011-04-23T23:45:00.001-07:00

There was no BJJ class scheduled today due to a parade that was scheduled in the area where Gravity is located. Luckily Dean called me and said he and Derrick were gonna do some rolling at his condo complex. Dean and Derrick both train with Gary Herman in Coquitlam ( i have also trained at Gary's before in a drop in basis). Dean has been training longer than me and is a blue belt... Derrick is a new white belt.. Less than a year of training I think.
Derrick's condo building has a pretty big amenity room and they set it up with about a 12 x 12 foot area of puzzle mats. We worked on some stuff Dean and Derrick did with Gary during the week... And coincidently they were doing spider guard stuff as well. So we were able to share our different variations. It's good to get together with friends that train at other gyms to help bring a different perspective/ insight in techniques.

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Location:Derek's Condo

Blogging Hiatus

2011-04-19T23:39:00.001-07:00

Been lazy to blog my training sessions. Been consistently training 3 days a week: Tuesday Nights, Judo; Thursday Nights, NoGi, Saturdays Gi. I did throw in a few conditioning classes at Gravity when i could. Also been doing Bikram's hot yoga 1 to 2 times a week. In between been throwing in sessions at fitness world for cardio and weight training. More recently i have decided to switch to more Gi classes and possible going to alternate every other week with Judo/NoGi. I would show up to Saturday Gi class not really knowing what everyone else was working on all week... so i was a bit 'behind'.

I have been practicing some deep half defense, trying to 'surf' on the opponent. I sort of imagine myself balancing on a big swiss ball and trying to maintain top pressure. Seems to be working, or at least i end up in regular top half guard which is abit more stable. Also to pass De La Riva hooks, been working to sitting into a reverse half guard which i get some moderate success with.

Some of the more recent stuff we've been working on have been primarily open guard work.

Arm Drag Techniques from Bottom Guard
Z Guard (93 Guard)
De La Riva Guard
Sit Up Guard
Spider Guard (also with Leg Lasso control)

Some of the more memorable techniques that i can remember below:

Z Guard (93 Guard) Sweep

Can also do a 'reverse' Z guard sweep if opponent bases with the arm, drive the knee from their chest into their armpit, up and over you. Similar motion as a leg lasso spider sweep. Can also roll into triangle choke and/or omoplata.

Sit Up Guard Sweeps
-Shoulder Roll Sweep

-Dive Bomber Sweep

-Dental Floss

-Technical Lift/Single Leg Sweep

Spider Guard
-Classic Spider Scissor Sweep
-Triangle Choke off Bicep Control
-Leg Lasso Control, Classic sweep, Reverse sweep (opponent pressures with knee)

If only i had time to find and link videos for all the techniques......

Judo Class

2011-03-08T23:35:00.000-08:00

@ Gravity BJJ with Scott

Did some more breakfall drills (judo staple) and some footwork drills. Scott had us try to focus on NOT looking at our feet. I think i will try to work on this.

Tai Otoshi (Body Drop)
I really like this technique. Some keys to remember, your knee to be lower than their knee (in the picture the right leg). Not really a hip throw, more of a trip motion where you drive them down and around your posted leg. With the tripping leg, it starts off bent, and by straightening it, the opponents gets 'schucked' off your leg. Worked some entries with various grips.

Snowboarding

2011-03-06T18:25:00.000-08:00

A nice day of boarding with Dean and Ron @ Mt. Baker, WA. Conditions/snow was nice and soft. Great active day.

BJJ Class

2011-03-05T13:42:00.000-08:00

@ Gravity BJJ with Logan

NB: I am "back blogging" , probably missing alot of details as i'm blogging about stuff that happened a few days ago

Continued with some more bottom guard attacks from this week.

Scissor sweep to arm lock drills. Need to work my armbars from my 'bad' side, i'm just not good and rotating my body that way i guess.

Belly down armlock on other arm if opponent postures out (the one where you trap back of head with foot and swing other foot in front of face)... need to come up with a name for this one.

Worked Some Escapes if opponent bear hugs your legs (say you attempt to do a scissor sweep and they sprawl heavy on your legs). 3 options:

Push the head away, feet on hips, shins on opponents biceps and control their wrists (see below picture). Can do a 2 on 1 grabbing opponents tricep... work towards omoplata finish
Wrestler's "Switch" , force their head to the "outside" and cup their near side leg and turn your hips to break their grip.... take the back
If opponent head is already on the "inside", can work to omoplata

Did some flow drills.... with partner back and forth practice sweeps from multiple positions... did this for a few minutes, then did the same for another round but practicing submissions. Had to dig deep into the bjj library for the flow drills.

Went to Fitness World - Delta before class, did a 15 minute treadmill run, light weights and a few intervals on the C2 rower.

No Gi BJJ Class

2011-03-03T23:05:00.000-08:00

@Gravity BJJ

NB: I am "back blogging" , probably missing alot of details as i'm blogging about stuff that happened a few days ago

Bottom Guard Attacks

Armlock from high guard (Monkey Guard)
Finishing the Armlock if opponent stacks you (Spin Out Armbar Finish). Stephen Kesting's video below explains it pretty good
Triangle Choke transition off the armlock defense
Omoplata transition off the armlock defense
Belly down armlock from Monkey Guard (trap back of opponents head with foot and swing far leg over and in front of their face)

Did some sparring, i think 4 rounds.

Judo Class

2011-03-01T23:19:00.000-08:00

@Gravity BJJ with Scott

NB: I am "back blogging" , probably missing alot of details as i'm blogging about stuff that happened a few days ago

Since this class was exactly a week ago, i forgot exactly what we did/drilled. I remember we went thru the Harai Goshi

Harai Goshi (Sweeping Hip Throw)

Now all the exact details of this throw are a bit foggy at this point. Will have to research the key points of this throw later.

BJJ Class and some Hot Yoga

2011-02-26T13:37:00.001-08:00

@ Gravity BJJ with Logan

Takedown to taking the Back if opponent drops on 4 points, off a failed shoulder throw.

Review of Some Turtle Attacks from this past week.

Bulldozing a Turtle'd Opponent
Rolling Crucifix Positions/Attacks
Rolling Omoplata and Reverse Omoplata
"Lift Up" Armbar of a Turtle'd Opponent (best way/name for me to remember this move)

Sharktank Battle Royal (Standup/Takedown only) ... didn't do all the rounds, had popped a zit and didn't want to get blood everywhere. The rounds i did participate in felt good. The judo classes have helped me a bit more with getting comfortable and confident in the standing position.

Right shoulder still hurting and my left ankle a bit tender still... got Bikram Yoga to come up later today for some "relaxation"

Hot Yoga

2011-02-25T22:44:00.000-08:00

90 minutes @ Bikram Yoga - Langley

had a bit of issue since my left ankle was a bit sore from yesterdays rolling session

No Gi BJJ Class

2011-02-24T23:58:00.000-08:00

@Gravity BJJ with Logan

Did some double leg takedown drills and drilled positional top control of a turtle'd opponent.

Top Turtle Attacks

Rolling Triangle Choke. From Top Side Turtle...Setup is to control the far arm, step over the head and then roll over on your shoulder. You should be choking them with your forearm and your thigh. I couldn't quite finish this position, can't quite get my leg over the head.

Rolling Crucifix Control. From Top Side Turtle... isolate near arm with the legs, roll over opponent and trap their far arm as you land in the crucifix position. Can finish with shoulder locks, armlocks, triangle choke, neck crank... my favourite would be to reverse omoplata the far arm.

Omoplata off Near Arm. From Top Side Turtle. Role to an omoplata, if they don't roll with you they will surely tap to the shoulder lock. If they roll, then move to side mount, with arm still in legs, go for a reverse omoplata

Sharktank Battle Royale... 4 minutes in, rotate new opponent every minute, did this for 2 rounds.

Ended up going to Fitness World after and ran 5km on the treadmill and did some very light weights, my ankle started to hurt, i think from an ankle lock earlier in the night.

Hot Yoga

2011-02-23T22:36:00.000-08:00

90 Minutes @ Bikram Yoga - Langley

Judo and Conditioning Class

2011-02-22T23:38:00.001-08:00

@Gravity BJJ with Logan

Started the night with my first conditioning class @Gravity.

Nice circuit x 3 rounds.... burpees with bar, around the world 10lb ball, pullups, pushups/dips on parallel bars, flipping the heavy bag, kettle bell swings, band exercise ... 45 seconds work/15 seconds rest. Ended with i think was a 6 minute ab routine

Judo Class... Scott couldn't make it to class today so Logan ran us through some Judo drills

Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi (Lifting Pulling Ankle Block)
Okuriashi Harai (Following Foot Sweep)
Osoto Gari (Large Outer Reaping)
Drill all 3 in sequence of attacks

Also did some grip fight technique to a 2 on 1 arm control (you are to their side).
from this control position can work into a few options,

Kata Guruma (fireman carry)
Ankle Pick off a failed foot sweep (don't know the name of this move)

Did some grip technique from a more straight on position. Isolate one arm and same side collar

Ippon Seo Inage (one arm shoulder throw)
Diving roll to side control

Shark Tank/Sparring
Straight takedown/throw sparring, 6 rounds with a fresh opponent every 30 seconds. By about the 3rd round started to get really tired/sloppy. I really tried to use Judo technique (but of course have limited experience). Overall i was happy with my ability to defends some of the takedowns/throws.

Finished class with 3 x 6 minute rounds, ground work (BJJ not Judo style)

BJJ Class

2011-02-19T15:12:00.000-08:00

@Gravity BJJ with Logan

Started the morning with a good treadmill run @ Fitness World, will try to do this before Saturday classes from now on since the gym is about 5 minutes away from Gravity. Tried to hit a few weights but my right shoulder/collar bone started to hurt again.

Full house today, about 12 people in class???

Takedown
Some drilling of grip fighting to "Diving Shoulder Lock Takedown" (until i get the proper name) and Ippon Seo Inage. Was able to remember the "Conan Take Down", which is a modified Kata Guruma (Fireman's Carry). I think stand-up wise i will try to work more throws in, no more pulling guard for the next little while.

Continued with the Turtle Position Today

Opponent is North South, double under control -> Hip Heist/Break Dance... controlling the same side arm/elbow that you are going to, can turn into a shoulder lock, or proceed all the way to taking the back

Opponent is North/South, over under control -> Grab at their pants and drive a knee deep (i think in between theirs), head to one side and work a double leg takedown to side control. The key to this is getting your knee in deep so that you can have better posture to lift them up

**NB: i could be mixed up with the above 2 as to which one works based on opponent having over/under or double under control.

Opponent is to the side -> trap an arm their arm, step up with your leg (the one closer to them, prevents them from taking back), then slide your outer leg into them getting your hips below them, sweeping them over you. I think you can also control their far arm as well to prevent them from posting. I'm pretty sure we did another sweep from this position but this is the only one i kinda remember.

Opponent from behind -> Rolling knee bar series from previous class. I kinda figured out the rolling part better today, felt more comfortable. At Thursday's class i think i was rolling backwards/wrong way.

Positional Sparring from Turtle Position

Shark Tank, only went for the first 1 and a half rounds, had to rest up the shoulder. I was able to pull off the bow and arrow choke on a turtle'd opponent that Gary Herman showed me awhile back.

No Gi BJJ Class

2011-02-17T23:16:00.000-08:00

@Gravity BJJ with Logan

Started the class with some warm up drills, right shoulder still hurting from the weekend so had to sit out most of the bear crawl and breakdance type drills.

Pummeling Drills
Worked on pumelling to double under hook control. Followed up with 2 takedowns off the pummel. Assume you have one over and one underhook.

1) On the overhook side (left in this example) reach down and do a reverse hand cup on the opponents nearside hamstring (from the inside). Step back and circle your right leg to guide the training partner to your right side with your left hamd control. Drive them down to side control.

2) As above, but opponent pulls back/ postures... take left hand and switch to cup the back of the knee from the outside. Drive forward, steering them to your left using your right underhook. This takedown seemed to work best if you time their backward momentum as they defend takedown # 1 above.

Turtle Position

North South Anaconda Choke to a Turtle'd Opponent
Rolling Knee Bar if Opponent Behind You (You in turtle Position), can have other options off the roll, ankle locks, heel hooks, switch to top half guard

Played a few rounds of Touch Ball takedown game.. Always a fun event.

Finished the night with a nice 5 minute sharktank. One guy in middle and new guy rotates in every 1 minute. Surprisingly i didnt get gassed out from todays sharktank. I like to think my cardio is getring better.

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Judo Class

2011-02-15T23:47:00.000-08:00

@Gravity BJJ with Scott

Kouchi Gari (Small Inner Sweep)

Worked on a combo :

Kouchi Gari > Osoto Gari > Ippon Seoinage

Scott went thru some grip fighting concepts, followed by some grip fighting drilling.

Snowboarding

2011-02-13T19:18:00.000-08:00

Hit up Cypress with Ron, got alot of Runs in today, and my cardio was really good today. Was able to string lots of runs today without getting tired.

Ended up running into some guy that was sitting down parked in the middle of a run, (bjj related here)... i was going relatively fast and couldn't quite avoid this guy, ended up rolling over his back and work a spinning breakfall over him, did land pretty hard on my right shoulder. Some collarbone/shoulder pain right now. Will have to take it easy over the next few days/weeks as this is the shoulder that has been bothering me lately.

BJJ Class

2011-02-12T14:08:00.000-08:00

Started the day off with a quick workout at Fitness World (Delta).... 20 minute fast paced treadmill run and ran thru a circuit on the machines.

Had an informal bjj class as Logan was at the West Coast BJJ tournament. Sophie ran us thru a pretty good warmup: Sit Ups, Push Ups, Burpee, Squats, Run across the mats... x1 rep, x2 reps, etc up until 10reps. Would be a nice workout to do at home... really tested the cardio

Did some games to practice our skills, Takedown drills with the Ball, Capture the Flag game with the ball. Did some takedown drills, running back and forth to 2 corners and working takedown/throw of choice to partner in corners.

No Gi BJJ Class

2011-02-10T14:26:00.000-08:00

@Gravity BJJ with Logan

Takedown
Standing Back Attack Takedown to 50/50 and Heel Hook

Worked a takedown when you have a standing bearhug on opponent from behind. Drop down with one leg in between their leg, whip your leg around one of their legs to a 50/50 position, this forces them down to the ground, transition to a heel hook.

Back Mount Attacks

Armbar from seated Back Mount
Triangle from seated Back Mount, can finish with armlocks, shoulder locks with opponent in triangle position

Shark tank and positional sparring from rear back mount

Judo Class

2011-02-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

@Gravity BJJ with Scott

Ippon Seoinage (One Arm Shoulder Throw)

Some key points: When entering into the throw, bicep should be deep under their armpit. Drive the arm down and across your own body.

BJJ Class

2011-02-05T14:08:00.000-08:00

@Gravity BJJ w/ Logan

Present: Keith, Alex, Mark, Omar, Luis

Back Defense (Standing)

From standing, if opponent has you in a body lock from behind

Wrestler's Switch , drill back and forth
Kimura Grip from same position, turn into them and drop down to Kimura, if they roll can also roll onto them into mount/side mount

Back Mount Defense (Sitting)
Worked on defending the RNC/Collar Choke with leaning on both the 'good' side and the 'bad' side.

Finished the class with shark tank positional sparring from the Back Mount.

My 1st Judo Class and 3 Year BJJ Anniversary

2011-02-01T23:55:00.000-08:00

@ Gravity BJJ with Scott

Warmup

did some mobility exercises, short run, rolls, bear crawls, crab walks, piggy back

50 break falls, 5 x 10 set
- sitting on butt
- from squatting on toes
- from standing
- sideways left side
- sideways right side

Pinning Technique
worked on using crushing pressure on diaphragm area (just below ribcage), not using arms to pin. Good technique to keep pressure on opponent. Similar to some exercise ball videos i've seen online.

Techniques
All the 3 techniques we learned can be combo'd one after the other, key is to obtain grip and 'annoy' opponent with attacks, sweeping/tripping them as their balance and weight is focussed on one leg. I'm sure there are other keys, but can't remember.... oh yah not 100% sure if the below techniques are the exact ones we learned but they are very similar to them at least.

Osoto Gari (Large Outer Reaping)

Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi (Lifting Pulling Ankle Block)

Okuriashi Harai (Following Foot Sweep)

"Zombie" Sparring
one person alllows the other to practice as many throws,trips, etc while one person acts as a zombie and tries to evade attacks (but not necessarily pushing away)... allow partner to throw you, provide minimal resistance

Overall was a good intro to Judo, this was my first real Judo class so was definitely showed me alot of stuff i know i should and will work on to up my bjj game. I forgot already what other techniques/drills we worked on in the class... need to write this stuff down during class.

So far the lifting pulling ankle block technique seems like one i want to work on for the next little while, seemed to be 'working' for me today.

Early in the class got my foot stuck in Mai's pant leg, now my 4th toe on my right foot is quite bruised and swollen, hopefully i can heal up quick and be on the mat again for Thursday's No Gi class

My BJJ Anniversary.... a recap

3 Years ago... i decided to finally join a BJJ program (Revolution Fight Team) back in February of 2008... GB Black Belt Super Dave was one of my first instructors at the time... since then i trained mainly under Ragin Kajan Johnson who gave me my blue belt in April of 2009. Now 3 years later i got 2 stripes on my blue belt.... currently training at Gravity BJJ with black belt Logan Lidemark.

I think for the first 2 years i really only trained 2 classes x 2hrs a week while at Revolution. I wouldn't say i took it 100% serious, but i was definitely committed to training. Did a short stint at GB Vancouver where i sort of stayed on that 2 classes per week schedule. As of late, now i'm doing 3 x 1.5hr classes per week.... which seems to be a good balance with work and personal life... just enough training to help me progress. But of course the wife would probably prefer i just train twice a week like before. I'm still able to fit in some other strength and conditioning at the local gym twice a week. This past year i started a running routine, mind you just on a treadmill, but i have probably done more running this past year than i have in the last 33 years combined... i think at one point i was doing 5km runs every 2nd day (trust me, i started from huffing and puffing after 5 minutes). Also this winter i finally got back into snowboarding (been like 4 years since i last hit the mountain)... and since I'm in better 'shape' , i have been able to last longer snowboarding (must be my core and balance conditioning from BJJ). No new resolutions or goals this year.... just plans to live an active lifestyle, whether its more BJJ (and now some Judo), Snowboarding, Running, whatever... it's time to just get out there and live life and just do it... I know i'm not getting any younger, i'm 34, going on 35 ... and by my estimates about 15 to 20lbs lighter.... i feel that i'm in the best condition that i've been in since i was in University 13 or 14 years ago. So there it is, a quick recap of how BJJ has affected my last 3 years.... time to turn it up a notch

NB: .... actually i 'tried' bjj for a month initially in December 2006 @ Martial Arts Training Centre in Coquitlam (www.tacticalfighting.ca) under Megaton Black Belt Gary Herman. Dean and Mo were training there at the time and i decided to tryit out... i was quite out of shape (not that i'm in perfect shape now) and didn't last long training..... so that was my first attempt at BJJ.

Conditioning

2011-01-30T13:08:00.000-08:00

@Fitness World Langley

Treadmill Run 3.33 km
Worked on some shoulder exercises and some rows using the pulleys

BJJ Class

2011-01-29T13:36:00.000-08:00

@ Gravity BJJ w/ Logan

Present: Colin, Jarek, Omar, Luis, Steve, Jade

Takedown

We've been working on this one takedown on/off this week... don't know the name of it, but i'll describe it as this:

same side high collar grip (in this example right hand in their left collar)
opponent tries to go over top with their left arm for a grip.
flare out right elbow to block their left arm attack, same time use left hand to turn their hand outside (forces a shoulder lock on their left)
dive to knees and to your back .... go into them and to your right, torquing their left shoulder more forcing them to roll (maintain that right hand collar grip!!)
as you both drop down, that right hand collar grip pins their shoulder to ground and you can come up on side mount

**Need to get a proper name and/or video of this technique

Continued with the Top Mount today

-Maintaining Top Mount drills, as per last Tuesday's class
-S Mount Armbars
-Collar Chokes
-Americana from Top Mount..... can transition to a collar choke, grabbing the collar from below their neck, this in turn can be used to transition to a bow and arrow choke **very nice combo** will work on this. As i find myself working from S Mount alot i think i will try to work on this choke combination, also from this position the armbar is always available

Finished with some sharktank, positional sparring from Top Mount.

No Gi BJJ Class

2011-01-27T23:27:00.000-08:00

BJJ Class with Logan
@Gravity BJJ

Present: Colin, Mai, Omar, Mark, Aaron, Jade

4 in 1 Warmup
Side to Side
Gorilla Pass
Under the Legs
Matador
2 Rounds ... I think the timer was set for 90 seconds

Takedown
double leg off striking

Top Mount Attacks

S Mount Armbar
S Mount armbar on far side when opponent uses RNC defense ... need to transition to a far side attack
Americana from topmount > transition to collarless choke > transition to armbar

Sparring 6 x 5 minute rounds, damn this was tiring as hell... Mai got me in a nice Brabo Choke

Ended class with 5 sets of 10 pullups, used the band and last set was just 2 pullups so totaled 42 altogether.

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Conditioning

2011-01-26T23:11:00.000-08:00

@Fitness World Langley

Treadmill Run 4.45km
Did some legs and back/shoulders
Finished off with some 10 min on elliptical

BJJ Class

2011-01-25T23:38:00.000-08:00

BJJ Class w/ Logan
@Gravity BJJ

Top Mount Attacks

Practiced maintaining Top Mount, Defending sweeps from 4 situations.
1) opponent pushes up on the chest, swim arms inside to base
2) opponent tries to trap one arm to bridge, swim arms outside to base
3) opponent attempts to bridge escape, base with arm, cup head with other arm
4) opponent tries to knee elbow escape, move to S-mount like position

Top Mount

Top Mount Standard Armbar
Top Mount to belly down armbar (if opponent bridges/stiff arms and gives u their arm)... Can transition to armbar on your side if they get to your knees... If they roll over end up with armbar on your back

Very similar technique below...
Cross Collar choke from Top mount

Roger Gracie, master of cross collar choke from topmount displays his technique below
Americana from Top Mount

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2 for 1 Day

2011-01-23T23:56:00.000-08:00

Snowboarding @ Cypress 11am til about 5pm with Ron and Dean

then hit up Fitness World Langley x 1hr in the late evening

BJJ Class and FWorld ... 2 for 1 day

2011-01-22T23:05:00.000-08:00

BJJ Class w/ Logan
@ Gravity BJ

Went to Fitness World Langley for some cardio

Snowboarding

2011-01-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

Snowboarding all day @ Cypress with Dean

Friday and no lineups, got in lots of runs

No Gi BJJ

2011-01-20T23:40:00.001-08:00

NoGi with Logan

Also present: Colin, Mai, Mark, Jade

Worked the same takedown we worked all week but from a no gi clinch position.

Top Mount Escape

Worked hip bump to butterfly position. Review of basic butterfly sweep.

Practiced butterfly guard to x guard transition.

X Guard sweeps

4 main options from X Guard

1) push away with legs to technical standup, transition to single leg takedown. Very similar to Takedown Sweep (see Marcelo Garcias's "X Guard" p207)

2) X Guard Push Sweep. (see Marcelo Garcia's "X Guard" p225)

3) Near wrist control switch sweep (see Marcelo Garcia's "X Guard" p194)

4) Far wrist control x guard sweep (see Marcelo Garcia's "X Guard" p183)

Lastly briefly worked taking the back from x guard position

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BJJ Class

2011-01-18T23:19:00.000-08:00

Takedown
Worked the same takedown from Saturdays class.

Top Mount

Worked on top S mount to armbar.
Focus Points:control the far leg to prevent hitchhike escape. This increases the distance they have to travel to perform escape. Also by falling head closer to their legs as opposed to perpendicular their escape distance is lengthened.

Top Mount Escapes

Worked on Bump Escapes and Elbow Knee Escapes.

Bump escape to X Guard like sweep. when bumping opponent bases out with a leg... Escape hips to opposite side, should be room to get legs into X guard position... Get their one leg on your shoulder. Technical standup

Positional Sparring from Top Mount

Found that I was susceptible to hip bump. I would get bumped and opponent would drive nice thru into butterfly. Need to work on timing bump defense and maybe grapevine from top.

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Location:Gravity BJJ

BJJ Class

2011-01-15T12:28:00.000-08:00

Knee on Belly Attacks again.

BJJ Class

2011-01-13T22:35:00.000-08:00

No Gi BJJ Class @ Gravity BJJ
with Logan

also present, Shawn, Omar, Jade

Takedown
No idea on the name of the takedown we did, standing arm triangle type grip.. dig hips in and left oppoent and roll them down (almost like a body slam type lift).

Knee on Belly

Flow Drill
sidemount to knee on belly to 180 armbar > opponent hitchhiker defense > end up on bottom sidemount.

Defense/Bottom Position
worked some escapes from knee on belly.

Knee block and foot to head .... use your outside forearm and block their knee at your chest, grip under their KOB foot with your inner arm and drive their foot towards your head and bridge to disrupt their balance. Bridge will take them over you, or sitting up into them will put them on their back
Shin in Sweep.... no way to describe this except your inner knee goes on their far thigh combined with trapping the KOB foot... complicated without video

BJJ Class

2011-01-11T23:41:00.000-08:00

@Gravity BJJ with Logan

Knee on Belly Escapes

New Year... time to Blog again

2011-01-06T21:45:00.000-08:00

No Gi BJJ Class @ Gravity BJJ
with Logan

Also present: Colin and Omar

Knee on Belly Attacks

180 armbars
Reverse Triangle if opponent defends arm lock
Flow drill: Knee on Belly > 180 Armbar > opponent hitchhiker defense > Omoplata > opponent jumps over to cross side ... repeat
Chokes off Knee on Belly
Baratoplata off Knee on Belly

this video demo the Baratoplata (different set up)

Been a while since blogged, will try to track my progress more in this new year.
I remember weighing myself on New Years Day ... was 88.x kg at the time.... arrgh time to get to work !!!

Promotion

2010-11-30T22:36:00.000-08:00

BJJ at Gravity BJJ

Logan awarded me with my second stripe on my Blue Belt today

Lack of Blogging

2010-07-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

Been slacking the last 2 or 3 months with the blog. I have been training hard still. Due to a move, left GB Vancouver in mid-May. Spent the month of June training with Gary Herman at www.tacticalfighting.ca and to work on my conditioning and overall GPP. Beginning of July i signed up at Rocky Point Crossfit and the on ramp program. Also started at GB Surrey with Logan. Have been logging my CF workouts and some bjj notes in an actual notebook, will try to post them to my blog later.

BJJ Class

2010-04-13T23:12:00.000-07:00

BJJ with Black Belt Rodrigo
Gracie Barra Vancouver

Omoplata

Rodrigo had us drill the omoplata entry, and sweep
Combo... omoplata > triangle > armbar

Flying Armbar

practiced jumping guard a few times to get the feeling then went for flying armbar
need to elevate a bit more with my lead jumping leg
found that my weight was pulling the opponent down too much before i can get the leg over their head

Sparring
Rolled with Will, Brown Belt, I feel i did better today than the last time i rolled with him. He controlled me well in side mount securing a kimura. Chad, 3/4 stripe white belt, got a good take down on him, it was a tough match up, back and forth, at the end he got me with an ezekiel choke from top mount. ??? Blue belt, I got taken down trying to do a judo throw. Ended up getting a nice deep half guard sweep (been a while since i worked deep half guard). Ended up choking him out with a lapel choke from side mount. My side mount control seems to be getting better.

Conditioning

2010-04-07T23:42:00.000-07:00

Fitness World - Langley

Started with my usual pull up routine. But they were a bit off today, right shoulder was sore, must have been from last night's training. Did some rows, lat pull downs and cable routine instead. Some machine chest presses (straight/incline). Overall just was feeling a bit lazy tonight.

I messed up my left knee last night at BJJ (i think from sweeping a guy directly onto my knee). So i had to wear a compression knee sleeve all day at work. Skipped out on the usual 5km run and opted for a 25minute session on the elliptical to prevent re-injury.... man that was boring as hell, not that running on a treadmill is any different, but i would rather run than do the elliptical.

BJJ Class

2010-04-06T23:22:00.000-07:00

BJJ with Black Belt Rodrigo
Gracie Barra Vancouver

8PM Intermediate Class

Wow a full house tonight, maybe about 25 people?? Did some more of Rodrigo's weird (yet functional bjj warm up drills). Did some pendulum sweep drills, breakfalls, forward rolls, etc.

Today Rodrigo stressed the importance of base in guard. Say your in the bottom, your options to sweep/submit are limited to what your opponent gives you. If he leans to one side, forward or back, you must always be aware of the opponents base, exploit the chances they have given you. It seems like Rodrigo is gonna go back to basics with us... which is good, i love basic bjj. I'm really enjoying Rodrigo's classes since he's returned from Brazil. He provides some good insight in the theory behind bjj techniques.

Bump Sweep

For review, basic bump sweep video below:

Now Rodrigo had us working a very basic variation of this sweep. Breaking it down to the key element, which is your hips. Rather than sitting up into your opponent as seen in the video, we worked to just keep low and move our hips onto one of their legs/thighs and using the leverage to bump. We drilled using a full closed guard and cross sleeve grip. Can't find a video of this, but it is a very low-energy sweep and relies on basic leverage.

Grab their left sleeve with your left hand.
Base onto your right elbow
Move hips to your right (onto their left thigh)
With guard still closed, bridge into them and to your right
Land in mount

Conditioning

2010-04-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

Fitness World - Langley

Pullups and Dips, Chest Flys, Seated Rows

Running
2.76km 18'21" @ 6'38" / km pace 240 cal Nike Plus
Had the Random Setting on incline from 0 to 4.5 ... so the hills killed me

Conditioning

2010-04-03T17:25:00.001-07:00

Fleetwood Sports and Leisure Complex

Random exercises
Pullups, Air Squats, Cable Exercises, Overhead Presses

Running
4.64 km treadmill run 29'54" @ 6'26"/km pace 403cal as per Nike Plus

Conditioning

2010-04-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

Fleetwood Sports and Leisure Complex

Did some weights, random stuff.
pullups
cable exercises
overhead presses

Running
4.83km Treadmill Run 29'53" @ pace of 6'11" / km 420cal as per nike plus

BJJ Class

2010-04-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

BJJ with Black Belt Rodrigo Gracie Barra Vancouver 8PM Intermediate Class

Did a few different/interesting 'warm up' exercises than the usual jumping jacks routine. With a partner doing butterfly sweeps and pendulum sweeps down the mat to the other side of the gym. Rodrigo's way of motivating is pretty harsh (not in a bad way), yelling GO GO GO like your in the military. I think that's good because it makes you work harder.

Butterfly Guard Escape

Opponent has tight full butterfly with underhooks, swim both hands to underhooks pushing with head on their chest to push them down
Use left hand swim around legs grabbing bottom pant leg or foot to tightly grip around
Sprawl leg then go in between and tight on their foot while other knee walks around butterfly hook.
Grab behind neck with rt hand (side you just walked to with right knee) for shoulder to face hold and bring left foot back like scarf hold escape (bring back left foot all the way back perpendicular to you with knee up).
Rt knee now checking opp. rt hip when legs break free from grip switch hands to hip controlling hip otherwise if you give space with hip they can go to guard

Same as above if opp. grip very very tight cannot get both hands in underhooed, use only one and push with your head to push down.

(Above entry cut and pasted off of Dean's blog)

Lapel Choke while defending Half Guard

While opponent is passing your half guard (assume you are on your right side)
reach for their outside lapel/skirt
Swing it around their back and around their near side neck and pass it to your left hand
Bump up and pass the lapel/skirt to your right hand which should be below their neck at this point
Take your left hand and grab their left shoulder as if your doing a cross collar choke
NB: opponent in your half guard this whole time, now open up your guard to let the opponent pass/mount
now turn away from your opponent (in this case to your left) to give up your back
this will actually force the opponent over you and onto their back, thus securing the choke

Sparring
Rolled with Rob, blue belt, was a good match. Was able to control him pretty good with the new tips that Rodrigo showed me (knee and arm checking the near side hip). Almost got a kimura from top on him but he pulled out. Got some good takedowns on him too. Happy with my overall top/side mount control, except he did sweep me once i obtained full mount (gotta work on proper base while in full mount

Conditioning and new Running Distance PR

2010-03-31T23:27:00.000-07:00

Fitness World - Langley

Random Exercises,
pullups, cables, one-armed dumbell bench presses, shoulder raises

Running
New distance record of 6.35km (previous record 6.16km on 23Jan2010)
Was feeling really good for this run and decided to keep going, machine had a 40 minute limit, so i stopped at 40minutes. Didn't stop to walk the entire run, which is a first for me for this time frame.

6.36km 39'52" @ 6'16"/km pace 552 cal as per Nike Plus

BJJ

2010-03-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

BJJ with Black Belt Rodrigo
Gracie Barra Vancouver

8PM Intermediate Class

Takedown
Ouchi Gari (Large Inner Reaping)

Transition to Ankle Pick
if they pull their lead leg back, drop down to your knee and go for far side ankle

Top Position Control
Rodrigo stressed the importance of top control.
Specifically worked on opponent on back with one butterfly hook. Keep weight down and keep control of opponents hips, your elbows in. Use head pressure on their chest and important to keep weight on their lone butterfly hook. As long as this hook is 'stuffed' the opponent has very little options to sweep/submit. He referenced GSP's fight with Dan Hardy. Lots of top side control. In half guard, he reviewed shoulder pressure control and it's importance

Sparring
Rolled with Nick, tall thin white belt. Took him down and just ended up in his full guard. His long legs prevented me from opening his guard up. Not an eventful session. Next was another bigger guy (white belt)... he tried to judo throw me (don't know what type), but i stuffed him and took him down. Worked some side mount control and he eventually got half guard. I tried to work a Brabo/Darce Choke from top half guard (similar to the Paulo Thiago sub vs. Mike Swick), but didn't work. He tried to single leg me and I sprawled and got the Anaconda Collar Choke that Thiago showed me a while ago.

Conditioning

2010-03-29T23:31:00.000-07:00

Fitness World - Langley

Random Exercises, upper body / back / chest / shoulders

Running
4.66km 29'56" @6'25" / km pace, 405cal as per Nike Plus

Conditioning

2010-03-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

Fitness World - Langley

Random Exercises, been working on pullups/dips combo

Running
4.46km 29'58" @ 6'43"/km pace, 388cal as per Nike Plus

BJJ Class

2010-03-25T23:36:00.000-07:00

BJJ Class with Purple Belt Kabir B
Gracie Barra Vancouver

8PM Intermediate Class

Overhook Series

Overhook to collar choke
Overhook to triangle

Kabir used me as the demo grappling dummy today, he must've demo'd the triangle choke at least 10 times, i was seeing stars for a good 30 seconds at one point. Mental note: do not be a grappling dummy during triangle choke day.

Sparring
Had a good night of rolling. Good old omoplata sweeps were there for me today again. Was able to land a flower/pendulum sweep on someone. My full guard sweep (i call it the bridge bump, don't know the technical term) was there for me today too. Overall a good night of sweeps and controlling, no subs today.

Running

2010-03-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

Fitness World - Surrey

Decided to do an early morning run before work

5.04 32'17" @ 6'24" per km pace, 438cal as per Nike Plus

BJJ Class

2010-03-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

BJJ with Purple Belt Kabir B
Gracie Barra Vancouver

8PM Intermediate Class

Flower Sweep
Pendulum Sweep
Bump Sweep to Pendulum Sweep

My favorite video of the Flower Sweep, Xande Ribiero, Arte Suave 1

Sparring
Rolled with Pablo, big white belt, by big i mean muscular, he's also Brazilian, not that it matters LOL. He was able to sweep me while standing and get into topmount, from there i swept him, a bit of back and forth battle. Next up rolled with Dean. Was a good back and forth, couldn't tap him out, i worked mainly on top/side mount control. I noticed with him and Pablo, they were able to bump and get back into half guard.... so i really need to focus on my side mount pressure/control. Lastly rolled with another white belt, forgot his name. Pulled guard and worked a sweep. Ended up in top mount and worked an armbar in. Same guy, i got him to turtle up, and went for Gary's rolling bow and arrow, but had to modify it and rolled him backwards into me, finished with bow and arrow. Good day of sparring.

Conditioning

2010-03-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Fitness World Langley

Pullups and Dips Combo, Random exercises

Running
5.04km 30'57" @ 6'08" / km pace, 438cal as per Nike Plus

Conditioning

2010-03-20T10:21:00.001-07:00

Fitness World Langley

Pullups x 5 Dips x 10 x 3 sets
Pylometric Style Chest Press 40lb dumbbells
Overhead presses 25lb, 30lb, 35lb dumbbells
Low back extensions
Cable row exercises
other random exercises

Treadmill Run
5.08km 29'52" 5'52"/km 442 kcal as per nike plus
Wore my Nike Free 5.0's v4
Ran the first 20 minutes straight, then did a 1 min walk phase, finished the rest of the run after

Conditioning Another 5K PR

2010-03-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

Fitness World Langley

Did the usual cable rows and shoulder presses (light weights)
Clean and Jerks 95lb barbell

Treadmill Run
New 5km PR 28'14"
Previous PR 28'37" 14 Mar 2010

Today wore my Nike Free 5.0's

Running

2010-03-17T23:42:00.000-07:00

Fitness World - Langley

Running
5.09km 30'09" @ 5'55" / km pace , 442 cal as per Nike Plus

BJJ Class

2010-03-16T21:09:00.001-07:00

BJJ with Purple Belt Evan D.
Gracie Barra Vancouver

8PM Fundamentals Class

BJJ and Boxing Class

2010-03-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

Boxing Class w/ INSTRUCTOR's NAME???
Gracie Barra Vancouver

7PM Boxing Class

First boxing class ever (maybe have done 3 or 4 MT classes back in my Revolution days). Warmup was a lot different than BJJ warmup.

Worked on some combos
1-2-3 duck 1-2-3
1-2-1-2 duck 2-3-2

Drill
40 jabs superfast (alternating arms) then 5 burpees, partner does it, then repeat x 4 or 5 rounds? I forgot, but me and Dean started late and ended up beating everyone to the finish.

Did some Pseudo Sparring

Training and Conditioning, 5KM PR again!

2010-03-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Fitness World Langley
Mid Morning Workout

Pull ups x 5 Dips x 10 x 3 sets 'warm up'
One arm seated cable rows, 75lbs
Dumbbell bench presses 50lbs x 3 sets
Overhead dumbbell presses 40lbs x 3 sets

Treadmill Run 5km
Again using the Adizero Mano. These might be my new go to shoes, broke my 5k PR (previous 28'50" 9/3/10), today clocked in at 28'37" .. a 13 second improvement in a few days. I actually had a 1 minute walk phase at the 15 minute mark and another quick walk around the 20 minute mark. Left leg was getting stiff again.

BJJ Class

2010-03-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

BJJ with Black Belt Logan L
Gracie Barra Vancouver

10AM Fundamentals Class

A few things we went through today

Double Leg Takedown
Double Leg Takedown defense ... Guillotine Choke
Guillotine Choke defense to takedown

Turtle Attack, rolling them to the side to take the back
Turtle Attack, rolling them down into side control (pulling them into you and using your chin)
Rear naked Choke and Rear collar choke

BJJ Class

2010-03-11T22:33:00.000-08:00

BJJ with Black Belt Logan L
Gracie Barra Vancouver

7PM Advanced Class

Same Judo Throw then transition to Taking the Back then Bow and Arrow from last class
Also worked a variation of the above transition, but i couldn't get it right, i think my stockiness/lack of flexibility got in the way. You basically step over them and drive your shin into the back of their head, then you roll, securing the bow and arrow.
Turtle Attack, rolling into side control. Logan said he learned it from a Brazillian guy named Edson, so for now i'm gonna call it the Edson Turtle Roll. Opponent in turtle, you are attacking from behind. Reach in and get a far side collar (doesn't need to be deep). .. in this example you use your left hand to grab their right collar. Now pull on their right knee cap to create space. Control their right pant/calf and dive into the space you've just created. You will end up rolling them into side mount.
Rolling Loop Choke from sprawl. Gary H, Black Belt, showed us a nice rolling loop choke. Set up is similar to the below video. The finish is different. Rather than rolling onto your stomach, you stay butt down and turn your pelvis into the back of their head and lift, this will drive their head/neck into the loop, making it tighter

Sparring
Got wiped pretty good today... or at least i feel wiped.
Richard, bigger guy, i think he got my back and went for the bow and arrow choke, i defended. Ended up spending most of the time in bottom side mount, eventually tapped to a kimura (gotta keep my arms in!!!). Female Blue Belt (forgot her name), good roll. She was a lot more aggressive than i anticipated. Had some issues breaking her guard, she was pretty tough actually. Worked on some open guard, but it was quite tiring as i was doing a lot of defending. Was able to work an armlock from bottom guard, but she defended it well, had issues keep her head down with my leg (i wasn't squeezing down hard enough i think). Adi, blue belt, he was doing alot of butterfly guard on me. I wasn't able to pass at all, got swept. He subbed me, forgot what kind though.

Random Thoughts

Still getting caught with collar attacks... need to protect the neck
My half guard game that i use on white belts isn't working against experienced blue belts, need to tighten it up
Side control escapes!!! learn them
Learn some attack chains, specifically when i have side control, getting lost

Conditioning and New 5K PR!

2010-03-09T23:37:00.001-08:00

Fitness World - Langley
Late Night Work Out

2 min elliptical warmup
3 sets of pullups x 5, deep dips x 10
Lat pull downs (wide grip)
50lb dumbell rows
40lb dumbell overhead presses

Treadmill Run - 5km

Broke my previous 5k record (29:58), today ran it in 28:50, as measured with my nike plus. Today I wore my Adidas Manos, they feel much lighter, however they have less cushioning than my Nike Lunar Glides that i usually run in. Initially my heels were hurting, but i adjusted my stride and fell into a groove (good beats got me pumped). Beating my 5km PR by over a minute feels awesome. Treadmill was set to 'random' with varing inclines 0 to 2.9 .. at varying speeds between 5mph to 5.5mph.

BJJ

2010-03-08T23:44:00.000-08:00

BJJ with Black Belt Logan L
Gracie Barra Vancouver

7PM Advanced Class

Failed judo hip throw (don't know the name)... guy lands on all 4's as he bases, jump onto the back and roll into a bow and arrow choke. Remember to control collar, get leg hooks, then control their far leg before rolling to the ground

Same failed judo hip throw... guy lands on all 4's , jump into a reverse triangle (on their back)... hard to finish the actual triangle choke (need to work on leg positioning), but from this control position can do a shoulder lock or armlock
Attack the Turtle. From behind, dive your head to one side of their head and somersault and roll them into your leg hooks, taking the back.
If opponent has good base, you roll and they are still based back, you then roll back into them and take their back as they are still in turtle

Sparring

Rolled with Tien (purple belt), his guard was really hard to get pass. He worked a good leg lasso/spider guard game and controlled at least one arm really well at all times. I think he got me with a collar choke. Gary (Black belt) was next, he was good at rushing me. I tried to resort to half guard, but he easily sliced thru it and passed. His advice to me was not to drop to guard so quick. Next was Ben (blue belt), got me with a quick collar choke (damn keep getting caught by those), then when i was in top half, i was working a pass and let go of head control, he somehow grabbed it and kimura'd me from bottom half (yah that sucked). Last was Joseph?? small Filipino guy, he was super quick and took my back sinking in a choke. Got my ass kicked today but it was fun.

BJJ Class

2010-03-03T22:06:00.001-08:00

BJJ with Blue Belt Kabir Bath
Gracie Barra Vancouver

8PM Fundamentals No Gi BJJ Class

Top Mount Escape

hip escape to full guard
hip escape to butterfly guard

Finished class with about 10 minutes of shark tank ... escaping top mount

BJJ

2010-03-02T22:56:00.000-08:00

BJJ Class with Black Belt Logan L
Gracie Barra Vancouver

7 PM Advanced Class

Spider Guard (with cross sleeve control)

worked a nice spider guard sweep.

off of the same sweep/position, worked a triangle, you basically spin/invert and land in triangle

Sparring
Wow, today was at least 10 blue belts, 3 purples, 2 or 3 browns and a black belt (Logan). So i (tried to) stay on the kiddie end with the lower end blues. At least i tried to hide there. Ended up rolling with a brown belt (got subbed twice). Rolled with Tien, a purple belt, he caught me with 2 triangles.... but i did land a nice omoplata sweep on him. He got me in a nice collar choke too that had me seeing stars for a good 30 seconds. Also rolled with Jessie a blue belt, got him with a triangle off of over hook control and a 180 armbar from side mount. Was able to dominate/sweep him with relative ease (I also had a significant weight advantage too).

BJJ Class

2010-02-23T14:10:00.000-08:00

BJJ Class with Black Belt Logan L
Gracie Barra Vancouver

12 Noon Fundamental Class

Top Mount Escape

BJJ Class

2010-02-22T23:42:00.000-08:00

BJJ with Blue Belt Kastro V
Gracie Barra Vancouver

8PM Fundamentals Class

Takedown

Ouchi Gari - Large Inner Reaping takedown
If opponent counters by lifting leg, work to Ankle Pick

Conditioning

2010-02-20T12:30:00.000-08:00

Fleetwood Sports and Leisure Complex

Machine chest presses
Machine rowing

5km Run on treadmill

BJJ Class

2010-02-18T23:55:00.000-08:00

BJJ Class with Blue Belt Kabir Bath
Gracie Barra Vancouver

8PM Intermediate Class

Half Guard Sweeps

Electric Chair Sweep

Reverse Sweep if opponent bases out

BJJ

2010-02-16T23:42:00.000-08:00

BJJ with Blue Belt Kabir Bath

8PM Intermediate BJJ Class

Half Guard
Top Game Passing

BJJ Class

2010-02-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

BJJ with Black Belt Logan Lidemark
Gracie Barra Vancouver

7PM Advanced Class
Not too much technique, did the usual jumping jacks, squats and pushup warmup. The only 'technique' today was really just a sitting up in guard drill and the Cobrinha drill

Cobrinha drill

Sparring
Lots of sparring today... pretty much the last 40 minutes was sparring

Eddie, Blue Belt got him in an omoplata and finished him, my first omoplata finish on a blue belt yay!

Gary, Black Belt ... got worked over pretty good, he got me i think twice with an anaconda collar choke, i'm pretty sure his main method of attack was collar chokes, not to mention he dominated me position wise.

Kabir, 4 stripe Blue Belt, he owned me too, he tried to hip toss me and was able to work a trip takedown, but he landed in guard, he was relentless chaining attacks on me, im pretty sure i tapped to a triangle, armbar and probably a collar choke somewhere in there

Adi, 2 stripe Blue Belt, got worked over again, he took me down and got into north south pretty easily, he tried to go with arm triangles from top. He even pulled off the BJ Penn dope mount (i could feel him going for it... which made it even worse b/c i couldn't figure out a counter. His top game is solid, i could tell as i watched him rolling later on with Logan

Female, Blue Belt, don't know here name but she's always in our class. She got me quick with a collar choke... really need to learn to protect the neck. I don't know if i was going too easy? or maybe she is just better than me. Worked on armbars from guard , almost had her like 3 times, even dropping her to her back by sweeping the leg, but didn't fully finish her.

Pretty much was gassed/done for the evening after 25 min of straight rolling, watched the last round on the sidelines.

Some things that i think that i need to work on after tonight's class,

overall standup game: takedowns + takedown defense
defending the neck/ collar attacks
half guard sweeps ... much harder on blue belts than on white belts... but that comes with mat time

BJJ

2010-02-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

BJJ Class with Black Belt Logan Lidemark
Gracie Barra Vancouver

11AM Intermediate Class

Takedowns, O Sato Gari and variation, same as last class

Half Guard, pass that we worked on earlier in the week
Defeating the half guard when opponent has the deep underhook ... collar attack similar to a Brabo/D'arce choke but using their collar.

Sparring
Did pretty good today up until i popped my ankle, was top mount on a blue belt (forgot his name) he tried to bump me off and my left ankle was still underneath him when his whole weight crashed down on me

BJJ Class

2010-02-09T22:39:00.000-08:00

BJJ Class with Black Belt Logan Lidemark
Gracie Barra Vancouver

7PM Intermediate Class

A mix of white belts and i think two other blue belts today.

Takedowns
O Sato Gari Finally figured out what the name of this takedown is

O Sato Gari Variation
Bait by kicking at their lead leg (say their left leg), they step back, than O Sato Gari the right leg that is now the new lead leg

Half Guard Attack
Arm Triangle from Top
Opponent tries to do the 'jaws of life' or crossface you, trap their arm with your head. Then do a knee slide pass to the far side, finish

Not the best video, but very similar, except you start in top halfguard

Half Guard Passes
Brabo Grip with Lapel

Control the far side by securing the Brabo control with their lapel (will act as an underhook)
Sit back on your side and work the knee block half guard pass
Push on their pants by the knee and pull leg, may need to push/pull a few times
the knee block will make it hard for them to climb the legs
once your leg is free, drive their leg down and drop into side control

If opponent is up on their elbow and they have the underhook

Switch hips and fall back, control their shoulder so that they don't try to sit up with you and sweep
Escape you hips a bit to make some space for you to move
Work the same push-pull technique by controlling their leg/pant
Not the best description need some video on this

Came across some nice half guard passes online,

BJ Penn's Dope mount Pass... i think i do something similar to this at times

Jeff Joslin Breaks down BJ Penn's game

BJJ Class

2010-02-08T01:27:00.000-08:00

BJJ Class with Black Belt Rodrigo

Deep Half Guard concepts

MMA Class

2010-02-03T23:01:00.000-08:00

Intermediate/Advanced MMA Class
with BJJ Black Belt Rodrigo

Thought i was showing up to an int/advanced no gi class, turns out it was mma.

Worked on a few drills
Sprawling with the small bouncy ball
Focus mitts and kneeing
Takedowns/Defense against the wall ('cage')
Ground and Pount ... opponent is turtled, work body to open up the head
Ground and Pound ... side control, top mount, back and forth

doing the takedown drills was a bit rough, especially with the second partner i had. He was able to take me down pretty easy, but i couldn't take him down at all. Need to work on moving my butt a bit further back apparently on my sprawl. Got some nice bruises on my feet from trying to do some trips (foot banging on the guy's heel bones).

the sprawling drill was fun, and probably something i can do help with my reaction times

the focus mitts/kneeing drill was pretty tiring, need some (mma) gloves, hard to hit pads bareknuckle style

ground and pound was fun, got to work a bit more on hitting the body. Using my bjj to control the body was nice.

Running

2010-02-02T23:08:00.000-08:00

Treadmill Run @ The Rise Gym

4.99km 35:04 7'01"/km 434cal as per nikeplus

BJJ Class

2010-02-01T23:51:00.000-08:00

BJJ with Black Belt Rodrigo
Gracie Barra Vancouver

7PM Advanced BJJ Class

Decided it was time to try the non-beginners class. It was all blue belts, some purples, brown and a black belt. Time to play with the big boys.

Omoplata from side control

Working from side control, you work their near side arm to under your north side leg (over your calf, under your butt)
Use your south side hand and pull on this trapped arm to secure it
Roll inside and towards their legs
You will end up in an omoplata position

if Opponent rolls forward, you use their far side skirt and wrap their near side arm (which is trapped in your omoplata).. this will cause a shoulder lock, not quite sure how to explain this maneuver, but ill try to practice it a few times to get the motion down

Sparring
Rolled with Victor? he is a newer blue belt (i think), he tried to judo toss me, but i was able to turn it into a leg trip and take him down, was able to control him positional wise but did not get the submission. Rolled with another blue belt, don't know his name, East Indian fella who's of the lanky build, he basically got the take down and we ended up with him in my guard, he passed with nice, tight pressure and i think he got mount and i was able to reverse. I'm pretty sure he ended up triangling me, but i forgot how it happened. At the end of that roll, i felt good b/c it was a good wake up call to work on my game. Been rolling with white belts too long i think.

Conditioning

2010-01-31T19:18:00.001-08:00

Fitness World - City Square

Started with a 18 minute run (the treadmill i was on had a 18minute limit).... i somehow forgot to stop the timer on my nike plus sportband, but here's the data after taking off the part where i was walking around the gym after

2.75km in 18:00 .... pace would be 6'30" (calculated off the data)

Did some light weights after, curls and overhead presses w/ dumbells, lat pull downs, dumbell rowing

finished off the workout with a 30 minute run

4.8km 30:03 at a pace of 6'15" per km and 417 cal as per nike plus data

Yoga

2010-01-30T19:07:00.000-08:00

Hot Yoga Class
@ West Coast Hot Yoga - Yaletown

- 1hr class w/ Dean and Ron

BJJ Class

2010-01-30T12:08:00.000-08:00

BJJ with Purple Belt Evan Durand
Gracie Barra Vancouver

10 am Fundamentals Class

Guard Passing
worked on the same 'basic' or 'low' guard pass we've been doing the pass few weeks (i guess its time to move from 'fundamentals' class and into 'intermediate' or 'advanced' classes so i can learn some new moves.

Sparring
They seperated the class into the 180lb and under and the 180lb and over groups. I fell into the 180lb+ group but was definitely the smallest guy in the group (but also the only blue belt).
Rolled with the Asian guy that i was partnered with in no gi on Wednesday (i think his name is Eddie)... good roll, he was a bit too strong for me, but we traded positions alot. I had to turtle at one point as i couldn't take him down (he had a good sprawl).... he tried to roll me and take my back but i immediately got my hips out of the way to clear one hook and we stayed in this sort of halfguard position where he was half on my back with one hook but was trying to RNC... i defended and time ran out. This other bigger guy, forgot his name, i worked pretty good from the bottom getting him with a nice omoplata sweep, he tried to posture/stand up, and i sent him crashing down and took side mount on him.... i love that sweep.

In house tourney
Every Saturday GBV will be running an in-house tournament. Basically it is sparring sessions set up tournament style with points and time keeping. Me and Dean watched to see how they go. Seems like a good way to get some practice in. Will consider doing a few of these every now and then to keep me sharp.

BJJ Class

2010-01-28T23:26:00.000-08:00

BJJ with Black Belt Gary Herman
@ Martial Arts Training Center - Coquitlam

Armbar from bottom guard

2 on 1
cross armbar
pendulum armbar

Turtle Attacks

Armbar from top
One Hook and Roll to Lapel Choke

Drilling
Gary had us string the above 5 techniques together... with other bits added in

take down (same one from Tuesday's class)
move to knee on bellly
side control
top mount, opponent does Upa sweep, you land in full guard
work for the 3 armbars, 2 on 1, swinging, and pendulum
opponent escapes and scrambles to turtle... important to keep 'track' of your opponent when drilling, to simulate a real situation
turtle attack one, to armbar, scramble again
turtle attack #2, to back attack, rear lapel choke, scramble again
turtle attack #3 (from north/south), arm in guillotine (which we learned at Royler Gracie seminar), scramble
Back and stand in base
Training partner does the above, rinse, lather, repeat

BJj Class

2010-01-27T22:14:00.000-08:00

Bjj with Blue Belt Kabir Bath
Gracie Barra Vancouver

8PM Fundamental No Gi Class

Guard Opening
Basic Guard pass
Double Underhook Guard pass

Have to work on guard opening, a bit tough with some of the longer legged fellows. I usually do a standing guard break, will have to research some options online.

BJJ Class

2010-01-26T23:46:00.000-08:00

BJJ with Black Belt Gary Herman
Martial Arts Training Center - Coquitlam

Ankle Pick Take Down to Knee on Belly Transition to Armbar from top mount
some key things, trap the elbow from the beginning and track it as you are moving, so that you can engage the lock easier when you have position. You don't need to search for the elbow... I have to work on tracking, i found myself securing the position, but not finding the right spot on the elbow to finish
Inverted Armbar from Cross side escape
Same concept as the armbar from mount except when you are escaping side mount, you can work an inverted armbar
Open Half Guard sweep
in open half guard, assume you are on your right hip for this one..

do a sleeve drag, with your right hand, pull his right arm across his body and down to the right of your head
keeping his sleeve/arm pinned, get up on your right elbow and reach for his far (his left) hip
Simultaneously pull on his hip/belt/lat and at the same time drive yourself into him more
Now sit back at a 45 degree-ish angle, with your left arm, pull him into you at the waist, with your right arm you can drive his arm (remember you are controlling it) further across his body to break his post down further, at the same time, with your right foot, hook and lift his far (left) leg, bringing him up and over
Remember to release your left arm as you take him to his back or it will get stuck under him
Most likely he will land sideways facing away from you... remember you are still controlling his right arm/sleeve with your right hand
Sneak your left hand around his neck (feed the collar to it with your right jand) and you can now finish with a lapel choke by taking your right hand and trapping it behind his neck

Sparring

Rolled with Gary today. He pretty much subbed me 10 times (maybe more lol)... and his transitions were smooth. He got me easily as i did my single leg underhook pass.. i guess i had my arm flared out when stuffing the leg (got kimura'd easily). Other thing i need to work on was to defend the neck especially when they have one hand deep in the collar already (must focus to prevent the second hand from getting in)

BJJ Class

2010-01-25T23:33:00.000-08:00

BJJ with Purple Belt Evan Durand
Gracie Barra Vancouver

Arm Drag to sitting take down (not sure what the real term for this is)
Low Guard Pass we learned a few weeks back
Low Guard Pass if opponent tries to triangle, basically shrug their leg and pass

Shark Tank
Able to work my omoplata sweeps off of armbar setups and failed pendulum sweeps. I pretty much go for a pendulum and it opens up the omoplata. I did real well in scrambles, one guy almost passed i quickly turned it into a single leg trip to side mount. The last guy we did a 5 minute roll, got mount a few times, and armbarred him twice with my omoplata/triangle setup. From top mount, he bucked me off once, but i easily turned it to an inverted armbar.

Yoga

2010-01-24T21:32:00.000-08:00

Hot Yoga Class at Bikram's Hot Yoga - Surrey/Guildford

tried to do toe stand and failed.
camel pose got me dizzy today, maybe i wasn't hydrated enough

Running

2010-01-23T18:40:00.000-08:00

Fitness World - Langley

Treadmill run. Ran x 14minutes with rest x 1minute x 2 cycles... finished the '3rd' round with a 10 minute run. Felt really good today, was about 3 hours after my last meal, so I wasn't as bloated/sluggish today.

6.17 km , 40:30, 536cal as per Nike Plus

Running

2010-01-21T23:44:00.000-08:00

@The Rise Gym

Treadmill Runn
5.03 36:14 @7'12" /km pace, 437cal as per nike plus

Running

2010-01-20T23:37:00.000-08:00

@ The Rise Gym

Treadmill Run
2.33 km 17:10 @ 7'20" /km pace, 203cal as per Nike Plus

Felt sluggish/bloated today during the run, probably due to the large meal i had about an hour prior
Rowing
did a 1000m row on the C2 rower in between (i think it took me about 10 minutes to row this far)
Treadmill Run
1.29 km 10:01 @7'44" / km pace, 112cal as per Nike Plus