Wednesday

Happiness is being high on the food chain.


Class schedule changes. Thursday "study hall" has gone adios, as has the Friday Old Farts' class. Sigh. They are adding a few more no-gi classes, but you have to wear a GB rash guard to these- which I do not have, and I resent being forced to purchase.  Grrr.

Wednesday lunchtime BJJ, Gracie Seattle. Rolled with Vince to warm up. Drilled with Sabrina- it was nice to get a chance to work with her.

You are on the ground, standing Bad Guy On the Street passes your guard and takes KOB, rape-choking you with the near hand while punching at your face with the other. You push the choking hand to the outside while rolling to the outside- yeah, this is turning your back to hir, but better to be punched in the back than in the face. Roll your body back toward the Bad Guy, Hip up and get your feet on hir hips, push away. Sit up with one knee up. Brace that foot on the floor while straight-leg push kicking Bad Guy's knee with your matward leg. Scoot forward and kick hir again. Tactical lift.

I always try to kick with the top leg. I think this is a my-legs-are-so-damn-short mindset (Sabrina did it too)... I'm thinking I can get a titch extra reach using the top leg, and my personal goal always trends toward kicking someone in the head, belly or groin rather than the knee. As Carlos points out, however, using the bottom leg to kick means that you can keep that knee-and-elbow shield up to guard your opposite side. You are also more mobile his way- once you catch on to the body mechanics. I still need to work with this more.

You are in turtle, with opponent hanging off your side and hugging you with two lapel grips. Use your near hand to grab hir pants at the far knee, while straightening your near leg behind hir (it is now diagonal, foot on floor). Post up on your free hand, crutch out to the front a bit (if you need to- we stubby-legged flexible foxes don't really need the extra room), sit out, grab closed guard. The detail that made an amazing difference: that arm that you use to grab the pantleg, pull your elbow in to your ribs. It puts the opponent off balance and restricts some of hir movement. Also, if you get lazy and leave that elbow flared, that opens up some unpleasant possibilities for your foe to change hir grip and mess you up.

You are sitting back mounted, opponent is hugging you sash-style with one arm over your shoulder and the other under your arm. You grab hir arm on the side where it's against your neck, and pull down to defend the choke. Lie back and bridge. (detail note: if you get up high on hir body here, it's harder for hir to choke you). Go to the side that *ISN'T* the "pillow side". Push the matward hook out with your hand. Swing your feet and butt out. Opponent grabs half guard. You turn in to hir, get your arm around hir neck and under hir head, and try to get some weight on hir as opposed to lying on the mat beside hir (Shoulder Of Justice is possible if you squirm with alacrity). Grab hir pants at the far knee. Push that leg away. Use your free leg to pry hir half guard off. Get side control.

The challenge here for me (Sabrina too) was trying to keep my weight on the person while compromising my balance by using that second leg to pry. After many failed attempts, I was able to do it, but only by being pretty rough grinding into Sabrina's neck and putting too much weight on her. I did not try that again, because I have about 20lb on her and she was making a few involuntary little sounds of pain. I need to refine that on a bigger drill partner.

Many drill reps. Techniques 2 and 3, I was able to work both sides. #1, I only tried the stupid side once. I was still too clumsy to be ambidextrous with that one.

One roll with Bryan. I was pretty tired. I left too many openings for him to trap an arm above my head.