Post Comp Monday

Last night was the first session after the comp in Launceston and was also the last Monday night before our brief Christmas closure.

Firstly for those who haven't seen it yet check out our new website www.bjjtasmania.com

We had some success in the comp with our entrants getting a first, 2 seconds and a third place respectively. There are some pics ont he website, but I'll get some up here ASAP as well. As with all comps though the onus is on identifying areas that need work, so both the beginners class and the intermediate class covered techniques that I identified as important from the comp.

Firstly the beginners class, we spent the full hour of this going through the top control drill in detail as a point that was evident from the comp was that we need to spend more time on effective top control and also effective transitions.

Just as a reminder or for those who don't know the Top Control Drill is in the first stripe syllabus and is the drill involving through 360 degrees from mount, to side control, to front control, to stripe control and back to mount. There are important points for each position and transition, but I'll try to be concise on this blog rather than hugely detailed.

Firstly, in the mount remember to keep your knees and feet tight to your partners body and keep your arms wide so they are a good post in either direction. When transitioning to side control lift your foot but keep your knee on the ground pass it across the stomach low and tight to avoid the opponent getting a hook in.

Important point for side control, in short base side control, always keep your knees wide and bum low. I can't emphasise that enough so I'll say it again, always keep your knees wide and bum low. Your chest should be on your opponents chest, not down towards the stomach and you should have pressure into the chest from your side not from the far side as this is unstable and you'll find yourself rolled over. When you transition to front control, change to long base and then change your base towards the head. When you do this make sure that leg you haven't moved is "loaded" by this I mean your foot is flat and you knee is aiming at the ceiling so you can launch off it if necessary. "Swat the fly" and move to front control.

Control for front control is essentially the same as side control, except both arms should be under your opponents arms gripping either the body or the belt. When in this position ask yourself "Am I too far forward?" you need to be prepared to back up a fraction to secure your control. To transition change your base as per the previous movement, but ensure that you move past the opponents head. reach your arm down to hold the gi pants on the near side and move to side control.

Transition to mount be changing base and swatting the fly as previously mentioned. It is important not to follow your leg over to the mount until you are settled otherwise you'll have no control and will get rolled over straight away.

Right, now onto the Intermediate class.

The first thing we touched on was the arm bar from mount as there were a few things that needed to be tidied up. The main points were; Slide you knee up high to trap the shoulder and separate the arm from the body, when stepping your leg over the opponents head make sure you lean forward, so that you don't fall away from the shoulder and make a space to escape. As with all arm bars, squeeze your knees together, get a pistol grip, hold the pinky to your chest and lean with the arm held tight to your chest.

After this we looked at the sprawl drill and added three scenarios to it.

The first 4 we have all done before, they are; the switch out, the Low single, the high single and the double leg.

I will put some detail into the 3 scenarios that we added.

Scenario 1: From head to head, opponent has an arm across your neck like a guillotine. cup outside of arm and face into the biceps, change your base to that opposite side leg goes right down next to the opponents leg, simultaneously pull your head out backwards out of the grip. You should now be laying in the same direction as your partner, over wrap the nearest arm and drag it past your body, reach over their back and move to side back.

Scenario 2: This is the setup for this and the next scenario. Your opponent is circling to side back from head to head, as they spin around throw your near side arm back behind you so that you can get an underhook. Give a little pull if the opponent brings both knees close, grab the outside knee and the opponents foot and do a double leg, circling to the opponents back to get side control.

Scenario 3: As above, when you pull if the opponent keeps there far leg extended do a roll under the opponent, projecting our outside arm and head between the opponents legs, rolling all the way over to side control. It is important to roll all the way over in this technique as the momentum is required to carry the person over you.

Hopefully see everyone and wednesday and then Thursday for the last class of 2006!

Keep on rolling!

Gerry