Choose Strong
For Tim.
In Jiu-Jitsu, a position, an escape, or an attack, is an endless progression.
It never fails in drills (with a cooperating partner), is likely to work against
a physically weaker or less skilled opponent, and is unlikely to work on a more
experienced or big and strong guy. By fighting a variety of opponents, the
student absorbs the details and his art grows effective over time. This idea has
started to make sense and manifested in all I have done.
This month I went to the gym four times per week, three with Tim and one by
myself. In class, we drilled takedowns and follow-ups with coach Pablo. I made
headway in the turtle position, the open guard, and the triangle choke defense.
When someone passes my guard, on the right side, e.g., his goal is to close in
to flatten me out by pinning his chest down on mine. To face him, I would turn
on my side to the right. As he is not controlling my lower body, I could easily
switch my hips to a belly-down position with my head toward him and then get on
my knees. If I am facing away from him when he passes, his pressure on my back
would help me, curling up into a ball, to easily roll into turtle. Once in
turtle and underneath, I can drive in for a double-leg takedown, or if he
sprawls on me, fall back at an angle to flip him or more likely to put him in
guard. He again has to pass my open guard and we are back to square one.
I played this sequence so much that Tim was getting frustrated sparring with me
as he had much less chance to mount or even control from cross-side, let alone
to submit. He had to find a solution.
I had not been choked with a triangle for a long time until a rangy doctor did
it on a Saturday. I was mad with myself and determined to sharpen my defense. So
I revisited Henry's videos and in training let my partners catch me. I was able
to break the choke from guys my size or slightly bigger but not from the more
experienced and long-legged opponents. Jon the brown belt, over six feet tall,
told me when I stacked him that he was comfortable at that position and could
start squeezing my neck anytime. Henry's a big guy and his instructions are
specific to his body type, I should keep in mind.
Tim and I agreed that we had to fight bigger guys. We could not lose, he said. A
draw or even survival would be a win and at the end of the five-min round, we
would walk away with a fuzzy cuddly warmth which lasts the rest of the day.
Overall, I am very pleased with what I have learnt and been able to do. The
transitory turtle, including its setup, timing, and follow-ups*, has become part
of me and can only get better with practice. Even big guys are having a hard
time trying to pin me down. It helps that the body has been mending and there
have been no new injuries in July. Hallelujah!
* The follow-up depends on the situation. I do not have to start anything but
countering the opponent's attacks. In the case where he grabs my head for a
Guilotine, e.g., I will try a Von Flue choke. My opponent, usually a white
belt, thinks he has got it even when I am not in his guard and wouldn't let go
his forearm under my chin. That is when I trap his arm by wrapping my arms
around his neck and upper back, get on my toes, and start squeezing with my
shoulder. So far, I have done this on Nikolai, Liam, Tim, and even Tim C. My
investment in Henry's videos has been paying all the time.
