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Jiu-jitsu Month 13

(2022-07-29 10:48:23) 下一個

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.

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7grizzly 回複 悄悄話 The last class of the month, I was given the nickname 'The Great Wall of China' hinting at my defense game. I could live with that ;-)
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