Choose Strong
For Tim.
Unlike other endeavors, Jiu-jitsu gives me a visceral fear the conquering of
which in turn leaves me in peace with self and the world. When facing a bigger,
stronger, and younger opponent, I need not just strength and explosive power,
but also endurance, cunning, and will power. In other words, I have to fight
with everything I am bestowed. Each step, I am forced to think of nothing but
how to get to a better position. This way, the art transforms paralyzing fear
into step-by-step problem-solving.
Captain Mike showed me the simple and effective reversal from cross-side bottom
which he did on me in our 10-min roll: left hand over his left shoulder grabs
his belt, and with right elbow on his chest and right hand on his armpit, walk
my legs away from his hips toward his head. At a certain point (maybe after our
legs are 120 degrees apart), pull on his belt and push with my right hand and
elbow from below to reverse. I did a few reps on him and his 225lbs weight felt
like a feather.
Mar 4, Andrew and I sparred first starting from 50/50 and later a free roll. He
was easily over 200lbs and more skilled but I was less afraid than usual.
Jiu-jitsu had emboldened me. Bigger guys usually had poor cardio. I defended
well, kept moving, and was able to tire him out at the end of our five-minute match.
Mar 6, we reviewed a few kimura attacks from cross-side. The details on how to
control the opponent's arm were amazing. I loved the variation to weave the arms
around the target to apply torque on the far-side shoulder. Leon showed me how
he could reverse my osoto gari takedown if I hip in too much.
After sparring, I asked Darren about the forward-roll reversal from the turtle
bottom. This was also one way to counter the clock choke. The key to avoid
getting my back taken, he pointed out, was to bridge once I got on top to put my
bodyweight on my partner's chest and pin him down.
He showed in another version of the trap-and-roll (aka Peterson roll), after
trapping the arm, he put his head on the ground and stuck his butt up and walked
away to load the opponent before the sweep.
We then switched to half-guard bottom sweeps. Darren showed one, with or with
cross-face. Assuming my opponent's attacking from the right side, I'd have my
left hand grab his collar at back of his neck and try to duck under to grab his
pant leg below the right knee. I then do a half backward shoulder-roll with both
my legs in the air to load him on top of me. Then I'd swing the left leg down
and kick the right leg to sweep.
I can also do a butterfly sweep by grabing the pant of his left leg and try to
muscle him to my left. He'd base with his right arm and leg and I'd insert the
left hook in, punch both fists (the right hand again was grabing his collar or
his lapel if a brabble grip was set up), and sweep him to the right side.
Both Darren and Leon showed cool attacks, one strangle for the turtle, the other
a variation of the paper-cutter.
Tomorrow, I'd ask Darren about how he'd counter my half-guard top control where
I put my free leg way back and hip low to prevent sweeps or deep half-guards.
Darren got out easily when we were sparring. I need to learn that.
Mar 7, had an epic roll with Richard, the whiz-kid new bluebelt. As usual, he
attacked nonstop and all I could do was to defend and escape. I kept moving,
though, keeping him on his toes even when he was in the catbird seat. At one
time I did the Peterson roll on him and followed up with the bridge to pin him
down. His cross-side guard recovery was phenomenal, however, and I couldn't
control him. Still, I kept moving at the bottom and in the end he was getting
tired. Offense is taxing even for him. I was very happy. The way I saw it: he
won the match and I saved a life.
The third week was lost to back injury which I think was brought on by my
partner pushing down while I was trying to invert out of turtle as he had
scooted behind me. I decided from now on not to invert but try to recover guard
instead before my opponent settle.
Monday Mar 17, we learned to attack the turtle by taking the back. The start
position was exactly behind the turtle and with the seatbelt grip. I tried it on
Jose in sparring once, but I forgot to trap the near-side lower leg for the
bottom hook to get in.
Mar 18, I had a blast learning how to defend the heel-hook from figure-4 (at the
end of an imanari roll, e.g.) I already knew how to counter it but that day, we
drilled the spin and holding onto his top arm and stretch my foot from his hold.
Simple and effective. Just what I liked.
Mar 20, I learned a cool sweep from standing: first establish a pocket grip on
my opponent's right sleeve, spin him so that his right foot steps forward, my
left foot step foward to the outside, I lower my body and my right leg goes
between his legs for a reverse de la riva. From there, my left foot block his
hip, my right leg drops to level with the ground, my right arm goes up to catch
his left ankle, and I do a body stretch to flip him. I keep his right sleeve to
come forward following his momentum to take the top position.
Darren showed a few back retake techniques including the top hook, the top leg
swing to get up to the elbow, and shrimping back while holding the seatbelt to
get the hooks back in, when the opponent escaped at various stages.
Toward the end of the class, he showed Andrea his version to counter my
cross-side hold which involves his near-side arm grabbing the pant of my top
leg, his far-side arm stretching on my crown to push my head, and bridge. It
would either throw me on my back or he could get into turtle. My version of the
counter, learned from Henry, works similarly. I don't bridge but get to my side
to face my opponent and from there I get to turtle.
Mar 21, I drilled turtle attacks, the back-take, the truck (four or five attacks
from there), and the Peruvian necktie, with Justin and rolled with Eversly,
Mike, and Raam. I got to cross-side to everyone and defended Eversly's and
Mike's reversal attempts. Raam had improved but was still a bit jittery and
elbowed me on the left temple.
I was caught in Peruvian neckties a lot. Justin's version was not hard to escape
as there was a sizable gap after he dropped on his right buttcheek in order to
raise his left leg to block my roll. Others might do it differently and I
shouldn't wait till the last second. Maybe I can block his right foot and drive
to his right to flatten him.
(I need to learn Machine's trick to open up the turtle to insert a knee or hook.)
In this session, I executed the back-take well and combined it with the
re-takings Darren taught on Thursday. I've been good at entering the turtle
position but only now start to have some confidence in taking the back. It felt great.
I also decided to keep stretching to get the flexibility for a full side split.
So far, I stretch about 20-30min everyday, usually during the evening. It might
eventually help me defend the banana split from the trucking position.
Mar 25 Darren let us choose what we want to learn for saddle entry and I
proposed the imanari from standing and the turtle bottom when my opponent is at
the back with one knee inbetween my lower legs. I was so happy that I asked.
Details for the imanari:
1. Cut an angle, say to his left,
2. Step in with my right leg in between his legs closer to his right ankle,
3. Lower my body and cup the back of his left knee with my right hand,
4. My back touches the ground and I roll backward on my right shoulder, the key
here is to keep my head to the right of, or at least right in front of his left foot,
5. As I roll I raise my hips to capture his left thigh and my left hand goes to
the inside of his left knee to help me spin.
Details for the turtle leg attack, assuming his right knee is between my legs:
1. Touch my right shoulder to the ground and grab the back of his right knee with
my left hand,
2. Grab his foot or ankle with my right hand, pull it to the right,
3. I roll to my right and he has to go, and I catch his right leg in saddle.
Justin proposed the catch from half-guard bottom and Brian showed one from a
Gordon Ryan half-guard top. All very nice.
