12:05-12:15p: Warm-up / standard drills / stretches.
12:15-12:35p: Technique. Professor Leo taught a sweep from closed guard when opponent stands up. Only one of the Blue Belts in class had seen the sweep before. When opponent stands up, cross grip sleeve, underhook a leg, and shoot hips up and into lower thigh / upper knee while pulling the sleeve across the body and pulling the hooked ankle. Momentum should bring you into mount. Good stuff, but how often someone really going to leave the leg out there like that? One of those situational moves and hopefully it will come to mind when someone makes a mistake.
12:35-12:50p: More technique. Standing guard breaks. Good pistol grip on the lapel with arm tucked in for arm bar defense and fist into sternum. If opponent cross grips, grab the cuff of the cross grip, Post knee on side where opponent's cross grip is held, then push into face and step up with exposed leg back a bit to avoid the underhook. Push chest into ground/face and move hands down to hips/legs. One forceful push down of hands and a slight step back to complete break. Pretty forceful "technique" but it will definitely work.
12:50-1p: Sweep/pass the guard drills using the techniques of the day. 1.5 minutes each and switch top-bottom. Full speed. Seemed easy to implement the standing guard break. It's not fair really. The technique seems designed to avoid the standing guard sweeps. Don't give the opponent a leg to hook and it would pretty darned difficult to stop the break. As suspected, had quite a bit of trouble implementing the sweep when it was my turn on bottom.
1-1:30p: Rolls. Knee felt very good so I was going for it. 6 minute rolls. Professor Leo called 5 rolls. First roll with my technique drilling partner, Armando - White Belt about my size or maybe slightly heavier. Not sure how long he's been training. Armando pulled guard and I passed almost immediately by maintaining open guard and then knee over thigh from combat base. Established side control and sunk in cross face (deep). Stepped over and leaned to finish the choke. First time I got the tap from that technique. Difference between this time and past failures was the deep cross face and gi grip. Also made sure the backside of my ankle was firm against the other side of his neck, across artery. The rest of the roll was a mixed bag. Continued to pass guard and establish side control, but he managed to sweep me via roll three separate times. My weight distribution on his chest was clearly amiss. Armando transitioned from side control to a wicked knee on belly at one point, applying more pressure than I'd ever felt. His next move to arm bar wasn't well attempted an arm bar from knee on belly. Fortunately for me his arm bar from knee on belly was executed poorly and I had an easy escape and reversal. First roll in almost two weeks...not bad.
Second roll with Brian (Blue Belt). Got worked. The triangle and cross choke (from sit up) were solid enough, but guard passing was his forte today. Passed at will and in ways that are too embarrassing to recount (j/k...descriptions aren't necessary). Really need to work on pulling guard and open guard - or at least bailing to turtle if all else fails. Only earned the right to half pat myself on the back once. Seated mount escape to half guard and then executed deep half guard escape. Deep half escape worked, but could have been cleaner. I ended up getting stuck with broken posture in his guard as he locked his legs over my back in a pseudo-triangle set-up. Time ran out before I could deal with that mess. But...I was safe from the triangle and better to be there than mounted.
Got Ryan (White Belt) for my third roll. Ryan is about 50lbs lighter than me. After only 6mos training, he recently won his first tournament. He pulled guard, which surprised me a bit. He's usually more aggressive than that. I managed to stack a leg and pass fairly easily using a technique Mike (Purple Belt) taught a couple weeks back. At one point got his back using technique Xande taught us a couple weeks back. Sunk in the hooks and began hand fighting for the neck. Switched from hooks to body lock (not sure why...), but lost my lock behind knee. Ryan recognized the opportunity for the foot lock and went for it. He expended quite a bit of energy, but I wasn't feeling much pressure. I need to be more careful though 'cause a bigger guy could apply some serious pressure and likely win the tap. I continued for the neck. Got a gi lapel and reached for the bow and arrow. Couldn't get lapel under his chin so it started cranking his neck. I released and reset the hooks. Got a deeper lapel hold and, rather than bow and arrow, applied an Ezekiel variation to finish. Later in the roll I missed an opportunity from knee on belly to execute one of the chokes taught yesterday. Had to think through it too much...and by the time I remembered all the steps, I had lost my position advantage. Can't wait till this stuff is ingrained in my muscle memory.
Professor Leo halted the rolls. Not sure why, but fine by me. Instead we lined up and the ranking Blue Belt took the center of the mat. The next Blue Belt got in his closed guard. 1.5 minute sweep / pass the guard drills. Pass, submission, or advantage stops the drill and the winner stays. Ryan swept a Blue Belt using the technique of the day (Bravo for him!) and lasted a few more rounds before getting ousted by another Blue Belt. I got worked over by the Blue Belt who swept Ryan. He made it seem so easy...
1:30-1:35p: Stretched and said good-byes. Knee feels a bit tight, but given what I put it through today after a couple weeks of taking it easy, I'm very pleased. Will post an overview of my summer at UNIJJ later...Saints game on tonight!
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