Grappling X, San Diego

Had three fights this weekend at Grappling X.  Only 3 in my division (Blue, 181-200lbs, 30+) and it's a double elimination tournament.  Lost my first fight miserably.  I attempted to pull open guard and botched it.  Fought hard to get half guard only to have him smash and flatten me out.  He passed and before long it was knee on belly, back, who knows what else, before he finished with an arm bar.  Miserable showing.

Contemplating the beat down aka match #1.

My second fight started off just as badly.  I botched a drop seoi nage.  Horrible timing and execution.  The guy took my back almost immediately.  Hooks and started sinking bow and arrow grips.  I thought I was done.  But fortunately Saulo's Jiu Jitsu University White/Blue survival/escape techniques kicked in.  Stabilized, scooped, escaped.  I don't recall all the details or sequence, but I know at some point in the fight I took him down, swept him, passed his guard, and took his back before time ran out.

The final round was a re-match with the guy who destroyed me the first time.  Surprisingly I came out confident and had a nice foot sweep take down attempt.  He fell, but scrambled and I didn't get the take down points.  Again, I don't recall all the details, but I know at some point he tossed me hard.  Judo throw.  Almost knocked the wind out of me and he was in side mount.  He progressed to knee on belly and I escaped via underhook to belly down to turtle.  He spun around to back and I rolled out to recover open guard.  I left my right arm exposed while trying to create space to set the spider in bicep with my left hand/foot.  Before I could sink the grip he pounced and caught the arm bar.  Silly mistake.

I signed up for the Open division, but no one else 30+ signed up.  So they put me in with the Adult Open.  Cool.  A fight's a fight, right?  Only problem was that my opponent backed out as we were about to step on the mat.   Another UNIJJ teammate won his semi match and the loser of that bracket didn't want to fight again so that allowed UNIJJ to close the Open division: Gold through Bronze.  Gold had to win two matches.  Silver won one match.  Bronze (me) didn't fight at all but just happened to be there when two others bowed out.  Pleased to close out the division for my team, but lame that both my potential opponents bowed out.

Lessons learned?  Same as last weekend.  My "training" game has little to no resemblance to my "competition" game.  I'm not nearly aggressive enough.  I'm too lazy or scared or both to attempt to implement fundamental techniques when I know they are there for me to take.  I don't use my hips and core enough leaving my competition game much more rigid compared to my training game, which is generally far more fluid.

Example of my lazy technique.  Had I reached under the arm to cup the bicep instead of over and behind I would have had more leverage to drag the arm.  Had I extended my right leg and hips, I could have made the arm drag a little easier and improved my angle for a triangle.  Instead he stacked and I had to scramble to recover guard.  Boo.