Mild knee injury.  Seems to be an mcl sprain/tear.  Hopefully I’m good by next Tuesday (!?#%4^%$wtf!)

No Warm-up

Technique: Countering the escape from kesa-gatame with a whizzer.  Brabo choke from here.  

Takedown practice.

Roll: 4 x 5min.

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Good roll with bigger guy - stayed in good position and kept good posture. Got choked twice — once from guard and once from my back. 

Had a good roll with the guest brown belt in our class.  It was incredible how easily and effortlessly he controlled my body.  I started in guard, but he defended everything — I could not grab his collar before he opened my guard.  He tapped me out three times with ease.

His advice:  

• I should concentrate on winning the fight for position from the very beginning! 
• Don’t let opponent get his posture or hands ready to break my guard — block, defend and get his collar first.
• If I open my guard, I have to keep my feet in a safe position (ie on his hips).  Do not be lazy and let my feet drop to the mat — a good opponent will pass.

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From my own observation:

• He was able to pin my arm across my face using only his head (from half-guard and side control).  This eliminated my ability to defend or regain guard and was SO frustrating!  I’ll have to watch my arms, keep my elbows in at all times.
• He was a strong guy.  However, it was great to see how relaxed he stayed, and how little effort (muscle) he used to dominate and submit me!  
• Again, his ability to use his whole body, not jsut his hands, was incredible and a real key to keeping control.  How often am I using my head to pin my opponent? (never)  How often do I use my extra leg to pin an arm or leg? (not enough)

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Good class.

Warm-up

Technique

• Judo : a simple inside foot sweep while retreating; enter and inside leg-wrap when uke defends foot sweep.
• Butterfly guard: basic sweep; straight arm-lock series.

Roll: 4 x 5 min

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Judo is HARD. I’m thinking of enrolling for a few months at a judo dojo b/c my shit stinks. I think that would have to help?!

Very frustrating rolls. I rolled with some newer guys, and though I controlled the position, I could not submit them. I’m trying some newer submissions, and they’re just not working at 100% yet.

I did well surviving against some bigger guys. If someone is much larger than me, I can get stuck in their closed guard — they just squeeze their legs and break my posture. I’ve got to find a creative way to get out!

So far, I am improving lots. I feel like my bjj practice is full of a lot of “I did that once”. Cool things happen once in a while, but they’re not easily repeatable. “I had an awesome sweep against that guy”, or “I had a cool choke against that guy”. How can I consistently create the opportunities that make these good things possible?

Warm up

Technique:

Judo - harai goshi (I think?) — practice entering and loading, and finally throwing.  

Kesa gatame escapes (3) : sliding hips out, sliding head out, chasing opponent’s back.

Kesa gatame brabo choke; brabo choke escape.

Roll: king of the mountain (15 minutes); 2 x 5 min.

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I am really starting to like judo training — still have a long way to go!

Had a couple of good rolls, and I’m doing better against some of the better students in the class.  I’m keeping my knees in to block guard passes — the trick of never letting your knees come together works. Learning how to survive, escape, and sweep or pass.  Still getting exhausted = need to relax.  

1) still using too much arm strength when I roll — I’d like to try some no hands guard work drills

2) I am almost completely devoted to working on my closed guard for now.  Just the basics — hip movement and controlling opponent’s posture.

Warm up

Technique: single leg takedown defense; side control escape; kesa gatame - survival and escape

Roll: 4 x 5 min

good roll. I tried some closed guard stuff from my JJU book: swinging leg way out in triangle; flower sweep improvements; sleeve choke.

Didn’t do so well v. bigger guys. Have to work on paying attention to opportunities, and moving quickly.