Starting to feel like I'm getting the hang of things a bit better, switching hips, moving position and developing a bit more of a strategy. I've been working a lot more on position than anything else and I think that if I tend to focus more on that than getting a submission, it actually makes the game a lot more fun.
Anyways, a couple of things that we worked on recently include passing half guard position from the top (that is, one of your legs is trapped between their legs).
Half guard pass 1 - You get the underhook
Seek the opposite underhook and post your head on the other side of their head so you have a stronger base. Work your trapped foot up towards their butt so your hips are raised (like a tripod) and once your knee is through, switch your hips so that your knee hits the floor. Keep your hips low and close to theirs and transition through to side control. Keeping your hips low is really good at stopping them from inserting their knee back in to regain the half guard or the guard. Keeping the hips close to them as well is much more effective than trying to keep your knee near their hips.
Half guard pass 2 - You get the underhook
Similar to the above, instead of creating a tripod, set up like before, underhook and head on opposite side and step to the side with your free leg. This creates a better angle to move your knee up past their thighs and pass the half guard.
Half guard pass 3 - You can't get the underhook
If you can't get the underhook, control their head by catching it with the original underhooking arm and push your shoulder into their neck/jaw and proceed to pass the guard like the first half guard pass described.
Half guard pass 4 - They have the underhook
If they get the underhook from below, control their head like above and instead of following through like in the first guard pass, step your free leg back and over their body to the opposite side of their body. From there, keep your butt to the floor and hip escape up towards their head to shift your trapped leg higher. Keep the free leg a bit bent to make sure they can't sweep you either way. From there, you can also use your free leg to push their leg and free your trapped leg. Shift into side control.
Half guard pass 5 - Neither of you can get the underhook
If you can't get the underhook, an option is to reach down and grab their belt on their opposite side. So if your right leg is stuck, using your left hand, grab their belt on their left side with your elbow in their arm pit. Sink your weight down on your butt and work your leg free and move into side control.
Hip bump sweep
Another thing I've been really working on and getting is my hip bump sweep. I'm actually really surprised how well it works and I seem to get a lot of people with it really easily. I find that when they're breaking my guard, if I sit up and cross reach over their opposite shoulder, grab their arm or just tuck it close to my body and hip bump, I can get the sweep a majority of the time. I think I've been pretty lazy with my guard so being active and getting these sweeps is really encouraging, especially as I don't seem to be able to hit the scissor sweep too often.I need to tell myself constantly that not having them in my closed guard is fine and playing an open guard is a lot more dynamic and fun, regardless of if they pass.But definitely been hitting this sweep, at least 5 times tonight!
Breaking out of Guard
I've been finding this is starting to get easier, as long as I have proper grips on their gi, their sleeve and my elbows are in the right place. Putting my hand under their leg isn't so much of an issue, as long as my arm is controlling their other leg. Still a lot to work on here though.
Kenpo wise, I should be going for my grading on the 30th August. Need to work a lot on some of the reference techniques and come up with theories of push drag, 60 second functional fitness exercises as well as memorise the creed. So much to do!
Wednesday 15 August 2012
Thursday 9 August 2012
brief notes for myself
Too many things that have been learnt recently! Trying to remember them all, things that stand out and that I'll do a more detailed write up on later.
Standing guard trip 1. Snag leg from opponent standing in their guard, let go of the guard roll over your shoulder towards the snagged leg so you land on your knees and with the snagged leg, trip them by picking it up and leveraging at 2 points on the shin. From there, keep pressure on and move into side control. Actually managed to snag one in sparring today!
Standing guard trip 2 - drop down, leaving your legs open like a V, (hanging onto their sleeves) and bring it closed around their knees. Pull their weight forward and drop them to the side.
Standing guard trip 3 - Drop down, snag their leg with an arm underhook. Get your hip inside their knee, push up and to the side with your free hand and buckle the leg. Follow in a clockwise (or anti clockwise) to follow up for the mount control.
Standing guard trip 4 - Drop down, holding onto their lapel and sleeve. Release the lapel, pass the sleeve to the free hand and underhook their leg with the new free hand. Pass the sleeve back to the underhooking hand and release your guard and triangle your legs trapping the arm. This should result in them tripping and you ending up in a side control position (potentially mount).
Bread knife choke - from side control, move into front control. Get your arm under their armpit and towards their neck to grab the lapel, but mainly keeping their arm pinned to your body. Move back to side control with the pinned arm, reach through and grab the opposite lapel with thumb in, deep as you can get. From there, use the sharp part of your wrist to push down on their neck, whilst simultaneously raising their shoulder to get the choke. Tried this one in sparring today (no gi), was much harder to get the actual choke without the lapel, though you could theoretically get it with the hand behind their shoulder instead of grabbing the lapel.
Notes to self
Keep good posture, head up
Both hands in, or both hands out, not one in and one out...ever.
Don't let them control your wrists, or you won't be able to pass the guard.
Hopefully going for my Kenpo Orange belt at the end of the month...still a bit to learn, but there should be enough time to learn it all properly!
Standing guard trip 1. Snag leg from opponent standing in their guard, let go of the guard roll over your shoulder towards the snagged leg so you land on your knees and with the snagged leg, trip them by picking it up and leveraging at 2 points on the shin. From there, keep pressure on and move into side control. Actually managed to snag one in sparring today!
Standing guard trip 2 - drop down, leaving your legs open like a V, (hanging onto their sleeves) and bring it closed around their knees. Pull their weight forward and drop them to the side.
Standing guard trip 3 - Drop down, snag their leg with an arm underhook. Get your hip inside their knee, push up and to the side with your free hand and buckle the leg. Follow in a clockwise (or anti clockwise) to follow up for the mount control.
Standing guard trip 4 - Drop down, holding onto their lapel and sleeve. Release the lapel, pass the sleeve to the free hand and underhook their leg with the new free hand. Pass the sleeve back to the underhooking hand and release your guard and triangle your legs trapping the arm. This should result in them tripping and you ending up in a side control position (potentially mount).
Bread knife choke - from side control, move into front control. Get your arm under their armpit and towards their neck to grab the lapel, but mainly keeping their arm pinned to your body. Move back to side control with the pinned arm, reach through and grab the opposite lapel with thumb in, deep as you can get. From there, use the sharp part of your wrist to push down on their neck, whilst simultaneously raising their shoulder to get the choke. Tried this one in sparring today (no gi), was much harder to get the actual choke without the lapel, though you could theoretically get it with the hand behind their shoulder instead of grabbing the lapel.
Notes to self
Keep good posture, head up
Both hands in, or both hands out, not one in and one out...ever.
Don't let them control your wrists, or you won't be able to pass the guard.
Hopefully going for my Kenpo Orange belt at the end of the month...still a bit to learn, but there should be enough time to learn it all properly!
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