BJJ Diary - 16, Albuquerque, NM

Was down in the New Mexico last week and I got to train at the Albuquerque Gracie Barra location. I think this makes it four Gracie Barra locations I've trained at: Austin, Texas; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Flagstaff, Arizona; and now Albuquerque, New Mexico. Overall, I like the Gracie Barra schools.  A few of them throw too many techniques at us at one time, but the day I trained in ABQ we went over a single move with some variations. 

Don Ortega (3rd Degree Black Belt) taught class and went over pulling someone into the X-Guard. Lucio says that there is four kinds of take downs: Arm Takedowns, Leg Takedowns, Hip Toss (think judo throws), and Sacrifices. Sacrifices are called such because for a moment, you have to do just that, sacrifice position to take your opponent down. Pulling Guard or pulling into X-Guard, that's a sacrifice move. The problem with Sacrifice moves is that if your opponent knows/reads you're going pull a Sacrifice, s/he can counter. But then everything can be countered. Except for the Crane Technique. The cool thing about Sacrifices is that if you do them right and quick you can generate a lot of momentum and thus take them down even if they do see it coming. It's a risky move, but one of my favorite takedowns is a sacrifice, and I'm pretty successful with it. I don't do it as much anymore, you know, cause you have to push yourself to learn new things, but also because it just leaves me with my opponent in my Full Guard. I'd much rather be in Side Control or Back Mount. So, the cool thing about this X-Guard Sacrifice is that there'd both a Sweep to a Pass to Knee-On-Belly or Side Control, or a little toss right into Side Control. It's a nifty little move, but there's some foot work involved, so have to go over it a bunch to get it down such that I don't even have to think about it. 

This video is pretty close to what we went over. Don's was a little more tricky and then after this there's a sweep or a toss, but this is pretty much how it starts. 

Jiu Jitsu Diary - 12

Went down to World Team today. Lucio Muramatsu taught class. 

We did a lot of things, but what was really cool for me was his technique to get to Back Mount when your opponent is curled up in Turtle Guard. Mostly I try to plant a knee in the small of the back (got that from Jorge) or grab a leg and steam roll them into Side Control (also Jorge) or even roll them in to a Loop Choke, though I never get the Loop Choke. So close! And yet, so far.

Lucio, though, showed us this really easy variation where you, once they've turtled up into Turtle Guard and you have the Seatbelt hold, you use your shoulder to apply pressure to the head and neck and then just, bam, roll. It's super simple and once you roll, you can sink in your hooks and then go right from there into a Rear Naked Choke. Lucio's variations are so subtle and kinda idiosyncratic, I can't always find them on Youtube, or find the right search terms, but I found this video below. It's pretty much exactly on point, but this guy walks around his opponent a bit before he rolls. Lucio's works fine, but I see the wisdom of the clock walk. Might try it. Either way, this is it and it's so simple!

After that we did controlled sparring. Two guys sat in the middle while the opponents took their back and got Seatbelt and that's how the round started. Whoever won, stayed in the middle. Who would want to stay in the middle!?!?!? And yet...

Was tough. Went with Oscar, Harry, Rick, Adrian, Conrad, and Lucio. I stayed active with Conrad, but his back was a bit tender so I think he went easy. I got Oscar in a Bow-And-Arrow Choke, which is a bully move I learned from Ricky, but Harry, the new white belt, he just kept me in control the whole time! I got him in Half-Guard, but this dude stayed low, kept his hips near the mat and just worked the position until he got his leg out and took Full Mount! After that, went with Lucio and that guy just slid out, like a ninja, every time, made it look like child's play. And that's why he's a Third Degree Black-Belt. Great class!

Jiu Jitsu Diary - 7

What a day. Exhausted. Lucio Muramatsu taught today and it seemed like everybody showed up for their new years resolution. Conrad, Ricky, Mike Kazan, Chester, Oscar, Robert, Henry, and myself, as well as Lucio. We went over the Spinning Armbar from Side Control and some variations. This is more or less what it looks like:

After that we did about a half hour of rolling where one guy is on the bottom and the guy coming in calls the guard: open, closed, half, De La Riva, etc. Whoever passes guard, sweeps, or gets a submission, that guy stays in and the other guy rotates out. It was rough. Somehow I got Conrad in a Kimura and managed to get Ricky off my back and take Side Control, but I think that was more of them giving it to me than me actually getting it, and nine times out of ten, I got swept or submitted. In the end, the question really is, who they hell wants to win and stay in the middle?