2009-01-24 Saturday AM BJJ Class

Cassio Werneck BJ - Sacramento CA - Dan

Good sized class today. A lot of people in attendance, even with Cassio and Hilza still gone on vacation.

Dan showed the same series that he covered on Wednesday. Three submissions from side control using the gi bottom to trap the opponents far side arm.

From side control with a deep cross face your opponent has their far hand up and in your neck trying to make space. Get the cross face deep enough that you grip the far shoulder. Now you pull the opponents far side lapel out of their belt. Now instead of wrapping the lapel bottom up behind their arm and shoulder you take it up and over their far side arm, aiming for the spot half way between the elbow and the wrist and pass the lapel end to your other hand. Now their far arm is pinned pretty tight to their body. Suks for them. Now it's just a matter of reaching in with the available hand and grabbing that lapel in a baseball grip. Go knee on stomach at the same time. To finish the choke be sure that you are NOT pulling the arm up that is behind their head, instead drop the sholder that is away from their head towards their stomach and try to connect your elbows. basically a baseball choke.

Second step is just funny mean. to get the previous technique you need to thread your far side are under their chin to get the baseball grip. Well, one way for they to prevent you from doing that very thing is to make a fist with the pinned arm and cram it up against their own neck, effectively barring you from getting the grip you need. Well don't give up that grip just yet. With their arm pinned and their fist place against their own throat you just reach up with the far arm and grab their elbow. Then apply pressure inline with their arm and fist, effectivly pressing their fist right into their carotid artery. Make sure you don't start telling them to "stop punching themselves" that just wouldn't be nice...

The last version is the response to them getting their arm out. Your still in side control and now your holding their lapel bottom with the hand behind their head. There should be a loop of lapel where their arm used to be. Keep holding that loop, and take your other hand and slide it into it, your hand should be pointing towards their head, not away from it. Keep sliding your hand up until the blade of your hand is conveniently resting against their carotid artery. Now scissor your arms together and you'll have one tapping partner.

Rolled 3, 6 or 7 min rounds
Rest - Ceasar - Damien - Rest - Brennan

Rolling felt ok today. Caught Ceasar for the first time. Tried working from my closed guard as usual. I was not having much luck sweeping or attacking. We ended up back to neutral. I tried passing and he turtled up. I scrambled to his back and managed to sink a grip on his far side collar. I only had one hook in and thought he might get out. After that he proceeded to smash my guard and move from kimura to armbar. Good technical submissions. I was pretty stuck. Later he passed me again and got me in side control. I have never had pressure from side control like that before. I now know why it was called 100 kilo position. I was getting a little panicky. Much suckage.

Rolling with Damien was good. He's been gone a long time it's great to see him back in. He fought off a tringle I had sunk pretty deep. I'm still not ver comfortable with that, I always feel like the guy can just pull out.

I havn't rolled with Brennan in months. I had to be much more careful. He removed the uber easy holes. And with him being so frikin huge I make a mistake and I'm stacked on my head. Always fun.