2011 Provincial Championship

Haven't been blogging much this month due to the fact that I've been spending every free moment training for the 2011 Provincial Championship (which were yesterday).  The tournament went well and I was able to stick to my basic game plan (Secure take down with Tai Otoshi or a leg sweep, get side control, look for submission, move to scarf hold, look for submission, move to N-S, look for submission).  I made it to the finals.  My last match went something like this:
- Opponent pulls guard, I manage to stuff their leg as they're doing it so that his right leg is stuck under me, and the left leg is wrapped behind me.
- I put my head down towards the mat on the side of the left leg, push my left hand onto his right knee, and use my right hand to pin his hips to the mat.  Then I bring my right leg back (keeping hims low) and pass to side control.
- In side control we battle for a bit, and I'm trying to work his right arm up higher so that his elbow's off the mat.  I move back and forth between regular side control and scarf hold, and the whole time he is battling me for my right arm underhook.  I threatened and nearly got an arm lock on his right arm with my legs (while in scarfhold), but he saw it at the last second and managed to get free.
- Finally, he bridges and frames and I have my hips up too high . . . losing side control.  There's a bit of a scramble and I end up in his guard.
- Opponent puts on the pressure threatens a couple of sweeps.  I get distracted and too loose (elbows not tight enough).
- With less than a minute left the opponent grabs one of my arms and pops on a triangle.  I panic my mind blanks for a second and I don't posture up enough.  The triangle sinks in and I have to tap.

Ah well, going to focus on drilling a few triangle escapes until they're second nature.  I'm also going to really focus on keeping tighter (elbows in) and better posture.  Can't be unhappy with the silver though, and it was awesome that I could stick to my game plan.  Our team seemed to be doing pretty well, I saw a bunch of guys win medals in different categories . . . so that's cool.  Time to go and eat my way back to 190lbs!

Effortless Butterfly Guard Pass

Effortless Butterfly Guard Pass:
  - Start in opponent's butterfly guard.
  - Push the opponent's head under one arm.  Cup with your hand and grab under their chin.
  - Put your free hand over the opponent's underhooking arm, between their legs, and flat on the ground.
  - Step the leg nearest to your hand on the floor far back.
  - Use your hand on the mat to twist your opponent's legs away from you.
  - Establish side control.

Controlling the head

Putting other hand to floor

Stepping leg back

Twisting opponent's legs away from you

Twisting Triangle Escape, Standing Butterfly Guard Pass, Single Leg Defense

Arm through is kept tight to your body, free hand should be pulling down on the opponent's choking leg, and the walk towards the trapped arm has already begun here.

Twisting Triangle Escape:

-         Start with opponent locking in a triangle.

-         Take your free arm and grab up high (near the knees) on the pants of the opponent’s leg next to your neck.  Pull the material down to force the leg off your neck and get some breathing room.

-         Take the arm that is through the triangle bring it close to your opponent’s crotch, keeping your elbow tight (preventing an easy arm bar).  Use this hand to help your other hand pull the leg off of your neck..

-         Start to walk yourself to the side that your trapped arm is on.  At the same time, lower your head/shoulder to the ground.  (You can step over your opponent if you need more of a twist to break the hold.)

Rather than grab the lower leg as in this picture, push the lower knee away with your far hand.

Outside (Standing) Butterfly Guard Pass:

-         You are standing, opponent is in front of you in butterfly position.

-         Fake to one side, then move to the other.

-         Cross your far arm over and push his close leg back.  (You might also need to use your close arm to push his far leg back.)  At the same time, advance with your close leg and slide the knee towards your opponents body.

-         Drop onto that knee, keep head down, establish side control.

Push opponent's head away, try to under-hook his close arm, work your trapped leg to the other side of the opponent's body.

Single Leg Defense:

-         Opponent shoots and grabs a single, standing back up.

-         Work your leg out from between opponent’s legs to the outside of his body.

-         Push opponent’s head hard to the opposite side of your leg.

-         Under-hook opponent’s arm and kick your leg through to break the hold.

Controlling Opponent in Closed Guard (Breaking Posture / Arm Drag)

OK, he's in guard.  Now what?

 Breaking Opponent’s Posture in Guard:

-         Start with opponent in your guard

-         Grab both of your opponent’s lapels and pull him down

-         When you feel your opponent start to push into your hips with his hands, pull both of your knees up as close to your forehead as you can.  At the same time, pull both lapels up as high as you can.

-         Opponent should fall forward with both hands on the ground.

Yay, broken posture!

Arm Dragging Opponent in Guard:

-         Start with opponent in your guard

-         Grab both of your opponent’s lapels and pull down as a distraction

-         Slide one hand down to opponent’s wrist, put the other behind opponent’s elbow (of the same arm).

-         Pull opponent’s arm up over your head, to the opposite side (opponent’s right arm moves to your right side, etc).  It seems more natural to just pull to the side that you want, but then you end up in a tug of war that a stronger opponent will win.

-         Bring your legs up high to keep opponent’s posture broken for this movement

-         From here look for arm bar and triangle setups.

Pulling Guard to De La Riva:

De La Riva guard, rear sweep position

Pulling Guard to De La Riva:

-         Grab low on opponent’s collar with opposite side hand.  Pull collar open.  Use same side hand to secure a high collar grip.  Release low collar grip.

-         Using free hand, secure four finger grip on opponent’s sleeve near their wrist.

-         Pull opponent towards you.  Use leg on the side of the sleeve grip against the front of your opponent’s hip.

-         Use the leg on the side of the collar grip to go in between the opponent’s legs and hook up under the inside of his lead leg.  (Half spider guard.)  You should now be on your side.

-         Bring both feet to the front of your opponent’s hip.  If possible, release collar grip and use the 4 finger grip on your opponent’s other sleeve.

-         Take one leg and hook up under the outside of your opponent’s lead leg.  Use your other leg to push on your opponent’s inner thigh to spread him out.

-         Take your hooking leg and push it deeper to hook on your opponent’s far leg.  Use your other under the hooking one and cross them to make an X.

Both feet on hips and both sleeves grabbed when transitioning to the DLR guard.