Geoff having a well-earned night off from training, so Dion took the class with help from Melissa.

First night back at training for Johnny Bares, fresh from his division win at US GrapplerQuest and a Caribbean holiday, and full of slick moves from Renzo Gracie in NYC. Welcome back bro'!

Began with a warm ups and drills in open guard and a quick review of the X-guard. However, focus of class was on attacking the turtle position.

Dion went through two ways to approach attacking the turtle without making use of the Clock Choke.

(1) The turtle-to-side control-to-mount-to-side mount-to-choke routine:
(a) Use belt and collar to open space between opponent's knee and elbow on their RHS. Insert left knee and keep weight on their back.
(b) As opponent tries to put us back in guard, use right forearm under neck and barrel them down to side control. Remember to keep your left knee in front of theirs. Their arm will be trapped across their body, so slide down and bulldoze forward again to tighten the arm-enclosed side control.
(c) With their arm trapped, it is easy to switch base toward their legs and mount up without resistance.
(d) Slide your left arm under their head and grab their trapped right arm at the wrist, which should now be wrapped across their face. Release your own right hand and base out in the mount to avoid the bridge-and-roll.
(e) Slide up to side mount pushing your chest on the back of their right tricep and torquing with their right arm.
(f) Using right hand, pass their right lapel into your left hand and release their wrist. Finish the single-lapel choke, or switch to arm bar for variation.

(2) The Nagoya BJJ turtle rollover to side control:
(a) As for (a) above.
(b) You try to put your right hand under their chin for either technique (1) above or for a Clock Choke. However, the opponent is on to your plan and defends the neck area with his/her right hand.
(c) Take your left knee out from under their body and in its place slide your right hand. Grab the far lapel with your right hand - thumb in, fingers out. Walk your body around toward their legs keeping your weight on your opponent.
(d) With your left hand 'open the door' by pulling out their left knee. This creates a space between their left knee and elbow.
(e) Dive your left arm and head underneath their body, hooking their leg as you go, and roll.
(f) You will roll 270 degrees to side control position. Release right hand from lapel and quickly secure side control, or go straight for armbar.

This gives two high percentage options for attacking the turtle position, in addition to the Clock Choke, as first attacking options.

Finished with a few 1-minute rounds of free sparring starting from the turtle position. Good class with some enthusiastic rolling and everyone got the techniques down tight.

Dion.

Well, Monday and Wed both followed the same theme.

Grapple Grapple Grapple. Both classes had about 25 in them, which is really great and the fact that after Mondays session they all came back for more is outstanding.

Everything is gaining momentum and rolling along at a scary pace. I'm thinking of forming a Competition team to better organise the guys into a more cohesive group for any and all competitions. Support for the idea has been pretty solid so it looks like it'll happen..

Our second MMA class starts next week and there is a lot of interest from everyone so hopefully it'll be a good turn out.

Rumour is that the legendary Johnny Bares is returning this week, not sure how reliable that is but it'll be very cool to see him after so long. Looks like a big week ahead.

Also planning a bit of a birthday bash for this Sunday, to celebrate G.S.W.'s 5th birthday...

The woman’s class on Sunday has a small but hard-core crew who make it a worthy class to attend. The regulars are now Donna, Jill, and I. Kat is testing the waters back on the mat, we may see her back soon as well. We’ve got a few casual players (about 4) who keep coming back for more – it won’t be long until they’re hooked.

In my experience training at other BJJ clubs in Japan, America, and New Zealand, there is from 0 to 3 other women to train with. It is pretty amazing that we’ve got as many as we do. For those of you who wonder what we do in the woman’s class the answer is this... I sometimes pass on to them infinite wisdom and secrets I can not disclose here in fear they may fall into the wrong hands. But mostly we just practice a few techniques, turn it into a drill and then do some sparing.

This week we practiced hip-outs, using our hooks to control our partners knees, off-balancing a person in guard, taking the back and finished with a rear naked choke.

Monday 15^th August 2005

BJJ, 24 in the class tonight, which is huge for a Monday. Tonight we warmed up with some lite rolling, then played a few rounds of pass or sweep and finished the night grappling.

Wednesday 17^th August 2005

BJJ 21 in the class tonight. We started with lite rolling then played pass or sweep. From there I covered off some ideas from guard and addressed some of the problems I’d seen during the session.

Taught basic sitting roll over sweep from closed guard. Now that everyone is getting their grips straight away there is a lot more effort in posturing by our opponent. So when they finally gain posture more often than not they over balance for a split second and this sweep is perfect to help us capitalize on their mistake.

From there if we stuff it up and they post out their hand, we shoot our body around to the right and trap the left arm with our left over their shoulder. From there we transition into a figure four from guard.

Then we covered a couple of techniques for when our opponent completely disengages from our guard. Firstly we sit up and post on our right hand, then scoot in and sit on their foot. Wrap our left arm around their right leg and roll back. As our opponent tries to bring their weight to bare by knee riding our chest, we shrug our shoulder and redirect their knee to the mat and escape out to their back.

From there we add several variations, if our partner turns to follow us (because we have slipped out to the side of their knee) we shoot our left hand behinds their right leg and around in front of their left knee, to trip them up.

Thursday Fundamentals 18^th August 2005

27 on the mat tonight. Once again we really didn’t do any Fundamentals but covered some stuff that many people were having trouble with over the week. Started with the sitting rollover sweep again just so everyone got a second shot at it.

Then we covered some simple stuff from each position. From side control, using basic skills to hold our opponent down and control them with our weight allowing us to use our hands to submit them.

From mount, allowing our opponent to reach for our arms to attempt the bridging escape. When they move their elbow to reach for our arm we shoot our knee into the gap and encourage them to turn on their side so we can set up an armbar or choke.

Finished with Thursday night Pizza!! Straight from Hell. Thanks to Dion and Melissa for getting some beer for those that wanted it. :) They dissapeared pretty quickly.

Sunday 21^st August 2005 MMA class. Day of UFC 54 and still we had 15 on the mat. J

Today we did a lot of work from the clinch. Starting with some basic pummeling from the clinch. Each partner has one underhook on their opponent and tries to switch to two underhooks. So the drill continues with each side swapping underhooks until one secures a double underhook.

From there we worked the clinch with our right hand behind our opponents neck and our head driving into the opposite side of their neck. With our left hand we controlled their right wrist and pinned it to their body. From their we did the following techniques.

• When our opponent raises their right arm to try and break our grip, we take the opportunity to perform a duck-under go-behind and secure the clinch from the back.
• If they hold their arm close to their body so we can’t duck under, then we simply push their arm to our right and slid past to secure the back.
• If we have a little space between their body and arm, we shift our right grip to their right bicep/elbow and perform an arm-drag to go-behind and secure the back. Remember to use the head to control our opponent when we shift grips or they will turn towards us and defeat our attempt.
• Finally if our opponent secures an underhook on our left arm we need to shift our stance slightly to the left and pummel for the underhook. From there we raise our arm high and use our shoulder to lift their arm out of the way. We then duck-under and secure the back.

We finished the class with everyone working the above techniques against a resisting opponent and then added to it by starting from the pummel for double underhooks.

Sunday 21^st August 2005 BJJ Fundamentals. 22 on the mat.

Started with the basic sweep speed drill. The everyone worked through their next syllabus stuff. Firstly going through slowly to cement the techniques then ripping through as speed drill.

MMA class, huge turnout for a Sunday afternoon, there were 17 on the mat for MMA. Once again we just grappled the whole class. Next week we'll start some work on the clinch and bridging the gap. We should now start to tie in our ground skills with some good stand-up work.

Also forgot to mention the possibility of a second MMA class on Thursday night at 7-8pm. Fees for MMA only will have to be set at $40.00 for that class if it's going to work. More in the forum.

BJJ Fundamentals 24 in the class today.

We're back on track with the "Fundamental" theme, today working on the syllabus figure four-arm locks. Started class with the basic circuit, then figure 4 from Mount, Lower figure 4 from side control, figure 4 from up and crush and finishing with figure 4 from guard. Also added the sneaky shortcut for figure 4 from guard. We anchor our opponent’s hand and bring our knee up into the back of their arm to bend it into position then apply the basic figure 4.

*Update, Spoke to Michael today and he foot locked one of the Taranaki Blue Belts. :) Funny when they were gloating about the same thing earlier in the year. :)

Some initial news from the GSW crew that went in the SJJ NZ Nationals.

Only 3 entered and it sounds like it was a really small turnout all round.
This from Dion:

"Well done Mike, Jeremy and Cain from GSW who entered in the SJJ nationals.

Mike picked up 3rd in his division, Cain came away with 2nd and a nice trophy too. (Mike robbed in his first fight by odd rules - points taken away from a fighter who pulls guard during overtime - after dominating the match to that point.)

A few good grapplers in the tournament. Eugene from Paraparaumu, Daniel and Wayne from Hastings, and Pina, Carl, Emma and the crew from Taranaki.

Aside from the above who put on some good matches, there were very low numbers in the tournament and the overall standard wasn't as high as hoped. (Jase and Hemi kicking themselves for not bringing their gi along.) Plenty of room for more GSW players to get in, compete and do well.

Once again, good on you guys for stepping up and entering."

And this comment from Jeremy:

"Got mauled by Alex from Taranaki.

He didn't tap me but controlled the fight well and won on points
- my only match."

Well done to you boys for stepping up I'm sure once you get your head around the rules things will be easier.

Sent it away tonight, I wonder how much they'll take from me.??

Wellington Martial Artist’s dedication recognised by Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt

Australian Martial Artist, John Will, is one of the original "dirty dozen", the first 12 non-Brazilians to receive a Black Belt Rank in the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Mr Will is world renown as the teachers, teacher and as such is always in extremely high demand for seminars and coaching events worldwide.

Mr Will is the head of BJJ Australia (www.bjj.com.au) and travels to New Zealand on a regular basis to oversee the local arm of his organisation, BJJ NZ (www.bjj.co.nz) . While training at the “Grappling Specialists” club in Wellington this month, Mr Will took the opportunity to promote several key members of the club.

Matt Paul and Jason Murphy were both awarded their Blue Belts in the Brazilian Art and Dion Burns was recognised for his dedication to BJJ and the GSW club by being promoted to the rank of Purple belt.

Blue belt in BJJ represents a journey of several years of hard physical training and is an acknowledgement of both skill and understanding of ground grappling. The Purple Belt rank is a far harder level to achieve and can take 5 years or more to reach; it is a rank that indicates a high proficiency in the many facets of the BJJ art. There are only two BJJ Purple Belts in the Wellington region and both train at the GSW club.

The promotions mark another step in the progress of a small BJJ club that is teaching a Martial Art that is quickly growing in popularity. After the recent visit to the club Mr Will had this to say about the progress being made by GSW and it’s members

” I teach martial arts for a living - and sometimes it does seem like work, but not when I am on the Wellington mat! The credit goes, not only to Geoff, but also to all of you for creating such a nice culture for training. Your mat is mature and on par with anything else in any other country. A great place to train.”

Mr Will is returning to Wellington in November.

Monday 08/08/2005 Dion’s class.

Good class. About 16 people on the mat.
Class in four parts.
(1) Warm-ups: Revision of 4-armbar drill. One set slow concentrating on technique, the other two sets flat-out going for speed and smoothness. Hooks guard partner to feet, then (a) simple foot sweep, or (b) John's funky rollover sweep from X-guard.

(2) Working a technique: In pairs, one person controlling from a chosen position and trying to work a technique they want to include in their game. Working for 5 taps then switch. Partner working with us, after each tap slowly ramping up the resistance 20%, 40%, 60% etc and putting up more roadblocks.

(3) Sparring: 5 minute rounds, 30s break between rounds.

(4) Control drill: One person on top trying to change through as many control positions as possible in one minute. Partner underneath working as hard as possible to escape.

Highlights: Jeremy back on the mat (good to see you bro'). Rev's huge "bonus points" knee to Crazy's nose.
Partners not being passive but actively working with their partner to improve their game.

Great class guys - thanks!

Wednesday 10/08/2005

22 in the class, which is pretty big for a wed.

Started with a few lite rounds to warm up then went straight into pass or sweep. Finished the class with some grappling. Pretty intense night but everyone handled it well. I also took the opportunity the promote some of the boys. Well done to everyone who received their next stripe.

Thursday fundamentals. (ha ha)
25 in class. Including a couple of new faces.

Continued with the basic sweep theme, started with the basic (scissor) sweep then the Hooking sweep. I also taught a slight variation that can be used on both sweeps. With the free foot (the one on the ground) simply move your foot to the front of the knee, then when your opponents weight is as far forward as you can get it, push the supporting knee out with your foot. This is a great way to break their balance.

We then quickly covered the "snap" armbar. I saw it on the Masters Of Grappling DVD and it's an armbar that I'd always liked but had never been taught, so I didn't have enough knowledge to make it work. But as with everything John does the DVD explanation was perfect and allowed me to finalise the technique and show it at class.

We finished with a quick look at the Flip Armbar from the DVD as well. I love it! Its a problem I've seen with newbys and the armbar is a great way to deal with the issue of your opponent pushing and bridging at the same time.. Just covered it quickly and hopefully we'll get a chance to revisit it.

Both these arm bars are on the Masters Of Grappling DVD but also will be on John and Dave Meyer's Arm bars DVD that is due soon.. :)

Finished the session with Pizza from HELL.co.nz :) lovely!

Bonus prize, Friday lunchtime. 8 in the session.

m&m posted on the forum earlier in the week asking about a session during the day. It quickly evolved into a get-together on Friday. I had hoped to make it and as things panned out I was able to spare about 50 minutes on the mat. Well an hour and 20 later I was in serious trouble. :) Managed to get away with it and hopefully I won't have to pay for it later.

Anyway m&m, Migel, Jill, Donna, Shano, Rev, Mustafa and myself all hit the MVD at 12.30 and basically covered individual things. I spent some time with Mustafa just going over a few concepts and skills for him to work on, then floated and helped where needed. Good session, towards the end the local courier stopped by to check if online had any pickups and he came through to have a look and watch me grapple Shano, Rev and Migel. I think he got a bit of a shock! :)

Also there was a group of Karate guys from the UK practicing for the "Commonwealth Competition" being run in Wellington this weekend. It's run by Mark Pennell, who’s a dick and don't waste your money as it's arm flapping at it's worst!!! You have been warned! Go if you want to really appreciate your current training or if you just want a laugh. My suggestion is to better spend your time up at the Sport Jiu Jitsu Nationals at Vic Uni, where you'll hopefully see a couple of our boys in action. If they're allowed to enter on the day that is. :)

So: No to the Karate arm flapping at the events centre and Yes: to Sport Jiu Jitsu Nationals at Vic Uni. Good luck boys.

On one final note, the article about Phil and Alex appeared int the inside back page of the Wellingtionian, it's abridged but still an ok article. Check it out.

For those that are not subscribed to the newsletter here is this months. Please take the time to sign up at John's site.
www.bjj.com.au

Hello all,


Welcome to the BJJ Australia newsletter for another month.

Coaching tips from John Will

A.D.A.P.T
======================================
Analyse - Drill - And Pressure Test
======================================

Problem Solvers
--------------------------------------
This is one of my most basic and commonly employed
teaching-development principles. The first part of which - the
'Analysis Phase' - I believe to be extremely important for both the
student and the instructor. The earlier we establish a culture of
analytical thinking on the mat, the sooner the students themselves
become 'problem solvers'.

Step-by-step
--------------------------------------
This is why I always teach by the 'step-by-step' method - as
opposed to the 'show them a couple times and ask them to go for it'
method. I talk the class through each part of each technique, in a
step-by-step fashion, explaining as I go, what each part's function
is. Have them analyse the technique and thereby develop an
understanding of it.

Understanding
--------------------------------------
Once they understand it, we have them drill it to develop the
appropriate muscle memory. I don't like to have students drill
techniques they do not yet fully understand. So it's understanding
first, then drilling.

Testing
--------------------------------------
After this, once they have gotten the idea of the technique and are
comfortable with it's execution against a non-resistant partner,
it's time to put it to the test. I call this the 'pressure-testing'
phase. This is the time when they will come up against the natural
responses that the opponent will offer them. This allows the
student to further develop their understanding of the technique and
even further evolve it to better deal with any unwanted responses.
By pressure-testing the technique, we begin the process of
evolution. This is how all effective combative systems have been
formed - through the process of pressure-testing over time.

Make it work
--------------------------------------
So pick a technique - anything that you have a full and deep
understanding of. Then teach the class that technique, explaining
each and every phase of it whilst using language that paints a
strong and vivid picture. Using analogies as we teach is always a
good idea. Explain the bio-mechanics of the move and explain the
points of leverage as you go. Then have them drill the move until
they feel good about it.

Then ask them to try it in sparring / grappling. It's almost a
waste of a lesson, if when they start to free-grapple, they just go
back to their usual game or preferential techniques. Encourage them
to try the technique they have just spent time learning and
drilling. Encourage them to try. At the end of the session, ask the
question - "who tried the new move?'. Don't ask, 'who made the new
move work?' it's not about whether they make it work or not - it's
about who 'tries' or attempts' it.

Analyse - Drill - And Pressure Test!

- John B Will

======================================
Message from the WebDude @ www.bjj.com.au

Welcome to the second of the new look newsletters. As always, we
will endeavour to bring you insightful tips and information.
Remember, details on how to un-subscribe can be found at the bottom
of this email.
-------------------------

In the last newsletter I mentioned the new "Masters of Grappling"
DVD by Jeremy Ta'Kody, featuring John Will, David Meyer and Rigan
Machado. Well I got my copy from John last week and it's amazing.
There is seriously too much stuff to take on. The DVD extras are
worth the price alone. Watching some of the Machado Australia crew
(Cam Rowe and Murray Ballenden) on the Hot Shots section, is
fantastic! Buy it now at our online store, cli*ck the link for more
information
http://www.bjj.com.au/shop.htm#mog
-------------------------

This month John has posted a news piece about the seminar circuit
in New Zealand. Check the news page on the site. Also stay tuned
for a major announcement from John! Instant news updates may be
coming direct from Geelong HQ!
http://www.bjj.com.au/news.html
-------------------------

One week till the Nats, everyone should have everything finalised!.
The website boasts all the information you need for getting there
and hitting the mats. Check it all here.
http://www.bjj.com.au/tournaments.html
-------------------------
Thanks for your time.
Happy surfing,

Geoff
http://www.bjj.com.au/

MMA 18 in the class.
Started with lite rolling moving to full grappling. Finished class with the armdrag go-behind from John's RNZPC session, taking our opponent down with a lift and dump.

BJJ Fundamentals 26 in class.
With the new promotions there was a good showing of higher ranks on the mat today. Only 1 new person but we also saw the return of Mary and George, welcome back!

We quickly covered the first four sweeps ending wit the 4 sweep drill at the end of class. I then sent everyone to work through their syllabus stuff in the same quickfire manner. Finished class with a couple of grappling sessions and answered some questions.

Once I got home I received an email from John. We have been working today on setting up a blog for John to post his thoughts and adventures! Yes John Will has a Blog. Check it out here>>
http://bjj-australia.blogspot.com/

John plans to update it a couple of times a week and I think the content will be extremly varied and interesting. He's heading to Mongolia after the Nats so I'm sure that'll make for some cool reading. Bookmark it now!!

Ok here’s what’s been going on.

John Will at GSW on Wednesday 03/08/2005

John’s seminar was PACKED!!! No room to move on the mat at all. Before we got underway John and I took the time to acknowledge a few of the long term GSW crew. Blue Belts were awarded to Jason Murphy and Matt Paul. Both guys have been with GSW for a very long time and have covered a lot of distance on the mats. John also awarded a Purple belt to Dion Burns. Dion has been a huge part of the mat since he and Melissa first made the move to Wellington. I frequently call on Dion to teach when I am unavailable and his support has been an immense help.

Congratulations guys!

Now the seminar.
X-Guard: - stretch opponent and get up to knees then feet
- if opponent grabs our head - single knee back sweep
- take opponent to front left corner (weakness) for rollover sweep
- go our backdoor and bring opponent backward with left hook

Wrist-wraps:
- basic single wrist wrap to armbar
- wristwrap with double grip to boat ramp - opp's back and clock choke
- wristwrap with double grip - sit opp up, catch his arm (crucifix) and choke
- wristwrap with double grip - change to dogpaddle grip – roll him to get back and backchoke
Remember the point about how we lock our hands together for a good back choke - when opp peels off our top hand. Protect choking hand with other hand!

Head-arm front choke - from head to head.

Some pretty advanced stuff but a lot of the participants have already started playing around with the stuff in class.

Thursday 04/08/2005

Fundamentals 25 in class.

Today I carried on with the theme from last Monday, this time covering the basic armbars. Mount, near arm from Knee Ride, Far arm from Knee ride and Guard. Running through them in a quick drill to instil and instant action to each position / que.

Web and news.

Spent most of today working on web stuff, including the new BJJAU newsletter
www.bjj.com.au sign up for the newsletter. It’s something John write to those that have signed up. Cool stuff. Also made a couple of updates to the BJJ AU site worth a look.

Well that’s all for now. See you at class

Mixed Martial Arts fighting is considered by many to be the pinnacle of real martial arts tests.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is the combat sport in which two competitors attempt to achieve dominance over one another by utilizing three general tactics: striking, finishing holds, and control. The rules allow the combatants to use a variety of martial arts techniques, including punches, kicks, joint-locks, chokes, takedowns and throws. Victory is normally gained through knock-out, submission (one fighter concedes victory to the other by tapping the mat or his opponent with his hand), or stoppage by the referee, the fight doctor or a competitor's cornerman.

Wellington’s fledgling MMA scene was given a huge boost last weekend when members from Wellington’s only specialists Grappling School (GSW) competed in their first MMA bouts. Alex Richardson and Phil Stenhouse have been training at GSW for several months but only recently took up the MMA training after interest from club members prompted the clubs instructor, Geoff Grant, to begin training fighters for competition.

“The club really focuses on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) skills, but the growth of MMA worldwide has lead to a demand for this type of training” says Grant.

The Grappling School has been operating for about 5 years and has had National and International success in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu arena and now boasts two victories in the MMA arena as well. Richardson and Stenhouse both competed in the recent “Kiwi King of the Ring” fight night, held in Tauranga.

Stenhouse fighting in his debut MMA fight took on a local Martial Arts Exponent and after 3 grueling rounds was declared the winner by judges’ decision.

Richardson, also fighting in his debut, faced a Tauranga based fighter and crowd favorite. While clearly the underdog Richardson dominated the fight from start to finish, with his victory coming from an Armbar at 1.40 in the first round.

Both competitors are more than keen to continue their newfound success and are looking forward to competing in the next available MMA match.




http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0507/S00219.htm

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is martial Art that most people have never even heard of, but one local man is a US National Champion.

Johnny Bares is living and working in New York, while there he decided to continue with the training he had become addicted to while at home in Wellington. Mr. Bares began training in the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) in 2004 and it quickly became apparent that he not only had a passion for the art but real talent as well.

In November 2004 Mr. Bares competed in a local grappling competition run by the club he trains with, The Grappling Specialists Wellington (GSW), where he took home a Gold medal in his division. Then in February 2005 he competed in a National BJJ Competition, again hosted by the GSW club, which included representatives from Auckland, Napier, Wellington, Palmerston North and Christchurch. Once again Mr. Bares came away with a Gold medal in his division.

Shortly after the competition Mr. Bares traveled to New York to undertake some work for a family member and while there he continued training in BJJ, this time with one of the sports great names, Renzo Gracie. Johnny flourished under Mr. Gracie’s tutelage and decided to enter the “Grapplers Quest US nationals” competition.

Boasting a field of over 1300 competitors, Mr. Bares faced his toughest competition to date, with his division having 30 entrants. Facing opposition that outweighed him by up to 30 kgs and some of who had been training for twice as long, Johnny systematically went through them all to win the entire division! This feat so astounded Renzo Gracie that a few days later he promoted Mr. Bares to Blue Belt, a rank in BJJ that can take as long as 3 years to obtain. Johnny Bares had been training for less than 12 months.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0507/S00176.htm

Great turnout for a Monday. About 25 on the mat.

I'm assuming that everyone is gearing up for John tomorrow. Whatever the reason it was a good session. I personally gained several good points from John’s seminars in Auckland and Hamilton and was extremely keen to put them into practice.

Although I didn't cover all of them, I got a couple of the main points across and everyone clearly got the picture. Started with a little chat, first I had to explane the new Gi (red Koral – I’m thinking of making everyone call me Sensei) Then went over a lot of the tips I posted in the blog below. Just a few little things that will make everyone’s seminar a better.

We then quickly went through the Basic sweeps. Starting with the concept of the Closed Guard player needing to initiate the control. Eg: closing the space between us, gaining his 3 controls. Deep in the collar, at the cuff and feet crossed. Every time you take closed guard these things should be automatic.

Then we had to slightly modify our basic sweep, Same 3 controls. Our partner starts their pass, we open our legs, hip out as far as possible, trying to get our bum inline with our shoulders. Then we slip our shin across their middle and hook our foot around their side. Straighten our upper body up to create more distance. Then pull them right forward to get their weight off their legs and scissor our legs to knock them over!

Then Hooking sweep. Same 3 controls, Our partner starts their pass, we hip out the same but this time kick our heal to our but then swing the hook in to the back of their knee and switch our hips back. We need our hooking knee to be facing out to help “Stick” the hook. We then pull them forward and sweep, keeping the hook stuck until we mount…

Then Back sweep. Same 3 controls, our partner stands up, we keep our legs locked shut, gaining a free ride under their base. Grab their heels, open our legs, drop our but to the ground and squeeze our knees. Push our heels to the ground and sit them on their butt. Post. Wait. As they sit up (because it’s a live drill) grab their neck, and posting the whole time slide around to the right until you gain mount.

Front Sweep. Same 3 controls, Partner stands up – with bad posture. Control their hands/cuffs, feet in the bikini line, push them back for a reaction (again requires a “Live” partner) collapse our knees slightly, take the weight and redirect them to the roof. Control their forward fall, place their head on the mat and look in their ear (Check for wax) roll them over and maintain control until mounted high.

Now put it all together!!! As a quick drill, with the emphasis on recognising and establishing que’s. Partner starts to pass, Scissor sweep, and roll back to guard. Partner starts to pass with their leg back, hook sweep, and roll back to guard. Partner stands up with good posture, back sweep, roll to guard. Partner stands up bad posture, front sweep, and roll back to guard and repeat.

This is a concept that I have tried to explain several times but as always John has given us a way to make it easier to understand and implement. I have always talked about Switches, or recognising when the fight has changed and quickly adjusting. This is that concept done in a way that everyone on the mat can relate to. It can be applied to every part of the syllabus and it’s something that I will implement without hesitation. Look out for it. Remember though, stay relaxed, do it, don’t think about it, take the que and act! Relax! Smooth and efficient!!!!!

On a side note, at work, they’ve made some changes to my run that I have been asking for since I suffered the pneumothorax last Christmas and the result is a little more down time, allowing me to post stuff like this. Lets hope it lasts.

See you Wednesday for John……