As a continuation of my public notebook: I started a new daily blogging challenge to begin solidifying the learning that I’m doing while training jiu jitsu. Every day I will be doing a recap of what was done in class, what I liked & didn’t like, how my rolling (freeform fighting) went afterwards, and additional overarching takeaways from that day.

What I did,

On Thursday May 23rd

Today is a shorter post due to the fact that it was a simple class. I repped a few moves that I have covered this week and left with some good takeaways. The breakdown:

Trap and Roll, Mount Escape: If the person sitting on you is squirmy or sitting high, trap one of their arms at their waist, trap their foot on the same side, and bridge hard upwards in that direction. Taking away their ability to post, and tipping them over into guard.

The thing I primarily repped this class was the trap and roll. This time I worked with someone much larger than me and was able to get more practice with using the strength it requires to work this realistically.

Spiral Takedown: after getting an underhook under one arm, connect your hands with a gable grip and hug your head tight on the same side your underhook is on. As you drive your forehead into their jaw/neck, begin to tilt your undertook upwards. Consequently driving them down in a spiral, not stopping until you’re in side control.

I had a big takeaway with this one–realizing the true importance of pushing with the forehead and keeping your spine straight. It doesn’t work to just lean into someone. Your head has to be pushing directly into their jaw.

Breaking Arm Bar Grips: When facing a locked grip, take the foot that is closest to their hips and place it on the inside of their far elbow. Follow up with the foot closest to the head, crossing them. Bridge and pop your feet forward explosively. Immediately reach up to their wrist to prevent them from defending again.

When I’m going for an arm bar, especially with someone bigger than me, I don’t yet have the technique and speed to consistently pull it before the individual I’m attacking has a moment to grab their gi or lock their hands. This creates a conundrum because I’m now in a position that’s challenging to scoot out of without letting them go completely, yet I can’t free their arm to finish the submission. This is another tool that is easy to remember and will greatly help me next time this happens.

Conclusion of May 24th

Reps are how you learn. I’m always grateful to be able to go in and have the opportunity to practice repeatedly.