BJJ Diaries: Ahem...

[petite_lambda]

This is me, sparring with my instructor Fabio:

Click to view

But I have to warn you… With the sound on, I’m not sure the video is very safe for work. I mean, damn!!... *blushing*I had no idea that I make such sounds… poor Fabio :-)

Anyway, here is what is going on there:

Okay, I have no idea how to pass his guard without a gi (not that I’d ever pass Fabio’s guard with the gi, mind you…). I might as well admit it, I’m completely clueless here. What I try is some extra-super-lame version of Bullfighter pass (see how I put my hands on his ankles? That has exactly zero chance of working, if he actually resisted!) But Fabio nearly lets me pass… and then he spins back, hooking my leg and flipping me over with ease. Damn. [What should I have done better? Probably pulled back and started over as soon as I felt that hook under my leg. I’d love to hear other ideas, though.]

I catch his leg in half guard, but he easily passes it [and I don’t quite understand how, btw.] Then I panic and start doing many stupid things simultaneously - trying to push him away with my right arm is useless at best; hugging his neck with my other arm is worse; realizing the problem with that and correcting it just to give him a perfect opportunity for an arm triangle is also regrettable... At this point probably the biggest problem Fabio faces is that I’m giving him too many different submission options… which is maybe why he decides not to use any of them and just do nothing and wait patiently until I scramble out.

Now he goes for the Anaconda choke, which was the theme of today’s class. (When sparring with his students, Fabio always tries to create opportunities for them to use the technique they just learned - or, at least, to see it used on them). In order to finish the move Fabio now needs to roll me to the right, and I defend, correctly, by basing out my right leg. I suspect that if he simply rolled me to the left instead, it would have worked anyway… but Fabio decides to do it properly, as he taught - to switch arms. All I can do now is struggle frantically, trying to prevent him from closing a good hold on my neck… fortunately for me, he runs out of mat space and lets me go.

Starting over, stepping right into his open guard, trying to get an underhook… then, pinning his thigh to the mat with my knee - everything by the book so far. He lets me have it. Only one problem - his left knee. I don’t like it. I don’t like how he keeps it across my stomach… But either I did something right, or Fabio simply decided to be extra kind - in any case, he gives up and lets me have the dominant half guard position.

I quickly wrap up his left arm in a Kimura hold, only to realize that there is positively no way for me to finish the Kimura with my right leg still trapped. It takes me a few seconds to ponder over this conundrum - yes, I need the other leg, but in order to free the other leg I need my both arms free. So back to the drawing board it is. I let him go, change my grip, and try to work on the pass. My biggest problem is keeping the balance… But Fabio again decides to let me work, and allows me to get the full mount. Good.

Seeing that he is not going to resist, I move right up into the S-mount. I know what is going to happen now - as always, he will escape right as I try to finish the armbar. I am determined to surprise him this time and do it properly… but the position doesn’t feel right. I feel three problems: I don’t put the weight on him like I should; I don’t have as much balance as I’d like to; and, most importantly, I really don’t like how he puts his left arm on his head. I know what this means - it means I shouldn’t even try to transfer the leg to finish the armlock, it won’t work. So I take great care to remove his arm before I finally go for it. He lets me! Now his only defense of the right arm is to grab his left bicep, while I have my two arms and my whole body against it. Damn it, I should finish this!!

Well, as you can see, I didn’t. Typical mistake: position is more important than submission! I should have been more careful and put my left arm for balance right away when I felt him move. Now my top priority is to minimize the damage and to try and scramble back on top. Heh, no way… :-(

Back into his guard. I try to repeat the simple trick I did before, but there is an important difference this time - this time, Fabio doesn’t let me have the underhook! “Shit”, I mutter, angry at myself for making the same mistake yet again. For the 100-th time, Sherlock: no underhook means he’ll take your back. Yes, for sure.

Actually, it’s important that I don’t understand what I could have done to prevent him from getting his hooks in. He gave me enough time, that was not the problem. I just don’t understand which way I should have turned. I think I tried both, but neither one worked… :-(

Anyway, Fabio is not intent on choking me this time. Eventually, he lets me roll out, and takes the mount. Here, there are many things I could try… but at this point, I am way too tired (as you can hear :-)), so it is 100% defense. Not very successful, too. As he moves into the S-mount (btw., a good opportunity to compare his technique to mine), I try to do his trick - defend by putting my left arm on my forehead. But he takes advantage of it to suddenly transfer to an Americana! Shit… I desperately try to straighten my arm, but Fabio feels the right angle too well, and patiently applies pressure on my shoulder. Okay!.. You got me this time...

Now I try to breath as he showed me - two breaths in, one breath out. Damn it, I need an oxygen cylinder! I try to repeat what I did before - not because it worked, but because I don’t know anything else. Step in, don’t forget the underhook, try to pin his thigh and pass… And again, I do everything wrong! At 4:16, Fabio can basically do whatever he wants - I have no balance, no nothing! But what he chooses to do is something weird - he lets me wrap his neck for the Guillotine choke, and gives me the full mount, to boot! Ookay then…

But now is a funny moment - I put all my remaining energy into finishing the choke; I give it all I have - and nothing! I seem to be the only one feeling any discomfort :-) Okay, this is stupid. I have no idea how to finish this… I let him go and try to do something else. Fabio is not resisting at all now… he knows exactly how much energy I have left, and understands there is nothing to worry about. He lets me wrap his arm for the Americana. “You have 10 seconds to submit him! Come on!”, Yossi tells me in the background. “Ha-ha-ha! Yeah, right!” Could as well be 10 years…

After the class, I ask Fabio what I should have done to finish the Guillotine from the mount, and we go over it together. Turns out that my biggest mistake was to leave space when wrapping the neck - my elbow should be pressed tight to my body, leaving no slack. And then, I should use my head and try to move my whole body backwards to apply pressure. I think I understand, but I really need to practice it some more. And then… then, you watch out, Fabio! :-)