New Gi

I was excited the other day because I got a new gi. If you are into Jiu-Jitsu then you know the feeling I had when I came home and saw the package on the doorstep.

I got the new Koral competition light gi in black. This time I went with an A1 for the first time to try and reduce the bagginess in the chest area. I have to say that the A1 fits pretty damn nice. It feels a tad bit longer then my other Koral, but I haven't washed it yet either. I don’t really expect it to shrink very much because Korals come pre-shrunk, but I think the fabric will tighten up some. The weave on it is really cool and its pretty light as well. So far I think it’s going to be a good purchase.

So I Still Like the Triangle

Had some good rolls last class. The numbers have been smaller, but that just means more purple belts to roll with so that's ok with me. I still have been working my top game trying new passes and there seems to be some progress there. I keep finding myself in the triangle position, but now I'm using it to set up different things like the komora or the armbar. I need to really start working on high guard options because I think it will fit right into my game.

Progress

Well last class I was focused more on my top game. I worked the pass that I had talked about in my previous post and I’m happy to say that it worked about 50% of the time. Maybe a little under because I forget the exact number of times that I went for it. The thing that makes these numbers promising is that the pass was done on high level guys. I’m going to keep working the pass and perfect it more on the lower belts that’s for sure.

I’m super pumped for class tonight. I’ve been watching the Mundials 08 DVD and its really got me in the zone. In fact I wish class was right now lol. Joe T. said he was going to stop by class tonight so that will be a blast. It’s always fun to roll with Joe because he has a very different style then most of the people at the club. Can’t wait!

Meeting of the Minds

Justin and I met yesterday for a little meeting of the minds. We each went over some ideas we had floating around and ironed out some details. I was working mainly on a new pass (new to me). It’s pretty basic. I always pass in the combat base position and tend to do knee rides to the cross side. This works off of that, but instead of going cross knee, I hook a leg and sit on it and base down. The hand that’s on the same side I bring up and grab their belt so they can’t hip away from me. The other hand is controlling the leg I’m not sitting on. Once I have control I sit out into reverse scarf as I extend their leg that I’m sitting on. This forces their leg to flatten out.

The detail that I was working on is how I hook their leg before sitting on it. If done the way I was thinking it’s easier to straighten their leg out as you pass because your heel is kind of hooked on their heel. I’m sure I can find a video of this somewhere on YouTube, and if anyone knows of one already please point me in the right direction. I think tonight in class I’ll only pass using this method to try and work more kinks out of it. What say you?

Workin My Way to The Top

Lately I have been looking for something to work on specifically. I think I've found it. It's my top game and passing. I used to really suck at both of them, and I think now is the perfect time to really concentrate on them and bring them up to speed. I'm a guard player so I always give up position and work off my back, but in a competition that game plan sucks.
The last competition that I went to was last Oct down in Portland. The tourney was the Freestyle Grappling Open and is one of the biggest in Maine. I was so nervous and pumped at the time I just wanted to get it over with. When the match started I was going to so many positions and going for so many submissions that in a 4 min match I was up 14 - 2 on the guy. I ended up getting caught in a triangle with 20 secs left. SUUUUUCKS! I learned something though, if I had just solidified a few of those dominate positions I would have ate a lot of time off the clock and saved energy.
So top game it is. I need to start being able to dictate the pace and eat up time on the clock when I want to rest. My passing seems to be getting better. Now I just need to work on being able to stay there once I have passed.