About me: So I've been training a little under a year or so now and I'm starting to get a little de-motivated. Not because of your usual "everyone is tapping me" but because alot of the guys I started out with have quit. Alot of guys including me started at the same time, so I always had people to measure my progress against aswell as higher belts to teach me through wrecking me! Anyway, it's gotten to the point now where I'm feeling like I need to reorganise what my goals are when it comes to live sparing. So I decided to think this out in a public forum for other peoples thoughts and opinions. I think that I have a good enough grasp of most of the basic concepts in BJJ now, but I'm not putting them together well enough when it counts. So I decided to map out what I'm looking to do in each position to get me back on track. If anyone would like to let me know if there are things I'm missing/should be doing, please reply. Anything I think people won't know the name of or I don't know the proper name of, I'll explain. When I have my opponent in my Guard General Tactics I want to try and keep control of my opponents posture through head control, double wrist control and swimming inside his hands whenever he straightens his arms out on my chest andpulling in with my legs. Sweeps Kimura Sweep: Sit up, wrap his left arm/shoulder with my left arm as if attempting the Kimura, if possible finish. If not, base on my hand, bump my hips into him and step over, sweeping to mount. Scissor Sweep (Basic sweep I think everyone knows) Flower Sweep: Attempting an arm bar,unable to finish, continue circling off my back and kicking up into his arm pit, sweeping to mount. Submissions Arm Bar/Triangle: When attempting either of these, being aware the transition between the two when someone escapes from one they often leave open the other. Kimura Head and Arm Choke When in my Opponents Guard General Tactics Keep control of his body through bicep control, not allowing him to control my head and keeping my posture high and back. Passes Knee in Pass: Control his biceps, move to put pressure on his ribcage, move my weight back, if unable to open, put a knee in, move weight back. Once open, staple his thigh to the floor using my knee/shin and get an underhook to pass. Stack Pass: Stack my opponent, place my left arm to the right side of his head, circle towards his head, sit through and open his guard. Pass over his trapped leg. Double Under Pass: If unable to open with pass 1 becauise he folllows with his hips, put both elbows into his thighs, open his guard, put both arms under his legs, stack and pass. When Mounting my Opponent General Tactics Cross my legs underneath his, put pressure down on his stomach with my groin and be prepared to base to defend sweeps. Submissions Mounted Keylock Mounted Triangle Mounted Arm Bar When Mounted by my Opponent Keep my elbows to my sides and close to his knees to prevent him from moving to a high mounted position. Keep pressure on hips pushing them backwards. Escapes Upa Escape (Trap an arm, trap a leg, bridge) Elbow Knee Escape Butterfly Escape: I've no idea what this is supposed to be called, put you lift on your opponents hips with both hands and as they are in the air, you use the space to get one butterfly hook in, then you lift again using the hook to get two in, then sit up and establish Butterfly Guard. When I have my Opponent in Butterfly Guard General Tactics: Try not to let him put my back on the mat. Beware of his sweeps. Keep my hips back as far as possible when remaining clinched. Sweeps Basic Butterfly Sweep falling to one side and lifting with your hook. Shoulder Lock Sweep: With over/under hooks clasp your hands behind his back. The one that is over hooked comes around the front of his face locking the shoulder on the underhooked side. Sweep using the Butterfly hooks. When in my Opponents Butterfly Guard General Tactics Try and get his back to the mat and pass. Watch how I commit my weight to try not to get sweeped. Passes: Two on One Pass Flip Over Pass Home Run Pass When having my Opponent in Side Control General Tactics Try to control his body at all times with good weight/pressure distrubtion. Do not allow him to get the underhook if possible. Switch my legs to reestablisg control. Keep my knees as close to his hips and armpit as possible. Submissions Kimura Knee on Belly Rolling Kimura Knee on Belly Rolling Triangle Sprawl Choke (arm under his arm, sprawl and circle to north south, crossing my wrists under his head, sprawling back to get the tap) If he's trying to escape and turns in. Brabo Choke. When being Side Controlled General Tactics Keep my arms and elbows in tight, don't try to force the underhook and get Kimura'd! Escapes Basic Side Control Escapes - Not worth detailing When I have my Opponent in Open Guard General Tactics Try to keep my legs open and don't let him control my ankles. Be prepared to roll to my knees if he starts passing. If not able to roll, push his head to the ide his legs are passing to and shrimp away. If unable to shrimp, establish an underhook to prepare to escape. So that's it. Nothing out of the ordinary and nothing especially interesting. I figure if I can pry myself away from the fancy/elaborate submissions that the higher belts are using and become proficient at those three things in each position, I would be a solid blue belt? Thoughts? Opinions? Feedback? Asleep yet?
