When i compete in No gi tournaments, If the guy i'm fighting is really slick, i'll just hit a takedown, try to pass, if i cant, i'll stand up and hit a takedown again. Its cheap, but i don't mind Fitching through a couple tourneys. I'm proud of my wrestling roots.
Moral of the story...Wrestle!
Being at a school in Pittsburgh (wrasslin' country) we do "feet-to-floor" takedowns almost every single class. It helps a lot in becoming confident in starting a match standing, and you're allowed to pull guard most days. Usually we have two guys out, a line fills in and whoever scores points first wins. If you pull guard and don't sweep within about 30 seconds, you lose and go to the end of the line. I love it!
That sounds like a pretty cool drill. And very intense.
you guys think it would be particularly rude to ask my coaches if and when they start working from standing?