Half Guard Pass and KOB Escapes

11/21
Downtown
A truly forgettable day at class. I was emotionally ill-equipped to deal with grappling. Not a frequent occurrence, but when it does happen it's miserable. I couldn't wrap my head around the warm-ups, and from the very beginning I felt way out my depth. I'm not even sure what we worked on. I do remember getting worked in the rolls, and tapping at one point when I was in bottom side control. It was very heavy side control, but still. Gross.

Oh yeah, I do remember working on breaking grips that an opponent may have on your gi at the knees. Get sleeve control on them, bring your knee in to you, turn away from the leg you are trying to break on, and kick out and up. If they have a grip on your right knee, get a sleeve grip on their left arm with your right hand, bring your knee into you, turn toward your left and kick your right leg up and out.

11/23

Morning - Downtown
Today went MUCH better, as I figured it would. We worked on passing half guard. Coming in from a crouch or standing, your right hand on their left ribs, left hand on their right knee. Get up in their grill, and move your right hand so that it's more of a fist on their shoulder. Keep holding their right knee with your left hand, then move your left knee over their right knee and pass to the left (their right). Another variation if you can't get your knee through is to kick back over to the right (their left), switch hips and get side control from that way.

A slick way to take the back from mount is if they get one leg almost out, i.e. just their calf is pinched between your legs. Sit on them, turn away from their knee, bring your other leg behind and cross over their top of their ankles, and then forward roll over their butt (not their back). Keep rolling and you'll have them in back mount. If you roll more towards their back, you won't be able to roll them over you. Full scenario: Opponent is mounted, and tries to elbow-to-knee escape to the left and only gets their upper left leg out, leaving the rest of it trapped. Turn and lean toward the left, bring your left leg back and cross your left ankle over the top of their ankles. Forward roll over their butt and take the back.

Rolled with Antone, James, and a guy I knew from my first school once. Rolled with another guy that I knew from my first school twice. All of them decent rolls, got caught in stuff a couple of times that frustrated me b/c I should know better. After the rolls, the guy I rolled with twice commented that I was pretty solid, and should learn shin guard (?) b/c of my strengths. James said that I was doing well too and should focus on fighting to get my feet on the hips.

Evening - Valley
Worked on the four KOB escapes:
1. Grab their belt at their right hip with your left hand and the inside of their knee with your right hand, bump high up to get them off balance, shrimp to the left, slide your right leg under you, come up on your right elbow and use your right hand under their foot to dump them as you continue pushing into their hip with your left hand. Move to side control.

2. Bump up, make a C cup with your left hand and push their ankle backwards so that you can hook it over the top of your left ankle. Bring your right knee through to the top of their left thigh, grip their gi under the right knee with your right hand and the side of their upper left arm with your right hand. Pull them over you a bit to get their weight off and then pull down on your left hand while rotating your right hand with their knee over to your left side.

3. Bump up and slide your right knee through so that it essentially traps their right leg. Bring them forward a bit, grip their upper right arm with your left hand and under their left knee with your right hand. Roll them in the direction their knee is pointing.

4. Use left hand under their right knee to post, bump up and pull yourself underneath them. Grab their belt near their right hip with your right hand and their left leg sleeve with your left hand. Pull them toward your hips, then dump them to the right.

One thing to keep in mind is to keep your head on their shoulder for 2 & 3 so that you stay close to them and can end up in kesa gatame.

One roll each with Scott and Gary. I did fairly well against them, but kept ending up in leg lock territory.