Wednesday, July 22, 2009

July 2009: Footsweeps, Spider Guard, North South, Brasa Half Guard, Grips

I want to start a new way of training. One with more focus and the goal of a stronger, more prominently dominant game. I have known my entire life that I do not have the fastest reaction times yet in every sport I've ever played I always wait for the other person to initiate to counter. Finally, 20 years after having started extracurricular competition, I decided to change that.
Having watched multiple documentaries of elite judo and bjj players the importance of drilling and dedication to technique has never been more clear in my mind. And this comes despite having lost count of how many times I've heard coach say "when you think you have a technique right, do it a few hundred more times."
I have started going to the gym 30 minutes early with Chris so that I can drill my footsweeps. I say "sweeps" only because today Judo Bill pointed out that there are two ways of doing the footsweep (that I am learning) and that I have sort of been doing a hybrid bastardization of them both. This isn't to say I developed an unbeatable mutant takedown, so much as I've been messing up two takedowns while practicing one. I guess that is impressive in its own right.

Footsweeps:
1. From grips (lapel/sleeve, lapel/lapel) pull uke to you and raise up, as if pulling him onto your chest. "Monkey paw" his left foot with my right and turn away, effectively removing the crutch of my body from supporting him and turning him over the foot I've planted
2. From grips (l/s, l/l, power/s) spin, lifting my sleeve grip and pulling with my lapel/poewr grip while staying stationary myself and rotating, making him travel the full circumference around me. My foot goes to his shin/calf as a block for his progress, purposefully blocking higher than the ankle/foot as the other sweep does, so that he can't hop over.

What I had been doing is 80% #2 and 20% #1. I really, really need to focus on getting my foot extended down to his instead of up on his shin. One possible solution is incorporating more of #1's lift and distance closure than the spinning I had done, which is why my foot could only reach to his shin and not completely to his foot.

I would really like to have a second attack off of the foot sweep or to have a set up to the footsweep but that will come in time.

Spider Guard:
In one class that Corey taught he showed a sweep and a triangle set up from the spider guard. He also added as an anecdote that this is the first thing Drysdale taught him when Corey went to Brazil the first time and that it was what he had used to win practically ever tournament up through purple belt.

Setting up the spider guard:
Stay on sides and never be flat on back. One foot, that which will lead the pass bait and sweep, goes to spider and monkey paws the bicep, not the heel! This was actually something that was touched on the Felipe Costa's dvd "The Path to Success." He pointed out in one of his old matches how he used to use the instep or heel instead of his toes as he should have. Grips are both on sleeves and the other foot is in uke's hip.
To finish the sweep, you push with the spider leg while holding his post hand in, and halfway backroll/sideroll. The direction you push is about 4 o'clock if you were looking down your own body. Or, over your near shoulder, towards uke.
Sometimes, when you push up and over with the spider leg you get resistence pushing your foot back and down. From here, go with the motion and pin his arm down with the monkey paw. Shoot the right leg under his arm and bite. Release the pressure with your left leg and bite with that in the direction you will be triangling. Lock the triangle.


- Two foot sweeps hopefully with an Osoto Gari combination
- Spider guard sweep with triangle and omoplata
- North South breadcutter
- Brasa half guard

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