back attacks and sweeps

Wednesday lunchtime class: more on back control and attacks from there

Only four of us were there, two big guys, one guy my size and my little self.

Firstly, we had another go staying on each other's backs. Taking turns, we started from back control with hooks in and then saw how we could maintain position, especially if losing and regaining hooks. Then we had a go spinning around on top. Bottom person was turtled. Also, we looked at the scenario where we might have lost back control, our partner is on his side with his back to us and about to roll over his belly to face us. Keeping weight on him, we spin around his head, so that by the time he arrives on his other shoulder, we are already there behind him again. This means shoulder pressure, as little weight as possible on our legs and spinning fast, like being airborne with the feet. Looks easy. Didn't feel too easy, but a few reps and I got the hang. Sort of..

Then a little bit of rolling, attempting to get the back. However, I ended up with my partner in my guard. Tried to break him down and get his arm across to get to his back but that wasn't working, so went to open guard, feet on his hips while holding his sleeves. He tried to stack me and I shoulder walked. So he couldn't stack me but it didn't improve my position, either. Sensei popped over and suggested I should have gone for the omoplata. He showed me and it was plain obvious. How can I not see these things??

Then anther roll, this time us lighter people got one of the big boys each :-). I have to say that ended up being one of the most enjoyable rolls I've ever had. More like a flow roll. He didn't shut me down with his weight, but he mercilessly swept me when I wasn't watching. So it was an ongoing series of position changes, and what made me most happy was that every time I was somewhere decent, I kept the attacks coming, even going from one to another. And then he'd get out :-). I even managed to roll him out of a turtle into a crucifix. Wooohoo. And then stuffed up attacking his arm. I guess I was too busy gloating about the fact that he said "what the..??" when he landed in crucifix |-). Also, I succeeded in a couple of the spinning thingies when I had top positions. It was really, really great.

And at class end, we all got a pat on the back for looking technical and having wrestled well. What more could one want??

Evening class was bigger and we had a couple of newbies.

We drilled the basic sweep from closed guard with shin across the belly. Then we learned a different one from the same setup. This is a great goto if our opponent resists the basic sweep. We pass the arm across, grab his belt and sweep him the opposite way (same foot position, so he needs to be loaded on our leg). Works a treat and I found that often we landed with his forearm exposed, yelling out for an armwrap or other attack.

We went over an open guard hook sweep. Not the standard hook sweep where you roll over backwards and load him up before going to the side. We're in combat base with the right leg flat on the ground and the other knee up and the foot ready to hook under his right leg. We sit up close and have a left underhook. Right arm blocks his left elbow. Now all we need is to pin him to us and fall a bit to the right, rolling along the axis of our right thigh. This immediately unbalances him, and as he comes over, a little push with the left hook flings him off nicely. I love this sweep, it's so easy.

Then we did a variation which I need to spend more time thinking of, as it was a bit more complicated. Essentially, we aim for going to the other side. So we need to trap his right arm across our body. The crucial part is to reposition our left foot so the foot hooks his left leg, and our knee is more to the left side of his body. Lean back, load him up and do like a crescent kick with the left leg. As we land, we are both on our backs, so I need to follow him and go for side control. This sweep I will need to look at a few more times...

At the end, free wrestling, after taking off gi tops. Scored a big boy. Couldn't do too much, but defended well so he got nothing, either. Had trouble passing his guard but eventually did, spent some time in half guard, ended up in mount, got reversed and after ages ended up in his closed guard again. By that time, our arms were that slippery it was near impossible to get grips on wrists :-) And I couldn't help saying that after all that work, how come I still ended up in his guard?? We went a little longer, I managed my usual smash pass of his guard, even getting switch base side control. And then it was time out....