Category Archives: Side control

Side-Control Saturday: Sneaky Set-Ups

After the guard, top side-control is easily my favorite position. There are lots of options for attacks and setups. The array of possibilities is literally laid out in front of me, as my opponent is prone on the mat. From a transitional perspective, I can still move to other versions of side control (kuzure kesa-gatame, knee-on-belly, etc.), spin to the other side, or climb to mount.

It’s no surprise, then, that classes teaching offensive side control are among my favorites. Saturday’s no-gi class was such a session.

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Filed under Chokes, Joint locks, Log, No-Gi, Side control

Love Saturday Morning Classes

Saturday, 7/30:

Title says it all. These classes leave me refreshed, ready to take on the day. I had an excellent partner whom I’ve seen in class but have not really rolled with before, and we both seriously tested one another’s limits. A testament to this is the fact that by the time class was 45 minutes in we both felt ready to bring up the previous night’s dinner. Always a good sign, right?

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Filed under Chokes, Drills, Escapes, Gi, Guard, Log, Side control

Two Classes

Tuesday, 6/21:

Here’s something I haven’t done in a while: taken two classes in one day. True, I’ve been pretty tired lately, but mostly the reason is because I get home so late when I take two in a row. 9:45 is the best I can hope for if I do the 8 o’clock class, though 10:00PM is more likely. Those days when I can convince myself to hang around for Round 2 are infrequent, but worth it.

This time both classes were pretty full. For the first class we started with osoto-gari and double-leg takedowns. This was followed by around 20 minutes of King of the Hill training, a popular resort when the class is packed.

The technique taught afterwards was the baseball choke. It’s similar to the cross-collar choke from knee-on-belly, but requires less fiddling with the collar. While getting ready to jump to knee-on-belly, make sure your hand is deep in the back of the collar, behind your opponent’s neck, thumb inside. Once you pop up, slip your other hand, palm up, deep into the collar on the opposite side. The closer your thumb on your first hand is to touching the pinky on your second hand, the tighter the choke will be. Next, come off knee-on-belly and circle your way toward your opponent’s head. Drop your head to your opponent’s side, on the same side you started on, and squeeze for the choke.

Second class involved more King of the Hill. For the life of me I can’t remember what technique we went over this class. One thing for sure: I was dead tired by the end.

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Filed under Chokes, Gi, Knee-on-stomach, Log

Motivation Renewed

I’m behind on my posts. Trying to catch up. Here’s Monday, 6/20:

The articles and forum threads I’ve been reading about BJJ competition are true: it really does put things into perspective regarding your weaknesses. I went to Grapplers Quest on Saturday, and my experience there made me resolve to step up my game. There’s an upcoming post dedicated to the event (including pictures and videos), once I get a chance to write it. Stay tuned.
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Filed under Escapes, Gi, Log, Side control

Got Me Some Swag

In anticipation of the no-gi seminar that was this past Sunday and the tournament coming up on Saturday, I ordered/bought some gear last week. And here it is:

I bought a pair of FightCo grappling shorts for last weekend's no-gi seminar. They got back-ordered.The backside to my new grappling shorts.Renzo Gracie Academy rash guards are functional and very stylish.

I’m really happy with my purchases so far. The shorts I bought off NJFightShop.com, and although they were back-ordered, once they got them in I had them within 1 day! Will definitely order from these guys again.

The rashguard is the white belt top for no-gi at RGA, and I personally think the design is totally badass. It’s also rather comfortable, made of a mesh with small holes that let the sweat out so I end class surprisingly drier than with other rashguards. Now my sweat is my opponent’s problem. Muwahahahaha!

Ok, so now for class yesterday:
Typical warm up. Osoto-gari and hip toss for takedowns. About 20 minutes of King of the Hill. Fun as always, even if I wasn’t doing great. I blame the mouthguard, still not used to that, though it’s getting better 🙂 I started on bottom. Neither my opponent nor I could get an advantage. After playing stalemate for about 5 minutes, the instructor stood us up and put us both at the end of the line. On my next turn I passed guard, which put me on bottom. I got spider guard on my next opponent and went for the sweep, but couldn’t land it and got passed. For my next opponent I almost had his back, but he was much shorter than me so my center of gravity was very high on his back. I got swept and passed.

Technique for the day was the key lock or Americana from across-side position. This was followed by side control training.

After class one of my friends went over the spider guard sweep with me. The trick is to fake my opponent into thinking I’m pushing him away from me. Then when he pushes back at me, I have to use his momentum to roll him over. Got to drill this, I really like this sweep and want to get it right.

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Filed under Gi, Joint locks, Log, Media, Pictures, Side control

Review

Today’s class was basically a recap for me. We started off with our warm-ups, including some extra push-ups (joy). Class went on to include osoto-gari and hip-throw training. Guard specific training was tough with my incredibly tall partner. Breaking the guard of someone who can hold a 6′ guy in standing guard with most of his body still on the mat is no joke. I got swept once or twice. Once, I got both my arms outside of the guard and went to stack and pass, but as soon as I came around my weight was too far forward and I got swept.

The technique for the day was the standard side mount escape I mentioned in this article. Still having a little trouble with it, but getting better, I think. This was followed again by side-control training. I nailed another breadcutter choke, but I got caught in a key lock. Managed a sweep from bottom side-mount, but also trapped myself in a bottom half-guard again that I could not get out of. Still very much concerned about my stamina.

Weight after class: 188.0 lbs.

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Filed under Escapes, Gi, Log, Side control

Not Just For the Sport

Last night’s instructor reminded us that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is not just a sport: it is a martial art with applicable self-defense techniques. Instead of takedowns, we started off with a defense against the headlock.

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Filed under Back/Turtle, Chokes, Escapes, Gi, Joint locks, Log, Self-defense, Side control, Takedowns

Saturday Morning’s Alright for Fighting

For Saturday, June 4th:

Finally got a chance to take a Saturday class. It was rough, waking up at 9:00AM on the weekend to make the 10:45AM class. I’m not a morning person at all. But let me tell you, waking up early for this class: 110% worth it. Continue reading →

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Filed under Chokes, Gi, Guard, Joint locks, Log, Side control

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

I didn’t get a chance to put up yesterday’s post, so here it is now:

Wednesday, 5/25 —
Tonight’s class was nice and easy. After warm-ups we got time to practice takedowns on our own. I went with osoto-gari, hip toss, single-arm, double-leg, and single-leg to sweep.

The instructor used me to demonstrate a side-control choke called the bread cutter, using the scarf-hold to set it up. I need to work on this more, had a hard time sinking it in from my partner’s left side.

My partner was kind of new, so I rolled slowly with him, giving him a chance to try out what he knew. I find this to be a lot of fun. I don’t know if I will ever be a top-notch BJJ competitor, but I really hope I have the opportunity to teach it one day. He got his first stripe at the end of class, so I guess the instructor liked what he saw.

Weight after class: 189.2! Cruiserweight, here I come!

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Filed under Gi, Log, Side control

Better Late Than Never

My first time late to a BJJ class. I hate walking into class late — it means I don’t get the full training that I should be. And let’s face it: I’m paying a very pretty penny. I’ve got no right to waste minutes of training time. Much as I hate push-ups, I almost wished the instructor would make me do some as penance for my tardiness. Almost. Continue reading →

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Filed under Escapes, Gi, Log, Side control