Planet BJJ

If there was a ‘official slogan’ to best describe the new-age throw-away culture that seems to pervade the world we live in – perhaps it would be ‘The Next Best Thing’. Most people spend a considerable amount of their time pondering on the next best thing … the latest mobile phone – the latest song to come out – the latest pair of jeans – the latest car – the latest move on the mat, etc.

For many of us, this provides a certain kind of motivation – in wanting the next best thing, we become energized to move forward and achieve … but quite often, the satisfaction we feel, is only temporary – as we suddenly realise we aren’t all that satisfied, and we begin our search for the next, next best thing - after all, the un-chewed grass always looks a little greener - at first.

Sometimes, the search for the next best thing can be a fairly harmless exercise – perhaps it’s just another mobile phone, or camera. Sometimes though, it is harmful, in that we walk away from much more important things, like family, a good marriage, good friends, from people who have counselled us or mentored us faithfully, to search for the next best girlfriend/wife, group of friends or salesman who cheerily promises us the world, and more.

Now I am all for everyone trying to improve their position, but it’s important to draw a careful distinction between ‘improving our position’ and ‘seeking out the next best thing’ just for the sake of experiencing a ‘change of scenery’. Some changes are important, indeed, necessary for our growth as human beings - but change just for change sake can often lead to regret or the beginning of an endless cycle of searching.

On the mat, especially with our addiction to all things Youtube – it’s easy to be hypnotized by the next best move. It’s nice to be aware of it, even take some level of ownership and understanding of it – but consider carefully before dropping your whole game for the sake of trying out this ever-more-tantalizing next best move. The never-ending search for the next best thing can also be contagious. Many people do not want to shift from where they are without the support of their friends – so they try hard to convince others of the benefits of the next best thing, in the hope that their choice will be made by others and therefore, ratified or justified to some degree. We decide to head out and buy an I-phone, and so we try to convince everyone else to do the same.

This happens in martial arts schools all the time. For whatever reason, a student decides to join another school, and in an effort to convince him or herself that he or she has made a good decision, he or she talks his decision up to others and tries to have them make the move as well. This has happened to nearly every good instructor I know, including Jean Jacques Machado, Rigan Machado, Benny the Jet Urquidez, Tino Ceberano, myself and countless others. It is often heartbreaking for the instructor, who may have put in years or even decades of effort into training their student; but it is simply the way of the world in which we live – people are always looking for the next best thing and probably, they always will.
On the flip side of course, the next best thing might be something very positive; like deciding to learn another language or bettering our situation for our families – we should just be mindful of living congruently and making decisions carefully, before we head out in pursuit of the next best thing.

Live well everyone, make decisions which are best for you and your loved ones; but remember, one of the great secrets to real and lasting happiness is to learn to find deep enjoyment and contentment right where you are, right now – with the friends, family, stuff (and techniques) you already have.
JBW

Here's some footage of Team Cooper BJJ teammate Ramon Mendoza competing against Jeremy Nagel for the Gold in the Austin, Texas Fight 2 Win / Century Grappling Masters 150-169lb No-Gi division.

I'd just like to note that the event turned out really well and it was a pleasure to see everyone that showed up, competed, took photos, video, and otherwise supported the scene.

Thanks everyone!

I had more of a post-camp hangover this time around than I have in the past. While the first 2 camps were absolutely fantastic, they were 2 days longer than this most recent one, so I was just fried by the end of them. This camp was 5 days--long enough for us to have a blast, but not long enough for me to become desperate for sleep and lose control of my faculties. I think we have a winning formula now; we scheduled in enough rest time that we protected ourselves against ourselves and our own penchant for overtraining, and the 5 days was enough to get some stuff done but leave us wanting more. At least, that's what happened with me.

So I've been back at my "normal" life for a week now, and it's groovy too. But I miss the ladies. The camaraderie. The double entendres. (Okay, I get the last two at my academy. But it's different when it's just us chick(en)s.) Felicia, Alaina, Emily, and I (and Kelly, one of the assistant instructors) debriefed the camp last Saturday and have some cool ideas about how to take it into the future. Because it looks like there is going to be a future; we are talking about places and times to have other camps.

I can't tell you how gratifying it is for this camp to be successful, for so many reasons. First, it seems to be helping people. Second, *I* get to help people. I have the knowledge base and the teaching skill now so that I can actually positively affect people's grappling. Third, all this helping is going on within the context of this sport I love so, so, so much. And it's nice to be around people who not only don't need it explained to them, but who share the love, sometimes in scarier and more intense ways than I had imagined possible. Especially members of Team Estrogen.

So I'm thrilled that there's momentum behind this whole endeavor and that it enables me to give back, not just to the chicks who come to camp, but in other ways to my own academy and to grappling in general. I returned to the scene of the crime (BJMUTA in Valencia) on Thurs to discuss next steps with Felicia and Alaina (who has not yet returned to Toronto). We assigned ourselves some tasks and then spent a hilarious 2 hours performing a task that probably should have taken about 20 min: opening a bank account for the camp.

In our defense, our banker was Sheik, who happens to be full of hilarious stories AND a martial artist himself. We love Sheik. So we wasted a good hour and a half of his time opening a bank account, shooting the breeze, and, in my case, drinking 3 cups of coffee. And I don't drink coffee. I had been concerned about the drive back from Valencia to my corner of SoCal, because I was feeling a little sleepy, so I figured a cup of coffee would give me a boost. But then we stayed longer and longer and I drank more and more coffee. By the end, my heart was pounding, and I was definitely blabbing.

So now we have a business bank account! We're sort of official!

I hit the training hard this past week; I'm on a schedule of working out 5 days in a row, one CrossFit workout and one grappling session per day, and then taking the weekends completely off. The weekends are when I become "that person," who does absolutely nothing. I think about things I need from the kitchen right now AND things I might need an hour from now so I only have to get up once. I drive to the drugstore that's a block away. I groan like a senior citizen. I eat only soft, gummable things. Pap, mostly, and any food that comes in "sauce" form.

Okay, I'm not that bad. But I give into the weary, and it's lovely. I slept for 11 hours on Friday night/Saturday morning, and I'm definitely adding that to the to-do list on a regular basis. I visited some CrossFit pals and cheered them on as they did a new warrior workout called Stephen (it's unfortunate when there's a new warrior workout b/c it means there's a new casualty of war--I know; there are many every day, but the new workouts drive that home in a unique way). While they did the workout, I sat on a plyometric box and drank water. I cheered every now and then, and then I examined my fingernails, and then I stretched, and then I hugged some people I hadn't seen in a while--from a seated position, of course--and then I congratulated everyone on a job well done. And then we all went and ate!

I also continued my internship at Team CrossFit Academy this past week; I may have mentioned that in addition to working out at TCFA, I have been interning there since November, helping out with classes and learning more about how to be a good instructor. I'm getting great guidance from Eric, Vanessa, and Kellie, and learning to teach CrossFit well is as humbling as striving to improve at CrossFit itself. Particularly with the barbell work, so of course that's what Eric has me work on all the time.

Eric and I had a meeting the other day to discuss my progress. I have a pretty good sense of what my weaknesses are and what I need to work on; in addition to just content knowledge about lifts and terminology, my main goal is presence/confidence. Apparently Nicole Carroll, who has been a CrossFit instructor and athlete for many many years, talks about how it's important for you as an instructor to come across with the "big you." In other words, as I develop confidence and become a better coach, I'm not going to be another Eric (I'd have to work for decades to even get into the same galaxy as Eric anyway). Instead, I'm going to be the biggest, most present version of myself.

So that's what I'm working on. It's intangible and odd and challenging, but I feel like I'm making progress. I also have physical requirements to meet, and I'm slowly knocking those out too. But this CrossFit stuff is very much like jiu jitsu in that the lasting lessons/takeaways have relatively little to do with how to perform a correct squat, and relatively lots to do with how to be a better person--the biggest me I can be.

I'm struggling with making the time to write. I'm writing here, in my blog, though I haven't written since last Sunday, but I'm not working on creating a book deal. I thought I was still smarting from being dumped by my agent last summer, but I really don't think that's it. It's just that things conspire to fill the spaces in my life. In good ways. But I intend to be more diligent about it; the writing truly is important to me, so now I need to demonstrate that to myself, to others, and to the universe.

I've been wondering lately if part of my block against making the time to write is that I don't want to encounter the quiet place in my mind. If there are things lurking there that I don't want to face. So of course that means I need to face them. Add to to-do list: meditate. Or at least get quiet. Turn the radio off in the car. Turn off the TV (but not Judge Judy). I intend to have a much better year this year than I did in 2009, so I want to be all proactive and shit about it.

So maybe it's time to go be pensive. Oh, and I forgot it was Superbowl Sunday until about 10 this morning. Congrats to the Saints! And now, back to gumming my dinner.

I remember when I was first introduced to the choke. It was back in the mid 80’s – by grappling and American Stunt legend Gene LeBell. I went around to have dinner at Gene’s house in Los Angeles, accompanied by then Word Kickboxing Champion Stan Longinidis. After we had finished dinner, Gene invited us upstairs to take a look at some of his training memorablia and discussions soon turned to his old-school pro-wrestling career and the famous Gene LeBell sleeper hold. I couldn’t help but ask if I could experience the technique first-hand – and anyone who knows Gene LeBell, knows that he is always ready to oblige such silly requests. He sat me down, slapped on a back-choke and asked me to count backwards from ten. Five or six seconds into the distracting exercise, the lights went out, and the vivid, technicolor dreams began.
When I came to, my eyes beheld the strangest of sights; there was Stan Longinidis, standing up on top of Gene LeBell’s sofa, as if he’d seen a mouse; mouth open and breathing more heavily than a world champ should. What a great experience. Suddenly I became a huge fan of the choke. It slipped quietly from the ‘theory’ column to the ‘practical’ column – and I knew I needed to master this art. That very same week, I sought out my first BJJ class. And so my serious study began.
10-9-8-7-6-5 ……
JBW

A Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, once said “you can never bathe in the same river twice”. He said this, inferring that everything changes, the river you step into now, is not the same river you step into even one second later.
Buddha, I can only guess, would have agreed, and probably would also have pointed out that the You that steps into the river now, is not the same as the You that steps into the river a minute later. The river has no permanence and neither do You – in fact, nothing has permanence.
The BAD: This can sound gloomy to some; we strive to hold onto our relationships, our health, our situations, our possessions – but none of it is permanent; eventually, all of it will decay and dissolve. If this sounds a bit gloomy – let’s consider the Good aspects …
The GOOD: If everything is changing (including ourselves) then every day, every minute, provides us with opportunity to embrace a new way of being, a new way of seeing, a new way of doing. This is exciting. By understanding that nothing is permanent, we learn to embrace the possibility of change – and that is one of the reasons why life is such an adventure.
Every time we hit the mat – indeed, every time we perform a sweep, an escape or an attack, we are a little different, a little transformed, from the moment before. Every time we practise a technique, we should be open to seeing it differently and understanding it a little better. Change is good – this is how we learn. Whenever we learn something, the neural pathways in our brain change slightly. And every time the neural pathways in our brain change, we are open to seeing things in a different way; impermanence is at the very heart of change, growth and development.
The UGLY: The only Ugly part here is the way we tend to marinate ourselves in negative feelings when we really don’t have to at all. The realisation that nothing is permanent and everything changes makes it a little easier to accept things as they are, and not as we think they should be – and a little easier to live in a state of peace with ourselves and our fellow human beings.
Live well …
JBW

Short Review: As far as I'm aware, this 2005 set is still the only BJJ instructional produced by a female black belt. Unlike its contemporaries, like Saulo's DVDs from a year earlier, Omatsu's release is no longer that easy to find. That's unfortunate, because the first two DVDs form a superlative introduction to BJJ. Omatsu has a relaxed, friendly style, with plenty of detail, helped by the multiple angles and zooms. The last two DVDs present more advanced techniques, though I wouldn't say there is anything beyond a blue belt here. Available to buy here and here, or if those are out of stock, try here and here.

Full Review: Cindy Omatsu was the first non-Brazilian woman to achieve the rank of black belt, promoted by Rigan Machado. She was also, as far as I'm aware, the first woman of any nationality to release a Brazilian jiu jitsu instructional DVD. Her assistant is a certain Felicia Oh, who would receive her own black belt not long afterwards, and has since grown to be one of the most successful women in the sport.

This DVD set is supposed to be the Brazilian jiu jitsu installment of a series entitled Vicious Vixens. There are other DVDs covering muay thai and MMA, featuring Lisa King and Debi Purcell respectively. Presumably the reason for the somewhat dubious name are the female teachers, but fortunately that is the only example of women being treated differently than men on the DVD (or at least that's true for Omatsu's contribution: I haven't seen the others).

Omatsu splits her instruction across the four DVDs by level, beginning with 'Basic BJJ', then 'Beginner', 'Intermediate' and 'Advanced.' Each DVD is between forty to fifty minutes long, divided into various sections, normally based around a particular position.

Omatsu wears a white gi while Oh wears a black one, always an important point to include in any BJJ instructional: otherwise, it can be difficult to sort out the tangle of limbs. The camerawork is also good, with multiple angles and frequent zooms when more detail is required. Omatsu goes through each technique at least twice, sometimes more, adding in details along the way. She also points out common mistakes, and is relatively concise.

Basic BJJ (forty-two minutes) certainly lives up to its billing. Omatsu starts from the absolute fundamentals, showing the viewer how to tap. She then moves on to what she feels are the four basic positions: the guard, side control, mount and back mount. I particularly liked the way this was all logically connected, passing the guard into side control, then transitioning to mount, before taking back mount as your opponent rolls to their stomach.

Guard is described as a neutral position, but noting that the person with their legs around you has a slight advantage, due to the possibility of sweeping and submitting. I certainly feel a lot more comfortable in guard, but I imagine there are plenty of instructors who would insist that it is always better to be on top, including in the guard.

After about five minutes, Omatsu follows with some warm-up drills, again making certain to cover off the absolute fundamentals. That means she has Felicia Oh shrimp up and down the mat (though Omatsu prefers the term 'hip escape', which is fairly common), before adding in a useful complication.

Rather than just shrimping against thin air, Omatsu stands above Oh and walks up the mat with her. That means that the shrimping motion is put into practical context, something which is all too easy to forget when you've done it a hundred times at the start of every lesson. This is also something Rich Green used to do when I was at Combat Athletics.

The mechanics of the triangle, bridging, shoulder rolls and leg circles complete the basic drills, taking the DVD to the fourteen minute mark. Leg circling possibly requires a bit more explanation, as not every club I've been to does it: the idea is to practice establishing hooks from spider guard, circling around the arm. As with shrimping, Omatsu demonstrates the application from open guard.

Omatsu dubs her next section 'Basic Techniques', though this is less specific techniques than outlining the fundamental motions and postures in BJJ. Omatsu keeps to the positional hierarchy she laid out earlier, beginning with the guard. Omatsu shows the importance of good base and proper posture, including squeezing your knees into their hips to stop them moving. She also reiterates essential tips like always keeping either both arms in or out of the guard.

Interestingly, Omatsu also shows how to properly pull guard from kneeling. This again isn't included in most instructional DVDs I've seen, but it is the kind of thing a beginner will find useful. While there isn't much use for that technique in competition or on the street, it is a common situation when training in class.

Finally on the guard, Omatsu points out something I don't think I've ever considered before, which is how to arrange your feet when sat in somebody's guard. She points out that for safety reasons, you should be sitting directly over your heels, rather than splaying your feet to the side (as in the picture). It is also the first time she says something specific to her gender, mentioning that "a lot of women do this because they can." Generally when she mentions women later on, it is in this context of flexibility.

Side control is up next, covering the correct posture both on top and underneath the position. The key is keeping your weight on your opponent, rather than on your hands and knees. Omatsu's preferred variation of side control appears to be a knee up to block their hip, with the other leg back to increase the downward pressure. She also demonstrates how to cross-face.

On the bottom, it is all about making space. Omatsu takes the posture I'm most familiar with, pressing an arm into the throat while the other blocks their hip. After running through guard recovery, Omatsu explains going to your knees. From there, she takes Oh down into side control, again using the method I'm familiar with, head and leg on the outside.

The mount crops up thirty minutes into the DVD, kicking off with the low mount, grapevining their legs, basing out with your arms. Pointing out the advantages of each version as she goes, Omatsu moves up to a higher mount, making sure to tuck her feet tight to their bum, before bringing her knees to Oh's armpits for a third variation.

Escaping the mount I noticed that, yet again, Omatsu appears to have learned the same way I did, judging by her hand grips (though I would grip closer to the wrist). I'm not sure if that indicates Rigan teaches in a similar fashion to Roger and his instructors (as I first learned the basics at RGA HQ), or if it just something smaller people do. Either way, this fleshes out the observation I made when reviewing Gracie Combatives.

The last few minutes are spent on back mount. Sticking within the 'basic' remit, Omatsu simply lets her opponent roll under mount, then inserts her hooks as Oh turns around. Rather than locking her hands together as in Gracie Combatives, she takes advantage of the gi and secures a collar grip, using that to help point Oh towards the ceiling.

This time she doesn't show any escapes, instead adding in the first submissions of the DVD series, a couple of chokes. I would have expected a rear naked choke, but Omatsu prefers to run through two collar choke, which upon reflection makes sense, given that she already has that collar grip. The DVD finishes with both Omatsu and Oh joking their way through the final technique: you can tell these are two long-time training partners, which contributes to the overall friendly atmosphere of the DVD series.

As that previous DVD documented the basic postures and movements, Beginning BJJ (fifty-two minutes) can get right into submissions. Omatsu begins with the armbar from mount, assuming that your opponent makes the beginner error of pushing up on your chest with their arms. You can then simply post on their chest, spin, and slide down the arm, before dropping back to apply the joint lock.

That is followed by an Americana, which again is predicated on your opponent raising their arms, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Omatsu uses the thumbless grip, due to the possibility of your partner using your thumb as a lever to escape. Helpfully, the camera zooms in on details, something which is a positive feature of the series as a whole.

Omatsu gives out a helpful tip at this point, which is using your head to help push their hand to the mat. That can provide the extra leverage you need if they're being especially difficult. Once you've got their arm to the mat, Omatsu also suggests inserting your second hand through the side, if they have managed to clamp their elbow so tightly that you can't slip underneath.

For the choke from mount, Omatsu does not show the straightforward cross choke you might expect. Instead, she grabs one collar, then circles her other arm around. This is the style Roger Gracie normally uses, and also seems to result in a more stable base, as you don't immediately commit both your arms. Omatsu emphasises getting your knees up their body first, so that you're away from the bridging power of their hips.

In a technique mainly specific to sparring in class from the knees, Omatsu then demonstrates how to pull guard into a scissor sweep, building on pulling guard in the previous DVD. There are a fair few people who dismiss sparring from the knees as unrealistic, but it nevertheless remains a constant at most BJJ classes, due to space and safety considerations if nothing else. Also, there is the JohnnyS argument, which is that you can use techniques from the knees if you find yourself in a scramble, among various other situations.

Armbar from the guard is covered next, using the set-up I'm most familiar with. Omatsu shows two possible grips to use on the sleeve, and states that you don't want to cross your feet. She also, handily, has a follow-up sweep if you get stacked while attempting the armbar, where you drive you leg down on their head, then grab their far trouser leg and roll them into mount.

Throughout the DVD, Omatsu will run through each technique several times from a few different angles. As she does so, she'll also add in further details, such as here, where she notes you can pull them in with your legs to initially break their posture.

The next ten minutes are spent swiftly describing several fundamental attacks. First, the basic choke from guard, which takes just over a minute, with another four minutes on the kimura from guard. As with the Americana, Omatsu opts for the thumbless grip. This contrasts with several other instructors, such as Rener Gracie, who feel that the thumb provides greater leverage without the same danger of being used to aid an escape. She finishes off with the guillotine, as that connects well with a kimura attempt.

A final ten minutes cover passing the guard. Omatsu's method for opening the guard at first looks the same as Saulo's preferred technique. She inserts the knee and steps back, but then digs her elbow into the thigh, which is exactly what Saulo recommends against. It can work, but personally I dislike that particular guard break, because it relies on hurting your partner rather than using body mechanics and leverage.

She follows up with a pass, sitting on the leg, backstepping, blocking the hip with her hand then moving into side control. Though I'm not fond of the preceding guard break, it is nevertheless very clearly explained in combination with the pass. Omatsu shows the viewer three different angles, carefully pointing out hand position, legs and grips.

To finish, Omatsu includes the same guard break Roy Dean showed me at his UK seminar, which is also part of Purple Belt Requirements. You can either push into their biceps or the armpits, aiming to make enough room to stand and insert your knee. Once in place, sit back down, sliding them down your knee, which should provide enough pressure to open the guard. Omatu's version makes it clear that you create a space in which to place your knee, which wasn't quite as obvious on Purple Belt Requirements (then again, Omatsu's application may well be slightly different). To pass, Omatsu then uses a leg pin pass.

The third volume, Intermediate BJJ (just under forty-six minutes) opens with a method for reaching open guard from closed. You feet move to their hips, while you grip both their sleeves, pulling their arms around your knees. From this position, Omatsu is able to launch a number of attacks, which can also function together as a sequence.

The first submission is an omoplata from guard. This also provides Omatsu with the opportunity to highlight the importance of following through when doing a drill, and that you need to be working out with a partner on the mat, to facilitate resistance training. It is a point worth repeating, particularly with the proliferation of online training programs over the last couple of years.

She moves on to a triangle, before combining that into a sequence with the armbar and omoplata. If they pull their arm out of the armbar attempt, you can swivel around their other arm, moving into an omoplata. Omatsu traps the arm at a right angle by pulling it across her leg, grabbing their belt, then clamping her other arm on top in the process. Should they attempt to posture up out of that, Omatsu swivels back, locking in a triangle.

I'm keen to start building attack series, as Roy Dean advises on Purple Belt Requirements. Omatsu delivers a classic option, teaching each element separately before joining the three techniques into a flowing offence. She also demonstrates a few sweeps, such as a scissor followed by a push sweep from that earlier spider guard variation. Rather than a shin across the stomach, she uses the leverage of a foot in the bicep.

Having covered sweeps from the knees, Omatsu then demonstrates several against a standing opponent. Strangely for an intermediate DVD, one of those is a basic ankle grab. Categorisation is always difficult, but I'm not quite sure why she left this until intermediate. Either way, it does give her a chance to make an important point: "when your opponent is grabbing you, you want to grab back. You don't want to let them control you."

The last ten minutes are again devoted to passing the guard. This time, that is specifically open guard. They have their feet on your hips and are grabbing your sleeves. You grab back, pull their knees towards you so they're on the floor, then sit down and squeeze your knees together. To finish, you grip their trouser leg and behind their gi, then spin them straight into side control.

Finally, Omatsu shows a similar set-up, where as before you get their feet to the floor, crushing their knees together. This ends up as effectively a sort of butterfly guard. This time, she is a little more acrobatic in passing, gripping a trouser leg behind their calf, then flipping right over the top and rotating into side control.

The fourth and last DVD, Advanced BJJ (forty-seven minutes) kicks off with eight and a half minutes of takedowns. As far as I can tell, these draw more on wrestling than judo, based around a single leg, but then my takedown knowledge is quite poor.

Omatsu progresses to submissions from side control, starting with an arm triangle if they try to shove their arm up into your neck. She shifts into scarf hold after that, developing another attack sequence, which encompasses five different options.

It begins with the step-over armbar demonstrated on Renzo's old set, which like Renzo, moves into an Americana with the legs, if they slip their arm out of danger. Should that fail, Omatsu shifts into the side control/scarf hold triangle I've mentioned a few times recently, which enables her to attack for a kimura. You could also go for a straight armbar from there, or indeed an Americana, depending on where they move their arm. If the kimura doesn't get a tap, Omatsu pulls that arm up, then swivels round into an armbar.

Again, much of what Omatsu shows on these four DVDs are techniques I have seen in class, with the same set-up. That continues when she shows a choke from technical mount, as a response to her partner rolling away from her in side control. This is the same submission Kev has taught a few times in class, meaning that Omatsu's instructional is an ideal way for me to review techniques I already know, but want to refine. As with Kev, Omatsu finishes by applying an armbar, if for some reason the choke isn't working out.

Having explored side control, Omatsu adds attacks from the mount. Similarly, the armbar she shows here is also something Kev has included in class. The advantage of this set-up is that you can apply it either by falling back or going belly down, so your opponent is stuck either way they try to roll. Along with the armbar, Omatsu shows how you can move into a mounted triangle, pushing on their shoulder and stepping over as they attempt to elbow escape.

Yet more sweeps from guard follow. The first is a little unorthodox, and possibly low percentage. Omatsu controls the sleeve, gets a cross grip, then either grabs the pant leg or swims under their leg. Swinging her leg over their arm, she rolls over to face the floor, knocking them onto their back with her body. From there, Omatsu spins directly into an armbar.

The second sweep is more standard, off an omoplata, after which Omatsu describes a few grip breaks if you're having trouble completing the armbar. Some are relatively standard, like moving in a semi-circle to loosen their grip, while others are more risky, like kicking it loose with your foot. To finish, Omatsu narrates a couple of armbar escapes, which Felicia Oh demonstrates step by step.

It is a shame this set is no longer easy to find, as the first two DVDs are excellent for beginners. I especially liked the fundamental nature of the opening video, which was well complemented by the selection of techniques in the second DVD. It is also refreshing to see a female black belt teach on a BJJ DVD: hopefully others will follow suit, as this series is now five years old. There are plenty of prominent women in BJJ today, like Hillary Williams, Lana Stefanac and indeed Omatsu's old training partner Felicia Oh, all of whom could no doubt produce a decent instructional.

Available to buy here and here, or if those are out of stock, try here and here. As ever, you could also always look on eBay:

Class #282

RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 02/02/2010

Kev went over some points about maintaining the mount to begin the lesson, commenting that shifting to technical mount is a good option if they being to escape. He also noted that if they manage to get their knee through and under your leg, you've pretty much lost mount. At that point, it would be sensible to shift into a pass, rather than struggling to get back to mount and probably getting reversed.

The technique he showed was a choke from technical mount, much the same as one he has shown before. As they elbow escape, shift into technical mount. Reach under their top arm and open up the collar, feeding it to your other hand, which will be around their head. Bring your top arm behind their head, then knife hand downwards while straightening your arm. That should put on the choke, presuming you've got a decent grip on their collar with your other hand.

Next was something rather more unorthodox, a shoulder lock from mount. This is a bit low percentage, but Kev mentioned he has managed to land it on people who are being especially defensive, clamming up with their arms crossed. Start by pulling out one side of their gi on the same side as the arm they have on top. Bring that gi lapel over their arm, towards the elbow. Feed it through to your same side hand, then bring your opposite hand over and underneath, switching your grip.

You are now simply going to gradually tighten that lapel, pulling the material with the lower hand, locking it in place with the upper hand, then pulling it again. As you do so, their arm will be twisted in an increasingly painful fashion, until eventually they're put in a shoulder lock.

After submitting me later in class, Kev also showed me a straightforward escape from a bow and arrow choke. All you do if reach under your leg and grab the same side lapel their holding for the choke. Push with your leg to straighten it out, which will mean they are no longer able to pull the collar into your neck. That should give you some time to work your way free: it's effectively a stalling tactic for breathing room.

During free sparring, I found myself under side control a lot. I'm happy under orthodox side control, but I run into trouble when they shift their base. I think it's modified scarf hold, because they don't have control of my arm, so must have reached under the far arm. Either way, I find that a lot more problematic to escape, so definitely need to review my scarf hold escapes. I was shifting my legs towards their head, to try and bring a leg round, but I think I'm still missing a few elements.

I'm also still playing around with the triangle position under side control. Not everyone puts themselves in position for me to try it, but there are a few who keep their head low, meaning that I can trap it with my leg. It doesn't normally go anywhere as an attack, but I found tonight it definitely helped me escape, as it distracted them from maintaining their position.

With Callum, I've been ending up in the exact same position for months. We start from our knees, I move to pass, he goes up on his side. I'm sort of in his half guard, but I can't secure an underhook, his knee is in the way of my torso, and I can't get much of a grip with my other arm.

I want to try and flatten him out, but that knee stops me coming forward. The other option I've been trying to push his knees together, control the hips, then move round. So far, that hasn't been working for me, but then I think I'm still doing it wrong: as I end up there so often with Callum, should have plenty of opportunity to practice.

I'm also still not threatening properly in open guard. I have some idea of what to do when I have my legs hooked, such as going for a tripod sweep, but I'm far less active in spider guard. I can get the grips, but then I normally find myself just maintaining the position, circling my legs, pushing them back as they try to pass.

I need to threaten a sweep, so that the initiative isn't completely with my partner. Again, something I'll have to review, as I'm sure I've been shown various spider guard sweeps over the years: Gustavo was also teaching open guard sweeps at RGA, so I'll check back in my notes.

I won't be training on Thursday again, as I'm visiting my gf down in Bristol: it's becoming a relatively regular pattern of every two weeks or so (though that will change once one or both of us settle into a proper job).

Class #281

RGA High Wycombe, (BJJ), Kev Capel, High Wycombe, UK - 02/02/2010

Two great posts on the BJJ blogosphere recently. First one is NinjaEditor interviewing BJJ Grrl, running through the typical list of questions that might be on the mind of a woman looking to get on the mats for the first time. Secondly, fellow UK and RGA BJJer Meerkatsu put together a thorough piece on buying a gi.

My instructor Kev Capel won silver at the Europeans, in his brown belt featherweight masters category. Even better, the guy he lost to is also RGA: judging by the results, it was a pretty good result for the UK. Oli Geddes naturally won his division yet again, and I saw on the EFN that while I was training tonight, he got his brown belt from Roger down in London. Which is very cool: Oli has been tearing up the competition scene at every belt level, so definitely well-deserved.

As I mentioned last time, Tuesday now starts with a 'fundamentals' section based around self defence. It isn't something I'm keen on, but if I'm going to do it, I'm glad Kev is the one teaching. Before saying anything else, he makes clear that for self-defence you need to cross-train striking. He also emphasised that the haymaker defence we did today was quite specific: anybody who has a clue about striking wouldn't throw a punch like that.

Techniques today were all very basic, but that's good: you can never drill the basics too much. This week, it's mount, so Kev showed the trap and roll followed by the elbow escape. When Howard and I drill basic moves, we like to make it continuous, so rather than just doing the escape then resetting or having the other person get up and go on top, we'll practicing passing the guard into mount. That meant that along with developing my mount escapes, I also had a chance to play with some guard breaks and passes, or sweeps to mount after elbow escaping back to guard.

Sparring from mount I'm continuing to try and maintain the position, by staying low and grapevining the legs. I'm also trying to always swim with the arms to stop them getting trapped, and seeing if I can attack with an Ezequiel. I moved into place a few times, but on each occasion I stopped. That's because in order to attempt the submission, I would have to shove my hand down my training partner's head, crushing their face until I can reach the neck. At the moment, I'm not willing to do that. So, either I need to come up with a different set-up, or get over my discomfort with being mean.

I also found that I was sometimes getting my arms grabbed and shoved downwards, which hasn't happened much before. I get the feeling that I'm missing some obvious submission opportunity, but last night, I was just shifting down to grapevines in order to regain my posture when that happened. One of the white belts also made the classic error of pushing up, leaving his arms vulnerable. My armbar from mount was pretty sloppy, but I was keen to make certain he understood it was a bad idea to try and bench press, so focused on landing the submission.

Kev asked me to go with a white belt during the specific sparring, as this white belt had been relying too much on strength: Kev wanted to encourage him to be more technical. I'm not sure if he picked me because I'm small, or because I was one or only three blue belts there. Either way, it made me think of this thread, as I noticed I was talking too much in my efforts to help. While I was trying to explain how he needed to be careful of leaving space for me to shrimp, I got a blank look. That made me stop and realise I was babbling. It is important to be concise when giving advice, rather than overloading with details as more and more spring to mind.

Underneath, I could normally get back to guard, but I'm relying too much on that one escape. I did bridge and roll at one point, because I saw the opportunity, but stepping over to trap the leg, go to half guard, then shrimp to full guard is my bread and butter. I need to improve my ability to combine the two escapes, especially against higher level belts.