MMA and me; day 232/233

Man, where does the time go? Last Thursday, we went over our list of ten arm triangles with a partner for most of the class, drilling position and pressure, making sure to keep the elbow under the head on the mat, and tiptoeing the knees around the head to really tighten up the choke. In fighters training I cornered Reagan, Jayce, Brent, Corby, and Elijah in sparring rounds, and then we moved on to grappling for the last half hour.

Monday, I got to the gym late because of work, so I only got a little bit of technique, but thankfully it was stuff I need to work on; defending the arm triangle, and counters to that defense. SO the usual defense is called answering the phone. Take the hand that is on the same side of the body that your opponent is on, and reach back to the back of your head, as though you were answering a phone, This helps create space, and gives you extra time to continue escaping. From there, you need to turn hard, into your opponent, in a move we lovingly call "breaking your own nose" as you are driving it past your bicep, and it is very much not comfortable. Another wrinkle to this, is taking your "phone answering arm off the back of your head, and attempting to straighten it out as you turn, to get it out and around their head, all the way to the mat. From this point, you are clear of any submission danger, and are in great position to take their back.

I mentioned a couple of counters to the defense, and here they are. As they go to answer the phone, reach under their head with your outside arm, and grab their wrist. Pull it as far over your head as you can, and if they haven't tapped by the time you get it to your far shoulder, continue pulling it as you lift your head off the mat, and they will have no choice but to tap. Secondly, if you are having a hard time pulling the hand out from under the head, grab it with your inside hand, around the back of the wrist, and then get your outside hand there as well. While bending the hand in towards you, drive into them with your shoulder that was applying the pressure for the arm triangle, and they will eventually be forced to tap, This does NOT feel good.

We finished with a great chunk of grappling time, and from here on out, it is going to be a lot of wrestling, bjj, and all around grappling practice for me as I get ready for my tournaments. Time to get it!