Yesterday we covered one of our favorites, a sweet leg lock flow. Starting from the guard, you posture up and begin a lunge pass, and as you do, bring your forward leg up into a knee shield. Drive the knee shield over their thigh, pinning it to the ground. As you slide it over, swim your other leg around their body and plant your foot on the mat, in front of their stomach, and immediately slide it under their upper body to defend against the toe hold. Scoot your hips in tight to theirs, your bottom foot should have the boot on in the middle of their crack, and cup their knee that is in between your legs to pull it in tight, and then pinch your legs together. From here, slide your hand up to the toes of the top leg (keeping constant pressure) and bring the leg up to 12:00 and then compress their foot over your quad muscle for a compression lock. Next, scoot your hips out a couple short bumps, and bring your other arm out and around the back of their leg that you are still grabbing the toes of, and grab your own wrist. Shrug your shoulders, put your head on your hands, and turn their foot away from your body for a toe hold. Shrimping your hips back in tight, release the toe hold, and with your top side arm, trap the foot in your arm pit, and wrap around the heel with your forearm, clasp your hands together, and turn for a long heel hook. Slide your wrist down so your radial bone is right on the back of their heel, and instead of twisting, just pull it straight back for a short heel hook. Shrimp your hips out, reach under the leg for an ankle lock, and then shrimp back in, post up on your bottom side elbow and then ratchet back on the post, looking over your shoulder until they tap. Next, straighten out your top side leg in front of you, and post up on the foot. Facing directly away from them, sit down on their butt, and lean back for the half crab. Lastly, reach down to cup the knee of their leg that you have under your arm with your free hand, pop up your other leg so you are on both feet, reach your other hand down so that both hands are cupping the knee, then sit back and pull up for the tap.
I really like this flow, and it really sheds a whole new light on leg locks as a whole. Some of the options for leg locks are not available until you get to more experienced levels of competition, but that's fine by me, I love 'em! Great day of class, and it's almost home stretch time for Arlington!!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
MMA and me; day 255/256
The past two days in the gym were spent grappling. As we get closer to the tournament, the focus is gong to be more and more on cardio, with a bit of technique thrown in to keep it fresh. Helping Batman and Brandon get ready for their fights this weekend, and then next week it will be hard core weight cutting. Things I need to work on, urgency and patience. Sounds weird, but they in fact do go hand in hand.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
MMA and me; day 254
Knee bar from half guard is where we left off, and we focused on the step over, and the back spin. Both utilize the same checklist while going for the knee bar, so we will focus on the step over. From half guard, swing your outside leg over their head, and end up sitting on their stomach, with both feet firmly planted on the mat, and swim your inside arm under their outside knee, elbow pit deep, and secure a rear naked choke grip. Keeping your hips in tight to their body, roll off to the outside of their body, keeping their knee tight in against your chest, and pinching it tight with your knees. Work your arms up to the heel, and keeping it tight, extend your hips and arch your back, pulling back on the heel, but keeping it in tight to your chest. You also don't want to focus solely on pulling the leg towards you, but also extending it lengthwise. This makes it much easier, and gives you a shorter distance to extend to finish the submission.
We also drilled a counter to the defense of the knee bar, which was pretty cool. As you secure the knee and roll over, they will likely throw their other leg over the ankle of the leg being threatened. So instead of rolling to the side, scoot your hips over so your butt is on the mat next to theirs, and throw your outside leg over their topside leg, and then bring it in close to your hips so you can figure four your legs. All the while, you have maintained the rear naked choke under their knee pit, but now you want to slide it out just a bit, so your wrist is in between their calf and hamstring, bring your arm parallel to the ground, and pull your elbow towards you while pushing your fist away, and at the same time pull their legs in as close to your hips as you can with your legs. This is a nasty compression lock, and they will likely do everything they can to extend their legs and get out of it, which just puts them right back into the knee bar. It's beautiful!!
Great day of classes last night, and I can't wait for fighters training tonight!!
We also drilled a counter to the defense of the knee bar, which was pretty cool. As you secure the knee and roll over, they will likely throw their other leg over the ankle of the leg being threatened. So instead of rolling to the side, scoot your hips over so your butt is on the mat next to theirs, and throw your outside leg over their topside leg, and then bring it in close to your hips so you can figure four your legs. All the while, you have maintained the rear naked choke under their knee pit, but now you want to slide it out just a bit, so your wrist is in between their calf and hamstring, bring your arm parallel to the ground, and pull your elbow towards you while pushing your fist away, and at the same time pull their legs in as close to your hips as you can with your legs. This is a nasty compression lock, and they will likely do everything they can to extend their legs and get out of it, which just puts them right back into the knee bar. It's beautiful!!
Great day of classes last night, and I can't wait for fighters training tonight!!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
MMA and me; day 253
Back at the leg locks, and we once again covered the Imanari entry, but expanded it to somewhat include attacking from the knees and from the feet. We will gradually get to where we can enter into a heel hook or straight ankle lock from standing, but for now we are just focusing on getting the basic mechanics down. From your back, facing up with your opponent standing at your head facing you, reach inside their left knee with your right hand, and roll up onto your shoulders. From there, pull the knee bent and towards you, and rotate your hips around to the outside, sweeping your left leg behind their calves, while pushing their hips back with your right foot, and pinching your knees around their left leg. As they fall back, scoot on to your right hip, and get your hips in as close to theirs as possible, making sure to keep the boot on your left foot in the middle of their butt, and pushing their right leg away with your own right foot. Shrimp your hips out to create space, reach over and under the leg for an ankle lock, and then quickly shrimp back in. Post up on your other arm and begin steadily ratcheting around behind yourself while looking over your shoulder until they tap.
We next worked on an entry while standing over an opponent who is on their back with their head away from you. Cupping underneath the heels, slide your left hand to the inside of the knee and pin it to the mat, stacking your bones so you are not using strength, but rather your weight, to hold it down. Swim your left knee over the top of their right thigh, all the way to the mat, and then swing your other leg over the top, tucking your foot under their upper body, to prevent toe holds. From here, pinch your knees together, and much like before, scoot out, grab the ankle lock, scoot back in, post up, and ratchet around for the tap.
We also covered the back spin knee bar, but seeing as how we went over all of these tonight as well, I will cover the knee bar tomorrow. Gotta keep you coming back somehow...
Oh yeah, during fighters training, I got whooped on, then sweated, and then whooped on some more. It was great!!!
We next worked on an entry while standing over an opponent who is on their back with their head away from you. Cupping underneath the heels, slide your left hand to the inside of the knee and pin it to the mat, stacking your bones so you are not using strength, but rather your weight, to hold it down. Swim your left knee over the top of their right thigh, all the way to the mat, and then swing your other leg over the top, tucking your foot under their upper body, to prevent toe holds. From here, pinch your knees together, and much like before, scoot out, grab the ankle lock, scoot back in, post up, and ratchet around for the tap.
We also covered the back spin knee bar, but seeing as how we went over all of these tonight as well, I will cover the knee bar tomorrow. Gotta keep you coming back somehow...
Oh yeah, during fighters training, I got whooped on, then sweated, and then whooped on some more. It was great!!!
MMA and me; day 252
Leg locks!!! We are getting back into them, and I couldn't be happier. We started off with a few drills like spinning from our back into a guard with the opponent standing at our head, spinning off the wall, and then we went right into the Imanari entry to a heel hook. Laying on your back with your opponent standing at your head, you reach up with the right hand and grab the back of the opposite side knee from the inside. Roll up onto your shoulders and spin around so your left leg comes behind them, and your right leg scissors in front of them, using your momentum to take them down to their back side. From here, their left leg will be trapped between your knees, and you can cup the top of their knee to pull it in tight as you pinch your knees together to secure it. As you pinch your knees, the foot will pop out, just begging to be attacked. You can get a pretty nasty heel hook, but since those are not legal until just about the top levels of competition, we were instead working on Achilles, or straight ankle locks. For this, instead of reaching back and trapping the top of the foot and exposing the heel, shrimp your hips out a bit, and go all the way under the leg, putting the entire foot in your arm pit. Quickly shrimp back in, and pull your hand under the leg up to your chest and look back over the opposite side shoulder while arching your back for the tap.
A few things to remember: roll up onto your shoulders, and stay up there until you have completely spun around behind them and start sweeping them down. As you spin around behind them, I find it much easier to maintain good position if you pinch your knees before you get them all the way to the mat. This just makes it easier to secure the knee, and you don't have to do much readjustment once you hit the mat. You should be on your hip at all times once you come down off your shoulders, as it just helps give you the control and leverage you need when you're hunting for the ankle lock.
We next moved onto an entry from standing. As you control the feet, slide a hand to the inside of the knee, and as you push it to the mat, bring your same side knee in a crescent motion, in between the legs and over the thigh to the mat on the far side of their leg. Whip your other leg over the top and plant your foot on the mat, then slide it in underneath their body. This is very important! It helps secure their leg, but it also prevents them from attacking your top side leg. Keeping your boot on of the leg in between their leg, and pressing it flush against the middle of their backside, pull their knee in tight to your body, and scoot your hips in as close to theirs as you can. As you pinch your knees, much like before, it pops their foot up, and leaves it vulnerable. So like before, you reach under the leg, keep your palm flush against your chest, dig that radial bone into the Achilles tendon, and look over the far shoulder and arch. Glad to back into leg locks!
A few things to remember: roll up onto your shoulders, and stay up there until you have completely spun around behind them and start sweeping them down. As you spin around behind them, I find it much easier to maintain good position if you pinch your knees before you get them all the way to the mat. This just makes it easier to secure the knee, and you don't have to do much readjustment once you hit the mat. You should be on your hip at all times once you come down off your shoulders, as it just helps give you the control and leverage you need when you're hunting for the ankle lock.
We next moved onto an entry from standing. As you control the feet, slide a hand to the inside of the knee, and as you push it to the mat, bring your same side knee in a crescent motion, in between the legs and over the thigh to the mat on the far side of their leg. Whip your other leg over the top and plant your foot on the mat, then slide it in underneath their body. This is very important! It helps secure their leg, but it also prevents them from attacking your top side leg. Keeping your boot on of the leg in between their leg, and pressing it flush against the middle of their backside, pull their knee in tight to your body, and scoot your hips in as close to theirs as you can. As you pinch your knees, much like before, it pops their foot up, and leaves it vulnerable. So like before, you reach under the leg, keep your palm flush against your chest, dig that radial bone into the Achilles tendon, and look over the far shoulder and arch. Glad to back into leg locks!
Monday, June 11, 2012
MMA and me; day 250/251
So Wednesday was a little different. Instead of having a grappling based class, we did a modified fighters training. We worked a little bit on some grappling, but it was mostly cardio based. We did some neck wrestling, which is basically pummeling in to a clinch and trying to stay there, worked some ground and pound, and interestingly enough, worked on some of the psychological aspects of fighting and competing. Great day of work, and an excellent lead in to Thursday.
The following day we continued to drill on defending the triangle. We worked on the wedge/hook pass again. You take your arm that is in, and drop the elbow to the mat while framing up that same hand against their rib cage. This helps buy you some time to escape, but also prevents them from cutting an angle to lock in the choke. From here, walk your hand down their body, forcing your elbow up their knee until their legs pop open. Next, you spin and throw your other arm straight over them, to an imaginary spot somewhere to the mat on the other side of their body, escaping from the sub and landing in side control, making sure to come under their head with the top side arm, and C blocking their legs with the bottom side arm. We then moved onto the stack pass. When they lock up the triangle, pop up to your feet nice and wide, and hop towards their head in heavy, almost exaggerated hops, sinking your hips low with each bounce. As you get close to their head, and their triangle opens, take one more hop over their hips, so you are sitting on the back of their legs with their neck on the mat, facing away from them. From here, throw a leg over, and back spin around the head to land in side control. It's important to emphasize the constant pressure at all times! I know that's redundant, but that's how important it is! Lastly we drilled the sprawl and turn. Lock both hands behind the backside, and sprawl your hips out, creating space around your neck. Start tiptoeing around to the same side of your arm that is outside the choke until you are close enough to throw your legs over their body and spin into side control. You have to make sure you lock your hands behind them before you sprawl out, or you will go to sleep. Getting your hips back as far as you can, and getting as flat to the mat as you can is only a small pit stop, that lets you get to the next part of the defense, which is actually escaping. Great grappling class again, and it was time for fighters training.
A lot more cardio was on tap for fighters training. We worked medicine balls, jogging, muay thai drills, LOTS of neck exercises, more neck wrestling, and we finished the day with some light MMA sparring! That was fun, and at the same time terrifying! Awesome day, and we're coming down to the last few weeks before the tournament, so the work is going to get intense!
The following day we continued to drill on defending the triangle. We worked on the wedge/hook pass again. You take your arm that is in, and drop the elbow to the mat while framing up that same hand against their rib cage. This helps buy you some time to escape, but also prevents them from cutting an angle to lock in the choke. From here, walk your hand down their body, forcing your elbow up their knee until their legs pop open. Next, you spin and throw your other arm straight over them, to an imaginary spot somewhere to the mat on the other side of their body, escaping from the sub and landing in side control, making sure to come under their head with the top side arm, and C blocking their legs with the bottom side arm. We then moved onto the stack pass. When they lock up the triangle, pop up to your feet nice and wide, and hop towards their head in heavy, almost exaggerated hops, sinking your hips low with each bounce. As you get close to their head, and their triangle opens, take one more hop over their hips, so you are sitting on the back of their legs with their neck on the mat, facing away from them. From here, throw a leg over, and back spin around the head to land in side control. It's important to emphasize the constant pressure at all times! I know that's redundant, but that's how important it is! Lastly we drilled the sprawl and turn. Lock both hands behind the backside, and sprawl your hips out, creating space around your neck. Start tiptoeing around to the same side of your arm that is outside the choke until you are close enough to throw your legs over their body and spin into side control. You have to make sure you lock your hands behind them before you sprawl out, or you will go to sleep. Getting your hips back as far as you can, and getting as flat to the mat as you can is only a small pit stop, that lets you get to the next part of the defense, which is actually escaping. Great grappling class again, and it was time for fighters training.
A lot more cardio was on tap for fighters training. We worked medicine balls, jogging, muay thai drills, LOTS of neck exercises, more neck wrestling, and we finished the day with some light MMA sparring! That was fun, and at the same time terrifying! Awesome day, and we're coming down to the last few weeks before the tournament, so the work is going to get intense!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
MMA and me; day 248/249
Last Thursday was a day of a lot of rolling, and going back over the triangles we have been working on. Nothing new, just drilling that repetition, and going back to sharpen off some of the rough edges.
Last night, I was back at it for the full grappling class and then fighters training. We worked on defending the triangle in gi class, and this is something I need to work on. First method, you create a wedge with your arm in by posting your elbow all the way to the ground and against their thigh, while propping your hand up against their ribcage. From here, walk your hand back a little bit at a time to create space, while sliding your elbow up towards their knee. You will either pop the triangle open, or create enough space to hook pass your other hand to the other side of their body, which not only opens the triangle, but pulls you out of it and gets you to a low judo/side control position. From here you can work a gift wrap, arm triangle, etc.
Next was the stack defense, which is a little tough at first, but I think we were getting the hang of it by the end. Utilizing a wide base and getting off of your knees, hop forward four times to take the pressure off of the choke, and at the same time stack them up on the back of their head/neck . As you hop over their head, keep sitting back, throw your right leg over and back spin into side control. The key here, I found, is to not be subtle. Make big, almost exaggerated hops, and really sink your weight down heavy each time. This makes it extremely uncomfortable for your opponent, and much more likely that they release the hold.
Lastly, we worked on one I was a little more familiar with. With your arm in, reach around behind their backside, and clasp your hands. This creates space. Not enough to be considered "out of trouble" but enough to give you some time to work with. Sprawl your legs out behind you, and slowly start to back your feet up, and flatten your hips to the mat. This makes it very difficult for your opponent to finish the choke, and gives you a strong place to begin escaping. Once you are as far out as you can go, begin tiptoeing your feet away from the arm out in a wide arc, until you can throw your feet over their body. From here, all you need to do is pull your arm out, C block the legs, and finish in side control to get ready to begin hunting for your own subs. It's very important to stay as flat as you can here, because if you don't, you will put the triangle on tighter, and that is just no good.
Fighters training was rough, as I hadn't been in a while. Felt a little emotionally worn out by the end, but thankfully I have a great team and coach, and today, I can take on the world!
Last night, I was back at it for the full grappling class and then fighters training. We worked on defending the triangle in gi class, and this is something I need to work on. First method, you create a wedge with your arm in by posting your elbow all the way to the ground and against their thigh, while propping your hand up against their ribcage. From here, walk your hand back a little bit at a time to create space, while sliding your elbow up towards their knee. You will either pop the triangle open, or create enough space to hook pass your other hand to the other side of their body, which not only opens the triangle, but pulls you out of it and gets you to a low judo/side control position. From here you can work a gift wrap, arm triangle, etc.
Next was the stack defense, which is a little tough at first, but I think we were getting the hang of it by the end. Utilizing a wide base and getting off of your knees, hop forward four times to take the pressure off of the choke, and at the same time stack them up on the back of their head/neck . As you hop over their head, keep sitting back, throw your right leg over and back spin into side control. The key here, I found, is to not be subtle. Make big, almost exaggerated hops, and really sink your weight down heavy each time. This makes it extremely uncomfortable for your opponent, and much more likely that they release the hold.
Lastly, we worked on one I was a little more familiar with. With your arm in, reach around behind their backside, and clasp your hands. This creates space. Not enough to be considered "out of trouble" but enough to give you some time to work with. Sprawl your legs out behind you, and slowly start to back your feet up, and flatten your hips to the mat. This makes it very difficult for your opponent to finish the choke, and gives you a strong place to begin escaping. Once you are as far out as you can go, begin tiptoeing your feet away from the arm out in a wide arc, until you can throw your feet over their body. From here, all you need to do is pull your arm out, C block the legs, and finish in side control to get ready to begin hunting for your own subs. It's very important to stay as flat as you can here, because if you don't, you will put the triangle on tighter, and that is just no good.
Fighters training was rough, as I hadn't been in a while. Felt a little emotionally worn out by the end, but thankfully I have a great team and coach, and today, I can take on the world!
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