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!