Sweeps, Rivalry and Midnight rolling

The following took place over the last few days:

Thursday:

I think to myself that I cannot rely soley on the sit up sweep as people are getting wise to it, plus a greater arsenal is needed. So I find Tap skillz . Looking for a sweep instructional vid for a sweep I had seen but didnt know the name of. Turned out it was the pendulum sweep:

It just looks so smooth and effortless, really caught my eye.

One of the big guys I train with is always putting all his weight forward and pressured on me from within my guard. Which is fine but he is good enough not to get subbed from it and to make me very uncomfortable and unable to move. So I wanted something to deal with him as well. Found it :D

Half Butterfly guard sweep

Looked at a few more to just get a better idea on scissor sweep, sweeping when getting stack passed, clock choke from on top of turtle.

Friday:

Went to training as usual. Got their early as did another training partner, the mats were already out so I was able to quickly drill the sweeps from Thursday. Lesson begins. Hoorah! Andy wants to do sweeps!. We cover the sweep from when they are trying to do a standing pass, its nifty as you flick them right over your head and land in mount. We also cover the scissor sweep which gave me a much better idea on how to properly do it. In past efforts I never curled and then straightened myself, I was trying to do it all with my legs. We cover the sit up sweep and I manage make some small adjustments, I love it so much. We do some specific sparring where the guy on his back can ONLY sweep, the one in guard just needs to pass.

Fantastic!, before the lesson started I made a mental note of focusing only on sweeps today and not bothering with any subs unless its super easy or Im in a dominant position. So first up I get a big strong guy who knows a few things. He gives me some really nice compliments. He digs in his elbows, I sit up.... and sweep! woop. Next opponent, sit up and sweep. Next opponent I go for the pendulum, I get the position and start working him over. He goes slowly and messily as I dont have enough momentum, but I still get it. Next opponent I get the scissor sweep after fighting for the grip and having to mini scramble to get on top. One guy passes my legs twice but cant control them and I keep on slipping guard back in. The big guy who likes to crush me from in my guard comes up. He settles in and goes low and forward on me, squeezing my head and making me uncomfortable, I slide in the one butterfly, put the other on his hip and go for the sweep. I get it! but just, took a bit of strength as well. I need to get him even more forward.

We go now onto full sparring from knee's. I get a nice armbar and get the pendulum sweep again. I do some guard passing but am still finding it tough to break open the legs without baiting them. I team up with matt and we go at it, I am surprised he doesnt try pull guard and instead goes for the top. I get him in guard and fight him off, Pendulum sweep wins again! best one of the day with a nice smack on the mats. I work the mount and get him to tap via a very tense cross collar choke. We go again and I try and out wrestle him, he gets on top, mount, back, everything. Completely out manuveurs me and dominates, getting me to tap twice via chokes. His completely changed his game! and seems better at it. I had got used to passing his guard before. This is great as I feel his gone up another level and its helping to push me to get better. Only slight concern is if we were to fight in a comp now he would win.

Saturday:

Andy is getting married very soon and we arrange to go train at Rogers and then go for some food and a night out in London.

We get there and the place is BOILING, its like a sauna.....on the sun. We do a quick warm up and some stand up technique, following by knee on belly techniques. Which is always fun, the small change of taking my toes off the mat when kneeing them makes a big difference!.

We do some sparring focusing on knee on belly, I team up with a 4 stripe white belt my size called Adam. I worry that Im about to be merced. I do well though, managing to keep knee on belly and transition into good position. I notice Im still not using all my weight in north south as he gets up from it once or twice. From underneath I find myself quite mobile and manage to get guard back. Sadly the class is only an hour, but its so hot the work out is still good. We goto get changed and I cant towel the sweat off. Im still sweating!, it wont stop. Eventually my cotton shirt sucks up enough of it. The advanced class begins and I watch the high grades rolling, always interesting. What was particularly interesting today was that Guy Ritchie was one of those brown belts. Im a little star struck but not enough to deter me getting fresh air and a ice cream. When I get back I buy a RGA shirt, cos im a merch whore.

So now for drinks.

We head to a "nice resteraunt" that Andy knows. Andy takes us in the exact opposite direction of where we should be going. We figure it out though and venture on trying to find something good. Its hot. The girls are really hot! how are there so many attractive girls here!? . We walk for an age untill we find a Gourmet burger place. I opt for a falafel burger because Im a pansy, and have a few savanna south african ciders. Here we also meet up with some of the RGA boys, who then start doing ventroliquist dog barking tricks.

This is all followed by more drinks, things get fuzzy, more alcohol is surely the cure. We harrass all the poor females that wonder by us. Andy is a wonderfull drunk.

We drink some more whilst moving on, one of our guys goes missing we figure his gone home. And we start to seperate as we try and figure our way home. Im pretty sure ive missed any chance of a train. Luciano (been training 12 years!) offers me a room cos his awesome, but I decide to try get closer to home and crash at Matts. So we walk all the way back to RGA so we can get a lift from Dean who hadnt been drinking. For some reason I cant remember we go inside Rogers, while Luciano talks to the guy who took our lesson earlier. I take off my shoes and decide that I want to roll. Drunken BJJ is odd and not really a great idea, in any case the new and transformed Matt mercs me as he scrambles out of my sweeps. Finishing me off with a triangle choke.

We bid our farewells, get home and fall asleep nearly instantly.

Sunday:

I play cricket for hours! :( . Not a good cure for a hangover but still good fun.