New sweep: the Collin

In Drills today, I realized I basically don’t know how to shrimp.  My shrimping looks horrible next almost everyone else in there, and I don’t know if the way I practice it is functional in sparring.  Gavin (4stripe purple) taught tonight, which is always awesome.

Guard pass drills; worked a bunch of open, started playing that half butterfly, half de la riva sweep (henceforth called "the Collin"), with mixed and interesting results.  Playing open requires so much less body strength. 

Swept three guys, then Alex (purple) got an easy pass.  Passed some 2^nd day white belts guard, then triangled a white belt when he fed me his arm. Time.

 We drilled some self-defense stuff which I forgot instantly, then worked more mount escapes.  One arm across the guy’s hips to keep in from coming up, other on the knee to put pressure.  Plant right foot high, straighten left leg(I screw this up a lot).  Do a few normal shrimps, maybe one big one.  Then switch to Tran’s shrimp: one hand on hip, one on knee, push hard and stick butt out. Combining this with normal shrimp is gonna revolutionize mount escape for me.  Worked another escape where you stuff the guys leg into half guard and immediately switch hips and get the underhook.  Don’t know if this will work as well for me. 

Rolls.  First with another first day white belt.   Pretty good, had a wrestling background.  Mostly a teaching roll.  Tapped him once, with a triangle/armbar.  He moved well. 

2nd, rolled with Ken (purple). Good roll, my first non boring roll against this guy( I usually take guard and get too scared to do anything).  I passed to half and he swept me easily.  He played around from side then set up a beautiful baseball bat choke where he used his leg to kill my arm so I couldn’t resist the choke barely at all.  Very slick.  We reset, and I moved okay, I might even have passed at some point.  I swear I had side when time was called, but that might be wishful thinking.

3^rd rolled with Tran.  This roll was awesome.  The most back and forth I’ve ever had with him.  He definitely was playing, I was trying to keep the pressure high. Two botched triangles that I don’t think were very close. Some okay escapes from him having superior position.  Good, fun roll, wish I got to roll m ore with him.  He probably thinks I’m a muscly spazz and he might be right about that.

4^th.  Rolled with white belt named Lev.  I think this dude was exhausted.  He said he wanted to work guard passes, so I let him in my guard, and got him with several sweeps, including “the Collin.”    Fun to drill the sweeps, but felt bad that he didn’t really get to work passes.  Oh well, next time I see him we will.

Stuff to remember:  Tran’s mount escape shrimp technique!!!!

Review of Tran mount escape: Tran showed to a tech. escape from mount where you place your right forearm across the guy's waist, and left on the guy's thigh/knee.  Put your left leg straight, and use right to bridge. Use this to get up on your side.  Once your hips are in sideways and in between the guy's legs, he'll probably pinch tightly with the knees, making it difficult to shrimp normally.  Here's when you do the Tran Crazy Mount Escape shrimp.  Both legs straight, one hand at the knee, other at the guys waist, push and pull your butt up and stick it out.  Alternating this shrimp with the other should make mount escapes much easier.