Passing the Guard

Last night Ben and Mario made us do some pretty funny warm up drills. In one, we had to jump into guard on a partner who was standing up and climb all the way around to their back and then to the front again, only breaking guard for a few moments to shift out hips. They also made us do sit-ups hanging from guard while the other person balanced our weigt.

It ended up coming in handy for the position we worked on. It was a guard pass that involves standing up and actually picking someone up off the ground, kind of sitting on an invisible chair and using their weight as a balance. Then you break the guard and pass.

We worked a couple variations of that pass, to be used depending on the situation. I like that about the positions we learn. We usually only work one type of position, but cover several variations of it. It's easier for me to remember and it makes me think about the types of grappling situations in which I would actually use them.

Grappling went fairly well. Went against two pretty good guys and I was on defense most of the time. With the first guy, I was happy that he only passed my half guard once. And, as has been my goal, I was able to get out from under him and back to a neutral position several times. I didn't try many submissions except for a few triangles that I couldn't finish. But then again he didn't submit me either so I must have been doing something right.

The second guy was a different story. I had a much harder time keeping him from passing my guard. In fact, he was trying to help me and to make me pass his guard (from starting out) over and over again, and I got frustrated because I wasn't passing effectively at all. I think I've gotten too reliant on my one pass. I need to branch out and try other pass techniques.

Good night, but I think I'm going to take a day to rest. My body is feeling worn down and beat up.