On the Mat Day 532: A fun night at jiu-jitsu

Being Uke for Ouchi-gari

There were a hell of a lot of people who came to train on Friday night. I wish the club was so full every night. I think it's been the best night I've had, being content, having fun, doing jiu-jitsu. I've come to think of sparring as more like a dance than a battle. There is no winning or losing, just stumbles and I enjoy each time I dance with a different partner because they bring a different step to the floor. I'm still trying to use less strength and more leverage and technique. It's not easy, especially when you have an opponent who relies mostly on strength. I am confident that with time by practicing this way, I can eventually overcome larger, stronger opponents.

I was happy with a couple of things during sparring. I'm mostly looking for counters now so don't care if I get put in back spots. I countered the following:
Ude gaeshi ->used counter to not get thrown
Guillotine ->used correct hand placement to prevent choke
Toe hold ->rolled the correct way to escape (although I started to roll the wrong way at first :(
Kimura lock ->used grips to break out and try for my own submission

A couple of things I would like to work on is getting a solid defence and counter for kimura when they attack from half-guard and be more vigilant for ezekiel chokes. I think that I probably keep my neck to exposed in all my movements.

Both Matt and James turned up for training. It is good to see them at the club and to get feedback on either my movements or how they feel about BJJ. The Japanese guys at the club are not very open when talking about jiu-jitsu or giving advice and stuff. I don't like that much.