Last night during no-gi Jiu-Jitsu Coach James started off the class with some takedown work, warming the Jiu-Jitsu class up with stepping in for a high single. With the focus of our no-gi Jiu-Jitsu class on being getting ready for competition understanding what to do in the stand up position is essential. However these drills aren’t only valuable to those students at Crossroads bjj looking to compete, they are also extremely valuable to any martial arts practitioner looking to improve his or her ability to defend themselves in a self defense situation. Since 95% of fights end up on the ground knowing how to get there and land on top could be life saving.
From the ground the focus was on moving between 3 different guards, single leg x, deep-x and shallow De La Riva. Each one of these guards requires the top player to move in a certain direction to pass and if the top player is able to move this way then the bottom bjj player must change what guard he is using or his or her guard will get passed. The smoother we can make our transitions between the different guards the more difficult it will be for the martial arts practitioner on top to pass and this will give the bottom Jiu-Jitsu player more time to sweep or submit.