TRAPPING
Steve talked about the point of trapping – to remove a barrier to enable striking. There are several ways to approach a barrier (his guard):
• Go round it
• Go through it
• Ignore it
• Remove it (which was our focus tonight)
Off the jab:
Split entry (parry with the right and punch down the centre with the left to the chin or torso), gunting with the left knuckles then right pak sau followed by the left hammerfist to the head/neck. Complete with a panantukan cross-hook-cross.
As above but this time he stops the hammerfist, turn the left hand into a short tan sau and hit with the right hand then right pak sau and left strike.
This then evolved to adding more strikes at the end of the combination above; a right-left right (chop-punch-chop). The non-striking hands were always covering the ‘trapped’ limb. I always struggle with the term chop as it reminds me of stereotypical judo chops and non-effective strikes, which of course they are not.
The next technique was the same entry off the jab but this time he parries over the centre too much so you go under your forearm for the lap sau and left backfist/rolling punch. Make sure you zone left as you lap sau. From here continue to pressure his arms into his centre as you deliver a series of strikes to the head.
SPARRING
There was none of this...
Steve couldn’t reiterate enough the point and focus of the sparring – for us to improve our technique, mechanics, footwork, evasion, timing, head movement and not to become head hunting swingers which about grit and balls. Whilst being important attributes, they are not what is going to facilitate growth and progress of skill.
The intention was light and half speed. And it was really fun, even when Darren ‘cheap shot’ or ‘after the bell’ Black was your sparring partner.
Several rounds of each specific sparring type:
• Jab only
• Jab and cross only
• Any punch only
• Hands and feet.
Everybody in class brings a different energy, level of experience, strategy, patterns of motions and problems which makes the learning so much fun and hard.
GROUNDWORK
In another part of the room, Darren Nigel and Adam were drilling 3 submissions off scarf hold, side 4 quarters and mount.
The rest of us were working passing the closed guard.
Hands on his waist (fisting his clothing, should I have said holding his clothes in a fist?), knee into the arse and base out with your other leg to put pressure on his guard, encourage it to open with the elbow grinding into the femoral. Poke the lead knee up between his legs to act as a physical barrier to him getting to you. Slide that knee across his thigh and get the knee on the floor, wrap the same side arm around the neck as you come through his guard. Move to side control, make sure that he can’t trap or wrap the trailing leg when you transition from the pass to side control. When in side control, knee to hip and knee to shoulder maintaining a palm to palm grip, then lever the shoulder down into the jaw/neck/face for the crush or 100kg as Steve labels it.
We then added on an elbow to the head then a knee to enable you to post up on your hands in the centre of his chest, arms are straight. From here transition to knee on belly, making sure to pull on his arm to assist the pressure driving through the chest. Base the leg so he can’t get hold of it.
Positional rolling (sumbrada style)
Looking for different positions and allowing him to find those positions. A continual loop drill of grappling.
Submission rolling (sumbrada style)
As above but looking for the submission, if it was not there, it was not there but tapping was important when it was there. This helped to help them to find the submission, and if it was not there to move to something else.
At the end, Steve demonstrated how hard it is to submit somebody who does not want to be submitted. ‘Just’ by defending and spoiling the submission hunter’s pressure and angles with sound pressure and mechanics. And it is true, trying to get a sub on someone who is, in no way, wanting you to get it, is really tough but friggin’ awesome fun.
What a great bloody session.
Postscript.
Finally linking back to the image of Cro-Cop and Wanderlei, here is the video with Cro-Cop giving zero fucks about the berserker that was Wanderlei.
And some footage from one of their matches. I forgot how could Cro-Cop's left hand was, drilling straight through the guard. I might have spotted some crazy monkey defence from Cro-Cop as a most tenuous link to the class on Tuesday.
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