# Footage of me in the London IBJJF Internationals



## Ivan (Jul 12, 2022)

Hey guys, I'm back again with some more footage of me in the competition. This was my second competition ever and I won my first match by a triangle choke submission and lost my second match for entrance to the semi-finals by points. I have identified weaknesses in my grappling and I am already doing my best to correct them but if any of you have any advice or drills for me I am always extremely grateful for your feedback. For reference, I am wearing a blue, Gracie Barra Gi with a white belt in both matches. Here it is:

Match 1




For my first match, I was taken down quite quickly but managed to recover and retain guard. I am very comfortable playing open and closed guard so I was more than happy to play it, even though I knew I was already behind on points due to being taken down. Initially, I established my open guard by grabbing my opponent's heel and attempting to work for a De La Riva - I am very keen on perfecting basics and have been drilling this open guard a lot. However, although I was much calmer and more collected as well as aware of my actions than in my first competition, I was not yet comfortable enough to use it in a competitive environment. 
I tried to go for a collar sleeve guard but in the moment, I was too caught up and forgot to switch my grip from the heel to the opponent's sleeve, instead placing me in an award mix between both guards that seemed to do the job. Although I was aware of this, I felt that I had enough control to hunt for my most successful submission, which is the triangle choke from open guard which I executed successfully. I taped footage from two different cameras together as the first footage had some camera shake and sometimes awkward angles. If you wish to see the other footage skip to timestamp 4:36.

Match 2




Match 2 was quite frustrating. You can see that as soon as it begins I am quickly taken down by an Osoto Gari throw (hope I spelled it correctly) and have my guard passed into Knee-On-Belly. I attempted to defend the knee on belly by framing away from the knee and re-establishing guard, but my opponent soon moved into mount. Although I usually have no issue escaping mount, I have never encountered an opponent that locked their legs underneath mount, which made it significantly harder to bridge and roll. I attempted to shrimp inwards and trap their leg into a half guard, but on the first occasion I was hit by an accidental elbow to the face, and on the second I was stuck in a neck crank that was supposed to be an Ezekiel choke. If any of you can recommend an escape or a way to break the connection between the opponents' leg should they lock them in this manner, I would really appreciate it.
I also attempted to throw my legs back and in front of my opponent to push him backward, but I have not drilled that escape very much. It was quite a difficult result to accept - had I won it I would have been guaranteed at least a bronze medal. I definitely feel that had I managed to escape mount I would have had the skills to win this, but it is what it is and I promise I will do better next time.

Thanks again for all your support, it means a lot to me. I have been a part of this forum for 4 years now I believe, and I don't think I would be at the level I am today if it wasn't for your advice and help.


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## isshinryuronin (Jul 12, 2022)

Great job setting that triangle choke!  And great strategy too - Letting him take you down a few times to get him overconfident being on top, then catching him with the submission!   

Really, you should be proud of your performance.


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## _Simon_ (Jul 13, 2022)

You're awesome man. Great work getting out there, competition is so not easy, but so worth it. Well done on your first fight mate! No advice as I have no idea what I'm watching haha, but it looks cool, and exhausting .


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## Ivan (Jul 13, 2022)

isshinryuronin said:


> Great job setting that triangle choke!  And great strategy too - Letting him take you down a few times to get him overconfident being on top, then catching him with the submission!
> 
> Really, you should be proud of your performance.


Thanks! It wasn't much of a strategy to be honest, I didn't consider his confidence at all - I simply feel more comfortable fighting from the bottom positions than from the top!


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## Ivan (Jul 13, 2022)

_Simon_ said:


> You're awesome man. Great work getting out there, competition is so not easy, but so worth it. Well done on your first fight mate! No advice as I have no idea what I'm watching haha, but it looks cool, and exhausting .


Honestly, I was surprised by how well my cardio held out. This was my second competition and I felt 10 times more controlled than in my first. I was able to recover after my first match adequately and did not feel even near as much exhaustion as I did in my first competition. It seems experience matters a lot.


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## _Simon_ (Jul 13, 2022)

Ivan said:


> Honestly, I was surprised by how well my cardio held out. This was my second competition and I felt 10 times more controlled than in my first. I was able to recover after my first match adequately and did not feel even near as much exhaustion as I did in my first competition. It seems experience matters a lot.


Yeah oh for sure. I think the psychological aspect plays a huge part in that too. The more you expose yourself to that environment and pressure the more familiar you become with it, and your body doesn't waste as much energy through unnecessary tension. And also there would be less nervous system overload from constantly taking in, scanning and processing this new environment and conditions.

It's like part of you knows you've been here before or something similar, so it's not as threatening.

Very cool to hear man, you're only gonna improve from here. Hearing about your previous experience with that boxing team and "coach", and doing these tournaments is bloody awesome, and a huge step up. Many people would turn away and be discouraged but you've overcome alot of adversity for this. Well done brother


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## wab25 (Jul 14, 2022)

Great work!

I had one thought for you on the first match. Right at the beginning, when he was trying to get the take down... his left foot was exposed for a good foot sweep. If you catch him with the foot sweep, its possible you could get both his feet in the air... or at least get the take down yourself. I have found that foot sweeps catch most people by surprise... the fall is a bit more sudden than they expect...

Take that with a grain of salt... I don't know how BJJ does its scoring... But any time I am doing stand up with someone, and they get one of their feet that close to mine, especially while moving around like that... I have found foot sweeps are very useful... and fun.... for me at least


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## Tony Dismukes (Jul 14, 2022)

wab25 said:


> I don't know how BJJ does its scoring


He would get 2 points for the takedown and if he followed it up smoothly enough he might bypass the guard and end up in a dominant position. Definitely worth trying.


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## wab25 (Jul 14, 2022)

Tony Dismukes said:


> He would get 2 points for the takedown


Would he get more points if both feet left the ground? Or is it straight 2 points for any takedown?


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## drop bear (Jul 14, 2022)

Push the knee for that sort of mount.


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## Tony Dismukes (Jul 14, 2022)

wab25 said:


> Would he get more points if both feet left the ground? Or is it straight 2 points for any takedown?


Nope. Most BJJ competition rulesets give only 2 points for any takedown. 

It's a contributing factor towards why so many BJJ practitioners have sucky takedowns. A lot of people are just practicing for the sport and they figure, why spend all that time and hard work getting good at takedowns when you can just pull guard. From a sport-specific time efficiency perspective it makes sense, especially when you know some of your opponents will be coming from a Judo or wrestling background and will already have the advantage in the takedown game.

I'm doing my best to work against that trend by devoting almost half of my classes to standup/clinch/takedown practice, but I'm not in the majority.


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## Ivan (Jul 14, 2022)

Tony Dismukes said:


> Nope. Most BJJ competition rulesets give only 2 points for any takedown.
> 
> It's a contributing factor towards why so many BJJ practitioners have sucky takedowns. A lot of people are just practicing for the sport and they figure, why spend all that time and hard work getting good at takedowns when you can just pull guard. From a sport-specific time efficiency perspective it makes sense, especially when you know some of your opponents will be coming from a Judo or wrestling background and will already have the advantage in the takedown game.
> 
> I'm doing my best to work against that trend by devoting almost half of my classes to standup/clinch/takedown practice, but I'm not in the majority.


Furthermore, takedown points are only awarded if they are followed up by a controlling position. If you take an opponent down but the engage an open guard, it is counted as them pulling guard and you do not receive any points.


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## Ivan (Jul 14, 2022)

H


drop bear said:


> Push the knee for that sort of mount.


How do you mean? Could you go into any more detail please?


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## drop bear (Jul 14, 2022)

Ivan said:


> H
> 
> How do you mean? Could you go into any more detail please?


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## Ivan (Jul 14, 2022)

drop bear said:


>


Thank you


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## Cynik75 (Jul 15, 2022)

Ivan said:


> Furthermore, takedown points are only awarded if they are followed up by a controlling position. If you take an opponent down but the engage an open guard, it is counted as them pulling guard and you do not receive any points.


Quote from IBJJF Rules: (point 4.1.10): _An athlete who initiates a takedown before the opponent initiates the guard pull shall be awarded the two points or advantage for the takedown, as described in item 4.1 (takedown)





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## Tez3 (Jul 16, 2022)

At the end of the day did you enjoy it? 🙂
You did well so I hope you did. It's easier to learn if you have a passion for it, and it's so much more fun.


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