skribs
Grandmaster
Had a very interesting roll the other day with one of the brown belts at my gym. It was a round with basically no techniques. We start, he pulls guard. From there, it's a grip-fighting chess match in open guard. I'm fighting to get my knees past his, he's fighting to get an underhook. That's it. From the outside looking in, it probably would've been a boring round to watch. There was virtually no movement, virtually no technique. But to me, it was a chess match. A game of inches. Can I get my knees past his, so my knees are more engaged in the fight? Can I establish dominant grips to keep him from setting a triangle choke or taking my back?
In the end, I passed his guard, not through any specific guard pass, but because I'd won the game of inches and I had enough pressure on his legs I simply had to take the position that I had rightfully earned. Although I left my arm open so he immediately caught me in a kimura and submitted me from bottom side control.
In the end, I passed his guard, not through any specific guard pass, but because I'd won the game of inches and I had enough pressure on his legs I simply had to take the position that I had rightfully earned. Although I left my arm open so he immediately caught me in a kimura and submitted me from bottom side control.
