Martial Arts Wellington 272 Taranaki St GSW BJJ NZ

1:Tonight we started with our partner having us in side control,with both their arms over our left hand side.With our forearms we pushed against their ribs,to push them down to our thighs.We then bumped up(Like the hipout),and turned onto our right side,and brought our right knee through,and placed it between their legs for a hook.We then straightened up,and brought our left foot in between their legs for the other hook.We then came up and gave them a hug.

2:Same setup as drill 1 but this time when we brought our knee through,we straightened up and circled the leg on the outside,and placed it behing their back.We then brought the left leg into play by bringing it around the other side of their back, to take full guard.

3:Here we had our feet in our partners hips,and had control of their sleeves with our hands(No thumbs in for the illegal grip).We had control of their upper body.Our partner would be putting pressure on us by pushing forward,but our legs would be keeping them at bay.When we felt like it we,turned our our left side,and dropped our left leg down by their knee.We then kicked our shin into their left armpit,and swept them over to mount.

4:Same start controls as drill 3, but this time our parnter would come up on their left knee.We took our right foot off thier hip,and placed it behind their left knee for the hook(Toes pointing up,and our knee pulling back towards us).Dropping our left foot down by their right knee,we pulled them over for the sweep to mount.

5:Here we had the sames grips and hooks as drill 3 but our partner stood up and put their left foot forward.We let go of our right grip,and grabbed their foot.With our left foot we pushed them back,and pulled their left foot towards us sitting them down on the butt,putting out right knee up ready to pass.

Comment from Gareth not the author of this post”Gareth wasn’t wearing his gi jacket…Very Sexy”

6:We put it all together ,and our partner dictated what one of the above we would do by their actions.

John Will returned to Wellington this month and there were a couple of new things this time around.

Firstly we held the seminars in our own facility in Lower Hutt. With the Wellington Dojo fire earlier this month and the smaller mat area I decided that running the sessions in the Hutt would be a better option. This also gave us the chance to start at a much earlier time slot. But with the mat size I also split the session into White Belts followed by Coloured Belts.

So at 6.30pm with a few stragglers still coming through the door John kicked off his first session of 2010 and his first ever session at GSW Lower Hutt. there were 30 White Belts on the mat including 7 from Submission Porirua. Glens club is going through the same sort of expansive growth as we are at GSW and The Submission guys are starting to fight for mat space. An awesome achievement for Glen and a positive boost for BJJ students in Wellington.

John covered some basic concepts for recovering the guard, then a few ways to pass the guard followed by a few was to escape when you guard has been passed. He then put the whole thing together as a drill for everyone to cement the concepts of guard recovery into their heads.

After a quick break there was a change of tack with John covering a couple of concepts for attacking and maintaining and attacking the back. He then made everyone go through the guard recovery drill at a slower more flowing pace and swapping partners..

The White Belt session ended with 3 Blue Belt promotions. Glen awarded Submission Martial Arts first Porirua Blue Belt to Andrew Douglas and I promoted two GSW students to Blue as well. Congrats to Jeffery Alcaraz and Haydn Parker. After a quick Photo shoot the White Belts cleared the mat and the Coloured Belts took over. There were 30 Blue and Purple Belts in the advanced session and John and I took the opportunity to promote a couple of Blues to Purple.

Congrats to Phil Stenhouse and Brad Kora! BJJ Purple Belt is a significant step up and one that is not easily earned or awarded, so well done. I know the East Coast BJJ crew will be particularly stoked with Brads promotion. We hear nothing but good things about Brad and his boys in Whakatane.

John the got straight into the session covering advanced concepts around the Kata Gatame position, including, maintaining and fine-tuning the position, finishes and entires to the position. A great session and 4 hours of hard work for John. After a few quick photos everyone split and John and I got home a good hour earlier than normal. This morning I’ve seen John off on a flight to Christchurch to meet up with his ol’ buddy Ron for a fishing trip in the Wanaka area. Ron accompanied John and Melissa on Johns very first seminar trip to Wellington in 1999!

So all up there were over 60 people attending this seminar round and I’m sure that when John returns in June we’ll have to take advanced bookings as the GSW classes grow and as Glens school requires more and more spaces on the mat for Johns seminars. Look for big things in 2010 as this is GSW’s 10th year as a BJJ school!

1:We started with hooks and underhooks ,coming up and pulling our partner off their base,over and over.

2:Again we came up and pulled our partner off their base,coming down and lifting our right hook up,and grabbing their left arm and catching it behind our right ear,sweeping them over to the right hand side

3:Here we had hooks and came up and had our left hand overhooking and catching their right arm,and our right hand underhooking their left arm.We then rolled back and over our left side,kicking our right hook up and our left hook our sweeping them over, to our left side.

4:Here our partner was sitting on our hooks,and we grabbed their right arm and pulled it to our right hand side,and with our left hand we put it under their left armpit to grab their left lat.(Their right shoulder was in the centre of our chest).We lay back down and kicked our right hook up and our left hook our sweeping them over to our left side.

5:Same setup as drill 4 but our partner goes to posture up.With our right arm we capture their left hand behind our ear,and lifted our left hook up as we rolled back to sweep them to our right side.

6:Again we went for drill 4 but this time our partner postured up,and put their right leg up as we went to put their right arm to our right side.We then grabbed their right arm and placed it to our left side,and with our right hand grabbed their right lat.We then switched our right hook and placed it behind their right knee,and our left hook dropped to their right ankle.Kicking the left ankle out with our left hook

7:Here our partner is on our hooks but pushes our legs down to the ground  on our left hand side,to start their pass.As they come around to our right hand side we grab their left hand and place it to our left side,and grabbed their right lat.We then pulled them over to our right side sweeping them over.

8:Again our partner pinned our legs to the left side.As they started to come around,we placed our right hand on their head by their neck,and stiff armed them to push their head down and moved,until our legs bacame free.

1:We started with hooks and underhooks pulling our partner off their base,over and over.

2:Hooks again with our partner giving us some resistance.Our aim being to sweep them

3:Hooks,and we pulled them off base,our partner would go to step over their left leg,so we dived down to take their right leg with our legs and arms(Horney Chihuahuia)

4:We would pre-empt drill 3,and not even wait for them to step over,and dive down to take the right leg.

5:We started in the Horney chihuahua,and crossed our legs on their right leg trapping it with our knees.We then rolled over onto our left side so we were facing the same way as our partner,and crossed and uncrossed our legs again,and used our right foot to hook their right leg,and our right hand to grab their belt,to push them up so we could duck out the back.

6:same setup again as drill 5 but this time both our arms were underneath their butt,grabbing their right leg.With our right foot we hooked their right leg again,lifting it right up,so we could duck out the back,

1: Here we had hooks,and double underhooks.We pulled our partner off their base,and rolled back onto our back,then came up again repeating the drill.

2:Again we had hooks and double underhoos, but when we came up this time we link are hands together really tight,and pulled them off thier base again.

3:Starting in drill 1 again,we came up and pulled our partner off base,With their left leg they went to step oner our right hook,so we dived deep down,and caught their right leg,with our knees and arms(Horney Chihuahua)

4:Here we had half guard and our partner stood up.With our right hand we grabbed their left ankle,and came around 90 degrees,and with our right foot which was behind their right knee we stretched it right out so we could get our left foot in their to take X-Guard

5:Same setup as drill 4 but our partner left their hands on the mat.We came around the 90 degrees again,stretched them out but this time we lifet their  left foot over our head,and placed it on the other side.Spinning another 90 degrees,we used our right hand to grab their belt,push our hooks forward to dump them on their butt in front of us.

On Tuesday the 8th of Feb the new Poneke Dojo at Prince of Wales park suffered fire damage. What appears to be an electrical fault in the kitchen, sparked a fire on the top floor of the Scottish Harriers building. The fire caused extensive damage to the kitchen and lounge area and the training areas suffered smoke and water damage.

Our thoughts go out to Jill and Chris Gower who have put in countless hours over the Christmas holidays working on getting the new facility ready. The damage is heart breaking and although insurance will cover the costs I’m sure they are hurting right now.

What does this mean for GSW? Well I’ve made the decision to run all our classes from our Hutt Location until the Wellington Building is repaired or until a new venue is found. So beginning Sunday the 14th of February our Lower Hutt class timetable will look like this.
Sunday 6pm Fundamentals – 7pm Grappling
Monday 7pm Fundamentals – 8pm Grappling
Wednesday 7pm Fundamentals – 8pm Grappling (Please note there is no normal class on the 17th we are closed for a John Will Seminar!!)
Thursday 7pm Fundamentals – 8pm Grappling

Thomas took several pictures of the fire damage and you can see them on our facebook page. Compare them to the pristine videos posted below.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=146480&id=72268139002&ref=mf

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/local/3310078/Fire-destroys-newly-renovated-karate-dojo

Please check back here for more information as we get it.

Thanks

Geoff

1: Hooks in Warm Up Drill – Tonight we started with lying on our backs with our hooks in,and our partner on their knees.We came up and got underhooks,then pulled our partner back down again,then came back up again,and repeated over and over.

2: Basic active Hook Sweep – Again same setup as drill 1,but as we pulled our partner back down they posted on their right hand.With our left hand we grabbed their right arm and pinned it to our left air,and kicked our right leg up and left leg out and rolled them over to our left side sweeping them.We repeated the drill until we pre-empted the posting of their right hand.

3: Hook Sweep to Half Guard – Again same setup as drill 1 but when we pulled our partner back down they stepped their left leg over our right hook to go to mount.To combat this as we pulled them down,we lifted our right hook up,and shot down underneath to grab their right leg,to duck out and take the back.

4: Hook Sweep to X-Guard – Here we had hooks and our partner stood up.We quickly dropped our left hook and placed it between their legs,and came around 90 degrees to bring our left hand around their right ankle.Stretching our right hook away,we placed our left foot behind their knee to get X-Guard.Stretching our right hook out even further,we placed our right foot down by their left ankle,and put them backward onto their butt,while pulling our left foot up rolling them onto their left side.

4b: Hook Sweep to X-Guard to Back Choke – We got into the X-Guard position again,but this time our partner put their hands forward touching the mat.We stretched out our feet,and ducked under them by lifting their right foot over our head.Coming around another 90 degrees,with our hooks still in we pushed our legs forward and pulled them back,dropping them in the space we created between our legs,taking their back,setting us up for the choke.

5: Hook Sweep Attempt to Basic Hook Sweep – Drill 1 again,and as we came up,our partner did nothing and sat on their base .We came up and stepped our right hook our,and sat on our right knee,and still kept the left underhook.We grabbed their left hand,and our partner came slightly forward,so we rolled back over our right shoulder and kicked our left hook back,sweeping our partner over.

5B: Hook Sweep Attempt to Sitting Rollover Sweep Again like drill 5,we came up and sat on our right knee,and had the left underhook,only this time our partner was sitting back firmly based,and not leaning forward.We still grabbed their left hand,and came up off our right knee,and put our left knee over their left thigh to the mat while pulling them off their base and around to our right 90 degrees,sweeping them onto their back.

6:We had a go at putting it all together with our partner dictating what move by the way they moved.

Note:Geoff also mentioned that it was better to go for hooks guard first,before half or full guard.

New hours on Sunday:6:00 White belts until 6:45,then Blues until 7:30,then rolling

1:Tonight we started with feet in the hips,our hands in the collar or grabbing a sleeve.We would try to sweep our partner over as they moved around.

2:Here we had half guard,and were on our right side,with our left knee in the centre of their stomach.We would dive down and grab their left foot with our right hand.

3:Here we had half Guard(and were on our right side),with our left knee in the centre of their stomach,and our right leg trapping their left leg on the ground.We brought our left handby our left knee,and shot right under thier stomach,diving deep so our left hand could grab their right ankle,and pass it to our right hand(At the foot),we placed our left foot between their legs to hook the right leg,and our left hand grabbed their knee.From here we pulled our left leg down,and pulled thier left knee towards us,rolling them over,and coming around to side control.

4:Here we went for the above to drills but before we got the sweep our partner would post our their hands.We went from side to side rocking them back and forth over and over ,until their balance went,and we could sweep them over.

4b:Rigan’s rock and roll (Hock and Holl)sweep:Same setup as drill 3,but this time our legs would hook their right leg.We then rolled our legs up and over180 degrees,while pulling  their left knee towards us.

5:Drill 2 setup again but this time, instead of grabbing the feet we just ducked out and took the back with seatbelt control.

6:We had half guard and went for all the above, while our partner gave us some resistance,and they would dictate.

7:Here we had half guard on our partner,but they had the underhook.With our right hand we blocked their left hip,and our left hand trapped their right arm against us.From here we took our left leg out,and hipped out about 60 degrees,so we had enough space to bring it back in,and place it on our partners right hip as we rolled onto our right side.This set us up in the starting position of drill 1 again,so we could go through all the above drills.

Geoff talked about ducking out the back as being the number priority,even if we had a favourite sweep.

1:Tonight we started with lying on our backs with our hooks in,and our partner on their knees.We came up and got underhooks,then pulled our partner back down again,then came back up again,and repeated over and over.

2:We then repeated drill 1 but ducked under their armpit either side,by keeping our elbows high.

3:Here we had hooks guard,and just like drill 2 we came up with double underhooks and pulled them right off their base,and ducked our head out to our right side trapping their left arm against our head and their neck,by bringing our right arm over the  back of their neck,and grabbed our left hand in a gable grip.We then swept them over to our left side,and had the grips(right arm in left bicep) set up dropping the hips and driving in, to get the head arm choke

4:Here our partner was on all fours and we had seatbelt grip,so that our left hand was under their left arm,and our right hand was between both their arms.We flipped over and skooched down trapping their left arm against their neck.Our left hand cupped our right bicep,and our right hand came up,and we squeezed our elbows together for the tap.

5:Here we had hooks,and our partner was pushing our legs down to pass our guard.We put our right arm over their left tricep and under their armpit.With our left hand we pushed their head down,and loosly gripped our right hand.As our partner passed around we rolled ourselves and them right over,and came around 270 degrees,so they ended up on their  right side in our side control.With our right arm we pushed it right up past their head to grab our right bicep,placing it on their back dropping our hips down,and squeezing our elbows together for the head/arm choke.Note When we spun around 270 degrees,amke sure you bring your knee up first to stop your partner from putting their trapped arm(right) between their legs for the escape.

6:Hooks again,and we had our right arm grip described in drill 5.We spun around onto our back,and skooched down,bringing our left hand up by their left ear,so our right hand could grab the bicep.We then squeezed our elbows together for the tap.

7:Hooks again.We captured their left arm with our right(same as in drill 5) so their left arm was pushing against their neck.We brought our left bicep up and cupped it with our right hand,brought our elbows together,and squeezed for the tap.

1:Tonight we started with lying on our backs with our hooks in,and our partner on their knees.We came up and got underhooks,then pulled our partner back down again,then came back up again,and repeated over and over.

2:Our partner is on there back,and we had side control,with our right arm under their head with the elbow under their neck.With their right arm pushing against their neck with our right ear at the tricep,we cupped our left bicep with our right hand,and squeezed our elbows together,and dropped our weight down to the ground,for the head/arm choke

3:Same setup again as drill 2,with the arm under the head etc, but this time ourright bicep was against the left side of their neck,and we gripped fingers together,and squeezed,while dropping our hips and chest to the mat .

4:Here we had side contol again and our partner had their left forearm in our neck pushing us away.With our right hand we pushed their left tricep away,and locked our head over their left side.We then switched base and stacked up,putting out left shin over their stomach,jumping over to their left side.We then squeezed our elbows together dropping our head and hips to the mat.

5:Here we had hooks guard,and just like the warmup we came up with double underhooks and pulled them right off their base,and ducked our head out to our right side trapping their left arm against our head and their neck.We then swept them over to our left side,and had the grips set up to get the head arm choke(drill 2)

6:Here we had side control and our partner had their left hand under our right armpit rolling onto their right side going for the escape.Our right hand went under their head and cupped the back of their neck pulling it towards us.We then brought our knee up to their ribs,and pushed our right arm out as far as we could go,to make space to be able to cup our left bicep.Our left arm came up,and we squeezed our elbows together taking our knee out and dropping our hips to the ground,for the tap.

7:Here our partner was on all fours and we had seatbelt grip,so that our left hand was under their left arm,and our right hand was between both their arms.We flipped over and skooched down trapping their left arm against their neck.Our left hand cupped our right bicep,and our right hand came up,and we squeezed our elbows together for the tap.

Geoff also talked obout nailing a finish from any position.