Marcelo Garcia Seminar - Day 2 - Gi

Alright, so this post is a little late. I wish I could've done it sooner, like right after the seminar, but I just haven't had time. Had to travel back home after the seminar, then work yesterday, and the 3-hour Heroes season premiere event last night (definitely couldn't miss that). I've been going over the Sunday seminar over and over in my head. Let's see what I can remember...

First off, that seminar was AWESOME! I know I said in the last post how awesome it was, but I just have to say it again. Being such a big fan of Marcelo, it was surreal seeing him in person, let alone meeting him, shaking his hand, and getting my photo with him (photo coming later...I didn't walk to lug my DSLR there, so my friend took a photo of Marcelo and I using his camera). Robert, the instructor over at BJJ Olympia, mentioned how he's hoping to form a lasting relationship with Marcelo to keep him coming back for seminars. I really hope that happens. I'd love to go to a Marcelo seminar twice a year or so :-D

Ok, as mentioned before, Marcelo said he'd work from the top on Saturday (no-gi day), then from the bottom on Sunday (gi day). So let's see what I can remember...

Marcelo started where he did yesterday, with one of us on our butt's while the other is standing. Some of the main point Marcelo pointed out:

• Knowing where your opponents hands/arms are at all times -When you're doing doing "hands fight" (trying to get the upper hand with your hands), you want to have the inside position; have your hands inside your opponents. So when you do get the inside position, if you can you could scoot in underneath them and work some magic.
  
• Knowing where your opponents feet/legs are at all times -Don't let your opponent get to close under their own free will. If they step too closer, use their knee as a post and push off of it. Create space and start working again to get that inside position.
  

X guard - Get the inside position with your hands/arms inside of his, then scoot in. When you scoot in you'll shoot your left leg between their legs and get a butterfly hook with your right foot, and grab their right leg with your left hand, around the outside. Then bring your foot back through and secure a butterfly hook with your left foot hooking around the front side of their left thigh. After you've placed your legs/feet where they need to be, you'll reach across with your right hand and grab the fabric on their right leg, then switch your left arm from wrapping around the outside, to wrapping around the inside. One good thing to do from here, as you push out with your legs, pull the right leg up and over your left shoulder. From here you can secure a gable grip just above their knee. There's a variety of sweeps you can do from the X guard.

Now sometimes you're unable to secure an X guard. Maybe the person's left leg is just too far, or they rotate it back behind them when you scoot in. If this happens, instead of trying to secure both their left and right legs, we'll attack the right leg. So you'll get the same wrap around the outside of their right leg with your left arm. Except this time,

What if you're scooting on your butt and your opponent is on their knees? You won't be able to do the X guard or the alternative I just explained. What you can do is fight for the inside position with your hands again. Once you get the inside position with both, scoot forward into them, securing underhooks with your arms, and placing your feet between their knees. Make sure when you secure the underhooks, you post your elbows out and up, away from your sides. This will keep their arms from wrapping and them securing a grip behind your back. Them securing a grip behind your back is bad news for you as you won't have as much control as you'd like. From here you'll roll back and lift them into their air when your butterfly hooks, then you'll point your left leg and allow them to slide down your shin. While their sliding down, slip your left arm under their leg...yes, just as you would secure it when establishing the X guard as described above. Then again, as described above, slide that left foot back between their legs and secure the X guard completely.

Another option from that lift is instead of attacking the legs to get X guard, you'll attack an arm to secure an armbar. After you've lifted them, pick an arm. I've found that I usually attack their left arm. So you've got the underhooks, scooted in, and lifted them up and into the air. Remove that left underhook and bring it out and over their left arm. As you lower them back to the ground, push out with your legs as to create space between you and your opponent while sitting up. Your right forearm is going to be across their right arm, just above the elbow and you can just secure an overhand grip (back of right hand into your left palm), and put pressure on the elbow.

A common situation to come across, usually when grappling with somebody who isn't as experienced or when rolling with wrestlers, is when you scoot in they'll bull rush you - charge full force with their shoulder into your chest in an attempt to lay you back onto the mat. This is a pretty cool move for that situation. Say when you tried to scoot in, you were able to get your feet in between their knees, but were only able to secure one underhook. When they bull rush you, as you're going to your back, secure the arm that you have overhooked - this is the arm you're going to attack for the submission. Place your feet onto each of their hips and create space, or onto their knees and flatten them out. Then rotate their elbow to have it point to the ground, the bend in their elbow facing the sky. Lay back the rest of the way if you had to sit up a little to rotate their elbow, then bridge your hips to the sky.

Again, this blog is a few days late...way later than I wanted to post it (I've gone to 2 classes at my school this week since the weekend). The seminar is something I'll always remember, and hopefully I have the chance to meet Marcelo again in the near future :-)