What's the last thing you think you've really improved and what do you want to improve next

brownbelt86

White Belt
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I think I've really improved my ability to retain guard lately. I've spent a good amount of time playing on the bottom with the goal of just getting to guard and it has been paying off.

Next I REALLY need to work on open guard. I can get people into a good de la riva with my hand under heel and they just step past it. I'd love to have 2 or 3 X guard things to go to. I just don't really know what to do next as quick as someone's ability to step out of it
 
I think I've really improved my ability to retain guard lately. I've spent a good amount of time playing on the bottom with the goal of just getting to guard and it has been paying off.

Next I REALLY need to work on open guard. I can get people into a good de la riva with my hand under heel and they just step past it. I'd love to have 2 or 3 X guard things to go to. I just don't really know what to do next as quick as someone's ability to step out of it

How are they stepping out?
 
Half guard.

Now I'm not training, just working on making my body stronger to stave off these knee injuries. Doing sprints, pistol squats, knees over toes stuff, calisthenics to just be stronger and more athletic so I can train injury free.

When I go back I want to continue focusing on half guard (I LOVE knee shield), back and mount escapes, and back and mount attacks.

I'm stalled out at purple since 2018. I tap a good amount of blacks and wreck most browns and other purples, but I'm 6'4" 235ish so that plays a factor.
 
Using the cross collar grip from closed guard. I've been able to hit a couple hip bump sweep to triangles by experimenting with that specific grip
 
For grappling, I want to get better at chaining leglocks and ankle subs from knee shield HG. Also want to get better at attacking from turtle, such as rolling through for leglocks. Turtling out of guard passes is something I'll never get out of my muscle memory (wrestling and Judo base) so I need to get better at maximizing that position for grappling.

But overall, I want to improve my old man takedown game. My long-term goal has always been to achieve and maintain purple proficiency on the ground and I've been there since last year. But there's limited interest in TDs at my gym and if we go to standing, most guys pull guard on me because they think I'm the "Judo guy." Even then, I'm usually hitting leg trips, reaps, tai otoshi or drop knee seoi that I have limited success with on much bigger guys. I want to be foot sweeping fools six ways from Sunday and making it look easy, like some of the Judo studs I used to train with. But I'd have to find another gym to get that.
 
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I have been having success with passing open guard/removing grips to find other ways to pass.

I am always working on half/coyote guard, but need to work on finishing from top
 
I've been working my kneecut for like 12-18 months and it's getting pretty damn good.
Gonna start working a lot more front headlock
 
Passing I've been working on kneecuts and tozi.

On offense, focusing on mounted triangles and chaining off the north south choke. Been playing with fishing at the north south choke from side control then settling into north south. If I don't have the angle or they get desperate frames up I'll keep a chinstrap grip, cut back into kob and finish it as a mounted guilotine.
 
Mount control. Watching videos from Roger Gracie and Gordon and getting more patient to let people gas out a bit and then progress to mounted triangle, cross-collar choke, armbar or taking the back.

I want to work on my side control escapes -- I seem to just get stuck there in all my rolls vs. upper belts
 
I've improved my closed guard and triangle hunting a ton since focusing on it for 6 months. The next 6 are my open guard months plus shoring up my already solid half guard. My top game has outpaced my bottom game since white belt (now purple). I did really well passing in my last comp, but didn't sweep from open guard at all, just half.

So I'm working on general guard retention plus some lasso and x, as those are my go-tos. I feel like open guard has to be some of everything though.
 
Working from the back mount. I find I can almost get the position at will whenever I'm on top now, but I have trouble finishing with the choke. I often end up hitting the armbar instead, but I don't feel like I'm going to improve much in this area unless I start spending some time focused on it.
 
Recently I was on a really big butterfly/guillotine/back attack kick, playing like Marcelo.

I think my open guard retention is the next thing that needs work. I have Lachlan's anthology and I need to study it. However, what's really interesting me right now is going all the way back to basics with my wrestling. I'm taking a deep dive into footwork and creating angles. YouTube has some hidden gems from coaches like Coleman Scott on this. It's crazy how much subtle things make a difference.
 
Working from the back mount. I find I can almost get the position at will whenever I'm on top now, but I have trouble finishing with the choke. I often end up hitting the armbar instead, but I don't feel like I'm going to improve much in this area unless I start spending some time focused on it.

What specifically is giving you problems?
 
What specifically is giving you problems?
I'm just getting stalled out. I'm constantly fighting to regain position with my hands, and when I do manage to trap one of their arms with my leg, they more often than not manage to free it. I'm not very flexible, so that might have something to do with it. On the plus side, I've gotten quite good at going for the armbar now, but it's become a bit predictable. It doesn't help that I'm mostly doing 5 minute rounds at the moment, so unless I get to the back quickly, I don't have much time to work.
 
I'm just getting stalled out. I'm constantly fighting to regain position with my hands, and when I do manage to trap one of their arms with my leg, they more often than not manage to free it. I'm not very flexible, so that might have something to do with it. On the plus side, I've gotten quite good at going for the armbar now, but it's become a bit predictable. It doesn't help that I'm mostly doing 5 minute rounds at the moment, so unless I get to the back quickly, I don't have much time to work.

Have you considered chasing the triangle from the back instead? I have a lot more success with that over the RNC just by pulling an arm up as they focus so hard on the neck. If you can get the armbar you can get the triangle I find most times. Then I just finish with a triangle armbar.
 
For me, probably rangey open guards. I pretty much avoided it until black belt, with the mindset of get to closed guard, butterfly, or stand up. I'm quite enjoying developing my collar-sleeve and De la Riva now.

The next thing is probably . . . more open guard!
 
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