Gripping Stuff

I’m back on the mat, finally. Last night I returned to Mill Hill JJ to do some BJJ. It was my first session for over 5 months, and boy, did I feel it!Instructor Nick covered basic escapes and then went over some really cool half guard techniques. It seems that in the half guard, prudent use of the gi grip really works wonders for your game. For example, you are half guarding on the bottom but can prevent your opponent passing by grabbing his gi skirt portion and feeding between your legs. Not only do you have a useful block, if he does something silly and gets flipped over, by retaining the grip, you can continue to control him. I learned this to my cost as I sparred with both Nick and wunderkind Daniel (who I hasten to add is now a junior world champion) and found myself being flipped upside down and inside out more times than a Wendy burger. I was pretty rubbish before my 5 month break, now I’m even worse – and everyone has got much better. Having said that, it was a thoroughly enjoyable session and I hope I can keep up the BJJ training.