It was a regular kimura setup, but Will covered a few details that were very helpful. First, he highlighted the importance of moving your hips to the same side as the shoulder you're locking. Second, he pointed out that you want to be on your side as you go for the finish. Third, it's important to climb your leg as high on the back as possible, keeping your shin parallel to the spine and using the knee to generate downward pressure as well as preventing the roll. Fourth, clamping down on the shoulder to increase torque. Fifth, rolling your hands in so as to create more tension in the arm. Finally, creating a more acute angle at the elbow to further create tension in the arm.
Sparring today was so-so. I can feel myself getting stuck in the pass guard-->hold sidemount holding pattern, so I think my goal will have to be to either avoid sidemount or be more proactive in looking for submissions or transitions to mount or the back.
My first roll was with a newly minted blue belt. He worked to pass my guard for a while as I tried to get some butterfly action going, however, his base and posture were excellent, so I was unable to get him moving around enough to effect a sweep. Eventually he ended up in my closed guard and I immediately started working for the flower sweep. I eventually set it up and swept to mount, however, after a botched armbar attempt I bailed and settled into sidemount. The rest of the round expired as I attempted to look for a lock or choke without giving up position and he tried to escape. Overall it wasn't a bad roll, just somewhat boring and conservative.
Second roll was with another fresh blue. He pulled guard and I passed without too much trouble. I started working my usual sidemount game, actively being more aggressive this time around so as to avoid a stale round. We spent some time transitioning between sidemount and north south as he worked for various escapes, but I was very diligent about keeping my head and shoulders planted on his stomach, so none of the escapes were very effective. Eventually I took the back by giftwrapping and getting a penn-state grip. I spent the rest of the round working for a clock choke, but then time ran out.
Final roll was with an older purple. When I say older, I mean waay older. Probably in his late 60's if I had to guess. Despite his age, he's rock solid. His game has zero holes for submissions and his base is phenomenal. Most of the first part consisted of me trying to play butterfly and him dominating my hooks. Eventually I got my hips underneath him and hit a sweep to sidemount. I spent some time trying to penetrate his defense from there, but as usual there were no holes to exploit. Eventually, I hit the penn state grip again and took his back, and the round expired as I worked for a collar choke and negated his escape attempts.
The big lesson was to look for the harness BEFORE taking the back. Despite having the back, it was a complete stalemate because I couldn't get anything under his arms. I was glad that I was able to effectively counter the scoop, but maintaining position was the best I could do. I was not able to mount a serious offense.
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