Wow, tonight's class was great on so many levels. The focus was side control escapes.  Of course it all begins with posture, so Dave spent quite a bit of time talking about the correct posture and establishing that position early.

Once we had the fundamental concept down, we worked the primary escapes: going to the knees or recovering guard, depending on what hand position your opponent is using.  I really liked the way Dave taught guard recovery.  A new detail for me was using the outside leg to hold the opponent and even act as leverage to recover the position.  Simple and very effective.  The other cool thing was our movement to get to the knees was the same one we used in the last two classes as a warm up.   I think that gave us all a nice lesson in how that warm-up is really applied on the mat.

At this point Dave touched on what I found as the most valuable part of the class - his idea of Jiu-Jitsu Radar.  If your opponent is in front of you, in between your arms, he is in your radar.  The goal is to keep them there - if you lose them, they are likely on your back.  Not good.  So Dave has a great drill to practice this with an opponent where a willing partner walks around you in a circle while you keep them in your radar.  I think this is a fantastic way to warm up - I'll definitely be using that a lot.

During the rolling at the end of class I tried to focus a lot on this radar concept and it felt great.  I of course have a lot more work to do to make it natural, but it is a solid addition to the game.  I think if anyone gets really good at these fundamental movements/transitions they become a lot harder to deal with.

I have to say that if you can make these classes, sign up now.  Dave is giving a detailed. step-by-step masterclass in the fundamentals of bjj.  It is structured and organized.  This is a real rarity in bjj circles and it is giving me an opportunity to review all the basics from a completely fresh perspective.  It is so nice to just be a student of the game again, and my mind is racing.

The other great thing is the new training partners.  Roscoe and I had a chance to drill and roll today for the first time.  I loved it.  He definitely pushed me on all aspects of my game.  He is technical, strong, and doesn't give an inch.  His early posture is really strong as well and even on top I struggled to get into an attacking mode.  I know I will benefit greatly from working with him in the coming months as he gives me a level of skill to shoot for.  I hope I can give something back to his game in the process.

You never know how things are going to turn out at a new school, and like anyone I was a bit nervous about the change, but this is just really fun.  Lots of new faces, fantastic instruction, and a technical (but not too serious) environment.  It is exactly what I need at this point in my development.