As someone who is not great at wrestling takedowns, I look forward to seeing the kids apply solid technique and end in a dominant position. 

Open guard sitting is arguably one of the most common ways to open the guard, so super important for the top kid trying to pass the guard. Leading into the scissor sweep, which is one of my absolute favorite. When the knees are good. 

I’m loving to see the multiple techniques shown in the same week when the techniques are counters to each other. Open guard standing for the person on top, with the understanding that the bottom person can land the chair sweep. Makes the game more mental for the kids as opposed to just a memorization of a technique. 

I’ve been saying for a while that we do triangles in warm ups, but it needs to be taught in the curriculum. I have seen the triangle trap countless times with no execution of the move. Hoping to see a huge improvement on this. 

An arm lock is one of the first submissions you think of when you hear jiu jitsu, and a great technique to learn. Identifying the key details and making sure you hit all those key components can make or break the attack. 

While a bear hug from behind and standing can happen during sport jiu jitsu, it isn’t super common. Defense for it in a street/self defense aspect however is super valuable. Staying calm, not panicking, and assessing the situation is valuable. 

I think it’s very beneficial when a kid is taught a technique, as well as the defense for that same technique, in the same day/week. It helps them to understand the mechanics and why they are doing what they are doing based on what their opponent should be doing. 

Transition from side to mount is so fun when you get that flow roll going and it can lead to S mount and into back control. 

I’ve never been a lifter in life. It always seemed boring to me. Also, I was also pretty flexible my whole life, and I’ve seen that benefit in jiu jitsu. That being said, I’ve been in plenty of situations on the mat where my lack of strength has definitely hindered me. I’ve since found a new passion for strength training and try to hit the weights at least 3 times a week. 

My mindset is simply to just roll and have fun. And focus on my breathing. Cardio is my killer.