Bottom Is Bad

How many ways that title works....

Open mat, and Andy and I went to get worked over by higher belts. And Damian's academy filled the role. I went up against Luke, a blue belt with about my build. Of course, his game makes mine shiver and cry in the corner. I was stupid my first roll and pulled rubber guard. I don't know why, but my leg shot up and my hand grabbed it and I started trying to work it. Didn't work so well, so eventually, I found my frontal lobe and went back to my normal guard. I even swept Luke, but I couldn't tell you how---my guess would be a pendulum sweep. He threw his hips back and put me back in his guard. -----
-------
I'm realizing that recounting every roll that I have in detail may or may not be useful, and I should focus on what I've been doing right and wrong. Thankfully, Andy was able to watch me and Tim gave me some decent feedback. Basically, I'm accepting being on my back too easily. It isn't that I'm giving up the pass, because I'm keeping my guard and contesting the pass well. But once the pass is coming, I'm getting proper hand position and just falling to my back. I'm not getting to my side at all or bridging into my opponent nearly enough.

I ended up rolling with Luke, with Mike (an older purple belt), Josh (a white belt), and Luke again. I think Luke will be a good training partner for me. At the end---and this pissed me off a bit---I had him back in my guard and had my whizzer grip in (because I love it) and threw a triangle, Luke postured, and I grabbed the omoplata. I fucking had him, and I failed to finish it. He rolled out, ended up in my side control, hipped out, and swept me something fierce. Weak sauce.

I need to get some drilling in. Because I don't have the muscle memory that i think I need yet.