side control: Giva Santana Seminar and Foster BJJ Lotus Club Open .

Quite a day at Foster BJJ/Lotus Club on Saturday: a new, more spacious academy, two new black belts, three new brown belts and a smattering of moves from Giva Santana, who heads Lotus Club out of Irvine, California in town to keep the new location.Jeff B. was among the new brown belts, and you could say that it was an emotional moment for him.They still did the "run the whipping belt gauntlet" thing, which was rather the spectacle of flagellation.

think half the masses at the academy were Gracie Barra folks from Ballard, Seattle and Buckley.It was safe to see David from Buckley, who was really near to act with (and by now, I make my seminar training partners pretty seriously).The moves from the seminar that stuck with me most were the guard fleet and the moves to the back.The guard pass had you pin the same side shoulder by gripping both lapels low and drive them in that way with a straight arm.With the second arm, you need to handle right on the knee, and then gather your elbow.To give the guard, you carry backwards and away for a little momentum, and then sprawling out, pinning the knee to the mat and using your hip on the former face to brace and keep the guard open.From here, step through and do a knee cross pass with the opposite leg to get to the side.This pass reminded David of the Flat Pass, which I'm not certain I would take thought of if he hadn't mentioned it.It's got a similar, basic determination, and the approximation of maximising the fish as a way of possibility the guard.The other interesting moves were from the back.Giva liked a deep grip under the breast to the opposite lapel with the one hand, and a four-finger grip right behind the neck on the collar.These grips provided a lot of master and good choke set-ups.The lapel grip is like to something Rodrigo has shown us, using that grip as a twist to wander the guy out of turtle and into a place where you can select the back.One key is to get your knee in deep to stop off the position you are pulling and rolled to.There were two variations.The one had you have the game from here, and then attacking with the Ezekiel from the back.The moment one had you draw the guy back into to you, as you settled into a half-side control/half north-south side with your question on the inside shoulder controling the arm.From here, you can go by turning away and lining the legs.Make certain the rear the neck grip is good - you can give to be patient and look for it while you are holding the direct pressure on the near shoulder.I would have liked to get around a little longer, but there were so many people that it looked like it might be a struggle for space during the open mat.But it was courteous to see the new place, to be there to congratulate Jeff and the other guys who got promoted, and to take a few nice new techniques and details.Suspecting that the seminar might not offer the most vigorous workout in the world, I managed to get in a make-up Threshold Training session this morn before the event.A full day of education and conditioning all around.