I think I had some breakthroughs in escaping
kesa gatame. The most reliable escape from it is also the most difficult one. It involves bridging for space, getting your knee under the opponent, then bridging them over your opposite shoulder.
Maybe I'll try to explain this better later, but here's some technical details I never knew about or didn't notice before today:
- Bridge enough to move, but not so much that it takes a long time because the real point is to make space to get your knee in.
- *The point is to bump the opponent's back so that they bend forward, lifting their hips off the mat so that you can get your knee in.* Aim for their back. I wasn't doing this before. I was trying to project them upward over my shoulder. I totally did not understand this, until the sensei had me try it on him, then pointed out what should be happening.
- Gripping over their shoulder in advance helps you bridge them over you as soon as your knee is under them.
- Doing the shrimp motion in a way that *you intend to flip yourself all the way to turtle* helps you get your knee under. With an actual opponent holding you down, you won't actually be able to turn that far, but by turning your knee downward, you have a better chance of sliding it under them.
My standing work really sucked today, but that's OK. At least I improved that escape, finally.