Operation: Omoplata/Skill Acquisition Process

So....the time has come.

I have never understood nor felt comfortable going for the omoplata. Even when it's available, honestly, I do something else because I simply don't get the position, the nuances, and I do not have the feel.


Your Omoplata sucks.

But like shooting free throws, if you only shoot one a day, you'll never get better at an omoplata if you only shoot one at your training partners/opponents/whoever.
A big part of learning for me, is knowing that I begin with white and blue belts in trying to implement my new area of learning. So for example, I'll begin by pulling guard or half-guard and then looking to set up the omoplata in only 1 or 2 ways. Anything more complicated than that, and I'll do one or both of them poorly.

I also accept going into training that "winning" today in training will simply be going for the set up(s) that I've chosen. Every failed omoplata set up, or every failed transition is simply one step closer to a better omoplata. For some people (Not me), things may seem to come naturally. I'm an incremental learner. There's the old adage that Edison tried 10,000 variations for the light bulb before it worked.
Well, interestingly enough, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, and other research by Ericcson suggests 10 years or 10,000 hours of study for mastery.

How many omoplatas have you tried or drilled or attempted? My number is low, probably less than a hundred in all my years of training.

Dedicated or deliberate practice requires that I specifically hunt for the omoplata, be cognizant of it, and attempt to be aware of where/when it fits into the live action of rolling. I may attempt to force it when it is not there, and I may see it pre-emptively or late because my partner will not necessarily know that its what I'm working on.

Your Omoplata still sucks

Another important part of skill acquisition for me is watching footage and seeing the various angles from which the omoplata can be found, seen, or set up. That is to say, the angle and common elements of an omoplata. Essentially, the backside of my calf/thigh will be chopping into/meeting my opponenet's armpit. From that general viewpoint, the omoplata seems less complicated, theoretically, or conceptually than trying to remember the 14 points of however many of a good omoplata.

 

And Michael Lieira Jr. showing his omoplata set up from the 2014 Worlds.


Otavio Sousa has a mean omoplata set-up to an armlock that has finished a number of black belts and put the likes of Leandro Lo in deep trouble:

Jordan Schultz: Great Interview on Commitment and Jiu-Jitsu & Omoplata Sweep!

Found this over at Submission Control. At that point, I then realized I'd seen a clip of this guy with his omoplata sweep posted over at sherdog. A sweep I had played with and gotten to work with the Gi a couple days later.

At any rate, I'm posting this b/c it's a Great interview in terms of commitment to the craft of grappling and life in general.

And, here's his website with a video of the above mentioned omoplata sweep among other things.

"The ego is a trickster and I believe our own ego’s control us heavily. This is why the typical American person is fulfilling a ridiculous quest to acquire trinkets. These trinkets, cars, houses, things, give them a shallow happiness and as they feed the ego it grows steadily. An additive cycle is formed and people become married to things like houses and cars. I saw this happening in my life and I became disgusted. I saw myself growing old while acquiring trinkets, only to die once I’ve acquired everything our society deems important."

"If you are reading this and work a job you hate, and you have a dream, then do the following: Quit your job immediately, isolate yourself and pursue your goal relentlessly. The more people who tell you you’re crazy the better. If your family does not support you then that is a sign you’re making the right decision! Lose your trinkets, and find the best environment in the world for you to achieve your goals and move there."

"Reach ten thousand hours of deliberate practice, and you’ll separate yourself from the mediocre and reach an elite group of individuals. Once you’re the elite, success comes from determination, will-power, teamwork and passion."

"My humble advice is don’t lie to yourself. Don’t say you want to be a Black Belt World Champion when you drink alcohol on the weekends and train once a day. Don’t claim you want to be the best when you don’t compete in every tournament, you don’t drill for hours a day and you don’t train through pain and injury. If you’re injured you train, if your mom dies you train, if you’re sick you train. I’m not perfect, but try to be. I train twice a day no matter what, I’m always early to class, I stay at home on weekends and I use that time to work on improving myself. I drill constantly; I train sick and never complain about injuries. Finally, as soon as I find myself in an environment that is not congruent with my goals I change my environment."

"Never show weakness, never look tired, never complain, never give up. Drill more than everyone."

 

Crazy Omoplata/Kimura with the legs from Sambo World Championships: Kurzhev vs Papov