September 14, 2026
Week 3 flips the position we have been working from the bottom two weeks running. This week’s talking point is “The GB Uniform,” and it pairs with our word of the week: Focus.
Focus is what separates a black belt passing guard from a white belt flailing through it. Same options are available to both. The difference is one person is reacting to whatever comes up, and the other is executing a plan, pressure into a specific reaction, then the next move already loaded. The uniform gets the same treatment this week. It is not just a required piece of gear. It is a tool, and every grip, every fold, every detail on it was worked out over decades because it changes what is possible on the mat.
What Everyone’s Working On
This week’s position focus is Guard Top, the position everyone is trying to get to and the hardest one to actually keep. Passing the guard is one problem. Staying past it without getting swept or submitted is a different, harder problem, and that is where this week’s attention goes.
GB1 (Adults): The Details
For our adult Fundamentals and All Levels students, Week 3 is about the moment right after the pass, the part most students skip past too quickly. That means establishing a strong grip and hip connection before advancing position, and recognizing the specific signs that a sweep or reguard attempt is coming so you can shut it down before it starts. Passing guard well is not one move. It is a sequence, and this week is about the piece of that sequence most people rush.
Kids Programs: Age by Age
- Tiny Champions and Little Champions: Guard Top shows up as a balance and pressure game this week, staying heavy and connected on top of a partner without using strength, which sets up the same base concepts our adults are drilling.
- Juniors and Teens: Older kids get a technical look at maintaining top position after a pass, plus a discussion tied to this week’s word: what focus actually feels like, whether that is finishing homework without checking a phone or staying locked in during the last minute of a hard round.
GB2 and GB3: Trust the Process
For our more advanced students, this week builds on the same Guard Top theme, with the specifics left to your professor’s discretion based on what your group needs. If you are training in GB2 or GB3, bring the mindset this week’s word is asking for. Cut the distractions and give the hour your full attention. That habit carries a lot further than any single technique will.
What’s Coming Up
A few things worth putting on your calendar over the next couple of weeks:
- Friday, Sept 18 — GB Women’s Community Event, out at the Lone Tree Symphony.
- Sunday, Sept 27 — GB Community Event: Manitou Incline. Get off the mats and get outside with the team for one of Colorado’s toughest hikes.
Looking further out, October brings Pedro Marinho’s seminar (Oct 3), our Kids Competition Class running Saturdays from Oct 10 through Nov 1, and Fall Camp, Oct 12 through 16, for kids over fall break.
See you on the mats this week. Give it your full attention. Nothing else on this list works without that first.
