Today I want to talk about a little move that has probably saved my butt at least a thousand times. I call it the Kick Out and if your game includes any standing guard passes I think it might deserve a place in your repertoire. … [Read more...]
Escapes
Armbar Defense vs. Crossed Ankles
A reader writes: Q: How do I escape the armbar when my opponent is crossing his ankes? A: Crossing the ankles during the armbar is controversial, but is an effective way to shut down many of your opponent's escapes. … [Read more...]
How To Get Posture While Pinned
We recently talked about some examples of good defensive posture when you're on the bottom, achieving good posture when pinned under your opponent is the first, and often the most critical, step in the escape process. … [Read more...]
Posture Under Side Mount
Recently we discussed the concept of 'posture' and how it applies when you're pinned underneath someone. A few people have contacted me since then, asking for specific examples of posture while pinned. … [Read more...]
Posture Outside of Guard
Practitioners of submission grappling and BJJ quickly learn about the importance of posture in an opponent's guard. If you have bad posture in the guard you will get swept and submitted all the time. … [Read more...]
Combatting Claustrophobia
At first I thought that this particular question was going to be simple. Someone, let's call him 'Bob', wrote me about extreme claustrophobia when trapped in a bad position: "I am hoping that you can help me with problems of extreme claustrophobia while grappling. … [Read more...]
Armdrag Counters
Q: "What are some simple ways to prevent armdrags as well as handle them once they're in process or completed?" A: Armdrags are a great tool to get behind your opponent or to set up other moves. They can be used on the ground (e.g. from the butterfly guard) or on the feet (e.g. to set up a tackle). They are simple, powerful and effective, and because of that they are also pretty popular, so … [Read more...]
Side Mount Escape Help
A Reader Asked: Q: I keep getting trapped in side control. Sometimes I can't even get my hips loose to attempt an escape. Some of the guys I train with are really good and get so tight, epecially trapping my hips between their knee and arm, that I can't move my hips at all. … [Read more...]
A Very Last-Ditch Kimura Defense
There is a slightly wacky Kimura (chickenwing) defense that has saved my butt several times recently. I haven't seen it described anywhere else, so I thought I'd share it with you this week. If you don't know what the Kimura armlock is you can see some examples in this article here. Suppose that your opponent has you in side control; he is on your right side and is attacking your left arm … [Read more...]
Shutting Down the Leglock Game
There is a certain type of opponent who is best described as a compulsive leglocker. You know the type: no sooner have you put him in your guard than he flings himself backwards and starts attacking your lower body with ankle locks, toe holds, kneebars and other submissions. You generally don't want to trade leglocks with this kind of opponent - he uses them all the time and will probably get … [Read more...]
Three Pin Escape Movements
Escaping pins is never easy: if you get pinned in a match, then chances are that your opponent is either pretty good (relative to you) or that you are tired. Either way, escaping pins is almost always difficult and tiring, but a few simple principles can make it a little easier. … [Read more...]
Rear Mount – Crossing your Feet
The rear mount is arguably the most dominant position in grappling. When you have rear mount you can apply some very powerful chokes and locks. In MMA or self defense you can administer severe punishment without your opponent having the ability to strike you back. … [Read more...]
Static Bridging – a Common Mistake in Sparring
There are two fundamental ways to escape from most pinning positions: escapes based on ‘shrimping’ style hip movement, and escapes based on bridging. One common mistake I see among beginners is that they hold the bridge position for far too long. … [Read more...]
Thrashing Escapes
As you may know already, I like leglocks a lot.I have applied hundreds upon hundreds of leglocks to training partners without injuring them.This week I am going to tell you about the ONLY person I have ever injured using a leglock. I was grappling at a class once, in a bit of a lazy mood.I was playing light and easy, not really going for the kill very often or with very much intensity.Eventually … [Read more...]
Repetition, Repetition, Repetition
The more complex a motor skill is, the more repetition is required to make it instinctive, smooth and efficient. Let me tell you a little story to illustrate what I mean. … [Read more...]