Just like a fish flopping on the sand

  • May 20, 2018

Oh boy, let me tell you about a sight that I dread seeing.

Someone’s guard gets passed. They let the weight settle down. And then they start bumping and shrimping frantically like a fish flopping out of water.

Get this though.

They still go absolutely nowhere. It blows my mind how often I’ve seen that scenario play out. I can’t even go to a tournament without being attacked by the sight.

It happens for a reason though.

They’re ill prepared to deal with the situation they’ve found themselves in.

Too often, I’ve seen escapes taught where the person on top is holding the position in the absolute laziest way possible. There is no pressure. No weight.

It’s like riding a bike with training wheels and expecting to be able to do wheelies.

Ridiculous.

There’s no surprise that so many people struggle.

They get a false sense of security.

And then when it matters, they run smack-dab into reality.

Look.

There are many variations of side control. They all have to be dealt with in different ways. There’s no one size fit all. But there are principles that you can apply all over the place.

Once you go down that path, you’ll be shocked at what a difference it makes.

And guess what?

I have a course that explores how to more effectively escape from side control. It’s more geared towards lower belts, though. There’s not a lot of flash. It’s mostly principles pure and simple.

And there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that it will radically improve your ability to escape.

Find out more here:

[btnsx id=”6953″]

A taste of my own medicine

  • February 19, 2018

More than once in the past, I’ve yapped about how important the cross collar grip is for maintaining control in the omoplata.

(No other grip effortlessly kills almost all escape attempts like it can. It’s straight up ridiculous.)

You know what happened yesterday though?

Yours truly struggle to escape against that same exact cross collar omoplata and failed. I try all kinds of escapes too. Even tried to let him sweep me so that I could fight in the transition.

All no go.

He stuck me like glue.

And not once did I succeed in loosening the omoplata, and he stayed on it all the way til the buzzer sounded.

And you already know why.

It was that dang grip.

It changes everything.

And if you’re not using it, that needs to be rectified with all due haste. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not next month.

Now.

Right now.

The next time you catch an omoplata in the gi, establish that grip, and see how difficult it is for your opponents to escape the grip.

And little things like that make a massive difference.

‘Tis why I focus on such small adjustments and concepts in “micro adjustments”, and just recently a new lesson has been uploaded.

Find it here:

[btnsx id=”7084″]

Reverse figure four shoulder lock grip variations

  • February 9, 2018

Don’t sleep on the reverse figure four

  • February 8, 2018

In the heavier divisions, more than once, I’ve seen a certain tactic. A guy will feed his arm inside the legs…

Yup.

One arm in, one arm out.

It’s the breaking of a fundamental rule, but they don’t do it because they know no better.

Nope.

They know exactly what they’re doing. In fact, it’s even intentional, and it stems from their confidence in beating the triangle with pressure and angle.

And you know what?

It works.

In fact, I remember watching Orlando Sanchez try it against the Paulo Miyao several years back. Miyao was savvy to it though and made no attempt to triangle.

I ain’t scurred though.

If someone tries that on me, I’m going to strike, but I won’t go for the choke right off the bat. Instead, they’re going to feel the bite of the reverse figure four.

Why?

It’s because it’s a superior control position. Bullying out of it doesn’t work so easy. In fact, I haven’t been able to discover a good escape from it yet. Even when my control is loose and someone can slip their head out, all that awaits them is the omoplata, and I snap that bad boy on quick too.

Regardless of what they do, the reverse figure four is a precursor to doom.

In fact, I’ve been teaching an attack series, this week, that focuses on wringing all the submissions out of it like water from a wet towel. And the options abound. Just to count a few, there’s two wrist locks, two armbars, three different grip variations for the shoulder lock, and a downright sinister transition to the triangle choke.

And those are all at the tips of your fingers in the position.

You just have to delay the transition to the choke for a bit.

The benefit?

It’s obvious.

More control. More offensive options. And the best part is that you can make someone who baits the triangle feel like a fool.

And you know what?

Over in the tube, I recently posted a short lesson on some of the attack possibilities in the reverse figure four. Today, I’ll follow it up with a short lesson on the grip variations, and next week, the new micro adjustments lesson with focus on the mechanics of a strong open guard setup to the position and a logical sequence of attack.

For the tube stuff, just head there and search for me, but for more, you’d have to head here:

[btnsx id=”7084″]

Two tweaks for a more vicious triangle choke finish

  • February 5, 2018