27/08/2013 - Teaching (Preparing to Pass Closed Guard)

Teaching #121
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 27/08/2013

Passing the closed guard is something I've always found difficult, so I'm particularly keen to break down the methods in order to make it easier for everyone else. That will in turn hopefully help me as well. Working out exactly what to teach takes some thought, as there is a lot to cover, even at the basic level of how to initiate your attempts to open the guard.

First thing I wanted to cover was posture. Stay upright, with your head up. Curving your back slightly can help too. Don't let them bend your arms: keep at least one of them stiff into their hip. It is very important to control their hips, as they need to angle off to attack effectively. Your other hand is ready to push them down if they attempt to raise their torso towards you, or more typically, gripping both collars and keeping their back on the mat.

That collar grip is something I've been experimenting with recently, after taking a private lesson with Dónal on breaking open the closed guard and passing. The standard way to grab the collars is to simply grip and twist. Dónal prefers to open them both up, put them together then start twisting the collar inwards to take out any slack. That means that when you grab, your hand should stay in place, rather than shifting up or down their body.

Another option is to grab their belt instead, but be warned that can come undone, automatically removing your grip. Whichever one you use, if possible, jam your collar gripping hand just under their sternum, to wedge it in place. You can either use the heel of your hand or possibly a fist, depending on how you're gripping their gi.

For a strong base, widen your knees, sitting on your heels. Alternatively, you could try squeezing your knees to their hips to stop them moving, but that will result in a less sturdy base. Make sure you do not put your elbows on the outside of their legs: keep them inside, or they can start kicking up into your armpit for triangles, armbars, flower sweeps etc.

A key detail is to come up on your toes. This will feel uncomfortable at first, but it provides you with much better base than having your insteps flat on the floor. With your toes up, you can resist their attempts to pull your around. It also enables you to drive forward and improves your mobility.

Another way they'll be looking to disrupt your base is to angle their hips away. To prevent that, you can simply follow them, making sure you keep squaring back up so they don't have that attacking angle anymore. You could also try caging their hips by squeezing your knees together, but that can result in a less stable base.

In order to attack, they are going to want to disrupt your base and break your posture down. The first way they'll probably do that is to establish a strong grip, on your sleeve and collar. You don't want that, so try to strip any grips before beginning your pass. Not to say that it's impossible to pass if they've got grips, but you'll find it easier if they don't.

If they grab your collar, use both of your hands to grab either side of that sleeve or wrist. Push it forcefully away from you, while simultaneously leaning back slightly. If you remember the grip break from the maintaining closed guard lesson I taught a while back, this is a similar principle, but from the opposite position. Another option is to put both your hands on their gripping arm, trapping it to their torso. Posture up forcefully to break the grip.

If they get a grip on your sleeve, then grab their sleeve with your free hand. To break the grip, yank your trapped hand back as your gripping hand drives forward. TrumpetDan has a good video on this, here. I don't generally recommend YouTube, but he is one of the better teachers on there. A simpler option is to circle your hand either inside or outside of their arm, then chop downwards to break the grip: there is a good explanation of that in Beneville's excellent Passing the Guard.

Should they get a hold of the material by your knee, you can use a similar grip break. Grab their gripping wrist with your same side arm and press it to the mat, then kick your trapped leg back. Ideally, as with the previous grip break, this will now give you control of their arm, which you can immediately use to initiate your pass.

There is also a one-handed grip break you can try, which Xande showed recently: he calls it the 'y grip break'. This has some similarities to circling your hand, but this time you circle it underneath their hand, shoving the 'v' between your thumb and index finger into the heel of their hand. Thrust your arm forward forcefully to free your sleeve. You might also be able to use your hand position to grab their wrist, putting you in control and negating their own grip.
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Teaching & Sparring Notes: This was a particularly simple lesson, which judging by feedback was perhaps a little too simple. Asking Chris and Mike, there is scope to add in a bit more technique: putting in the basic guard break from the knees could work. I'm not sure whether I should do that as part of the posture details at the start or with the grip breaks in the second part. Another option would be to reduce the number of grip breaks, or as Chris suggested, do what I've done in the past with a 'basic' option and an 'advanced' option.

In other words, I could show the grip breaks, then tell people they can just stick with that if they want, but they can also do the guard break if they're already comfortable with stripping the grips, after which I show the guard break itself. Mike also suggested that I probably don't need as much time doing progressive resistance on the posture stuff: I cut it down to 2 minutes each rather than the usual 3, but could cut it down further. Or perhaps just include it in the general drilling?

The most useful thing from that lesson is probably coming up on your toes, so I kept emphasising that during progressive resistance and sparring. I know from personal experience it isn't a comfortable position to hold, but it makes a significant difference.

I also had the chance to get in a bit of sparring, which as with drilling on Sunday was useful. On top I was looking to secure the two firm grips on the chest and hip in order to start wriggling backwards, but that can be easier said than done. What I ended up doing was switching my arms to press my elbow down on their collar grip, to loosen it up sufficiently that I could initiate my guard break.

I wasn't generally breaking the grips: I'm still not sure whether it is possible to move around the grips or they have to be broken before you can start your pass. I did manage to open the guard and move into a single underhook pass while they still had grips, but that might have been due to them going light or the difference in experience. Something I'll keep playing with at study hall, along with back escapes.

Underneath, I'm not feeling super-confident yet either. I focused first on breaking their posture by bringing my knees to my chest. However, they were generally doing a good job of keeping that arm into my chest, which automatically makes it harder to disrupt their base and knock them down. I also attempted to angle off a few times, to see if I could move around the arm that was pressing into my chest. Finally, when they grabbed my sleeve, I pulled it back towards my head to get them moving forwards, again to help break their posture (though I'm not sure if that is potentially dangerous, if they were able to get control of my sleeve and pin my hand somehow).

I did briefly go for the grip break I taught a while back, without much success. I started pulling the arm behind my head, but it became a force thing, meaning I lost my grip. I then switched to pushing across, but they were now wise to it and scuppered my efforts before I got too far. Useful stuff, hopefully beneficial to my approach to closed guard going forwards. Though I definitely want to get in at least one more private on the topic, for more details on posture breaking and correctly angling off if nothing else.

25/08/2013 - Study Hall (Breaking & Passing Closed Guard)

Class #519
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Study Hall, Bristol, UK - 25/08/2013

Fairly small turn-out today, but still enough for me to get in plenty of drilling on passing the closed guard with a couple of different training partners. The first thing I did was that grip break I saw on BJJ Library, which I think Dave has also put onto YouTube so everyone can see it. When they grab your sleeve, circle your hand underneath theirs. Spread your thumb and index finger, then jam the 'v' shape that creates by the bottom of their hand (just by the start of their palm). Being with your arm bent, then thrust it forward firmly to knock off their grip.

That seemed to work quite well, though sometimes I didn't thrust my hand forward firmly enough, meaning they still had their grip. I'm also not entirely sure I'm putting the 'v' of my hand in the optimum place to generate leverage. I'll keep playing with it, but I think I'm now confident enough that it's functional to add it to the 'preparing the pass' class I'll teach next week. I've taught it before, but will reduce the content a bit, so it becomes just pointers on posture and staying safe in somebody's closed guard, along with some grip breaks.

I then ran through the sequence from the closed guard break and pass private with Dónal earlier this week. It was useful to not just drill it with light resistance, but then also have them try to resist, until finally they did it on me. Especially with Jamie, that brought up several details for me to consider. Drilling with both Luke and Jamie, I felt relatively secure once I had opened the guard and got the cross-face (I just need to make sure I control the far elbow as I pass, so they can't turn away). The danger is mainly earlier on.

To initially get that tight grip on both collars makes it difficult to break their grips, because my hands are already engaged. However, if I have that arm in place near their chest, then their grips aren't as important, because it becomes much harder for them to break my posture. Wriggling back to get the guard open can be difficult, but when I've got it open, I need to kick my foot forward immediately and also watch out for their knee coming across (you can still pass if it does, but it means you need a different pass).

Controlling the hips is an area I've found hard whenever I've tried this pass in the past. The idea is that the hand you have pressing down into their hip helps on that front. Perhaps I just need to focus more on maximising my downwards pressure? That would still seem to leave the other hip open, which I could block with my knee, but I need my need for driving into the tailbone. Again, something to keep practicing in drilling.

With Jamie, he tends to open his guard when he senses you've got into a good guard breaking position. That's a good idea, as you always want to open your guard on your terms. It means I need to react before he does, but also be ready to switch to an open guard pass rather than closed. Jamie's preferred method is probably what I'd do: he aims to break open the closed guard, then immediately pop back and grab the knees, moving into a bullfighter style of pass.

Something else he mentioned, when showing me how he likes to do the break, is that rather than the collars he grabs the belt. The reason I don't normally go for the belt is that if it comes untied you're stuck, but it remains a handy grip when it is tied. That way I don't spend any time fiddling with collars: I'll be giving the belt grip a try too, rather than dismissing it out of hand like I was previously.

24/08/2013 - Michel Verhoeven (Rickson Black Belt) Seminar

Seminar #013
The Dojo Sidcup, (BJJ), Michel Verhoeven, Sidcup, UK - 24/03/2013

For many years, Rickson has possessed a mystical aura in BJJ, a remote demi-god whose knowledge was shared with a select few. More recently, Rickson has been increasing his seminar schedule, holding his first ever European seminars last year. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it in 2012 to train with the man himself, but I can make it to London to learn from one of his disciples.

When Al (who writes an excellent blog I've enjoyed for several years: like Rickson, he dispenses his wisdom infrequently ;D) mentioned that a Rickson black belt would be teaching in Sidcup, I therefore decided it was about time I experienced the legendary Rickson style. I was also intrigued by the prospect of learning from a Dutch black belt, due to the potential of getting an interview as well (which Al kindly set up for me). Up until now, I've only interviewed people from Brazil, the USA and the UK.

Update July 2016: You can listen to that interview now, as it's the first episode of the Artemis BJJ Podcast

Michel 'Babytank' Verhoeven started training jiu jitsu at the age of 13 in 1999, under Harold Harder (who had himself first met Rickson in 1996). Verhoeven is now a black belt under Rickson and head of Rickson Gracie Jiu Jitsu Holland, a growing organisation that is bringing Rickson over for a second time in October (which again I can't make, as it's my mum's 60th). Verhoeven's presence in the UK was organised by Paul Finn, who runs the Sidcup Dojo where the seminar was held.

Update Nov 2013: I did finally make it to a Rickson seminar, in November. No offence to Rickson, but for me, Michel's seminar was both better and cheaper. ;D

Verhoeven demonstrated his commitment to the basics immediately. During the warm-up, he took the time to not only correct how somebody was shrimping, but also showed the proper application. You might think that to correct a shrimp, you would tell the person to push off their foot more, perhaps raise their hips. Verhoeven told them to go into the defensive posture they would use under side control, then showed how they need to adjust to prevent him from easily pushing them flat on their back by pressing on the shoulder. This then fed back into the proper way to shrimp, keeping in mind the positions in which you might use that shrimp. It set the tone for the day: fundamentals with key details, which is exactly what I was hoping to learn.

Next up was takedowns. After 'self defence' drills, this is my least favourite part of jiu jitsu. It is therefore a testament to Verhoeven's teaching that it was both useful and engaging. That's because he did not begin with a load of throws. Instead, keeping the basics theme, he talked about takedown posture, which I find far more helpful. This followed on from another running theme in the seminar, dubbed 'game planning' by Verhoeven. What he means by that is essentially sparring followed by commentary. He had two of the white belts (who made up the majority of attendees: apart from them, it was just me, Al and a Carlson blue belt, Mike) briefly spar from standing. That became his example for some pointers on grips and posture.

The idea is that you stay solid while your opponent is bouncing around trying to yank you off balance. You react when their leg is in range or there is some other opening for a takedown. I'm not sure I quite got all the details, as I had slightly different advice from Mike and Al, but Mike's perspective was to jam your fist into the pec upon which the collar was resting. Keep that relatively firm, but as Verhoeven said a number of times, don't completely extend your arm, leaving a very small bend. As they push into you, use your fist into their chest to prevent their forward motion. As they pull back, follow them with your fist. This reminded me of what Sean Cooper said last November when I was in Texas, regarding the Rickson seminar he had attended and the importance of 'connection', something that would be mentioned numerous times today.

Al spoke about expanding and contracting, again in reaction to them pulling and pushing. This was also combined with putting your weight onto your front leg (for when they were pushing, I think), then the back leg if they pull. From what Al said, although that's counter-intuitive, the reason you load up your weight on the front leg if they push is that if you rely on the back leg, you have nothing behind it should they push you further. I think you expand your arms, flaring your elbows a bit, when they pushed, keeping an arm almost straight into them (I think like Mike described, but not quite the same?). Then you do the reverse when they pull, dropping your elbows a bit closer together and sinking your weight onto your back leg. Verhoeven mentioned this was something that takes a fair bit of practice, as it also needs good timing.

Verhoeven then demonstrated three throws. The first and last I think are standard judo techniques, seoi-nage and osoto-gari (though he doesn't kick through on the osoto-gari, instead saying that just placing your leg behind theirs as a brace is sufficient). The middle ones were more akin to what you can find in the rear takedown from Lesson Twenty Nine of Gracie Combatives. Start by opening up their elbow and collar by lifting your arms (something we had done as a separate drill earlier), then duck underneath, driving your near knee to the ground while stepping the other up. Keep your head raised to avoid guillotines, then spin to their back.

Put you head in between their shoulder blades so they can't connect with your skull by flinging elbows backwards. If they are upright, drive your hips into them to lift, then drop them back into the space you created. I was a bit nervous of trying that one, as I was concerned I might hurt my back if I messed it up. The second option was less nerve-wracking, as that was the same drop to the mat and pull them over your leg technique Rener shows on his DVD. Verhoeven noted you want to get your arm out of the way to stop them landing on it. I wasn't able to pull this off smoothly (unlike Al, who does it beautifully), mainly because I'm (as usual) over-cautious about committing to the move.

We continued into more comfortable territory with the groundwork, as Verhoeven began with a brief drill on maintaining mount. This was reminiscent of Dónal's method for taking the back in his ezequiel series, as the drill involves staying on your toes as they roll to their belly. You simply follow them sideways: the goal is to get used to having them roll through without letting yourself get stuck to them, as then you'd fall over and they'd end up on top.

That was as far as maintaining mount went (though submissions returned later), progressing instead to escaping the mount. Verhoeven first had us drill bridging in isolation, so he could work out if people were doing it right. Apparently only two people were. Bridge as high as you can, while also turning to one side: this is a significant turn, meaning that you body ends up twisted, your head looking in that direction. Verhoeven could then lead us through the upa escape from mount. The main detail he added which I'm not too familiar with is his grip. I'm used to grabbing the wrist and elbow, either behind the elbow (Rener style) or the crook of the elbow. Verhoeven's method depends on what they did. If they have their elbow out, push it towards their other hip, then grab the gi material of their upper arm and use that for your grip, pulling them down tightly.

The elbow escape instruction was helpful too. Verhoeven began by reaching across to the opposite hip with his hand. As with the tips on stand-up posture, keep your arm slightly bent. Push into that hip, then shrimp, using your free elbow to prise open their same side knee. Pop the knee through, pushing off that to make more space, then prise their other knee open. Once you get the leg out, wrap their leg with your outside leg, which becomes a base point to help slide your other leg out between their legs.

If they are a bit higher, use both of your hands to make a frame. This looks a bit like the recent video Stephan Kesting put out on framing, though he prefers to make a fist, as he feels that makes the frame stronger. The third option, for when they're pressing their hips down (as I like to do in low mount) is to go for the heel drag, still pushing into their opposite hip to help scoop up their leg. If you are having trouble reaching for the opposite hip because they haven't left any space, do a series of small bumps with your hips to create the room for your arm to slide under. This is what Verhoeven did when he used me as an uke for mount escapes, because I like to hold that low mount where I try to prevent them having much space (which is of course rather tougher to do on a black belt ;D).

The last section of the seminar was on submissions from the mount. I was extremely pleased at the selection, because almost all of them are techniques I've been looking to improve in my own game. The cross choke details were especially useful, as I realised I've been doing something fundamentally wrong for years: twisting my wrists the wrong way. I've been twisting them outwards when I should have been twisting them inwards. My training partner Martyn related a good tip for remembering this, which he'd heard from Allan Manganello (another Rickson black belt). If you cross your hands in front of you with the palms facing you, adjust your hands so the thumbs are touching. Now twist them so that the thumbs stay pressed against each other: if you twist the other way, you're opening up space. Genius.

Verhoeven's process is to insert your first hand, then bring your second hand underneath. Establish a relatively tight grip, already beginning to twist your hands inwards (remember the butterfly thumbs!) and raising your partner towards you slightly. Put your head on the mat above the shoulder your top hand is pointing towards, then twist and draw your elbows backwards to finish the choke. Don't flare your elbows, as then they can defend the choke by pushing those elbows back together.

If you can't get past their defending hands, there is the nasty option of digging your thumb along the jawline. I'm not a big fan of that as I find it too brutal, so prefer Verhoeven's other suggestion of flowing into another technique, such as wedging under their elbow and moving into a gift wrap. There was also a variation to the choke when you can only get one hand in, bringing your second arm around to the other side of their head, then 'shaving' back across their face to position that arm by their neck. Grab a handful of gi by their shoulder, then drop your elbow so your forearm is over their throat. This second arm doesn't move after that point: the choke comes from twisting the first hand and drawing that first elbow back.

Finally, there was a relatively straightforward application of the ezequiel choke, though Verhoeven does this differently to Dónal. He doesn't like to use less fingers for greater range, instead preferring to switch to the fist variation if you can't land the cleaner option. Driving your fist is certainly effective, but like digging across the jaw line, I would normally transfer to something else in that situation. In this case, that would be the next stage of Dónal's ezequiel series, the tight americana against the leg.

The more standard americana from mount followed, where once again, Verhoeven had a simple but significant tip. Instead of focusing your efforts on pushing their wrist to the floor, grab their wrist then concentrate on getting your elbow to the mat, by their head. For some reason, this seems to be a lot more effective at getting both your limbs and theirs in the right position to complete the americana. Martyn mentioned 'revving the motorcyle' here, another useful detail I often forget: in other words, curl your wrists up. If you lose the americana because they straighten their arm, you can flow into the straight armbar, much like the Roy Dean lockflow I like from side control.

Verhoeven finished off with an armbar from mount. I don't generally go for armbars from mount because I hate losing position, but it is something I should keep in mind as it's such a core submission from there, for teaching if nothing else. Verhoeven's application starts by grabbing their opposite tricep with one of your hands, using that to pull them up onto their side, so you can slide into technical mount. Post your free hand by their face, in order to swing your leg past their head. Don't drop back yet: first, wrap their arm with both of yours, grabbing your own collars, then raise your elbows and thrust your hips forwards.

That has two advantages. Firstly, it straightens their arm out. Secondly, it puts your hips closer to the shoulder. Together, that means when you do drop back, you're in a better, tighter position. That also means that the armbar comes on quicker, so be careful you don't crank this suddenly, or you're at risk of hyper-extending their elbow before they've had time to tap.

After some more game planning, it was time for free sparring. I decided against taking part this time because I wanted to make sure I was ready to head off and catch my train, so got changed instead (which also meant I could display the fabulous Pony Club Grappling Gear spats I'd been wearing under my gi, plus take a few quick photos for this post). However, I didn't escape getting smashed by a black belt today, as Verhoeven had grabbed me for a quick light roll before the seminar. In my attempts to escape technical mount, Verhoeven noted that I could have gone for a double shin sweep and come on top, something I need to remember.

I also went to my favoured running escape, but Verhoeven did the same thing Sahid does, trapping my trailing leg with his knee and effectively stymieing the escape as a result. As normally happens with higher belts, he eventually secured a collar for the choke. However, unlike some higher belts, when I used the poor defence of popping my collar up over my chin, Verhoeven didn't choke my face. He instead calmly waited for an opportunity to bring his other limbs to bear so that he could get the submission more smoothly. Always appreciated, and another reminder to be more careful of my neck when I'm flailing around with the running escape. :)

Thanks again to Paul, Al and of course Michel: I look forward to future seminars! It was five hours of technique, but because everything was fundamental I could concentrate – and more importantly, retain – some of those key details that make all the difference. This is exactly what I'm interested in, depth rather than breadth. I would much rather refine a collar choke or an elbow escape, as opposed to something flashy (or just outside of the game I'm trying to build for myself and my teaching) that I'll most likely never use. Next time I'll make sure I bring extra cash to buy a Babytank tank top: I was thinking recently, after all the hot weather, that I'd quite like a jiu jitsu tank top. Clearly having a black belt from Rickson gives Michel psychic powers as well as jiu jitsu skills. ;)

21/08/2013 - Private (Closed Guard Break & Leg Pin Pass)

Class #518 - Private #014
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 21/08/2013

I originally was considering doing some more work on closed guard sweeps for today's private lesson, but yesterday's sparring reminded me that my ability to open the closed guard remains really pants. I therefore went for that instead, getting in some basic closed guard breaks. I could have quite happily spent the entire lesson on just that, but as this was a dual private lesson, Liam naturally had some input too. Fortunately, he wanted to work on something closely related, which was passing after you had opened the guard.

The closed guard break from the knees is among the first techniques I ever learned, back in 2006, but I've been struggling with it ever since. Indeed, it was the topic of my first private lesson in 2010, so I've come full circle. The basic method starts by setting up your grips, grabbing both collars with one hand, by their chest, your other hand by their hip. Put your knee under the tailbone, then wriggle back until you can pop their ankles apart. Saulo's version, as per that picture, has the knee off to the side with the leg stretched out, using a sort of dip rather than relying on scooting back.

Dónal added in some small but important details (which he's taught before, but clearly I did not fully understand them). I think the main thing I've been missing is twisting up their collars so that there is no slack when you grip, along with jamming your palm or fist into their sternum to lock it in place. Normally what happens is that I find my arm gets stretched out and lose my posture: by securing it more firmly, that should be avoided. With your hand on the hip, measure it by bringing your elbow back to their knee, then grabbing the material that puts next to your hand.

From there, get your knee underneath their tailbone, meaning they are raised up onto your leg. Curve your back, then slowly wriggling backwards, with your other knee out to the side. In drilling, this was effective, but I suspect I'm going to run into problems when adding in more resistance. Still, both Dónal and Liam were commenting how this is their go-to guard break: I'm hopeful that after today I can finally get it working for me regularly. ;)

The main part of the lesson focused on then passing the closed guard, directly from that guard break: I refer to this one as the leg pin pass. This particular version is one I think I've also seen before, back in 2010 when I was at GB Birmingham, but I didn't understand all the details at the time.

Once you've split the ankles apart, use your elbow or hand to push their knee to the mat. Immediately kick your foot forward into the crook of their knee, then drive your knee to the mat next to their hip. That initial kick, combined with keeping your foot engaged, should twist their leg away from you in such a way that they will find it hard to adjust into a defensive posture.

Your other knee raises up, then pushes forward, so their other leg ends up on your hip. Push your hips in that direction, so that they can't lock their legs back together. Get a cross-face on the grounded leg side, while swimming your arm under their raised leg. From there, do a back-step so you're sat next to them, then drive forward into side control, pushing your knees under their legs so they can't sneak a knee through. You also may need to secure their far elbow, so they can't turn.

Quite often when you are in the middle of that pass, they will try to block your hip with their hand: I certainly do. However, that also means that their elbow is away from their side, which provides you with the opportunity to bring your same side arm (i.e., the one you would have used to cross-face) underneath their arm. Twist your arm so the palm is facing up, scooping under their arm to push it over their face.

Back-step as before, this time bringing your body around so that you're pressuring by their shoulder. Again be sure to also secure their far elbow to stop them turning. From this position, you may well be able to move straight into a gift-wrap and take the back. Alternatively, you may be able to feed their collar to your arm under their head and apply a variety of chokes.

20/08/2013 - Teaching (Grips & Breaking Posture in Closed Guard)

Teaching #120
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 20/08/2013

I wasn't able to train much last week, as I was visiting friends in Lincolnshire (where I had the chance to look at the beautiful Burghley House: amazing baroque artwork and a cool 'Garden of Surprises', so Burghley refreshingly lives up to its high entrance fee). Getting back on the mats, I began with a discussion of closed guard grips. A basic but very useful grip is to get a really deep grasp of the collar: you may find it helps to sit up to get that in really deep. As Roy Dean discusses in Brown Belt Requirements, an especially deep grip can help your choke as well as give you authoritative control. Once you have it, that provides three main advantages. Firstly, this gives you great control, as you can pull them down towards you. Second, it could be the beginning of a choke, and perhaps more importantly, it will make them start to worry about that choke rather than thinking about passing.

Thirdly, it means you can establish a collar and elbow grip. There are various attacks you can do from there, the most common of which are probably armbars, scissor and push sweeps. I then suggested double wrist control (emphasising to keep your elbows close to your sides for added leverage), which meant I could emphasise the two main types of sleeve grips: either make a pocket with your thumb and insert your four fingers (rather than putting four fingers inside the sleeve or trouser cuff: that's not only competition illegal, it's dangerous), or get a pistol grip, where you grab a heap of cloth in your fist.

Another grip is to grab their trousers by their knee, the other hand on their sleeve. This again can be useful for sweeps. It also helps to stop them getting a knee into your tailbone, as you can use that grip on the knee to bounce your hips back over their knee. It might also make them nervous, as they'll assume you're setting something up, whether or not you actually are. That’s when they’re liable to make mistakes which you can then exploit to your advantage.

The most basic method of breaking posture is probably pulling their elbows out and then towards you. This is particularly handy if they've got both hands on your hips, or something like that. Using your legs is key here, to help you pull them forwards. This is a general point for the guard: make sure you involve your legs, as they're a lot more powerful than your arms alone.

This is also true if they want to stand. Carefully time the right moment, then as they stand, pull your knees towards your chest. That should knock them back onto the ground. It could also put you in a better position than before, as they may end up falling into you, meaning you can get superior control. Ideally, they'll make the mistake of posting on their hands, as that means you can go for various attacks, like the kimura.

If you want to maintain closed guard, then you need to stop them setting up their pass. If they try to pass from the knees, the first thing they normally do is put a knee into your tailbone, or somewhere else on your bottom. The easy way to scupper that is to grab onto the gi material by their knee and shift your hips back over to the middle.

That can be very frustrating for the person trying to pass, which is good for distracting them and working an opening to attack. On the downside, it can consume a fair bit of energy, as you might find yourself doing it repeatedly if they're really persistent. Another option is a very simple sweep from Henry Akins, where you just pop your hips over to the opposite side and knock them over.

On the topic of closed guard fundamentals, it is worth taking a look at the video Henry Akins put out recently, here:


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Teaching & Sparring Notes: I tried to include the most basic grips tonight, but I'll be looking for feedback to work out which are the most useful to learn. There are lots more I could add, but it feels as though that's something that could (and has, in the past) be split across multiple lessons. E.g., under and overhooks, which can both be powerful grips.

The other important topic is breaking grips. Again, I didn't cover that as it feels like another lesson. However, as the first thing anyone is going to do when in your closed guard is grab your collar by the chest, I could just include a simple break for that. It leads into a whole other lesson, where you can take the back or go into the overhook guard off the grip break, but I don't need to cover that in the same lesson. I'm not sure I'll bother including the Akins sweep next time, as a number of people had trouble with that, so I could replace it with a basic grip break.

Sparring reminded me, for the millionth time, that my closed guard remains quite poo, both on top and underneath. For the sweeps I'm looking for, I generally need to get a sleeve grip, which isn't always straight forward. I'll be looking to drill some sweep combinations from closed guard at the next study hall, along with closed guard passing and more work on back escape.

I have gotten complacent about passing, because I've gotten used to starting with the guard open. Hence why specific sparring is so useful: it forces you to confront the positions where you're weaker. I still suck at standing up, so I have to make myself stand up again (this is a problem that hasn't gone away in seven years! ;D). On the flip side, it would also be good to get better at passing from the knees, as I like the option of being lazy if it's there.

13/08/2013 - Teaching (Maintaining the Back)

Teaching #119
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 13/08/2013

The very awesome Aesopian has just started a podcast, here. If you're not aware of Aesopian, he's a black belt under Eduardo de Lima who is basically the Godfather of BJJ blogging. He's the person I looked up to when I started this blog, a respect that's only grown as he continues to produce excellent content. I received a preview of the podcast, so I already know it's a quality listen. The format is short answers to common BJJ questions, delivered with Aesopian's trademark solid advice coupled with wry humour. Go listen to it. Now. :)
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It is common when on the back that you might find they manage to knock off one of your hooks, or perhaps you're struggling to establish that second hook. If that happens, in order to take the back fully, use what Marcelo Garcia calls the 'hip extension'. If they are blocking your second hook, cross your free foot over your hooking foot. Although crossing your feet if you had both hooks would be asking to get foot-locked, if you only have one hook, it means they can't properly apply pressure against your ankle. You can then thrust your hips forwards into them while simultaneously pulling back with your seat belt grip.

The result should be that your partner is bent around and stretched out, so that they can no longer connect their knee and elbow to block your foot. That's your chance to quickly insert a second hook, before they can recover their defensive position. When doing the hip extension, don't forget to keep control of their lower leg with your first hook. Otherwise they can just pop over and escape.

Another option to keep in mind is when they've managed to clear one of your hooks, or it's slipping and you want to replace it. You might find that you can put the cleared hook foot on the floor (still keeping your knee tight) and bridge, to roll them back to the other side and re-establish that hook. Be careful though, as they are obviously going to react if you release a hook: you'll need good timing and close control.

If you feel them starting to escape, you can use your foot on your underhook side (so, the side on which you arm is threaded under their armpit) to hook behind their same side knee. Lift that high in the air, then dump then back towards your overhook side. This is particularly useful if they are trying to get back to the centre, bridge and press their weight into you, in order to start wriggling their shoulders to the mat and begin their escape.

The last bit I wanted to add was a straightforward tip when they try to control your arm and pull it over your head. Pop up slightly, in order to have the base to pull your elbow back. That should severely reduce the leverage they can muster against your arm. For that and all of the above, there's a handy video from Marshal Carper (one of the co-authors on Marcelo Garcia's latest book), where he covers maintaining the back Marcelo-style.

My preference, if lifting the leg proves difficult and they get you onto the 'wrong' side, is simply switching arms. If you can't get your arm right into the neck, just grabbing whatever material you can was helpful too. That should provide you with some control, in terms of stopping them rolling away to try and escape. To get a really solid control, reach across for their far lapel and pull it across their body, for what is effectively a literal seat belt.

You can also try to maintain control of them largely with one hook, extending that hook across to their other leg. Hook under the far leg, while pressuring down with your upper leg to stymie the movement of their near leg. It also leaves my other leg free to do things like pushing down on top of their upper leg any time they attempt to wriggle out. Potentially that extended single hook could even lift their knee enough to reinsert your second hook if you want to put it back in.

Finally, to take yet another cue from Marcelo, even if you lose both hooks, don't give up on the seat belt. Sprawl behind them, then steadily walk your legs up: your aim is to put them in a seated position. From there, you can reinsert your hooks, either by putting them straight in or rolling them over your knee.
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Teaching & Sparring Notes: The Marcelo material seemed to go down fairly well. I was initially unsure about the leg lift, as I don't use it effectively myself, but Mike did a great job using it against me in sparring. If it works well for him, it can work well for others, so definitely something I want to keep showing in class. The no hooks Marcelo recovery also got some approving noises, meaning I'll leave that in as well. I need to revisit arm protection by pulling elbow back, as I'm not sure if I missed some details.

The stuff I've been playing with, like the extended hook, may not be worth putting in next time, but I'll see what feedback is like. I saw a few people use the gi lapel control, like when Simon tried it on me, so that might be worth showing. However, more useful would be a simple turtle back take, perhaps the forward roll over their shoulder. I also forgot to mention the tip on tensing your non-choking side hamstring, so I'll try adding that in next time too.

Sparring was my chance to practice more escapes. I need to secure my position much better when I move to the side. I still get stuck just squirming on my side, I think because I'm not clearing their hook properly. That's particularly noticeable with someone tight like Mike, whose hooks I had real trouble knocking off.

When I did escape, it was sloppy and scrambly, such as the old last ditch pushing into armpits. Mike could have finished a bow and arrow, but was being nice and didn't squash my hand into my face. The second time, I remembered to pull on their elbow with both hands, but I left my arm vulnerable. Again, Mike was close to landing an armbar, which I only escaped because of force and scrambling. I grabbed his gi to stay close, until I could circle round and kneel on his chest. Better than not escaping, I suppose, but if it was largely force then that isn't going to be effective against anybody bigger or when I'm tired.

11/08/2013 - Study Hall (Back Escapes & Maintaining)

Class #517
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Study Hall, Bristol, UK - 11/08/2013

Today I continued focusing on the back, still one of my main weak areas at the moment. Previously I would have said passing the guard was my biggest weak point, but I think the private lessons have helped a lot with that. I wouldn't say I'm confident passing yet, but I at least feel I have an idea where I want to go: previously, I'd end up staring blankly at somebody's open guard.

Having said that, since training at GB Bristol, I've also mainly been rolling with white and blue belts rather than purples and up, which is obviously a very different proposition. For a start, I rarely have people stick me in closed guard, which I should practice against more often. It would be good to get in more rolls with Dónal, as he's the closest to my size, along with the other two purple belts, Miles and Liam, plus high level blues like Tony. There is Geeza too, naturally, but although he's a black belt, he's so much bigger than me that I don't tend to get much of our rolls.

Interestingly, that need for partners with greater experience was mentioned by several of the higher level blue belts I drilled with today. Although there are definitely advantages to having lots of less experienced training partners - the biggest one is that you can test out techniques in which you lack confidence - they don't react the same way as somebody who has been training longer. The ideal situation is a relatively even spread of people who are less experienced, people at the same level and people who have been training longer than you. Hence why it is so useful to occasionally train at other schools, for both that broader range of experience and different games to what you're used to.

I'm teaching maintaining the back next week, so as I try to enable students to practice the techniques they learn in class when I teach, that means I'll also want to keep working on escaping the back. Rewatching a few of the back escape videos in my archive, I realised that the brief section Ryan Hall includes in his DVD on the back looks quite similar to what I learned from Dónal.

There is the same head to the mat process, followed by a switch to deep half when they try to mount. The two escapes I wanted to practice were Hall's take on using your foot to push the opposite hook free. Dónal did cover this in the private, but I don't think I remembered to cover it in the little review video we always do at the end of privates. So, study hall was a good opportunity to practice it.

The first back escape begins by getting your head to the mat, like Dónal demonstrated. You then push their hooking foot off with your opposite heel, immediately bringing your hips over. With that same heel, block the leg you just cleared out of the way. Keep shifting round, then either move to the top (if you're able to control their head in the way I like to), or take deep half and spin to the top.

Drilling that version with Luke (the bigger one: I drilled with both Lukes today ;D) yielded two pointers for improvement. Getting the shoulders to the mat is key: to get them there, I need a bit more explosion. It shouldn't take too much energy, just that extra twist to get myself out of range of most chokes. On that point, bow and arrow type chokes are dangerous, so I can never be complacent: Luke caught me in a very tight grip.

Secondly, something somebody mentioned in the changing room, which is pushing the head across. I have been getting lazy about that and been driving my own head across. If I instead make sure I am actually pushing their head across, that both gets my head in position, but it also puts my shoulders in the right place too.

Another variation Ryan Hall does when you end up on the 'wrong' side. Again, push their foot off with your opposite heel. Pop your hips over, then with that same heel, block the leg you just cleared out of the way. Next is a motion that Xande does on his DVD as well, reaching back with the non-choking side arm and grabbing around their head. From there, turn your hips towards their head, sliding your lower leg through, then securing some variation of side control.

This one was harder to get: I generally found it difficult to push off hooks, especially with Bigger Luke, as he had his feet solidly crossed off to the side (I did at one point try pushing them across to get that classic footlock, but to no avail). It's also important to turn the right way. If I try turning over the top, towards their legs, I will often get stuck.

Turning your hips towards their head instead is easier, but your head then becomes an important extra limb. I drove it up across Smaller Luke's chest (getting a worried squealing noise from the hair on the top of my head: better suited to those with shaved heads, I think). That maintains your control on their upper body.

I also practiced maintaining the back for Tuesday, working both the Marcelo tips and the stuff I was playing with on Friday (though using a single hook for back control is something Marcelo briefly talks about in his book). It seemed to function ok, although after doing it with more resistance I found my left hamstring felt slightly sore afterwards, which indicates I was using too much force on that side (interestingly, that was the free hook, not the one I had threaded through both legs).

Dónal's guard sweeps with the lapel were up next, mainly just getting in reps, before returning to more work on back escapes. I also got to drill lots of guard posture (which fits in nicely with what I said earlier about wanting to practice more against closed guard), because Smaller Luke wanted to practice his overhook guard. Initially that was with no resistance, then we upped it gradually. The big difference for me was going up on my toes, like Caio Terra advises. It isn't comfortable, but it massively increases your ability to drive, resist and adjust when in somebody's closed guard.

09/08/2013 - Teaching (Bridging Back Escape When They Mount)

Teaching #118
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 09/08/2013

Geeza is away competing today, so asked if I could cover his Friday class. That meant I had the opportunity to follow up my bridging back escape lesson on Tuesday with some variations if you find they keep moving through to mount. The solution I was shown by Dónal in a private lesson was to shift to deep half. I am not a big fan of deep half, as it is getting into the more complex territory I strive to avoid in BJJ. However, it's undeniably a useful option in this scenario.

You're attempting the escape from Tuesday, but they have managed to get their heel to your hip and you can't prevent them moving towards mount. Instead, shove their lower leg between yours, then reach underneath their bum with your near arm, reaching up and shoving their far butt cheek. That should knock them forward while simultaneously dragging you underneath.

Wrap around the outside of their leg with your bum-shoving arm, just below the knee. Hide your other arm underneath their leg, or at least tuck the elbow in tight. The first thing they will try to do when you put them in deep half is underhook that hidden arm, meaning you want to take away any space for them to wedge in their arm. From there, pull their knee outwards and spin in that direction, in order to come on top and pass.

The second option is to go with the deep half sweep I learned at the University of Jiu Jitsu instead. Instead of pulling their knee outwards, hook under their ankle with your leg and lift, using that to spin to the top and initiate your pass. Normally deep half results in them having a leg behind your head, but sometimes they may be able to get it past your head. If that happens, switch your grips to instead gable grip and lock around the hip of that same leg. From there, you still want to lift up their ankle, but simply roll them backwards. Come up and use your control of their hip to transition into a single stack pass.

Berry also mentioned a cool little tip he saw on a Kurt Osiander video when we were drilling at the study hall last week. If you can reach it, use your hidden arm to grab their sleeve.

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Teaching Notes: People were having trouble with the second technique, which indicates that I wasn't teaching it well enough. If I teach it again, I need to emphasise that it is a lift of the leg rather than flick. I should also probably note the importance of trapping their leg in the first place, using the other leg before switching your outside leg underneath. However, I think I'll need to do a load more drilling to refine my understanding before I try it out a second time.

Most likely, I'll switch the way I teach escaping the back to combine the two lessons I taught this week: in other words, the same progression as the original private lessons they're based upon. I'll attempt to add in that detail about pushing off their hook with your foot when you get stuck too, as that's something I do in sparring all the time.

Sparring was useful for me, as it provided an opportunity to practice maintaining the back and setting up chokes. I'm teaching maintaining the back next week, where I'm intending to revisit the lesson on 'Marcelo maintenance' I taught last year. I like the 'hip extension' method for getting the second hook in, but I find lifting the leg to drop them back to the choking side difficult.

My preference, which I played with today, is simply switching arms. However, that's easier said than done: although I could manage it tonight, I had more experience than everybody I rolled with. Still, it seemed a potentially productive area to explore. If you can't get your arm right into the neck, just grabbing whatever material you can was helpful too.

First of all, that meant I had some control, in terms of stopping them rolling away to try and escape. Secondly, it occasionally led into chokes. Getting a firm grasp on the material immediately next to the opposite lapel was enough to then have some fabric to pull against their neck. I could then complete the choke by threading my other arm behind their head. I'm not sure that's high percentage, but I'll keep playing with it.

I like the way that kind of choke seems fairly low risk, as I can stay tight to them. I continue to find it hard to move into the bow and arrow, because I find that leaves me feeling vulnerable. I almost always leave too much space by my legs and my arms, along with that step of dropping them into the space between your legs.

Finally, I was trying to maintain control of them largely with one hook, extending that hook across to their other leg. That way I could hook under the far leg, while pressuring down with my upper leg to stymie the movement of their near leg. It also leaves my other leg free to do things like pushing down on top of their upper leg any time they attempt to wriggle out. Again, I'm not sure how effective that will be in the long run, but I'm going to keep experimenting.

07/08/2013 - Dónal Private (Windscreen Wiper & Omoplata Sweep Variations)

Class #516 - Private #013
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Dónal Carmody, Bristol, UK - 07/08/2013

I went on one of my irregular blog hunts recently, meaning I added a bunch of sites to my blog index. It again reminds me that the best way to connect with other blogs is to comment: I discovered four blogs I hadn't read before just by clicking through comments on Cynthia's adeptly written CAMAMYD blog.
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My closed guard has been languishing for some time. I haven't really managed to make it much of an attacking force, although Dónal's private on the windscreen wiper sweep has helped. I'd like to have two or three effective sweeps from closed guard that can put me where I want to be (so, mount or side control) without risking much loss of control. The windscreen wiper is good for that, as is Henry Akins' hip shift. I want to add a couple more: before this lesson, I had in mind either the scissor and push sweep combination, or the series from the sit-up sweep.

The scissor and push sweep are solid fundamentals, but that does involve opening your guard and creating some space. I could also consider the flower sweep, which seems a bit less open. Considering what grips I tend to get is important too, along with grips that aren't going to burn out my hands or be especially awkward to achieve. I like to get a hand deep in the collar, which can fit with the scissor and push, as well as lending itself to collar chokes (which I'd also like to get better at).

The sit-up sweep doesn't require too much opening, as you remain close to them throughout. It's also the sweep I probably have the most success with in sparring, although that's generally with white belts or early blues. I've also been wondering, from a teaching perspective, if I might fit with Akins' sweep, as the mechanics seemed to have a few similarities.

As it turned out, Dónal went with something a bit flashier than I would normally pick, but those all-important mechanics remained simple. He began with a tweak on the windscreen wiper, where instead of grabbing the gi trousers, he underhooked the leg with his arm. From there, he moved into an interesting sequence that involved securing the bottom of the gi by their leg.

This could fit in with things I've been playing with already. Quite often, I will start pulling out my partner's gi and wrapping it around their arm and/or head. This is generally random, but because I have a purple belt, people often assume I've got some cunning technique in mind (I almost never do: I'm a mediocre purple belt ;D), which results in them extending an arm or shifting their weight. That then hopefully gives me something else.

Dónal's technique means that I can be rather less random with my gi wrapping. Start off by grabbing their gi, low, then pulling it towards you. A typical reaction is for them to pull that gi out of your hand, brushing it behind them because they think that will scupper whatever technique you have in mind. In fact, it puts the gi right where you want it, dangling near their leg. Alternatively, you can try pulling the gi over their arm with your opposite hand, feeding it to your other hand.

That's because either way, that other hand will be underhooking their leg. Use it to grab their trailing gi (whether they put it there or you did), creeping up the lapel to get it as tight by their leg as possible. Note that you want to keep your thumb pointing up, as otherwise you might find your arm getting uncomfortably squashed. For them, this can turn into comparable pressure to a calf slicer. That will make them lean forward. They'll also quite probably try and hug in tight and stay low. Again, this helps your sweep. If you've been able to actually wrap the gi over their arm as well as then underhooking the leg and grabbing, you can go for the windscreen wiper sweep again.

If they've pulled their arm free, you have the option of an omoplata sweep. The key motion for this private lesson is contained within that technique. Start by bridging up onto your shoulders, then swinging out your far leg. Keep the heel of your near leg stuck into their side (basic physics: you want the end of the lever, not the middle). As you spin, you also want to make sure your spine stays on the ground. Swivel perpendicular, then kick forward.

A full omoplata sweep involves rolling through so they pass over your body, whereupon you come up in a sort of side control, but you're sitting on their arm. I prefer the other position we ended up with, where you do a similar motion to knock them over, but come up into a sort of technical mount instead rather than rolling them over you.

Rather than kicking into their arm for the omoplata sweep, this option is based around blocking their knee, for which Dónal had two options, both starting from closed guard. They raise one knee to begin their pass. Pop your hips up onto the leg that is still kneeling and grab their same side sleeve. With your other hand, reach underneath your own back and grip the inside of their gi trousers, to maintain control of the knee on the floor.

As before, do the same omoplata sweep motion where you swing out your legs, keeping your spine on the mat rather than raising up on one side. That should knock them over. The other variation is for when they still have both knees on the ground. Pop your hips up onto their knee like the first variation, but rather than grabbing their knee, you're going to reach further, putting the back of your hand on the outside of the knee (you'll find it easier if you turn your body, facing the opposite side). Finish with the same swinging motion as before.

In both variations, the motion to knock them over leaves your hips pointing towards their arm, which potentially works well for dropping directly into an armbar. Personally, I'm not comfortable with that, as it feels more scrambly: I would rather sweep into a solid, controlling mount, then work from there. To do that you need to be turning your hips and curling a leg underneath as you come up. I also think I feel more comfortable with the first variation, as that twist makes me a little wary, but I'll test it out at study hall.

06/08/2013 - Teaching (Bridging Back Escape)

Teaching #117
Gracie Barra Bristol, (BJJ), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 06/08/2013

Tonight I'm going to look at what I call the bridging back escape. Saulo isn't a fan, listing the bridge escape under 'common misconceptions' in the back survival section of Jiu Jitsu University, but it is nevertheless standard at most schools I've visited. The motion is roughly similar to the bridge and shrimp under side control or mount to recover guard, but the body arrangement is quite different. Rather than trying to bridge and shrimp to crawl away from a weight on top that has pinned you to the mat, you're bridging to pin them and then crawl over the top of a weight behind you.

The basic method I'm familiar with was taught to me by Kev Capel (which incidentally is the same way Feitosa teaches it on Gracie Barra Fundamentals). Cross your hands under your jaw, pressing the back of each hand against your face, elbows in tight. This should both block attempts to press a forearm into your neck, while still enabling you to use your hands to intercept theirs. Brandon Mullins grabs their choking arm with both of his, reaching back to grab behind their elbow with one hand and their wrist with the other. He then pulls it across to create some space. This is something that initially felt vulnerable, but I've since started using it myself.

Bridge up, trying to get your head to the mat, with the intention of getting your shoulders to the mat. Keep moving to the side until you've created a bit of pressure on their hook. Brandon Mullins talks about a continuous motion of incremental shifts to the side and twists of the hips, until you can pop their hook off. Feitosa pushes it off with his same side hand, whereas Mullins prefers to use hip pressure, just like Xande and Saulo in the escape I've taught before. I'm wary of putting an arm away from my neck, though on the other hand, if you've already got your back to the mat, there is much less danger of being choked (unless they have managed to snake an arm right around your neck and grabbed the opposite collar).

Whichever method you use, do a big step over their leg (Mullins does a 'high step, bringing his knee up high towards his head, then putting the foot over) as soon as you pop it off, then move your hips over onto the floor. Grab their leg (the difficult part here is knowing when to move your hand to the leg, as again you don't want to give them access to your neck), then push off your outside leg to bring your weight onto their chest. Personally I prefer to grab their far armpit and drive my shoulder into their head for control, or if I can't manage that, reach over and trap their head between the back of my elbow and side/armpit.

If you go for the bodyweight option, you need to make sure that you keep your weight on their chest the whole time, gluing their upper body to the ground. Aim to get your shoulder onto their chest if possible, but be careful of not going too far over, or they might be able to roll you. Like Xande, Mullins notes that they will mostly likely try to come on top as you escape. You still have their leg, so you can always just recover guard (though if you can get on top yourself, that's preferable).



To get to side control, gradually walk around with your feet, maintaining that pressure on their chest. With your other hand (this will be the same hand that released their hooking foot earlier), reach over and grab their opposite leg. This is to stop them turning into you. It should now be a simple matter to twist into side control. You can also try hooking around their head: the picture above is from a slightly different scenario, as Xande is escaping the turtle, but similar principles apply. If you're cross-facing, that's more straightforward as you should be able to drive them flat on their back, then shift right into side control.

That's the basic version. For Dónal's back escape (which has more similarities to Xande's version than Feitosa, but is slightly different to both), start off by immediately bringing your knee up on the choking arm side. Angle it inwards, to prevent them from rolling you back the other way. In one quick motion, move your head forwards and simultaneously shove their head sideways (this is presuming they know what they are doing and have their head tight to yours for control). Look towards them, keeping your head and neck firm in order to stop them moving their head back into place.

Push off your leg and bridge back, aiming to get your shoulders and spine to the mat. If you aren't able to get your head past theirs, still push off your leg. Put your head on the mat and then grind it underneath their head. This isn't pleasant for either of you, but it is generally effective: preferably you can get your head past theirs in the gentler method above.

Due to your body slipping off to the side, they are probably going to try and come on top. To do that, they need to be able to turn their legs down and then away from you. Keep your legs in tight to block them: with your leg back, that forms an effective barrier to their efforts to turn. There are a couple of ways you can do that. The first one is hooking their top leg (if they're trying to turn on top, they'll be on their side) with your near leg. Get your foot towards your bum to lock their leg in place. Alternatively, step your near leg behind the knee of their bottom leg and pinch your own knees together.

With your near arm, grab their trousers by their top leg (either by the knee or a bit lower). When you have the opportunity, switch to grip with the other hand, which means you can bring your near elbow down past their body, on the inside. At this point, make sure you've got your outside knee angled towards them, once again for base. Shrimp away, get your near arm back, then turn straight into the leg squash pass position.

As in the simpler version, I prefer to get control of the shoulder and head. Instead of getting my elbow to the floor and turning like Dónal, I like to either reach across their neck and grab the gi, or better, reach under their head, grip the far armpit then lock my shoulder into their head and shoulder. Either way, push off your free leg and turn to try and come on top. With your grip on the knee, stiff-arm so they can't lock their half-guard (if they do lock their half guard, this puts you in the opposite side half guard pass position, so proceed from there). Free your leg (pushing on their leg if you need to) and move into side control. Note also that deep half is another common finish to this escape, if you like that position, which I'll be covering on Friday.
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Teaching Notes: I'm still not sure about the basic version of this escape, as it seems less effective than Dónal's version, but I'll see what feedback I get from students. The bridging motion is potentially useful, but my main intention is to use it as a way of familiarising students with some of the principles they can then use in the second technique. I'm not convinced it is helping with that at the moment.

I also feel like I'm being a bit vague about how to get on top after slipping to the side. I'm confident with the version I use, gripping the armpit, but rather less so on Dónal's turn to pass. I'll have to ask him about it at a study hall some time: I can see the principle, but I'm sure there is more to the motion when he does it. Controlling with the back of the elbow might be something I can explore, for those times when you can't manage to get your arm behind their head.

I'm covering on Friday for Geeza, which means I can teach the deep half stuff that follows on from what I taught today. Frequently they are going to shift to mount when you escape with that method, so Dónal's transition to deep half is a good counter. It could be that it makes more sense for me to teach that in the one lesson and get rid of the basic version I'm initially teaching at the moment, but again I'll ask what students prefer.

There were only four in class today, which is a considerable drop from the last few weeks, perhaps due to the school holidays. Either way, that meant I didn't jump in for the sparring. I thought I might as well save it for a bigger class, particularly as with Dónal's private on Wednesday, nogi on Thursday, the teaching slot on Friday and study hall on Sunday, I'm intending to train five times this week anyway.

Gi Review - First Lieutenant (Phalanx Fight Company)

Short Review: The main selling point of the First Lieutenant gi (written military style as '1st Lt. Gi' on the website) is the unusual design of the trousers. Rather than the typical drawstring held up by loops, the Phalanx FC version looks more like jogging pants, with an elastic waistband. They also feature a modified gusset, high back waist and articulated knees to improve comfort. The brushed cotton material is thick and durable, meaning it is heftier than the increasingly common ripstop option. There is less innovation in the First Lieutenant jacket, a relatively straightforward 550gsm offering, featuring a large embroidered lion head, the Phalanx logo on both sleeves and dark grey contrast stitching. The gi can be bought here for a relatively expensive $149 (down from an excessive $189), or $55 for just the pants. Available in either black or white.

Full Review: Over the last seven years, I've worn and reviewed lots of gis. In that time, numerous new companies have emerged, sending their designs to Pakistan and China to produce yet another gi with slightly different colours, logos and patches. That's potentially of interest if you enjoy fashion and have a wardrobe full of Shoyoroll, but I have never been a fan of trends or having lots of bling on my gi.

That instead means I've always focused on other areas, like companies that give back to the community, offer especially low prices or are willing to innovate. Phalanx FC falls into that last category: they are not interested in simply repeating what everyone else does. With Phalanx, that innovation is centered around their approach to gi trousers, particularly the fastening system.

Founder Chris Martinez provides an explanation over on the research and development page of the Phalanx site:

If you’ve trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for a while, you probably know the jacket and pants we roll in have barely evolved (especially the pants). However, its no-gi counterpart, the grappling/fight shorts, have come a long way since simple cotton athletic shorts. I’ve always found that odd. There is plenty of room for improvement. So, I decided to improve the gi, mostly because I wanted something better to roll in, but I also welcomed the engineering challenge. I wanted something that maintained the general look of the traditional gi, but improved on the many flaws and pointless attributes while adding style.

Martinez's day job is geology, a scientific background he states has enabled him to "develop advanced BJJ gear." He goes into further detail on exactly what that means in his technical overview, with a breakdown of the various trouser features. Rather than pulling a drawstring through a series of loops, Phalanx FC gi pants have a thick elastic waistband (the only other gi pants I've seen that use one is the Sprawl GiFlex). The drawstring emerges from that waistband, in order to secure the First Lieutenant trousers in place.

That has the advantage of trousers which are already supported by the elastic with the drawstring just there to hold it in place. The elastic is tight enough that the trousers will sit on your hips without pulling the drawstring tight. Nevertheless, you will of course want to secure them by the drawstring, as your trousers are definitely going to be yanked around during the average class.

However, it does make me wonder what would happen if either the drawstring or the elastic breaks. You can replace a drawstring in orthodox gi trousers with a flattened wire coathanger, but I'm not certain the same method would work with these. Then again, if it is just a drawstring sitting alongside the elastic, it should be possible to insert a replacement in one opening, then pull it around the waist to exit the other.

Another shift is that the 1st Lt trousers have a high back waist. The idea is that if you bend over in the Phalanx gi pants, they won't slip down your backside. The reason Martinez gives in his description is that in jiu jitsu we are often bent at the hips, because our legs are bent most of the time. That is also why the Phalanx FC gi trousers have what Martinez calls an 'articulated knee', by which he means a knee which is sewn with a curve rather than straight. If the structure of the trousers already have an inbuilt bend, that is meant to make it more pleasant to wear when the material is bent further around your legs.

Finally, the gusset on the Phalanx gi pants is considerably larger than other gi trousers. Comparing it to my Flow Pro Series 2.0 and Fenom Lotus trousers, the difference in length is obvious. Initially I thought that the Phalanx gusset also had extra reinforcements on the two main corners, but turning the other trousers inside-out, I could see that the Fenom pants had them too. The Flow did not, but presumably that was to save weight.

The Phalanx FC trousers feel relatively heavy if you're used to ripstop. They're made of brushed cotton, which Google tells me just means the cotton has been scrubbed to remove excess lint and fibers. It's soft and the added thickness should also mean the Phalanx gi pants have increased durability. The extra material by the knee is in keeping with most other gi pants, in that this reinforcement does not extend all the way down the leg. That means that when you are sat on your heels, such as when in somebody's closed guard, the reinforcement only just covers the kneecap. According to the website, there is triple-stitching both inside and outside the gi pants.

This generally looked good quality, though there was a frayed section inside one of the legs: I'm not sure if that was before or after washing, as I only noticed it after I had washed them three or four times. It may therefore have occurred either during training on in the washing machine (but as I only wash at 30 degrees celsius, I would guess the latter is unlikely). On a more trivial note, there are a few loose threads on the drawstring.

I could not confirm the Phalanx gi trousers being especially superior in terms of staying on my hips when compared to my normal gi trousers, though they were no worse either. Occasionally they felt like they were loosening, but because of that elastic they couldn't fall down even if they did loosen. Mostly that's just psychological, as like to feel that my trousers are tightly fastened. I slightly miss having the loops to put the drawstring through so it feels secure, but that's more than mitigated by the way the drawstring is tucked away in its own sheath. I much prefer that to the loops, because you don't end up with a huge bow that dangles down and gets caught.

Kneeling on the floor was better padded, due to the thicker, softer material. The gusset meant I didn't experience any tightening of the fabric around my legs, which can occasionally happen with other trousers. The length of the First Lieutenant pants is perfect: not too short making them into pedal pushers, but not too long where you're tripping over it. I would rate these as around the same comfort level as my Kingz gi pants, which are the other gi trousers that have stood out in my seven years of training so far.

The Phalanx FC website proudly proclaims that the 1st Lt gi trousers are made in the USA. I assume it must have been too expensive to also make the jacket in the States, as that has a label noting it is made in Pakistan, which along with China is where most of the gis I wear come from. Martinez does not undertake an intensive discussion of the jacket on his site: the Phalanx FC gi jacket largely follows the format of a typical BJJ gi jacket. Comparing the cut of the First Lieutenant jacket to four others, you can see there isn't an enormous difference. Possibly Martinez will in future be looking to make a similarly thorough exploration of improvements to the basic jacket template as in his examination of the trousers.

The Phalanx FC gi jacket is 550gsm, making it heavy by modern standards (back in the day, a 'heavy' gi was often upwards of 900gsm, but times have changed). Like the trousers, the First Lieutenant jacket has dark grey contrast stitching, with some little touches like the black side vent reinforcements. The main bit of bling is the large red lion head on the front of the jacket. Inside you'll find an intricate printed illustration on the label, fitting with the Ancient Greek military theme, while on the bottom of the label there's a Roman style symbol (looking like the familiar Roman standards emblazoned with SPQR). That continues in the rest of the Phalanx range, with products called things like 'Hoplite', although there are also the less Ancient Greek 'Icon' and 'Alloy' rash guards.

My training partner Dónal mentioned that he found the collars hard to grip. These are lined with ripstop, as are the side vents: it is also used for the tape lining the bottom, along with the trouser and sleeve cuffs. As ever there are reinforcements in all the usual places, such as the armpits and side vents. The jacket is quite coarse and feels tough, but that doesn't translate to a lot of abrasion on the inside.

There is an official size chart with a variety of measurements, though it does emphasise that those figures are an approximation. When I measured my A1 1st Lt, it was 79cm from the shoulder to the bottom of the jacket and 150cm from cuff to cuff, while the trousers were 94cm long. The jacket is pre-shrunk, so there wasn't much shrinkage after several washes at 30 degrees celsius then air-drying. The cuff to cuff wingspan reduced to 147cm, the shoulder to hem went to 76cm while the trousers stayed fairly steady at 93cm.

If your jacket does shrink a lot, then from what I was told by a training partner in the US, the customer service at Phalanx is very good. When I visited the Fabio Santos academy in June, a gentleman roughly my size was also wearing a Phalanx 1st Lt (but in black). He said that he initially went with the A1 but it shrunk too much for him to wear. He mentioned this to Martinez at Phalanx, who immediately sent him a replacement A2 First Lieutenant gi jacket.

Originally Phalanx was charging a hefty $189 for the gi, but that has since dropped to $149. Interestingly, there is no variation in price between the white and black: normally white is slightly cheaper. $149 still strikes me as a little expensive, but then I am used to gis more in the $100 range. There is also the option of just buying the trousers: those are available here for $55.