22/06/2016 - BJJ Globetrotter Camp | Leuven 2016 | Pocket Guard (Chad Wright)

Class #734
BJJ Globetrotter Camp (Sportoase Leuven), Chad Wright, Leuven, Belgium, 22/06/2016

This was one of the more complex classes at the camp. It connected to what Haueter was talking about in his class in terms of lapel stuff, used a little differently. The entry starts with a collar grip, also pulling out their lapel on the collar grip side. Switch your body over to the side, switching your grip from the collar onto the lapel you've pulled out. Their arm should now be pinned to your chest.

A video posted by Can (Jun) (@slideyfoot) on Jun 22, 2016 at 3:43pm PDT

To get the slack out of the lapel, you're pulling it behind them, rather than sideways. Moving into pocket guard itself, you bring your bring up high on their back, getting onto your side. The grip you have on the arm is the 'romantic walk in the park' grip, arm in arm. Your free arm reaches over their head, grabbing all the way over to their lat. Sometimes you might end up crossing your feet, but initially at least, you're pressing your knee down, like you would when moving into a pressing armbar.

Now you have the pocket guard. If they stay there, you'll look to take their back. Due to your 'romantic walk in the park' arm-clasp, you might be able to get an armlock by securing the arm by gable gripping your hands, then thrusting your hips into their armpit. Chad had a rather more colourful way of describing that, I'm going to stick with 'thrust your hips'. ;)

For a choke, pass that loose gi tail under their neck, gripping it with the arm you have around the back of their head. To close off the choke, again thrust your hips into their armpit. Chad calls this the 'infinity choke' or 'figure 8', due to the figure described by the gi tail and arm as you pass it through.

If you can't get that choke, you may find they posture up and drive into you. Reach under their leg, lift your opposite leg, then roll them past your shoulder. You can now move into a sort of ezequiel choke, as you've maintained your grip on the collar. It would be possible to switch into an armbar too, due to that 'romantic walk in the park' clasp on the arm.

Should they post on their arm, Chad showed how if you have long limbs (like him, he's a tal guy) you could go into a pressing armbar. Back takes may be available too, or indeed a belly down pressing armbar. Chad told us to try stuff out at this point, see what we could come up with. Interesting to have that emphasis on creativity. :)