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This website is about Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ). I'm a black belt who started in 2006, teaching and training at Artemis BJJ in Bristol, UK. All content ©Can Sönmez

24 September 2016

24/09/2016 - RGA Bucks | Half Guard | Knee Shield

Class #769
RGA Aylesbury, (BJJ), Kev Capel, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK - 24/09/2016

Kev kicked off with a method for wristlocking when somebody is pushing your chest. Grab their hand with your opposite hand, locking that to your body. Your other hand grabs behind their elbow as you step towards them. Put your head on their shoulder and switch both hands to their elbow. You can then apply pressure for the wristlock. The competition application is when they grab your collar. Again, grab their hand with your opposite hand: aim to knock across, to create a bend in their wrist. Then it's the same as before, to get the wristlock.

Moving into groundwork, as they try to pass your guard, grab their far sleeve (i.e., the one on the side they're passing) with your opposite hand. Secure a good grip, then with your same side hand, grasp the meat of their hand. Use those grips to create a bend in their hand. Insert your knee shield, using that and your grips to pull them back into closed guard.

Alternatively, stretch them out with your knee, switching to pushing with your foot. Kev described this as a sidekick to their hip. Gradually transfer that pressure to your other foot, pressing into their other hip. At the same time, you're going to use the grip you have on their sleeve to do an arm drag, then take their back.

If you get your knee shield and then go for the sleeve, they might be savvy and pull it back. To do that, they are invariably going to bring their weight back slightly. Keeping your knee driving firmly into their hip, turn your torso completely away from them, so you're looking in the same direction they are. Walk back on your hands, until you end up knocking them over. You will probably find yourself in a sort of half butterfly. Grapevine your hooked leg to stuff their sweep attempt, bringing your other leg over the top of their knee. It's then a simple slide into mount.

Related to that, Stu made an interesting point when we were sparring. I tried to shin-on-shin sweep him repeatedly, but he kept getting his balance back. He explained that he was just walking on his hands until he could re-establish some base. That then enabled him to untangle his legs while still maintaining his balance. In terms of sparring, he also recommended combining the knee cut with a leg drag, by pulling them legs across if you can't land the knee cut. I think Donal might have shown me that years ago, but I've not been trying it: good reminder!

Sparring with Kev, he had a potent counter for the opposite side half guard pass I like to do. Before I switched to the other side, he was able to get a grip around my lapel, locking his arm to my back. To prevent my cross-face, he made enough space to jam his forehead into my arm (in my notes, I said 'eyebrow to armpit', to be specific ;D), so I couldn't drive my shoulder into to his jaw or neck. Bringing my hip down onto the ground, he moved smoothly into an ezequiel. He finished it with a fist, sliding that in as I bridge to turn. In the process of bridging, I opened up my neck. Normally the fist finish to an ezequiel is vicious, but Kev did a very technical version, it was on immediately without any of the usual nasty grinding. Black belt skills. ;)

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