31/01/2018 - Teaching | Half Guard | Adamson Knee Shield Pass

Teaching #750
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 31/01/2018

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Feb 6, 2018 at 12:38am PST

Nathan Adamson showed me a few tweaks to the knee shield pass when I took a private lesson with him at the 2016 BJJ Globetrotter Camp in Leuven. Mainly that was in the grips, particularly his initial grip, low on the knee-shielding leg. Grab right down near the bottom of the trouser leg, knuckles down. Your other hand grips their same side collar, while you also have your free leg up and based out. From this strong base, straighten out your trouser gripping arm, until it is straight. To do that, you will probably angle your torso away from the leg: make sure you stay low as you do that. From there, you do a big twist, whacking your outside hip right into their stomach. That puts you into a standard hip switch pass position.

From here, ideally you want to apply a heavy cross-face: this will make the pass much easier. Without a solid cross face, they will be able to turn towards you, perhaps even getting a reversal. Having said that, the arm gripping their collar should already be acting as a cross-face, keeping it straight so the 'bar' of your arm prevents them turning towards you.

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Feb 6, 2018 at 11:08pm PST

You will also need to be careful of your weight distribution. If you are leaning too far over their body, they can roll you over the top. If you aren't on the sides of your feet pushing into them, they could roll you backwards. You are effectively sitting down next to them, while still staying tight and pressing your weight into them. If they manage to get an underhook, you'll still need to be wary of getting rolled over: hooking an arm by their leg should block it.

To complete the pass, it will help to insert your bottom shin onto their bottom thigh. Shift back slightly, in order to make some space in front of their bottom leg. Do not raise up: that will give them space to bring their leg in for defence, perhaps even start their escape. Using either your knee or your shin, wedge that against their lower leg leg. Change your trouser grip from their shin to by their knee, then yank it towards you. This should open up enough space to free your leg. Ideally you also want to keep your head low and turned towards their legs, to make it harder for them to push into your throat.
________________

Teaching Notes: Getting that angle with the knee and pushing backwards, people are easily confused on that one as it's different to the usual knee cut. The grip can be tricky as well, especially on the first one. The second, more dynamic option is useful as a fall back. Keep in mind this is a more complex one, this is best for if we ever do a lot of knee shield stuff.

29/06/2016 - Teaching | Half Guard | Adamson Knee Shield Pass

Teaching #522
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 29/06/2016

A photo posted by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Jun 29, 2016 at 4:28am PDT

Nathan Adamson showed me a few tweaks to the knee shield pass when I took a private lesson with him at the 2016 BJJ Globetrotter Camp in Leuven. Mainly that was in the grips, particularly his initial grip, low on the knee-shielding leg. Grab right down near the bottom of the trouser leg, knuckles down. Your other hand grips their same side collar, while you also have your free leg up and based out. From this strong base, straighten out your trouser gripping arm, until it is straight. To do that, you will probably angle your torso away from the leg: make sure you stay low as you do that. From there, you do a big twist, whacking your outside hip right into their stomach. That puts you into a standard hip switch pass position.

From here, ideally you want to apply a heavy cross-face: this will make the pass much easier. Without a solid cross face, they will be able to turn towards you, perhaps even getting a reversal. Having said that, the arm gripping their collar should already be acting as a cross-face, keeping it straight so the 'bar' of your arm prevents them turning towards you.

You will also need to be careful of your weight distribution. If you are leaning too far over their body, they can roll you over the top. If you aren't on the sides of your feet pushing into them, they could roll you backwards. You are effectively sitting down next to them, while still staying tight and pressing your weight into them. If they manage to get an underhook, you'll still need to be wary of getting rolled over: hooking an arm by their leg should block it.

To complete the pass, it will help to insert your bottom shin onto their bottom thigh. Shift back slightly, in order to make some space in front of their bottom leg. Do not raise up: that will give them space to bring their leg in for defence, perhaps even start their escape. Using either your knee or your shin, wedge that against their lower leg leg. Change your trouser grip from their shin to by their knee, then yank it towards you. This should open up enough space to free your leg. Ideally you also want to keep your head low and turned towards their legs, to make it harder for them to push into your throat.
________________

Teaching Notes: The turnout on Monday was really small due to the England vs Iceland football match (hence why it was a Venezuelan, a Norwegian, a Turk - me - and one English person), so I thought I'd repeat for the Wednesday class. I made sure the emphasise the turn this time, which I think helped. I also showed the people who were there on Monday (all three came back tonight: dedication!) a slight variation on the pass, where you cut your knee across. The tweaks from Nathan Adamson have been really useful. I'll be returning to his material from both the private lesson and group class next month, as he had some good stuff on passing as well as open guard.

29/06/2016 - Teaching | Women's Class | More Knee Shield Pass with Nathan Adamson Tweaks

Teaching #521
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 29/06/2016

A photo posted by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Jun 29, 2016 at 4:28am PDT

Nathan Adamson showed me a few tweaks to the knee shield pass when I took a private lesson with him at the 2016 BJJ Globetrotter Camp in Leuven. Mainly that was in the grips, particularly his initial grip, low on the knee-shielding leg. Grab right down near the bottom of the trouser leg, knuckles down. Your other hand grips their same side collar, while you also have your free leg up and based out. From this strong base, straighten out your trouser gripping arm, until it is straight. To do that, you will probably angle your torso away from the leg: make sure you stay low as you do that. From there, you do a big twist, whacking your outside hip right into their stomach. That puts you into a standard hip switch pass position.

From here, ideally you want to apply a heavy cross-face: this will make the pass much easier. Without a solid cross face, they will be able to turn towards you, perhaps even getting a reversal. Having said that, the arm gripping their collar should already be acting as a cross-face, keeping it straight so the 'bar' of your arm prevents them turning towards you.

You will also need to be careful of your weight distribution. If you are leaning too far over their body, they can roll you over the top. If you aren't on the sides of your feet pushing into them, they could roll you backwards. You are effectively sitting down next to them, while still staying tight and pressing your weight into them. If they manage to get an underhook, you'll still need to be wary of getting rolled over: hooking an arm by their leg should block it.

To complete the pass, it will help to insert your bottom shin onto their bottom thigh. Shift back slightly, in order to make some space in front of their bottom leg. Do not raise up: that will give them space to bring their leg in for defence, perhaps even start their escape. Using either your knee or your shin, wedge that against their lower leg leg. Change your trouser grip from their shin to by their knee, then yank it towards you. This should open up enough space to free your leg. Ideally you also want to keep your head low and turned towards their legs, to make it harder for them to push into your throat.
________________

Teaching Notes: I went with the same technique from Monday, which is also what I'm doing for the mixed class too. If you're reading this on the blog, that means you'll see several very similar posts in quick succession. Or indeed not just similar, but exactly the same apart from this 'teaching notes' bit. ;)

I normally run through a specific cycle for the women's class, but as it was only two experienced students today, I went through the knee shield pass some more. I want to get this technique sorted myself, so the more I can teach it, the better. I also ran through one of the Chris Haueter's armbars with them, which I've been referred to as the 'Humiliation Armbar', because you have nothing left to tap with and it seems like it shouldn't work (but does). I think it might be similar to that 'Dead Orchard' thing I see occasionally pop up on forums and the like.

27/06/2016 - Teaching | Half Guard | Knee Shield Pass with Nathan Adamson Tweaks

Teaching #520
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 27/06/2016

A photo posted by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Jun 29, 2016 at 4:28am PDT

Nathan Adamson showed me a few tweaks to the knee shield pass when I took a private lesson with him at the 2016 BJJ Globetrotter Camp in Leuven. Mainly that was in the grips, particularly his initial grip, low on the knee-shielding leg. Grab right down near the bottom of the trouser leg, knuckles down. Your other hand grips their same side collar, while you also have your free leg up and based out. From this strong base, straighten out your trouser gripping arm, until it is straight. To do that, you will probably angle your torso away from the leg: make sure you stay low as you do that. From there, you do a big twist, whacking your outside hip right into their stomach. That puts you into a standard hip switch pass position.

From here, ideally you want to apply a heavy cross-face: this will make the pass much easier. Without a solid cross face, they will be able to turn towards you, perhaps even getting a reversal. Having said that, the arm gripping their collar should already be acting as a cross-face, keeping it straight so the 'bar' of your arm prevents them turning towards you.

You will also need to be careful of your weight distribution. If you are leaning too far over their body, they can roll you over the top. If you aren't on the sides of your feet pushing into them, they could roll you backwards. You are effectively sitting down next to them, while still staying tight and pressing your weight into them. If they manage to get an underhook, you'll still need to be wary of getting rolled over: hooking an arm by their leg should block it.

To complete the pass, it will help to insert your bottom shin onto their bottom thigh. Shift back slightly, in order to make some space in front of their bottom leg. Do not raise up: that will give them space to bring their leg in for defence, perhaps even start their escape. Using either your knee or your shin, wedge that against their lower leg leg. Change your trouser grip from their shin to by their knee, then yank it towards you. This should open up enough space to free your leg. Ideally you also want to keep your head low and turned towards their legs, to make it harder for them to push into your throat.
________________

Teaching Notes: The hardest part is definitely getting the arm straight without compromising your balance. Fortunately I have video of Nathan Adamson doing it, so I can keep checking my posture against that. The other bit people had trouble with was the big twist. A number of students were flopping flat onto their partner, rather than turning in to face the foot, in a true hip switch pass position. I'll emphasise that even more next time. Also, it can be quite a thump into the chest, so that's worth noting too, especially for drilling when you're doing it repeatedly.

22/02/2016 - Teaching | Half Guard | Knee Shield Staple Pass

Teaching #466
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 22/02/2016

A photo posted by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Feb 24, 2016 at 4:16am PST

First off, if their knee shield is high on your chest, it will be more difficult to push down. You can try shoving it down with your hands, but that not only exposes you to potential attack, it gives them a chance to move away and you might lose your passing opportunity. Try to use your bodyweight if possible. You then need to make sure they can't move their hips: in today's pass, I wanted to show how you can accomplish that by pinning either their lower or upper leg. You also want to block their upper body, in order to pin them in place. Finally, you need to get used to sliding over and past their upper leg while still maintaining maximum downwards pressure.

My preference is what Jason Scully calls the staple pass. To control their upper body, Scully puts his head down onto the mat by their armpit. His far arm has the elbow close to the mat, which is similar to Saulo's version that I've taught before, although Scully notes you can reach for an underhook. Also like Saulo, he takes hold of the lower knee with his hand to stop them moving: this accomplishes a similar result to what Dónal does, driving his knee across into their hip.

The 'staple' part is a little different. Similar to how you can circle back with your leg to add a brace for the half guard pressure pass, to beat the knee shield you can rotate your lower leg back to brace against the lower part of their bottom leg, in order to hold it in place. Cut your other knee across, basing the bracing leg out and stepping it forward. From here, it is possible to continue through and pass like Saulo.

However, Scully's version involves a change of direction. Shift your grip to their top knee, clamping that to the mat. Use that, your other arm and your head for base, then hop your legs over to the other side, establishing side control. It is much the same motion as in Kev's xmas guard passing drills a few years ago.
_____________________

Teaching Notes: People were often forgetting to staple with their leg (as I've also forgotten in the past) as well as not holding the knee all the way through. That meant when they tried to pass, they were put right back in guard. I'll keep on emphasising stapling the leg and keeping hold of the knee, as well as really squashing your weight down.

The mini-knee cut Scully does feels like it may not always be necessary, but I'll keep playing with that. Another thing I need to remember to show is that if they try to switch back to standard half guard, you want to be ready with the knee cut.

26/02/2015 - Teaching | Half Guard | Passing Knee Shield

Teaching #286
Artemis BJJ (PHNX Fitness), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 26/02/2015

First off, if their knee shield is high on your chest, it will be more difficult to push down. You can try shoving it down with your hands, but that not only exposes you to potential attack, it gives them a chance to move away and you might lose your passing opportunity. Try to use your bodyweight if possible. You then need to make sure they can't move their hips: in today's pass, I wanted to show how you can accomplish that by pinning either their lower or upper leg. You also want to block their upper body, in order to pin them in place. Finally, you need to get used to sliding over and past their upper leg while still maintaining maximum downwards pressure.

My preference is what Jason Scully calls the staple pass. To control their upper body, Scully puts his head down onto the mat by their armpit. His far arm has the elbow close to the mat, which is similar to Saulo's version that I've taught before, although Scully notes you can reach for an underhook. Also like Saulo, he takes hold of the lower knee with his hand to stop them moving: this accomplishes a similar result to what Dónal does, driving his knee across into their hip.

The 'staple' part is a little different. Similar to how you can circle back with your leg to add a brace for the half guard pressure pass, to beat the knee shield you can rotate your lower leg back to brace against the lower part of their bottom leg, in order to hold it in place. Cut your other knee across, basing the bracing leg out and stepping it forward. From here, it is possible to continue through and pass like Saulo.

However, Scully's version involves a change of direction. Shift your grip to their top knee, clamping that to the mat. Use that, your other arm and your head for base, then hop your legs over to the other side, establishing side control. It is much the same motion as in Kev's xmas guard passing drills a few years ago.
_____________________

Teaching Notes: I do this mainly with a sprawl when I use it myself, but added in the leg hooking bit, or 'staple' as Scully calls it, as it's a useful addition. Also, great turn-out tonight, plus our first female student on the Thursday! :)

To remind myself of bits from last time, I'll add in some older notes. I mentioned before that I emphasised that John's excellent theoretical framework for control in BJJ applies here too. I should also take another look at Dónal's version from back in 2013, where he drove his trapped knee through, into their hip. Dónal also flattened them onto their back. Then there's the Ribeiro method, I'll review that for next time too.