Kneebar from turtle

Drew showed me this sneaky submission that you can try when your opponent just gets you in a referee’s position like turtle.

1. You just turtled, either from a failed takedown or to prevent a pass. Uke is behind you trying to gain control, rather than at the side.

2. Look under your legs. If you see his leg or knee between your legs, then you can go for the kneebar. If it isn’t, you can sometimes reposition yourself first so your leg is between his legs.

3. Dive under for it. You want to dive like doing a forward roll, so make sure to move your head out of the way. Stay close and shoot your legs through his legs as you roll. Try to roll in place without much Cartesian displacement.

4. Shoot both arms deep behind his knee as you roll too. Keep your hips close to his and try to prevent him from tying his legs up in a figure-4.

5. You should end up roughly perpendicular with him with your side on the ground. Now is the time to execute the Kneebar

Number one tip for success: Your free leg must kick behind his armpit HARD. You do not want to end up on your side, and you do not want to need “momentum” to finish it. Knock his ass forward with the leg in the armpit.

Head in/out is a matter of choice. The majority opinion is to keep your head out (Kesting for example). However Michael Jen’s view is to keep the head in, like a rolling kneebar from standing. Both have advantages. Head out, you can kick the armpit and roll easier. Head in, however, there is a “sideways” sweep you can do. I think it’s ok either way.

Kneebar from turtle is a very much momentum dependent move. The more powerful roll, the more the success you’ll have finishing it. Here’s a good discussion on executing a kneebar from a turtle.

Tatu keylock

Tatu showed this technique at a seminar last month:

1. You have guard, but Uke is starting to post on your belly.

2. Your same-side hand grips his wrist and pins it to your body.

3. Your other hand goes inside and pulls out his elbow. Uke’s posture tumbles forward.

4. While Uke falls, open your guard and escape your hips out a litte. Place your same-side leg over his wrist, but still over his back, trapping it.

5. Your other leg goes over his head. Both legs push him downward to keep his /peaking down his posture and make the lock tight.

6. Thread your same side hand (the one which was grabbing his wrist) through from the bottom side to the top side (near his back) so your wrist is by his elbow.

7. Clasp you hands together (I like a gable grip) and squeeze.

This version uses your arm as the key instead of your shin like in other bicep slicer techniques.

Tatu mount rotation

Tatu showed us this clever way to mount someone who blocks your attempts to transition over his legs.

1. Tori has kuzure ushiro kesa gatame with his far elbow in Uke’ armpit.

2. Tori leans onto his far arm a little. simutaneously kicks outside leg towards Uke’s legs. This is a jedi mind trick AND gives you momentum to turn the other way.

3. Pivot around his head in the opposite way, using your outside leg for momentum. Use your near knee as a pivot point.

4. Land in mount over he head. If you land with your outside leg over top of his far arm, you can transition to a triangle setup from mount. If you land with your outside leg under his far arm, then begin mount attacks.

This is a very good transition that I got on Santino and others.

Star Sweep

The star sweep is one of Bobby’s favorites. This is technique #4 in Saulo’s gi dvd on the guard. I learned this version at a seminar taught by Rogerio “Tatu” Taborda. While the move looks spectacular, it is really quite simple and pased upon sound mechanical principles according to Royler and Renzo.

1. Uke stands in your closed guard. Keep your hands close to your body with your arm flat on the ground. this makes it easy to hook his ankle. Uke starts to drive his knee to your chest.

2. Immediately hook one arm inside and around at the ankle on the leg Uke is driving into you. Grip the ankle tightly during the entire sweep. Places the palm of your other hand on the floor close to your own ear on the other side.

3. You’re too late to drop your hips for the handstand sweep because Uke is pressing his knee into you. Don’t wait for him to get a good drive into your chest. If he smashes you, the technique won’t work.

   Rather than fight with strength, open your guard to release the pressure as soon as he drops the knee. Concentrate all your power into the same side you are hooking his ankle (and he is driving his knee into you).

4. Quickly force your knee up and lift your hips. Spin your outside leg (the one on the same side as the hand pushing off the floor) in a wide looping motion around his other leg. Your leg whips around in a wide arc, blasting through Uke’s arms if he tries to grab you.

5. Land on your knees outside of the Uke’s leg, facing the same direction as your opponent. Keep low with your weight down; don’t raise back up.

6. Now pull your opponent’s ankle off the floor forward and up, and drive backwards into Uke to force him to fall in a quick motion. Keep his leg straight, but use it as a pendulum.

7. You can finish with side control or transition into a toe hold since you already have good position on hs ankle.

Although it looks like you are a breakdancer, with a little practice the star sweep can be preformed easily. If he is standing in your high guard is even easier to achieve, and I have scored this technique on both high white belts and even good purple belts. There is another popular version where you sweep around his arm instead of his ankle, but I am not as good with that one.

Smashing triangle choke escape

Tatu showed this at his seminar. It works better for loose triangles than tight ones.

1. Uke gets a triangle from guard.

2. As soon as Uke gets the choke, Tori drives into Uke and stacks him, This smashes him and lifts his rear off the ground.

3. Tori posts his inside hand besides Uke’s head (on the same-side) for support and to prevent Uke from moving it across.

4. Tori circles slightly away from his inside arm to make some space. This loosens the triangle and makes it easier to get your arm free.

5. Tori places his low leg (knee bent) right next to Uke’s rear. This contrains Uke so he can’t extend for an armbar.

6. With Uke smashed and a hole opened, Tori pulls his arm free and settles into side control or north-south.

Wakigatame kata juji jime

Misnamed version of a cutting kata juji jime.

Cutting kata juji jime

Brad showed me this move back in November 2005 when I just started gi training. It was my favorite move for over a month.

1. Tori tries cutting armlock from guard but can’t get the submission for some reason.

2. Tori grips Uke’s gi at the collar (or just gi material near there) by Uke’s right neck/trap with your thumb inside.

3. Tori closes guard and brings his collar-arm’s elbow to Uke’s chest down then in, getting under his chin and pressing against his neck.

4. Tori rotates his collar hand to press his wrist into Uke’s carotid. Tori’s overhooking hand pulls the other collar taunt like in okuri eri jime.

5. Tori puts his foot (on the side of his trapped arm) on Uke’s hip (if not possible use mat) and escapes his hips outward.

   This angle helps make the choke much stronger and opens the possibility of easier transitions (near armbar, omoplata, etc.) and stretches Uke so he has less leverage.

6. Tori crunches forward as he pulls Uke’s head toward him. Tap!

Single to a double

The head-outside single leg (or high-crotch single leg) is a great takedown which can be set up from a snap down, or from a headlock, or set up in other ways. A common finish is to switch to a double leg.

1. Start with a staggered stance. Make sure to keep your back straight and head up throughout the entire shot.

2. Clear your opponent’s arms and lower your level just like in a double.

3. Also take your penetration step just like in a double.

4. At almost the same time, bring your outside leg around parallel with the other one.

5. Wrap around his near leg, with the inner arm going high and the outer one low by the knee. Your shoulder and chest should drive into him. Good posture is critical!

6. Pull his leg as you lean in and look across his back. Lift your opponent up into the air like a squat using your shoulder to support his weight.

7. Switch to the double: Step up with the outside leg, and bring your inside hand to his far knee to chop it.

8. Turn the corner. And drive him to the mat.

Sometimes this is called a reshot. It is an essential move all wrestlers should know. Here’s several good links on the technique:

• Ken Primola demonstration video
• Re-Shot single to double video
• TheMat demonstration
• Angelo Palmieri demonstrates (Mount Lebanon)
• Randy Simpson’s high-crotch tips

Double belt grip elevator sweep

Eugene showed me this sweep during judo class at Pitt. I think I have all the details correct…

1. You start with butterfly guard.

2. Arm drag his left-side (Uke’s right) hand. Your head stays on the right side of Uke’s head.

3. Your left arm goes over and grips his belt. Your right arm goes under Uke’s arm, grips belt. Stay close.

4. Sit back to your left side and extend your right hook to elevate Uke’s left leg. Keep your toes pointed towards you so your hook remains strong.

5. Uke can’t post out a lib to prevent going over since his right arm is being controlled. Land on the top.

Rolling armbar from turtle

This is a good armbar and also a turnover in case you can’t finish the technique:

1. You have back control with hooks, but the Uke has turtled and it is hard to get a choke.

2. With your left arm, hook his right arm and get a good grip. Uke will probably lock his hands to prevent the armbar.

3. At the same time, rotate perpendicular with him and remove our left hook. Slide your shin across the back of his neck/head. This drives his head to the ground. Rotate the other hook across his opposite abdomen to the outside of his left thigh.

   Squeeze your knees together to start isolating and controlling his arm. Aesopian, who’s just totally awesome, shows the position in this picture:

   

4. With your free arm, grip his close ankle (or gi pants) and extend his leg as you bring it over your head. Now let go and grab his other ankle (or gi pants) and pull it over your head again.

5. Keep your grip and roll your opponent onto his back while keeping the armbar. You need to roll them over to get enough leverage to break their grip.

6. While rolling the opponent over, try to maintain your body at a right angle to his; pull his left arm well toward your and keep your hips close to his body. After rolling, make sure to place your left leg around his head.

7. Uke will probably still have his hands locked. Break his lock and extend his arm to your chest. Hold the opponent’s right arm with your left hand, and raise up your stomach slightly to apply the lock.

You also have to control his collarbones at the end. Armbars are all about controlling the core of his body. You have to have that leg driving hard across his collarbones so he cannot sit up. The defense against an arm bar is for him to pop your leg off his chest and turn, pulling his elbow downward, right? So remember to staple him to the ground with the leg across his collarbones. The arm is easy after that. Here’s a good discussion of the rolling armbar from turtle.