13/10/2015 - Open Mat | Shoulder Clamp

Class #670
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 13/10/2015

Very small turn out today, though I was expecting that would happen at least occasionally at a day time open mat. We ended up chatting about some options from the closed guard, where my favourite right now is the shoulder clamp I worked on last time we did closed guard month. That's handy for setting up two submissions in particular, the omoplata and the pressing armbar. Almost more important than that is the general offensive position it puts you in, rather than what can become a repetitive "they sit up, you pull them down" cycle in closed guard.

I'm looking forward to playing with it some more once we're back in closed guard month, as it builds into a sequence. Good point came up today: last time somebody described it as being like the cross-facing grip from side control, which it is. However, I hand't thought that it is also quite like the seatbelt grip when you're on the back, except that you're on the front. It's cool when something like that clicks, seeing that the same kind of grip works in all sorts of positions. Cross face from side control, cross face from mount, seatbealt grip from the back, shoulder clamp from closed guard. I'm sure there must be some kind of deeper revelation in there, I'll have to think about it some more. :)