15/03/2017 - Teaching | Mount | Ezequiel (Gi Tail Variation)

Teaching #644
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 15/03/2017

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Mar 17, 2017 at 7:24am PDT

Paul wasn't able to make it tonight, so I covered the intermediate BJJ class. I decided that as it was intermediate, I would show something that can lead into a whole bunch of other options. As the students in this class have more experience, that meant I didn't have to worry too much about going through all the options in detail, I could assume that they knew them already. Handy benefit of intermediate. :)

My starting point was using the gi tail in mount. I had a specific technique in mind as the focus, but wanted to emphasise that it could work as an entry to lots of stuff, as well as acting as a feint if you just wanted to move into high mount. The first step is to get an arm under their head. Pull out either their gi lapel (preferable) or your own, then pass it to the hand you have under their head. This variation is similar to the lapel attack I like to do from side control, where you feed your gi to the hand you have under their head (something you can set up from mount too, dismounting to side control for the finish). Even more fun, if they are being super-defensive and crossing their arms to block a choke from mount, that's where the ezequiel variation comes in.

Pull their gi lapel up and over their bent arm, feeding it to the hand you have under their head. Bring your other arm underneath that lapel, cutting the hand down by the side of their neck, like you would for a standard ezequiel. You can then finish the choke pretty much as normal. If you start off with the gi lapel slightly loose, it's easier to slip your other hand under, before tightening it right up.

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Teaching Notes: This is the intermediate class I covered, which meant I could show a technique that is more of a set up to shift into other techniques, rather than a high percentage option on its own. With the gi tail ezequiel, I think it works best if you're ready to switch to side control and finish a choke from there. So, I probably wouldn't teach this in a standard class, people are liable to get confused without the additional context.