12/07/2018 - BJJ Globetrotter Camp | Leuven 2018 | David Morcegao (Wristlocks)

Class #1009
BJJ Globetrotter Camp (Sportoase Leuven), David Morcegao, Leuven, Belgium, 12/07/2018

Some more good tips from David, on wristlocks. The main one that stuck with me is from side control. When you're going for an attack on the other arm, you can kneel on their other arm, using that control to wristlock.

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A post shared by Can (Jun) (@slideyfoot) on Jul 12, 2018 at 8:58am PDT

21/08/2017 - BJJ Globetrotter Camp | Heidelberg 2017 | Half Guard Kimura Pass (David George)

Class #877
BJJ Globetrotter Camp (Olympiastützpunkt Rhein-Neckar) David George, Heidelberg, Germany, 21/08/2017

The first session in Heidelberg was on passing half guard using a kimura. David began with several tips on maintaining top half guard, such as the importance of sitting on their leg, so they can't lockdown. Swim in for an underhook, grab their other shoulder and pull it in. You can then walk your feet over to put them flat. Cross face and gather up their far arm, switching your cross face arm over.

Transfer grip, still controlling with first arm. Move into kimura, switch hips. Maintaining pressure, raise up enough to get your shin into their leg, acting as a wedge so their leg doesn't follow when you pull it towards you. This enables you to then free your leg. If you can't get a kimura because their wrist is too high (as then when you reach, it would tilt you backwards), whip your leg behind for base. You may need to do what David calls a 'poop flick' to free it. In other words, pull their leg back to full extension, then flick to whip your leg out.

18/07/2016 - BJJ Globetrotter Camp | Bournemouth 2016 | Passing de la Riva (David 'Morcegao')

Class #755
BJJ Globetrotter Camp (Phoenix MMA), David 'Morcegao' George, Bournemouth, UK, 18/07/2016

David is a de la Riva black belt, so for his first class at the UK BJJ Globetrotter camp, he decided to talk about passing his instructor's famous eponymous guard. To start with some basics, when they insert their de la Riva hook, lower your base to stop them elevating you. You then want to get rid of any grips they've got, whether that's on the foot (grab the hand and pull up), the sleeve (roll your wrist over the top) or wherever. To pop their original hook off, turn your foot out and point your knee.

If they have a grip on the trouser leg, you can still turn your foot, so it isn't as much of a problem. A grip on the heel stops that, as they can pull the heel in towards them. There is a weak direction, however, if you can kick forwards. When they are tight to you, kicking forwards is blocked by their body. It is still possible to kick past their bum, freeing your foot that way. Bring it to you a little first, then scrape the leg past their bum. A pass around their leg then presents itself.

Even if they have de la Riva, with a leg drag, you may be able to crush straight through their hook. You might also be able to pop their hook off by simply straightening your leg explosively, if turning your knee outwards isn't viable. Yet another option is to give up on the pass and attack their leg instead, with a calf crush.

IBJJF rules don't let you do anything fun with the leg until brown belt, but that's only one ruleset, so you don't have to restrict yourself to that (as long as your partners are ok with leglocks). Personally leg locks terrify me so I never use them, but they're very effective and important to know, as people will do them to you (especially if you're brown belt or above, of course).

They have a deep de la Riva hook. Push their hooking knee down, roll through, your shoulder diving underneath their other leg, then extend for the submission. I wasn't entirely successful getting this, but it's useful to know that's a danger with the deep de la Riva: perhaps keep hold of their sleeves to stop them getting their leg lock position?

23/06/2016 - Private with David Morcegao | Open Guard & Side Control | Stiff Arm Frame, Knee Cut Counters & Gi Tail Choke

Class #737 - Private #023
BJJ Globetrotter Camp (Sportoase Leuven), David 'Morcegao' George, Leuven, Belgium, 23/06/2016

I hadn't intended to do any privates when I was booking the camp, but David mentioned he was only charging €40 for two people, a price too good to pass up. That set me off on a private lesson spree, booking another for Friday and a third for Saturday, each with a different instructor. For anybody going to a BJJ Globetrotter camp, I would therefore recommend bringing along a 'private lesson piggybank', to take advantage of affordable one-on-one attention. You can also grab black belts at open mat to ask them stuff (e.g., Christian said to do that, as he wasn't looking to do privates at this camp), but I feel better able to babble after having paid for an hour. Especially as I ask LOTS of questions. ;)

A photo posted by Can (Jun) (@slideyfoot) on Jun 23, 2016 at 11:02am PDT

First on my list was knee cut counters. David began by suggesting you grab the foot from a reverse de la Riva position. If you mess up and they have gotten a knee through, you're in trouble. They want their balance centered, you want to disrupt that. Bump them with your knee, with the intention of swivelling up behind them. It could be either knee, depending on the position.

Pulling on the collar can help you with that too. You will end up in a scramble, like Haueter said, meaning that a wrestling approach will pay dividends. You're spinning through behind the leg, looking for the back or possibly moving into a single leg off that position.

If you can get some kind of purchase on their leg, you can turn, rolling them over. Securing a collar and grabbing their knee will help with this too, stiff arming to stop them recovering their position. If they don't fall over (e.g., you end up with their leg, but they still have some base), hook the leg as you turn, then stand to complete the single leg. If they are on their knee, you can tap that knee and drive through.

A late option is to try and spin through, your arm going underneath their body. Your other arm loops over their head, ending up in a brabo choke type thing (anaconda? I get confused as to which is which). To complete the choke, you're curling your body around their head.

Along with knee cut counters, I more generally want to improve my open guard, particularly the sitting guard frames I've been playing with from Ryan Hall. Rather than curling your arm in when you have it behind their head, make sure you're redirecting that head. That's a great point, as like David said, just curling the arm ends up using triceps. In a related point (which applies to side control frames too), you can reach for their shoulder, getting the lower part of your forearm into the throat.

I'm keen on improving my chokes from side control too, as I go for those a lot. David had a nifty little tweak on my favoured gi tail choke. If you can't get the basic gi tail to work, bring your other hand through to grip on top of your first grip, similar to a baseball bat grip, but on the side. Lever their head up for the choke (David described it as a steering wheel), being careful not to put your forearm through too deeply.

22/06/2016 - BJJ Globetrotter Camp | Leuven 2016 | Leg Swivel Pass (David Morcegao)

Class #732
BJJ Globetrotter Camp (Sportoase Leuven), David Morcegao, Leuven, Belgium, 22/06/2016

For David's second class, he did an interesting 'leg swivel' motion to complete the pass. This was gradually built up from a drill. You start inside their open guard, where they have hooked both feet inside your knees, you're grasping their knees (though the drill was originally without the hands, to focus on that motion). Lift your leg high, cutting the knee in, then pivot. That should swivel your leg over their other shin, with the aim of ending up outside their other leg.

The hard part is stopping your leg getting caught on their foot as your twist it over, but with plenty of drilling, that should smooth those snags out. David addressed that point, emphasising that you need to get your leg high, then chop that knee down, making sure you twist your hips each time. That should give you the clearance you need. Good balance is also important, as David pointed out, meaning you would be able to do things like 'surf' over their legs if they try to knock you off.

Sometimes you won't be able to clear both legs, resulting in one leg still inside theirs. You have the options of knee cutting, or simply repeating your leg swivel to clear their other leg. X pass is another option as well. Pressing their knees down with your grips should help too, which David highlighted as he added the hands back into the drill. If they have a grip on the collar, break that off before continuing the pass. If they have one ankle, it isn't a big problem, but with two, you will need to kick one off first.

There are lots of passing options. David picked a cool one, the breakdance pass. That backstepping motion is one I've taught as a drill in the pass, from reverse knee on belly. You pivot around your knee, kicking your leg all the way over. That can lead into mount, or you continue the motion, swinging the other leg through into side control. There's also a chance you could flow into a submission, catching an arm or triangle (plus a few nastier, more catch wrestling style attacks, which I avoid because I prefer the buttercups and rainbows end of the forest, instead of the dark thorny part ;p).

21/06/2016 - BJJ Globetrotter Camp | Leuven 2016 | Passing NoGi (David Morcegao)

Class #728
BJJ Globetrotter Camp (Sportoase Leuven), David 'Morcegao' George, Leuven, Belgium, 21/06/2016

I very rarely train nogi, as I don’t like the absence of gi grips. I also find it becomes a lot more based on physical attributes when you take away the gi, exactly the opposite of what I want from my jiu jitsu game. However, I was intrigued by the prospect of learning from David George. I first encountered him on the sadly defunct European Fight Network forum that my old instructor Jude Samuel used to run. When I started BJJ, the EFN was the place the UK BJJ community congregated. That’s where you would hear about competitions, gossip and of course trolling. The notorious david5 was a master of the latter.

Since then, he’s become better known as the UK’s only (I think?) black belt earned directly under the legendary Ricardo de la Riva, as well as the organiser of Roll Models. That was the first competition Artemis BJJ went to as a club and it was a great experience. Well organised, very affordable and supportive of female competitors (they initially could enter for free, then later editions had heavily discounted prices for women). He has also started his own school, Morcegao Jiu Jitsu, as that is now his moniker (including a memorable custom design by Seymour).

A video posted by Can (Jun) (@slideyfoot) on Jun 21, 2016 at 3:46pm PDT

David focused on passing, with a strong wrestling slant. To begin, you need to get your distancing right. You can’t be too far away, but you also don’t want to be too close, or they may be able to grab your legs and go for a sweep. Crouch low, a little like you’re going to shoot for a takedown. Pick your moment, then grab their feet and drive forward. You want to get their feet right over their head. To do that, you’ll also want to switch your grip, so that you are driving the web of your hand (between your thumb and finger) into their ankles (or sometimes the back of their knees). As their legs go over their head, follow in, driving your hips into the bottom of their back, right below (from your perspective) their bum. Stay upright, stopping them from bringing their legs back down or scooting away from you.

If they are being squirmy, you may want to lock your hands around their hips. If you mess up the motion and can’t get their legs over their head, you can try to pass by swiping one leg in front and towards their hip, sliding to the side. That squashes their legs down, enabling you to slip through into side control. To secure that side control. David’s catchphrase was ‘punch them in the head!’ In other words, whack into the side of their head, relatively high, with your bicep. That makes it very tough for them to turn back towards you.

When you have them in that compromised position, tight to their back with their legs in the air, you can of course pass. David suggested sliding your arm across their neck/jaw to turn their head (depending on how much of a neck they have). Turn, so that you still have one knee up to jam against their back and keep them stacked, sliding the rest of your body around behind your neck/jaw pushing arm. You might be able to choke by leaning into their neck, or complete the pass by crushing through, like you would on a single or double underhook pass.