29/06/2022 - Teaching | Back | Bow & Arrow Choke

Teaching #Evening
Artemis BJJ (Easton Road), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK -29/06/2022

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Tonight, it was time for the signature move at Artemis BJJ, the bow and arrow. Starting from standard back control with a seat-bet grip, you open up their collar with the hand you have under their armpit. Fold it over (a handy tip from James '300' Foster), then grip it with the hand you have over their shoulder. Don't grip too high, or you'll lack the range to finish the choke.

Next you want to get hold of their non-choking side leg. If you're having trouble grabbing it, Dónal suggests using your same side heel to dig in by their knee, curling your leg back. That should bring their trouser leg in range for you to grab with your free hand, establishing a good anchor point. You then want to swivel your body, in order to get your leg-grabbing side foot to the outside of their other thigh.

I tend to push off their non-grabbed leg side thigh with my same side foot, to help me move my other foot over. Once you've got that foot locked in place, you want to keep it there to block them from trying to turn into an escape. Along with your initial grip on their leg, that hook with your foot gives you better leverage to move into the main choking position.

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Sep 8, 2017 at 3:08am PDT

To get there, swing out your non-hooking leg. You want to end up with your opponent's head on the thigh of that leg you just swung out. Tuck the elbow of your choking arm back by your hip, as pulling on the elbow is one of the main escapes. To finish, pull your hand down (like you were cracking a whip), pressing your forearm into their head (you can drive with your shoulder too). If that doesn't work, you can try increasing the range by gripping with less fingers (though this does make your grip weaker). Putting a leg over their shoulder and then crossing your feet can give you more leverage, as you can then thrust your hips up into the choke.

If that still isn't getting the choke, try bringing the hand that was gripping their leg behind their head, driving it through to push their head forward as you lock in the choke. For even more leverage, you can bring it under their arm. That then sets you up for yet another follow-up submission: the armbar is right there from that position.

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A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Oct 14, 2018 at 10:56pm PDT

________________

Teaching Notes: Rewatching the video from a BJJ Globetrotters class I went to in Leuven 2018, I realised the importance of crossing the legs over the shoulder. Rather than it just being an option, it feels like it is fairly key to getting the leverage. It also reminded me that it is worth showing the leaning back option, which functions as a simplified method. I still prefer being upright, but going straight to bringing the leg over the shoulder to then cross the feet is a viable option that I need to show too.

12/09/2018 - Teaching | Back | Bow & Arrow Choke

Teaching #801
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 12/09/2018

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Apr 2, 2014 at 3:59am PDT

Tonight, it was time for the signature move at Artemis BJJ, the bow and arrow. Starting from standard back control with a seat-bet grip, you open up their collar with the hand you have under their armpit. Fold it over (a handy tip from James '300' Foster), then grip it with the hand you have over their shoulder. Don't grip too high, or you'll lack the range to finish the choke.

Next you want to get hold of their non-choking side leg. If you're having trouble grabbing it, Dónal suggests using your same side heel to dig in by their knee, curling your leg back. That should bring their trouser leg in range for you to grab with your free hand, establishing a good anchor point. You then want to swivel your body, in order to get your leg-grabbing side foot to the outside of their other thigh.

I tend to push off their non-grabbed leg side thigh with my same side foot, to help me move my other foot over. Once you've got that foot locked in place, you want to keep it there to block them from trying to turn into an escape. Along with your initial grip on their leg, that hook with your foot gives you better leverage to move into the main choking position.

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Sep 8, 2017 at 3:08am PDT

To get there, swing out your non-hooking leg. You want to end up with your opponent's head on the thigh of that leg you just swung out. Tuck the elbow of your choking arm back by your hip, as pulling on the elbow is one of the main escapes. To finish, pull your hand down (like you were cracking a whip), pressing your forearm into their head (you can drive with your shoulder too). If that doesn't work, you can try increasing the range by gripping with less fingers (though this does make your grip weaker). Putting a leg over their shoulder and then crossing your feet can give you more leverage, as you can then thrust your hips up into the choke.

If that still isn't getting the choke, try bringing the hand that was gripping their leg behind their head, driving it through to push their head forward as you lock in the choke. For even more leverage, you can bring it under their arm. That then sets you up for yet another follow-up submission: the armbar is right there from that position.

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A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Oct 14, 2018 at 10:56pm PDT

________________

Teaching Notes: There were a few that couldn't get the leverage, but locking the feet over the shoulder solved that. Fishing rod is possibly not the best, cracking a whip is better, I should remember that next time. It's a more universal metaphor, I think. Not going too hard on the grip is worth emphasising (which I did, but still, keep doing that ;D), to both avoid turning it into a neck crank and your grips getting burned out.

06/09/2017 - Teaching | Back | Bow & Arrow Choke

Teaching #700
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 06/09/2017

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Apr 2, 2014 at 3:59am PDT

Tonight, it was time for the signature move at Artemis BJJ, the bow and arrow. Starting from standard back control with a seat-bet grip, you open up their collar with the hand you have under their armpit. Fold it over (a handy tip from James '300' Foster), then grip it with the hand you have over their shoulder. Don't grip too high, or you'll lack the range to finish the choke.

Next you want to get hold of their non-choking side leg. If you're having trouble grabbing it, Dónal suggests using your same side heel to dig in by their knee, curling your leg back. That should bring their trouser leg in range for you to grab with your free hand, establishing a good anchor point. You then want to swivel your body, in order to get your leg-grabbing side foot to the outside of their other thigh.

I tend to push off their non-grabbed leg side thigh with my same side foot, to help me move my other foot over. Once you've got that foot locked in place, you want to keep it there to block them from trying to turn into an escape. Along with your initial grip on their leg, that hook with your foot gives you better leverage to move into the main choking position.

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Sep 8, 2017 at 3:08am PDT

To get there, swing out your non-hooking leg. You want to end up with your opponent's head on the thigh of that leg you just swung out. Tuck the elbow of your choking arm back by your hip, as pulling on the elbow is one of the main escapes. To finish, pull your hand down (like you were cracking a whip), pressing your forearm into their head (you can drive with your shoulder too). If that doesn't work, you can try increasing the range by gripping with less fingers (though this does make your grip weaker). Putting a leg over their shoulder and then crossing your feet can give you more leverage, as you can then thrust your hips up into the choke.

If that still isn't getting the choke, try bringing the hand that was gripping their leg behind their head, driving it through to push their head forward as you lock in the choke. For even more leverage, you can bring it under their arm. That then sets you up for yet another follow-up submission: the armbar is right there from that position.
________________

Teaching Notes: There were a few that couldn't get the leverage, but locking the feet over the shoulder solved that. Fishing rod is possibly not the best, cracking a whip is better, I should remember that next time. It's a more universal metaphor, I think. Not going too hard on the grip is worth emphasising (which I did, but still, keep doing that ;D), to both avoid turning it into a neck crank and your grips getting burned out.

As Paul was away, I covered the intermediate class too. I took the opportunity to go through a few follow-ups to the bow and arrow, including Chad's lapel choke, where he pulls it out and then over the shoulder. I didn't get a good angle on the video though, which is a shame: must remember to turn more next time I show the follow ups to this (or if I teach them again from technical mount, like last time). On the hand behind the head choke, fingertips to the mat. For Chad's one, there was a question of whether you lose your grip or not: I don't think so, as you're pulling that gi out, meaning the gi acts as the control rather than your arm blocking the armpit.

05/04/2017 - Teaching | Back | Bow & Arrow Choke

Teaching #649
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 05/04/2017

Tonight, it was time for the signature move at Artemis BJJ, the bow and arrow. Starting from standard back control with a seat-bet grip, you open up their collar with the hand you have under their armpit. Fold it over (a handy tip from James '300' Foster), then grip it with the hand you have over their shoulder. Don't grip too high, or you'll lack the range to finish the choke.

Next you want to get hold of their non-choking side leg. If you're having trouble grabbing it, Dónal suggests using your same side heel to dig in by their knee, curling your leg back. That should bring their trouser leg in range for you to grab with your free hand, establishing a good anchor point. You then want to swivel your body, in order to get your leg-grabbing side foot to the outside of their other thigh.

I tend to push off their non-grabbed leg side thigh with my same side foot, to help me move my other foot over. Once you've got that foot locked in place, you want to keep it there to block them from trying to turn into an escape. Along with your initial grip on their leg, that hook with your foot gives you better leverage to move into the main choking position.

A video posted by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Nov 11, 2016 at 6:57am PST

To get there, swing out your non-hooking leg. You want to end up with your opponent's head on the thigh of that leg you just swung out. Tuck the elbow of your choking arm back by your hip, as pulling on the elbow is one of the main escapes. To finish, pull your hand down (like you were cracking a whip), pressing your forearm into their head (you can drive with your shoulder too). If that doesn't work, you can try increasing the range by gripping with less fingers (though this does make your grip weaker). Putting a leg over their shoulder and then crossing your feet can give you more leverage, as you can then thrust your hips up into the choke.

If that still isn't getting the choke, try bringing the hand that was gripping their leg behind their head, driving it through to push their head forward as you lock in the choke. For even more leverage, you can bring it under their arm. That then sets you up for yet another follow-up submission: the armbar is right there from that position.
________________

Teaching Notes: On folding the gi over, it is just the one fold, rather than scrunching it up (as the idea is making a wedge to slide in, so bunching up lots of material is counterproductive). With hand positioning, that's going to vary depending on things like arm length, but I could do with some general market: chest, maybe? The main thing I'd like to try differently next time is foot positioning. Up until now, I've been saying to switch your instep over to the opposite hip. It may be easier to instead go with Donal's version, where he pulls his heel inwards on the leg-gripping side. That brings their leg to your hand, beginning the twist of their body which puts them where you want.

I didn't go through all the many submission follow-ups this time, just putting legs over the shoulder. It is handy to know the follow-ups, but there's a risk of overloading people with that. I could teach them in a separate class some time, perhaps? I just need to work out the best way of splitting it if I do that. Also, I teach an upright version of the bow and arrow. It's worth noting there is a version where you lean back instead, which would perhaps be worth teaching some time. I'm not keen on that one, as I find it limits the follow ups, but quite a few people end up leaning back because that's the instinctive way to add leverage. I don't want to be telling them that's 'wrong', because there is a version that does it like that, it's just not the way I prefer to do it.

09/11/2016 - Teaching | Back | Bow & Arrow Choke

Teaching #590
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 09/11/2016

Tonight, it was time for the signature move at Artemis BJJ, the bow and arrow. Starting from standard back control with a seat-bet grip, you open up their collar with the hand you have under their armpit. Fold it over (a handy tip from James '300' Foster), then grip it with the hand you have over their shoulder. Don't grip too high, or you'll lack the range to finish the choke.

Next you want to get hold of their non-choking side leg. If you're having trouble grabbing it, Dónal suggests using your same side heel to dig in by their knee, curling your leg back. That should bring their trouser leg in range for you to grab with your free hand, establishing a good anchor point. You then want to swivel your body, in order to get your leg-grabbing side foot to the outside of their other thigh.

I tend to push off their non-grabbed leg side thigh with my same side foot, to help me move my other foot over. Once you've got that foot locked in place, you want to keep it there to block them from trying to turn into an escape. Along with your initial grip on their leg, that hook with your foot gives you better leverage to move into the main choking position.

A video posted by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Nov 11, 2016 at 6:57am PST

To get there, swing out your non-hooking leg. You want to end up with your opponent's head on the thigh of that leg you just swung out. Tuck the elbow of your choking arm back by your hip, as pulling on the elbow is one of the main escapes. To finish, pull your hand down (like you were cracking a whip), pressing your forearm into their head (you can drive with your shoulder too). If that doesn't work, you can try increasing the range by gripping with less fingers (though this does make your grip weaker). Putting a leg over their shoulder and then crossing your feet can give you more leverage, as you can then thrust your hips up into the choke.

If that still isn't getting the choke, try bringing the hand that was gripping their leg behind their head, driving it through to push their head forward as you lock in the choke. For even more leverage, you can bring it under their arm. That then sets you up for yet another follow-up submission: the armbar is right there from that position.
________________

Teaching Notes: I forgot to talk about opening up the collar initially with the hand you have under their armpit, so need to do that next time. I also probably shouldn't add in all the many bits at the end, maybe just the crossing on the shoulder and the head behind choke? Then again, it is useful to know the armbar is there, but I could just mention that rather than run through it.

I am planning to get back to sparring normally on Sunday, so hopefully my back is finally going to stop annoying me. Never get older, especially as 35 isn't even old. I need to strengthen up my back in time for 45! ;)

06/05/2016 - Teaching | The Back | Bow & Arrow Choke

Teaching #506
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 06/05/2016

Tonight, it was time for the signature move at Artemis BJJ, the bow and arrow. Starting from standard back control with a seat-bet grip, you open up their collar with the hand you have under their armpit. Fold it over (a handy tip from James '300' Foster), then grip it with the hand you have over their shoulder. Don't grip too high, or you'll lack the range to finish the choke.

Next you want to get hold of their non-choking side leg. If you're having trouble grabbing it, Dónal suggests using your same side heel to dig in by their knee, curling your leg back. That should bring their trouser leg in range for you to grab with your free hand, establishing a good anchor point. You then want to swivel your body, in order to get your leg-grabbing side foot to the outside of their other thigh.

I tend to push off their non-grabbed leg side thigh with my same side foot, to help me move my other foot over. Once you've got that foot locked in place, you want to keep it there to block them from trying to turn into an escape. Along with your initial grip on their leg, that hook with your foot gives you better leverage to move into the main choking position.

To get there, swing out your non-hooking leg. You want to end up with your opponent's head on the thigh of that leg you just swung out. Tuck the elbow of your choking arm back by your hip, as pulling on the elbow is one of the main escapes. To finish, pull your hand down (like you were cracking a whip), pressing your forearm into their head (you can drive with your shoulder too). If that doesn't work, you can try increasing the range by gripping with less fingers (though this does make your grip weaker). Putting a leg over their shoulder and then crossing your feet can give you more leverage, as you can then thrust your hips up into the choke.

If that still isn't getting the choke, try bringing the hand that was gripping their leg behind their head, driving it through to push their head forward as you lock in the choke. For even more leverage, you can bring it under their arm. That then sets you up for yet another follow-up submission: the armbar is right there from that position.
________________

Teaching Notes: Next time, I'll emphasise the wrist positioning on finishing the choke. It is like cracking a whip, rather than trying to yank the gi across. I cut the follow up submissions down to three, but I think next time I should include the behind the head option. That's the most natural one to go for if you can't finish, judging by drilling. It would also be worth emphasising bringing your legs over their shoulder for extra leverage too.

I did include the armbar, but that's because we went through the armbar from guard in the previous month on mount, with armbar drills too. As long as I do that not too long before, it shouldn't be confusing.

06/11/2015 - Teaching | The Back | Bow & Arrow Choke

Teaching #417
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 06/11/2015

Tonight, it was time for the signature move at Artemis BJJ, the bow and arrow. Starting from standard back control with a seat-bet grip, you open up their collar with the hand you have under their armpit. Fold it over (a handy tip from James '300' Foster), then grip it with the hand you have over their shoulder. Don't grip too high, or you'll lack the range to finish the choke.

Next you want to get hold of their non-choking side leg. If you're having trouble grabbing it, Dónal suggests using your same side heel to dig in by their knee, curling your leg back. That should bring their trouser leg in range for you to grab with your free hand, establishing a good anchor point. You then want to swivel your body, in order to get your leg-grabbing side foot to the outside of their other thigh.

I tend to push off their non-grabbed leg side thigh with my same side foot, to help me move my other foot over. Once you've got that foot locked in place, you want to keep it there to block them from trying to turn into an escape. Along with your initial grip on their leg, that hook with your foot gives you better leverage to move into the main choking position.

To get there, swing out your non-hooking leg. You want to end up with your opponent's head on the thigh of that leg you just swung out. Tuck the elbow of your choking arm back by your hip, as pulling on the elbow is one of the main escapes. To finish, pull your hand down, pressing your forearm into their head (you can drive with your shoulder too). If that doesn't work, you can try increasing the range by gripping with less fingers (though this does make your grip weaker). Putting a leg over their shoulder and then crossing your feet can give you more leverage, as you can then thrust your hips up into the choke.

If that still isn't getting the choke, try bringing the hand that was gripping their leg behind their head, driving it through to push their head forward as you lock in the choke. For even more leverage, you can bring it under their arm. That then sets you up for yet another follow-up submission: the armbar is right there from that position.
________________

Teaching Notes: I'm feeling confident about this lesson. The only thing I think I'd change is that next time, I'd like the bow and arrow to come after both lessons on the armbar and the arm push collar choke. It felt like a lot of technique with the variations in the sense there were four different finishes, but at the same time, they aren't overly complex. It would be best if everybody had a chance to see them in isolation first though.

I taught the armbar from the back the lesson before, which finishes in the same way as the armbar from mount last month. However, I don't think I've covered the arm push collar choke: that could combine well with a technical mount lesson, so I'll look to fit it in there next time, I think.

12/03/2015 - Teaching | The Back | Bow & Arrow Choke

Teaching #294
Artemis BJJ (PHNX Fitness), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 12/03/2015

This week, I decided to focus on the bow and arrow from the back. Starting from standard back control with a seat-bet grip, you open up their collar with the hand you have under their armpit. Fold it over (a handy tip from James '300' Foster), then grip it with the hand you have over their shoulder. Don't grip too high, or you'll lack the range to finish the choke.

Next you want to get hold of their non-choking side leg. If you're having trouble grabbing it, Dónal suggests using your same side heel to dig in by their knee, curling your leg back. That should bring their trouser leg in range for you to grab with your free hand, establishing a good anchor point. You then want to swivel your body, in order to get your leg-grabbing side foot to the outside of their other thigh.

I tend to push off their non-grabbed leg side thigh with my same side foot, to help me move my other foot over. Once you've got that foot locked in place, you want to keep it there to block them from trying to turn into an escape. Along with your initial grip on their leg, that hook with your foot gives you better leverage to move into the main choking position.

To get there, swing out your non-hooking leg. You want to end up with your opponent's head on the thigh of that leg you just swung out. Tuck the elbow of your choking arm back by your hip, as pulling on the elbow is one of the main escapes. To finish, pull your hand down, pressing your forearm into their head. If that doesn't work, you can try increasing the range by gripping with less fingers (though this does make your grip weaker). Putting a leg over their shoulder and then crossing your feet can give you more leverage, as you can then thrust your hips up into the choke.

If that still isn't getting the choke, try bringing the hand that was gripping their leg behind their head, driving it through to push their head forward as you lock in the choke. For even more leverage, you can bring it under their arm. That then sets you up for yet another follow-up submission, moving your leg over their head to switch into an armbar.
________________

Teaching Notes: Another interesting point for me to consider popped up today, which is generating leverage by leaning back. I prefer staying tight, not giving them space, but it's a valid way of finishing the choke. I guess that also fits well with the armbar. I still want to bring in Dónal's grip break at some point.

11/03/2015 - Teaching | The Back | Bow & Arrow Choke

Teaching #293
Artemis BJJ (MyGym), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 11/03/2015

This week, I decided to focus on the bow and arrow from the back. Starting from standard back control with a seat-bet grip, you open up their collar with the hand you have under their armpit. Fold it over (a handy tip from James '300' Foster), then grip it with the hand you have over their shoulder. Don't grip too high, or you'll lack the range to finish the choke.

Next you want to get hold of their non-choking side leg. If you're having trouble grabbing it, Dónal suggests using your same side heel to dig in by their knee, curling your leg back. That should bring their trouser leg in range for you to grab with your free hand, establishing a good anchor point. You then want to swivel your body, in order to get your leg-grabbing side foot to the outside of their other thigh.

I tend to push off their non-grabbed leg side thigh with my same side foot, to help me move my other foot over. Once you've got that foot locked in place, you want to keep it there to block them from trying to turn into an escape. Along with your initial grip on their leg, that hook with your foot gives you better leverage to move into the main choking position.

To get there, swing out your non-hooking leg. You want to end up with your opponent's head on the thigh of that leg you just swung out. Tuck the elbow of your choking arm back by your hip, as pulling on the elbow is one of the main escapes. To finish, pull your hand down, pressing your forearm into their head. If that doesn't work, you can try increasing the range by gripping with less fingers (though this does make your grip weaker). Putting a leg over their shoulder and then crossing your feet can give you more leverage, as you can then thrust your hips up into the choke.

If that still isn't getting the choke, try bringing the hand that was gripping their leg behind their head, driving it through to push their head forward as you lock in the choke. For even more leverage, you can bring it under their arm. That then sets you up for yet another follow-up submission, moving your leg over their head to switch into an armbar.
_____________________

Teaching Notes: I decided tonight that pulling on the leg is a better option to teach than what I normally do, which is stepping on the thigh and switching my foot across. I'd also like to bring in Dónal's grip break at some point, but it hasn't been necessary just yet.

09/03/2015 - Teaching | The Back | Bow & Arrow Choke

Teaching #291
Artemis BJJ (MyGym), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 09/03/2015

This week, I decided to focus on the bow and arrow from the back. Starting from standard back control with a seat-bet grip, you open up their collar with the hand you have under their armpit. Fold it over (a handy tip from James '300' Foster), then grip it with the hand you have over their shoulder. Don't grip too high, or you'll lack the range to finish the choke.

Next you want to get hold of their non-choking side leg. If you're having trouble grabbing it, Dónal suggests using your same side heel to dig in by their knee, curling your leg back. That should bring their trouser leg in range for you to grab with your free hand, establishing a good anchor point. You then want to swivel your body, in order to get your leg-grabbing side foot to the outside of their other thigh.

I tend to push off their non-grabbed leg side thigh with my same side foot, to help me move my other foot over. Once you've got that foot locked in place, you want to keep it there to block them from trying to turn into an escape. Along with your initial grip on their leg, that hook with your foot gives you better leverage to move into the main choking position.

To get there, swing out your non-hooking leg. You want to end up with your opponent's head on the thigh of that leg you just swung out. Tuck the elbow of your choking arm back by your hip, as pulling on the elbow is one of the main escapes. To finish, pull your hand down, pressing your forearm into their head. If that doesn't work, you can try increasing the range by gripping with less fingers (though this does make your grip weaker). Putting a leg over their shoulder and then crossing your feet can give you more leverage, as you can then thrust your hips up into the choke.

If that still isn't getting the choke, try bringing the hand that was gripping their leg behind their head, driving it through to push their head forward as you lock in the choke. For even more leverage, you can bring it under their arm. That then sets you up for yet another follow-up submission, moving your leg over their head to switch into an armbar.
_____________________

Teaching Notes: I've said it before, but as the club is Artemis BJJ, I tend to think that the bow and arrow should be our signature choke. Couple of things that came up during this first lesson are firstly the importance of not gripping too high, or it can become an air choke due to the forearm.

People were also having some trouble with that swing sometimes, especially if size difference makes it hard to hook the instep around the outside of their leg. It's important to grab the leg, makes a big difference to that swing. On the other hand, it is possible to do it when hooking the arm instead.

I really like that tip from Foster BJJ, makes me wonder if it would apply to some other chokes. I'll have to have a play with it some more.