16/05/2018 - Teaching | Mount | Technical Mount Maintenance & Back Take

Teaching #778
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 16/05/2018

Technical mount is useful for maintaining your mount, as per the drill we regularly do where you pull the elbow back up. It also enables you to take the back, with Galvao's method. If you have a collar grip, you can pull them up enough to jam your knee under their shoulder. Use that to get them onto their side. You can now drop back from technical mount, rolling them over the knee you've just stuck under the shoulder, near their head. The foot you had by their hip becomes your first hook, so you just need to bring the second hook over. Cut your knee underneath them to help facilitate that back position.

The same kind of motion works as a method of retaking the back if you lose one hook, so it has some versatility. In the context of retaking the back, the time to use this is before they get their shoulders to the mat. They've managed to clear one of your hooks and started bringing their hips over. Before they can get their shoulders to the mat, press your chest into their shoulder and roll them onto their side, in the direction they were escaping. You'll probably need to balance on your shoulder and head to get into the right position.

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on May 23, 2018 at 12:22am PDT

As they have cleared one of your legs, you should be able to then slide that knee behind their head (you might need to post on an arm, but see if you can do it without releasing your seatbelt grip). Sit back and roll them over your knee, then re-establish your second hook. You can keep doing that from side to side as a drill. There's also a handy kimura grip you can use to help secure your technical mount, either to move into the back take or progress to a variety of technical mount attacks.

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on May 24, 2018 at 12:05am PDT

Teaching Notes: Hmm, I seem to have forgotten to add in the notes for this one. Writing this up in August, so totally can't remember. I need to look this over again next time mount month comes around (when I'll hopefully have a working knee :D).

10/03/2017 - Teaching | Mount | Super High Mount Americana & Back Take

Teaching #642
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 10/03/2017

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Mar 13, 2017 at 5:27am PDT

Today I looked at some attacks from high mount, where you've gotten up right by their head. The first option I like to try is fishing out an arm and doing an americana against the leg (though the distinction between americana and kimura gets a bit blurred). Your knees are by their ears, squeezing in tight, causing their arms to cross over their face. For this attack, you need to be able to thread your arm by their crook of their elbow.

Grab their wrist with your other arm, using your initial arm to grip your own wrist (same configuration as if you were doing a kimura from north-south). Making sure your knees are squeezing in tight, bend their arm against your leg for the submission. Be sure to use the turn of your body, rather than purely your arms: you'll get more leverage that way.

If they have managed to hide their arm, swing your torso around so that your ribs are pressing against their forearm. That wedge means you can now walk sideways on your toes to roll them and take the back. You could go all the way until they end up flat on their belly, for what is arguably the most dominant position in BJJ, full back mount. However, if you do that, I'd recommend getting an arm under their neck before you fully roll them over, as it can be irritating to dig your hand in once they are completely flat (after all, there is a reason judoka treat that paradoxically as a defensive position, used to stall for a few seconds in competition so they get stood back up).

A photo posted by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on May 4, 2016 at 4:20am PDT

My preference is to instead walk them just far enough to get them up on their side. From there, I can then move into technical mount. That then provides lots of options, with chokes, armbars and a back take all available.
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Teaching Notes: I tend to call this an americana, but I'm wondering if kimura would be more accurate? Or maybe just figure-four. Either way, I could talk more about the specific grip, making sure people know which arm goes where (that's something I noticed when talking people through it on the following Tuesday at open mat). Also, the body position on the back take sometimes confuses people. I dispensed with the full rolling them over thing to just go with the gift wrap instead, as I think that's easier to understand. It's also always going to be available as long as you keep their arm jammed so they can't pull it back.

31/10/2016 - Teaching | Mount | Technical Mount to the Back

Teaching #584
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 31/10/2016

A video posted by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Nov 2, 2016 at 4:01am PDT

Technical mount is useful for maintaining your mount, as per the drill we regularly do where you pull the elbow back up. It also enables you to take the back, with Galvao's method. If you have a collar grip, you can pull them up enough to jam your knee under their shoulder. Use that to get them onto their side. You can now drop back from technical mount, rolling them over the knee you've just stuck under the shoulder, near their head. The foot you had by their hip becomes your first hook, so you just need to bring the second hook over. Cut your knee underneath them to help facilitate that back position.

The same kind of motion works as a method of retaking the back if you lose one hook, so it has some versatility. In the context of retaking the back, the time to use this is before they get their shoulders to the mat. They've managed to clear one of your hooks and started bringing their hips over. Before they can get their shoulders to the mat, press your chest into their shoulder and roll them onto their side, in the direction they were escaping. You'll probably need to balance on your shoulder and head to get into the right position.

As they have cleared one of your legs, you should be able to then slide that knee behind their head (you might need to post on an arm, but see if you can do it without releasing your seatbelt grip). Sit back and roll them over your knee, then re-establish your second hook. You can keep doing that from side to side as a drill.
________________

Teaching & Sparring Notes: I emphasised using that knee to get them on their side, which makes everything easier for technical mount. In terms of the other knee, there is the usual mistake of having that up too high and leaving space. Should I be teaching an angle in the knee, towards their legs? Or would that make it mechanically unstable?

In open mat afterwards, Early had a cool technique to show. From reverse scarf hold, get their arm up by their head, securing a sort of guillotine grip around their head. Link your hands, then driving your hip into their armpit, lean back for the tap. This worked great during the open mat, but I had more trouble getting the right spot when I tried it again later. I'll keep playing with it.

For sparring, I continued to test out that ezequiel choke with the gi. I need to be careful of what escape they're trying with that, as it doesn't work too well if they are doing the bump to butterfly. That gives them the space they need to bump you off, so next time I need to settle into a better position before attempting that choke.

29/04/2016 - Teaching | Mount | Take the Back (Super High Mount) & Americana

Teaching #503
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 29/04/2016

A photo posted by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on May 4, 2016 at 4:20am PDT

Today I looked at some attacks from high mount, where you've gotten up right by their head. The first option I like to try is fishing out an arm and doing an americana against the leg (though the distinction between americana and kimura gets a bit blurred). Your knees are by their ears, squeezing in tight, causing their arms to cross over their face. For this attack, you need to be able to thread your arm by their crook of their elbow.

Grab their wrist with your other arm, using your initial arm to grip your own wrist (same configuration as if you were doing a kimura from north-south). Making sure your knees are squeezing in tight, bend their arm against your leg for the submission. Be sure to use the turn of your body, rather than purely your arms: you'll get more leverage that way.

If they have managed to hide their arm, swing your torso around so that your ribs are pressing against their forearm. That wedge means you can now walk sideways on your toes to roll them and take the back. You could go all the way until they end up flat on their belly, for what is arguably the most dominant position in BJJ, full back mount. However, if you do that, I'd recommend getting an arm under their neck before you fully roll them over, as it can be irritating to dig your hand in once they are completely flat (after all, there is a reason judoka treat that paradoxically as a defensive position, used to stall for a few seconds in competition so they get stood back up).

My preference is to instead walk them just far enough to get them up on their side. From there, I can then move into technical mount. That then provides lots of options, with chokes, armbars and a back take all available.
_____________________

Teaching Notes: The back take is very simple, so I think it combines well with that high mount americana. Next time the thing to emphasise is the specifics of the grip on the arm, along with using the turn of your torso to get the submission rather than just your arms. A few people were having trouble getting their ribs right into the arm. It would be worth highlighting making a 'shelf' of an arm, in order to wedge yourself against it. Ideally their elbow is worked up high, to create lots of 'shelf' to wedge into. :)

To repeat notes from last time (I didn't notice them, as they were under americana rather than back take: hence why I'm putting both labels in this time ;D), one thing I could have added was blocking attempts to slip out the back. I mentioned that it's a common escape attempt, but not too much on the defence. The main thing I do is just grab the back of their collar to anchor my mount, then wriggle back to flatten them out (as they normally start curling their legs over to push into your armpits).

I could also potentially bolster this lesson with more details on getting those elbows up really high. For example, talk about 'spider-walking' your hands up when you've hooked an elbow, as that can be handy. It's good to have a clear goal after getting to high mount, rather than just saying it's a great place to attack from. Evidence! :)

27/04/2016 - Teaching | Women's Class | Technical Mount to the Back

Teaching #501
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 27/04/2016

A photo posted by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Apr 13, 2016 at 4:29am PDT

Technical mount is useful for maintaining your mount, as per the drill we regularly do where you pull the elbow back up. It also enables you to take the back, with Galvao's method. Simply drop back from technical mount, rolling them over the knee you have near their head. The foot you had by their hip becomes your first hook, so you just need to bring the second hook over. Cut your knee underneath them to help facilitate that back position.

The same kind of motion works as a method of retaking the back if you lose one hook, so it has some versatility. In the context of retaking the back, the time to use this is before they get their shoulders to the mat. They've managed to clear one of your hooks and started bringing their hips over. Before they can get their shoulders to the mat, press your chest into their shoulder and roll them onto their side, in the direction they were escaping. You'll probably need to balance on your shoulder and head to get into the right position.

As they have cleared one of your legs, you should be able to then slide that knee behind their head (you might need to post on an arm, but see if you can do it without releasing your seatbelt grip). Sit back and roll them over your knee, then re-establish your second hook. You can keep doing that from side to side as a drill.
________________

Teaching Notes: Small class today, so I went through some extra bits and pieces on attacking the back. I like combining the rear naked choke with the armbar, which can then lead into material on the armbar from mount as well as grip breaks. If I ever teach a seminar, this is the kind of thing that might build into a useful sequence. That's a loooong way off though. :)

11/04/2016 - Teaching | Mount | Take the Back

Teaching #492
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 11/04/2016

A photo posted by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Apr 13, 2016 at 4:29am PDT

Technical mount is useful for maintaining your mount, as per the drill we regularly do where you pull the elbow back up. It also enables you to take the back, with Galvao's method. Simply drop back from technical mount, rolling them over the knee you have near their head. The foot you had by their hip becomes your first hook, so you just need to bring the second hook over. Cut your knee underneath them to help facilitate that back position.

The same kind of motion works as a method of retaking the back if you lose one hook, so it has some versatility. In the context of retaking the back, the time to use this is before they get their shoulders to the mat. They've managed to clear one of your hooks and started bringing their hips over. Before they can get their shoulders to the mat, press your chest into their shoulder and roll them onto their side, in the direction they were escaping. You'll probably need to balance on your shoulder and head to get into the right position.

As they have cleared one of your legs, you should be able to then slide that knee behind their head (you might need to post on an arm, but see if you can do it without releasing your seatbelt grip). Sit back and roll them over your knee, then re-establish your second hook. You can keep doing that from side to side as a drill.

You can also take their back after moving to a really high mount. The first option from here tends to be an armbar, as getting their arms worked up high normally forces the arms to cross over the head/neck. If they have managed to position their arm in such a way that you can't get a good grip, swing your torso around so that your ribs are pressing against their forearm. That wedge means you can now walk sideways on your toes to roll them and take the back.

You could go all the way until they end up flat on their belly, for what is arguably the most dominant position in BJJ, full back mount. However, if you do that, I'd recommend getting an arm under their neck before you fully roll them over, as it can be irritating to dig your hand in once they are completely flat (after all, there is a reason judoka treat that paradoxically as a defensive position, used to stall for a few seconds in competition so they get stood back up).

My preference is to instead walk them just far enough to get them up on their side. From there, I can then move into technical mount. At that point you can then go for the back take from earlier, or you have the numerous attacking options, like chokes, armbars etc.
________________

Teaching & Sparring Notes: Next time I'll emphasise tightness, especially chest to shoulder, which slides around to middle of back. Generally ok though, it's a basic technique. Should I add anything? I wondered that last time, but felt like there was enough this time, so the small changes seem to have done the trick. Mainly that was talking about putting the hand in the collar and pulling up, building off the Saulo tip I watched on BJJ Library recently.

In sparring, I'm continuing to play with the aforementioned Saulo upright mount where you open up the collar, lots more attacking options. My balance feels ok, but is that just down to my experience advantage? Either way, I'm finding myself going for more stuff, opening them up more too as they defend. I'll be sticking with this rather than my usual low mount, as I don't find I'm just holding them in place with this. Of course, we'll see what happens when I try it on more experience people, I'm expecting I'll be getting rolled a lot more. ;)

02/12/2015 - Teaching | Women's Class | Take the Back from Mount

Teaching #431
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 02/12/2015

Technical mount is useful for maintaining your mount, as per the drill we regularly do where you pull the elbow back up. It also enables you to take the back, with Galvao's method. Simply drop back from technical mount, rolling them over the knee you have near their head. The foot you had by their hip becomes your first hook, so you just need to bring the second hook over. Cut your knee underneath them to help facilitate that back position.

The same kind of motion works as a method of retaking the back if you lose one hook, so it has some versatility. In the context of retaking the back, the time to use this is before they get their shoulders to the mat. They've managed to clear one of your hooks and started bringing their hips over. Before they can get their shoulders to the mat, press your chest into their shoulder and roll them onto their side, in the direction they were escaping. You'll probably need to balance on your shoulder and head to get into the right position.

As they have cleared one of your legs, you should be able to then slide that knee behind their head (you might need to post on an arm, but see if you can do it without releasing your seatbelt grip). Sit back and roll them over your knee, then re-establish your second hook. You can keep doing that from side to side as a drill.

You can also take their back after moving to a really high mount. The first option from here tends to be an armbar, as getting their arms worked up high normally forces the arms to cross over the head/neck. If they have managed to position their arm in such a way that you can't get a good grip, swing your torso around so that your ribs are pressing against their forearm. That wedge means you can now walk sideways on your toes to roll them and take the back.

You could go all the way until they end up flat on their belly, for what is arguably the most dominant position in BJJ, full back mount. However, if you do that, I'd recommend getting an arm under their neck before you fully roll them over, as it can be irritating to dig your hand in once they are completely flat (after all, there is a reason judoka treat that paradoxically as a defensive position, used to stall for a few seconds in competition so they get stood back up).

My preference is to instead walk them just far enough to get them up on their side. From there, I can then move into technical mount. At that point you can then go for the back take from earlier, or you have the numerous attacking options, like chokes, armbars etc.
________________

Teaching Notes: Catching up on write-ups and I can't remember anything in particular about this one. Most of the women's classes run in a fairly regular pattern, except that I will often add in techniques depending on what people ask for. The relaxed atmosphere is always nice. The mixed classes are relaxed too, of course, but it's especially relaxed upstairs on Wednesday, extending to the structure. :)

30/10/2015 - Teaching | Mount | Take the Back

Teaching #413
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 30/10/2015

Technical mount is useful for maintaining your mount, as per the drill we regularly do where you pull the elbow back up. It also enables you to take the back, with Galvao's method. Simply drop back from technical mount, rolling them over the knee you have near their head. The foot you had by their hip becomes your first hook, so you just need to bring the second hook over. Cut your knee underneath them to help facilitate that back position.

The same kind of motion works as a method of retaking the back if you lose one hook, so it has some versatility. In the context of retaking the back, the time to use this is before they get their shoulders to the mat. They've managed to clear one of your hooks and started bringing their hips over. Before they can get their shoulders to the mat, press your chest into their shoulder and roll them onto their side, in the direction they were escaping. You'll probably need to balance on your shoulder and head to get into the right position.

As they have cleared one of your legs, you should be able to then slide that knee behind their head (you might need to post on an arm, but see if you can do it without releasing your seatbelt grip). Sit back and roll them over your knee, then re-establish your second hook. You can keep doing that from side to side as a drill.

You can also take their back after moving to a really high mount. The first option from here tends to be an armbar, as getting their arms worked up high normally forces the arms to cross over the head/neck. If they have managed to position their arm in such a way that you can't get a good grip, swing your torso around so that your ribs are pressing against their forearm. That wedge means you can now walk sideways on your toes to roll them and take the back.

You could go all the way until they end up flat on their belly, for what is arguably the most dominant position in BJJ, full back mount. However, if you do that, I'd recommend getting an arm under their neck before you fully roll them over, as it can be irritating to dig your hand in once they are completely flat (after all, there is a reason judoka treat that paradoxically as a defensive position, used to stall for a few seconds in competition so they get stood back up).

My preference is to instead walk them just far enough to get them up on their side. From there, I can then move into technical mount. At that point you can then go for the back take from earlier, or you have the numerous attacking options, like chokes, armbars etc.
________________

Teaching Notes: I stuck with just the first one, turning to technical mount and then taking the back. I initially thought this might be too basic for a whole lesson, but it worked out ok as there were quite a few new people tonight. I thought about doing two versions, as you can also walk up really high to get their arms crossed over their neck, then bring your torso around the arm to nudge them into the back position. Maybe next time, or I could combine that with the high americana, like I did last time.