13/12/2017 - Teaching | Open Guard | Single Leg Sweep

Teaching #737
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 13/12/2017

Short Version:

• Wrap an arm behind their leg, just above the knee
• Distribute your weight on your other hand and opposite foot
• Your same side leg is wrapped behind their leg, low
• Do a mini-technical stand up, just lifting your hips, so you can bring your wrapped leg backwards
• Drive with your shoulders (staying very tight to the leg) to knock them down, ready for your pass

Full Version: No doubt there are other names for this position, but koala guard is suitably evocative, that's where you end up. It is therefore possible to go straight to koala guard, but if you're starting from sitting guard, this can be a useful option if they have broken your grip on their collar. Immediately scoot in, hooking the leg you have on the ground around the back of their leg. Your collar-gripping arm goes around the back of their leg. Jam your head in tight against their leg, on the inside (or you're at risk of guillotines).

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Jun 28, 2017 at 1:07am PDT

From here, you can do a mini technical stand-up, basing off your free hand and other foot. Lift your bum slightly off the ground, then scoop their leg with the leg you have behind theirs. Your head position also helps drive them to the mat, pushing their knee outwards. Maintain a tight grip, then move into side control. For even more control, it's useful to grip their sleeve with the arm you have behind their leg. Failing that, you can also grab their belt or their gi lapel. If none of that is available, you can just grab your own gi.

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Dec 14, 2017 at 9:50pm PST

Be aware of their knee positioning. You want to try and stay on the side of that knee. If they are able to drive their knee into your chest, that gives them a chance to set up a pass, crushing your back down onto the mat.
_______________

Teaching Notes: People still get confused with the leg switch occasionally off shin-on-shin, attempting to use the shin on shin leg which is much harder. Showing this from de la Riva makes that easier, or koala guard, so depends what position I'm doing next time I teach this. Having the wrapped leg too high is another potential pitfall (you want it low on the lever for maximum leverage, while still maintaining control). Also, staying tight to the leg all the way through, your shoulder jammed against their leg.

It's also worth mentioning that if you can't knock them over you can probably switch it into a single leg. Therefore next time, a few very basic single leg takedown drills would be useful, if I can safely fit that into the warm up without confusing people. Technical stand up drill is important too, make sure you continue always including that when it comes to this lesson.

26/06/2017 - Teaching | Open Guard | Single Leg Sweep

Teaching #679
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 26/06/2017

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on Jun 28, 2017 at 1:07am PDT

No doubt there are other names for this position, but koala guard is suitably evocative, that's where you end up. It is therefore possible to go straight to koala guard, but if you're starting from sitting guard, this can be a useful option if they have broken your grip on their collar. Immediately scoot in, hooking the leg you have on the ground around the back of their leg. Your collar-gripping arm goes around the back of their leg. Jam your head in tight against their leg, on the inside (or you're at risk of guillotines).

From here, you can do a mini technical stand-up, basing off your free hand and other foot. Lift your bum slightly off the ground, then scoop their leg with the leg you have behind theirs. Your head position also helps drive them to the mat, pushing their knee outwards. Maintain a tight grip, then move into side control. For even more control, it's useful to grip their sleeve with the arm you have behind their leg. Failing that, you can also grab their belt or their gi lapel. If none of that is available, you can just grab your own gi.

Be aware of their knee positioning. You want to try and stay on the side of that knee. If they are able to drive their knee into your chest, that gives them a chance to set up a pass, crushing your back down onto the mat.
________________

Teaching Notes: If you're doing this from the shin on shin position, as I was this lesson, some people were getting confused which leg you sweep with. You remove your shin on shin connection, but you aren't trying to bring that same leg behind theirs. Doing that would be awkward. Instead, you're bringing your other leg in behind. Your ex-shin on shin leg is not hooking anything.

If the person on top starts scooting around, good to have a counter for that, as one person asked about it in drilling. Standing up is probably the easiest counter, clamping their leg between both of yours. From there you can go for any number of takedowns. E.g., 'running the pipe' where your head is low and you step, or lifting the leg and moving behind, chopping their remaining leg to take them down. You could try the roll under sweep too, but I'm not confident enough with that yet (I did show it on Friday in the open mat afterwards, but will leave teaching that again for the moment).

29/07/2015 - Teaching | Koala Guard | Single Leg

Teaching #364
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 29/07/2015

No doubt there are other names for this position, but koala guard is suitably evocative. If you're starting from sitting guard, this can be a useful option if they have broken your grip on their collar. Immediately scoot in, hooking the leg you have on the ground around the back of their leg. Your collar-gripping arm goes around the back of their leg. Jam your head in tight against their leg, on the inside (or you're at risk of guillotines).

From here, you can do a mini technical stand-up, basing off your free hand and other foot. Lift your bum slightly off the ground, then scoop their leg with the leg you have behind theirs. Maintain a tight grip, then move into side control. For even more control, it's useful to grip their sleeve with the arm you have behind their leg. Failing that, you can also grab their belt or their gi lapel. If none of that is available, you can just grab your own gi.

Be aware of their knee positioning. You want to try and stay on the side of that knee. If they are able to drive their knee into your chest, that gives them a chance to set up a pass, crushing your back down onto the mat.
________________

Teaching & Sparring Notes: Staying really tight is key, along with keeping your head inside. It's natural for the head to start creeping to the outside, but that's guillotine territory. I haven't taught guillotines yet (it's not a technique I use much myself), but it might be worth putting that in to highlight the risk. Also, I could throw in some breakfalling drills at the start. It's a fairly controlled takedown position, but some breakfalling practice would still make sense. Maybe even single leg drills?

I've been trying this technique in sparring over the last few weeks, which has been comparatively effective, though I tend to end up being a bit scrambly with it. Also, due to all the sitting guard we've been doing, people have become wary of grips on their collar. So I've been testing out either chasing them by scooting along the floor, or simply waiting for them to engage. I could also try a longer range open guard, reaching with my legs? Koala guard has proved useful as an alternative when I don't have a grip, but I could do with something that applies when they start running away from you too. I'll play with leg stuff next time in sparring.