17/05/2019 - Teaching | Side Control | Scarf hold escapes

Teaching #865
Artemis BJJ (Easton Road), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 17/05/2019

There are three main escapes I teach from scarf hold. The first is one I don't personally use, but it is commonly taught. Link your hands behind their back, trying to clamp into their floating rib. Bridge firmly into them, using that space to try and get underneath them too. Retaining your position with hips off the floor, bridge the other way and roll them over. I find this hug and roll motion tricky: as a smaller person, if I don't get the technique absolutely perfect, it's a strain to roll them over, I therefore find this escape works a lot better when you're bigger than your partner.

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My preference is to instead frame and shrimp. First you need to get your elbow free, bringing that to the mat. This might be from bridging, wriggling, yanking etc: however you're able to get your elbow out of their control. Your other arm frames against their neck. At this point, you can also use your freed hand to grab your other wrist, to further bolster your frame. Shrimp away from them, then using your frame to maintain that space, pull your knee through the window you've created. At this point you can either recover guard, or if they're slow in their reaction, you might even be able to take the back.

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The final escape I'm familiar with starts off the same as the frame and shrimp. Instead of continuing to shrimp and try to bring your knee through, you're going to drive them as close to your legs and possible. You can then bring your leg over their head, using that to push them over, putting you on top instead. This works especially well if you're flexible with long legs. You might even be able to shift into an armbar variation from there.

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Teaching Notes: Is it worth showing the hug and roll? Probably, a few people seemed to be doing that well. Emphasise that the hips stay off the ground. I showed three, but seemed like people were ok on getting that.

15/05/2019 - Teaching | Side Control | Step over triangle from scarf hold

Teaching #864
Artemis BJJ (Easton Road), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 15/05/2019

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From scarf hold, there are several attacks you can try on the near arm. Often, that will result with their arm between your legs, whether or not you're successful. From there, you can lift up their far shoulder, using your other hand to grab their head and lift that too. You might also find that they make the mistake of putting their arm between your legs when you're in side control, leading to the same opportunity of a triangle.

Once you have their arm secured, you can then step your leg over, sliding it under the head. Lock your shin behind your other leg, in as tight a triangle lock as possible. If you can't lock your legs, you should at least be able to drive your free knee tight to their shoulder, which might be enough for a similar control (though obviously much weaker as your legs are locked).

Squeezing your legs, tensing your calves and reaching back to pull their elbow towards you might be enough to get the triangle choke. This is possible, but usually, it is difficult, meaning I end up using this as a controlling position to help me attack their far arm. However, if you turn your hips over, then relock your legs in the opposite configuration, there is now a much better chance of locking that triangle.

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This variation also opens up a whole chain of submissions. The easiest is to grab their wrist, then slide their arm down your leg for a kimura. Wristlocks are also available on both their arms, along with a kimura on the far arm. It's a low risk position with lots of attacks and control, so well worth trying.
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Teaching Notes: Gripping the elbow as well as the wrist on the kimura against the leg makes sense, takes away that looseness. Speaking of which, I didn't emphasise taking away the space between the legs on the switch, though I don't think it was a big problem (and there was enough material to be getting on with). Still, next time don't forget about that. The hip switch to the other side triangle was definitely where people where having the most trouble.

13/05/2019 - Teaching | Side Control | Scarf hold basics and americana with the legs

Teaching #862
Artemis BJJ (Easton Road), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 13/05/2019

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One of the classic subpositions of side control is scarf hold, or to use the judo term, kesa gatame. There are two main versions of this, the standard kesa gatame/scarf hold, and broken scarf hold/kuzure kesa gatame. The difference is that for standard scarf hold, you wrap your arm to the far side then around their head, locking it by gripping your own leg. With broken scarf hold, you instead grip under their far arm.

In my opinion, broken scarf hold is considerably better for jiu jitsu, particularly as most people in BJJ are nowhere near as good at holding this position compared to judoka (where it is far more common). Your inside leg stays parallel to their body, outstretched and straight. Your other leg is bent, sole of your foot on the floor. You are also gripping their other arm by the elbow, pulling it up tight.

This elbow control is a key part of scarf hold: without it, a shrimping escape becomes a lot easier. Having said that, there is a school of thought that prefers not to secure the elbow. For example, John Will keeps his bent leg tight and close to his arm, to prevent the other person locking both arms around your back (another common escape).

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Be sure to stay high up, towards their shoulders. You want to secure those primary control points, in this case the head and shoulders (as the hips are too far). Also keep your head low, to maximise your weight. Finally, you are pushing slightly off your bent leg, to raise your butt a little off the ground. That's because you want to put your weight onto them, rather than into the mat.

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From here, my first submission option is an americana with the legs. You need to be able to push their arm down toward your straight leg, making sure the arm is bent. If you can manage that, flick the ankle of your straight leg up over their wrist, forming a square of their arm and your leg. You can then just raise your hips to apply the shoulder lock. For greater security, triangle your legs. Be careful, this can come on quick and generates a lot of pressure on the shoulder.

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Teaching Notes: Emphasise head low, also pulling on the shoulder to drive your hips up. Staying low to the ground, including reverse scarf hold push.