Class 2014-06-23: Back Mount Transitions (Counters)

You never want to give up back control.  It’s the most dominant position, so there’s no good reason to transition to another less dominant position. . . unless you don’t have any choice.  When your opponent is escaping back control and you know you are going to be incapable of recovering back control, your only […]

Class 2014-05-21: Side Control Escape and Transition

If an attack from side control isn’t happening, it means that the person on offense should be considering transitioning to a better position for more attack opportunities, or the person on defense should be using the successful defensive position to launch their escape. 

Class 2014-03-24: Knee Slide Passes

This class covers two ways to drive your knee from combat base to pass the guard.  You only have two choices for the direction of your lead knee when doing this style of pass, and one direction will feel more natural than the other.  There are many shared features, like getting an underhook, but there […]

Class 2014-03-19: Elevator Hook Sweep

The elevator hook sweep is a common sweep. . .for beginners.  It’s rare to see this exact sweep executed at  higher levels, but that doesn’t mean that it’s just a low percentage sweep to fill out another checkbox in your training.  The main reason I want to show this sweep is to show how even […]

Class 2014-03-17: Hip Bump, Kimura, Pass/Sweep drill

This class looks at a sweep that works well at all levels, especially when you take into consideration all the natural variations based on it.  It looks like a sweep only a white belt could love, yet this scenario comes up pretty frequently. Much of the hip bump sweep maneuvering is reused for the kimura […]

Class 2014-03-10: Scissor and Pendulum Sweeps

When I was promoted to blue belt and purple belt, I had to deal with a endless stream of lower level guys getting in my guard and attempting to pass.  Although I mixed in some other sweeps, the scissor and pendulum sweeps by far the most common sweeps I use for closed guard sweeps.  As […]