Any time a training partner points out to me that I had an opportunity to sink in a collar choke, I immediately explain that I avoid them like the plague. It’s true – I often won’t go near collar chokes, as I find I have a very difficult time finishing them. That being said, this next technique is one of my favorite lapel chokes. That’s not to say I’m good at it, ’cause I’m not. I simply like setting this one up, even if I can’t finish it. It’s one of those moves where you seem to be giving up control and putting yourself in a bad spot, but if done correctly you will be safe the whole time.
Category Archives: Chokes
Side-Control Saturday: Sneaky Set-Ups
After the guard, top side-control is easily my favorite position. There are lots of options for attacks and setups. The array of possibilities is literally laid out in front of me, as my opponent is prone on the mat. From a transitional perspective, I can still move to other versions of side control (kuzure kesa-gatame, knee-on-belly, etc.), spin to the other side, or climb to mount.
It’s no surprise, then, that classes teaching offensive side control are among my favorites. Saturday’s no-gi class was such a session.
Filed under Chokes, Joint locks, Log, No-Gi, Side control
Love Saturday Morning Classes
Saturday, 7/30:
Title says it all. These classes leave me refreshed, ready to take on the day. I had an excellent partner whom I’ve seen in class but have not really rolled with before, and we both seriously tested one another’s limits. A testament to this is the fact that by the time class was 45 minutes in we both felt ready to bring up the previous night’s dinner. Always a good sign, right?
Starting the Week Off Right
Monday, 7/25:
We went over some basics in class today. Following our usual warm-ups, came osoto-gari and double-leg takedown drills. Then after some guard training we worked on submissions from guard: the simple collar choke and the armbar.
Submissions landed during training: 2 leg triangles, one collar choke from guard.
Filed under Chokes, Gi, Guard, Joint locks, Log
Two Classes
Tuesday, 6/21:
Here’s something I haven’t done in a while: taken two classes in one day. True, I’ve been pretty tired lately, but mostly the reason is because I get home so late when I take two in a row. 9:45 is the best I can hope for if I do the 8 o’clock class, though 10:00PM is more likely. Those days when I can convince myself to hang around for Round 2 are infrequent, but worth it.
This time both classes were pretty full. For the first class we started with osoto-gari and double-leg takedowns. This was followed by around 20 minutes of King of the Hill training, a popular resort when the class is packed.
The technique taught afterwards was the baseball choke. It’s similar to the cross-collar choke from knee-on-belly, but requires less fiddling with the collar. While getting ready to jump to knee-on-belly, make sure your hand is deep in the back of the collar, behind your opponent’s neck, thumb inside. Once you pop up, slip your other hand, palm up, deep into the collar on the opposite side. The closer your thumb on your first hand is to touching the pinky on your second hand, the tighter the choke will be. Next, come off knee-on-belly and circle your way toward your opponent’s head. Drop your head to your opponent’s side, on the same side you started on, and squeeze for the choke.
Second class involved more King of the Hill. For the life of me I can’t remember what technique we went over this class. One thing for sure: I was dead tired by the end.
Filed under Chokes, Gi, Knee-on-stomach, Log
Not Just For the Sport
Last night’s instructor reminded us that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is not just a sport: it is a martial art with applicable self-defense techniques. Instead of takedowns, we started off with a defense against the headlock.
Filed under Back/Turtle, Chokes, Escapes, Gi, Joint locks, Log, Self-defense, Side control, Takedowns