CLINCH gone BAD Notes to accompany Gracie Combatives Technique Standing Headlock Defense (Combatives Lesson Nos. 11 and 20) The back hand holds the Bad Guy's hip and will pull the hip in a spiraling motion as you sit Block Knee - keeps the knee from hitting you in the face, also helps with guiding the momentum Setup Step - toes pointing in facilitates the next step, prevents from sitting on the knee 2nd Step in front also with the foot pointed in Sit - hand pulls over straight leg if you need help with the spiraling motion ask an instructor on your next visit Sharpen your reflexes and don't hesitate if caught in a headlock. Step - Sit - Spin Focus on making this movement smooth and allow the

These tips are a supplement to Gracie Combatives class No. 21, Elbow Escape from the Side Mount remember that if the Bad Guy achieves the Side Mount will probably try to PUNCH you, maybe even hold you down (see Shrimp Escape, Gracie Combatives Lesson No. 16) or try to MOUNT and then PUNCH you Be Patient The opportunity for the Elbow Escape comes when they attempt the transition from Side Mount to Mount. There are multiple shrimp movements in this technique. If you need some tips on executing the shrimp perfectly > click here A Most Common Mistake Block the Bad Guy's knees two times 1st time - your elbow must stay inside the BG knee while he has the side mount 2nd time - once you have trappe

If you are having trouble with the shrimp drill, here are some tips to help you perfect the move. This article assumes you have some knowledge already of the move and will focus on common mistakes. Starting Position 1up - 1down that knee must remain flat on the mat, nothing should be able to go under it the ball of the foot and the position will increase the leverage of your movement Essential Details Shoulder stays in the same place when shooting hips back float the hips off the mat a little to reduce friction from the mat don't let posted foot slide Keep in mind that various sizes of shrimps are necessary sometimes within the same techniques. Generally you are only going to need small, me

There are fond memories of growing up and watching Carolina basketball with my dad. We watched every game that came on network television. Back then there were more games being broadcasted over the air. The games that we couldn't watch we would listen to on the radio. Basketball was a love, I played it every chance I could get, even though I wasn't very good. Around the 7th-8th grade the school started having us complete questionnaires and peg down what we might like to be when we grew up. I had narrowed down my professional aspirations to basketball referee and the CIA. It made sense, if I couldn't play basketball for a living, this would be the next best thing to still be on the court an

This article assumes you already have knowledge of the Pulling Guard technique as taught by the Gracie Academy. In an ideal situation, we would Close the Distance and establish the clinch (Gracie Combatives Lesson Nos. 2, 4, 15) Takedown the Bad Guy (Gracie Combatives Lesson Nos. 1, 3, 10, 16, 17, 22, 23) Achieve and maintain the mount (Gracie Combatives Lesson No 3) AND Win the Fight! (Gracie Combatives Lesson Nos. 2, 4, 6, 22) It's possible he's resistant to allowing you to control his hips which we need for the above takedowns. Because we can't take him down - we take both of us down. "Is pulling someone on top of me risky?" Yes, especially if you don't know what you are doing. If we know

“If someone’s picking on you, punch him in the face, because if you do that they’re not going to bother you again.” If someone said it, and they did, then other people are thinking it. Whether you agree or disagree with the above statement, please finish the article before passing a judgement. "What would you say to any young kids that are being bullied?" a few points to consider: If you don't hit the bully with enough accuracy or power to cause them to "respect" you, then chances are you escalated their aggression as they will be wanting retribution for the attempt. Every time you put yourself in range to punch or kick the bully, you are also in position to get punched. Chances are they ar

Gracie Jiu Jitsu is beautiful. The techniques give you so much control in a fight. Perfect the techniques and you will have the ability to defeat people much bigger and stronger than you. Because you have control, the amount of damage needed to finish the fight could be a simple surrender or a full submission as necessary. The Twisting Arm Control (Gracie Combatives Lesson No. 22) highlights the control and the submission opportunities that are available. This article assumes that you have knowledge of the technique and it meant to serve as reference for common mistakes and essential details. Here are some reminders and tips for success with this move. From Mount top and the Bad Guy (BG) is

This is an edited transcript of an interview conducted with two of my former Jiu Jitsu training partners who have since moved out of state. The names have been changed for privacy reasons. The event was real. Incident Date : 11/13/2011 Location : bar in Chapel Hill, North Carolina Sunny : Here we are with Jack and Jill, students of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The setup was like so, It's Sunday night. You guys are at a local bar, relaxing, when another bar patron is inappropriate with Jill. Jill, recount for us the inappropriate behaviour and your response. Jill : I was just hanging out at a table watching Jack play pool and this guy was standing behind me leaning on the bar. He took a running st

the Talk "Sunny, I need your help." I sensed the panic underlying the request from my friend Jack Carpenter. "This guy just hit Debbie on the head with a bottle!" Debbie was his wife and my heart dropped to hear this. We were in Alabama, over 10 years ago at a very fine hotel, there for a ballroom dance competition. It was late in the evening and we were practicing for the professional heats to be held the next day. It was late, I was in my lounge pajamas preparing for an early rest but my pro partner reminded me that we should run through our routines. Outside, I saw Debbie who was obviously shaken. In the darkness, I couldn't be sure of her injuries but I asked her "Where is he?". She

Sixth grade was a particularly traumatic year for me. Got my first rejection to the school dance by the neighborhood girl, was moved into a different class away from my best friend, Hak Ung, after the year started and ... got into my first fight. Lunch time was never pleasant because we explored our social environment by hurling insults and sometimes food at each other. It was the day, when I was the brunt of a few verbal slams that I retaliated with a hurtful word barrage of my own. The recipient actually sat sullenly as if defeated, little did I know, he was fuming on the inside. Our class bathroom break always followed lunch and I suddenly found my lunch friend staring me down challen

Common sense says Listen to your Body and Listen to your Doctor. If your body is telling you something is wrong, don't wait to see your doctor. Why do injuries happen? The main cause of injuries is because two people care too much about the engagement. A good question to ask is : Are the training partners more concerned with safety or with catching the submission? Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) AKA Knee injuries Knee bars don't feel the same as arm bars in terms of the pain felt before it's too late. If a knee bar is tight, err on the side of caution and tap. Don't test your knee to see how much it can handle. Twisting, popping of the knee joint can resu