VIDEO: The Razzle Dazzle Choke from Side Control with John “Bagels” Telford
VIDEO: D’Arce Choke From the Double Under Pass with David Porter
VIDEO: David Porter’s D’Arce Finishes
VIDEO: Double Under Guard Pass
VIDEO: Omoplata from Leg Lasso Guard
VIDEO: Muay Thai Clinch Attack Tutorial with Chris Clodfelter & Trevor Hayes
Intro to the Berimbolo
For a move that — to me — is just another powerful sweep from De La Riva guard, the berimbolo sure has become a lightning rod. To some, it’s emblematic of creative jiu-jitsu evolution. To others, it’s an invitation to soccer kick you in the head.
Spin on some cardboard to beats in the street, and everyone calls you Ozone or Turbo; spin underneath a guy to take his back, and everybody loses their minds.
Every job has a perfect tool. The berimbolo is a great tactic in many situations, and when you strip away the loaded connotations some people put on the word, I think that becomes apparent. It’s a terrific move for people who have trouble keeping their grips, since the belt grip is a tough one to break. For people fond of De La Riva guard, it’s a good chance to either get to the most powerful finishing position in jiujitsu — the back. Besides that, it’s fun, and fun has value.
I just did a series of two Berimbolo introduction videos for the Roy Marsh Jiu-Jitsu YouTube channel. Please check these out and let me know what you think! As you’ll see, I often use berimbolo to take the back, but just as often I’ll come up to pass the guard — or use it to take mount, which I didn’t show here, but I will if people are interested.
Have fun with these and let me know if you have any questions in the comments. Feel free to request future videos — or future silly Photoshops — too. I thought about making Kool-Aid Man shirts for Toro, but no plans are in the works for that, at least now.
Leglocks and Jiujitsu
Editor’s Note: Like a gentleman, the only time I ever touch feet is when I’m giving Marcellus Wallace a foot massage. But my good friend Lt. Col. Toehold goes for your feet like a submission-focused Rex Ryan. (Actually, maybe Rex Ryan is submission focused. Let’s not think about that too closely). Anyway, enjoy this guest post, and thanks to Lt. Col. Toehold for writing it.
ADCC 2015. Thirty-three matches ended in submission. Nine of those were lower body submissions including six heel hooks, two toeholds, and one kneebar. Polaris 2 this weekend saw two incredible battles in Tonon vs. Imanari and Cummings vs. Bodycomb. Both matches ended in heel hook. Ryan Hall just won his way onto the Ultimate Fighter house by an Imanari roll to inverted 50/50, followed by a heel hook. Eddie Cummings won the Eddie Bravo 3 tournament, submitting the entire field with heel hooks.
Without a doubt, leg locks are the fastest growing set of submissions in the sport. They can also be the most dangerous because they are often misunderstood and hence not immediately respected.
I wanted to take the time to share some thoughts on leg locks. First off, let me clarify something. I’m a purple belt. Which means a couple things. Most importantly I’m early on in the learning process. This is important to understand because I’m not preaching years of advice. Rather, I’m explaining the path that I’m on in my education of leg locks. Second, I’m not even allowed to do leg locks in competition. This means my sage advice hasn’t even been tested in IBJJF competitions.
So why should you read further? Because I’ve made many mistakes. I hope you don’t make the same. Continue reading “Leglocks and Jiujitsu”
Leg Lasso Sweep From Open Guard
The leg lasso is one of my favorite open guard positions. With the lasso in, we can defend the guard and transition back to closed guard if we want to. We can also set up powerful and safe attacks.
It’s very frustrating for our opponent to pass the lasso guard, and frustrated people make mistakes. This sweep is one we can hit when our opponent makes a very common mistake: trying to pass without clearing the lasso first.
Thanks again to Roy Marsh for letting me show some techniques at his school and helping me film these videos. If you enjoyed them, you’ll definitely like the other videos on his YouTube channel by Roy himself and guys like Drew Culbreth, so check them out and subscribe if you like.