Back To Article Brief
Back To Article List
BRAZILIAN JUJUTSU PRIMER
Author: Robert W. Young
To say that practitioners of Brazilian jujutsu have honed their grappling skills into a fine art is to state the obvious.
Because of them, nearly everyone in the martial arts worldespecially those who follow mixed-martial arts competitionnow possesses at least a rudimentary understanding of the basic positions of ground fighting, including the guard, the mount and the side control.
Somewhat less well-known is the half-guard position. The fact that it does not manifest itself in competition quite as often as the ìbig threeî positions does not in any way mean its ineffective on the mat; rather, it means that once you learn how to fight offensively from that position, you will be able to take your unknowing opponent by surprise. As many experts advise their students, the best way to defeat an opponent is to beat him with what he doesnt know.
EXPERT ADVICE
To obtain the best possible instruction in the offensive use of the halfguard, Black Belt sought help from Roberto Correa de Lima, who is better known by his nickname ìGordo,î which means ìfatî in Portuguese. (He was reportedly a plump tyke.) Correa is a 31- year-old graduate of the Gracie Barra Academy in Brazil. He started training in 1985 under Carlos Gracie Jr. and received his black belt in 1993.
When Correa competed in Brazil, his trademark technique was the halfguard, which he employed not just defensively but also with maximum aggression. A twist of fate led him to develop that somewhat unusual game plan: He sustained a serious injury to his left knee and was not able to fight from the full guard while it healed. But that proved to be merely an inconvenience, and once he had perfected his half-guard strategy and techniques, he rolled to victory in the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships in 1996 and 1997, the Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu Championships in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2001, and the Brazilian National Jiu- Jitsu Championships in 1994, 1995 and 1998.
The following are four of Correas favorite methods for fighting from the half-guard.
HALF-GUARD TO LEG LOCK
You and your opponent start in a kneeling position. Your right hand holds his left lapel, and your left hand holds his right sleeve at the elbow. You then pull him forward as you fall onto your back and insert your left leg between his knees. After you bend your left leg so your shin lies across his left calf, you place your right arm under his left arm to create more leverage. Next, you shove his upper body to your left and sit up. After extracting your left arm from underneath his torso, you use both hands to secure his left ankle. The leg lock is effected as you try to forcibly bend his leg while your left shin is wedged behind his knee.
Be forewarned that some Brazilian jujutsu competitions, especially those held in the United States, prohibit this leg lock. Check the rules before you try it in a match, and always be prepared to release the pressure as soon as your opponent taps to lessen the chance of injury to his knee.
HALF-GUARD TO KIMURA
You begin on your knees facing your opponent. Your right hand grasps his left lapel, and your left hand holds his right sleeve. Your first move is to swing your legs forward and land on your back, while simultaneously placing your left leg between his legs and pulling him into your half-guard. Next, you ìswimî your right arm under his left shoulder so you can generate the leverage you need to upset him. You then execute a feint to make him think you are trying to get to his back. As he reacts, you grab his right wrist with your left hand. To finish, you throw your right arm over his right humerus, then wrap your limb around his and lock your right hand onto your left forearm. As you lie back, you apply pressure to his arm and shoulder using the kimura lock.
A skilled grappler will try to escape from this lock by rolling forward over your body. To prevent that, be sure to keep your left leg wrapped around his left leg as you crank his trapped arm behind his back.
HALF-GUARD REVERSAL
Once you have attained the halfguard position with your left leg placed on top of your opponents left calf, you position your right arm under his left arm. That enables you to create the leverage you need to open enough space to maneuver. You then grab the lower right portion of his uniform with your left hand and feed it to your right hand, which is reaching around his back. At the same time, your right knee moves into the open space that exists in front of his left hip. Once your knee passes his hip and your shin is pressed against his belt, you pull his uniform with your right hand and lift his right knee with your left hand. Those forces work in concert to flip him over your body and deposit him on his back. You finish in the side-control position, from which you can effect a submission or transition to the mount.
HALF-GUARD REVERSAL TO MOUNT
Starting on your back, you place your left leg between your opponents legs and drape your left shin across his calf to complete the half-guard. Your left hand grasps the lower right part of his uniform and pulls it toward his right hip, and your right arm extends under his left armpit and around his back. You then sit up and reach around his back with your right arm until you can grab the trapped portion of his uniform top.
Once your left hand releases its grip on the uniform, it moves to control his right elbow. Next, you place your right foot under his left leg to create leverage for a hook sweep. Finally, you lean toward your left elbow, breaking his balance. Because you have trapped his right arm, he cannot use it to prevent himself from rolling onto his back. You ride him as he is swept, ending up in the mount position. From there, any number of submission holds are at your disposal.
HITTING THE MAT
If youre trying to perfect your skills in Brazilian jujutsu, it is imperative to spend some serious time on the mat.
Merely knowing how to fight from the half-guard will be of little benefit unless you have practiced your techniques until they become second-nature. That training strategy helped Roberto Correa de Lima rise to the top of the Brazilian grappling world, and it can work just as well for you. ...
|
Choose your martialarm
|
|
|
Martialarm Testimonials
"This is the answer to the only problem I had in my martial arts training, 'How to effectively test a technique?' I can now experiment using full power which I could never do before with my normal training partner." L-Baxter"After training in the various martial arts systems for over 22 years and thinking I had seen it all I was extremely surprised to train with your martialarm product. It is truly excellent and proves once again simple ideas are the best." F-Barrasong
"I just started to train in Karate and also Wing Chun. I wanted to train as much as possible but there are only two classes per week. Since I bought the martialarm I now train everynight! This is great for a beginner who wants to train alot!" J. Evans
Looking for other martial arts training dummies?Purchase the Wooden dummy, Versaflex, B.O.B. training partner and boxing bags.
|