Jiu Jitsu Tricks Part 1

Warning to all non-jiu jitsu nerds: extensive technical terminology below! These are some class notes for my own use, enjoy them if you want, but I don't have photo/video capabilities yet so they're probably not terribly useful.

From Candace's Seminar:

From guard, work left shin into opponent's right arm and get out to the right side, bringing your right leg up onto their shoulder, pinning them to the ground. Left foot should be in their hip. From here you can take the simple under-hook armbar, or any variation there of... OR... Pass their left arm down to the ground (your on your left side, so their elbow will end up in your left hip, on the ground. Weave your left arm underneath their forearm (on the ground) and then sock-grip their biceps, pushing that further towards the ground. The key here is to keep knee pressure on their shoulder. Also, another small detail is to clamp your knees together and then slide your top knee (in this case the right one) down their back slightly. This separates their shoulder blades, or as Dave says, "separate the butter." If they still haven't tapped, reach over with your right arm, grasp the hand and pull upwards while twisting your hips down towards the mat. OUCH!

What is "Sock Grip"??

Sock grip is also known as "bear claw grip." It is when you grasp your opponent with your thumb next to your other fingers, as opposed to "opposing" your other fingers. My training partners used to call it "mitten grip," but that doesn't make any sense since with mittens, your thumb is not attached to your other fingers. I call it "sock grip" because it's as if your hands are in socks. Thumb attached. Get it?