May 22, 2005
The Fundamental Rear Mount
Last week we discussed something you should (mostly) avoid while rear mounted on your opponent. This week I just want to go over some fundamental tips that may help you maintain rear mount on an opponent trying to escape.
Let’s start with the feet, also called your ‘hooks’. Your hooks should not be in too deep or too shallow: if the back of your knees are resting on your opponent’s thighs then they are too deep. If, on the other hand, your feet are touching the inside of your opponent’s inner thighs then they are usually too shallow. Experience, gained from actual drilling and sparring, will teach you the positioning and maneuvering to best maintain contact with your opponent using your hooks.
Your hips should be square with, and slightly above, your opponent’s hips. Many of the escapes he will want to use involve twisting his hips and creating an angle between his hips and yours. A fundamental part of maintaining rear mount, therefore, is continuously shift your body so your hips stay lined up with his.
Finally we will discuss hand and arm positioning. There are many variations of how to place your arms, especially with the gi. I will just discuss just one of my favorites, which I teach to beginners on their first day and also use myself when sparring. Start with your right arm going underneath his right armpit and your left arm going over top of his shoulder. Link your hands together, palm-to-palm, with your right palm facing upwards and your left palm facing downwards. Your arms form a big loop, encircling his head and one arm. Usually your head is to the right side of his head. Your left arm is ready to choke him if he gives you even a moment’s opening.
The rear mount, properly executed, is one of the most dominant, devastating positions in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA. Hopefully some of the above concepts have either taught you something new or reinforced something you do already.
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Let’s start with the feet, also called your ‘hooks’. Your hooks should not be in too deep or too shallow: if the back of your knees are resting on your opponent’s thighs then they are too deep. If, on the other hand, your feet are touching the inside of your opponent’s inner thighs then they are usually too shallow. Experience, gained from actual drilling and sparring, will teach you the positioning and maneuvering to best maintain contact with your opponent using your hooks.
Your hips should be square with, and slightly above, your opponent’s hips. Many of the escapes he will want to use involve twisting his hips and creating an angle between his hips and yours. A fundamental part of maintaining rear mount, therefore, is continuously shift your body so your hips stay lined up with his.
Finally we will discuss hand and arm positioning. There are many variations of how to place your arms, especially with the gi. I will just discuss just one of my favorites, which I teach to beginners on their first day and also use myself when sparring. Start with your right arm going underneath his right armpit and your left arm going over top of his shoulder. Link your hands together, palm-to-palm, with your right palm facing upwards and your left palm facing downwards. Your arms form a big loop, encircling his head and one arm. Usually your head is to the right side of his head. Your left arm is ready to choke him if he gives you even a moment’s opening.
The rear mount, properly executed, is one of the most dominant, devastating positions in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA. Hopefully some of the above concepts have either taught you something new or reinforced something you do already.
Labels: positions
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May 14, 2005
Rear Mount – Crossing your Feet
The rear mount is arguably the most dominant position in grappling. When you have rear mount you can apply some very powerful chokes and locks. In MMA or self defense you can administer severe punishment without your opponent having the ability to strike you back.
The positioning of the legs in rear mount is very important because your legs allow you to follow and control your opponent’s movement. One common mistake in rear mount, made mostly by beginners, is crossing the ankles in front of the opponent’s legs: this is considered a huge no-no in BJJ and submission grappling.
Crossing your ankles and feet while rear-mounted is frowned upon because your opponent can catch you in a simple, and very painful, leglock. If he crosses his ankles (or figure 4’s his legs) on top of your ankles he can tap you out by arching his hips forward. Depending on exactly how the legs are arranged the submission may result from a pain-based Achilles tendon crush, a foot hyperextension, or a foot/knee twist. Regardless of the actual mechanism getting caught in this submission is a painful and embarrassing experience.
All this being said, I occasionally DO cross my ankles when rear mounted on an opponent. Under certain circumstances crossed ankles increase your control over your opponent (which is why people do it instinctively). I never do this for more than a second or two and always maintain a state of high alert in this position. I try to release the crossed ankles as soon as I can, returning to a more conventional rear mount position. To further minimize the risk of getting leglocked I try to cross my ankles high on his body and, if possible, slightly off to one side.
When rear-mounted you should follow the rule of not crossing your ankles at least 99% of the time. Intermediate and advanced level grapplers can sometimes break this rule, but not for very long or without a good reason!
MMA fighter Joe Doerkson displaying good form in rear mount (i.e. NOT crossing his ankles)
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The positioning of the legs in rear mount is very important because your legs allow you to follow and control your opponent’s movement. One common mistake in rear mount, made mostly by beginners, is crossing the ankles in front of the opponent’s legs: this is considered a huge no-no in BJJ and submission grappling.
Crossing your ankles and feet while rear-mounted is frowned upon because your opponent can catch you in a simple, and very painful, leglock. If he crosses his ankles (or figure 4’s his legs) on top of your ankles he can tap you out by arching his hips forward. Depending on exactly how the legs are arranged the submission may result from a pain-based Achilles tendon crush, a foot hyperextension, or a foot/knee twist. Regardless of the actual mechanism getting caught in this submission is a painful and embarrassing experience.
All this being said, I occasionally DO cross my ankles when rear mounted on an opponent. Under certain circumstances crossed ankles increase your control over your opponent (which is why people do it instinctively). I never do this for more than a second or two and always maintain a state of high alert in this position. I try to release the crossed ankles as soon as I can, returning to a more conventional rear mount position. To further minimize the risk of getting leglocked I try to cross my ankles high on his body and, if possible, slightly off to one side.
When rear-mounted you should follow the rule of not crossing your ankles at least 99% of the time. Intermediate and advanced level grapplers can sometimes break this rule, but not for very long or without a good reason!
MMA fighter Joe Doerkson displaying good form in rear mount (i.e. NOT crossing his ankles)
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May 09, 2005
Pull-ups Continued
This week I will continue to discuss pull-ups, which are my favorite upper body strengthening exercise. Here I tackle a few questions I’ve received since last week.
Q: How many sets of pull-ups do you do in a session?
A: If I am doing a ‘normal’ strength training session I usually do 3 sets, but it really depends on my energy levels and what other exercises I’m doing in that workout. If I am tired I may only do one or two sets. If pull-ups are the main focus of the workout then I may do 5 or 6 sets, varying hand position each set.
Q: How many pull-ups do you do in a work out?
A: Again this really depends, both on the speed of the pull-ups and on how many sets I do. If I do the pull-ups slowly and with good form then I might only be able to do 10 to 12 pullups per set, so if I do 3 sets with strict form I will do about 35 bodyweight pull-ups. If I do the pull-ups faster with slight cheating (kicking with the legs, etc.) then I can do a lot more. The number of pull-ups someone can do is affected by their bodyweight, strength, grip, endurance, hand position and the speed of the pull-ups. Don’t get too hung up on the total number of pull-ups you can do, just do them!
Q: How much time for recovery is necessary after maxing out?
A: I usually rest one to two minutes between sets of pull-ups (and most other exercises as well). The less time you rest between sets the more you are working on muscular endurance. The longer you rest the more you are working on strength. Sometimes I shake things up and jump on the stairmaster for a minute between sets of pull-ups, which really makes me feel miserable!
Q: What about seated pulldowns on a cable machine? Are these equivalent to pull-ups?
A: I think that pull-ups are mostly superior to cable pulldowns, but obviously doing pulldowns is better than not doing anything at all. Pull-ups are harder (especially if you add weight) and they may also impart a little bit of gymnastic athleticism.
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Q: How many sets of pull-ups do you do in a session?
A: If I am doing a ‘normal’ strength training session I usually do 3 sets, but it really depends on my energy levels and what other exercises I’m doing in that workout. If I am tired I may only do one or two sets. If pull-ups are the main focus of the workout then I may do 5 or 6 sets, varying hand position each set.
Q: How many pull-ups do you do in a work out?
A: Again this really depends, both on the speed of the pull-ups and on how many sets I do. If I do the pull-ups slowly and with good form then I might only be able to do 10 to 12 pullups per set, so if I do 3 sets with strict form I will do about 35 bodyweight pull-ups. If I do the pull-ups faster with slight cheating (kicking with the legs, etc.) then I can do a lot more. The number of pull-ups someone can do is affected by their bodyweight, strength, grip, endurance, hand position and the speed of the pull-ups. Don’t get too hung up on the total number of pull-ups you can do, just do them!
Q: How much time for recovery is necessary after maxing out?
A: I usually rest one to two minutes between sets of pull-ups (and most other exercises as well). The less time you rest between sets the more you are working on muscular endurance. The longer you rest the more you are working on strength. Sometimes I shake things up and jump on the stairmaster for a minute between sets of pull-ups, which really makes me feel miserable!
Q: What about seated pulldowns on a cable machine? Are these equivalent to pull-ups?
A: I think that pull-ups are mostly superior to cable pulldowns, but obviously doing pulldowns is better than not doing anything at all. Pull-ups are harder (especially if you add weight) and they may also impart a little bit of gymnastic athleticism.
Labels: conditioning
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Training Around
My head is spinning. I just got back from 7 days in Los Angeles, attending an Indonesian Silat training camp taugh by no other than Dan Inosanto. I also got to train with Erik Paulson and Vladimir Matsushenko and learned lots of great material, both on the ground and standing. As if this wasn't enough, tonight I attended a 4 hour Carlson Gracie seminar. Talk about information overload!
The reason I bring this up is to make a point: take advantage of training oportunities when you have the chance. If you are travelling and end up near a jiu-jitsu academy pay the drop-in fee and see how they do things.
I'm not in Los Angeles very often, so when I do get there I try to make the most of it
This all ties in
Some instructors will take offense at you doing this, but it is really a shame
Contact information for the 3 places I trained at is as follows:
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The reason I bring this up is to make a point: take advantage of training oportunities when you have the chance. If you are travelling and end up near a jiu-jitsu academy pay the drop-in fee and see how they do things.
I'm not in Los Angeles very often, so when I do get there I try to make the most of it
This all ties in
Some instructors will take offense at you doing this, but it is really a shame
Contact information for the 3 places I trained at is as follows:
Labels: training
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