Tag: Combat

Spider Guard : BJJ Technique Explained

Jiu Jitsu guards have gone through a complete evolution process since the martial art started. In the beginning, there was only the closed guard, then grapplers started developing open guard.  Then from open guard, grapplers started using their opponent’s Gi against them to hold guard. That is how spider guard came to be. Spider guard […]

Jiu Jitsu guards have gone through a complete evolution process since the martial art started. In the beginning, there was only the closed guard, then grapplers started developing open guard. 

Then from open guard, grapplers started using their opponent’s Gi against them to hold guard. That is how spider guard came to be.

Spider guard is a phenomenal guard that allows various sweep and submission opportunities. Here is everything you need to know about the spider guard. 

Wel…l not really everything since you can fill books on spider guard techniques. But here are some great sweep and submission options from the position.

Who came up with spider guard?

Before Jiu Jitsu began developing spider guard, early forms of the technique were used within forms of Judo. Particularly in kosen Judo that has more of an emphasis on ground techniques. 

In Jiu Jitsu, no one person is credited with coming up with spider guard. The development was a natural process where numerous individuals innovated the position.

The person that many credit as one of the grapplers to innovate spider guard the most is Mauricio Tinguinha. He doesn’t take credit, but he would use the guard as a solution when fighting a larger opponent. 

Since he frequently found himself on his back against bigger opponents, he began using their Gi against them. Grabbing their sleeve and putting his feet on their biceps or hips to make space to do techniques. 

Spider guard has become a popular guard in Jiu Jitsu and is constantly being innovated. It has evolved into other guards such as spider guard lasso and various mixes of spider and lapel guard. 

How does spider guard work?

The way spider guard works is to create space keeping your opponent away using your feet and their Gi against them. Variations include using sleeve grips, while placing your feet on your opponent’s biceps and hips.

Holding this guard creates space while also creating tension. You use both of these against your opponent that allows you to set up sweeps and submissions.

How to hold spider guard?

Before we get into a few techniques, you need to first know how to hold spider guard. Without having the proper control, you won’t be able to do any techniques from this guard.

First thing you need to know is the sleeve control you need to use. The best grip to use is a 4 finger grip, where you roll their sleeve up using your fingers. Rolling their sleeves up creates a nice pouch for you to hold your grip.

Next is how to hold your feet on your opponent’s arms. The center of your foot needs to be in the crevice of their arm between their bicep and elbows.

Pushing one arm out and pulling the other in. This pushing and pulling allows you to break your opponent’s base and do techniques.

More advanced spider guard variations involve putting your foot on their hip, hooking their leg, and using their lapel.

Basic spider guard sweep from knees

The best position to start to learn spider guard when your opponent is on their knees. You start in closed guard and then transition to spider guard.

Grab sleeve grip on your opponent and hip escape out to bring your feet on your opponent’s hip. Then turn your hips one more time to make space and put one foot on their bicep. Your other foot stays on their hip for this technique.

Take the arm you are controlling and bring it on your opponent’s shoulder. Doing this makes them go off balance and enables you to sweep them.

While you lift their arm up, take your other foot and place it on their knee. As you bring their arm up, making them off balance, then use your foot to kick their knee out.

These motions together allow you to turn your opponent and come out on top.

Another basic spider guard sweep from knees

This next basic spider guard sweep also starts from your knees and meshes well with the previous technique.

From your opponent’s knees, hip escape to spider guard with one foot on their bicep and the other on their hip. Use your foot on bicep control to shoot your opponent’s arm up and put your other leg next to their leg.

These motions together take your opponent off balance and allow you to sweep them over into mount.

Balloon sweep from spider guard

The balloon sweep is a common open guard sweep that takes your opponent up and over your body. Here is a variation you can do from spider guard.

You’re going to have one foot on their bicep controlling their arm and your other is hooking between their legs. With your other hand, you have a collar grip on your opponent’s Gi.

Use these grips to push your opponent away and instinctively they will come back. When they come back, go under your opponent and use your grips and hook to sweep them over.

Spider guard triangle

One of the easiest submissions you can do from the spider guard is a triangle choke. As you’re pushing on your opponent and they push back, they fall right into the submission.

Start by using your foot on bicep control to push your opponent’s arm out. Naturally they will want to come back and this is where you’ll set up your triangle.

Kick off your bicep control and shoot your hips to the ceiling. Then chop down on your opponent’s neck at the same time you pull their other arm across their body.

For the finish, pull their head down and lock your knee over your ankle.

Spider guard to arm bar

An arm bar from spider guard comes on fast and is simple to do. Start with your foot on their bicep and your other on their hip. You’ll have one sleeve grip and an elbow grip on the arm you’re attacking.

As you push their arm you have bicep control away, you rotate your hips. When you rotate, use the elbow grip to pull your opponent’s arm in and lift your hips up.

This will allow you to catch a tight arm bar. Even if they defend, you can still go for a nice sweep turning back the other way.

Spider guard armbar on standing opponent 

You can do another armbar from spider guard when your opponent is standing. Start in spider guard with bicep controls and turn your hip inward.

If your opponent is standing, they will have pant grips, so you will need to kick one off for the armbar. Change your sleeve grip to a tricep grip and kick your opponent’s grip off.

When you kick their grip off, trap their arm against your body. Then to finish, clamp your knee against their elbow and lift your hips up for the finish.

Spider guard to omoplata

Going from spider guard and attacking an omoplata is another coming submission from the guard. When your opponent is standing with pant grips, you need to start by kicking one of their grips off.

The grip you kick off is the arm you’ll be attacking. Once you kick their grip off, pull their arm forward and hook it around your hip.

As you hook their arm on your hip, bring your leg over their shoulder. Turn your feet out, control their hips, and sit-up into them to lock on the pressure. 

(This video demonstrates the previous 2 techniques along with a triangle.)

Spider guard kneebar

A kneebar is another submission option off of spider guard. Here is a method for doing this technique.

You hold this spider guard with bicep control, sleeve grips, and your other foot on your opponent’s knee. Use your foot on their knee to kick their leg out to make space.

This gives you space to rotate your body and place that foot next to your other leg. As you turn yourself, your opponent’s leg goes between your legs.

Catch their leg and hook their heel with your armpit and go right into the kneebar.

Tips for doing spider guard

Spider guard is a highly versatile guard, you can do numerous techniques from, but need to get the details correct. Here are tips for doing spider guard.

  • Sleeve Control: For the best control, roll your opponent’s sleeves up and use a four finger grip.
  • Foot Placement: Use the center of your feet and place it in the crevice of your opponent’s arms in between their elbows and biceps.
  • Create Tension: For the guard to work, you need to create tension by pushing and pulling on your opponent’s arms. Pushing one arm out, while pulling the other in.
  • Turn Your Hip: Once you get into spider guard position, you must slightly turn your hip in. If you stay centered it is easy for your opponent to defend and pass.

Tarikoplata

Everyone in Jiu Jitsu no matter what their belt is can come up with a move that works. We are all innovators and are constantly coming up with effective techniques nobody has seen or done before. That’s what brings us to this post about the submission, the tarikoplata. We are going to break down everything […]

Everyone in Jiu Jitsu no matter what their belt is can come up with a move that works. We are all innovators and are constantly coming up with effective techniques nobody has seen or done before.

That’s what brings us to this post about the submission, the tarikoplata. We are going to break down everything about the tarikoplata from the inventor, and how it works. Also the various ways you can set up and hit this effective technique.

Who came up with the Tarikoplata?

The inventor of the tarikoplata is the person it is named after, Norwegian grappler Tarik Hopstock. Tarik is a Norwegian brown belt under Eduardo Rios.

Hopstock was getting recognition for using this move a few years ago in numerous European competitions. But he actually began tinkering with this move when he was still competing as a juvenile.

In an interview with BJJ Heroes, Tarik explained how he sort of fell into doing the move:

“It started with how I struggled to pull people’s arms out from the top kimura position. This was around 2014 and I was trying to solve the problem with some of my teammates. After some trial and error, I ended up passing my leg over my opponent’s hip. Later I started to recognize the position for the bottom and successfully applied it to my game.

Tarik would later go on to explain that he didn’t even start calling it the tarikoplata at first. “We didn’t even call it the tarikoplata until I had gotten it numerous times in competition.”

Little did Hopstock know, the move he was hitting in competitions would give him recognition in the BJJ community. Now the tarikoplata is being innovated by grapplers all over the world.

How does the Tarikoplata work?

The tarikoplata blends together a kimura, an omoplata, and also a sweep if you’re on bottom. When Tarik would go for kimura grips from the knee shield, his opponents would recognize this and block.

So what he would do to counter this is bypass their head with his foot and bring it over their shoulder. Once he gets on top, he has his opponent’s arm isolated and controlled with his legs and arm. 

For the finish, he pushes the arm behind the back. The pressure feels like an omoplata and kimura all in one. Making it a very effective and tight submission.

How to do the Tarikoplata

The original tarikoplata starts from the bottom in a knee shield or a z guard. When you start in this position, always remember to have good frames to stop your opponent from giving pressure.

To get into position, you need to first complete two steps. The first is you need to push the opponent’s head away and put your knee in front of their face. This blocks them from coming forward and preventing the submission attempt.

Your second step is to underhook your opponent’s arm with your other hand. Grabbing their elbow and bringing it to your chest.

Next you need to get your leg over your opponent’s shoulder by circling your foot over their head and shoulder. Placing your foot on their hip.

From here, you’ll get a kimura grip and the natural reaction of your opponent is to tuck their arm in. This is the reaction you want to go into the tarikoplata.

Go up on your shoulder and bring your hip over your opponent’s shoulder. This allows you to move your bottom leg out and push it through.

Once your leg comes through, you’re going to point your heel to the ceiling and hook your leg over their arm. This traps your opponent’s wrist, so you can let go of the kimura grip and grip your own thigh. Keep your leg bent down on your opponent’s wrist to keep their arm trapped.

With your free hand, you’re going to grab your opponent’s gi pants. Your far leg stays over your opponent’s head and as you pull them over, your other foot steps on the floor.

When your opponent falls to their back, let go of their pants, put your hand on the mat, and sit-up. When you sit-up, you sit on top of your opponent, sit your foot under their arm.

Your other foot steps up and enables you to torque their arm. For the finish, your knee goes down and your elbow rotates to the roof for your opponent to tap.

Tarikoplata from over/under pass attempt

If you have an opponent attempting an under/over pass it puts your right into position for the tarikoplata. Take your leg that your opponent is under hooking and throw it right over their head and on their hip.

From there, the sequence is the same as the original set up.

Alternate finish

Sometimes when you attempt the sweep, your opponent postures up. This will block the initial sweep, but you have a plan B from here.

Once they posture up you’re going to use their energy to take them backwards. Similar to the back roll sweep you would do when an opponent defends your omoplata attempt.

When they posture up and use that energy to back roll and sweep them over. You end up right in the original finishing position.

(See the last 2 minutes of the first video for how to do these last two techniques.)

Tarikoplata from armbar

Everybody has been in the armbar position on top when your opponent defends. From here, you have the option of going for the tarikoplata.

From the armbar, your inside arm loops under your opponent’s arm and you grab your thigh. Then you grab their wrist, pull it down, and bring your leg over their wrist.

With their arm controlled, take your free foot and put it on their hip to rotate yourself around their body. Then just like the original technique, you use your base hand and foot to sit-up on your opponent.

Rotate your body towards your opponent’s head for the finish.

Tarikoplata from stack pass attempt

A tarikoplata is also possible from an opponent’s stack pass attempt. Start by cross grabbing your opponent’s collar and push on their neck.

This gives your space to get your underhook on their elbow. From there the setup is exactly the same as if you were doing the original tarikoplata.

Tarikoplata entry from side control

From side control, if you grab a kimura and go to the north/south position. It opens up when they defend by grabbing their belt or holding their hands together.

Hug their arm with one hand and hold your opponent’s leg down by grabbing their pants. Once they’re controlled, loop your leg over their body and grab your thigh.

To finish, put your opponent on their back and rotate your body towards their head for the tap.

No-Gi Tarikoplata

A tarikoplata is even possible in No-Gi. Here is how it works without Gi grips.

This is exactly how you would do the tarikoplata finish the previous technique. You have a kimura in the north/south position and defend it by locking their arms together.

Base on your opponent’s leg, loop your leg over their body, and trap their arm with your leg. You can either do the original tarikoplata finish or you can go to your back.

If you go to your back the finish is similar to an omoplata. Push your hips forward as their elbow goes down to put on the pressure.

Tips for doing the Tarikoplata

The tarikoplata is a great technique, but one missed detail can make the technique fail. Here are important tips for doing the tarikoplata.

  • Frames: When playing knee shield always remember your frames or you won’t get any techniques.
  • Push Opponent’s Head: In order to get your leg over and in position remember to push their head away to make space.
  • Elbow Control:  When you get your underhook remember to control your opponent’s elbow.
  • Circle Your Foot: You can’t just pass your foot over your opponent’s shoulder. You will need to circle your foot around to create the space to get your leg over their shoulder.
  • Shoulder To Mat: Putting your shoulder on the mat creates the space and leverage to help sweep your opponent.
  • Trap The Arm: After making space by putting your shoulder on the mat, you’ll need to trap their arm. Point your heel up and hook your leg over your opponent’s wrist.
  • Pant Grip: Without the pant grip your opponent will not go over for the sweep.
  • Foot On The Mat: To get the force to complete the sweep step on the mat as you start the sweep.
  • Hand On Mat/Sit-Up: Once you come up on top immediately put your hand on the mat and sit-up on your opponent. This puts you in position to finish the submission.

Americana Lock

When you start out learning Brazilian Jiu JItsu, there is a core group of submissions that you learn first. One of the most simple and effective from that group of submissions is the Americana lock. The Americana is a great submission no matter if you’re a white belt or a black belt. Once you’re able […]

When you start out learning Brazilian Jiu JItsu, there is a core group of submissions that you learn first. One of the most simple and effective from that group of submissions is the Americana lock.

The Americana is a great submission no matter if you’re a white belt or a black belt. Once you’re able to isolate your opponent’s arm and lock the submission in it is just about game over.

For those starting out in grappling, here is everything you need to know about the Americana lock. We’re going to go into everything from how it works, who invented it, and how to do it from different positions.

Who came up with the Americana Armlock?

No one person can be really accredited with coming up with the Americana armlock. It is used in just about every type of grappling that has ever existed.

One false origin comes from Rolles Gracie that claimed American wrestler Bob Anderson showed it to him in the 1970s. Although the word Americana can be traced back around the time the late Rolles Gracies was born in 1951. A Brazilian newspaper  O Diario de Noticias called a kimura an “Americana” when describing the Kimura vs Helio Gracie match.

Factually, the Americana submission has been around for generations before it got the name Americana or keylock. In submission wrestling it’s called the figure 4 arm lock and in Judo it’s called Ude Garami.

How does the Americana Lock work?

The Americana lock is a classic fulcrum movement that puts immense pressure on the victim’s shoulder. Going 2 arms on 1 for control to isolate the opponent’s arm from their body.

It primarily only works with an opponent on their back, but can work from bottom against novice grapplers.

Once you have isolated their arm and have it controlled on the mat with grips you lift up on the elbow. Forcing them to either tap or have the tendons in their shoulder torn.

Basic Americana Armlock from side control

When learning how to do submissions from side control, they all start from learning how to control the position. What you must know is to control the head, stay tight, and give no space.

Starting with your knees, they must be connected to your opponent’s armpit and hip. You must keep this connection in order to do the traditional Americana Armlock.

Next is controlling your opponent’s head. You can either put your arm under their head or put your forearm on their throat. Do whichever is your preference, but be sure to give good downward pressure on your opponent.

The third thing you need to remember in side control is your chest must be on your opponent’s with no space. If you’re too far over, they will reverse you and too far away, they will recover guard. Once you remember these three things, you can do the Americana armlock.

Start by going two arms on one to isolate the opponent’s arm. Place it on the ground at a 90 degree angle facing up.

Next step is to control their wrist with your top arm and put your elbow against their neck or head. This prevents them from turning in and attempting to defend.

Then your other goes under your opponent’s arm and you grab your own wrist palm down. If you want a little more control on their arm, turn your wrists like you’re revving a motorbike.

To finish the submission slightly lift up on your opponent’s elbow with your arms to set in the pressure.

The Mousetrap Americana

A sneaky set up from side control is the mousetrap Americana. This technique has this name, because your opponent gets their arm caught like a mouse baited into a trap.

Start by underhooking your opponent’s arm with your inside arm and cup their shoulder. With their arm controlled, you take your other arm and loop it around your opponent’s head and cup your own ear.

When You do this, you are laying a trap for your opponent to defend. If they decide to try and defend, they will bring their isolated arm up to defend.

As they bring their arm up, you take your hand off your ear and grab their wrist. Planting your opponent’s arm to the mat and enabling you to go right into the Americana armlock.

Americana from mount

When you’re in the mount position, an Americana is a common go to submission. Remember to keep your knees tight against your opponent and your weight centered on their chest. Otherwise, they will be able to bridge and reverse you.

A good grappler when mounted will have their arms in tight to defend against submissions. What you’ll need to do is go 2 on 1 and push their arm to the mat.

Your top arm grabs their wrist and your elbow frames against their head just like with side control. Then your other hand goes under your opponent’s arm and you grab your own wrist.

To get a little more pressure on the lock, you can turn your hip to the mat. Then lock on the pressure just like you would from side control.

Americana from half guard in Gi

A traditional Americana armlock from half guard works the same as the technique from side control. Although it is not as effective and a lower percentage move from this position. 

But there is a method involving the use of your opponent’s Gi that makes it really effective. You start in half guard and your opponent is framing on your neck with his arm.

To get it off, you can take out their Gi and pass it over their wrist to your other hand. You could pass from here, but you could also do a tight Americana using your opponent’s own Gi.

Pass their Gi back to your other hand and use it to hold their arm to the mat. Their arm is stuck to the mat and they can’t move.

With their arm stuck, you bring your arm over your opponent’s head. Before you lock your arms together, use your elbow to push their head away to prevent them from turning in.

Then while keeping the opponent’s lapel, grab their wrist, and lift their arm up for the submission.

Kesa Gatame Americana

From Kesa Gatame side control, you can do a variation of the Americana with your legs. In catch wrestling it’s called a scarf hold armlock.

In Kesa Gatame, you control your opponent’s head and this leaves their inside arm isolated. What you do is slide your bottom leg under your opponent’s arm and lock their wrist to the mat.

Once their arm is pinned to the mat, you lean forward to put pressure on their shoulder for the tap.

The armlock chain

The Americana armlock is part of an arm lock chain from side control. Those submissions include the Americana, kimura and straight armbar.

All of these submissions are connected to one another if one technique fails you can go to another.

For example: If you go for an Americana and your opponent straightens their arm out, you can now try a straight armbar. Also if they turn their arm down, you could also try a kimura.

This is just a simple chain of submissions, you should know when you start learning Jiu Jitsu.

Tips for doing the Americana Armlock

While the Americana is very simple and basic, you have to pay attention to the details. Here are the tips to remember for doing the Americana Armlock.

  • No Space: From the top position, you must not give any space to your opponent.
  • Keep Weight Centered: You have to keep your weight centered on your opponent’s chest to  get a successful Americana armlock. Too far over, they will reverse you and too far back will allow them to recover guard.
  • Knee Placement: Whether you’re doing the Americana from side control or mount, knee placement is important for controlling your opponent. In side control, keep your knees in the hip and armpit, while in mount keep them tight to their body.
  • Arm on the mat: To put on the pressure, your opponent’s arm must be held on the mat. If it’s off the mat, they can defend and work to escape.
  • Give Good Shoulder Pressure: A normal way to block an Americana is by framing, but if you’re giving good shoulder pressure that’s hard to accomplish. Keep good shoulder pressure on your opponent to keep them from framing.
  • Isolate the arm: Isolate your opponent’s arm by using your elbow to block their head. When you do this they aren’t able to turn into you and defend.
  • Turn your wrists: When you have figure 4 grips and want to make it extra tight, turn your wrists like you’re revving a motorbike. Doing this makes your grip a little tighter and keeps their arm on the mat.
  • Slightly Lift Their Elbow: To finish the submission, remember to slightly lift their elbow up. That small motion locks on the pressure and forces them to tap.

Paige VanZant Says She’ll Earn Ten Times What She Made In The UFC With BKFC

VanZantAhead of her promotional debut with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship tomorrow, former UFC flyweight and strawweight contender, Paige ’12 Gauge’ VanZant has claimed she’ll earn ten times what she made under her former banner, with the David Feldman led organization.  VanZant, who transitions to bare knuckle fighting following an eight-year stint in professional mixed martial […]

VanZant

Ahead of her promotional debut with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship tomorrow, former UFC flyweight and strawweight contender, Paige ’12 Gauge’ VanZant has claimed she’ll earn ten times what she made under her former banner, with the David Feldman led organization. 

VanZant, who transitions to bare knuckle fighting following an eight-year stint in professional mixed martial arts, headlines BKFC 16 in Tampa, Florida as she clashes with Britain Hart in a main event bout. 

Penning a multi-fight, multi-million dollar deal with the Philidelphia-based organization, VanZant tested free-agency following her UFC 251 submission loss to Brazilian contender, Amanda Ribas last July — reportedly turning down an offer from Scott Coker’s Bellator MMA. 

Speaking with assembled media yesterday ahead of the ‘Knucklemania’ event, VanZant maintained that despite the potential risks that come with her transition to bare-knuckle fighting, the juice will prove to be worth the squeeze. 

“I’m here for a reason,” VanZant said. I was in the UFC for six years, getting paid $40,000 (show money) and $40,000 (win money), and now I’m getting ten times that doing what I love. So obviously, I’m not going anywhere. I’m very happy fighting here, and I’m excited to fight.“

Touching on the prospect of linking up with the above mentioned Bellator, VanZant explained how her coaches and husband, Austin Vanderford had attempted to sway her in favour of a move to the Scott Coker led promotion, however, the 26-year-old claimed she followed her passion with a move to BKFC.

“I was really fortunate coming from the UFC that I did have so many organizations (who) reached out, and I truly wasn’t sure where my career was going to go,” VanZant explained. “I had two big offers that were in competition: This one (BKFC) or Bellator, which my husband fights for. I know I had a lot of people — my coaches, my husband — they all wanted me to go to Bellator. But I had to go where my passion lies, and I truly know this is the organization I belong with. This is the one I was most passionate about. This is where I see myself being the most successful.“

VanZant, who secured three stoppages via submission and two via strikes during her mixed martial arts career, detailed how she “absolutely” loves striking — with the possibility to do just that an exciting prospect ahead of tomorrow’s debut.

“I absolutely love my striking, it’s what I was known for in the UFC, so I’m excited to come in there and show how tough I am,” VanZant said. “That’s one thing I’ve carried throughout my entire career, is no one can say I’m definitely not one tough chick, and I plan to show that I’m very fortunate I’m in a position where I love the organization I fight for.” (H/T MMA Junkie)

Combat Sports Execs Commit to Brain Injury Research, Solutions Remain Elusive

A formidable group of power players from politics, MMA and boxing came together on Capitol Hill Tuesday to announce new financial support for brain injury research in combat athletes, even as doctors confirmed that actionable science is still years away. “We all know that it is a problem, and we all know this study…is much […]

A formidable group of power players from politics, MMA and boxing came together on Capitol Hill Tuesday to announce new financial support for brain injury research in combat athletes, even as doctors confirmed that actionable science is still years away. “We all know that it is a problem, and we all know this study…is much […]

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Keith Kizer’s Resignation: A Positive Step for Combat Sports

Departures, mortal or otherwise, are often followed by overly saccharine eulogies that do not necessarily reflect reality. Such was the case following news that Keith Kizer had chosen to resign from his position as executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. We are occasionally told that if you can’t say something nice, you shouldn’t […]

Departures, mortal or otherwise, are often followed by overly saccharine eulogies that do not necessarily reflect reality. Such was the case following news that Keith Kizer had chosen to resign from his position as executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. We are occasionally told that if you can’t say something nice, you shouldn’t […]

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