Secret BJJ move that cannot be defended

(crosspost from BJJ Globetrotter)

It's been a while since I wrote, that if I got 1000 likes on my FaceBook page, I would post a video of a technique that cannot be defended. I reached the 1000 likes a while back, but the video took a while to get online. It is finally here, and you can enjoy a move, that I still haven't found any defense for.

Me and my friend have actually pulled this off in competition a few times. Depends on the mood of the referee, his nationality and your nationality, but sometimes we have gotten away with it. I don't think it states anywhere in the rules that you cannot do this?



(All credit goes to my good friend Chris Haueter, who demonstrated this move on one of the first VHS instructional tapes I ever saw)

My new approach to sidecontrol escapes

As you might have read in one of my recent posts, I am trying to force myself to focus more on escaping sidecontrol, since I think it is the biggest weakness in my game.

I was trying to make an agreement with myself, that I would do at least five escapes every day of training. It worked pretty well in the beginning, but along the way I caught myself forgetting it and not doing any escapes some days. So now I am trying something else. My 1000 flighthours project has been a really good way for me to set a goal for my training, so I have decided to do something similar with my sidecontrol escapes.

In my top secret BJJ notebook, I have made a little table, where I set an X every time I succesfully have escaped sidecontrol in sparring:


My first goal is to reach 100 escapes, then see where that takes me. I will also keep track of the counting here in the blog (look in the right coloumn).

Stoned Squirrel halfguard escape cycle

First I show the stoned squirrel position without an opponent. I lay on my side (due to the big tail, squirrels can't lay flat on their back) and with my hands as a squirrel. Elbows are kept thight to my ribs.


This position allows me to defend the two most important things my opponent must aquire to control the halfguard: The crossface and the underhook. I use two hands on my opponents bicep to defend the crossface and keeping my elbows prevents him from underhooking me. At all time, I wanna hip out so I'm not lying under him but more next to him. I wanna be on my side and never let him flatten me out.


So, first priority is to defend the crossface and underhook. From there I need to get an underhook myself. When I have the underhook (and still keeping my position, defending the crossface), I now have three ways to escapes.

Firstly, I can try to sit out under my opponent...


...hook my leg around him...


...and take his back.


He might defend this by overhooking my arm. If that is the case, I can do two things, depending on where his weight is.


(Gotta imagine the overhook here, we forgot it on the pic :-D)

If his weight has not changed, I can sit out and drive into him. Sometimes I like to block the far knee with my hand.


(imagine the overhook again)

This is somewhere around where I end up. You will most likely end in his halfguard. Crossface and underhook right away to work your pass :)


If he overhooks and drives his weight into me to prevent me from sitting up, this is what I do instead. I resist so he push his weight into me as much as possible, then quickly underhook his far leg with my left arm, keeping my right underhook tight over his back.


From this position, it is very for me to roll to my right.


Rolling him all the way over.


Get your leg out and pass the halfguard for cross sides position.


Here is a squirrel for inspiration.

Hydraulic mount escape

Good basic escape from mount position.


Ok this escape requires that your opponent does not have his hooks in when mounted on you. So either you "manually" open his hooks (like on the picture), or you are aware of them opening for a short period of time, e.g. if you're trying to do some other escape. Anyways, when his hooks are not in, secure them for a moment with your ancles like on the picture.


Put your hands on your opponents hips.


Now explosively lift your opponent as high as possible using your HIPS. This is NOT a benchpress, the hips must do all the work.


Now stretch your arms out. If they are just a little bend it will be much more difficult to stabilize. Hold your opponent like this for just a splitsecond before...


...pulling your knees in under his legs.


And you end up with him in your butterfly guard.

Sometimes you only get one knee in and end up in halfguard. Other times your opponent falls to the side and you can get to your knees. Whatever happens, it was an escape :)

Belt mount escape

This escape is a surprisingly high percentage move for me. Still working on a solid counter, if anyone has any ideas, please post! :)


Control the opponents belt (for competition only with one hand)

Put one foot inside the belt. If it is difficult, use one hand to insert the foot with.


Stretch your leg.


From here you have two main possibilities...


Either work the heelhook...


...or go to your knees and start passing. You will probably end up in halfguard, so work for the underhook early in the process.