Tai Otoshi

Tai Otoshi (Leg Drop)
This throw is great for people with long legs, and it can be taken from many different grips in both gi and nogi.  It's the throw that I default to about 90% of the time and it works very well in competition.  I've modified the grips quite a bit from the standard way it was taught to me in judo to allow me an easier time of using it in jiu-jitsu.

Making contact:
- Start with left leg forward, opponent standing in front of you with their left leg forward.
- Circle with an eye to establish one of the following grips:
    - left arm gripping opponent's lapel (pulling towards you with your elbow close to your torso)
    - left arm underhooking opponent's right arm
    - left arm overhooking opponent's right arm (in gi grab his collar to lock the overhook in tightly, in nogi just squeeze your arm around his to trap it.
    - left arm gripping the opponent's belt deeply (near the middle of the back)
- Once that grip is established, it's usually pretty easy to get the right arm gripping opponent's sleeve (in nogi just grab the arm)  just above his left elbow

Unbalancing:
- Step back a quarter circle in the clockwise direction, while maintaining your grips, pulling your opponent forward.
- Immediately push off with your right foot and step your left leg deep behind your opponent's left leg.  (Keep a tight grip on the opponent's right arm, and keep pulling it low towards the floor to keep them off balance.)

Throw:
- Keeping a tight grip on your opponent with both hands, spin your upper body to the right.  Remember to look in the direction of your throw.
- Explosively straighten your left leg as you pull the opponent across it.

Well executed you will land heavily on your opponent in side control.  It's always a great start to a match when this happens.

North South Reverse Arm Triangle

North South Reverse Arm Triangle:
  - Start on top in side control
  - Switch to scarf hold to work opponent's arm up higher
  - Lock back in to side control with opponent's arm starting to cross their body
  - Prepare to move to North South by dropping your far arm under your opponent's head and blocking his hip
  - Move to North South.  Keep your hips low, keep your head tight to the opponent's body.
  - Drive your arm as far through as possible.  Either S-grip, Gable grip, or Triangle your arms while keeping shoulders/head tight against your opponent to complete the choke.

Half and half sweep, Two on One Butterfly Pass

Productive night last night . . . rolled with a bunch of different guys and was focusing on learning some stuff that was causing me problems (not knowing exactly what to do in the dogfight position, trouble using my two on one butterfly guard pass).

Start of the dogfight position.  Notice that the guy in the white gi hasn't hooked his opponent's leg with his left leg.  To do this properly the opponent's right leg should be between the white gi guy's thigh and calf, and he should be sitting on the leg to prevent escape.

Here we have the actual dogfight sweep.  To make the sweep less strength based, the guy in white should put his head to the other guys chest and base his right leg straight out.  This helps you to push your opponent over.

Half and Half Sweep from Half Guard:

-         Start in half guard with your opponent on top

-         Get lockdown and double underhooks

-         Bump up to your elbow

-         Twist to your knees, releasing the lockdown.  (It’s important that you keep your leg nearest to the opponent hooked around their leg . . . this prevents them from just pulling out and escaping the sweep).  This is what Eddie Bravo calls the 'Dogfight' position.

-         Take your other leg and base it out

-         Put your head to the opponent’s chest and cup their far knee with your non-underhooking hand.

-         Push with your head and pull with your hand to sweep.

-         Take your leg that was based out and step far back (keeping your hips low).  Then slide your other leg over to complete the pass and end up in side mount.

Flatten the guy out in and then keep your elbows tight to trap his legs.

Put your head down to one side, then step a foot back to get two legs on one.  Reach underneath (with the right hand in this case) to grab opponent's ankle.

Complete the pass in side control after moving your hips over the trapped knee.

Two on One Butterfly Pass:

-         Start in your opponent’s butterfly guard (they have both hooks in under your thighs, you are on your knees)

-         Put your arms over their legs and push the opponent forward until they are on their back.

-         Tuck your elbows very tight towards your hips (but still over the opponent’s legs) lock their legs in position.

-         Pick a side and put your head to the mat next to the opponent’s hips.

-         Take your leg on the side that you’ve put your head and step it far back (to escape the butterfly hook that’s on it).  Bring it tight against their other hooking leg (you should now have two legs pressing against one of theirs).

-         Reach your arm that’s on the same side as your head under the opponent’s body and grab their ankle or pants.

-         Scoot your hips over to the side that your head is not on.  Pull on the opponent’s trapped leg, and use your free arm to push it down if necessary to pass.

Countering Head Push While Two On One Butterfly Passing:

-         When you have trapped your opponent’s leg and have your head down, the opponent starts pushing your head over to the opposite side . . . blocking the pass.

-         As your opponent pushes your head, allow your head to go to the other side.

-         Simultaneously move your hips to the side that your head was originally on (hopping over your opponent’s legs).

No gi application of Spider Guard and Spider Guard Bicep Slicer

In no gi - Grab the wrist rather than the sleeve, then use your arm to lock the opponent behind his bicep

No-Gi Spider Guard:

-         Opponent is in your closed guard.  Open the guard and put both feet on his hips.

-         Grab one of his arms with your same side arm.  Pull his arm out.

-         Take your same side leg and wrap it over the opponent’s arm.

-         Switch your grip on the opponent’s arm from the same side to the opposite side hand.

-         Take your same side hand and overhook the opponent’s tricep, pinning his arm between your shin (on his bicep) and your arm.  This prevents him from easily pulling his arm out.

You're going to kick the foot on his hip under his arm and triangle your leg, locking his arm to your chest to complete this slicer.

No-Gi Spider Guard Bicep Slicer:

-         Start In No-Gi Spider Guard

-         Take your foot that is not circling your opponent’s arm off his hips and kick it deep under the arm that you have trapped.  This action will make you fall onto your back.

-         Triangle this leg overtop of your entangled leg.

-         Release the opponent’s hand and grasp your other hand in a gable grip.  Opponent’s hand should be trapped to your chest at this point.

-         Pull down with the gable grip and push your hips up to lock in the bicep slicer.

2011 Provincial Championship

Haven't been blogging much this month due to the fact that I've been spending every free moment training for the 2011 Provincial Championship (which were yesterday).  The tournament went well and I was able to stick to my basic game plan (Secure take down with Tai Otoshi or a leg sweep, get side control, look for submission, move to scarf hold, look for submission, move to N-S, look for submission).  I made it to the finals.  My last match went something like this:
- Opponent pulls guard, I manage to stuff their leg as they're doing it so that his right leg is stuck under me, and the left leg is wrapped behind me.
- I put my head down towards the mat on the side of the left leg, push my left hand onto his right knee, and use my right hand to pin his hips to the mat.  Then I bring my right leg back (keeping hims low) and pass to side control.
- In side control we battle for a bit, and I'm trying to work his right arm up higher so that his elbow's off the mat.  I move back and forth between regular side control and scarf hold, and the whole time he is battling me for my right arm underhook.  I threatened and nearly got an arm lock on his right arm with my legs (while in scarfhold), but he saw it at the last second and managed to get free.
- Finally, he bridges and frames and I have my hips up too high . . . losing side control.  There's a bit of a scramble and I end up in his guard.
- Opponent puts on the pressure threatens a couple of sweeps.  I get distracted and too loose (elbows not tight enough).
- With less than a minute left the opponent grabs one of my arms and pops on a triangle.  I panic my mind blanks for a second and I don't posture up enough.  The triangle sinks in and I have to tap.

Ah well, going to focus on drilling a few triangle escapes until they're second nature.  I'm also going to really focus on keeping tighter (elbows in) and better posture.  Can't be unhappy with the silver though, and it was awesome that I could stick to my game plan.  Our team seemed to be doing pretty well, I saw a bunch of guys win medals in different categories . . . so that's cool.  Time to go and eat my way back to 190lbs!

Effortless Butterfly Guard Pass

Effortless Butterfly Guard Pass:
  - Start in opponent's butterfly guard.
  - Push the opponent's head under one arm.  Cup with your hand and grab under their chin.
  - Put your free hand over the opponent's underhooking arm, between their legs, and flat on the ground.
  - Step the leg nearest to your hand on the floor far back.
  - Use your hand on the mat to twist your opponent's legs away from you.
  - Establish side control.

Controlling the head

Putting other hand to floor

Stepping leg back

Twisting opponent's legs away from you

Twisting Triangle Escape, Standing Butterfly Guard Pass, Single Leg Defense

Arm through is kept tight to your body, free hand should be pulling down on the opponent's choking leg, and the walk towards the trapped arm has already begun here.

Twisting Triangle Escape:

-         Start with opponent locking in a triangle.

-         Take your free arm and grab up high (near the knees) on the pants of the opponent’s leg next to your neck.  Pull the material down to force the leg off your neck and get some breathing room.

-         Take the arm that is through the triangle bring it close to your opponent’s crotch, keeping your elbow tight (preventing an easy arm bar).  Use this hand to help your other hand pull the leg off of your neck..

-         Start to walk yourself to the side that your trapped arm is on.  At the same time, lower your head/shoulder to the ground.  (You can step over your opponent if you need more of a twist to break the hold.)

Rather than grab the lower leg as in this picture, push the lower knee away with your far hand.

Outside (Standing) Butterfly Guard Pass:

-         You are standing, opponent is in front of you in butterfly position.

-         Fake to one side, then move to the other.

-         Cross your far arm over and push his close leg back.  (You might also need to use your close arm to push his far leg back.)  At the same time, advance with your close leg and slide the knee towards your opponents body.

-         Drop onto that knee, keep head down, establish side control.

Push opponent's head away, try to under-hook his close arm, work your trapped leg to the other side of the opponent's body.

Single Leg Defense:

-         Opponent shoots and grabs a single, standing back up.

-         Work your leg out from between opponent’s legs to the outside of his body.

-         Push opponent’s head hard to the opposite side of your leg.

-         Under-hook opponent’s arm and kick your leg through to break the hold.