The Arm Triangle(aka Head and Arm Choke) is a great example of a technique that has evolved in recent years. Fighters like BJ Penn, and Thales Leites have successfully used this new version of the Arm Triangle a number of times in MMA matches to finish their opponents.
The major difference is that to finish the choke they use a gable grip as opposed to a rear naked choke grip. Another improvement is that they post the inside knee against the opponents hip. Check out BJ Penn, and Thales Leites applying the technique from a number of different set ups in the videos below.
Turtle is a weak position and often a precursor to getting your back
taken. Here are two defenses from turtle.How close your opponent is and how much pressure they are leaning into you will determine which to use.
Start in Turtle wth your opponent to your side in wrestling “top position” their back arm is wrapped around your waist and the are gripping your lapel.
1. reach back with your near arm and grab their near knee
IF your opponent is not too close and you have some space:
2. post with your far arm, pushing yourself up, as you kick your near leg back and post on it. (your are still facing forward at this point).
(steps 3 -6 are fast)
3. kick your far leg under you as you rotate into them. As you face them, hook this leg in between their legs to establish half guard.
4. Let go of the knee and move this arm up to an underhook.
5. Move your posting arm to and underhook under their far leg (the one you don’t have the half guard on).
6. From here you can roll them either way and sweep them.
*It is a good idea to try to get an underhook, under their other leg, the trapped leg, with your far arm, since this arm is vunerable to attack in this position.
IF your opponent is leaning hard on you and you don’t have much space:
2. Roll into them, forward at a diagonal, on the near shoulder, the one your grabbing their knee with.
3. As you roll, keep pressure against them with your near calf. You want to be pulling them towards you. windmill your legs around so that you spin around to face them and your other leg lands around them on the other side, putting them in your guard.
* If you are leggy or they are leaning into you hard, you may also come to rest with them in a loose triangle, which you can finish.
Start out:
They’re in turtle
You’re on top on thier left side
Your chest is against their back.
You’re on your toes.
1. Wrap your back arm around their stomach, like the top starting position in wrestling
2. grab the lower lapel of their gi, this will limit their mobility and prevent them from rolling away from you quickly.
3. with your front arm, push thier tricep forward, moving their arm up away from their chest (giving your some room to slide your knee in.)
IF they do nothing:
4. slide your front knee in the space you’re created as you flop onto that hip and pull with your gi grip rolling them into your lap.
5. kick your left foot through and get the left hook first. You must get this hook first in order to avoid being put into half guard.
6. hook the back of their other leg with your other leg and elevate their right leg.
7. This will make them uncomfortable. release the hook. They will try to lower their leg, and when they do, take the other hook.
8. Now with reach over their shoulder with your left arm and clasp your left wrist with your right hand.
You now have the back.
IF they roll away from you:
Hop over them and drop your right knee beneath them.
Take the left hook first. (Do this with your left leg which will be top leg.)
then roll them to the left and pick up from step 6 above.
In this video Jiu Jitsu Inc Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Clay Burwell teaches and performs the Turkish Get Up. The Turkish Get Up is easily in the top 3 exercises for building function strength for grapplers from the bottom positions.Enjoy and check out Clays website and personal training gym at High Performance Fitness
Attacking in combination is a key principle in pretty much all sports. If one attack doesn’t work you should be able (ideally) to transition into another one more well suited to your changing situation. Like a fine wine and the right cheese, the kimura and hip sweep work exceptionally well together.
Start with your opponent in closed guard you have same side (the right side) collar sleeve grip.
1. – bring your opponent towards you by pulling your elbows down towards the mat as you rock back and pull them forward with your legs.
2- your opponen should naturally try to pop back up and re-establish their base. as they do, post on your right arm and reach across their body to your right with your left arm.
3 – Lean forward and reach across your opponents body with your left arm, grabbing your opponents gi behind his tricep.
5. – Now with your right arm, raise your post by changing from elbow to hand on the mat.
6. – Hit the sweep.
Kick your right leg straight, so your opponent can easily roll over it. Bridge with your left leg. (Move your left foot as close to your butt as possible and bridge your hips up, while twisting your left shoulder towards your opponent.
[KIMORA- If your opponent doesn't want to get swept, they may sit up, moving their center of gravity up and further away from you. That's when you go for the kimora on the near arm.]
*6. – Get a motor cycle grip on the trapped arm, the Kimora grip.
Grab their trapped arm’s wrist with your posting (right arm). Lean back, pulling them down and towards you. Remember to keep your thumbs and fingers on the same side of whatever part of their arm you are holding.
7. – Throw your right leg up, across their back.
This does two great things: 1 – It gives you alot of leverage because by doing this you will also be pivoting up onto your left hip, the hip closest to them; 2 – It will stop them from rolling away from you and out of your threat. (I like to call this a “hip flop”, because you are flopping over onto your left hip.)
8. – Finish the Kimora by rotating their wrist up and forward. The key to finishing this (and many other joint locks) is to try to keep their elbow angle at 90 degrees. Image you are moving their thumb up along their back to touch their ear.
9. – Not working because they’re leaning into you? try to hit the sweep again.
This is a great sweep that I notice more experienced people doing to me way too often. ha.
(Start on the ground with your opponent Standing trying to pass your guard, stepping forward or with one leg forward. )Moves 1 through 3 happen very quickly.
1 – As your opponent steps in (with thier left leg in this example), attach your self to their near leg. Do this by setting a butterfly hook with your right leg and wraping your right arm tightly around the back of their left knee.
2 – Next kick your other leg between their legs and hook their right leg with it. Simultaneously, with your left arm, reach between their legs and under hook their other leg and bring your head close to their thigh so you don’t get underhooked.
3 – As you do this spin on the small of your back to get your body underneath them, breaking their base. *Remember to keep their leg tightly trapped while you do this.
4 – Get your right arm out of danger. If they are really strong, like Clay Burwell, your arm could be in danger. Lift their leg up a little by extending your legs. When their leg is up, reach inside their legs with your right arm and grab the outside of their left thigh.
5 – You are now ready to sweep them. Depending on how they are basing, you can finish the sweep in several ways:
They’re basing far out on your right > Kick your legs up & Roll to your right and back out to take their back.
They’re basing close on your right > Kick your legs up & Hip escape under them. For your hip escape position, grab (or chop) their basing left arm with your right hand and Roll to your right hitting a fireman’s carry, and completing the sweep, achieving side control.
They’re basing heavy on top of you > Kick your legs up & Roll to your left Your head will be between their legs, pass it towards their chest to achieve side control.
I think this is a pretty technical move, but it’s dope and helps you understand the power of a butterfly-style hook (your right leg) and how useful it can be in a sweep.
