The Arm Drag is a ridiculously simple move, so simple that I don't even like thinking of it as a technique in itself! To perform it, you just need to grab, pull and guide your opponent's leading/attacking arm (yes, with more finesse than I've described it). It works on the age-old martial arts concept of using your opponent's size, weight and momentum against them. That is, when your opponent's momentum is advancing forward (or alternatively, his posture is such that his size and weight are pushing his body forward), you grab and guide him in the direction he was already moving (often pulling him off-balance). Depending on the scenario, the move can be performed with explosive force or with gentle, well-timed grace. Here's Marcello Garcia showing you how it works:
Long & Short
Personally, I like the break the arm drag down into two categories: The Long Drag, and the Short Drag. A long drag involves you gripping your opponent's wrist/forearm and guiding him a longer distance (think: Aikido) – this movement becomes especially useful in conjunction with wrist locks, sweeps and heavy striking techniques (more so from when you are standing). The Short Drag involves you gripping your opponent behind the elbow, usually resulting in less overall movement – the resulting scenario is usually ideal for shoulder barges, major hip throws and taking your opponent's back (though an elbow to the back of the head never goes amiss either!).
If timed correctly, a Long Drag can be used to lead into a Short Drag. Both are suitable for gi/no-gi applications.
Application
Arm drags are especially useful against aggressive or dirty fighters who opt to shove, tackle or grind their arms into you (usually their forearm across your face). In fact, the reason I first used an arm drag in BJJ is that someone in my guard was grinding his forearm over the bridge of my nose while punching at my ribs; I pushed his elbow across, (short) dragged his arm and took his back – love connection made.
Furthermore, arm drags are especially well-suited for smaller fighters (finally, gravity is on our side!) as their opponents often need to lean further forward (or in my case, almost crouch!) in order to efficiently attack. There's a psychological aspect that helps here too – I find that most fighters (even guys who'd otherwise opt for a more defensive/reactive style of playing) when facing a smaller opponent immediately want to dominate by rushing forward or dropping their weight on them.
As I've mentioned, the arm drag is ridiculously simple – so simple, that people get it wrong all the time! It literally is guiding your opponent in the direction he's already poised to go.
-
Don't make the mistake of tugging and pulling in a direction your opponent clearly isn't moving – to move him will take a lot of strength and it will tire you out in the process.
-
Remember to move your body appropriately (it's all in the hips) when attempting a long drag otherwise you may find that you've just given your opponent a better position – I think of it like this: I'm dragging my opponent a longer distance, so instead of counting on him to make the journey all by himself (your opponents aren't the most trustworthy people after all), I'll help him along – either by scooting to the side or step around myself (tai sabaki).
The 'Old School' is a high percentage sweep from Half Guard, which is traditionally used following a successful Whip Up. It’s another technique popularised by Eddie Bravo, though he states in his book ‘Mastering the Rubber Guard’ that he’s heard of someone named ‘Gordo’ that had been using it successfully before him (“...since the dawn of time”).
The sweep is ideally performed using the momentum of the Whip Up – as you whip up to your side, weave your inside arm to latch onto your opponent's faraway foot around the toes. The Lockdown remains tight through to this point. Next, pulling his foot inwards towards you, release the Lockdown and slide around his body to establish Side Control (or if you’re quick, the Mount). Here is a video clip of the guys at Submissions 101 going through it during a class:
Key Points to Remember:
- Keep the Lockdown held tight until you’ve grabbed your opponent’s foot and are transitioning into the sweep.
- Make sure to keep your outside under hook – the grip is ideally just above your opponent’s hip.
- Be sure to grab your opponent’s foot around his toes – not his ankle, or leg/trouser leg.
- The Old School Sweep can be worked relatively easily against much larger opponents but only as long as you keep it tight! Work on keeping every part of your body as tight as possible to your opponent's whilst performing the sweep.
Should your opponent predict the sweep (as your training partners definitely will...eventually), it is likely that he/she will extend his/her leg preventing you from gripping the foot. In such a scenario, establishing a butterfly hook is pretty easy; you could also simply use the extra space to establish Full Guard.
Eddie Bravo’s 10th Planet system actually lays out an intricate Half Guard game with a myriad of different options detailed in ‘Mastering the Rubber Guard’ – a book that I will no doubt review in due course!
Once you establish the Lockdown with double under hooks, you have some options available (the most obvious of these is simply to stall in what is a solid hold on your opponent’s leg) but, to really capitalise on the Half Guard’s offensive potential, you will need to ‘Whip Up’ to your side.
The Whip Up is a deceptively simple looking move. Drill it over and over with your training partner holding you down as tightly as he can; only after the move starts to feel natural will it really be effective during rolls. Here is a video by the guys at Submissions 101 explaining the Whip Up in some detail:
Key Points to Remember:
- Drill the technique thoroughly before you expect it to be effective.
- Against much larger opponents, it can be extremely difficult to perform the Whip Up, especially if they are weighing down and/or have obtained neck control – focus on creating spaces and using your opponent’s momentum to your advantage.
- In a situation where you are at risk of being punched/elbowed, always consider transitioning into a different position as your opponent postures up to begin striking e.g. Transition to X-Guard, or use the space to kick your opponent a safe distance away from you.
- Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that a successful Whip Up is a successful technique – it is only a transition that allows you to capitalise on a wider variety of techniques that follow as a result of its success.
Half Guard is a very common position in BJJ, especially for beginners who have not yet developed a solid Closed Guard and as a result are often passed. The position itself is simply this: 'when you trap one of your opponent's legs between your own'.
Traditionally, the Half Guard was considered an inferior position in which you are one step away from having your entire guard passed. However, views on the position have changed considerably as more and more practitioners have shown the offensive potential associated with the position.
The Lockdown
The 'Lockdown' is a Half Guard position made popular in recent years by Eddie Bravo. Typically, the position leads to various sweeping options though it does offer some submission possibilities as well. It is also one of the tightest Half Guard techniques possible in my opinion - great for preventing your opponent from passing into Side Control or the Mount.
The technique itself is simple:
1) Step over and trap your opponent’s leg with your outside leg.
2) Hook your outside leg's foot into the pit of your inside leg's knee.
3) Hook your inside leg's foot under your opponent's leg.
Key Points to Remember:
- You can stretch out the Lockdown to help break your opponent's posture.
- Keep your opponent's posture broken down using over/under hooks (double under hooks to best utilise the Lockdown’s sweeps), otherwise you are open to an Indian Death Lock counter as well as a ground n pound when striking is permitted.
- Squeeze your knees together to keep the position tight.
Common Mistakes:
- There's no need to constantly stretch out the lockdown. True, it frustrates your opponent but it tires you out needlessly (since you're not gaining any ground) and makes the 'Whip Up' to your side a lot harder (Try holding and dialling your mobile phone using only one hand whilst keeping your fingers stretched out to see what I mean).
- Don’t start camping - Keep your game active. If you feel pinned to the ground, try grinding your knuckles into your opponent’s ribs to make some space (but only just enough for you to turn on to your side and begin working sweeps/submissions!).
Half Guard is a position I'm very familiar with - it's a rare occurrence when I don't transition through Half Guard during a roll (I find it easier to escape to Half Guard when mounted than to sweep my opponent; it's also a lot more comfortable than trying to lock my full guard against someone with a big waist!). Though getting double under hooks came to me quickly, performing a successful Whip Up was a whole other story - I think I must have stalled using the Lockdown for a month before the Whip Up started working for me.
Whenever the Whip Up isn't working for me, I usually look towards establishing a butterfly hook or, (if there's enough space) transitioning back into full guard.
Don’t fall into the Lockdown campsite method – Keep active, there's good reason Half Guard was considered an inferior position for so long! Even if you feel pinned - do something... anything! Try switching from Lockdown to its calf-crushing (even though it’s traditionally an ankle lock) Judo cousin 'Ashi Kannuki' (just mirror the position of your legs - inside leg traps opponents leg etc).
Another problem that can occur is when someone diagonally mounts you from the half guard (as seen in the photo example). In this situation you can attempt a submission via Arm Triangle or, you can release the Lockdown, and revert to some basic BJJ bridging escapes (I find the latter to have a higher success rate).
Next Step: The Whip Up
