I found myself recently going back to the focus on defence and escapes. It feels like the unforgiving training strategy, living close to the edge of submission, it's been good for the ego. What are other's approach to defence training? Do you go through phases of going to bad positions, or just work on it as it comes in sparring? Some interesting concepts here (also interested in how many people in Iceland train BJJ? I didn't even know they had schools for it there). Other instructional I've been studying the Lachlan Giles escapes. There are some solid top position players in our gym, so it really is a big test to get the defence and escape once they are passed the guard. I'm 90kg blue belt, so I don't often find myself in bottom position, recently I forced it as I noticed how much of a gap in my game it is.
For bigger guys Tom deblass has some nice stuff out there on frames and recovery, the old Ryan hall stuff on defensive guard is also still solid. For me it's normally drilling it as an active warm up, so one side drills passes and pins lightly, the other frames and recovery. Then in rolling put yourself in bad positions if you are the bigger or better athlete. The main things I look for are not leaving gaps, not giving a cross face, creating frames, creating space and getting the legs and hips between me and the opponent as quickly as possible.
That'll be Gunnar's gym! It's big in Iceland, priit is based in Estonia, but a lot of the European BJJ guys all train together at seminars like these. I've been on a mount escapes (and mounted submission escapes) focus recently, so I'll work on it as it comes up, but also also start off mount bottom with the lighter or newer guys, or even roll to mount bottom from closed guard top on occasion. Which sounds ridiculous when I type it out like that. Lachlan is obviously amazing, but I don't like the position he teaches of the non hip hand to open up the knees from mount bottom. I usually get the hand pinned to the mat, and have to work it back afterwards which allows the top person to take the initiative. (Although thats me missing something important I imagine)
Yeah I was trying that escape recently and got my arm pinned I feel I'm getting to the point where I can allow the lower whites to the stronger position and work on a defence. There is always the occasional athletic guy with past experience then I realise I have less time to work the defence
Ive had more success with the hand thing, when I'm bridging them forward a lot so that there's hands are on the mat preventing them face planting (either both legs or single leg with the other theigh bumping them forward) at the same time as I'm doing shrimping escapes, to counter a tight pinch of the knees, so I only risk it when there hands can't be active on me.
As one of the bigger more athletic guys in the gym I have fairly good success with bridging to single X or to enter leg locks, and seeing as I can be incredibly lazy I also enjoy turning to the side and leg dragging the guy to half guard.
I find there’s a moment (when you’ve screwed up) when you need to decide “Do I try to escape now and risk the scramble or giving them an opening, or do I clamp down defensively and wait for another opportunity?” Once you get good at defending from bad positions it can be really hard for people to get a submission and, as an older guy, sometimes you just need a bit of a breather while your opponent does all the hard work For me it’s pretty much all about working into half guard from bad positions, because all those big bridges don’t work so well on heavier opponents who know what they are doing and it’s exhausting so I find it more efficient to work for smaller gains (ie into half guard)
Globetrotters Estonia is happening right now. Got some friends over there. Its a event I want to do sometime
I really like that option, but I always struggle a little using slx on bigger people if I've entered it from mount, once I get them to stand I'm good, I think I need to be more active with the leg control whilst they're kneeling still, or get better at reaping people.
One thing I sometimes do rather than bridge and drive them up and over the head to get them to stand is bridge and drive to the side to get them to base to one side (as in a failed butterfly sweep) then concentrate on getting the bottom knee between as I reap the leg over, if they are good they will roll but you go with them as usual.