Positions

1. Break their posture so their head comes below their hips
2. Control an arm and their head
3. Angle off to attack: sweeps, armbars, triangles, the back

• Pull with your legs, not just your arms
• Never stay flat: angle your hips off to the side

If they sit back on their heels with hands on your belt → Pull with your knees first, then pull their collar or head down

1. Get on your side facing them
2. Win the underhook on the far side
3. Come up to the dogfight, sweep or take the back

• The underhook battle decides half guard
• Being flat is losing; being on your side is playing

If they drive a crossface into your jaw → Frame on their neck, shrimp and pummel for the underhook

1. Keep the shin across their body as a frame
2. Control their far arm or collar
3. Off-balance them toward the shield

• The shield is a frame, not a wall: keep moving
• Pair it with an arm grip

If they lean their weight onto your shield → Kick it out to off-balance them and come up on a single leg

1. Get all the way under with their leg hugged to your chest
2. Keep your head on the inside
3. Off-balance them forward or backward to sweep

• Deep means deep: your shoulders under their hips
• Sweep their base, not their upper body

If they stand tall over you → Use the waiter sweep: lift their far leg from underneath

1. Break their posture first
2. Climb your leg high across their shoulders and clamp it
3. Chain the omoplata, triangle and gogoplata

• Flexibility helps, but control their head first
• Use it in short bursts

If you clamp mission control → Walk your foot toward their head to set the omoplata

1. Get on your side with an underhook or frame
2. Keep the butterfly hook active under their thigh
3. Lift them and sweep, or come up to the dogfight

• Upper body connection before you lift
• The hook is a lever: use it while their weight is on it

If they lean their weight onto you → Elevate with the hook as you fall to your underhook side for the sweep

1. Lock both legs around their leg, feet hooked
2. Stretch their leg with the whip-up
3. Win the underhook and get your head tight to them

• Lockdown first, then the underhook
• A stretched leg means no base for them

If they try to pull their leg out → Whip-up: extend your legs to stretch them and kill their base

1. Keep at least two points of contact: feet, shins or grips
2. Keep your knees between you and them
3. Move into a sweep, a guard, or wrestle up

• Distance management: too far you can’t attack, too close you get smashed
• Hands and feet work together

If they stand and reach for your feet → Grip a sleeve or ankle and put a foot on their hip or bicep

1. Get an underhook or a two-on-one grip
2. Stay sitting up with your head level with theirs
3. Elevate with a hook as they lean

• Upper body control before the sweep
• Your chest stays close to theirs

If they lean their weight forward onto you → Fall to the side of your underhook and lift with the hook for the sweep

1. Hook deep behind their knee from the outside
2. Grip their ankle and a sleeve or collar
3. Off-balance them backward or sideways

• Hook and ankle grip work together
• Keep your hips moving under them

If they put weight on the hooked leg → Pull the ankle and sweep backward

1. Hook from the inside, knee in front of their knee
2. Grip their far sleeve or collar
3. Turn under to sweep or invert to the back

• Block the knee line
• Turning under is the main attack

If they try to knee cut → The reverse hook blocks the knee: off-balance and sweep

1. Both hooks under their leg, crossed
2. Hug their other leg or grip the ankle
3. Extend your legs to off-balance them

• Under their center of gravity
• Stand up into the sweep, don’t just roll them

If they lean forward over you → Extend and pull to sweep them backward

1. Grip both sleeves tight
2. Feet on the biceps, legs extended to create tension
3. Off-balance them to sweep or triangle

• Tension: push with your feet, pull with your hands
• Switch guards before you lose grips

If they pull their arm back to strip a grip → Use the tension to sweep or bring your foot in for a lasso

1. Deep lasso with your foot behind their shoulder
2. Hold the same sleeve tight
3. Pair it with spider, De La Riva or a collar grip

• Lasso controls posture and the arm at once
• Use the second foot actively

If they try to circle to the lasso side → Use your other foot on their hip and swing under for the sweep

1. Collar and opposite sleeve grips
2. Foot on the bicep of the sleeve arm
3. Pull them forward to sweep or triangle

• Grips decide everything
• Use the push-pull with feet and hands

If they lean back to break your grips → Follow with a sweep or switch to De La Riva

1. Turn onto your shoulders, never your neck
2. Keep your legs between you and them
3. Return to guard or attack the back or legs

• Safety first: roll on the shoulders
• Inversion is a short transition, not a place to stay

If they walk around your legs → Invert and swing your legs back in front of them

1. Shin pressed across their lead shin
2. Grip their ankle or knee
3. Enter single leg X or wrestle up

• Stay connected to the leg
• Elevate before you attack

If they step back → Follow with the grip or wrestle up on the leg

1. Lapel fed deep behind their knee
2. Grip the lapel with your same-side hand
3. Sweep or take the back

• Deep lapel behind the knee
• Pull the lapel and push the hip together

If they strip the lapel → Re-feed it as they reach

1. Low grip on their ankle and keep pulling it to you
2. Legs locked deep, below their shin
3. Off-balance them until they post, then pummel inside

• Outside hip, not flat
• Their balance first, then the legs

If they post a hand on the mat to stay up → Pummel both feet inside and enter single leg X or ashi garami

1. Hug their leg to your chest
2. Foot in their hip, other leg behind their knee
3. Sweep them backward or attack the foot

• Their leg tight to your chest
• Off-balance first, then attack

If they lean forward to stop the sweep → Switch to X-guard or the ankle lock

1. Control their knee line with your legs
2. Your foot in their hip
3. Grip their foot and keep it close

• Control the knee before attacking the foot
• Stay tight: space is their escape

If they sit up toward you → Control their far knee and finish the ankle lock

1. Lock your legs tight around their leg
2. Control their foot and keep your own foot hidden
3. Off-balance to sweep or attack the heel

• Defend your own foot first
• Head and hips toward their knee

If you both reach for the foot → Hide your heel first, then attack

1. Triangle your legs around their leg, knee pinned
2. Hide your own feet
3. Control their foot and heel

• Heel hooks give little warning: apply slowly
• Control the knee line before the heel

If they try to roll out → Follow the rotation and keep your triangle tight

1. Wrap their thigh with your inside leg, knee inside their knee
2. Hug their near leg
3. Turn under their hips

• Get your hips under theirs
• Hug the leg tight

If they turn away → Take the back

1. Posture up: head up, back straight
2. Control their hips or biceps
3. Open their legs, then pass

• Posture before everything
• Elbows in, hands on their hips

If they pull your head down → Bring your hands back to their hips and re-posture

1. Break their grips first
2. Control their knees or ankles
3. Pass to the side and pin

• Pass the legs, then the hips
• Pressure and movement together

If they grab your sleeve and put a foot on your hip → Break the grip and push the foot down

1. Crossface and win the underhook
2. Flatten them on their back
3. Free your leg and pass

• Head position wins
• Heavy shoulder on their face

If they start to get the underhook → Whizzer or crossface and flatten them again

1. Knee pinned in their thigh
2. Control their knee and ankle
3. Choose the pass based on their defense

• Low base, heavy knee
• Pass in the direction they leave open

If they frame on your knee → Switch to the other side or the leg drag

1. Pin their legs across your hip
2. Control their far hip
3. Walk around to side control or take the back

• Their hips face away, your hips stay close
• Pin before you pass

If they turn back to face you → Keep the hip pin and step around

1. Hips back and low so the hooks can’t lift you
2. Head heavy on their chest or shoulder
3. Pin a hook and pass to half guard top or side control

• Low hips beat hooks
• Win head position before you move

If they start to lift you with a hook → Sprawl your hips back and drop your weight

1. Pin their shoulders and hips
2. Crossface and control the far arm
3. Attack or advance to mount

• Weight on their chest, not your knees
• Control the head and near hip

If they frame on your neck → Remove the frame and keep your weight on their chest

1. Knee on their belly, other leg posted
2. Grip their collar or arm
3. Attack the armbar or choke as they push

• Balance and mobility
• Pressure comes from your knee, not your hands

If they push your knee → The armbar or a choke opens up

1. Low, heavy mount with your knees tight
2. Control their head and an arm
3. Climb to high mount and attack

• Base before attacks
• Ride their movement

If they bridge → Post your hands or legs wide and keep your weight forward

1. Isolate an arm
2. High knee by their head
3. Fall to the armbar or the triangle

• Isolate first, then climb
• Stay heavy

If they straighten the arm → Fall back to the armbar

1. Knee up by their head, other knee against their back
2. Control their top arm
3. Move to the back or the armbar

• Follow their turns
• Stay tight to their body

If they turn away → Slide the bottom hook in for back control

1. Chest on their chest, hips low
2. Control their arms
3. Attack the north-south choke or kimura

• Weight through your chest
• Hips back, not up

If they push your hips away → Sprawl your hips back and down

1. Arm under their head, near arm trapped
2. Hips low, wide base
3. Attack the trapped arm

• Keep the head control
• Low hips

If they bridge → Widen your base and drop your hips

1. Seatbelt grip, chest tight to their back
2. Hooks inside their thighs
3. Fight their hands and finish the choke

• Control before the choke
• Win the hand fight

If they protect their neck with both hands → Attack the arm or switch to the bow and arrow

1. Trap one arm with your legs, the other with your arm
2. Stay tight to their back
3. Finish with a choke or armlock

• Two arms controlled, no defense
• Stay tight

If they try to roll → Follow and keep the arms trapped

1. Get chest-to-back connection
2. Insert a hook or seatbelt
3. Take the back or break them down

• Stay on their back, not their side
• Break them down before attacking

If they sit out → Follow and take the back

1. Control their head and one arm
2. Sprawl your hips back and heavy
3. Snap down, go behind or choke

• Hips back, heavy on their head
• Control the arm and head together

If they lift their head → Re-snap them down

1. Hooks inside their thighs
2. Chest glued to their back
3. Get the seatbelt and second hook

• Chest connection
• Keep your hooks active

If they sit up tall → Seatbelt and second hook to back control

1. Lock their leg in your lockdown
2. Sit beside their hip, not on top
3. Control their far arm or head

• Keep the lockdown tight
• Stay beside their hip

If they turn toward you → Take the back

1. Lock the triangle tight around their waist
2. Seatbelt and chest-to-back connection
3. Hand-fight and finish the choke

• Lock high on the waist
• Keep your chest glued to their back

If they defend the choke with both hands → Trap an arm or switch chokes

1. Build frames: forearm on their neck, other hand on their hip
2. Turn onto your side toward them
3. Shrimp to make space and slide your knee in to recover guard

• Frames hold space, hip movement creates it
• Never push with straight arms: you’ll get armbarred

If they drive a crossface into your jaw → Turn your chin toward them, frame on their neck and shrimp your hips away

1. Elbows tight to your ribs, hands near your face
2. Bridge to knock them forward when they post
3. Elbow-knee escape back to half guard or full guard

• Survival first, escape second
• Bridge up and over your shoulder, not straight up

If they post a hand on the mat beside your head → Trap that arm and leg on the same side, then bridge and roll

1. Chin tucked, two hands on their choking arm
2. Slide your shoulders to the mat on their underhook side, away from the choking arm
3. Clear the bottom hook and turn into them to recover guard

• Two hands on one arm
• Escape to the underhook side

If they slip an arm under your chin → Pull their wrist down with both hands and turn your chin into the elbow

1. Stiff-arm their knee or hip to take the weight off
2. Shrimp away from the knee
3. Recover guard or turn to your knees

• Push the knee, not the chest
• Move your hips away from the knee

If they drive their knee into your belly → Push their knee with both hands and shrimp your hips out

1. Frame on their hips to keep them from settling
2. Turn onto your side
3. Swing your legs back in to recover guard

• Turn to your side
• Frames on the hips, not the head

If they sprawl their hips low → Frame on the hips and walk your feet to turn

1. Free your trapped arm first
2. Bridge into them and roll them over
3. Or turn away and get to their back

• Free the arm, then escape
• Bridge toward their back

If they lean their weight onto you → Bridge into them and roll them over your body

1. Elbows to knees, hands fighting their grips
2. Sit out to face them, or roll (Granby or Peterson)
3. Recover guard or come up to standing

• Don’t stay in turtle
• Keep your elbows glued to your knees

If they slide a hook in → Hand fight and Granby roll to recover guard

1. Hide your heel from their grip
2. Clear your knee past their hip (the knee line)
3. Escape the entanglement or counter-attack

• Tap early: heel hooks injure before pain
• Knee line first, rotation second

If they grab your heel → Turn toward their knee line, not away

1. Win the grip fight
2. Set up your takedown with movement and a level change
3. Or pull guard on your terms

• Win the grips
• Change levels before you shoot

If they grab your collar → Break the grip and take your own

1. Deep underhook, head up beside theirs
2. Come up onto your knee
3. Take the back or finish a single leg

• Head position decides the dogfight
• Underhook first, then come up

If they whizzer hard → Limp-arm out and keep driving to their back

1. Collar tie with your elbow inside theirs
2. Head up, forehead to their temple
3. Control their other wrist or arm

• Inside position
• Head higher than theirs

If they push into you → Snap down to the front headlock

1. Hips back and down as soon as their head drops
2. Weight on their shoulders and head
3. Circle to their back or clamp a front headlock

• Timing: sprawl when their head drops
• Hips to the mat, not knees

If they shoot a double leg → Sprawl your hips back, crossface and circle behind

1. Lock your hands low on their back
2. Head tight to their chest or side
3. Trip or walk them to the mat

• Your hips under theirs
• Lock low, not around the chest

If they push your head away → Step in and trip them in that direction