GJ Teenage (and much older) Muay Thai Turtles

Small (winter break) practice tonight, warmed up with shadow boxing, then with "Tim's Drill":

• Jab-Cross-Hook-Cross (partner works defense)
  
• Partner throws lead head hook: bob and weave throwing leading ripping hook, quarter circle past partner's lead foot
  
• Cross-Lead Hook
  
• Partner reacquires and throws rear head hook: bob and weave throwing rearing ripping hook, quarter circle past partner's rear foot
  
• Lead Hook-Cross
  
• Switch

Next went into trading knee combos

Deep knee, same head knee

Deep: Stack gloves on belly, force parallel to floor

Head: One glove held out in front, force perpendicular to floor

Hook knee, same/opposite deep knee (plum position)

Hook: Stack gloves on side, thigh swings shut like a gate, hit with medial surface of knee (distal femoral eminence), force parallel to floor

Deep: Stack gloves on belly, force parallel to floor

Inside leg knee, opposite deep knee (plum position)

Inside: Straight knee to medial side of thigh, displace if you can

Deep: Stack gloves on belly, force parallel to floor

Plum clinch knee, same/opposite thai side clinch knee

Plum clinch: Stack gloves on belly, force parallel to floor

Side clinch: Feed one arm, partner overhooks with same side and controls neck with opposite hand, takes a half circle step back, knee to head (catch with glove) or knee to body (cover with glove)

NOTE: Clinchee should remain as erect as possible when clinched.
Finished the standing portion with both sides holding thai pads and trading 1 minute rounds of

• Jab-Rear Kick
  
• Jab-Cross-Lead Kick
  
• Rear Kick-Cross
  
• Jab-Cross-Lead Hook-Kick

Followed by a round of

• Lead tiip-lead kick
  
• Rear tiip-rear kick
  
• Lead tiip-rear kick (good for opponent's defend the wrong way)
  
• Rear tiip-lead kick (good for opponent's defend the wrong way)

Transitioned to the ground, Peter asked a question about getting out out of the turtle position. In my opinion, there are two general principles for getting out of turtle (1) take the shortest path to getting your belly button to point at your opponent and (2) "be the ball", that is rounding your body and rolling. The key to both these is sensitivity, feeling your partner's base and the shift in pressure as he tries things (that or rolling the instant before the position becomes set). Personally, I like a tight turtle position which makes my opponent work to get hooks/turn over/submission rather than trying to bait them with a "loose" turtle.
The first concept (shortest path to facing) can be accomplished by a "spider man" transition, where you replace one of your upper extremity posts (hand/elbow/forearm) with one of your lower extremity (foot/knee/shin). The "spider man" can be short (directly replacing the limb) or long (extending past your body to increase leverage) depending on the situation. Sometimes popping up from a tight turtle will create needed space but will also present position and submission opportunities, but it is away of incorporating the loose with the tight turtle for use as bait.
"Being the ball" simply means make yourself as round as possible. I saw Jeremy Horn demonstrate this at a seminar, he would transition to turtle, roll out, and keep rolling, you could not stay on top of him. I like to tuck as far inside my opponent's turning radius as possible, rolling away from the direction his head is pointed, and choose somewhere in mid-roll whether to open my legs to catch him in guard or to stay tight to continue rolling. As a fake, I'll open up the turning radius of my roll (which typically fails) and use this to pull off a subsequent tighter roll to escape.
Finished practice with rounds and passing the guard. I commented that people need to open their guards sooner, getting to hooks inside, koala, de la Riva, or half guard, rather than letting their guard be broken and then coming up with a plan.