JKD & BJJ Newton's 1st Law...of Grappling

For Jeet Kune Do today we worked off the low jab and the reaction it generates:

Lead hand low parry

Trap and back fist.

Rear hand low parry

Jao sow while controlling lead hand.

Covers jao sow

If high line available head butt, followed by knee

If high line unavailable knee, followed by head butt

Retreats (creates space) follow with thigh kick into straight blast, clinch neck, HKE.

This s not a scripted formula but rather a method for picking up changes in range and line familiarization. Every action provokes a reaction from the simplest of physical collisions (thanks Sir Isaac Newton) to the psychological (thanks Sigmund Freud). Here we are simply the addressing the kinesiology of the interaction of our weapons and the range of our opponent.
In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu we worked on elements of the guard game starting with the "knee in the butt" guard opener. I like to think of passing the guard as a five part formula composed of

1. Creating posture
   
2. Opening the guard
   
3. Passing the legs
   
4. Closing the range
   
5. Securing position

Most guard passing uses all these elements in different ways. The "knee in the butt" guard opener addresses point #2. This is a strong guard pass if your opponent (the one holding the guard) has longer legs than you.

Knee in the butt guard opener

1. Control both armpits by gripping the kimono and pushing it into the deltoid or the meaty part of the shoulder just anterior to the axilla (arm pit).
   
2. Create space by walking two "steps" back on your knees.
   
3. Stand up and stagger your legs placing one knee just behind your opponent's behind.
   
4. Return to the mat in a kneeling position, your shin sliding along their crotch posterior to anterior. Place your rear shin flat on the mat but splayed out enough to keep good base.
   
5. Apply pressure anteriorly with your shin, posteriorly at a 45^o with your rear hip, and inferiorly with the forearm of your rear side arm (see figure)

Variation of knee in the butt guard opener

For the taller BJJ player if you cannot insert your shin and return to the kneeling position a variation is available.

1. Place both knees behind your opponent's butt.
   
2. Use both hands to control the pants.
   
3. Use both forearms to apply pressure inferiorly on thighs (see figure).

Now if your opponent is opening your guard in this fashion you need a response (Newton again). Opening your legs rather than letting your opponent open your legs forces them to play catch up rather than you. The De La Riva Guard is set-up fairly easily from this position by placing a hook anteriorly by circling your same side around their lead leg, so that the calf is on the lateral side of their thigh and your instep is on their thigh. Control their ankle with this hand. Your other foot posts in the hip while you control this same side sleeve, your knee is medial to their arm. This stymies the foot lock attempts.

Shoot I messed up and couldn't get the hook

Use your foot in the hip and knee on the inside of their arm to push first laterally and then away. This created space should allow you to insert the anterior hook.

Dagnabit I really messed up and my opponent's starting to smash

Fear not. Pull laterally on the sleeve as you drive your knee (of the hip post side) to your chest. The two pulls should give your adequate room to put the foot in the hip.

Still stuck...

Try the reverse De La Riva, using the foot you would have hip posted with as hook on the opposite leg. The instep will be on the lateral part of the thigh. Control the same side sleeve or lapel with this hand as your other hand controls the ankle. By scissoring at the knee you can sweep and by pulling on the lapel/sleeve you can transition into X-guard.

We did a few sweeps from the De La Riva guard:

Grapevine extension sweep

Use your hip post leg to push on the knee/thigh and then pull the sleeve in this direction as you lift their (other) leg with your other hand and the anterior hook. Essentially you are elongating their base and then sweeping over the narrowest dimension.

Baby koala sweep

In this case your savvy opponent sags posteriorly onto their leg. Feed the gripped sleeve to your other hand underneath their forward knee. Use the hip post foot to block their knee and tilt them to this side.

Jack also told me to be more aggressive with the sweeps from the guard and to use open roll as time to drill sweeps.