Grueling Days of Summer

This evening we trained in the Bugeishako (my garage) our warm-up and conditioning consisted of

• Lower body: 1 minute rounds of kicks starting with one and going up to five, alternating each minute for a total of 10 minutes.
  
• Anterior core: Two minutes of crunches while throwing the medicine ball, one minute rest before doing leg lifts with the medicine ball.
  
• Posterior core: 20 second neck bridges, 10 second alternating side plank x 10 rounds.
  
• Upper body: 20 seconds pitter pat, 20 seconds holding, 20 seconds push-ups w/ 10 second hold while being kicked in the abdomen.

After this "light" warm up we worked on grappling technique, specifically the figure-4. The Figure 4 allows you to do several things (1) it locks your grip, securing you to the extremity you want to submit, (2) it gives you a 2-on-1 set-up allowing you to recruit more muscle groups than your opponent for controlling an extremity, and (3) it increases your leverage on the extremity you want to submit. Thus given (1) it is important to lock your grip even if that means riding your opponent until the submission presents it self. The drills we worked are the following:

Surrendering Gorilla Drill

Place your partner in the guard position, they put their hands on their knees and flare their elbows (the Gorilla) use your same side hand to grab their wrist and then do a sit-up reaching over their arm and secure your figure-4 grip by grabbing your own wrist. This is the kimura or inferior shoulder lock set-up position, notice if your partner's hands point inferiorly (i.e. down) it is a same side grip with an over hook figure-4. Repeat on the opposite side.
Now your partner holds their hands up (the Surrender) do a sit-up and use your cross hand to grab their wrist, then slide your same side hand beneath their arm to finish your figure-4 by grabbing your cross hand wrist. For the americana or superior shoulder lock set-up position your opponents hands points upward or superiorly, it is cross hand grip with your same side hand underhook figure-4.

MALrotation (medial ankle lock rotation)

Start with a reverse knee on stomach, i.e. with one knee on your opponents hip and lower abdomen, facing inferiorly, use the hand nearest the midline to grab the lateral side of your opponents foot. Slide your other hand beneath their calf and lock your figure-4, then fold the ankle medially and inferiorly (i.e. toward the buttocks). Next transition around the leg, and stand with one foot at midline and the other laterally toward the side you same from. Use the hand farthest from your opponent to grab the plantar and lateral surface of their foot and then reach over their shin to secure the figure-4. Again try to force their foot to their buttocks, they may turn over partially in the process. Repeat this on the opposite leg, and then transition around to the hip on this side and set-up your reverse knee mount to repeat the first ankle lock described.

Happy Submission Feet

Sit with one of your partners legs between yours and drifting over your hip. Lock a figure four by looping your same side hand around the leg and then placing your cross hand on their shin, cinch the grip by grabbing your own wrist. Pinch with your knees (your midline leg should be bent with your foot under your partners posterior and your other foot in your opponents hip, with the toes diverted laterally) Roll to the side the submission is locked and arch while raising the arm beneath the leg. Then switch the legs tapping the other side.

We finished by first rolling rounds where we could only submit one another with figure 4's and then with rounds using our full arsenal.