In this lesson of the crossroads Martial Arts Curriculum we focused on understanding the arm-bar from the knee on belly position. Starting with what the knee on belly position is, and how to get there. In this particular class we started from the side control position and worked to advance our position while shutting down the elbow escape. Attempting to advance your position does you no good if everytime you attempt to advance your training partner takes advantage and puts you in a worse position.
In BJJ you must always understand what makes a good position and a bad position, where you can push or pull and where you can not. In this class we discuss how to take advantage of the person in the bottom position attempting to push you off of them in an attempt to escape. If the person on the bottom pushes or applies pressure in the wrong direction it is easy to take advantage of the mistake and apply the arm-bar. In this class we discussed and drilled how to attack the inside arm, or the outside arm based on which arm they push with and which shoulder or elbow is higher off the mat.
Once in arm-bar position we spent a considerable amount of time working to tighten up the position and ensure that the bottom player could not escape. In this case if our legs are too lose, or are hips are not tight enough we we could not only lose the arm-bar but actually end up on the bottom and in a self defense situation this could have devastating consequences. In BJJ we always want to do our best to maintain our advantage, anytime you attempt a submission you are taking some of your resources away from controlling the position. However if you want to end a fight, and nobody is coming to help you you must work towards a submission. So whenever we learn a new submission we are always working to make it tighter and the transition between control and submission smoother and more refined.
After we finished discussing the techniques for the day we put them into practice by drilling against a resisting opponent. By our training partners giving us specific and controlled resistance we can refine our movements, and timing. This practice allows us to gain confidence in our abilities and in our Brazilian jiu-jitsu. If you are interested in learning more about what BJJ ( Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ) can do for you and you live in the New London, CT area, stop down and try a class, meet some great people and learn the martial art that brought self defense and the idea of what a fight really is into the modern era.