Lesson 37 of the Crossroads Martial Arts curriculium starts with defending a simple double arm take down. This particular take down is one of the strongest ways to bring a fight to the ground because it gives the person a very amount of control over the center of a persons body. In this class we discussed two options to defend the take down based on how the person positions thier head. If the head is high we have one option, if the head is too low we have another option. This the idea of having two options based on the body position of your training partner is essential to achieving success in the Martial Arts. Even the core theme of Brazilian jiu-jitsu is putting yourself in a position where you have options and you opponent or training partner does not.
On the ground we drilled the paper cutter choke and how to defend this submission from side control position. The paper cutter choke is a very simple submission which makes it very easy to apply. Once we discussed and drilled each detail that makes the choke so effective and also very common finish in Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments, we covered how to “break” the submission. This idea of “breaking” the submission essentially means we try to prevent the attacker from completing one of the steps required to get the tap. If a submission has 3 steps and we can stop the attacker at step 2, they will be unable to complete the submission and be forced to move onto the next move.
The last move we did in lesson 37 of the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculium is a very popular submission in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and is called a brabo choke. The brabo choke is a head and arm choke that utilizes the a strong gi grip. The great thing about learning the paper cutter and brabo chokes together is that to defend the papecutter you need to be on your side, and to attack the brabo choke you need the person to be on thier side. So be defending the paper cutter you are putting yourself in a position where the brabo can be applied. This idea is true go all submissions defenses and this understanding is how you begin to chan sequences of technique together.