When transitioning from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grappling to MMA grappling we can notice a few hiccups in our game that in the past were never a problem. We call these hiccups ground and pound. We see it all the time in the UFC that phenomenal black belts get TKO’d because their ground game wasn’t suited for MMA. I found a great technique that will elevate your MMA ground game in the DVD series “Babu: BJJ Mastermind Series” by Sergio Gasparelli.
It was in the sixth DVD of the series titled “No Gi combat”. So let’s take a look at submissions from full guard when our opponent is trying to set up their brutal ground and pound attacks. Being the BJJ coach at Brazilian Top Team and former coach at Black House MMA, Babu has coached world class MMA fighters so let’s see what he’s got up his sleeves today:
The guard in MMA is seen as a disadvantageous position. You’re on bottom, you’re probably getting hit, and we haven’t seen too many phenomenal guards in MMA recently. The big thing is to remain calm and work your technique. In this example Babu goes over how to get a kimura:
1. Controlling your opponent’s posture is everything when being on bottom in MMA. He recommends having Thai clinch style grips on the back of your opponents head because they can still elbow you if you only have wrist control. This broken posture will make it so your opponent can only throw soft shots that are coming in like hooks would on the feet. These are the best type of strikes to take advantage of on the ground because they do not do a lot of damage.
2. When your opponent throws his shot you will block it with your hand at the bicep and then gain control of the arm.
3. Quickly we must bring our foot, the same side as the arm we have captured, up to the opponents hip as if we are going for an armbar. We will then transition our grip from the wrist to the tricep.
4. Now the arm is trapped in between our grip on their tricep and in our leg. Our pressure should be from pulling down on the arm and squeezing in with knee that is now up. It is crucial we maintain extremely tight pressure on this so the arm does not get free.
5. We shoot the leg that is capturing the arm straight and across the back to get the momentum necessary to cut a 90 degree angle with our opponent. It is important to be aggressive with this motion so we do not get stuffed and get off to a proper perpendicular angle.
6. During that transition we will lock up our kimura grips to set up the submission.
7. Now that we have the best possible angle and tight grips it’s time to start our finish. Our opponent should feel the pressure in the shoulder and elbow.
This move is as expected easier said than done. In the heat of a fight when the crowd is roaring, you’re exhausted, and you are getting hurt it is easy to overlook the details. It is important we drill this over and over again if you plan on making it a part of your arsenal. If you’re an MMA fighter I would 100% recommend this DVD course to you. If you have the advantage on the ground you’ll be able to submit and TKO your opponents with ease and all the techniques shown will enhance your game in all areas.
So go out a pick up a copy. Let me know how it fits into your MMA game!
Dan Faggella
