The Hip Escape, otherwise known as the “Shrimp”, is one of the most fundamental moves you’ll learn in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It’s an absolutely essential technique; one that will enable you to escape the most difficult of positions throughout your journey to black belt – and beyond.
However, it’s rare to see people who have truly “perfected” the Shrimp, even among the higher belts. And that’s because their body mechanics are off.
Professor Henry Akins explains why that’s the case and how you can bring your Hip Escape to the next level.
MAKE YOUR SHRIMP (HIP ESCAPE) UNSTOPPABLE
Professor Akins begins by explaining that a lot of BJJ students mistakenly think that doing the Shrimp means to turn to your side immediately, into the opponent. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Namely, if you want to do the Hip Escape correctly, then you should initiate it by powerfully pushing off your leg (just one – the second one can remain in the air) and then transfer that power through into your shoulder. Then, as you transition to your other shoulder (and to the side), you’ll be able to escape even the heaviest of Side Controls and Mounts – though you’ll need to use your frames properly in both cases as well.
You may practice doing the Shrimp this way by having your training partner post on your shoulder with all their weight. From here, focus on truly pushing off your leg and then transferring that power into the shoulder.
Professor Akins demonstrates this drill on the video below:
