The Cross Collar Choke is probably one of the first submissions you’ve learned on your BJJ journey – perhaps even the first one. However, as you and your training partners gain some experience, setting up and then finishing the Cross Collar Choke often gets increasingly difficult. They start to defend by all means possible; one of them being by pushing against your other arm’s bicep muscle.
When that happens, you have an opportunity to go for an Armbar. The legendary Marcio Stambowsky demonstrates below.

MARCIO STAMBOWSKY: ARMBAR SETUP FROM FAILED CROSS COLLAR CHOKE

Stambowsky first emphasizes the importance of grabbing the collar as deep as possible and shows that you have to break the training partner’s posture with it. Then, as they push against your bicep muscle, you need to sort of “pull back” that arm they’re pushing against. This will break down their posture even further and compromise their arm by lengthening it more.
From there, you need to grab their sleeve, place your foot on the training partner’s hip (on the same side you’re attacking their arm), lift your hips, and rotate by placing your other leg underneath their armpit.

Once you do that, you have to push their head down to cross your leg over it. “Curl” your legs down and extend your hips – and you’ll get the tap!
Watch Marcio Stambowsky demonstrate this setup in fantastic detail on the video below:

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Legend And 8th-Degree Black Belt Marcio Stambowsky Details One Of His Deadliest Old School Guards, The Guillotine Guard.

• Start by understanding all the necessary grips and how they can be used to achieve the sweep and the submission.
• Master all your attacking options such as arm bar variations, the triangle choke, omoplata sweep, and so much more.

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