Key lock is one of Jacob’s favorites from top control. He calls the grapevine and key lock the “nasty combo”. 

Prior to my shift change at work, I was training so much more. I felt like I had a good balance with work, then coaching, then training, and still having time with my family. Since the change, my training has greatly suffered unfortunately. I feel like I’m still connected to the mat with the consistent coaching, which is important mentally. I rest assured that the mats will always be there, but I’m taking the time to enjoy my son’s life as a child right now. 

The arm drag is a great way to cut the angle and get to the back. It could be used as a straight offensive attack or defense to break the opponent grip and turn it into a counter. The bear hug takedown is just icing on the cake to reward you for the effort of the arm drag. 

As someone who is not great at wrestling takedowns, I look forward to seeing the kids apply solid technique and end in a dominant position. 

Open guard sitting is arguably one of the most common ways to open the guard, so super important for the top kid trying to pass the guard. Leading into the scissor sweep, which is one of my absolute favorite. When the knees are good. 

I’m loving to see the multiple techniques shown in the same week when the techniques are counters to each other. Open guard standing for the person on top, with the understanding that the bottom person can land the chair sweep. Makes the game more mental for the kids as opposed to just a memorization of a technique. 

I’ve been saying for a while that we do triangles in warm ups, but it needs to be taught in the curriculum. I have seen the triangle trap countless times with no execution of the move. Hoping to see a huge improvement on this. 

An arm lock is one of the first submissions you think of when you hear jiu jitsu, and a great technique to learn. Identifying the key details and making sure you hit all those key components can make or break the attack. 

While a bear hug from behind and standing can happen during sport jiu jitsu, it isn’t super common. Defense for it in a street/self defense aspect however is super valuable. Staying calm, not panicking, and assessing the situation is valuable. 

I think it’s very beneficial when a kid is taught a technique, as well as the defense for that same technique, in the same day/week. It helps them to understand the mechanics and why they are doing what they are doing based on what their opponent should be doing.