Drill with the Best…

By Fanatics Authors, January 24, 2019

Tom DeBlass Demonstrates the Half Guard Arm Drag to Spartan Leg Kick Drill

I attended a seminar last year with Professor DeBlass directly after participating in a Fight to Win Pro which I had been defeated at. He had cornered me in the match and offered some advice after the fight was over. But to my surprise Professor spent the opening moments of the seminar the following morning going over all of the concepts I needed to pay some attention to. The content changed my game instantly, and gave me a lot to build on. I was grateful for that day, and it was just another testament to DeBlass’s genuine desire to help others.

Tom Deblass is a master of push/pull mechanics and tactics. The idea of pushing and pulling is simple, but imposing it on a seasoned player can be difficult. It takes great timing, awareness, and feel. You’ll see DeBlass employ the theme in many of his matches. A good semblance of your opponent’s base, and when it has been compromised can lead to easy reversals, submission opportunities, and favorable changes of position.

Lucky for all of us, DeBlass will be releasing a new instructional entirely composed of drilling sequences to help us develop better movements and reactions. What better way to improve your game than developing the same crisp movements that have helped DeBlass achieve such a storied competitive career.

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In this video DeBlass breaks down the half guard arm drag, which he couples with the spartan leg kick to form a nice drilling sequence. Have a look at this.

I find this to be a pretty unique drill. One I haven’t seen before, and I can see its value from a first glance. From the half guard, DeBlass secures a thumb down grip on his partner’s wrist. He then reaches to the back of his partner’s triceps in classic arm drag fashion. As he completes the arm drag, his partner is forced to rise up to avoid bad position. As this occurs, DeBlass uses his knee shield leg to kick his partners chest, further abusing his partners momentum and wish to regain posture. This obviously causes a reversal, and the opportunity to begin our own pass.

If you haven’t made drilling a regular part of your BJJ training, now is a great time to start. It will undoubtedly take your game up a notch. Coming soon!