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Flying Attacks With JT Torres!
It’s no doubt that the most dominate positions in Jiu Jitsu are the mount and the back mount. It is thought by many that if you are able to obtain one of these positions you should be able to finish the submission. The thought is that these positions provide such an advantage that I should be extremely rare for you to lose position or not finish from this position. How often is that the case for you though? How often do you work super hard to get the dominate position and then lose it while going for a submission?
It all comes down to control, or does it? Not just the obvious of controlling your opponent from bumping or escaping but controlling each step in your process meticulously so that you are able to inflict your will on the opponent without issue. While control is ideal, sometimes you may run into the opponent you simply can not move against their will. Some people are freaks of nature and just simply can’t be moved, even with a two on one grip. When these situations come up, it’s important to have a backup plan and as part of that back up plan knowing how to push the opponent in such a way that you get the reaction you are looking for that helps you move the position forward.
As a part of developing your game you will begin to create sequences of not only techniques that string together and crease a series of attacks but an arsenal of reactions you are a professional at forcing the opponent to do based on what you are doing. For example, pulling the opponent down towards you in guard so that they pull back and try to build their posture. Reaction based responses will help in giving you an edge, as long as you are the one forcing them to react, not the other way around.
Let’s take a look at the mount and how we can ensure success every single time we are able to get to that position. The mount is one of, if not the single most powerful position in Jiu Jitsu. In self defense being in top mount creates such an extreme advantage allowing you to deliver deadly strikes in combination with hunting submissions putting the opponent at an extreme disadvantage and making it nearly impossible to work an escape. From strictly a Jiu Jitsu perspective there are, as many of you know, a number of submissions we can start looking for here. We must remember, as the saying goes, position before submission. It’s imperative that we have complete control over the position before starting any submission attempts. Additionally, many escapes are made possible as a result of a submission attempt that either created space, gave up a base or in some other way gave the opponent an advantage to capitalize on. Let’s dive into one option from JT Torres that focuses on controlling the opponent all the way through until the submission is set and it is too late for an escape.
In this video clip JT Torres Teaches Flying Arm Locks From Mount, we will break down the technique JT uses to secure the arm lock. Starting in full top mount with the opponent on the bottom keeping their elbows tight to their body blocking JT from moving up. The opponent is also keeping their hands tight to their face to prevent JT from getting any collar grips to start setting up chokes.
In this position we have limited options, but JT has a solution. The very first thing he does is the fairly common two on one. JT puts both hands on one hand and attempts to push it down to the mat. In some cases this ill work, at which point you can begin attacking that arm, however, some people are really really strong and will hold tight to this position preventing you from being able to push their arm down to the mat. That’s no problem, JT has an answer to that. He maintains his left hand grip on the opponent’s right forearm and uses his right arm to get a grip on the opponent’s left sleeve.
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Next, JT is looking to pull up on his newly acquired sleeve grip in order to create enough space so he can slide his right knee up. Don’t over complicate this, it doesn’t need to be a ton of space, there just simply has to be enough space so thathe knee can move up.
Now that we are in a slightly better position JT maintains his grips, regaining the sleeve if he lost it during this transition. It’s now time to really advance out position and get in position to attack the arm. To do this JT quite literally jumps into position. To do this he is pushing off of his left hand and pulling the opponent’s arm that he has the sleeve grip on. As he jumps he in inverting his left leg brining his foot near the opponent’s head so that he can use that leg to help trap the opponent’s right arm.
Now we can look to finish the arm bar. Because his left leg is assisting in controlling the opponent’s right arm he can remove the grip he had with his left hand. JT now uses his left hand to join his right hand in a two on one grip on the opponent’s left wrist. From here He simply pulls the opponent’s arm as he sits as closely as possible to his opponent and throws his right leg (which is already in position near the opponent’s head) over the opponent’s head and lays back for the arm bar.
Remember when doing and arm bar the closer you are to the opponent aka the more you prevent their shoulder from touching the mat the more successful your arm lock will be. As JT sits for the arm bar notice that he is keeping the opponent’s arm tight to his body rather than laying back and trying to pull it towards him.
If you are anything like me you will appreciate JT’s teaching style. I find him easy to follow, and like that his techniques seem to be very basic and only a few steps rather than having to try to learn 37 steps to get the job done.
If you are looking to take your game to the next level, why not consider training with JT in the form of his video instructional. As you noticed, JT is easy to follow yet very effective. In his video instructional JT covers, passing various types of guard, back takes, and likely everyone’s personal favorite, the finishes. JT is one of few grapplers to be able to boast that he beat some of the best grapplers on the planet such as Garry Tonon and Lucas Lepri. With that said, I think it’s safe to day that we could all learn a lot from JT in his video instructional. There is no doubt this series will help you take your game to new heights surprising your training partners and your opponent’s in competition.
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