
Maintaining Inside Leg Control
If you have trained Jiu Jitsu for a while, you have probably heard of pummeling, and hopefully a lot. Why is pummeling so important? Why are we told to do it from a variety of positions? Pummeling is a movement that involves bring a limb to the inside position, be it an arm or leg. A concept you hear John Danaher and Gordon Ryan talking about frequently is that the grappler with the inside position will dominate the position.
Ready to get better!? Add Drilling to your game Click Learn More!
Pummeling is common movement used in wrestling in which the two competitors are constantly bringing their arms in the middle to achieve the inside position. Pummeling the arms in wrestling and Jiu Jitsu allows for under hooks, which are invaluable in many different positions such as guard, side control, and mount.
There is a popular drill in Jiu Jitsu where two grapplers will stand up with each other, each with the over under position. This drill requires the grapplers to pummel their arms so that they can switch which arm has the under hook and which one doesn’t. It is a simple drill but great for improving the clinch in wrestling.
Maintaining inside control with leg attacks is just as important as it is with other position. Getting our legs to the middle allows us to enter the necessary leg entanglements to finish submissions like ankle locks, heel hooks, and so on. Maintaining that leg position must be a priority if you want to become a good leg locker.
In the following video, Charles Harriott illustrates how to practice maintaining inside leg control by doing a pummeling drill that reflects the same concepts of the pummeling drill from standing. See below:
Although this drill may seem silly, its actually really important to work on. The concept of bringing the legs to the middle isn’t just important for leg locks, but many other positions. Think of all the different guards we use in Jiu Jitsu. To play butterfly guard, you have to keep the legs in the middle. For spider guard or lasso guard, leg pummeling is a common theme for maintains good control and sweeps. All you have to do is execute this drill a few times a week for a minute so that you develop the muscle memory to use it.
In order to be a great grappler, the techniques you execute need to be natural and perfect. Drilling is the key to unlocking this success! Tom DeBlass has THE resource on drilling ready for you here at BJJFANATICS!!
ARE YOU A BJJ FANATICS INSIDER? IF NOT, YOU’RE MISSING OUT!
Our Insiders Club is by far the fastest way to level up your game. Take a deep dive on one specific skill per month with the top instructors in the BJJ Fanatics family.
AND NOW YOU CAN TRY IT FREE FOR 7 DAYS!
How much is it worth to get private lessons from Benardo Faria, the Ruotolo brothers, Giancarlo Bodoni, Jeff Glover, Neil Melanson, Marcos Tinoco… and the list goes on and on?! Forget it, don’t answer that - because you get all of these guys and more… for just $9.99 a month! But the even better news is – we’re currently giving you the chance to try out the Insiders Club for 7 days – FREE!
With your subscription you’ll get a Private Lesson (Masterclass), At Home Drills to work on, rolling breakdowns and more. You’ll also get a sneak peek at our upcoming Product Launch and Daily Deal schedules plus access to Daily Deals on BJJ gear and merchandise (up to 80% off). And much much more!