The Crux of the Matter

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, there’s nothing more enjoyable than letting your opponent's trap themselves.

It’s one of those moments—especially for the beginner—that make you realize that Jiu Jitsu is as much a game of wits as it is a game of skill.

Beautiful Setups From The Forgotten CRUCIFIX Position! Click Learn More below!

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One of the first traps I learned was to bait an adversary into the crucifix.

In the video below, Thomas Lisboa demonstrates his method of setting a trap from which he can transition to the crucifix position.

Lisboa is a black belt under Fábio Gurgel who has made his name competing for the Alliance Jiu Jitsu Team.  He also taught under Marcelo Garcia in his New York academy.

Lisboa’s favorite submissions come from the crucifix.  Here he demonstrates how to get an opponent into the crucifix from the turtle position.

With Bernardo in turtle position, Lisboa emphasizes that he must keep his chest against his opponent’s back.  Because he’s on Bernardo’s right side, Lisboa baits Bernardo by placing his right foot within reach of Bernardo’s right arm.  Lisboa hopes that Bernardo will grab his leg, and Bernardo complies.

This gives Lisboa a chance to bring Bernardo’s arm back to his left leg.

At this point, Lisboa can lock his legs together in a figure 4, trapping Bernardo’s arm and freeing Lisboa to begin searching for submissions.

Lisboa first looks to see if Bernardo’s neck is vulnerable.  He brings his right arm under Bernardo’s neck and brings his hand up as high as possible on Bernardo’s shoulder.  From here, he can execute a few different chokes, including the rear naked choke.

Next, Lisboa and Bernardo re-set and Lisboa demonstrates his method of achieving the crucifix if his opponent grabs his pants instead of grabbing Lisboa’s leg.

Have Your Forgotten About The Crucifix Position? Not Anymore! Click Learn More below!

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In this case, he stretches and exposes Bernardo’s arm by stretching his leg outward and backward.  This places Bernardo’s arm in reach of Lisboa’s left leg, and he again captures Bernardo’s arm in a figure 4 lock.

Having trapped Bernardo in the crucifix once again, Lisboa again goes for the choke.

This video barely scratches the surface of all the submissions available from the crucifix, but it does concentrate on the most important detail: actually securing the crucifix.

Give the video a look and then try the crucifix next time you have an opponent in the turtle.

The crucifix position is pretty uncommon, but a very powerful position! Thomas Lisboa is here to teach you his concepts on the position. Check out his DVD "Cruci-fixing - 30 Easy Setups and Finishes From This Forgotten Position". Check it out here!

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