The Twister, More Than a Submission

The twister is a very popular position these days, it widely popularized by Eddie Bravo and the 10^th planet system.  Some may say that the twister is a staple in the 10^th planet system.  Many people idolize Eddie Bravo for his creation of such a unique system.  Perhaps the most popular technique that Eddie created is the twister.

Widely regarded as a spinal and neck crank submission, the twister is much more than just a submission.  The twister is a great way to control your opponent, it is an entirely different approach to side and back control, and the hook used to enter the twister is also a position.  Some call it the twister hook, others call it the truck, and some just say that it is a hook.

So why all the misconception with the twister?  Well, it is definitely more popular as a submission, but has much more uses across grappling and MMA.

Twister Side Control / Back control

One of the best and most popular parts of the 10^th planet system is the twister side control and back control.  The twister side control is an entirely unique way of controlling an opponent from side and is ultimately a fantastic way to get your opponents back. Basically you are in a reverse Kesa Getame and you are using your ribs and hips to put pressure on your opponents head.  Ideally you want to force your opponent to turtle so you can attack the back, or you would want insert the twister hook and go for the rolling back take to twister back control.

This leads us to twister back control.  When playing with twister side control, the ultimate goal is to enter what many people refer to as “The Truck” or the twister back control.  Others just refer to this as the rolling back take.   Twister side control allows you to effortlessly set up a truck and roll into this twister control.  From the “Truck” or “Twister” hook you have a multitude of submissions.  There are calf slicers, toe holds, ankle locks, groin stretches, hamstring stretches, and of course the twister.

To learn more on this very unique and devastating position, check out Eddie Bravo himself explaining twister side control below and showing us some of his best Truck entries.  Eddie is an extremely articulate instructor and he is one of the best.

Twister as a Submission

The twister is without a doubt one of the most devastating submissions.  If you do not tap you can suffer neck and spinal injuries.  It is absolutely brutal, beautiful, and effective.  This is an excellent way to attack your opponent’s because it is unorthodox to some.  We know it works because we have seen it proven at high level competitions, and even in the UFC. Check out this video below of a Twister being executed in the UFC.

Also, if you are interested in adding the twister to your arsenal of attacks, check out none other than Eddie Bravo’s ‘Mastering theTwister” DVD.

Enjoy reading about submissions? then consider checking:

• Submissions from closed guard
• Submissions from guard
• Bottom half guard submissions
• Submissions for smaller grapplers