Tom DeBlass Secures Submission Victory at Kasai!

 

Let’s Celebrate with Some TD Techniques!

Tom DeBlass enjoyed a sweet victory Saturday night at Kasai. Giving away almost 100lbs. to an opponent that stepped in on short notice, DeBlass was able to get the kneebar finish without injuring his opponent. DeBlass’s young daughter also made an appearance at the closing of the contest to present DeBlass with his award, which was a very emotional experience for DeBlass and certainly a great moment to witness for those in attendance. DeBlass has stated that this will be his last super fight, which has probably saddened many, but we’ll see what the future brings!

The knee bar was beautiful timed and looked like something straight out of one of DeBlass’s instructional, being executed perfectly. DeBlass is known for his phenomenal half guard game and the lower body submission attacks are just yet another great extension of DeBlass’s BJJ toolbox. 

In celebration of DeBlass’s victory, lets take a look at some of his instruction. DeBlass has released several instructionals with BJJ Fanatics, revealing insight in to his game and giving us access to some of his best secrets. We all know that the DeBlass half guard is strong, but there’s plenty of other content to dig in to that’s just as good! 

Let’s start with an incredibly important topic. Stopping the guard pass. In this video DeBlass show us how he likes to get set up in the half guard and build that impenetrable brick wall that he’s so famous for. Have a look! 

Setting up in the half guard, DeBlass places his first frame underneath his partner chin. He couples this with a knee shield that rides like a seat belt, pointing across his partners chest. He also plants his elbow on the inside of the knee shield for some added structure and assistance with guiding his partner’s pressure. 

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The under hook is often times a focal point of the half guard. Achieving the under hook gives us several options and can benefit our progress in a lot of ways. DeBlass warns against trying to achieve the under hook while the knee shield is in place. When its time to earn that under hook, the knee shield will have to trade spots with the arm.

When DeBlass is ready to go after the under hook, he begins to allow his knee shield to collapse. As this occurs his partner will naturally want to come forward, closing he space between the two of them. When his partner begins to advance, DeBlass hides his hand and elbow tight to his body. This gives DeBlass the opportunity to shoot the under hook and reach high to the far shoulder. With his partners head and hips now far above his own, DeBlass can now begin to hunt for whatever form of reversal or transition he chooses. 

For added security against forward pressure, DeBlass also advises us to plant our foot on the thigh. This will prevent the passer from coming forward to easily and help us to handle more weight. Additionally, DeBlass covers what to do if your partner stands. Here, He keeps contact with eh hip, and then brings his bottom half guard hook across, to his partners hip, again keeping his partner pressure at bay.

DeBlass finishes this piece of instruction by addressing the knee slice. IN this scenario, he reaches under his bottom knee and secures the back of the ankle. Holding the leg in place with this grip, he then reaches around and through to capture the leg from the top, gripping the front of the shin. This makes completing the guard pass nearly impossible for the top player, as the ability to turn in toward the bottom player very difficult. 

Great details here to help us establish solid structure in the half guard!

The scissor sweep is a fundamental BJJ technique. Its probably one of the very first sweeps we learn as beginners. But eventually we need to start developing a plan b when our training partners see the scissor sweep coming. That’s the subject of this next video. Check it out!

Setting up in the closed guard, DeBlass begins by controlling his partners arm and bringing his knee across the chest int eh style of a scissor sweep. With the arm buried by his knee, DeBlass now posts on it with his hand and then lifts his hips, shooting the leg over the shoulder and in to the triangle set up position. From here, a deep triangle position has been achieved and DeBlass can begin to work toward the finish.

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If his partner jumps DeBlass’s leg in response to the scissor sweep, this land him squarely in the half guard. Keeping control of the wrist, DeBlass can now kick his leg through and work toward the single leg position, where he can enjoy a variety of options. Great stuff!

DeBlass is also a big advocate for partner drills. In fact, he’s released an entire instructional on them. These types of drills can help bring up your weak spots and add tremendous value to your game. Let’s take a look at one of these drills. This particular one deals with arm attacks. Check it out! 

Beginning by dealing with the bottom frame, DeBlass sits through and removes the arm from the mix. He then pinches his partner’s elbow with his forearm and begins to attack the americana. As his partner responds by straightening the arm, DeBlass pauses as the thumb points up and applies a straight arm bar. As the arm transitions down toward his partner’s hip, DeBlass pulls it up over the plane of the ribs and travels north south, encapsulating the head with his knees. He then makes his switch to a figure four style grip and secures a kimura. Continuing on, DeBlass slides his knee down the back and sits for an arm bar. 

Entering in to a hitch hiker style escape, DeBlass’s partner lands himself squarely in an omoplata, and then subsequently right in to a triangle set up. This is great way to make your side control more dangerous and fluid. Working through a drill like this can with a high number of repetitions can cement these themes in our brain to make our attack chains more seamless and second nature. 

I hope you enjoyed working through this material. I find DeBlass’s instruction to be incredibly accessible and easy to follow. His techniques are battle tested and his philosophies are strong, making him a hugely important and influential figure in BJJ.

Congratulations Professor DeBlass on the victory and thanks for sharing your knowledge with us! 

If ANYONE knows about moving forward it's Tom DeBlass. DeBlass has influenced LEGIONS of people across the globe with his MINDSET. The Road To Black Belt And Beyond By Tom DeBlass uncovers what it takes to not only be a Black Belt in Jiu-Jitsu, But a Black Belt in LIFE!

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