Over the last month, two of the weekly technique breakdowns offered options to consider from otherwise tricky grappling positions. The first (Entanglement, Chaos & Extraction) discussed a more advanced situation in the midst of battle, while the breakdown from last week (Analyzing the Deep Half Waiter Sweep) analyzed an often misunderstood position for the beginner. This week’s video will combine some of the concepts from both articles, while analyzing the other side of the story: the bottom scramble from the disrupted X Guard sweep, and a top scramble option that can be used to disrupt the Deep Half Waiter Sweep.
While my step-by-step breakdown will cover the technique used in the second part of the video (countering the Deep Half Waiter Sweep), the first part applies game concepts that bear repeating. As readers may recall, we took a look at how to disrupt our opponent’s pending success by limiting a common X-Guard Sweep to a scramble (and in many point competitions, from a score to an advantage at best). This consisted of getting the best of the scramble to avoid surrendering position. In order to do this, while in the process of being swept, Coach Dan took an unexpected direction for the purpose of creating “chaos” in a manner that he could control. This Controlled Chaos allowed him to have the advantage of acting first from a neutral entanglement, instead of trying to fight out of a disadvantaged position.
Game Theory and the Counter to the Counter
These same concepts can be used as a “counter to the counter” for those of us trying to get our BJJ game to the level of a well-studied chess master. Thinking multiple moves ahead, not just in terms of our own technique, but in terms of what our opponent should do in response, is one of the goals of high level game theory. As I drove my dad home this weekend following a chess lesson he gave my son, we discussed the well-studied Sicilian Defense. He discussed how many volumes of chess books have been written on it, variations to it, and offensive responses to the variations. Much like the difference between belt rankings and games played by long-time black belts, this level of understanding is exactly why very good chess players cannot even touch established chess masters, and established chess masters are lucky to play grand masters to a draw, but almost never will check mate them.
….and so it also goes in high level grappling studies. In the first half of this week’s video, Coach Dan does just that. He breaks down that same chaotic scramble from the perspective of the original X-Guard Sweep attacker and how to regain control of the position after the success of the sweep was disrupted by the defender (our position from a few weeks ago). By thinking ahead and understanding the leg entanglement game that his defender will use to keep positioning neutral and then brace for a proper extraction into top position, Dan uses these same concepts to stay ahead of the counter. Dan realizes his ideal sweep has been disrupted and instead responds to the entanglement. While it may be late to salvage his original path, he too can capitalize on the ensuing chaos and gain control by acting first.
This can only be done by understanding the reason and goal of his opponent’s defensive scramble. Instead of grasping at straws (or in this case the first leg he has access to) and surrendering both of his legs to control just one of his opponent’s, Dan swims under and passes the leg over to utilize as a brace for his own proper bottom leg extraction into top position. Dan shows how to work “the swim game” on both legs to set this up. This takes the battle from technique-focused to game-focused, and is why this is not a step-by-step breakdown, but a conceptual one. The concepts in this leg entanglement swim game being: to offer your opponent “access to less”; “creating barriers” to hide behind, as well as to brace against for proper “bottom-leg extraction”; and “controlling the chaos” to act first and come out on top. These are the same concepts applied in the previously analyzed sweep disruption. What matters is who was thinking further ahead and makes the right move first. Strategy, variations, and responses to those variations.
The second part of today’s video addresses using these concepts to counter the Deep Half Waiter Sweep from the top position. Here, as he did from the partially swept position from X-Guard in the Tricky Escapes video, Dan shows one option to disrupt the success of a Waiter Sweep when in the midst of the attack.
Step-by-Step:
- In mid-Waiter-Sweep, tipped forward with both arms posting to cause brief stalling moment
- Tip: resist the urge simply grab opponent’s bottom leg, which will result in a disadvantaged entanglement with opponent having control and better extraction options
- Instead, turn to put back to the mat, and scoop bottom arm under opponent’s bottom leg, continuing the motion by also swimming own top arm under and passing opponent’s bottom leg across own chest and overhooking (from outside-in) with own top arm
- Tip: this results in a more ambiguous and neutral entanglement and reversing opponent’s hips for proper extraction. The new orientation would require opponent to now extract in a way that opens the back or legs to attack.
- Pry own bottom leg free with same-side hand and post on mat for technical get-up to knees while clamping down overhook on opponent’s controlled leg enough to reach through and hook opponent’s other leg
- Scoot hips in tight to opponent’s while scooping both legs with own free arm (previously posting), releasing overhook and taking top postion
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