We learned about one of Jiu-Jitsu’s fundamentals today: different lines of defense and when to use them when your opponent tries to pass your guard.

First Line of Defense: Feet

The first line of defense is your feet. Try to pummel in and step on their biceps or their inner elbow. One thing I learned from the internet is that you can keep one foot up and one foot down for better guard retention.

Second Line of Defense: Knee

The second line of defense is your knee. If they manage to pass your feet, quickly enter the knee shield—either high on their shoulder or low on their hip—while also use your hands to maintaining control of their cross shoulder and preventing their crossface.

Third Line of Defense: Hands and Arms

The third line of defense is your hands and arms, preventing them from coming in. Keep in mind not to let both of your shoulders flat on the ground; connect your knee and elbow to prevent them from getting the underhook. If they manage to get the underhook on your far-side arm, you shouldn’t try to get the overhook, as it will immobilize your entire arm. Instead, try to shrimp and get into the turtle position.

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I came to class late today but had some good rolls in. I joined Jun for 50 push-ups after class—it’s been a while since the last time I did push-ups, so I had to break it down to 20-10-10-10 push-ups. I’ve been practicing leg locks as a lazy way to pass guards, haha. I’m also trying to master the Andrew Tackett submission from UFC BJJ 1 as well as the Ruotolo choke from the back, but both have been unsuccessful. I may ask the coach in a future class to show me how they’re done.

Talk to you guys later!