Schedule

Headlock Counters - Mount

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The goal in a fight is to achieve the mount where you can control and exhaust your opponent with relative ease. Once you accomplish this, your opponent will panic and desperately attempt to escape. One of the most common escape strategies used by unskilled individuals is to establish a headlock and throw you off of them. The Headlock Counters from the mount will keep you from getting rolled off of a larger opponent, and prepare you to take advantage of the submission opportunities that will inevitably arise. First, you will learn how to prevent the escape attempts, and then you will learn how to finish the fight in two different ways.

Standing Headlock Defense

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Once you establish the clinch on your opponent, there is a good chance that they will get desperate and try to catch you in a headlock. Without the proper escape strategy, the Standing Headlock can be a very painful and demoralizing experience, but with the proper technique you can turn the tables and use their hold to your advantage.

Headlock Escape 1 - Side Mount

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Besides punches, headlocks are the single most common form of aggression used by untrained individuals on the streets. Although they aren’t as effective as a true submission hold, getting caught in a headlock by a stronger opponent can be a very painful and demoralizing experience. The Frame Escape is the first of two headlock escape strategies that we recommend you perfect for use against larger adversaries in a ground fight. In this lesson, you will start by learning the Standard Frame Escape, and then you will see what to do if it doesn’t work.

Standing Armbar

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Although we normally recommend you take the fight to the ground, sometimes your opponent will give you an opportunity to end the fight while standing. Many confrontations begin with an opponent pushing your chest with one or both hands unknowingly creating the perfect opportunity for you to apply the Standing Armlock. First, you will learn the Basic Application, then you will see how to use it in a more dynamic situation.

Armbar - Guard

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The most common type of attack you will encounter from an opponent who is trapped inside your guard is a punch to the face. Once they realize that they can’t effectively punch you they will try to get access to your neck or face by any means necessary. Whenever someone attacks your neck or face from within your guard, they are giving you the opportunity to catch them in a Straight Armlock. In this lesson you will learn two variations of the Straight Armlock as well as what to do if the opponent escapes by pulling their arm out.

Clinch (Aggressive Opponent)

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Most martial arts rely heavily on the use of strikes to defeat the opponent. This strategy may work against a smaller opponent, but is very risky against a larger, more athletic opponent who could potentially knock you out each time you put yourself in range to strike them. The best strategy is to establish a clinch and take the fight to the ground where you can conserve energy, neutralize strikes, and win the fight with ease. The key to establishing a clinch on an aggressive opponent is to understand that there are two safe distances in a fight: all the way out, or all the way in.

Double Ankle Sweep

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Your most important task from the bottom of the guard is to avoid all knockout punches. Depending on what your opponent does from within your guard, there are many techniques you can use to reverse the position or win the fight. One situation in which your opponent is vulnerable for a sweep is when they stand up directly over you to throw punches from within the guard. The Double Ankle sweep is a premium example of how leverage and timing can overcome size and strength. In this lesson you will learn two variations of this powerful sweep

Guillotine Choke (Guard Pull)

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In a street fight, your opponent will most likely try to defeat you using one of two methods: 1) knock you out while standing, or 2) tackle you and then knock you out on the ground. You have already learned how to establish the clinch if they attempt to knock you out while standing. If instead, they try to tackle you, you should resort immediately to the Guillotine Choke. In this lesson you will learn the Basic Application first, and then you will learn the two variations that you can resort to in a street fight.