Position before submission. It is a phrase that may as well be emblazoned on the walls, ceiling, and mats of every Jiu-Jitsu gym in the country. In order to effectively seek fight-ending submissions, a fighter must first be able to control his posture and that of his opponent in order to gain the needed position to apply his techniques. With this in mind, MMA Gospel’s Technique of the Week has turned to Ed Perdomo and Johnny Rodriguez for a trio of fight finishers that feed off of this week’s maneuver: a sweep from the closed guard directly to the rear mount position.
Johnny has postured up in Ed’s guard and has started throwing punches to wrack up points, cause damage, and set up the pass. Ed knows that in order to regain control of the fight he must first get control of Johnny’s posture. He starts by using his palm to block one of Johnny’s punches against the back of his hand (LEFT). This pushes both of Johnny’s arms to one side of Ed’s body, disrupting his balance.
Ed then sits up and grabs head and arm control on Johnny’s punching arm and head (RIGHT). When Ed lies back, he now has Johnny off-balance and unstable with the threat of continued punishment nullified and he can begin to work for a sweep or submission.
Now in control of Johnny’s posture, Ed moves to disrupt his base. He starts by scooting his hips out away from Johnny’s free arm. As he hips out, Ed places his inside foot against Johnny’s thigh just under the hip (LEFT).
Next, Ed collapses Johnny’s base by pushing his leg out straight with his inside foot (RIGHT). This leaves Johnny flat on his stomach with Ed’s leg under him. The entire time, Ed maintains tight control over Johnny’s head and arm.
Ed then completes the sweep by taking the rear mount position. To get on Johnny’s back, he simply posts up on his outside foot and rolls over onto Johnny’s lower back (LEFT). During this transition, Ed maintains an underhook on Johnny’s arm to help prevent him from pulling his knees and elbows in to block his hooks.
Ed finishes the technique by establishing his position. His inside leg, which was already under Johnny’s body, slides easily into a hook on the inside. Ed takes his outside foot and slides it under Johnny’s leg at the hip to establish the other hook. When Ed forces his hips forward, Johnny is extended flat with his legs off the mat, totally controlled, allowing Ed to repay the punches he ate earlier (RIGHT).
Recap:
- Defend the punches by blocking to the outside.
- Sit up and gain head and arm control over your opponent’s posture.
- Hip out away from your opponent’s free hand and place your inside foot against their hip.
- Push your opponent’s leg out straight.
- Bridge and roll onto your opponent’s back.
- Establish your second hook and look for the finish.
Next week, MMA Gospel will explore what to do if your opponent blocks the outside hook after the sweep is complete. As always, MMA Gospel strives to provide multiple moves that feed off each other to further benefit the readers of our Technique of the Week segment. Next week, MMA Gospel will present a Roll-Through Armbar off of the turtle.
*Ed Perdomo is a 4th degree black belt in the Korean grappling art of Hapkido and is head instructor of the Hapkido Institute in Morris, IL.
