Optimizing Position for Grappling in a Weapons Based Environment

[Cecil Burch]

New video on what I believe to be one of the most important positions for grappling in a Weapons based environment. While Knee on Belly gets a lot of push, I don’t think it is as viable as many people seem to think. Here is what I feel is far superior




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x72DMYuZmwM

[ford.304]

Just curious, Cecil, if you are carrying on your right hip, what is your early prevention to keep them accessing your firearm? Does getting your hips enough toward their head negate their ability to reach there?

Also, I thought this video that was making the rounds recently

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9LRH6qj7j0

Was a good example of how, as you say, disengaging may not be as easy as we'd like. Lady got top position several times and attempted to disengage, but the shirt grip stopped her. Grip Commitment is a common reaction to stress, at least from my experience with white belts.

[fwrun]

Any concerns of knee attacks by your opponent?

[Cecil Burch]

Just curious, Cecil, if you are carrying on your right hip, what is your early prevention to keep them accessing your firearm? Does getting your hips enough toward their head negate their ability to reach there?



Yes. I am putting so much pressure on his head and arms that they have little articulation. As long as I am driving back, he has little room to bring the arm down and in enough to even grab the gun, let alone have the ability to get it out. Especially with me having total freedom to react to anything. Part of the beauty of the position is how easy it is to feel everything single thing the bottom guy tries to do. It is like he is telegraphing every tiny shift

[Cecil Burch]

Any concerns of knee attacks by your opponent?


It is something to watch for for sure, but it is not something I am afraid of. There is so much pinning pressure on his head and upper body that the only thing he has to power the knee strike is the leg. He cannot get any drive behind it because of the pin. Plus, as I said above, you can feel literally feel everything he does, so when he tries to bring that knee back you have a good sense of it before it lands. On top of that, As I believe I mention ion the vid, I keep my hands free to stop anything incoming like that. Again, it is one of the great advantages of the position in that I can maintain it while generally having both hands free to do whatever else is needed. If he could get drive off the ground and get his body behind the knee strike, it might be too much for my hands to stop, but he can't do that, so my hands are perfectly adequate to act as a barrier.

[ford.304]

Thanks, Cecil.

My instructor catches me in this position fairly often (usually leading to that kimura because I'm an idiot and don't get my arms back in fast enough), and it is completely miserable.

[Cecil Burch]

My instructor catches me in this position fairly often (usually leading to that kimura because I'm an idiot and don't get my arms back in fast enough), and it is completely miserable.


To be fair and to let you know you are not an idiot, you don't have a lot of options. You either leave that arm out and get it kimura-ed as you said, or you bring it back to hide it but now lose any ability to move while in the down position. Damned if you , damned if you don't. It is one of the reasons I love the position so much. It is almost an automatic checkmate - something bad will happen, and almost nothing positive for the bottom guy can occur.

[Sal Picante]

Been playing through reverse kesa and there are a few really nice setups for bread cutter choke if you can get the far arm isolated... Most folks seems to want to frame with their lower elbow, which is fine, then I just seem to focus on the top arm, isolate, and go north-south and setup for the collar grip, wrapping around.

The other fun one was sitting on the lower shoulder and grabbing the arms and rolling into an omoplata... I'm sorta big and uncoordinated, but I've managed to lock this up a few times... Pretty neat place to be since the player on the bottom doesn't recognize the danger so quickly.

Great stuff - I remember Paul showing this in a few classes regarding tool-access.

[Ben RBC]

I was originally a big fan knee in chest until weapons started getting pulled off my own belt while in the position. It’s true it might have little impact on the overall outcome at that point but why take that chance. I have found that the sit out position both forward and rearward offers me greater control while still being able to deploy my weapon. Nice vid 🤙

[Cecil Burch]

I was originally a big fan knee in chest until weapons started getting pulled off my own belt while in the position. It’s true it might have little impact on the overall outcome at that point but why take that chance. I have found that the sit out position both forward and rearward offers me greater control while still being able to deploy my weapon. Nice vid 🤙


Weird how disparate people, who have never met, come to similar conclusions. Maybe it is because when you are honest to the problem, and put time in when the training partner is actually allowed to fight back like a real bad guy does, there are not really a lot of different answers?

No surprise you got what I was trying to convey in the video. You are working the same things with the same honesty. One day we are going to get to meet up and solve the world's problems on the mat! LOL

[Ben RBC]

Weird how disparate people, who have never met, come to similar conclusions. Maybe it is because when you are honest to the problem, and put time in when the training partner is actually allowed to fight back like a real bad guy does, there are not really a lot of different answers?

No surprise you got what I was trying to convey in the video. You are working the same things with the same honesty. One day we are going to get to meet up and solve the world's problems on the mat! LOL

Lol, looking forward to it.

[SouthNarc]

Good to see you here Ben!

[Ben RBC]

Good to see you here Ben!

Thanks Craig! I’m having to reaclimate myself to the forum format vs FB and IG. John Vee sent me a link so I thought I’d check it out.

To Cecils point about position I have found that in a lot of cases where people disagree, if they train eventually they’ll come to the light. If they don’t, then they’re probably not your target audience anyway.

[SouthNarc]

To Cecils point about position I have found that in a lot of cases where people disagree, if they train eventually they’ll come to the light. If they don’t, then they’re probably not your target audience anyway.

Exactly and to that point, that's another reason I really don't try and convince people to train this way anymore. My time is better spent with the folks that have already made the jump into this.