Coursework: Return of the Far Side Armlock

Tuesday night we worked on the far side armlock again.

This time Rodrigo broke the move down into two parts, which I thought was a great move.

1. Elbow over / Switch hips / Trap arm / Walk to north-south / Lock side leg sprawl and pitch lock to leg

2. Lock side leg step in / Turn and Pivot / Drop to Armlock



Here's an Abhaya version of it. I also found a Paulo Guillobel version. The big difference that Rodrigo emphasizes is somewhere between the two versions. Guillobel pikes up from the north-south position, while the Abhaya purple belt remains on both knees.



Rodrigo had us put the leg that is on the lock side out in a sprawl/straddle fashion, with the knee of the other side on the mat next to the opponent's head.

Another big difference is that Rodrigo has us pitch down toward the legs rather than raising up, as both the Abhaya and Guillobel versions do.

The difference is that Rodrigo's approach provides mobility by keeping at least one leg up, while at the same time being able to keep your body as low as possible to prevent creating space through which your opponent can escape.