Mamazinho Chokes and Shoulder Locks

I've got a suspicion that my style of jiu jitsu (such as it is) is the same as Mamazinho's.

Maybe everybody else is finding themselves in the same dominant position and is equally unable to finish as I am. But Mamazinho has shown a number of moves that go directly to situations I've found myself in--both in class and in competition.

Mamazinho is also a muscular guy, and I can't help but believe that plays a part in how his style works. Hell, the Mamazinho got on the mat against Jeff Monson, for God's sake. Mamazinho lists at 185 and Monson fights in the heavyweight division (above 205) of the UFC.

I tried to write about the Mamazinho north-south choke a little while back. I'd been meaning to ask him about a few details. But between my nervousness in approaching him and the four-weeks-missed-out-of-six streak, I never got around to it.

Anyway, here is that choke, plus another one he showed us tonight. I'm writing it here exactly the way I did on the mat after class. I'm going to start taking a legal pad to class and write down one or two of the techniques we were shown--whatever I can remember--right there on the mat while I'm hydrating after my last spar.

Corker

Side control to scarf hold
Outside hand DEEP collar choke grip--palm down
Hip-walk into head. Get near knee under near shoulder
Step over head & choke grip with outside leg
PLANT HEEL RIGHT NEXT TO FAR SIDE OF NECK. TIGHT!
Squeeze both knees. Twist choke grip as you pull upward.

I had a hard time getting the Corker to work. Obviously, "Corker" is not Mamazinho's name for the choke. But it reminds me of trying to pull a cork out of a bottle in some cartoon, where you've got both feet on the bottle and you're pulling up on the cork with everything you've got ...

Anyway, I'll do some research on that choke. Mamazinho told Abel and that Filipino brown belt who's shown me a lot of things lately that it was both a pain and a choke submission. More smash style ...

There's a flourish if the guy tries to block your leg with his far side hand. All you have to do is grab that hand with your north hand (the one that is NOT in place for the choke), release the choke and attack with a keylock. If you get the keylock, switch hips to south-facing to cinch the lock.

Here's the north-south choke.

Mamazinho's North South

Side control to scarf hold
Scarf hold to north-south
... If guy reaches around to grab around your waist with both arms ...
Reach back around arm to grab collar. Trapping his arm.
Go back to side control (double knees)
Drive your north side elbow back between your body and his other arm.
Your elbow is like a wedge.
As your hand comes across the far collar, grip it with a palm down grip
Twist wrist up and lower the forearm to initiate the choke.
Open up hips to south-facing and continue lowering forearm to cinch choke

Catching Up

Grapplemania Seattle was a huge success for Gracie Barra Seattle.

According to both Griff and Rodrigo, Team Mamazinho really cleaned up. No doubt that we won the team trophy--and it sounds like much of our success came at the hands of Team Marcelo Alonso. Rodrigo said we Marcelo Alonso had like 10 guys cheering on his fighters, while we had about 40.

It's really got to burn Marcelo something bad so see Rodrigo do so well with Gracie Barra Seattle. Rodrigo said they got into it a little bit, but then made up. All in good spirited competition.

I'm back after missing a week with a combined in-law visit/strained oblique. Compared to the out-three-week groin injury (which I'm starting to believe might be something called Gilmore's Groin)), the oblique injury is relatively minor. I still feel twinges in it when I twist too much. But I rolled tonight and never felt that the obliques made a difference in performance.

The groin is about where the obliques are--which is a pretty decent improvement. I can do leg leviations, but not leg lifts, on that side. Working it and icing it should do the trip. I'm also trying to stretch every day--especially on days when I'm not training. Warming up is more important than stretching as far as injury prevention goes. But it wouldn't hurt to be more flexible.

The next tournament is a Copa here in South Seattle. July 29th is the tentative date, five Saturdays from now. I'm 0-1, 1-1, 2-0 for a 4-2 record over three tournaments. But I don't have any submission wins.

I want to make chokes the staple of my submission game, with shoulder locks second. Since my game is pretty much a Carlson Jr./Ralph smash game (I think my jiu jitsu deal is this guy, Cassio Cardoso), chokes are an ideal attack. They are also very efficient, as I remember Rodrigo pointing out once, making them good for opponents of varying sizes. This is also why shoulder locks are second. Bigger guys typically aren't very flexible in the shoulders.

Anyway, I want to get myself in gear this week and go into pre-tournament mode beginning Tuesday, July 4th (or Monday, if there is no class on the holiday). I'll have a full four weeks to get a competition game plan together, stay healthy, and get into really good conditioning. If I can pull off that trifecta, then I think I can win first place again on the 29th--and do it with submissions. Chokes!