My best north south escape

Underground BJJ Ground
1

I want to tell you guys how I, a poor blue belt, escape the north south position, i.e. which escape has worked the most often for me. Perhaps you guys can give me some pointers such as if you think the escape is any good, if it will also work against better guys (I've been able to pull it off on a high blue belt several times), etc. Also, perhaps someone will be able to incorporate this escape into his/her game.

Anyway, here is is...

You start in a posture under the side mount that I like to call the "straight jacket" posture. Let's say that your opponent is on your right side. Your left hand is touching your right hip and your right hand is touching your left shoulder. Your elbows are glued to your body. It's very hard for your opponent to underhook your left arm. You try to touch your shoulderblades together, hunching your back and only your right hip, not your left, is touching the mat.

He starts to try to get the crossface and far underhook grip on you, but realizes that if he goes for it, he won't get the underhook - YOU will get the underhook - and you might take his back. So he switches to the other, standard, "overhook and hip check" side mount (one arm overhooking your far, left arm, other arm by your hip).

When he does this, underhook his right arm with your left (but keep your left elbow tight to your rib cage still).

He runs around to north south. AS he's doing this, drive with your underhook and follow his right armpit (so you don't lose your underhook). Simultaneously, try to turn onto your right side and get your right elbow underneath your ribs.

THE EFFECT IS THAT BOTH YOUR ARMS WILL END UP BEING ON THE SAME SIDE OF YOUR OPPONENT WHEN HE REACHES NORTH SOUTH and therefore it's relatively easy to get to your knees. His chest will be on your left upper arm.

If you can't quite make it, raise both legs high up in the air with legs straight, and then "scissor them" to get the momentum you need to get to your knees.

Regards,

jonpall.

2

The funny thing is that this is an old escape I learned from my first BJJ tapes, Joe Moreira's BJJ tape set from Panther Productions! ;) It's the first north south escape he teaches there.

3

ttt

4

It's a good escape JP...

5

I like to put my arm out as bait (Hoping they go for the Kimura). Then when they go for it. I push off his knee with the other arm and spin toward the guy on top and tuck my knee into his midsection and pass my leg over his face and you have your self an armbar. I never finished anyone with the armbar, but when they posture up to escape, I can put them in my guard.

6

" push off his knee with the other arm and spin toward the guy on top "

which knee do you push off off and in which direction do you spin, etc.? Do you have more details, please?

7

Louco - I haven't seem to be able to make these escapes work. Too risky to give the kimura like that and if he puts good pressure with the knee on my side I'm not going anywhere.

Do you use this escape against the same level guys as you are?

8

"which knee do you push off off and in which direction do you spin, etc.? Do you have more details, please? "

Say he grabs my right arm for a Kimura, I use my left arm to push off his left knee and it pivots my body toward the arm that he is grabbing. From ther I put my right knee into his midsection and swing my left leg over his face.

"Louco - I haven't seem to be able to make these escapes work. Too risky to give the kimura like that and if he puts good pressure with the knee on my side I'm not going anywhere.
Do you use this escape against the same level guys as you are?"

Really not that risky. Make sure you are grabbing inside of your leg with the arm that he is trying to Kimura, then spin. I use it against anyone of any level. While the goal is to spin into an armbar, I haven't got the armbar on anyone, YET, it helps me go from North South and back to guard.

Sergio "Bolao" Souza showed me this move. Remember it is only if the guy goes for the Kimura and like I said, I try to use it as bait.

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"which knee do you push off off and in which direction do you spin, etc.? Do you have more details, please?
"

"Louco - I haven't seem to be able to make these escapes work. Too risky to give the kimura like that and if he puts good pressure with the knee on my side I'm not going anywhere.
Do you use this escape against the same level guys as you are? "

For some reason my first response isn't showing up so here I go again.

If I bait my right arm for the Kimura. Once the guy grabs my right arm to try to Kimura me, I use my left arm to push off his left knee, that will spin me perpendicular to him, I then slide my right knee(which is closest to him now) into his midsection and pass my left leg over his face for an armbar. Now, I have never actually finished the armbar yet, but just the threat allows me to regain guard.

This move was a nice slick looking move compliments of Sergio "Bolao" Souza.

I have used it against people better than me and people who are not as good as me. If they go for the Kimura that is. It works, the goal really is to get the armbar, but I found it works just as well as an escape. Remember when baiting the arm to grab the inside of your thigh. This gives you more time to do the spin.

10

I just try to get back under side control. Escaping north south is hard for me, like math is for Barbie.

11

"Remember when baiting the arm to grab the inside of your thigh."

Are you sure this isn't a typo? You're not talking about HIS thigh, are you? Which arm grabs which thigh?

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"Are you sure this isn't a typo? You're not talking about HIS thigh, are you? Which arm grabs which thigh? "

The arm he is trying to Kimura, you grab your thigh, well gi pant inside of your thigh. Only to defend it enough to get the spin.

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I will try to get someone with a digital camera take pics and post it this weekend. I do not explain things well. When you see it your gonna be like "Damn, I should have thought of that" Sergio showed us this in one class, the end result is you spin from being under the guy in north/south to you armbarring him. I haven't used it enough to actually finish the armbar, but I have used it alot to escape and get back to guard or half guard. You can only use this if they go for the Kimura. If they have your head trapped good, it is tougher, but you can push yourself out, then spin. This is a move you have to do fast too.

14

"I then slide my right knee(which is closest to him now) into his midsection"

That's the most important detail. If he gets his knee in first you will get armbarred.

15

This is actually the standard defense you use when somebody is trying to pass your guard, and keeps on moving past your legs. You underhook his arm and turn into him.

I wouldn't really call it an escape from N/S, since the guy never ends up in N/S. It's more of a way of preventing the guy from getting to N/S from your side, whether he has achieved true side control or not.

That said, it is an effective move, but watch that your underhooking arm doesn't get whizzered for a brabo! That's the counter I always go for when somebody tries this escape. Also, he can attack the underhooking arm with a kimura if it's loose, so between the kimura and brabo you have to be careful against a skilled opponent. Finally, you have to worry about a spinning choke, clock choke, or head and arm choke too. For all these reasons, you want to keep your arms tight and either go for a single or drop into a tight turtle as you come to your knees.

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"I like to put my arm out as bait (Hoping they go for the Kimura"

I finish a lot of guys from that position, thanks to Erik Paulson's killer chicken wings

Erik has great finishes from the N-S kimura postion... my favorite is to drive my knee across his face to turn his body, then pinch his head with my knees (no way he can push my knee off to spin). You can also trap his bicep with your shin.

17

I'm in the same boat with Andrew. I mostly force them back to sidemount and then escape.

Sometimes I roll guys over.

18

I stall, and pretend to be bored by yawning. When they move back to side control, I escape!

19

One of toughest positions to escape, if the guy has any skill at all. It's a completely dominant position.

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"It's a completely dominant position."

top is top.

bottom is bottom.

top is good.

bottom sucks.