After being a member of Jason Scully’s Grapplers Guide since its launch, I’m now taking on the role of regular contributor with videos like the one above. Here’s the write up I did for GG:
My instructor Eduardo de Lima showed me this idea a long time ago, and I’ve worked on it ever since. The leg position (hooking outside the knee) is something I came up with on my own, but I later refined it with help from Jeff Rockwell’s study of Baret Yoshida. That’s what the “super bonus” version is at the end, just showing how you can do the leg entanglement like Baret if you want (Jeff can speak on this better than I can [he’s also a GG contributor]).
Doing the armdrag like this on purpose doesn’t happen much, since I’d rather have a clear path to the back, but anyone who has experience with the armdrag will think of times when they get stuck in the awkward situation of trying to climb to the back while the arm is under the leg. It often happens when they are trying to drive into you and get an underhook as you armdrag, or when they just grab on to whatever they can to stop you from going behind them.
If you want more crucifix goodness, and you’re in the Pittsburgh area, come to my seminar on May 5 at Steel City Martial Arts. The seminar is being put on by Artéchoke Media, a Jiu-Jitsu publishing start-up run by Marshal D. Carper. You’ll be hearing more about my work with Artéchoke soon!