Student Objectives:
The student will apply the Baseball Slide Armbar from the Knee on Belly position with good technique on a compliant partner.
The student will practice transferring weight from the knee and shin to the thigh and buttocks while in the Knee on Belly position by applying the Baseball Slide Armbar.
Teaching Cues:
Knee on Belly
Pull Up
Rotate and Slide
Don't Kick Your Partner in the Face
Lesson: Baseball Slide Armbar from Knee on Belly
The assisting student will start in a good training position by laying flat on their back with their legs bent and feet flat on the floor. They will then put their hands in the Home Alone position. The practicing student will start in the Knee on Belly position by placing a knee on the chest or stomach of the assisting student and posting their other foot flat on the floor in line with the shoulder. The practicing student should have their chest angled towards the assisting student’s head with posture.
Once in the starting position the assisting student will take one hand and place it on the knee of the practicing student’s posted foot.
The practicing student will then make a Cuff Grip on the assisting students arm that is pushing on the posted knee. Once secured the grip will be violently lifted to break the grip (if there was one) and elevate the assisting student’s shoulder off of the ground. This lift can be accomplished by pulling with the whole upper body, however the practicing student should stay in the Belly Position.
After lifting the arm the practicing student will rotate their foot attached to the knee on the belly into the assisting student’s shoulder. The practicing student will then slide forward, towards the foot, driving their shin deep into the assisting student’s armpit. This will require an adjustment of the practicing students base from the knee and shin, to their thigh and buttocks. Make sure the practicing student is disturbing their weight along the entire chest of the assisting student. This will feel odd to many students and they may feel like they are squishing their training partner. Assure them that laying down and distributing their weight along the whole chest is more comfortable than trying to keep their weight on their shin.
The practicing student’s free arm can be used to assist in many ways. Typically, if the grip on the knee is easily broken, the practicing student will use the free arm to post on the floor or hip to assist in their balance while making the transition into the armpit.
During the rotation of the foot to the shoulder, and the shin into the armpit, the practicing student should step over the head of the practicing student taking great care not to kick their partner in the face. After clearing the head with the leg, the foot should be posted on the floor and then pulled in until the heel locks against the assisting student’s neck, between the ear and the shoulder.
To finish the armbar the, the practicing student will hug the arm, pinch the knees and slowly lay their back towards the floor.
Possible Extensions:
Any time the foot is curled around the shoulder and the shin is in the armpit, the Hitchhiker Escape becomes viable. I did not include this movement in the curriculum as I believe it to be a dangerous maneuver dependent on timing, however it is a very common escape and can easily be sought out online. While it is not my favorite movement, I acknowledge that it is highly effective and something that children need to be prepared to deal with. This is the time in my curriculum that I show the technique, but not as it’s own lesson to perform the movement, but rather to become familiar with the technique.
Students should be prepared to bail out of the position if the armbar is defended. This varies depending on the reaction of the assisting student, however, I prefer to make a transition to Kesa Gatame. This transition works after sitting down to finish the armbar, and the assisting student has clasped their hands together or grabbed their own lapel to defend the extension of the arm. To transition to Kesa Gatame the practicing student will remove the leg from over the assisting students face and swing it back to the previous posted position. As the leg is clearing the head the shin in the armpit can be cleared by extending the leg away from the body. As the leg is being cleared from the armpit the practicing student should sit up towards the chest of the assisting student and place their arm over the body.
The entry into the armbar is typically done by laying down across the body after sliding the shin into the armpit. This means the finish to the armbar can be applied by laying on top of the assisting student. This removes the ability for the Hitchhiker Escape and is an important concept for advanced grapplers. For this reason I typically have the practicing student practice tapping their partner twice with each repetition of the movement. Once while laying on the assisting student, and then once by allowing their body to slide off the chest and finishing by laying close to the assisting student.
Possible Refinements:
Kicking the assisting student in the face happens quite frequently while learning this armbar. This is due to the angle which the leg comes over the head being more parallel (from laying down) and less perpendicular. It will be important that you stress the importance of not kicking your partner in the face.
The rotation of the foot to the back of the shoulder is a new concept for some of the students. Make sure the student is flexing the foot and trying to curl the toes to make contact with the back of the shoulder. There shouldn’t be any space between the top of the foot and the shoulder. This will make a perfect curve at the ankle to control and hook the entire shoulder.
Make sure you tell the assisting student to be careful with the hand on the knee while practicing this movement. It is natural to want to grab the pants (and many people do while grappling) but while we are practicing the movement we want to avoid finger injuries from repeated violent grip breaks.
Reference materials:
Teaching Reflections:
How did I do teaching?
What could I do better next time?
Did the student gain proficiency in lesson material?