Student Objectives:

1. The student will apply the Luis Pass from the Half Guard position, with good technique, on a compliant partner

2. The student will explore spatial control of Reverse Sit with when the training partner removes the underhook before the position is created.

Teaching Cues:

• Half Guard

• Chest towards legs

• Pinch the Knees and Grab the Booty

• Foot to Tailbone

• Get the Lapel

• Pass the Lapel

• Bear Crawl

• Lean and Pull

Lesson: Reverse Sit Luis Pass

Entering Reverse Sit without the arm

The assisting student will start on the ground, laying on their side with their chest facing the practicing student. The practicing student will place one leg in between the assisting student’s legs and the other knee will be placed on the floor away from the assisting student. Once in the Half Guard position, the assisting student will place their hands in the Home Alone.

To enter into the Reverse Sit the practicing student will initiate 3 movements simultaneously. This can be difficult for students new to the position and can be taught individually, however it should be noted that as proficiency increases so should the ability to perform these movements simultaneously.

1. Push off the outside foot with the intent of turning the chest towards the assisting student’s legs. If the practicing student has performed the previous Reverse Sit lessons they will find it much easier to turn their body towards the legs.

2. Pass the outside hand over the beltline in the most direct pathway possible to the far buttocks cheek.

3. As the assisting student’s back is rolled flat from turning in, the outside knee will curl in and tightly hug the space by the near buttocks cheek. Once in this position the practicing student will tightly squeeze both knees together.

The above steps are essential to the position and need to be drilled until they can be executed together, quickly, and with precision.

To solidify the position, the practicing student will use the hand closest to their leg that is trapped in Half Guard and grab their own foot. The foot will then be pulled close to the assisting student’s tailbone. This is extremely important in changing the angle and pressure of the assisting student’s Half Guard and will significantly impede their ability to maintain control of the leg.

In the previous lessons the practicing student may have communicated an off balance feeling while in this position. Without the Underhook being trapped across the practicing students chest, they may feel more comfortable and secure in this position. While the balancing aspect is much easier without the arm in, there are more escaping options with the arm out. While there are no Reverse Sit defenses currently in the curriculum, it may bring value to the students, and the Reverse Sit position, to include that material as a supporting technique.

The Pass

To execute the Luis Pass, the practicing student will untuck the assisting student’s kimono from their belt and take the far side lapel in their hand that is posted on the floor. The practicing student will then make a Spear hand with their other hand and place it on their own thigh where the legs are entangled with the goal of passing it under the assisting student’s knee pit.

The space is very commonly crowded, and the hand may have a difficult time passing through this space. When the hand meets the friction of the knee and it can’t progress anymore, the practicing student will allow their foot that is planted close to the assisting studnet’s tailbone to slide directly away from the buttocks. This will create a pocket of space that allows the hand to slide through. Make sure the hand is waiting to make the transition as soon as the foot slides away. If this opportunity is missed, simply reset the foot and make the transition again.

Once the hand has passed through the space at the back of the knee pit the practicing student will hand the lapel off making sure the palm is orientated towards the floor as the grip is made. Now that the lapel is passed to the hand, the practicing student should apply tension to the grip by extending the arm and slightly leaning back. This should make it difficult to post, shrimp or bridge.

Next the practicing student will use the freehand and the foot trapped in Half Guard to elevate their hips and slide the non-trapped knee across the assisting student’s belt line (Bear Crawl). Once the knee is in place the practicing student will return to the seated position and adjust their base.

This position is extremely secure and can be difficult for the assisting student to escape. This can be used as a resting position to deplete the assisting student’s cardio as it is also uncomfortable for the assisting student. It will be important to point out that this position, while dominant, is not a finishing position and the practicing student will still need to attack and try to advance their position.

To finish the pass, the practicing student will anchor their free hand on the belt or kimono while maintaining a base on the forearm. Then the practicing student will lean back towards the assisting student’s head while pushing with the tip of the knee that is across the beltline. This push/pull dynamic will create a very strong prying pressure on the knees and allow for the ankle to be pulled from between the legs. The angle for the lean is very important as the practicing student should never lean back over the floor otherwise the assisting student may be able to rock up and reverse the position.

Once the ankle has been cleared from between the assisting student’s legs the foot should be posted and then transitioned into a more conventional Side Control position.

Possible Extensions:

• It will be important to learn how to clear the arm from between the assisting student’s leg during the end of this movement. I have found through experience that youth students are more apt to hold onto the arm with the legs than other demographics.

  A great option is to move to the Knee on Belly position by placing the knee at the hip and then prying the arm out from between the legs. This is a good option because it naturally defends against the Triangle while also forcing the assisting student to choose between escaping a point scoring position or holding onto the arm needlessly.

• As the practicing student builds proficiency in this move, there will be an increased value in purposefully leaning back into the assisting students’ framing arms. When done correctly it can be extremely taxing to the assisting students chest, forearms and shoulders. This can lead to some student’s stopping the frame and exposing the space under the armpits. When this happens an immediate transition to Mount will be easy upon clearing the leg from the Half Guard.

• Some students prefer Three Quarter Mount to Side Control. This is easily accomplished by first executing the Bear Crawl and then putting in the Knee Shield. Once the knee is across the hip line the practicing student can use it to clear the knee from inside the assisting student’s Half Guard. While the lower leg is still trapped it will still be an easy transition to mount by simultaneously driving the knee of the trapped leg to the floor on the opposite side while straightening the leg of the Knee Shield to the near side. This combined with a rotation of the upper body can lead to an easy transition into a dominant (but not scoring) position.

Possible Refinements:

• Once completing the pass the lapel should be released from the hand. While this feels like it can be valuable, it can lead to the Reverse Triangle, or the assisting student trapping the head with the legs as they desperately try to regain some form of guard.

• Some students will complain that it is difficult to maintain the grip on the lapel because of the pressure on the wrist. The simple fix is to transfer the pressure of the assisting student’s legs onto the lapel. This can be accomplished by straightening the arm that’s holding the lapel while leaning and rotating the pinky finger away from the assisting student’s knee. When done correctly it significantly reduces the pressure on the wrist.

• The arm that is not holding the lapel should anchor the bodies together so that the assisting student can’t arch their body out from under the practicing student. While the practicing student may understand that they can’t lean back over the floor, and they must lean towards the head, sometimes it is overlooked that the assisting student may try to frame and make the space. Leaning into the frames is important, but that free hand holding onto the assisting student is also important.

Reference materials:

Teaching Reflections:

• How did I do teaching?

• What could I do better next time?

• Did the student gain proficiency in lesson material?