Schedule

Hook Sweep - Guard
If your opponent leans all their weight forward from Stage 4, drop them into Stage 1. If they stand in Stage 4 without leaning any weight, kick them back to Stage 5. If they are leaning forward from Stage 4 but have one leg forward for base, you may have difficulty dropping them back into Stage 1, and this is precisely when you would use the Hook Sweep to reverse the position.
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Guillotine Defense
When you establish the clinch, and your opponent no longer has the space or distance to strike you effectively, they will often wrap your neck in an attempt to submit you. For this reason, the Guillotine Choke is one of the most common techniques used by unskilled individuals because it’s simple and it gives them a feeling of control during the chaos. Although the proper clinch position should prevent the Guillotine Choke, your opponent may surprise you if your head is too low, and in this lesson, you will learn the most important Guillotine Defense principles.
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Clinch (Aggressive Opponent)
Most martial arts rely heavily on the use of strikes to defeat the opponent. This strategy may work against a smaller opponent but is very risky against a larger, more athletic opponent who could just as easily knock you out every time you put yourself in range to strike them. The best strategy is to establish a clinch and take the fight to the ground where you can preserve energy, neutralize punches, and win the fight with ease. The key to establishing a clinch on an aggressive opponent is to understand that there are two safe distances in a fight: all the way out or all the way in.
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Americana Armlock - Mount
The goal in the fight is to achieve the mount, exhaust your opponent, and then win the fight. Punching your opponent from the mount can be effective but is exhausting, risks your balance, and could injure your opponent more seriously than desired. We prefer to use leverage-based submissions instead so that we can maintain better control of our opponent and save energy. The Americana Armlock is a highly effective submission that can be used with minimal effort to defeat a larger opponent. First, you will learn the Basic Application and then two variations that could be used in combat.
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Reflex Development - Standing Focus Class Preview

In this class we'll bring together all of the standing controls, escapes, and submissions with some extra details, bonus slices, and scripted fight simulation drills that will help prepare you for your transition into Master Cycle!

Gracie Combatives Test -Drill 4: Standing Techniques
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Take the Back - Guard
Against a trained opponent, you can expect them sit back and establish posture from within your guard; but against an untrained opponent, you can expect the exact opposite. When a person drives all their weight forward from within your guard, they unknowingly create a perfect opportunity for you to take their back, especially when they are attacking your neck or face with one of their hands. In this lesson, you will learn how to Take the Back from the guard, but in order to simplify the process of learning all the steps, we’re going to break everything down into three slices.
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Standing Headlock Defense
Once you establish the clinch on your opponent, there is a good chance that they will get desperate and try to catch you in a headlock. Without the proper escape strategy, the Standing Headlock can be a very painful and demoralizing experience, but with the proper technique you can turn the tables and use their hold to your advantage.
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Positional Control (Mount)
The mount is the most dominant position in a fight because it enables you to win the fight in a variety of ways while depleting your opponent’s energy. You must understand, however, that as soon as you achieve the mount, your opponent will do everything in his power to get you off of them. In this lesson you will learn how to control and exhaust a larger stronger opponent from the mount. First, you will learn how to apply effective hip pressure, and then you will see how to neutralize the most common escape attempts you can expect from an untrained opponent in a real fight.
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Body Fold Takedown
Instead of exchanging punches with a larger opponent, we recommend that you establish the clinch and take them to the ground where you can exhaust and submit them. Once you establish the clinch, there is a good chance that they will get desperate and try to hit you in the face. In doing so, they will lean back and unknowingly create the perfect opportunity for the Body Fold Takedown.
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Elbow Escape - Side Mount
If your opponent is able to achieve the side mount, chances are they will be so eager to punch you that they will create space for you to execute the Shrimp Escape (Lesson 24). If they are able to prevent the Shrimp Escape, the best thing to do is conserve energy and wait until the opponent transitions from side mount to full mount so that you can use the Elbow Escape to recompose the guard. In this lesson you will learn two variations of the Elbow Escape from the side mount.
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Pull Guard
In an ideal situation, you would be able to close the distance, establish the clinch, execute a takedown, achieve the mount and win the fight. Sometimes however, your opponent is expecting the clinch and is very resistant when you try to establish control of them. If you get into a clinch and you are unable to take your partner down because they are too strong or you lose control of their hips, you have two options: let go and try again or Pull Guard. If you let go, you risk getting knocked out when you try to reestablish the clinch. If you pull the opponent in your guard, you can neutralize the punches, exhaust their energy, and eventually win the fight in a variety of ways.
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