As I progress with my judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu trials and tribulations, I am becoming proficient enough to understand what I'm doing wrong. I'll take this as a sign of wisdom and experience, rather than incompetence. Hopefully, sharing my mistakes will help others avoid those mistakes, and speed them along the proper path.
The upa escape is a must-have in any Brazilian Jiu Jitsu repertoire. Also known as the bridge-and-roll escape, the upa escape is a simple way to get out from under top mount. When your opponent is mounted on top of you, you control one of their arms, bring your foot on that side up close to your butt and trap their ankle, then bridge up and over to that side to roll. It's usually one of the first things that people learn when training, and yet, it rarely works when sparring on the mat. That ineffectiveness is not because of a problem with the technique; it's just that we are (or, at least, I am) doing it wrong.
Here's a list of three mistakes I consistently make as I'm learning the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu upa escape:
1) I let my opponent get too far up on my body
The key to a successful escape is to get your opponent up high when you initially bridge. This requires they be as far back on your torso as possible. The closer their weight is to your hips as they drive up, the more they will move and give you the room to complete the rolling part of the escape. Additionally, the higher they get, the more off-balance they will be and have difficulty blocking the escape attempt.
If I allow my opponent to position themselves with their weight on my chest, I will not get them high enough when I bridge to complete the move. The bridging lever between my shoulders & knees is not long enough to create the required upa. Any attempt to do so is just a waste of energy.
2) I don't bring my feet close enough
After I control my opponent's body position and one of their arms, my next step is to bring both feet close to my butt, with the foot on the trapping side of my body outside of their ankle. If I don't trap their ankle, it will be very easy for my opponent to spread that leg out as a post, blocking me as I try to roll. The closer my feet get to my butt, not only do I have a better trap, but the higher I can bridge. There are several reasons why my feet don't come in all the way; laziness, inflexible knees, or just being in a hurry to roll the millisecond I control the arm.
3) I wait too long
My opponent is far enough back on my torso (a good rule of thumb: if you can put your elbows on the mat at your sides without their knees blocking you, they're far enough back). And my feet are as far in as I can get them. I can (and usually do) still put myself in a bad spot by taking too long. The top mount position is very powerful and controlling, and a good opponent will know what I'm going to do because there are very few escapes from the mount. If I get grip control on my opponent's arm, I will likely not maintain it for very long; they will pull the arm away because they know what I want to do. When my foot blocks their ankle, they will quickly try to reposition their leg. I have to be planning ahead, so that the arm trap / foot block / bridge up combination is all in one smooth motion.
I think the upa escape is a perfect symbol of everything that is interesting and elegant about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. You plan ahead and use simple leverage to get out of a very bad spot and improve your position. Avoid my mistakes, and you'll have much greater success on the mat.
Paul Herzog and his son Christopher have been taking judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instruction at Petushin Martial Arts since the new Rosemount, Minnesota facility opened in 2010. In addition to receiving some of the best grappling instruction in the Midwest, Paul has lost 30 pounds, and Chris has gained strength and self-confidence. If either of those sounds appealing, please contact the academy at 612-991-9116 or go to http://www.petushinmartialarts.com/ to arrange your first visit!
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