Blue Belt Test Notes

Question 1

Defend Headlock from Behind

Answer 1

Headlock Throw or “Turn-the-Corner” Throw

Notes: Tuck elbows in when resisting choke.

Question 2

Defend Headlock from the Side

Answer 2

Hamstring Grab Sitting Takedown, Headlock Break from S-Mount, and Armbar
Notes: Left arm grabs O’s waist, and right arm grabs the rear of O’s inside hamstring. Stretch-leg-sit-down take-down. Move to S-Mount and then *slide your left knee up and use it to pin O’s upper back (improves arm control angle).

Question 3

Defend Slap/Punch to the Face

Answer 3

Haymaker Defense to O-Goshi

Notes: Hips back further than you think for the throw.

Question 4

Bridge Escape from Mount

Answer 4

Opponent starts postured up. Break posture with your legs and keep elbows and hands in. Swim one arm to underhook & collect O arm. Collect same-side foot and bump.

Question 5

Head-to-the-Floor Escape from Back

Answer 5

Notes: Get on top of your partner. Tuck your head over to the ground on the “underhook side”, but don’t just flop onto the floor beside your partner. Walk your feet over purposefully and shuck your torso to follow. Post your inside elbow on the floor with a strong frame to prevent O from just rolling over into mount. Then use that frame to shrimp out and come to a seated position.

Question 6

Turn-on-the-Knees Escape from Side Control

Answer 6

Notes: Establish side control frames. Start with a space-creating shrimp out and away from partner, framing with arms. Bridge in and use outside/top arm to underhook under O arm, shooting yourself downward as you come down from the bridge. Roll to knees

If end up facing partner from the side or 45 degrees, tackle with one arm on knee and one arm on hip.

If end up facing partner head-on, collect the inside ankle if possible.

Question 7

Hip Bump Sweep

Answer 7

Notes: Opponent starts postured up in your guard. Start out by breaking the guard, and then sit up as O tries to re-posture. Post out at a slight angle with your left hand. Remember to connect your right hand to O’s tricep and pull in. Hip through your opponent a little bit before you apply rotational torque with your right hand and your hips.

Question 8

Waiter Sweep (Full)

Answer 8

Notes: FULL WAITER SWEEP
Start with double sleeve grips in closed guard. Partner stands up from your closed guard. Hook under partner’s right leg with your right arm. “Waiter” with your left arm/hand, and extend your hips (to take your O’s weight out of the hooked foot) and slightly pressure/chop upwards with your right arm. Waiter-ing left arm goes for cross-side sleeve grip as partner falls. Sit up in a circular, sweeping motion, making sure to use your left/waiter-ing hand to control partner’s arm and prevent posting - create gift wrap instead.

Question 9

Waiter Sweep (Partial)

Answer 9

Notes: HALF WAITER SWEEP with CROSS GRIP
Partner stands up from your closed guard. Catch a cross-side sleeve grip with your left hand. Hook under partner’s same-side leg with your right arm. Extend your hips and chop out partner’s leg with your right arm (a little more aggressively than the full waiter sweep). “Ride the fall” by maintaining a tight sleeve grip, and then sit up in a circular, sweeping motion. Keep tension on your partner’s arm with your cross-side grip, keeping them torqued and unable to frame.

Question 10

Balloon Sweep

Answer 10

Notes: Opponent starts in your open guard, and you acquire sleeve grips (a little closer to the elbow if possible). Push the partner away with your heels and then slide under O’s hips as you pull him back in. Make sure to bring your hands inside instead of trying to do the pull-up-pull-down motion, and kick. Once you have your opponent in the air, it helps to look a little bit in the direction that you plan to sweep (eg: rotate your head left a bit if sweeping left).

Question 11

Tripod Sweep

Answer 11

Notes: Start with O in your open guard, and acquire same-side sleeve (L) and cross-side collar (R) grips. Remove your right leg from O’s hip, turn on your right side, and kick your right leg through O’s base. Chop O’s right leg with your right foot as you grab O’s leg and push your left leg into O’s hip. Hold onto O’s sleeve and use the momentum from his fall to sit you up and come into his open guard/Headquarters.

Question 12

Pendulum Sweep

Answer 12

Notes: Partner starts kneeling in open guard, with your heels on hips. (Optional: partner steps up the wrong foot). Collect left-side sleeve grip at your partners elbow or tricep. Round your back and swivel perpendicular to partner, bringing your legs open in a big ‘V’ (inside leg should be in your partner’s armpit as much as possible). Swing the outside leg in to chop your partner’s base and then bite downwards with your “armpit leg”. Make sure to follow through with your base-chopping leg to minimize getting it caught under your partner.

Question 13

Scissor Sweep

Answer 13

Notes: Partner starts kneeling in open guard, with your heels on hips. (Optional: partner steps up the wrong foot). Get cross-collar grip and same-side sleeve grip on your left side. Swivel onto your left side, bringing your right shin across your partner’s front. Pull your partner off-balance by pulling the sleeve and the collar upwards/towards you, and then chop both of your feet towards your partner’s centre-line.

Question 14

Arm Bar from Guard (Mat Serra Version)

Answer 14

Start with partner in closed guard. Collect two-on-one grips on partners arm. Hip up and pull partners arm across as you fall. Post left leg on partner’s hip and extend right leg loosely upwards. Spin like a top to see partner’s ear. Release your left hand from partners wrist, maintain grip on partner’s elbow with your right hand, and post left hand on partner’s neck. Replace hand post with left leg. Bite down with left leg. Control the wrist and hip up for submission.

Question 15

Triangle from Guard (Mat Serra Version)

Answer 15

Start with partner in closed guard. Hook the back of the head with right hand. Grab same-side hand with your left hand and press it into partners chest. Spread legs and roll back onto upper back as you swing legs out and around to leg cross position. Grab right ankle with left hand. Post left foot on partners hip and use it to shrimp out a little and rotate to 45 degrees. Cross legs into triangle, grab back of partners head. Lift hips, pull head down, squeeze legs.

Question 16

Knee Cut Pass

Answer 16

Notes: Start with partner in open guard. Use your right hand to post on partners same-side hip, and simultaneously use your left hand to push his same-side knee to the floor. Use your right (cross-side) knee to kneel over that leg. Keep right side elbow in and connected to your knee. Collect partners left-side sleeve - at the elbow if possible. Slide through and pull the sleeve up to come to side control.

Question 17

Double Under Pass

Answer 17

Start with partner in open guard. Push same-side knee to the ground with left hand (leave post connected) and come to knees. Throw same-side leg over right shoulder with right hand and make sure to change left and post to behind partners knee to prevent triangle. Repeat on the left side with the knee on the floor.

Question 18

X Pass

Answer 18

Notes: Start with partner in open guard. Step in with right foot forward, keep rear left leg outside of partners hip vision to the left.. Right hand post on partners same-side hip, use left hand to slap-push same-side leg in. Leg curl right leg to step over the pushes leg. Step into knee on belly.

Question 19

FAR-SIDE ARM BAR (Side Control)

Answer 19

Start with partner in side control, and partners outside arm under hooks your head/neck. Collect partners under hooking arm with your lower/right arm and use that to haul your partner up onto their side. Post out with your left hand and sewing your left foot around to your opponents back, forming a wedge. Spin and create the arm bar position.

Question 20

Baseball Choke from Knee-on-Belly

Answer 20

Notes: Start in knee-on-belly and collect baseball collar grips. Keep right-side elbow down and in. Use your left leg to slide across partner’s same-side arm and pin it to the ground. Swivel around to a north-south-like position and end with head on partner’s belly or head to the ground on the side.

Question 21

Cross-Collar Choke from Knee-on-Belly

Answer 21

Remember to pull partner up to you (off the ground) as you choke.

Question 22

O-Goshi

Answer 22

Your right-side arm wraps around the same-side of your opponent and you grip/palm his back before the throw.

Question 23

Ippon Seoi Nage

Answer 23

Your right-side arm crosses over and gets an under-the-arm-pit uppercut-like hook before the throw.

Question 24

Morote Seoi Nage

Answer 24

Your right-side arm grabs your partners same-side label the whole time, and you slide your right-arm elbow under/in front of your opponent’s opposite-side elbow before the throw. Use your right hand to scoop partner’s leg away from you so you fall into side control rather than half guard.

Question 25

Double-Leg Takedown

Answer 25

Remember you don’t have to do the full “Nick shot”, but you can. Penetration step with right foot, drop knee, swing left leg around and pivot to the outside. Head can be on the outside. Stand up and shuffle to the right to perform takedown.

Question 26

Single-Leg Takedown – Run the Pipe

Answer 26

Remember to use constant chest pressure vs. jerks down. “Chest pressure” also means a lot of shoulder pressure as well.

Question 27

Elbow Escape from Mount with Guard Recovery

Answer 27

Opponent starts postured up. Break opponent’s posture, keeping elbows in at beginning. “Elbow-in” to O’s knee on one side, and then power shrimp and turn fully to that side one side. Collect O’s foot with your inside leg and then shuffle shrimp as you push down with hands. Start second phase with frames to O’s other-side arm. Pass through butterfly with that food, then use your frames to underhook and create space for your leg to swing around to closed guard.