Technique: Gokor Chivichyan    Article by: Kevin Howell   Photos by: Dave Contreras

The open guard is a very dangerous position with regards to leg attacks. With your opponent’s legs just hanging in the air, a swift leg submission can end the fight in an instant. While the guy on the bottom will try to stop you from passing his guard, sometimes you don’t even have to pass but you can go straight for the submission. This is just one of the many techniques that Gokor teaches on his new “Leglock Encyclopedia 5 DVD Set” available from Budovideos.com.

1-1. Gokor stands up in Ken’s open guard and adjusts his stance so one foot is forward and one foot is back. Since Gokor’s right foot is back, he grabs Ken’s left foot with his right hand.

1-2. Keeping his left foot against Ken’s right thigh, Gokor starts to lean into a forward roll. Note that he maintains the grip on Ken’s left foot while Gokor’s left hand reaches towards the mat.

1-3. Gokor gets closer to the mat to start the forward roll. He makes sure his left leg is still firmly underneath Ken’s right thigh. (Note: For the picture’s sake Gokor is placing his left hand on the mat. In reality the roll would happen fast without having to support his weight on his hand.)

1-4. Midway through the roll Gokor reaches with his left hand behind Ken’s left leg to secure the toehold. Note Ken’s right leg is still being pushed away - taking away his ability to defend the submission.

1-5. With the roll completed, Ken is face down on the mat with Gokor’s hips in between Ken’s legs. From this position it is very difficult for Ken to try to escape.

1-6. With Ken immobilized and the toehold locked on, Gokor just needs to apply a little more pressure to get the tap. Note that Gokor is grabbing right at the toes of Kens foot. This increases the leverage of the submission.

Rolling Kneebar from Half Guard

The half guard is generally accepted as an intermediary position in grappling. The guy on top usually wants to pass to set up his submissions while the guy on the bottom wants to sweep or at least stop his opponent from passing. In this technique Gokor shows how you can submit your opponent right from half guard. This technique works best when the guy on the bottom has a tight figure four on your leg.

2-1. Gokor starts in Ken’s halfguard. Ken has Gokor’s right leg in a tight figure 4.

2-2. Gokor brings his left leg back and places his knee right against Ken’s shin.

2-3. Now Gokor lifts up his right leg and brings it up high on his own leg to make a figure 4 of his own.

2-4. Note Gokor and Ken are knee to knee and Gokor’s right leg is up as high on his calf as possible.

2-5. Gokor grips low on Ken’s hips and pushes himself backward to break Ken’s figure 4 while maintaining his own. Notice Gokor’s head is on the opposite side of Ken’s body as his figure 4 is.

2-6. Gokor starts to roll to his left and only at this point does he unlock his figure 4 and slide his legs down to Ken’s right ankle. Gokor maintains the tight grip on Ken’s body to prevent the escape.

2-7. His hands are still gripped below Ken’s hips and Gokor’s legs are crossed at Ken’s ankle.

2-8. Gokor readjusts his head on the opposite side of Ken’s body. With his grip and leg control in place all is left is for him to arch his hips. This puts tremendous pressure on Ken’s knee forcing him to tap.

Tags: Techniques

Tags: Gokor Chivichyan, Rolling Kneebar, Rolling Toehold, Technique

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