Issue 079
September 2011
Who said MMA can’t be a team sport? Get your game on with the guys in these multi-person mat contests
GROUP DRILLS
TAG TEAM Origin: PRO WRESTLING
HOW TO PLAY: Divide the training group into teams of two or more. Two players begin in the center of the mat, with the rest of their team placed at the edge of the mat on opposite sides. If either player comes within reach of their teammates they may at any time ‘tag out,’ even if they are in a submission hold. The other player must release and the tagged-in player can attack from whatever angle, meaning that one player may, for example, go from a dominant position like the mount to having their back taken with the switch of players. Limit the action to ground work. If both players come to standing position, one must pull guard or both reset on the mat. Encourage the participants not currently engaged in the action to give advice and support to their teammates.
SKILLS DEVELOPED: Mat control, ring awareness, cornering skills.
CROCODILE Origin: BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU
HOW TO PLAY: Start off with a standard, two-person roll. Similar to a shark tank, one of these people stays in until s/he has faced everyone in the class. At randomized intervals the coach will introduce a new player as the grappling continues. This player can then attack the central competitor in any position before the original pair break. The competitors do not return to a neutral position (as in shark tank). This can put technically or physically superior grapplers into negative positions they may not otherwise experience, and can likewise place inexperienced fighters in advantageous positions. These scenarios also help athletes retain focus in situations they may feel are unfair, such as a referee allowing the action to continue after a foul, restarting the action in an unjust position, or, as in submission grappling competition, awarding points for an incomplete pass.
SKILLS DEVELOPED: Positional escapes, physical endurance and mental focus.
KING OF THE MAT Origin: WRESTLING, JUDO, BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU
How to Play: Both players start in the center of the mat. The criteria can be to wrestle to a takedown, a pin, or a submission. When one player meets the criteria the next player is introduced to the mat. If a player succeeds in defeating all the players present, he is the ‘King of the Mat.’
Skills developed: Physical endurance and mental focus.
TECHNIQUE FOCUS
THE DUCK WALK Origin: Freestyle wrestling
The duck walk is the movement required to make a low leg tackle. The goal is to drop your level and maintain good posture with the head and upper body whilst traveling forward. The duck walk can be executed as a solo drill, but adding a partner to respond to leg taps can aid in establishing a sense of distance and timing, and makes for an excellent set-up for faking to the lead leg and shooting the far leg.
How to execute the movement: Start in a wedge stance with the level change from the legs, not leaning forward at the waist. First take a step forward with the lead leg, then slide the lead knee forward to the mat as you tap your partner’s lead leg. At this point your partner should step their leg back, switching stance. Step the trail leg up, maintaining low hips, sweep the foot around in a circular movement. Don’t step straight forward. Repeat on the other side, and continue from side to side, until reaching the end of the mat.
SIT-OUTS Origin: Freestyle wrestling
The sit-out movement equates to an escape from a front headlock situation, or a baseball slide finish for a takedown. The sit-out makes for a good dynamic warm-up or cool down movement for the hips. The sit-out can be executed traveling forward as a baseball slide, or as a static drill as seen here.
How to execute the movement: Begin in the quarter position on the toes. Twist the hips, rotating on the toes 90 degrees, then back 180 degrees. Twist back again and kick the leg out straight, twist back, back again, then kick the opposite leg up and straight. Support the leg that sits out with the same-side hand.
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