North-South Denial

EscapesGuard retentionIntermediate

escapes

Grapplers Collective, North-South Denial. 5-6 min rounds.

Problem

Preventing north-south before it settles by framing, moving the head off center, and threading a foot to the armpit.

Tell the room

Passer is walking to north-south. Bottom denies it — frame the near limbs, slide the head off the centre line, thread a foot to the armpit. Every scoring position holds for 3 seconds.

Setup

Start mid-transition to north-south. Passer's chest drives down with the hips walking toward the head, not yet square. Defender is on their back with both hands free.

Score

Hold the position 3 seconds.

  • Passer — squares north-south with both shoulder blades flat
  • Passer — advances to mount or side control with the shoulders controlled
  • Bottom — foot to an armpit, re-facing into guard or a leg entanglement
  • Bottom — comes up to a seated frame facing the passer, or to neutral

Rules

  1. No turning belly-down. Bottom may not spin to turtle to avoid the pin.
  2. No pressing the hips overhead. Bottom frames on the near limbs instead of bench-pressing.
  3. The passer stays connected. Keep chest or torso contact; no standing off to re-settle.

Adjust

Easier

Start with the near-side frame in and one shoulder off the mat, and run the passer at 60-70%.

Harder

Open chokes and arm attacks, let the passer circle over the head, and score clean leg entanglements.

If it stalls

If both shoulders keep flattening, cue a small head slide off the centre line before the frames go in.

Build a class from this

TOP PLAYER

POSITION

Passer's chest drives down with the hips walking toward the head, not yet square.

OBJECTIVE

Passer is walking to north-south. Bottom denies it — frame the near limbs, slide the head off the centre line, thread a foot to the armpit. Every scoring position holds for 3 seconds.

CONSTRAINTS

No turning belly-down. Bottom may not spin to turtle to avoid the pin. No pressing the hips overhead. Bottom frames on the near limbs instead of bench-pressing. The passer stays connected. Keep chest or torso contact; no standing off to re-settle.

WIN CONDITION

Hold the position 3 seconds: Passer — squares north-south with both shoulder blades flat; Passer — advances to mount or side control with the shoulders controlled


BOTTOM PLAYER

POSITION

Defender is on their back with both hands free.

OBJECTIVE

Passer is walking to north-south. Bottom denies it — frame the near limbs, slide the head off the centre line, thread a foot to the armpit. Every scoring position holds for 3 seconds.

CONSTRAINTS

No turning belly-down. Bottom may not spin to turtle to avoid the pin. No pressing the hips overhead. Bottom frames on the near limbs instead of bench-pressing. The passer stays connected. Keep chest or torso contact; no standing off to re-settle.

WIN CONDITION

foot to an armpit, re-facing into guard or a leg entanglement; comes up to a seated frame facing the passer, or to neutral