Knee to the Ceiling

PinsIntermediate

pins

Grapplers Collective, Knee to the Ceiling. 5-6 min rounds.

Problem

Climbing from ankle to torso to a body lock, one segment at a time.

Tell the room

Top climbs ankle to knee to hip to torso, keeping that knee at the ceiling and hands on the legs until the hip is theirs. Bottom only wins by standing up; top wins with any body lock on the torso.

Setup

Start with the ankle already high. Bottom lies supine. Top stands in front holding one ankle above the bottom's hip line, that knee turned to the ceiling.

Score

A body lock on the torso.

  • Top — any body lock, hands connected around the bottom's torso
  • Top — the lock counts from the front, the side, or behind
  • Bottom — stands to a balanced base facing the top

Rules

  1. Legs only until the torso. Top touches nothing above the bottom's hips until the hip segment is controlled.
  2. Climb one segment at a time. Contact moves ankle, then knee, then hip, then torso. No skipping.
  3. Knee to the ceiling. Knee points up, foot off the mat. If either goes, the top drops back one segment.
  4. Fold past a shoulder. Send it to the side of the head, never into the neck. Tap for pressure.

Adjust

Easier

Top starts already owning the knee segment, so the first climb is shorter.

Harder

Bottom may grip the top's legs and attack from the ground.

If it stalls

If the top hugs the leg and stops moving, ask which segment they own right now and where the next contact goes.

Build a class from this

TOP PLAYER

POSITION

Bottom lies supine. Top stands in front holding one ankle above the bottom's hip line, that knee turned to the ceiling.

OBJECTIVE

Top climbs ankle to knee to hip to torso, keeping that knee at the ceiling and hands on the legs until the hip is theirs. Bottom only wins by standing up; top wins with any body lock on the torso.

CONSTRAINTS

Legs only until the torso. Top touches nothing above the bottom's hips until the hip segment is controlled. Climb one segment at a time. Contact moves ankle, then knee, then hip, then torso. No skipping. Knee to the ceiling. Knee points up, foot off the mat. If either goes, the top drops back one segment. Fold past a shoulder. Send it to the side of the head, never into the neck. Tap for pressure.

WIN CONDITION

any body lock, hands connected around the bottom's torso; the lock counts from the front, the side, or behind


BOTTOM PLAYER

POSITION

Bottom lies supine. Top stands in front holding one ankle above the bottom's hip line, that knee turned to the ceiling.

OBJECTIVE

Top climbs ankle to knee to hip to torso, keeping that knee at the ceiling and hands on the legs until the hip is theirs. Bottom only wins by standing up; top wins with any body lock on the torso.

CONSTRAINTS

Legs only until the torso. Top touches nothing above the bottom's hips until the hip segment is controlled. Climb one segment at a time. Contact moves ankle, then knee, then hip, then torso. No skipping. Knee to the ceiling. Knee points up, foot off the mat. If either goes, the top drops back one segment. Fold past a shoulder. Send it to the side of the head, never into the neck. Tap for pressure.

WIN CONDITION

stands to a balanced base facing the top