Armbar vs Triangle — The Guard Dilemma
Mat mode
5:00
Tell the roomPass without giving up an isolated arm or the neck. Finish the armbar or the triangle, or deny the pass long enough to score the clock.
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Notes (this phone)
TOP PLAYER
POSITION
Inside closed guard. Any initial grips allowed.
OBJECTIVE
Pass without giving up an isolated arm or the neck.
CONSTRAINTS
Elevated safety. Apply finishes at communication pace. Confirm tap-release reliability before running it. Bottom may only attack inside the armbar-triangle family; a kimura or rear choke resets the rep. Reset when the bottom player scores a finish, when the top player passes to a dominant position, or when either player taps. Bottom player returns to closed guard; top player returns to inside the guard. Play until each player has been in each role five times. Default rounds 5:00.
WIN CONDITION
Pass to side control, mount, or back mount without conceding an isolated arm or the neck.
BOTTOM PLAYER
POSITION
Closed guard. Any initial grips consistent with armbar or triangle entry.
OBJECTIVE
Finish the armbar or the triangle, or deny the pass long enough to score the clock.
CONSTRAINTS
Stay inside the armbar-triangle family only. Same elevated pace and reset rules.
WIN CONDITION
Force the tap by extending an isolated arm or strangling with the legs (neck and one arm), or prevent the top player from passing for a full 90-second block without conceding position.
Original positional game. Armbar vs Triangle — The Guard Dilemma. GAME-ARM-04.
Problem
Inside closed guard.
Setup
Inside closed guard. Any initial grips allowed. Closed guard. Any initial grips consistent with armbar or triangle entry.
Score
Pass to side control, mount, or back mount without conceding an isolated arm or the neck. Force the tap by extending an isolated arm or strangling with the legs (neck and one arm), or prevent the top player from passing for a full 90-second block without conceding position.
Rules
- Elevated safety.
- Apply finishes at communication pace.
- Confirm tap-release reliability before running it.
- Bottom may only attack inside the armbar-triangle family; a kimura or rear choke resets the rep.
- Reset when the bottom player scores a finish, when the top player passes to a dominant position, or when either player taps.
- Bottom player returns to closed guard; top player returns to inside the guard.
- Play until each player has been in each role five times.
- Default rounds 5:00.
- Stay inside the armbar-triangle family only.
- Same elevated pace and reset rules.
Progressions
Harder constraint variants from the source. Same game, tighter problem.
- Allow the top player to use a kimura counter — reaching under the guard to establish a figure-four if the bottom player extends the arm for the armbar. This extends the dilemma to three submissions.
- Start with the guard already open and require the bottom player to establish closed guard or enter submissions from open guard. Removes the guaranteed starting position.
- Run as a timed competition: three five-minute rounds per pairing. Track points across rounds. This is competition-equivalent intensity for the armbar-triangle system.
submissions · armbar
Wall card
Armbar vs Triangle — The Guard Dilemma
Proficient
TOP PLAYER
Position
Inside closed guard. Any initial grips allowed.
Win condition
Pass to side control, mount, or back mount without conceding an isolated arm or the neck.
Constraints
Elevated safety. Apply finishes at communication pace. Confirm tap-release reliability before running it. Bottom may only attack inside the armbar-triangle family; a kimura or rear choke resets the rep. Reset when the bottom player scores a finish, when the top player passes to a dominant position, or when either player taps. Bottom player returns to closed guard; top player returns to inside the guard. Play until each player has been in each role five times. Default rounds 5:00.
BOTTOM PLAYER
Position
Closed guard. Any initial grips consistent with armbar or triangle entry.
Win condition
Force the tap by extending an isolated arm or strangling with the legs (neck and one arm), or prevent the top player from passing for a full 90-second block without conceding position.
Constraints
Stay inside the armbar-triangle family only. Same elevated pace and reset rules.
Elevated safety. Confirm tap-and-release before the first rep. Stop at the tap. Do not run this if the room is not already serious about it.