Turtle Recovery
Mat mode
5:00
Tell the roomBottom starts in turtle under a seatbelt.
Show full gameHide full gameRules · how to win · coach notes
TOP PLAYER
POSITION
Alongside turtle with the seatbelt and chest glued to the back.
OBJECTIVE
Lock the back or flatten / choke from the seatbelt.
CONSTRAINTS
Top keeps chest contact. No hit-and-run attacks and no disengaging to re-attack. No sit-out for 5 seconds. Bottom has to find another recovery first. Chokes only. No neck cranks from either player. Reset when the bottom recovers any guard facing the top; when the bottom stands to a wrestling stance or reverses to top; when the top gets both hooks in for back control; or when the top flattens the bottom for 3 seconds or finishes a choke. 5-6 min rounds.
WIN CONDITION
Both hooks in for back control; or flatten the bottom for 3 seconds; or finish a choke.
BOTTOM PLAYER
POSITION
Hands and knees, chin tucked, elbows tight, under a seatbelt.
OBJECTIVE
Read where the top player's weight goes when they reach for a grip, and recover through the gap it leaves. No sit-out in the first 5 seconds.
CONSTRAINTS
Same chest-contact, no-sit-out-for-5-seconds, chokes-only, and named reset rules. 5-6 min rounds.
WIN CONDITION
Recovers any guard facing the top; or stands to a wrestling stance, or reverses to top.
Grapplers Collective, Turtle Recovery. 5-6 min rounds.
Problem
Turtle survival and multi-option escape pathway development.
Tell the room
Bottom starts in turtle under a seatbelt. Read where the top's weight goes when they reach for a grip, and recover through the gap it leaves. No sit-out in the first 5 seconds.
Setup
Start in turtle under a seatbelt. Bottom on hands and knees, chin tucked, elbows tight. Top alongside with the seatbelt and chest glued to the back.
Score
Recover, or lock the back.
- Bottom — recovers any guard facing the top
- Bottom — stands to a wrestling stance, or reverses to top
- Top — gets both hooks in for back control
- Top — flattens the bottom for 3 seconds, or finishes a choke
Rules
- Top keeps chest contact. No hit-and-run attacks and no disengaging to re-attack.
- No sit-out for 5 seconds. Bottom has to find another recovery first.
- Chokes only. No neck cranks from either player.
Adjust
Easier
Remove submissions, so the top wins only by hooks or flatten, and stretch the sit-out delay to 8-10 seconds.
Harder
Start the top with one hook in and drop the chest-contact rule so they can re-attack from new angles.
If it stalls
If the bottom repeats one escape, ask: "They're defending that. What opened up?"
turtle