MMA Leech

A long set of beginner solo drills you can do at home: shrimp, bridge, technical stand-up and more.

Building structures and frames: a clear conceptual look at why frames work.

Knee-on-belly transitions to mount and the back: following the opponent as they turn away from the pressure.

A guided tour of the main leglock positions: ashi garami, saddle, 50/50 and outside ashi, and how they connect when the opponent turns or hides the heel.

Gustavo Gasperin breaks posture with the legs, deflects an arm, wraps it and hip escapes to slide the shin across for a basic triangle setup.

Gustavo Gasperin's flower sweep as a low-risk option: knuckle grip on the sleeve to stop the post, low pants grip, block the leg and drive under the armpit. If it fails you are still in closed guard.

Gustavo Gasperin explains the difference between the Z guard (knee on the hip, feet connected) and the high knee shield, and why the connected feet make the Z guard harder to smash.

Outside ashi escape and heel-hook prevention: getting out before the finish is on.

Three back takes from mount using the gift wrap: trap the far arm, roll them to their side and drop in the hooks.

Six chokes from technical mount, gi and no-gi, including the arm triangle and the collar chokes available when the opponent has turned.

Several sweep options from single-leg X depending on whether the opponent leans back, drives forward or steps around.

Gustavo Gasperin's four ways to break spider grips: always stand, knee or hip behind the heel, shin behind the knee, and extending both arms while walking backwards.

The sweep to know when playing DLR with sleeve and collar grips: when the opponent stuffs your foot to knee cut, drop to the mat, kick them to the side and make them post before coming up.

Three layers of arm triangle defence from prevention to a late escape, covering the head-and-arm choke that usually starts from mount.

Troubleshooting technical mount: the difference between the controlling and attacking versions of the position and when to use each.

A step-by-step S-mount armbar for beginners, from the knee slide to the finish.

A rolling escape from turtle that turns a committed back-take attempt into a reversal.

Quick tip: add a bridge before the shrimp so the passer's elbow disconnects from the mat and there is room to bring the knee inside.

A reverse tripod finish for when the opponent back-steps out of a single leg X sweep: come up to the elbow, catch the foot and push the hip.