Student Objectives:
The student will explore the controlling nature of the Spider Guard and how to facilitate Kuzushi.
The student will practice push/pull dynamics between the sleeve grips and the feet on the biceps.
Teaching Cues:
Sleeve Grips
Scissor
Stretch
Partner Pulls
Foot to Bicep
Hips Away
Rotate The Bicep
Check the Base
Lesson: Basic Spider to Base Check
The practicing student will start in the Closed Guard position by laying flat on their back and allowing the assisting student to Triangle Sit between their legs. Once in place the practicing student should close their guard around the assisting student by crossing their ankles around their back. The practicing student will then take two same side cuff grips.
To set up the Spider Guard, the practicing student will maintain their double sleeve grips and enter with their legs like they are doing a Scissor Sweep. This will place one knee across the beltline and the second leg along the floor. Once the leg is across the belt line the practicing student will reorientation the knees towards the ceiling and position both feet on the hips. If done correctly this will leave the practicing student with one knee between the student’s arms and one knee on the outside of the arms. Both of the practicing student’s knees should be close to the shoulders of the assisting student with the knee between the legs providing a strong frame against inward pressure.
Next the practicing student will create tension on the sleeve grips by gently pulling on the sleeves and then partially extending the legs to push the assisting student away. This should partially off balance the assisting student. During the off balancing, the practicing student should adjust their outside knee to the inside by guiding the arm over the top of their knee with the sleeve grip on that side. Note- The knees will disengage from the assisting student’s chest as the legs are extended.
Once partially stretched, the assisting student will pull back with one of their arms. If the assisting student communicates that they can not pull back an arm, then the practicing student is over stretching with their legs or pulling too hard with their arms. The practicing student should then allow a little slack into the sleeve by limiting the press/extension with their legs.
As the assisting student pulls back with their arm, the practicing student will remove the same side foot from the belt and place it on the bicep. Once on the Bicep, the practicing student will remove the slack in the sleeve by pulling on the Cat Grip and partially extending the leg. This should create a controlling push/pull control over the arm, shoulder and back of the assisting student.
Using the foot on the hip, the practicing student will make a slight hip movement angling their lower back away from the foot pushing off the hip. This should be accompanied by an extension and rotation of the assisting student’s elbow away from their body by manipulating the push/pull control over the bicep. The further the elbow is extended from the assisting student’s body, the more control the practicing student will have.
To reinforce the existing Kuszuhi created by the foot on the bicep, the practicing student will take the foot off of the hip and place it on the assisting student’s far knee. To create a powerful Kuzushi, that often results in a sweep, the practicing student should push away with the foot on the knee while rotating the elbow of the bicep control in the same direction as the knee is being pushed. Lastly, the practicing student should make an exaggerated pull on the assisting student’s sleeve on the same side as the foot is pushing on the knee. This can be accomplished by an extension of the body and a slight turn of the chest towards the floor. This will take some practice to develop the perception but can easily be accomplished while the assisting student is on their knees.
Possible Extensions:
Practicing the sweeping sequence starting in the Closed Guard is a great way to learn the dynamics of the Spider Guard. However, Spider Guard is most often executed against a standing partner. While the dynamics and controls are the same, the angles change greatly. The value of keeping the hips closer (horizontally) becomes much more apparent.
Enter into the Base Check as described above from the Closed Guard and during the Stretching phase have the assisting student stand up. The technique will be performed the same way, but will require more range of motion from the pulling arm and the extending foot on the inside of the knee. While some student’s will fall over and accept this movement as a sweep, in reality it is simply the starting point for many other techniques in the Spider Guard.
The Triangle is the biggest threat in any Spider Guard. The easy access to “one arm in and one arm out” makes the transition very difficult to read in addition to being completely stretched. Often the assisting student’s head will be extended over the front of their toes. When practicing the Triangle make sure the practicing student has control over their entry and does not smash the assisting student in the face with his or her pelvis.
Possible Refinements:
Over extension during the stretching phase of this movement is very common. Particularly when pushing off of the hip as it does disengage the hips between the two practicing student’s. While there does need to be separation, it should be kept in mind that some of the sweeps will require pulling the assisting student over the practicing student. This is important in exposing the space under the assisting student, and if they are stretched too far, the practicing student may find it difficult to access this space effectively.
Make sure the assisting student is pulling back with the arm to create space for the foot to enter onto the bicep. Without a dramatic pull back this may be a difficult entry for some students to hit. Remember, this is a modified entry for the purposes of learning the Push/Pull dynamics of Spider Guard, specifically the pulling on the sleever grips and the pushing with the feet on the biceps.
The altered setup also limits the distance of the fall if Kuzushi results in a sweep. Make sure you instruct students to fall completely on their side and not on their shoulder or face.
Reference materials:
Teaching Reflections:
How did I do teaching?
What could I do better next time?
Did the student gain proficiency in lesson material?