I’ve also found myself watching competition footage of Bernardo Faria pulling half guard but I haven’t had the time to cut it up like GambleDub Breakdowns did.
Since we’ve been practicing the shameful act of guard pulling, we can use that to attempt takedowns. I like this video. I’ve seen Gerson hit the ankle pick:
I wish the camera person would’ve turned away from Danaher to show the tani otoshi while he described it. Check out this page for a description of the move, which also acknowledges the risk to the knee: https://shintarohigashi.com/blog/safe-ways-to-do-tani-otoshi#:~:text=It’s%20a%20very%20big%20throw,to%20do%20tani%2Dotoshi%20safely. Judoka on the internet object to the inclusion of tani otoshi on the banned list, saying that it’s poor execution or a misunderstanding of the technique. I think it still fits within the same logic as the ban on jumping guard. For a clean guard jump, as demonstrated in Danaher’s video, it’s not dangerous, but in the dynamic flow of an actual roll, the execution is less reliable and it becomes risky.
Now, let’s get the pejorative memes out of the way:
Feel free to comment with your own mockery of guard pulling and butt scooting. However…
To get the actual content started, here’s a video of the Wiltse brothers giving you a description of guard pulling philosophy. It’s still better to be a better wrestler, but sometimes you know your standup game is inferior to your opponent’s. Andrew moves fast and covers a lot of movements, but he expresses an important mindset of intention and commitment in guard pulling. It is not about passively sitting down, it is the initiation of offense:
As Keenan admits at the end, this video is really more of a sacrifice throw than a guard pull. Still, it’s a helpful movement for pulling someone in and initiating offense. He breaks it down a bit slower than anything in the Wiltse video, so it might be more practical to integrate it directly.
