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BJJ Fundamentals

Lesson 12 – Turtle Breakdowns

Warm Up (3min)

  1. Line Drills

    Lesson (25min)

    Turtle Control

    1. Start in top of turtle position
    2. Start with one knee behind uke’s knee, and your other knee behind their hip
    3. Reach around uke’s far side and grip their near side lapel
      • Use both hands to feed the lapel, don’t just grip and go
    4. Uke tries to escape by re-guarding, standing, or rolling (wrist-trap)
    5. Maintain your base and keep uke locked down in turtle position

    Hip Breakdown

    1. Continue from turtle control (with lapel-waist grip)
    2. Block uke’s near side knee with your own knee
    3. Pull uke’s torso over your knee block
    4. Move your own leg out of the way and drop uke onto their hip in the space in front of you
      • Only move your leg once uke’s body is over the top of their knee (i.e. when they are off-balanced)
      • Don’t pull uke on top of yourself, move back and maintain height as you pull them down

    Back Take – Knee Slide

    1. Continue from hip breakdown
      • It’s important for uke to fall onto their elbow and hip, not their shoulder and hip (which would immediately give you a pin)
    2. Secure a seatbelt grip, ensuring that your underhook goes over uke’s far side arm
      • Use the open space between uke’s knee and elbow to side your knee through
    3. Throw your far side hook in and use it to roll uke onto their side
    4. Throw in your near side hook and establish back control

    Back Take – Foot Slide

    1. Continue from hip breakdown
      • It’s important to keep downwards pressure on uke by pulling your elbow to their hip and maintaining tension through your lapel grip, otherwise they can get up easily
    2. Uke begins to get off their hip and back up to turtle
    3. Note that if proper pressure is applied, uke can only do this by switching their legs so that their near side knee moves away from their elbow
    4. Place your own knee over the hamstrings of uke’s extended leg
    5. Use the open space between uke’s knee and elbow to slide your foot to the inside of their thigh, establishing a hook
    6. Establish a seatbelt grip and place your other hook to establish back control