CURRICULUM, WEEK OF July 6th

This week in CTA classes, we begin our focus on the closed guard—one of the strongest and most important positions in Jiu Jitsu. Closed guard allows the bottom player to control their opponent by breaking posture, carrying their body weight, and neutralizing speed and strength. It’s a position that gives smaller grapplers the ability to shut down bigger, more athletic opponents while creating openings to attack.

On Monday, we’ll start with the armbar from closed guard, a fundamental submission that teaches posture control and timing. As the week continues, we’ll learn how to stand to open the guard—the most effective way to escape when caught on top. We’ll finish the week with the triangle choke, one of the most powerful and well-known submissions in BJJ, MMA, and self-defense. Whether you're attacking or defending, learning to understand the closed guard is essential to building a strong foundation.

This week in CTB classes, we’re continuing our focus on side control, dialing in the key details that allow us to stay heavy, control transitions, and shut down escapes. We’ll start the week with the kimura from side control, a powerful submission frequently used at the highest levels of competition to attack the shoulder and create chains of offense.

As the week progresses, we’ll explore how to use the gift wrap to isolate our opponent and control their movement, setting up one of the most effective chokes in BJJ—the kata gatame (arm triangle). To close out the week, we’ll learn how to advance our attacks with the knee on belly pin, a dominant position that creates pressure and opens up multiple submission options. Solid side control leads to strong finishes.

This week in CTC classes, we’ll focus on counterattacking and escaping from tough bottom positions. We’ll start by learning how to set up the reverse triangle from bottom side control—a powerful counterattack that turns a bad position into a potential submission. We’ll also break down how to escape the over-under pass, especially when our opponent is applying heavy pressure and trying to shut down our movement.

Later in the week, we’ll continue developing our defensive skills by learning how to escape from various pins, including the keza gatame (when our opponent switches their base in side control). These escapes are essential for building a resilient game—knowing how to survive and recover from bad spots is what separates experienced grapplers from newer ones. Stay sharp and come ready to move!