Set Up Sankaku With Travis Stevens
Don’t be TOO comfortable in the Turtle position…
Have you ever trained with someone who was a little too complacent in the turtle position? It can be one of the most frustrating positions to deal with especially if they are using the position to stall. That said, there are some very effective tactics from the Turtle position in both Judo and Jiu-Jitsu. Thankfully there are plenty of options to crack your opponent’s shell and Travis Stevens is here to show us a great way to attack with Sankaku.
Sankaku is the Japanese term for Triangle. So if you are more familiar with that term, just know they are interchangeable.
Travis Stevens is a black belt in both Judo and Jiu-Jitsu, and is supremely efficient with his Ne-Waza. His newest instructional, Ne-Waza Mastery is dedicated to the ins and outs of this essential part of Judo. Let’s take a look at a clip from his new instructional and breakdown how he opens the turtle to attack with the sankaku!
SO, your opponent has defended your throw attempt by diving to the turtle, what now? Travis recommends getting to work immediately. Travis takes a palm up grip on his partner’s belt. This is a very important detail because if it is flipped the other direction it will make the rotation part twist your hand up. This particular grip will also make opening up the turtle much more manageable. Next Travis posts his foot on his partner's leg with his inside leg.
Sharpen your submission skills with Travis Stevens!
It’s important to note how Travis steps on his partner's thigh. He does so in a way that makes the pivot comfortable with his foot. So he doesn’t just simply stomp on their leg and hop around. Instead he reaches around to plant the ball of his foot strategically so he can rotate around his partner’s base.
Travis’s other hand grips the collar right at the base of their head. Now that the mechanics are all in place he rotates around and gives his partner a good yank. The goal here is to create separation between his partner’s elbow and knee. As soon as that space opens Travis starts to enter into his attack.
Now that your opponent has exposed that crucial space between the knee and elbow Travis looks to make a connection between his foot and knee. He does this by twisting his body and leading with his heel. Twisting like this will help orient your body in a good position to start to make that needed connection between the foot and knee. Travis points out that if you are trying to wrap around their lat instead of their armpit making the connection is going to be much more difficult. Once you make the ankle to knee connection, you can start to transition into the fully locked sankaku!
Ne-Waza Mastery has great set ups and details JUST LIKE THIS throughout it’s 8 parts. If you are looking for an advantage when the fight hits the floor, Travis has you covered.