What to say

• “Pop-ups: hips high first, shin second — the order is the technique.”
• “Review escapes at half speed — frames before bridges, every time.”
• “Top players in the review: heavy and honest, no submissions yet.”

The technique, step by step

1. Hold last week's side control on their right side — chest heavy, no daylight.
2. Wait for the gift: sooner or later their far arm pushes up at your neck or face.
3. Pin it: slide your left arm out from under their head and drive their wrist to the mat, arm bent at ninety degrees, and drop your own head low beside theirs so nothing else lifts.
4. Thread: your right hand slides under their elbow from below and grips your own left wrist — a figure of four, both your palms facing down.
5. Check yourself: chest glued, head low, elbows tight. The lock is set before anything hurts.
6. Paint: drag the back of their hand along the mat down towards their hip, like a slow brushstroke.
7. Lift their elbow a centimetre at a time and wait for the tap. Let everything go the instant it comes.

Key details

• The wrist stays on the mat the whole way — the moment it floats, you are in an arm-wrestle you might lose.
• The tap comes from the paint towards the hip, not from hauling the elbow high.
• Chest pressure is what keeps the arm there — lose the pin and the lock goes with it.

Common mistakes

• Yanking the figure-four upwards fast — shoulders warn late and injure early; paint slow, tap early.
• Chasing the arm with both hands while the chest floats off — the bottom player turns in and the whole position is gone.

What to say

• “Pin the wrist to the mat — the mat is your third hand.”
• “Paint towards the hip, slow as wet paint drying.”
• “Release the moment you feel the tap — before you are sure you felt it.”

The technique, step by step

1. From side control, set your grips: left hand on their far collar or shoulder, right hand on their near hip or belt.
2. Drive down through both hands and pop your hips off the mat — toes under you for one beat.
3. Slide your right shin across their belt line, knee towards their far ribs, foot hooked snug at their near hip.
4. Post your left leg long and wide towards their head side — foot flat, knee up, a kickstand well out of their reach.
5. Sit tall: head up, chest proud, every gram of you travelling down through the shin.
6. When they bridge or turn, let the kickstand walk and the shin stay glued — the pin travels with them.

Key details

• The shin lives on the soft line below the ribs — heavy there, slippery everywhere else.
• Your posture is the pressure: lean forward onto your hands and you instantly become light.
• The posted foot stays alive — flat, wide and out of grip range.

Common mistakes

• Leaning forward with hands on the mat — one bridge and you are flying over the top.
• Leaving the posted leg close enough to grab — one trouser or ankle grip and you are sitting on the mat.

What to say

• “Sit tall — your posture is the pressure.”
• “Foot hooked at their near hip, no gap for an arm to slide into.”
• “It is a moving pin — float and follow, never perch.”

What to say

• “Round three is a listening drill — the bottom player picks the technique for you.”
• “Every paint finishes at a tap and an instant release — build the habit now, keep it forever.”
• “Knee on belly reps: judge yourself by how quiet your hands are.”

What to say

• “Top players: the pin buys the attack — the moment it slips, stop attacking and re-pin.”
• “Bottom players: his attack is your escape — the arm he wants is the space you use.”
• “Wins are quiet — reset and go again; the round is the teacher.”

What to say

• “Breathe out longer than you breathe in — leave calmer than you arrived.”
• “Stretch the shoulders slow, no bouncing — they did the learning tonight.”
• “Say the order out loud one last time: position, then submission.”