Twister from Head & Arm

By: CombatChaz on Thursday, October 13, 2005

Eddie Bravo has made the twister a famous move, here is good usage of his technique as a counter to the Head & Arm or Scarf hold.

Step 1

Seth has me in the Head & Arm(Scarf) position.

Step 2

I bring my right hand around Seth's neck and grip it with my left, framing my arms strong and pushing Seth's head up

Step 3

I turn my hip inward towards Seth and walk toward him, forcing him to reposition himself and he brings his left knee up

Step 4

I throw my left leg over Seth's left knee, hooking my foot inside his thigh

Step 5

There are a few motions going on in this step, im scissoring my left leg back as I kick my right leg under my left, I pushing backwards with my left forearm forcing Seth's head over to the left as I also bridge off my head and turn to the left.

Step 6

I continue to turn to the left...

Step 7

I put my right leg over my left foot and lace my right instep under Seth's left lower leg

Close-Up

A close up of the leg work

Step 8

With my right hand, I reach up and grab Seth's right wrist

Step 9

Using my left frame to push away, my right hand to pull and my head to arch backwards, I break Seth's grip (sometimes your opponent will let go of their grip turning the turn and make this step easier)

Step 10

Keep hold of Seth's right wrist, I lean forward to make some space and reach left hand through Seth's right armpit

Step 11

I continue to reach my left arm through...

Step 12

I reach my left hand under Seth's head so that my fingers are facing upward with my palm outward

Step 13

To finish the Twister, I release my right grip and grab my left hand with my right fingers. I pull Seth's head towards myself as I arch my hips and pull my legs backwards.

Comments

J. Rockwell

Nice!

Anonymous

I tried this once after seeing it on 101 no gi submissions, from a RNC that the other guy was defending. The hardest part for me was passing the arm and getting around the neck(Step 10-12). HOW 'BOUT YOU???

jamesb959

This is a great move for getting out of a head and arm lock. My Gradmaster forst taught me this move and it works a treat. You just have to get the hook in and start repositioning pretty quickly!

jamesb959

That was supposed to be my 'Grandmaster'

smash

this technique is an awesome one. I dont have much problem sergio with swimming through and passing the arm as long as i secure my opponents hand firmly behind my head. THen from there it's fine.

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Anonymous

In this variation chaz already has purple's are around his neck. When I found I was going for "twister", I had to get completely under his arm... I think that's where my problem was.

Anonymous

"purples arm" not purples are. JEEEZZZ!!!

CassieTrost

Charlie tapped me out with this move 8 times in a row.

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Santa Fe Springs, CA

BJJHunter

Sweet, spinal locks are nice!

disabledjiujitsus...

i thank GOD for eddie bravo and the stuff he comes up with

CombatChaz

ya, his new book is awesome!!!

wrestler5544

dude thats an olllllllllllld wrestlin move lol not that new i dunno if he even made that up its called the gullitoine

ArenaBred

wrestler5544, you are dead on. It is a standing abdominal stretch, only executed on the ground.
I am a large guy, so all the "complex" moves give me fits.
I hit this from the feet, and torque sideways to the ground.
They usually tap on the way down.

"Sometimes killing a fly with a sledge hammer is entirely appropriate.
It doesn't make the fly any more dead, but the rest of the flies sure sit up and take notice."

Moridin471

Wrestler5544, as Arena said, you're dead on. This is indeed the amateur wrestling maneuver known as a guillotine. It's usually executed in amateur wrestling from the single leg lace cross body ride.

My coach was the 1985 Ohio state champ in his division, and he was all about legs. He brought this back to life when he took over our team, and it's become a staple ever since.

Sergio, passing the arm as in Steps 10-12 is VERY crucial to maintaining control of the upper body, and usually I recommend that it's passed before you roll into the maneuver. In this variant as the counter to the head and arm, it is more difficult to pass. It can still be done without passing this arm, but the lock won't be nearly as tight, and there is more room for an escape.

Oh, and disabledjiujitsusuperstud, while I respect Eddie Bravo for what he does, he didn't invent the maneuver. He simply made it famous and tagged it as his "Twister". It is based in amatuer [Folk-style] wrestling, and likely even farther back in that style's past.