Leandro Lo vs Nick Meregali. So What really happened?
The 2017 Worlds is over and a lot of great matches took place. A few upsets, a few goofy calls, and as always a few lessons to take back to the classroom.
One of the matches to make a wave was the battle between Lo and Meregali. Lo was expected to win, however Metegali pulled off an upset victory. By all accounts Lo should have won, having the edge with much more experience, confidence having beaten Meregali before. Moreover, Lo is considered one of the best conditioned Jiu Jitsu athletes, and some might say he was a tad bigger then Meregali. Just a tad.
So what happened? Very simple, A "Reach under" sweep is what happened!
Why I am I writing about this? Because this is an example of a "TRU" technique.
A TRU technique is a move that once you catch your opponent in that move, that's it, they are stuck, and you are going win that transition regardless of how athletic or strong they are. Those that have been following the TRUJITSU revolution from the beginning probably recognized the "reach under grip" as it took place and aren't too surprised by the outcome. It's simply that difficult to get out, unless you are Superman and you can fly.
Jiu Jitsu constantly evolves, however the concept of grabbing the bottom of your opponent's Lapel isn't new. There are several Guard games that involve creative ways of grabbing your opponent's Lapel. Lapel guard, Worm Guard, and for those that have been following TRUJITSU from the early days you're most likely familiar with the Jiu Jitsu lab DVD series that came out almost 5 years ago and introduced Lapel concepts from the Sitting Guard. However the outcomes aren't always the same or as definitive.
It would be easy to make a 20 page lesson on this subject, and why some grips are better then others. But the point of these blogs is to be brief and still informative. So the best compromise is to say..
1. First, look at the picture below.
2. Ask, How was Lo trying to respond ?
3. Why did Lo feel he could stand up ?
If you analyze those 3 hints it will probably become more clear why the "Reach under grip" works so well.
If not, well, just keep following the revolution. : )
