Sandbag Top Game - Technical Curriculum

The next part of our 4 Top games was the Underhook Sit-out position, or a modified Scarf hold. The name 'Sandbag' comes from Matt Thornton the head of SBGi, and relates to the kind of relaxing pressure that the top person puts onto the bottom. It isn't a strength holding game, but more of a relaxing and moving into the empty spaces game.

As with the Cross-sides position, we started this game from position and had the bottom person feed us pressures to identify and come up with solutions to. This list is the material we worked on when I travelled to visit my coaches in Montana a few weeks ago. Matt taught this section on the top game.

Position: Here we are using our hip to block out the guard, and holding our opponent close to us by using the far side underhook. The near side arm digs under the head for a prybar on the collar grip (no-gi we would join our hands from the underhook and prybar to achieve the same energy). Relax and let your weight settle onto your opponent. Legs wide for base and movement as necessary.

The List:
P: Bottom person moves away, creates space between their body and your hip
A: Move with them, follow with your hip.

P: Turns towards you to begin shrimping away
A: Use the damn Prybar! Force them to look opposite direction as with cross-face.

P: Gets near elbow to the mat, begins to go to 1/4 escape or shrimping
A: Switch legs to post with your top side foot at the top (head) end of their body, use the two grips (underhook and collar) to lift opponents body up (shoulder off the ground), slide you bottom leg under the near side shoulder to recapture the near side arm (elbow is on your thigh)

P: Far arm digs for underhook
A: Shut down the attempt by dropping shoulder to chest (close off space), by rotating hand from underhook to palm on the bicep (pummel), by reaching back behind yourself to hip (remove the arm - remove the underhook). Reset to underhook once opponent re-sets for another movement.

P: Far arm pushes on face (usually to upright frame / attempt legs around the head)
A: Battle it with your head position. Duck chin to far side shoulder (as in shutting down underhook), and use your forehead (as in clinch fighting) to battle the arm to the mat.

P: Hug and Roll attempt
A: Drop your head to the same side of your opponent as your body. Weight the near side.

P: Near arm pushes on prybar
A: Resist (pressure) to have the opponent commit to the push, then let it go and follow with your hips to kill the arm hip style - transition to new position


I think that's it for what we worked on that day. Again its the way we played with it that makes the big difference. The bottom guy has to work with the top guy to coach him on the pressures, and gradually increase frequency- not strength or speed. learn to recognise the pressure and battle it smartly. We had a high degree of success with holding the top position after this. It was great to see, and a lot of fun.