Jiu-Jitsu Off The Mats: Self Defense With Pedro Sauer
If you weren’t signed up with Jiu-Jitsu Magazine prior to August of 2012, you may have missed out on one of the best interviews and technique articles we’ve had to date in Issue 9. Our co-feature that month was on Pedro Sauer. In the article he touched on a variety of topics from his humble beginnings, how he came to finally teach, his first experiences in America, his constant fighting for years defending the Gracie name in the Gracie Challenge, and more. As a short recap (and if this is your first introduction to Pedro), he is the first red/black coral belt who isn’t a Gracie. He’s received promotions from Relson, Royler, Rorion and Grandmaster Helio Gracie. While this is quite a feat, it should be noted that Pedro’s main experience from white to black belt was under the guidance and tutelage of Rickson Gracie. We were able to experience a very, very small taste of that when prepping for Issue 26 (with Rickson) and it was more than eye-opening and definitely mind-blowing to say the least. Due to being so highly technical, and holding jiu-jitsu so dear to his heart, Pedro is the first non-Gracie outside of the family to be allowed to use the title “Gracie Academy” for his schools.
This is but a small glimpse into the profound life of the 8th-degree Rickson Gracie black belt. Should you need more evidence of how truly great his spirit is we suggest you check out his fight against a former Mr. Utah bodybuilder who outweighed him by 100 lbs through this link, find a way to get a hold of Issue 9 (one of our three best selling issues). His teachings emphasize simple movements that are effective and can translate into useful tools on the competition mat, MMA, or in self-defense situations. Through his diligence toward, not only preserving the art, but also sharing its positive aspects and teaching technique to the highest degree, through worldwide online polls he has been named in the past as the “Best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor.”
To find out more about Master Pedro Sauer or to find one of his affiliated schools near you, please check out www.pedrosauer.com.
FRONT BEARHUG OVER ARMS COUNTER
(Applicable to BJJ, MMA and self-defense)
First, Pedro settles his weight down by slightly squatting to give his body a firm base so he is heavier should Luis attempt to lift him or take him down. He then places his hands on Luis’ hips and straightens his arms to create a frame. This frame provides him the space to execute his counter attack. Walking to his right side Pedro positions his foot next to Luis’ left foot, grabs Luis’ belt with his right hand and Luis’ right triceps with his left. Next, he pushes his weight forward so Luis’ left foot becomes light and all of his weight is on his right foot. Pedro now brings his right leg through the earlier mentioned space, pivots slightly on his left foot and places his feet directly in front of Luis’. With his hips directly in front of Luis’, he pushes upward with his legs from the squatting position, lifting Luis in the air, and twisting his torso to throw him to the ground. Keeping control of Luis’ extended right arm with his left, Pedro places his right knee on the ribs and shin into the armpit, while his left knee pins the other side of the arm. To finish he quickly swings his left leg over Luis’ head, leg curls it down toward the mat, maintains control over the arm, secures the wrist with his right arm, sits back, pinches his knees together, and raises his hips to finish the armbar.
FRONT BEARHUG DOUBLE UNDERS COUNTER
(Applicable to MMA and self-defense)
Once Luis establishes control using the body lock, Pedro uses the palm of his left hand to push the bottom of Luis’ noise upward, creating instant pain to drive Luis’ face back, and providing some needed space. Now that Luis’ head isn’t against his chest, Pedro slides his right arm in against Luis’ neck and grips the area where the shoulder and triceps meet. He then places his left hand on top of his right to create the frame. Taking a step back with his left leg breaks the grip and creates space for Pedro to attack. Still gripping with his right hand, Pedro drives his right knee with great force into Luis’ solar plexus. Stunned by the blow and hunched over, Pedro wraps around Luis’ neck with his left arm, positions the bony part of his forearm against the Adam’s Apple, and pins Luis’ head to the left side of his body. With his right hand gripping over his left, Pedro squats upward to finish with a guillotine choke.
Gloss
Frame – Creating an obstruction using the straightening of your arms that allows for space to be opened between yourself and your opponent or attacker.
HIGH COLLAR GRIP COUNTER
(Applicable to BJJ and self-defense)
This technique begins with Luis grabbing both sides of the collar with a very high grip. Immediately, Pedro drops down in base. He then grabs around Luis’ wrist with his right hand, wraps his left over his right and will keep the grip the entire time. Pivoting off his left foot, Pedro swings his right leg back so his left side is facing Luis. Continuing with the movement, he steps out with his left leg to bring Luis toward him and to place himself directly in front of him. With his hips now connected and underneath Luis’ hips and Luis’ elbow on his shoulder, Pedro leans forward slightly, while pulling downward on the wrist to break the arm.
LOW COLLAR GRIP WRIST LOCK COUNTER
(Applicable to BJJ and self-defense)
Since the grip is lower, Pedro cannot bring the arm over the shoulder, so instead he turns his body and brings his arm over Luis’ wrist using what looks like a downward elbow. Pinching the arm to his body, Pedro begins turning toward Luis to do a duck under where his head goes underneath the trapped arm. Simultaneously, he catches Luis’ waist with his free arm, so Luis can’t run away from him. Pedro now drives his head upward forcing Luis’ wrist to bend beyond its breaking point.
LOW COLLAR GRIP TAKEDOWN COUNTER
(Applicable to BJJ, MMA and self-defense)
Continuing from the previous move, if Luis opts to release the collar, Pedro can move to his back. Immediately upon the release, Pedro body-locks Luis and goes toward his back. Next, Pedro extends his left leg behind Luis’ legs and sits down to trip him. Upon hitting the ground Pedro brings his right leg over Luis to secure a high mount while Luis is on his side. From here he quickly secures Luis’ right arm with his own, slides his left knee up toward the head, posts his left hand on the mat so his arm is against Luis’ face, leans slightly to his right, and then swings his leg over for the armbar.
Gloss
Counter – An attack made in response to one by an attacker or opponent.
STRANGLEHOLD COUNTER
(Applicable to self-defense)
If an attacker attempted to strangle you while standing would you know what to do? Most people would say to hit him with a groin shot, but what if the attacker still didn’t release the hold? Pedro demonstrates how to initiate some serious pain through the smallest of limbs when Luis forces him against a wall. While doing his best to tuck his chin, Pedro brings both of his hands up and reaches behind him to Luis’ fingertips. As soon as he gets the first good grip on a finger with one hand, he uses his free hand to grip Luis’ wrist. Clamping the secured wrist to his body so Luis can‘t pull away from him, Pedro hyper-extends the selected finger until it snaps.
WARNING: Be extremely careful and perform this technique slowly if practicing. It doesn’t take a lot of pressure to break a finger in a couple of seconds.
SINGLE HANDED STRANGLEHOLD COUNTER
(Applicable to self-defense)
Instead of attempting to only strangle Pedro as seen in the last technique, Luis holds Pedro’s neck with only one hand, while pushing his weight forward for control. He may be verbally threatening him by pointing his finger at him or preparing to punch him with the free hand. Immediately, Pedro tucks his chin, raises his right hand so it is level with Luis’ arm, aggressively turns his entire body to his left, and strikes Luis’ arm with an open hand palm strike. This forces Luis’ grip to break and for him to fall forward. Pedro reacts quickly by turning forcefully to his right to elbow Luis in the head. Upon being struck Luis’ head drops slightly and Pedro becomes the attacker using the same guillotine choke as executed in the second technique shown earlier.
