Let's talk about Kesa Gatame/Scarf Hold

[Chad R. Thundercock]

There's a middle ground for head height I believe. Too low and it's out the back door if the bottom guy knows his shit, too high and it's legs or rolling.

Yes, that's correct. There's a sweet spot somewhere in the middle. Wrap your opponent's head with the other arm and grab your thigh with your hand, and BAM! You're golden. He's pinned down for good.

 

[number9dream]

The kneebar at 40min35s is easy and fun. Nobody expects leglocks from kesa.

That's really cool, thanks for sharing.

 

[dmwalking]

Fair enough, I just don't have a feel for those, but against savvy opponents I use the fishnet setup for the truck more than the twister roll / rolling back attack.

Same here. I don't go for the rolling back take unless I'm in top 1/4 guard. From twister side, I'm fishnetting and going for the truck so I can test the banana split/crotch ripper. If that doesn't work, it's an easy path to the back.

 

[dmwalking]

As far as escapes, it's hard for me to type out a systematic escape because there are a bunch of variables.

The major key is getting that trapped arm free. If you can't get that arm loose, it's a super pain in the ass to get out. Not impossible. Just difficult.

Honestly, I'd say that's one of the major reasons I reverse kesa so often. Lots of non judo guys don't get it right. Without that arm controlled, you're begging to get reversed. The other common problem is that guys don't put their weight in the right place. They're either too low on the belly, which makes it easy to shrimp out, or they're too high toward the head which makes it easy to roll them over or tip them back.

But basically, the best way to get out of kesa is to force those mistakes. Get your arm free. Bump, shrimp, whatever...just get their weight in the wrong place. And much like picking a lock, once all the little pins are aligned, you just turn the key.

 

[jack36767]

Same here. I don't go for the rolling back take unless I'm in top 1/4 guard. From twister side, I'm fishnetting and going for the truck so I can test the banana split/crotch ripper. If that doesn't work, it's an easy path to the back.

Yeah, A lot of my partners would try to bait the twister roll to flip it on me. So I just started going fishnet. A lot of people have started turning away to turtle, which gives me a cross body ride and I have a lot of attacks from there

 

[BJJ_Rage]

As far as escapes, it's hard for me to type out a systematic escape because there are a bunch of variables.

The major key is getting that trapped arm free. If you can't get that arm loose, it's a super pain in the ass to get out. Not impossible. Just difficult.

Honestly, I'd say that's one of the major reasons I reverse kesa so often. Lots of non judo guys don't get it right. Without that arm controlled, you're begging to get reversed. The other common problem is that guys don't put their weight in the right place. They're either too low on the belly, which makes it easy to shrimp out, or they're too high toward the head which makes it easy to roll them over or tip them back.

But basically, the best way to get out of kesa is to force those mistakes. Get your arm free. Bump, shrimp, whatever...just get their weight in the wrong place. And much like picking a lock, once all the little pins are aligned, you just turn the key.

actually you dont need the arm free to roll them over.

But yeah, I think the best way to get out of kesa is to make the opponent move,then try to break the arm free, in the gi of course is much harder, but no gi, fighting for that arm back to the mat is a good choice.

 

[dmwalking]

actually you dont need the arm free to roll them over.

But yeah, I think the best way to get out of kesa is to make the opponent move,then try to break the arm free, in the gi of course is much harder, but no gi, fighting for that arm back to the mat is a good choice.

you don't NEED it. But it definitely makes it easier. And I don't fight to get my arm to the mat. I like to hook behind the head. It creates a push/pull situation that I get to exploit. Basically, I fight to get kesa from bottom.

 

[dmwalking]

At 1:20. I use this a lot. It's even easier against kesa.

 

[BJJ_Rage]

you don't NEED it. But it definitely makes it easier. And I don't fight to get my arm to the mat. I like to hook behind the head. It creates a push/pull situation that I get to exploit. Basically, I fight to get kesa from bottom.

Now you lost me

 

[BJJ_Rage]

At 1:20. I use this a lot. It's even easier against kesa.

I kind of see what your talking about but what's stopping your opponent from arm triangling you?

 

[dmwalking]

Now you lost me

Check out the video I posted above. It gives a bit of an idea of how I like to play from under kesa.

 

[dmwalking]

I kind of see what your talking about but what's stopping your opponent from arm triangling you?

He doesn't have his head in the right place for that.

 

[BJJ_Rage]

He doesn't have his head in the right place for that.

You have your arm Infront of his face, if he can free his head your done, I will try this on class today but i see potential in this move, never seen it before

 

[dmwalking]

You have your arm Infront of his face, if he can free his head your done, I will try this on class today but i see potential in this move, never seen it before

You're not done because his other arm isn't around your head. It's an underhook. He's not in position for the arm triangle. What you're at higher risk for is having your back taken if you're up on your side facing away. I tend to play from flat on my back and then I'll explode to my side to complete the reversal. Sometimes guys pull away and I just stiff arm them backward and end up on top. But if a guy is pulling to get his head out, that means they're going backward. That means I have a window to frame and recover guard.


You gotta watch the whole Schembri episode. It comes in two parts. I don't play it exactly how he plays it, but I've adapted it and I love it. Usually I have to force the position, but when guys slide into kesa, it makes it a lot easier for me to play this game.

 

[Gambledub]

Schembri's bottom side control game is awesome, his old side control escapes has the "Mr Schembri" series with some gi specific attacks too.

 

[BJJ_Rage]

You're not done because his other arm isn't around your head. It's an underhook. He's not in position for the arm triangle. What you're at higher risk for is having your back taken if you're up on your side facing away. I tend to play from flat on my back and then I'll explode to my side to complete the reversal. Sometimes guys pull away and I just stiff arm them backward and end up on top. But if a guy is pulling to get his head out, that means they're going backward. That means I have a window to frame and recover guard.


You gotta watch the whole Schembri episode. It comes in two parts. I don't play it exactly how he plays it, but I've adapted it and I love it. Usually I have to force the position, but when guys slide into kesa, it makes it a lot easier for me to play this game.

im really trying to understand the position, lets say I have you in hon kesa, im trapping your right arm with my left arm, so im on your right side. You free your arm, and instead of going elbow to the mat, you go the other way and hug my head, getting an lets say S grip, your free arm goes arond my back and your "ex-trapped" arm goes infront of my head, sort of getting into a kesa from bottom? does this make sense?

minute 1:30 is how what Im describing, this is how I picture you could end up...

 

[dmwalking]

im really trying to understand the position, lets say I have you in hon kesa, im trapping your right arm with my left arm, so im on your right side. You free your arm, and instead of going elbow to the mat, you go the other way and hug my head, getting an lets say S grip, your free arm goes arond my back and your "ex-trapped" arm goes infront of my head, sort of getting into a kesa from bottom? does this make sense?

minute 1:30 is how what Im describing, this is how I picture you could end up...

Pretty much. But that's why I say it's hard to describe because there are a bunch of variables. So using the 1:30 example, I wouldn't need to hook the head. I do a hard bridge to bump them forward and immediately swing my body away from them, post up with my other hand and voila, I"m on top. The thing about kesa is that my body is your base. So by removing my body, you've lost your base. That's the basic premise that I try to exploit when I'm in bottom kesa.

 

[Big_Chief_Stove]

First of all, I believe we need to clear something up.

This is Hon Kesa Gatame/Kesa Gatame/Scarf Hold:

This is Kuzure Kesa Gatame/Modified Scarf Hold:

I've been searching for Kesa Gatame vids lately and half of them have been about Kuzure Kesa Gatame. How would you like it if half of all Kimura vids were about the Americana? We are not animals, we live in a society, let's call things by their assigned names shall we?

With that out of the way, let's talk about Kesa. I've been playing around with it for the past few months and I've kinda fallen in love with it. When I started training I was told that Kuzure Kesa was much better since regular Kesa would lead to you having your back taken. I find this not to be true at all. Lately I've been submitting everybody around my level (shitty blue belt) from Kesa (with pressure alone like 80% of the time and I'm a regular sized guy) and haven't had my back taken as far as I can remember. In fact, I think that regular Kesa is a much better position than Kuzure Kesa cos I feel that there's less effective escapes from there. You can't push their head away like you can with Kuzure Kesa, so the only two good options you have is trying to turn in or getting your hips close to theirs and try to bump their forward to hopefully make space for a reversal or the first escape.

My biggest problem with Kesa so far has been getting to it. My Judo throws are horrible, so I'm left with going to Kesa from Side Control or Mount, but that feels risky sometimes cos you need to be quick and precise. I do it pretty much like the guy in this video, but I still feel like I'm half a second from having my back taken in this transition.



Getting there from Mount is easier, but it feels like a waste to give up Mount for Kesa. My finishing rate is probably higher from Kesa at this point and I'm pretty sure that I have a higher degree of control from Kesa so I don't know why I feel this way. The way I've been getting to Kesa from Mount is what Rustam Chsiev does at 7:25 in this vid, although I'm not sure what he did to tap the guy:



So if anyone has some cool ways of getting to Kesa, please share them here. If you have any good submissions from there, please share them too. I sometimes hit the Armbar or Americana with the legs, but most of the time people tap to this:



So, guys, how do you like to enter into Kesa Gatame, what are your go-to moves from there? Do you often get your back taken from there? Do you take other peoples backs from there? Do you think you can reliably set up an Arm Triangle from Kesa? Discuss.

From kesa, the arm triangle is extremely reliable. When your opponent or training partner goes to push on your face to try to make space, just slide the forearm right by into a DEEP arm triangle.

this is from mount, but same idea from kesa gatame.

 

[Gorbag]

One of my favorite transitions from kesa is to kuzure kesa gatame where I let his arm go and grab the wrist of his other arm instead. This arm I pull towards me and firm down on his body, securing his upper body with elbow planted in the side of his ribs and palm down with the arm that previous controlled his head.

Basically the only way he now can move is towards me. When that happens I pull the arm out for tai-gatame and submission. This works perfect no-gi as well.

 

[BJJ_Rage]

minute 1:30

Pretty much. But that's why I say it's hard to describe because there are a bunch of variables. So using the 1:30 example, I wouldn't need to hook the head. I do a hard bridge to bump them forward and immediately swing my body away from them, post up with my other hand and voila, I"m on top. The thing about kesa is that my body is your base. So by removing my body, you've lost your base. That's the basic premise that I try to exploit when I'm in bottom kesa.

thats if the person is trying to put pressure on you, if he has his hips on the mat, his base isnt yout body anymore and its very hard to move him.