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Pramek's Free Document
Pramek's Free Document
grapevine
Written by:
Matt Powell
Photos by:
Pramek
Student Assistance:
Aaron Cowan
Copyright 2014
48f Publishing
The grapevine movement is a great movement for escape or submission, depending on the position of the user,
in sport grappling. But, in the world of combatives, many times ground work is based upon shrimping, striking, and vital targeting more than refined sport techniques. Making the sport based technique work within the
combative space is a great way to create a smart, effective defense from the ground
Using a leg grapevine is a matter of physics and mechanics. By understanding the physics of how the grapevine
works, we can stop fighting the technique and start fighting the person. It is important that using physics in
combatives is designed not to make things more difficult, but more efficient.
The full mount is one of the most daunting positions we can find ourselves in a combative situation. It gives the
attacker the highest level of access to attacking the defender. While in the guard the attacker can be held to a
distance or tied up, but with a full mount the defender is at a high level of vulnerability.
The full mount can seem daunting because of the access it gives the attacker. As strikes begin to reign down
there is often a tendency to curl up or put up the hands and arms to deflect or block blows to protect oneself
from the strikes. This delay in effective defense can quickly lead to the overwhelming the defender.
But, when looked at through physics, the full mount looks different for two reasons:
1. Center Mass: The center mass (CM) of the attacker has little stability in forward attack. Because the load
bearing area (or LBA as discussed in Breaking Balance) is the knees and ankles, the upper body becomes
unstable with a forward attack. With a press forward, the CM will force a balancing movement to create a new
load bearing area.
2. Leg fulcrums: The connection between the legs of the defender and attacker create multiple points of
rotation that can be used to move the attacker, with the primary fulcrum being at the ankles.
The Fulcrum
The Grapevine
The term grapevine comes from the wrapping of the legs together between two combatants. It can be used in
both offense and defense. When wrapped together, multiple points of rotation occur. In this image we can see
three primary points of rotation because of the connection of the two bodies.
1. Hips - When the hips move, this will create movement in the center mass because of its immediate connection to the hips through the spine and pelvis.
2. Knees - When the knees of the defender move this will create wide movement in the attacker due to the
connection between the hips and knees.
3. Ankles - The connections of the ankles create a point of rotation which can affect the knees, and therefore
the hips. While the knees and hips may move independently as a base, if the ankles move it will effect the entire
lower body structure.
The Roll
Looking at the second class lever - lets look again at the grapevine defense.
The effort (F1) is the left hip, the load is the CM, and the fulcrum is the grapevine.
Compare the photo and diagram. This movement acts as a trip, with the knee planted and the force pressing
over, preventing a balancing, compensational, or dampening movement and equilibrium being removed. Its
important to look at this mechanically so the mystery of how is replaced with a movement that is efficient.
Post Roll
Sitting Back