Key Takeaways
- A 4-part No-Gi DVD instructional that offers a new, very effective kneebar hunting system.
- Contains different control checkpoints, entries, and follow-ups, merging together Ashi Garami systems and upper body attacks.
- Features several sets of different games aimed at helping you master the content faster.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 10 out of 10.
COMPASS KNEEBAR SYSTEM CHARLES HARRIOTT DVD GET HERE:
A kneebar DVD is always fun to consider, especially if you’ve been training for a few years and like to compete. Regardless of rules or attire, at one point, you’ll be allowed to hunt for kneebars (and be hunted) so developing an understanding of the move early on is imperative.
The Compass Kneebar System Charles Harriott DVD offers a shortcut to mastering kneebars in just a couple of hours. It delivers a clutter-free and concise version of the basics, building on them by way of innovative concepts that make things logical and easy to remember. With drills and games included in this DVD, you really have no excuse to avoid kneebars any longer.
What Happened to Kneebars?
Back when I was a blue belt, and the leg lock embargo was firmly into place, kneebars and toeholds were the only viable options. Ankle locks didn’t work back then, and heel hooks were the devil’s spawn.
Of course, standard operating protocols back then dictated that we couldn’t touch kneebars and toe holds until they became legal (which, to this day, is still at brown belt level) so all we knew about them was from ADCC matches.
Then came Danaher’s Death Squad, demonstrating that leg locks actually do work and that heel hooks are the way forward. Suddenly, the dogma was lifted and the blue basement cult of heel hookers took over, re-introducing 50% of the human body back as a viable submission target.
This, however, came at a certain expense – kneebars and toe hold fell behind in this evolution, with the former suffering the worse faith. Since we now know for sure that heel hooks and ankle locks work, how about getting back to some finishes that we’ve known to be reliable for ages?
The Compass Kneebar System Charles Harriott DVD is one way to bring back the kneebar! let’s see what it offers.
Leg Lock Genius Charles Harriott
Charles Harriott is a BJJ black belt and BJJ Globetrotters instructor. He has the best job in the world – he is a traveling Jiu-Jitsu coach. Instead of focusing on a ‘home base’ he travels the world, offering to teach classes at any gym that is open to it along the way.
I’ve had the pleasure of training with him on several occasions, including hosting him in my academy, which shows how greatly I rate him. While very well-rounded, and almost impossible to deal with non the mats, as a result of his grappling proficiency, but also his competitive breakdancing background, Harriott has a particular game that is incredibly effective.
His real affinity lies in the leg-locking department, where he excels more than any other aspect of BJJ. Having already revolutionized the way I think about some staple Ashi Garami positions during private classes, Charles now allows you to learn his innovations even if you don’t end up training with him in person somewhere around the world. The Compass Kneebar System Charles Harriott DVD is a great way to see what his BJJ is all about.
Compass Kneebar System Charles Harriott DVD Review
The Compass Kneebar System Charles Harriott DVD is a four-part BJJ DVD that focuses on the kneebar position. It delivers finishing mechanics, control points, entries, and a couple of different mini-systems that tie in perfectly to each other, and certain upper-body submissions. All the material is delivered in No-Gi, amassing to over two hours of instructions.
Part 1 – The Russian Cowboy
The first couple of chapters in the Compass Kneebar System Charles Harriott DVD serve as an introduction to both Charles and his uke Natasha, as well as the contents of the instructional. He shares some key principles of joint locking as well to provide a clear goal for all the technical details that follow.
This first part focuses on a knee-baring/leg-locking position that originates in the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu system, dubbed the Russian Cowboy. Charles has taken this double-kneebar concept and turned it into a complete kneebar-centered system, allowing attacks on both legs and providing immense pinning control by explaining how to sit on people.
I particularly enjoyed that Harriott includes notes on training intensity for the position, and especially finishes. He also shares a bunch of super useful games that follow progressive resistance to help you master the key checkpoints of the position.
Part 2 – Compass Kneebars
The star of the show, which is Charles Harriott’s innovative kneebar system is what the second part of the Compass Kneebar System Charles Harriott DVD is all about. Here, Charles builds on the previous base which is the Russian Cowboy, providing several flowing transitions to merge different Ashi Garami destinations with different top position entries.
Following is the compass kneebar system, divided into, you’ve probably guessed, 4 different segments: west, east, north, and south. They refer to the different directions available from the initial entry, which spans to offer different kneebars. The compass is the bottom person, their head representing the north.
Part 3 – Entries & Retaining Top Position
I found this third portion of the new Charles Harriott Kneebar DVD to be particularly interesting, as it helps with an issue I see many people having when they try to focus on entering into leg locks from the top. Apart from Riley Bodycomb, and to an extent, Sean Applegate, nobody has really paid too much attention to this aspect. Until now.
Charles explains in great detail how to make sure that you still retain the top position even if you mess up a kneebar entry or finish by returning to sit back on your opponent. This paves the way for additional entries that allow for even better use of the compass kneebar system, all of which Harriott delivers in this part of the instructional.
Part 4 – Paring Armbars with Kneebars
As we reach the final part of the DVD, Charles opens up yet another can of worms, somehow managing to lin armbars and kneebars in a way that makes sense. He shares different ways to finish armbars off of the initial kneebar setups, jokingly referring to them as kneebaring the arms.
He also delivers easy ways to deal with some common counters you’ll run into, such as Matrix entries or the Jedi Mind Trick. The Compass Kneebar System Charles Harriott DVD concludes with yet another set of games that further allow us to understand the goal and mechanics of the compass kneebar system.
Same Attack, Different Angles
Having the ability to hit a submission you are good at from different setups is the mark of a true submission specialist in BJJ. Not many people can claim this mantle, at least not realistically, though. Submissions are the toughest moves to finish, especially when you’re dealing with someone who has grappled for a bit.
Kneebars represent a very potent option in this regard, given that finishing requires a straight leg. This turns the opponent’s leg into an axis, allowing you to rotate as needed until you land the position you’re after. Or, even better, one of the many alternative finishes that the Compass Kneebar System Charles Harriott DVD provides.
While the kneebar might not be as easy to wrap up as some other leg locks, particularly heel hooks, it does offer a lot of value by introducing not just a different threat to a different joint in the leg, but also a great way to reinforce ankle and foot finishes. Throw in the 360-degree entry opportunities and there is a huge case to be made in favor of the kneebar.
FULL DOWNLOAD: CHARLES HARRIOTT KNEEBAR DVD
Kneebars All Around!
Next time you have top position with a scoop grip on one of the opponent’s legs and are wondering what to do next, feel free to hate yourself for not picking up the Compass Kneebar System Charles Harriott DVD earlier. For everyone else smart enough to find their kneebar bearing early, it was more than worth it, wasn’t it? Arrr maties!
