Key Takeaways
- A No-Gi BJJ DVD explaining why the Cross Ashi position is the one you need to master to be a great leg locker.
- Covers positioning, structure, follow-ups, grip variations and passing transitions.
- Delivers details on the Inside Senkaku and 50/50, covering all available submission holds from both.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 9.5 out of 10.
CROSS ASHI GARAMI FIRAS ZAHABI DVD GET HERE:
Heel hooks, ankle locks, toe holds, kneebars. Whatever your lower body submission of choice is, you’ll need an Ashi Garami to make it happen. If you want to be the next big thing in leg locks, then, by all means, go into the rabbit hole and try to master all Ashi variations and transitions available these days.
For those with the ‘work smart, not hard’ approach, there is a workaround. Instead of spending weeks trying to just find the best leg locking material, opt for a proven position and a system developed by one of the original leg lockers to train under Danaher. The Cross Ashi Garami Firas Zahabi DVD has everything you need!
To Cross or Not to Cross?
It turns out that even though Danaher brought Ashi to the attention of the BJJ community and delivered his thoughts on what works best, there is an individual component to the ‘best Ashi’. In other words, what works for some people is not going to be effective for others, no matter how tight or submission-abundant the position is.
So, which Ashi is going to bring you the best chances of winning? Well, the configuration of your legs is down to you, but where you place your opponent’s leg does come with one position that offers the ultimate position of power – across your body.
So, if you ask me and Firs, obviously, the Cross Ashi is your best bet to submit someone. I’d even go as far as claiming that the Cross Ashi also offers the best chances for controlling the knee line and staying in position compared to other variations of the position. It’s all in the Firas Zahabi Cross Ashi Garami DVD.
Original Leg Lock Master Firas Zahabi
It’s been a while since I’ve run into a Firas Zahabi instructional. For a while there, some 10 years ago, Firas was my go-to source for information that made sense, as opposed to the mainstream take on how BJJ works. We’ve come a long way since then in how BJJ is coached, but Firas is still one of the best coaches in the world, even today.
One reason for this is that he adapts to the constantly evolving BJJ world. Understandably so, given that he can only lead his coveted Tristar Academy forward if he knows what is happening, how to stop it and how to make his students the best at it.
In this instance, the Cross Ashi Garami Firas Zahabi DVD is kind of a throwback to Zahabi’s earliest instructionals. He is one of the original crew of leg lockers developed by Danaher in the blue basement, predating even the DDS. As expected, the information in this one is updated to feature everything that has happened in the leg locks area of BJJ since he last covered it.
Cross Ashi Garami Firas Zahabi DVD Review
In yet another impeccable instructional, Firas Zahabi delivers a masterpiece of leg locking in his Firas Zahabi Cross Ashi Garami DVD. He only needs three volumes to teach you everything you need to know about the Cross Ashi, and won’t take up much of your time – the total running length is just under two hours.
Part 1 – Cross Ashi Control
First up, the essentials of the Cross Ashi. Well, you’d think so, but no. As the Cross Ashi Garami Firas Zahabi DVD begins, the very first chapters deliver a public safety announcement in terms of training leg locks in a safe way. Given the potency of some of the moves demonstrated in this DVD, it is a very smart way to begin.
Moving toward the actual Cross Ashi, Firas delivers his verdict on why it is such a powerful position for leg locking, backed by structural details that are really well delivered. Aspects like tension get a lot of attention, which I rarely see in submissions, particularly leg-locking and DVDs these days.
The volume ends with a couple of options for retaining the position known as the Inside Senkako, as well as making the most out of the double trouble concept. Firas ends with a pass, allowing a safe route out of leg locks in case none of your submission attempts work.
Part 2 – 50/50 Options
The best heel hooking position in Jiu-Jitsu, before Danaher developed his Ashi system, was the 50/50. Ryan Hall was the man who went against the grain, offering instructions for heel hooks at a time when almost nobody did them.
Turns out, the 50/50 is so powerful because it also features a cross-body position of the leg. Naturally, it features in the Cross Ashi Garami Firas Zahabi DVD, with the Canadian demonstrating a bunch of different ways to work with a shallow knee line when hunting for heel hook and knee bar finishes.
Part 3 – Rolling Ashi Attacks & Transitions
As we reach the final part of the Cross Ashi Garami Firas Zahabi DVD, we also get to enjoy some more attractive leg locking from the Cross Ashi. Namely, Firas delivers his mini-system of rolling attacks, both in situations where the opponent is initiating the roll and when you are the one behind it.
The chapters in this final and longest part of the instructional include executing the death roll, hitting Estima and Achilles locks, and leveraging the * to move between different Cross Ashi variations.
Zahabi also offers more ways out, this time leading not just to passing but also to the Cradle and back attacks. I also appreciated that he included positional escapes and counters to the Cross Ashi as well, resulting in a very well-balanced BJJ instructional.
The Ashi Garami System
Playing Ashi is not optional at this point in the development of the modern BJJ game. You simply have to utilize it, even if you’re only playing it as a guard or a sweeping position. Even if your only goal is to defend yourself from Ashi entanglements and play a pressure game that ignores leg locks, you need to understand the position first.
The Cross Ashi Garami Firas Zahabi DVD offers both sides of the sword, although it focuses a lot more on attacking. What you will definitely gain from it is ideas on how to best set up leg lock attacks from a position that is just as easy to use for passing and transitions as it is for heel hooks.
In fact, one of the most effective uses of the Ashi these days is a checkpoint position that allows you to get from bottom to top, pass to a pin, or counter back takes and passes yourself from the bottom. Since we already agreed that the cross-body position of the leg offers the best chances, there’s little debate as to what you need to focus on in Ashi, right?
DOWNLOAD HERE: CROSS ASHI GARAMI FIRAS ZAHABI DVD
Ashi Garami Made Simple
Firas really does make things look simple. Even though the Cross Ashi is anything but, especially since it covers more than one Ashi position, the Cross Ashi Garami Firas Zahabi DVD makes it easy to make sense of the options you have and understand common pitfalls and potential dangers. All that’s left now is to give it a try – I guarantee you won’t regret it.
