If you want to learn an obscure grappling move that is going to scare your opponents from allowing you anywhere near their legs, then you need the Geo Martinez Bear Trap DVD. It brings together the innovative and outside-the-box grappling style of the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu standout Geo Martinez with the power of a highly underestimated BJJ submission – the calf slicer.
The bear trap is the perfect position to allow a grappler like Geo, who likes to move unpredictably to set up submissions people won’t be expecting. It is just as dangerous as a real-life bear trap and can be a very difficult problem to solve. Being the one that causes the problem, rather than trying to solve it is the smart approach here, and you get to learn the entire system with the detailed Bea Trap instruction by Geo.
Key Takeaways
- No-Gi instructional, with a running length of just under 2 hours.
- A system of entries, control, and submissions from the Bear Trap position.
- Escaping bad positions using the Bear Trap.
- Highly detailed calf slicer finishes.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 9 out of 10
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Geo Bear Trap DVD Content
Bear Traps: The Forgotten Ashi Garami
Have you ever done a bear trap in BJJ? If the answer is no, then let’s try another question: how about a calf slicer? If you still have no idea what I am talking about, then maybe the Geo Martinez Bear Trap DVD is exactly the resource you need.
For those who are not afraid to risk attacking with muscle slicer injuries, the reward is a very painful and fast tap. However, the price to pay is often a complete lack of control in attacking it or having to get to a fairly difficult position, like the truck, to make it work.
Enter the Bear Trap, an old-school position stemming from catch wrestling, that solves both these control issues that calf slicer hunting presents. It is the perfect position to finish with a devastating leg lock when people least expect it and an even better way to stay attached and in control during leg lock escapes.
In fact, the Bear Trap is the natural continuation of the Ashi Garami game. Danaher preached about the importance of hip control during leg locks, and let’s face it, he is right. However, that doesn’t mean that leg locks won’t work if you lose the hips – Lachlan Giles proved that with his 50/50 game at the 2019 ADCC.
Well, the Bear Trap works perfectly even lower than Lachlan’s knee-level attacks. It is the ultimate follow-up to people twisting and turning outside of your Ashi Garami control, landing them in a position where their own weight forces them to succumb to a brutal calf slicer.
Geo Martinez – One of The Most Interesting Characters in BJJ
Geo Martinez is one of the most exciting grapplers to watch. Similarly to Garry Tonon, he has a very movement-based style that is filled with crazy acrobatic attacks. He is also almost impossible to submit, on account of his freakish flexibility, which is mostly due to his breakdancing background.
Geo Martinez has a crazy BJJ story as well, becoming a black belt under Eddie Bravo in a record three years, which is a feat only a few have matched in the entire world to this day. The IBJJF even prevented him from entering the black belt No-Gi Worlds in 2014 on account of not having enough time spent at each belt.
He brought over the nickname “Freakazoid” from his competitive break-dancing days, absolutely justifying it in BJJ. Currently, Geo heads the 10th Planet San Diego gym, also known as 10p Freaks.
Among Geo’s accolades are 3 EBI titles, one of which has him win the finals against the then-infamous Eddie Cummings. He also has an ADCC Trials victory under his belt, along with a legendary Quntent performance and a bunch of won super fights.
Another similarity Martinez shares with Tonon is the fact that both have won EBI, but neither has a major ADCC or World title…yet. I guess it has to do with the crazy style, but let’s face it, I’d much rather watch Geo or Tonon grapple and lose, rather than Gordon Ryan’s slow-pressure game.
Detailed Geo Martinez Bear Trap DVD Review
What can you expect to find in this Geo Martinez Bear Trap DVD? If you thought this was an instructional covering only leg locks, you are mistaken. Martinez covers a bunch of different uses for the Bear Trap, mostly from the bottom position, to help you develop a game based around one of the most powerful and unexpected positions in Jiu-Jitsu:
Part 1 – Bear Traps from Guard
In the first part of this BJJ instructional, Geo introduces the position quickly, and immediately starts explaining how it works from a bunch of different guard scenarios. I liked that he starts with entry drills first, aimed at retaining the position, which, in turn, helps you retain the guard position.
As the instructional unravels, Martinez goes into more specific guarded scenarios, including guards like the shin-to-shin, X guard, and deep half guard. All of these guards benefit immensely from the Bear Trap position, as it introduces a new dimension to each of them, allowing you to play them better and hold them longer.
As a guard player, I particularly enjoyed the versatility of the Bear Trap from the bottom. the only fault I could find was that Geo didn’t include even more guards in this volume.
Part 2 – Entries and Escapes to the Bear Trap
The second volume of the Geo Martinez Bear Trap DVD is all about using the position to transition between different positions. Among the entries and transitions that Geo shows in this part of the DVD are the Jackie Chan spin, leg drags into the Bear Trap, and several different rolling entries from different scenarios.
What I particularly liked is the use of the Bear Trap for defensive tasks, turning to it as the first checkpoint you can attack from after getting out of the mount. I like escaping to it often, so the information Geo provides helped me build upon what I do in training.
Part 3 – Bear Trap Submissions
The part most of you have probably been watching for (me included) arrives with the final volume of the DVD – submissions from the Bear Trap. Given that positional dynamics, most of the finishing options revolve around the use of leg locks.
Geo Martinez demonstrates a series of different calf slicer variations when attacking the leg trapped in the Bear Trap, starting with my personal favorite – the Ham Sandwich. He also teaches attacks on the secondary leg, with a sneaky toe hold, particularly eye-catching.
On top of these subs, Martinez covers attacking transitions towards positions like the Honeyhole and back mount, as well as a couple of sweeps to get to the top when all else fails.
A New Dimension to Your Bottom Game
I have already discussed the possibility of using the Ashi Garami position as a guard before, and the Geo’s Bear Trap BJJ instructional only enforces this approach. He uses the Bear Trap to navigate between all sorts of bottom positions (guards) as well as switch from bottom to top, all the while threatening with very powerful submissions.
A drawback to using the Bear Trap position for submissions is that calf slicers are still illegal for people up to the brown belt. While the position itself is legal, albeit barely, positioning your arms in the wrong place can get you DQed.
That said, you can freely use the position to sweep, transition, and hold people as you navigate the positional hierarchy of BJJ in a quest to gather points in competition or retain control in training. The best part about it is that the Bear Trap means you do not lose any points as long as you maintain all the necessary connections!
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Time to Go Bear Trapping
So, all in all, this Geo Martinez Bear Trap DVD is a great instructional for a wide variety of people. It goes beyond the scope of leg lock specialists, allowing you to develop a diverse game while playing any bottom position, with a great fallback in cases where the top person puts you under pressure or blocks your attacks.
With only three volumes and a runtime of under 2 hours, this is one instructional that you will quickly go through, and can start experimenting with in training immediately. It will introduce a different dimension to your attacking game, so getting it now is a no-brainer, really!
