The lockdown half guard is one of the most annoying and sticky situations to find yourself in when rolling or competing in BJJ. And, it’s great! My personal go-to against bigger and stronger grapplers who for top half guard on me, I really enjoy any type of lockdown instructional that will broaden my horizons.
The Fishnet System DVD is an instructional by Canadian black belt Shane Fishman that offers a twist on the classic lockdown, providing an intricate trap system you can use to sweep or take the back. It is a Gi instructional that contains some great ideas, although whether anyone can use them immediately is something the jury is still out on.
Key Takeaways
- Two-part BJJ DVD with the Gi, with a running length of about one hour.
- Delivers a new version of the lockdown half guard that is very offensive.
- Rolling commentary is included in the instructional.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 7 out of 10.
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Check Out The Trailer: Fishnet System DVD
Setting Traps From Guard
Are you truly using the guard, regardless of which one you prefer, to its fullest potential? The BJJ guard is one of the most versatile weapons at your disposal but many people only see it one-dimensionally – as a position to attack.
The guard’s primary and most important role is to help you prevent the top person from getting past your legs. That, exactly is where the power of the guard lies. Let me ask you this: how many times have you pulled off an armbar against an opponent who is stalling and repelling your attacks? Yes, I know.
Instead, why not use the guard to bait the top person into passing? Don’t worry about the pass, guards are built to withstand them as long as you respect their mechanics. Once they’re trying something, your opponent becomes a lot more vulnerable to attacks.
But still, you should be patient and wait. Instead of going move for move with the top person, set traps up for them so that you entangle them to a point they can’t break out of. Then you can do whatever you want, which is something the Fishnet System DVD promises to teach you. Let’s see if it can.
Canadian BJJ Black Belt Shane Fishman
Shane Fishman is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt associated with the East Coast Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Dublin. He is one of those grapplers who likes to innovate a lot, giving birth to new positions, moves, and techniques. His Fishnet guard is the perfect example of what he is all about.
A fan of both Gi and No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu, Shane has been focusing all his power on creating, rather than having teaching or competing as his main goals. Don’t get me wrong, he does both and excelled at them, but he is more of a mad BJJ scientist than a competitor or coach. And we need those in the sport.
As a competitor, though, Shane is highly underrated. His latest Polaris outing, where he finished his opponent with a Twister at the highest level of the sport.
Detailed Review: Fishnet System DVD by Shane Fishman
The Fishnet System DVD presents Shane’s signature half guard that he dubbed the Fishnet. Developed under the influence of great half guard players like Jake Mackenzie and Felipe Pena, Finshamn has created a half guard that comes off strange at first sight but works incredibly well.
His entire idea is to constantly keep the opponent guessing by threatening sweeps, submissions, and back takes simultaneously, while not risking giving passes away. Here is what you can find inside the instructional:
Part 1 – Fishnet from X Guard(s)
Shane Fishman starts with a short intro to the system, before immediately demonstrating his Fishnet system through the familiar X-guard position. The Fishnet guard is sort of a blend between the Lockdown half guard and Lucas Leite’s Coyote Half Guard, done mostly when both grapplers are lying sideways.
It seemed strange to me at first, but it does make sense, as it is a transitional control more than a positional one. That is why Shane explains it by using other guards such as the X-guard as his position is a checkpoint halfway into a sweep that allows for you to choose whether to finish it, get the back, or grab a submission.
In this first volume, he shares lots of sweeps and backtakes, after exploring how to slap on his Fishnet lockdown from different X-guard variations. There are some sprinkles of deep half guard and baby bolos in there toward the end as well.
Part 2 – De La Riva Fishnet
The second part of the Fishnet System DVD takes us to outside-based guards, exploring the De la Riva guard and its relation to the Fishent more than anything else. Shane goes over the reverse half guard as his go-to form a DLR guard, linking them both together via the fishnet, which, as we know offers lots of sweeping and back-taking options.
I appreciate that he went over some of the key issues that arise when trying to do all these transitions, as I got tangled a few times trying them out during rolling. He also includes some 50/50 details that help bring together the Fishnet and the X guards.
A sneaky Omoplata and a defensive way of using the Fishnet vs the knee on belly position pave the way for the final chapter of the DVD, which is some much-welcomed rolling commentary of Shane executing his system in live sparring.
Creating Dilemmas From Guard
At the end of the day, we come back to the dualistic offensive nature of the guard. For the most part, you can either submit, or sweep from the guard, and I am bunching back takes with sweeps here. The problem is, that the top person knows what your options are.
So, it all comes down to how good you are at setting up simultaneous attacks while retaining your guard so that they can’t pass. Once you have an Omoplata or Triangle on, it is fairly easy to threaten sweeps and submissions at the same time, but getting there is where most people mess up.
The approach Shane Fishman has in his DVD is one that I can relate to – setting up traps that progress into other, deeper traps until an opponent finds themselves in one of the sweep-submission dilemma scenarios. This beats obvious, often telegraphed entries by far, offering you a lot more relaxed way to play guard with great success.
SHANE FISHMAN’S FISHNET SYSTEM DVD DOWNLOAD
Time To Go Fishing!
Is the Fishnet System DVD by Shane Fishman a resource worth exploring? If you want to become a trap setter from the guard, then yes, it has some very interesting ways of providing you a safe spot to chill in that most people won’t expect.
If you are looking for a competitive guard game plan, on the other hand, you’re better off searching elsewhere. It is not that the stuff n here won’t work, but they might land you in more trouble than benefit you unless you have a strong background at winning scrambles.
