Today I am here with John Pier, I just did a seminar here in Durham, North Carolina and it was organized by my friend BJJ Betty.  We are here at elevate MMA and today John is going to show us one of his favorite positions today which is funny because it is a counter to one of my favorite positions.  John is going to show us how to do a crucifix from the deep half when the opponent tries to do a Turkish Get up.  I love this sweep and John’s counter is very good.  Let’s see it below and then I will breakdown.

Breakdown of John Piper’s Crucifix from the Deep Half:

SO, guys this position is very strong, I have seen similar variations before.  When I was at Marcelo’s school in NYC one of my good friends, Joel was amazing at the crucifix.  He was so good that I would not even try the Turkish Get up.
John is very high level at the crucifix, he is a specialist.  Pay attention to the video above where John used his knee to free one of his legs so that he could get the crucifix.  This is very important because if I know that the crucifix is coming I will keep my knee’s pinched, but John is able to get his legs free.
I also like that John goes straight to the choke from the top crucifix and that he does not roll.  Sometimes when you roll it may help your opponent escape so John stays on top. He looks for the lapel and finished a choke very similar to the bow and arrow.
Anyways guys, I hope you like this position and get to try it with your training partners, if you have not already,    down load my FREE E-book!  This is a great resource and I know it will help your bjj!