Matt Thornton Received his blue belt in 1992 from the great Rickson Gracie and was later awarded his black belt from Chris Haueter, making him one of the very first American born practitioners to receive the high honor

Take a conceptual approach to the defensive side of BJJ with Thornton’s signature “aliveness” concepts and techniques backed by decades of experience

Use old school secrets and details to unlock the toughest positions and scenarios

Learn to leave bad positions safely in your rearview mirror and not only escape but create new opportunities to become offensive

Matt Thornton has been in the game longer than many current BJJ practitioners have been alive! Spending much of his time on the mat with legends and making a name for himself as the founder of SBG, Thornton has helped thousands of elite practitioners as well as practical hobbyists, to elevate their games with his unique and seasoned approach to BJJ. With Survive and Escape, Thornton will introduce you to old school concepts that have served him and his students for decades, to help you build a more effective defensive foundation and learn crucial skills at any rank, that you’ll use for the duration of your BJJ journey!

We all know that survival is of the utmost importance if we hope to enjoy a long, successful career on the mats. This concept is especially true if you're a beginner but should always be a focal point in your training. Thornton has assembled an 8-part encyclopedia of old-school tricks, tips, and secrets to help you survive and escape some of the worst positions in all of BJJ like the mount, side control, various submissions, and much much more! Thornton will give you conceptual guidance on countless scenarios to help you unlock dominant positions, escape submissions, and foil the plans of would-be attackers with intelligent mechanics and crisp movement!

Truly a pioneer in American BJJ history, Thornton is a rare and valuable resource, having spent his early days with the literal forefathers of jiu-jitsu in America. Take this unique opportunity to learn the crucial concepts of proper escaping, counters, and survival strategies from a man who’s been in the lab for 3 decades, studying, innovating, and helping practitioners just like you, recruit efficient, trustworthy skills that produce results over and over again!

SO, WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU GET?

PART 1

INTRODUCTION AND USING WEIGHT

IN CLASS INTRO WHAT MAKES PEOPLE GOOD

THE DETAILS OF USING WEIGHT AND THE SHOULDER LINE

THE GOAL OF COACHING WHAT IS A FUNDAMENTAL

HOW USING THE SHOULDERLINE AND WEIGHT EFFECTS THE BOTTOM PLAYER

MATT’S SEMINAR PHILOSOPHY

MAKING THE UNDERHOOK EFFICIENT

TAKING STOCK OF THE BAR SETTING ROUND

PART 2

USING DIRECTIONAL PRESSURE FROM TOP

OLD SCHOOL HAND POSITION

GETTING THE UNDERHOOK

SPINE ALIGNMENT ON TOP

FOOT PLACEMENT / THREADING THE NEEDLE

KILLING FRAMES

HOW TO DO ISOLATION ROUNDS

WHERE OTHER GAMES COME FROM

WHY ITS THE SAME IN MMA

UNDERHOOK VS SHOULDER ESCAPE

PART 3

IRON PILLOW

WHY TRAIN LIKE YOU FIGHT DOESN’T WORK

IRON PILLOW 2

ESCAPING CROSS SIDES BACK

STARTING QUARTERS

UNDERSTANDING PACING

GETTING TO QUARTERS

QUARTERS OR GUARD?

THE PAPERCUTTER

STARTING POSITIONS AND HOW TO DRILL IN A LARGE CLASS

FINISHING THE PAPERCUTTER

BASE - POSTURE - CONNECTION - PRESSURE

PART 4

PAPERCUTTER ESCAPE

DRIVE VS SAG PRESSURE

ISOLATION ROUND 2 AND HOW TO PRACTICE

ARM DIRECTION ON THE IRON PILLOW

TRANSITIONING TO SIT OUT

DEFENDING THE DARCE FROM IRON PILLOW

SIT OUT WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION

THUMB UP VS THUMB DOWN THE UNDERHOOK

USING WEIGHT TO MAKE THEM SUFFER

KICKING TO QUARTERS

GETTING “INSIDE SPACE”

PRACTICING “PERFECT”

PART 5

THE POWER SHRIMP

FIGHTING WEIGHT BY THREADING THE NEEDLE

ESCAPING THE SIT OUT

WHEN TO LEAVE THE IRON PILLOW

SIT UP ESCAPES FROM SIT OUT TOP

SIT OUT WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION

HOW TO DRILL SIT OUT

DRIVING WEIGHT FROM SIT OUT

POWER SHRIMP FROM LEG SIT OUT

INSIDE SPACE VS HAVING THE ARMS SPLIT

PART 6

DRILLING TO CONTROL INSIDE SPACE

SHOULDER WALKING OUT OF SIT OUT

COUNTERING THE KIMURA

PRESSURE FROM SIT OUT BOTTOM

DEFENDING THE KIMURA VIA WEIGHT

PRESSURE FROM SIT OUT BOTTOM 2 ESCAPE DIRECTIONS

THE SHOULDER OF JUSTICE

TROUBLESHOOTING THE SIT OUT ESCAPES

PART 7

THE STRATEGY OF SURVIVAL

THE ANGLE OF ESCAPE FROM SIT OUT

STOPPING THE MOUNT

CLASS ROOM Q AND A TROUBLESHOOTING ISSUES

KARL’S ESCAPE

CLOSING Q AND A

THE STEP OVER ARMBAR

DEFENDING THE N/S KIMURA

THE PRINCIPLES OF ESCAPING SUBMISSIONS

WHEN AND WHERE TO FORCE ESCAPES

PART 8

ESCAPING MOUNT VIA THE UMPA

ESCAPING MOUNT EARLY

ESCAPING MOUNT HOW TO TRAP ARMS

ESCAPING MOUNT THE ELBOW KNEE ESCAPE

THE PROCESS AND COACHES ROUND TABLE

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