The arm drag is one of the most reliable ways to get from guard to the back in all of grappling, and few people have built a complete game around it like Placido Santos.

IBJJF No-Gi World Champion at brown belt and a longtime student of John Danaher, known for his drill based approach to building skill.

In Drill For Skill Armdrags From Guard, Santos breaks down how to solve the central problems of the arm drag, then use it to take the back, sweep, enter leg entanglements and finish triangles and armbars.

This isn't just an arm drag technique course, it's a complete guard system built around one attack, with skill sessions that turn it into live, instinctive offense.

The arm drag is one of the most reliable ways to get from guard to the back in all of grappling, and few people have built a complete game around it like Placido Santos.

Santos won the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship at brown belt in the heavyweight division, and he has spent years training under John Danaher. Now he's sharing the arm drag system he uses from guard, organized the same way he teaches it: simple technique first, then the problems your opponent creates, then the attacks and the drills that make it work.

In Drill For Skill Armdrags From Guard, Santos starts with why the arm drag works, grip advancement and how to make your offense unmistakable. Then he goes through the central problems you will face, the telegraph problem, the sealing problem, the step up problem and the weight shift problem, and gives you the answer to each one, from the 2 on 1 leg post and the indirect drag to the reverse X roll, the overback, sumi gaeshi and the elevator back take. This isn't just an arm drag technique course, it's a complete guard system built around one attack, with skill sessions that turn it into live, instinctive offense.

Whether you're playing seated guard against a standing opponent or fighting from half guard, the arm drag serves as the entry to everything else. You'll learn back takes from legs out, the straddle position and the leg inside single, sweeps and redrags with sumi gaeshi, entries to far side and near side cross ashi, straight ashi garami and X guard, and finishes with triangles and near side and far side armbars.

This works because the arm drag puts you behind your opponent's elbow, where every reaction they make opens the next attack. Santos also covers the set ups that get you there, shoulder posts, ankle posts, two on one elbow, the figure 4 Russian and underhooks, plus arm drags from half guard and with other grips like the whizzer and the pinch head, so you can start the attack from almost any grip fight.

If you've ever wondered why some grapplers seem to hit the same move on everyone, the answer is how they train it. The four skill sessions show you the creativity drills, situational sparring and positional rounds Santos uses with his own students, so the technique becomes something you can actually use under pressure.

Learn how to build a complete guard game around the arm drag and turn it into back takes, sweeps, leg entanglements and submissions.

What Exactly Do You Get?

Part 1: Prologue: Why Arm Drags?

How to Use This Instructional

Simple Technique

Unmistakable Offense

Grip Advancement

Variety in Use

Part 2: Central Problems

Telegraph Problem

2 on 1 Leg Post

Indirect Drag

Shoulder Post/Wrist Snap

Bicep Tie

The Ideal

Far Leg Stand Up

Turn and Face

Elbow Cut Back

Reverse X Roll

Cross Ashi

Overback

Sumi Gaeshi

Elevator Back Take

Pendulum

Part 3: Attacking With the Arm Drag

Legs Out

Straddle Position

Leg Inside Single

Elevations

Knee to Knee

Arm Drag Sasae

Sumi Gaeshi Dilemma

Sumi to Half Guard

Sumi Redrag

Sumi Weight Shift

Far Side Cross Ashi

Far Side Cross Ashi Standing

Straight Ashi Garami

Near Side Cross Ashi

X Guard

Arm Drags and Triangles

Triangles Against Standing

Near Side Armbar

Far Side Armbar

Far Side Armbar Standing

Arm Drags and Near Side Underhooks

Arm Drags and Far Side Underhooks

Arm Drags and Pinch Head

Arm Drags and 2 on 1

Arm Drags and Whizzer

Part 4: Arm Drag Set Ups

Two Prerequisites

Shoulder Posts

Ankle Posts

Indirect Drags

Two on One Elbow

Figure 4 Russian

Underhooks

Near Side Drags

Far Side Drags (1/2 Butterfly)

Weave & Drag

Part 5: Skill Session 1: Three Main Problems

Armdrag Footwork

Two Aggressive Set Ups

vs Standing Opponent

Three Problems

Trap Pull

Misdirection Snap

Reverse X Shoulder Roll

Backside Shift

Elevate and Drag

Elevate and Re-Drag

Sumi Re-Drag 2

Predictability in Practice

Creativity Drill Explanation

Situational Sparring

Part 6: Skill Session 2: Leg Inside & Leg Outside Arm Drags

Entangle Primary Attack Secondary

Outside Leg Armdrag

The Straddle

Straddle to Single

Straddle to Double

Knee Lever Counter

Arm Dragging From Half Guard

Creativity Drill

Specific Sparring

Part 7: Skill Session 3: Arm Drag Submission Offense

Trap Triangle Set Up

Diving Deeper Into the Knee Flick

Trap Triangle Armbar

Straight Ankle Lock

Cross Ashi Entry

Wrist Snap Drags

2 on 1 Set Up

Creativity Drill

Arm Drag Positional Spar

Head to Head Guard Sparring

Part 8: Skill Session 4: Speed Based vs Control Based

Armdrag Sasae

Armdrag Single

Far Side Drag

Handfight Creativity

Near Side Drag

Far Side Drag

Handfight Creativity

Half Guard Arm Drag Sparring

Handfighting Live Round

Seated vs Standing Guard Passing

Destroy This Temple

Instant download only