I had a conversation with a friend this morning, and he told me a story of how the trap and roll was the answer for his son’s bully. Years ago, while in kindergarten, a bully mounted my friend’s son. Then the kid executed a trap and roll, and after that, the bullying stopped. As years went on, the bully bothered other kids, but never his son.

Later the same morning, my private session with my teacher was about mount escapes, including the trap and roll.

So tonight, in two kids classes (5-7 year olds and 8-12), we focused on that. We did some other stuff to keep the kids engaged, but the majority of class was the one technique.

Years of using the trap and roll strictly as a defensive move had me thinking that the technique wasn’t as impactful as it could be. It’s an escape, but it’s actually powerful enough to make a kid stop bullying you. I always figured the way to stop someone had to be something offensive, like a takedown or submission.

I’m constantly humbled by jiu-jitsu. And by jiu-jitsu, I mean the people I’ve connected with through jiu-jitsu.

(Thanks Michael.)