Developing Focus Blocks
System-by-system focus blocks for delivering the developing curriculum — each block is 4–8 weeks, with session templates, drill prescriptions, and integration checkpoints.
The developing curriculum does not work as a linear twelve-week programme. Its timeframe is 6–24 months, each system requires deep drilling before it becomes functional under pressure, and the systems themselves need to be integrated with each other as they are developed. This guide organises the curriculum into focused blocks — one system per block — with a recommended sequence and integration checkpoints between them.
How to use this guide: Work through one focus block at a time. Complete the block’s checkpoint before moving to the next. Return to earlier systems regularly — the kimura block is not “done” once you move to triangles; it is the foundation that the triangle block builds on. Revisiting is not remediation, it is consolidation.
Recommended Block Sequence
Block 1 — Half Guard System
Weeks 1–2
Z-guard (knee shield): The knee shield frame, sit-up sweep mechanics, entry to dogfight. Drill: sit-up sweep to dogfight, looped. 5-minute positional rounds from Z-guard.
Weeks 3–4
Deep half guard: The position, Homer Simpson sweep, wrestling-up back take. Connect deep half to the dogfight — the same neutral position that Z-guard sweeps create. Drill: deep half to sweep to back take, continuous flow.
Weeks 5–6
Integration: Live positional sparring from half guard bottom. Student must sweep or take the back — no stalling in the position. Begin introducing the kimura entry from Z-guard as a preview of Block 3.
Block 1 checkpoint
Student sweeps from Z-guard and deep half against resisting partners and converts the dogfight to a back take or top position. Ready to begin Block 2.
Block 2 — Back Attack System
Weeks 1–2
Back control maintenance: 60-second positional rounds from seatbelt. Partner works to escape. No submission attempts — maintenance only. Body triangle management introduced when seatbelt maintenance is reliable.
Weeks 3–4
Full RNC finish mechanics: The choke mechanism, defending the chin, the arm trap when RNC is defended. Finish from static position first, then from live back control maintenance.
Weeks 5–6
Back take entries: From turtle (gut wrench), from dogfight (Block 1 connection), from failed submission. Drill each entry to seatbelt, then into maintenance rounds. Integration: finish the full sequence — entry, maintenance, submission — against moderate resistance.
Block 2 checkpoint
Student maintains back control for 60 seconds against a resisting partner, transitions seatbelt to body triangle when needed, and finishes the RNC against moderate resistance.
Block 3 — Kimura System
Weeks 1–2
The figure-four grip and basic mechanics: Grip establishment, rotation mechanics, the shoulder’s range. Drill: kimura from north-south — static setup, finish against cooperative partner. The mechanics before the system.
Weeks 3–4
The kimura trap: Using the grip to control position before finishing. Side control kimura trap — maintain grip through partner’s rolling defence. This is the concept that makes the system functional under resistance.
Weeks 5–6
Entries from guard bottom: Butterfly guard sit-up to kimura, closed guard kimura. Preview of the Z-guard kimura from Block 1.
Weeks 7–8
Follow-up connections: Kimura to back take when the opponent rolls. Kimura to triangle when the opponent pulls the arm. These are the two defences the opponent has — and they both open follow-ups. Drill: live kimura from side control, partner defends with their choice, student follows up appropriately.
Block 3 checkpoint
Student enters kimura from two positions, maintains grip through primary defences, and converts to back take or triangle when the finish is defended.
Block 4 — Triangle System
Weeks 1–2
Hip angle first: The triangle works because of hip angle. Three sessions on angle establishment before any finish mechanics. Drill: triangle position from guard — establish angle, hold for 10 seconds, reset. No choke grip yet.
Weeks 3–4
Entries: Closed guard triangle from cross-choke setup. Open guard from failed arm drag. Connect to Block 3: triangle from defended kimura (the arm-pull defence).
Weeks 5–6
System connections: Armbar when the arm is pulled out. Omoplata when the opponent postures. Triangle sweep when the opponent base-reacts. Drill: live triangle attempts from guard — partner defends, student follows the defence to the appropriate option.
Weeks 7–8
Integration: Guard bottom positional sparring — student must threaten triangle, kimura, or armbar from every engagement. Full system integration rather than isolated technique work.
Block 4 checkpoint
Student sets the triangle from guard against moderate resistance, transitions to armbar or omoplata when defended, and can explain the mechanical role of the hip angle.
Block 5 — X Guard and SLX
Weeks 1–2
Butterfly guard entries and sweeps: Elevator sweep, hook sweep. The entry concept to X guard when the opponent stands. This is the curriculum content — not X guard sweeps in isolation.
Weeks 3–4
X guard sweeps: Tilt sweep, back take from X guard. Drill: butterfly guard positional sparring — student must enter X guard when the opponent stands and execute a sweep. Live entry, not static start.
Weeks 5–6
SLX: The SLX entry from inside position and from existing ashi garami. SLX as an ashi garami variant — the structural connection. SLX to outside heel hook as a concept (full development in Block 7).
Block 5 checkpoint
Student enters X guard from butterfly, executes a primary X guard sweep against resistance, and identifies the SLX entry from inside position.
Block 6 — Leg Entanglement Expansion
Weeks 1–2
Outside ashi garami: The outside position, heel exposure, how it differs from inside ashi. Ankle lock from outside ashi. Entry from failed inside ashi. Drill: navigate inside ashi to outside ashi when the opponent frames out.
Weeks 3–4
50/50: The mutual entanglement — both practitioners have the same options. Why the first to establish control wins. Primary exits. 50/50 positional rounds.
Weeks 5–6
K-guard and system navigation: K-guard as a leg entanglement entry from guard bottom. Full navigation: inside ashi → outside ashi → 50/50 → K-guard → ankle lock from multiple positions. Drill: leg entanglement positional sparring — student must navigate the system, not reset.
Block 6 checkpoint — required before Block 7
Student navigates between inside ashi, outside ashi, and 50/50 under moderate resistance and submits from at least two positions with the ankle lock. Tap discipline assessed across multiple sessions before proceeding.
Block 7 — Heel Hooks (Gated)
This block is gated. Do not begin until all three gate conditions are confirmed. See the developing curriculum for the full gate criteria.
Weeks 1–2
Outside heel hook — defence first: Heel hook grip (cupping the heel), rotation toward the toes, hip turn mechanic. Defence: heel out, inside turn. Defence is drilled first — the student escapes before they apply. Cooperative slow drilling only.
Weeks 3–4
Inside heel hook — defence first: Same structure. Additional emphasis on injury timeline and rate-of-force control. The inside heel hook operates faster than the outside — this is the mechanical reason for the ordering, and students should understand it explicitly.
Weeks 5–6
System integration: Heel hooks within the leg entanglement system — not as standalone techniques but as the available finish when the opponent’s heel is exposed in a specific entanglement. Cross-ashi/saddle is introduced as a concept here — full development at proficient level.
Block 7 checkpoint
Student applies outside and inside heel hook from established positions at controlled speed, escapes both using primary mechanics, and taps before the submission is tight in all drilling situations.
Standing Game — Parallel Development
The standing game expansion is developed in parallel with the ground systems above, not as a dedicated block. Integrate standing content into 20–30% of each training session throughout the developing curriculum. The key development areas are:
- Wrestling-up from turtle — the connection between ground and standing games
- Arm drag entries to single and double leg
- Body lock and trip system
- Guard pull strategy by ruleset — when it is and is not tactically sound
- Connecting the takedown to the guard passing game (takedown does not end at the floor)
What Comes Next
Completing all seven blocks and the standing game development means the practitioner has a connected game across every major position family, functional submission threats from multiple positions, and a leg entanglement system that includes heel hooks with appropriate competence gating. They are ready for the proficient curriculum.
For coaches: The blocks above take a typical developing practitioner 12–24 months. Do not rush the sequence to meet a timeline — the checkpoint criteria are the gate, not the calendar. A practitioner who has spent 18 months genuinely developing these systems is more dangerous than one who has rushed through in 10 months and has visible gaps in their game.