The Vaporizer is an advanced controlling position within the 10th Planet system, representing a strategic extension of the lockdown half guard. This position is characterized by establishing a deep lockdown while simultaneously creating a powerful whip-up motion that forces the opponent onto their side or back. The practitioner uses the lockdown to control the opponent’s leg while employing an underhook or overhook to manipulate their upper body, creating a mechanical advantage that makes escape extremely difficult.
The Vaporizer serves as a gateway position within the 10th Planet methodology, offering multiple pathways to sweeps, back takes, and submission opportunities. Unlike traditional half guard approaches that focus primarily on distance management, the Vaporizer emphasizes extreme proximity and pressure, using the lockdown to break down the opponent’s base while the upper body control creates attacking opportunities. This position is particularly effective in no-gi grappling where traditional gi grips are unavailable, forcing practitioners to rely on body positioning and structural control.
The effectiveness of the Vaporizer lies in its ability to force reactions from opponents. By creating an uncomfortable position with the whip-up motion and lockdown pressure, defenders are compelled to make defensive choices that often expose them to further attacks. Whether transitioning to the Electric Chair, advancing to the Truck position, or sweeping to dominant positions, the Vaporizer exemplifies the systematic approach to position advancement that defines modern no-gi BJJ strategy. This position demands technical proficiency from both perspectives - the bottom player must coordinate multiple control points while maintaining offensive pressure, and the top player must employ systematic defensive protocols to neutralize the compound threats inherent in this sophisticated control position.
Key Principles
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Maintain constant lockdown pressure by extending the trapped leg away from opponent’s body while keeping the lock tight
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Use whip-up motion by driving hips forward and upward to break opponent’s posture and force weight distribution onto their hands
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Coordinate upper body control with lockdown pressure, using underhook or overhook to prevent opponent from creating distance
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Create dilemmas by threatening multiple attacks simultaneously - sweep if they post, submit if they stay heavy, advance to truck if they try to escape
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Maintain close distance to prevent opponent from creating space to clear the lockdown or regain posture
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Use active hip movement rather than static holding, constantly adjusting pressure to respond to opponent’s defensive attempts
Top vs Bottom
| Bottom | Top | |
|---|---|---|
| Position Type | Offensive/Controlling | Defensive with offensive options |
| Risk Level | Medium | High |
| Energy Cost | Medium | Medium |
| Time | Medium | Short to Medium |
Key Difference: Lockdown whip-up trades stability for leverage
Playing as Bottom
Key Principles
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Maintain constant lockdown pressure by extending the trapped leg away from opponent’s body while keeping the lock tight
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Use whip-up motion by driving hips forward and upward to break opponent’s posture and force weight distribution onto their hands
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Coordinate upper body control with lockdown pressure, using underhook or overhook to prevent opponent from creating distance
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Keep opponent’s weight shifting between their hands and their side, never allowing them to establish stable combat base
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Create dilemmas by threatening multiple attacks simultaneously - sweep if they post, submit if they stay heavy, advance to truck if they try to escape
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Maintain close distance to prevent opponent from creating space to clear the lockdown or regain posture
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Use active hip movement rather than static holding, constantly adjusting pressure to respond to opponent’s defensive attempts
Primary Techniques
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- Success Rate: Beginner 40%, Intermediate 55%, Advanced 70%
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- Success Rate: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 65%
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Electric Chair Submission → Electric Chair
- Success Rate: Beginner 30%, Intermediate 45%, Advanced 60%
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Transition to Omoplata → Omoplata Control
- Success Rate: Beginner 25%, Intermediate 40%, Advanced 55%
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Rolling Back Take → Back Control
- Success Rate: Beginner 30%, Intermediate 45%, Advanced 60%
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Lockdown Sweeps → Side Control
- Success Rate: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 65%
Common Mistakes
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❌ Failing to maintain constant lockdown pressure and allowing opponent’s leg to relax
- Consequence: Opponent can extract their leg, regain posture, and escape back to standard half guard top or pass completely
- ✅ Correction: Continuously extend the trapped leg away while keeping the lockdown tight, never allowing slack in the configuration
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❌ Attempting whip-up motion without proper upper body control secured first
- Consequence: Opponent can base out with their arms, maintain posture, and counter the sweep attempt while retaining top position
- ✅ Correction: Establish firm underhook or overhook before initiating whip-up, ensuring upper body control prevents opponent from posting effectively
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❌ Using only arm strength for the whip-up instead of coordinating hips and core
- Consequence: Technique becomes ineffective and exhausting, allowing opponent to weather the pressure and eventually escape or pass
- ✅ Correction: Drive the whip-up motion from the hips and core, using the underhook as a guide rather than the primary source of power
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❌ Maintaining static position without creating movement or threatening transitions
- Consequence: Opponent can settle into defensive posture, wait for fatigue, and methodically work to clear the lockdown
- ✅ Correction: Constantly threaten multiple attacks - sweeps, submissions, and transitions - to keep opponent reactive and prevent them from mounting organized defense
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❌ Allowing too much distance between bodies during the control phase
- Consequence: Opponent creates space to clear the lockdown, regain posture, or begin passing sequence
- ✅ Correction: Maintain tight connection with chest-to-chest or chest-to-side contact, using lockdown and underhook to eliminate space
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❌ Committing fully to one attack without reading opponent’s defensive reactions
- Consequence: Opponent can focus all defensive energy on stopping single threat, potentially reversing position or escaping
- ✅ Correction: Use feints and multi-attack sequences, transitioning between threats based on how opponent defends each attempt
Playing as Top
Key Principles
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Immediately widen base and lower center of gravity to counter whip-up motion and prevent being rolled to back or side
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Address lockdown first by clearing the figure-four configuration before attempting to advance passing position
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Maintain heavy shoulder pressure on bottom opponent’s chest to limit their mobility and reduce effectiveness of whip-up
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Keep weight distributed strategically to prevent both sweep attempts and submission setups while working escape sequence
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Use controlled breathing and patience rather than explosive movements that create space for bottom opponent’s attacks
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Systematically break upper body control while maintaining defensive leg positioning to prevent Electric Chair or Truck transitions
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Recognize attack patterns and preemptively defend based on bottom opponent’s grip adjustments and hip movements
Primary Techniques
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Half Guard Pass → Side Control
- Success Rate: Beginner 25%, Intermediate 40%, Advanced 55%
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Knee Slice Pass → Side Control
- Success Rate: Beginner 20%, Intermediate 35%, Advanced 50%
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- Success Rate: Beginner 20%, Intermediate 35%, Advanced 50%
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- Success Rate: Beginner 25%, Intermediate 40%, Advanced 55%
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- Success Rate: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 65%
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- Success Rate: Beginner 30%, Intermediate 45%, Advanced 60%
Common Mistakes
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❌ Attempting to pull trapped leg free with explosive force instead of systematic clearing technique
- Consequence: Creates space and energy expenditure that bottom opponent uses to tighten lockdown, advance to Electric Chair, or sweep
- ✅ Correction: Use controlled leg circulation movements and strategic weight shifts to gradually loosen lockdown configuration while maintaining defensive posture
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❌ Allowing bottom opponent to maintain underhook without immediate defensive response
- Consequence: Gives bottom opponent the leverage needed for effective whip-up motion, leading to sweeps or positional advancements to Truck or back control
- ✅ Correction: Immediately counter underhook with whizzer or establish crossface control to neutralize upper body manipulation
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❌ Maintaining narrow base and high posture that makes whip-up motion effective
- Consequence: Bottom opponent easily rolls top player to side or back, completing Old School sweep or transitioning to more dominant attacking positions
- ✅ Correction: Widen base immediately by sprawling trapped leg and posting free leg wide, lowering center of gravity to create stable platform resistant to lateral rolling
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❌ Committing excessive weight forward in attempt to pressure through the position
- Consequence: Plays directly into Electric Chair submission setup and makes rolling back takes significantly easier for bottom opponent
- ✅ Correction: Distribute weight strategically with heavy shoulder pressure while keeping hips mobile and ready to adjust based on opponent’s attacks
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❌ Focusing only on clearing lockdown while ignoring upper body control battle
- Consequence: Even with leg free, bottom opponent uses underhook or overhook to continue controlling posture and preventing effective passing
- ✅ Correction: Address both lockdown and upper body control simultaneously through coordinated movements that neutralize multiple control points
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❌ Remaining static and passive while attempting to wait out the position
- Consequence: Gives bottom opponent time to perfect their controls, tighten the lockdown, and set up high-percentage submissions or sweeps
- ✅ Correction: Maintain constant active defense with small adjustments, pressure changes, and positional improvements that prevent bottom opponent from settling into optimal attacking configuration
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❌ Posting hand on mat too close to bottom opponent’s hip during whip-up defense
- Consequence: Creates perfect leverage point for Old School sweep completion or allows easy transition to Truck position
- ✅ Correction: Post hands wide and maintain them positioned to support lateral stability without giving opponent leverage points for sweeps