Lockdown to Electric Chair System is a intermediate difficulty Attack System system. Integrates 5 components.
System ID: System Type: Attack System Difficulty Level: Intermediate
What is Lockdown to Electric Chair System?
The Lockdown to Electric Chair System is a comprehensive half guard bottom framework developed by Eddie Bravo as a cornerstone of the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu methodology. This system transforms the traditionally defensive half guard position into an aggressive attacking platform by utilizing the lockdown control to break down opponent posture, create sweeping opportunities, and threaten submissions. The lockdown itself—achieved by trapping the opponent’s leg with a figure-four configuration using your legs—serves as both a control mechanism and the foundation for multiple offensive sequences. From this control position, practitioners can transition seamlessly between the Electric Chair submission threat, Old School sweep variations, and back-take opportunities, creating a multi-layered dilemma that forces opponents into reactive defense. The system emphasizes constant pressure application, hip movement precision, and the ability to chain attacks together when initial attempts are defended, embodying the principle that effective half guard play requires transitioning from passive defense to active offense.
Core Principles
- Lockdown control as foundation - secure the figure-four leg trap before attempting sweeps or submissions
- Constant hip pressure and movement - never remain static, always working angles and creating discomfort
- Underhook battle dominance - prioritize securing and maintaining the underhook to control posture
- Whizzer nullification - systematic approaches to defeating opponent’s overhook defenses
- Multi-threat creation - combine sweeps and submissions simultaneously to overwhelm defensive options
- Back exposure recognition - identify when opponent’s defensive reactions expose back-take opportunities
- Energy efficiency through leverage - use leg strength and hip mechanics rather than upper body wrestling
Key Components
Lockdown Control (Establish immobilizing control that enables all subsequent attacks) The foundational leg entanglement achieved by threading your bottom leg over opponent’s trapped leg and hooking your top foot under your own ankle, creating a figure-four configuration that immobilizes their leg and disrupts their base. This control allows you to extend their leg, break their posture down, and prevent them from stepping over or extracting their leg from half guard. The lockdown transforms half guard from a transitional position into a dominant control platform.
Electric Chair Position (Primary submission threat and sweep setup) An advanced leg attack position achieved from lockdown by securing a deep underhook, elevating opponent’s trapped leg while extending your hips, and creating a crotch-splitting pressure that attacks the inner thigh, groin, and hip joint. The position can be finished as a submission in competition formats that allow it, or used as a powerful sweeping platform when opponent defends. The threat alone forces defensive reactions that open other attacking opportunities.
Old School Sweep (High-percentage sweep when Electric Chair is defended) A traditional half guard sweep enhanced by lockdown control, executed by securing an underhook, controlling opponent’s far arm with your free hand, then using hip extension and the locked leg to roll opponent over your shoulder while maintaining the trapped leg throughout the sweep. The lockdown prevents opponent from posting with their trapped leg, making the sweep significantly higher percentage than standard half guard versions.
Homer Simpson Escape (Defensive reset and control recovery) A systematic sequence for escaping when opponent flattens you out or threatens to pass, involving specific grip releases, hip escapes, and frame creation that allows you to re-establish lockdown control or transition to other half guard variations. Named for its circular motion pattern, this recovery mechanism ensures you’re never truly stuck even when opponent achieves advantageous positioning.
Banana Split Entry (Advanced submission finish when leg extraction is attempted) An advanced submission progression from Electric Chair position when opponent defends by attempting to extract their leg, involving controlling both of their legs in a split configuration and applying pressure to the groin and inner thighs. This represents the highest-level evolution of the system, where lockdown control transitions to double-leg control for finishing attacks.
Implementation Sequence
- Establish Lockdown Control: From half guard bottom position, thread your bottom leg over opponent’s trapped leg and hook your top foot under your own ankle to create the lockdown figure-four. Immediately begin extending their leg by pushing your hips away while pulling with the lockdown. Key points:
- Ensure deep lockdown with ankle hook positioned correctly
- Begin breaking posture immediately upon securing lockdown
- Prevent opponent from getting their knee to the mat
- Use lockdown extension to create space for underhook battle
- Underhook Acquisition: While maintaining lockdown pressure, fight to secure a deep underhook on the same side as the trapped leg. Use your free hand to swim for the underhook while using lockdown extension to create space and prevent opponent from maintaining heavy chest pressure. Key points:
- Time underhook attempts with lockdown extensions
- If whizzered, employ whizzer-breaking techniques
- Get underhook deep past opponent’s armpit
- Connect underhook hand to your own hip for structural strength
- Electric Chair Setup: From lockdown with underhook, begin elevating opponent’s trapped leg by extending your hips upward and outward while pulling with the underhook. Use your free hand to control opponent’s far arm or post on the mat to prevent them from basing out. Create the characteristic crotch-splitting pressure of the Electric Chair position. Key points:
- Hip extension is crucial - drive hips up and away
- Control opponent’s far arm to prevent defensive posts
- Angle your body to increase pressure on inner thigh
- Maintain lockdown throughout the elevation
- Attack Execution: From Electric Chair position, execute either the submission finish (in legal competition formats), transition to Old School sweep if they defend high, or advance to Banana Split if they attempt to extract their leg. Read opponent’s defensive reactions and flow to the appropriate attack. Key points:
- Submission: maximize hip extension while controlling far arm
- Sweep: roll over underhook shoulder when they post high
- Banana Split: catch second leg if they pull trapped leg out
- Maintain pressure throughout transitions
- Chain Attacks and Adjustments: If initial attack is defended, immediately transition to alternative attacks within the system. From failed Electric Chair, flow to Old School sweep. From defended sweep, transition to back attack or Twister entries. Never return to static half guard—constantly maintain offensive pressure through continuous attack chaining. Key points:
- Never pause between attack attempts
- Recognize back exposure opportunities during scrambles
- Be prepared to release lockdown for back takes
- Use opponent’s defensive energy against them
- System Mastery and Flow: Develop the ability to move fluidly between all system components based on opponent reactions, creating an unpredictable and overwhelming offensive platform from half guard bottom. Advanced practitioners should be able to threaten multiple attacks simultaneously, forcing opponents into reactive defense that opens finishing opportunities. Key points:
- Recognize patterns in opponent’s defensive preferences
- Develop counters to common lockdown escapes
- Integrate system with other half guard variations
- Use lockdown system to setup transitions to other guards
How to Measure Your Progress
Lockdown Security Rate: Measures ability to establish and maintain lockdown control against resistance without opponent easily extracting their leg or passing guard Proficiency indicators:
- Beginner: Achieves lockdown against passive opponent but loses it easily to basic extraction attempts
- Intermediate: Maintains lockdown against moderate pressure and can re-establish when broken
- Advanced: Lockdown remains secure against skilled opponents and extraction attempts strengthen position
- Expert: Can establish lockdown from various half guard scenarios and use opponent’s escape attempts to transition to other attacks
Electric Chair Pressure Generation: Evaluates the effectiveness of hip extension mechanics and positioning to create legitimate submission threat or sweep opportunity Proficiency indicators:
- Beginner: Can achieve basic Electric Chair position but creates minimal pressure
- Intermediate: Generates sufficient pressure to force defensive reactions and create sweep opportunities
- Advanced: Electric Chair creates immediate submission threat in legal formats and reliable sweeps when defended
- Expert: Can adjust angles dynamically to maintain maximum pressure and flow seamlessly to follow-up attacks
Attack Chain Fluidity: Assesses ability to transition smoothly between Electric Chair, Old School sweep, back takes, and other system components without returning to static positions Proficiency indicators:
- Beginner: Attempts single attacks without follow-up when defended
- Intermediate: Can chain 2-3 related attacks together following defensive patterns
- Advanced: Maintains continuous offensive pressure with multiple attack chains creating dilemmas
- Expert: Opponent feels constantly threatened from lockdown position with no safe defensive response
Underhook Battle Proficiency: Measures success rate in securing and maintaining underhook control against whizzers and other defensive counters Proficiency indicators:
- Beginner: Struggles to obtain underhook or loses it easily to whizzer
- Intermediate: Can secure underhook against moderate resistance and maintain it briefly
- Advanced: Reliably defeats whizzer attempts and maintains underhook control throughout attacks
- Expert: Uses opponent’s underhook denial attempts to transition to alternative entries or positions
Expert Insights
- John Danaher: The fundamental genius of the Lockdown to Electric Chair system lies in its systematic exploitation of opponent base disruption through asymmetric leg control. When we analyze the biomechanics, the lockdown achieves something quite remarkable: it transforms your opponent’s leg from a mobile base element into a trapped lever that you control completely. The figure-four configuration creates a mechanical advantage where your two legs control their one leg with superior strength application. From this foundation of control, the Electric Chair position represents a logical progression—you’re simply extending the principle of leg control to create pressure on the hip joint and inner thigh structures. What makes this system particularly effective from a systematic perspective is that it forces opponent into a genuine dilemma: defend the immediate pressure and expose sweeps, or maintain base and endure submission threats. The truly advanced practitioner understands that the lockdown isn’t merely a holding position but rather a dynamic control platform from which multiple attack vectors emerge simultaneously, creating the exact type of decision-making pressure that breaks opponent’s defensive structure.
- Gordon Ryan: In competition, the lockdown system is incredibly effective because it completely neutralizes opponent’s passing game while building up massive offensive pressure. I’ve used variations of this system extensively, particularly in no-gi where the lockdown control is even more dominant without gi grips to assist opponent’s defense. The key competitive advantage is that you’re forcing your opponent to work constantly just to maintain position while you’re systematically setting up high-percentage attacks. When I’m locked down with a competent opponent who understands the Electric Chair mechanics, I know I’m in immediate danger—the pressure is real and the sweep threats are legitimate. From a competition strategy perspective, the lockdown is phenomenal for managing tough matches because it allows you to maintain guard while attacking simultaneously, which is crucial for point-based competition. The Old School sweep in particular has an extremely high success rate when combined with lockdown control because opponent literally cannot post with their trapped leg. What separates elite lockdown players from average ones is the ability to maintain constant pressure and immediately transition between attacks without giving opponent any recovery time. In my experience, opponents either tap to the Electric Chair pressure or get swept attempting to defend it—both outcomes are wins.
- Eddie Bravo: The Lockdown to Electric Chair system is the foundation of everything we do at 10th Planet from half guard bottom, and it completely changed how the jiu-jitsu world thinks about half guard as an attacking position rather than just a defensive escape. Before we developed this system, half guard was considered a stalling position where you’re trying to escape or sweep with low-percentage techniques. The lockdown changed everything by giving you a control position that’s actually superior to many top positions because you control their base completely. The Electric Chair specifically is one of my proudest innovations because it creates legitimate finishing pressure in sub-only and EBI formats while also setting up unstoppable sweeps in point-based competition. What makes this system so effective is that it’s based on creating maximum discomfort and pressure—when you have someone in a proper Electric Chair, they’re in pain, their base is broken, and they’re desperately trying to escape, which is exactly when you hit them with the Old School sweep or transition to the Truck. The beautiful thing about the lockdown is that it works for everyone—big guys, small guys, flexible people, inflexible people—because it’s based on leverage and positioning rather than attributes. I’ve seen white belts submit brown belts with this system because the mechanics are so sound. The key is never being static, always maintaining that constant pressure and movement that makes opponent feel like they’re drowning.