As the attacker executing the New York Entry from Rubber Guard, your objective is to advance from Mission Control to the more offensively potent New York position by establishing a deep overhook on the opponent’s trapped arm. This transition requires coordinating the release of your shin-gripping hand with the threading of the overhook while maintaining enough hip engagement and leg pressure to prevent the opponent from escaping during the brief vulnerability window. The entry is fundamentally a grip transition under pressure, and success depends on your ability to maintain posture control through your legs alone while your arms execute the overhook swim. Once established, New York provides dual-point control through the overhook and shin grip that opens the entire upper chain of Rubber Guard attacks.
From Position: Rubber Guard (Bottom)
Key Attacking Principles
- Maintain shin-across-back pressure through hip engagement throughout the entire threading process, never relying solely on hand grip to hold the position
- Break posture completely before initiating the overhook swim. Attempting the entry against partial posture results in failed threading and potential guard loss
- Thread the overhook deep around the tricep with shoulder-to-armpit contact. Shallow overhooks catching only the elbow are easily extracted
- Use the opponent’s defensive reactions to create threading windows rather than forcing the entry against active resistance
- Coordinate hip angle adjustment with arm threading to maintain structural control during the transition phase
- Transition immediately to attacks once New York is consolidated. The position is a launching pad, not a resting point
Prerequisites
- Established Rubber Guard with secure shin grip near the ankle and consistent pressure across the opponent’s back
- Opponent’s posture broken with head below their shoulder line and weight loaded forward onto their trapped arm
- Free arm positioned below the opponent’s near arm with clearance to initiate the swimming motion
- Hip flexibility sufficient to maintain active shin pressure using leg engagement alone during the brief one-handed phase
- Opponent’s trapped arm positioned forward rather than retracted to the hip, allowing the overhook to catch deep
Execution Steps
- Confirm Mission Control stability: Verify your shin is securely positioned across the opponent’s back with your hand gripping near the ankle. Ensure their posture is fully broken with head pulled below shoulder line. Test the stability by briefly engaging your hip flexors to confirm you can maintain shin pressure without the hand grip. Do not proceed until the position feels locked and controlled.
- Identify the threading window: Read the opponent’s arm position and tension level. The ideal threading moment occurs when the opponent relaxes their trapped arm, shifts weight to their free hand for posting, or makes a failed posture recovery attempt that resets them deeper into your control. Rushing the entry without this window dramatically increases failure rate.
- Engage hip flexors to secure shin independently: Before releasing your shin grip hand, actively engage your hip flexors and pull your knee toward your chest to lock the shin across the opponent’s back through muscular tension alone. This creates the structural foundation that allows your hand to release without losing the critical shin-across-back pressure that prevents posture recovery.
- Release shin grip and initiate overhook swim: Release the shin-gripping hand and immediately begin swimming it under the opponent’s near arm. The motion should be smooth and continuous, threading from below the elbow and driving up around the tricep in a circular path. Speed matters here because this is the most vulnerable phase of the transition where shin control depends entirely on hip engagement.
- Secure deep overhook with shoulder-to-armpit contact: Drive the overhook deep so your shoulder presses tight against the opponent’s armpit. The overhook should wrap around the tricep area, not just catch the elbow. Pull your elbow tight to your body to lock the overhook in place. A deep overhook prevents the opponent from retracting their arm and creates the structural control that defines New York.
- Re-establish shin grip with opposite hand: Once the overhook is secured, use your newly free hand (the one that was previously your free arm before the swap) to re-establish the shin grip near the ankle. Both control points, overhook and shin grip, must now be active simultaneously. Confirm the grip is near the ankle rather than the knee for maximum leverage and control.
- Adjust hip angle for New York mechanics: Angle your hips slightly toward the overhook side rather than lying flat on your back. This angular adjustment loads the opponent’s weight onto their compromised trapped arm side, further degrading their base and creating the asymmetric control pressure that characterizes New York. Your shoulders should stay rounded with chin tucked.
- Consolidate and read opponent reactions: Tighten both control points simultaneously, verify posture remains broken, and begin reading the opponent’s defensive responses. Their reaction determines your next move: resistance to the overhook opens Invisible Collar; driving forward enables Chill Dog; circling away creates Carni opportunity. New York is always transitional; immediately progress to the appropriate follow-up.
Possible Outcomes
| Result | Position | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Success | New York | 55% |
| Failure | Rubber Guard | 30% |
| Counter | Open Guard | 15% |
Opponent Counters
- Opponent initiates posture recovery by walking hands back and sitting upright before overhook is threaded (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Abandon the threading attempt and use your shin grip to pull their posture back down immediately. If they achieve partial posture, switch to threatening a triangle by shooting your leg over their shoulder as the posture creates space between their arm and body. Their posture recovery often creates the very opening needed for triangle entry. → Leads to Rubber Guard
- Opponent retracts trapped arm toward their hip during the threading window, preventing overhook establishment (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: If the arm retracts before the overhook catches, redirect to a triangle setup since the retracting arm is now inside your guard frame. Alternatively, use your shin pressure to re-trap the arm by pulling them forward again and reattempting the thread when their arm naturally repositions forward for balance. → Leads to Rubber Guard
- Opponent drives forward with stack pressure to flatten the bottom player during the vulnerable one-handed phase (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Accept the forward drive and use it to accelerate the overhook by letting their forward momentum bring their arm deeper into threading range. Simultaneously angle your hips to prevent being stacked flat. Their forward pressure actually assists the overhook depth if you time the swimming motion to coincide with their drive rather than fighting against it. → Leads to Open Guard
- Opponent grip-fights the shin-gripping hand, stripping control and opening the guard during transition (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: If the shin grip is stripped, immediately close your guard to prevent complete escape and re-establish posture control from closed guard. From there, re-enter Rubber Guard through the standard entry sequence. The opponent’s grip fight on your shin hand also exposes their arm for potential arm drag or underhook opportunities. → Leads to Open Guard
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: Your opponent begins pulling their trapped arm back toward their hip as you start releasing your shin grip to thread the overhook. How do you respond? A: Do not chase the retracting arm with a slow overhook attempt. Instead, immediately re-secure your shin grip to prevent complete escape and use the shin pressure to pull the opponent forward again, resetting their arm position. If the arm is already partially free, pivot to a triangle threat by shooting your leg over their shoulder, as the retracting arm is now inside your guard frame in the perfect position for triangle entry. The opponent’s arm retraction actually creates the angle needed for the triangle.
Q2: What is the critical hip engagement that must occur before you release the shin grip to begin threading? A: You must actively engage your hip flexors and pull your knee toward your chest to create independent shin pressure that holds the shin across the opponent’s back without hand assistance. This muscular engagement replaces the structural support of the grip and maintains the posture-breaking pressure during the threading phase. Test this by loosening your grip slightly before fully releasing. If the shin slides at all, increase hip flexor engagement before proceeding. Without this step, the shin falls immediately upon hand release.
Q3: What determines whether you should attempt the New York entry now versus waiting in Mission Control? A: Three conditions must converge for a high-percentage entry: the opponent’s posture is fully broken with head below shoulder line, their trapped arm is positioned forward rather than retracted, and their attention or energy is directed elsewhere such as defending a different threat or recovering from a failed escape attempt. If any condition is missing, maintain Mission Control and continue applying pressure to create the opening. Forcing the entry against an alert, postured opponent with a retracted arm results in failure over 70% of the time.
Q4: How deep must the overhook be, and what anatomical landmark tells you the depth is sufficient? A: The overhook must wrap around the opponent’s tricep area until your shoulder makes direct contact with the inner surface of their armpit. This shoulder-to-armpit contact is the key landmark. If you can feel their armpit against your deltoid, the overhook is deep enough. If your shoulder is still against their upper arm or bicep, the overhook is too shallow and they will be able to extract the arm within seconds by pulling the elbow back toward their hip.
Q5: During the threading phase, the opponent drives forward aggressively to stack you. How do you use this to your advantage? A: Accept their forward drive rather than fighting it. Their forward momentum brings their arm deeper into your threading range and makes the overhook easier to catch because their weight is already loaded forward. Time your swimming motion to coincide with their drive, letting their pressure accelerate the overhook depth. Simultaneously angle your hips to the side to prevent being stacked flat. The key insight is that forward pressure from the opponent actually assists the New York entry if you time it correctly instead of panicking.
Q6: Where exactly should your shin-gripping hand be positioned after establishing the overhook, and why does position matter? A: Grip the shin near the ankle, positioning your hand between the ankle bone and the lower calf. This low grip position maximizes the lever arm for pulling pressure across the opponent’s back. A higher grip near the knee provides less leverage because the control point is closer to the fulcrum at the hip, making it easier for the opponent to strip the grip or peel the leg off their back. The ankle grip also provides better tactile feedback for monitoring shin position.
Q7: You successfully establish New York but your overhook feels shallow. Should you attempt to deepen it now or proceed to attacks? A: Deepen the overhook immediately before proceeding to attacks. A shallow overhook will fail under the increased resistance generated by attack transitions, causing the entire position to collapse at the worst possible moment. Swim the overhook deeper by driving your shoulder further into their armpit while pulling with your elbow. This takes only 2-3 seconds and dramatically increases the reliability of every subsequent technique. Proceeding with a shallow overhook is a common error that wastes the energy invested in reaching New York.
Q8: What is the optimal hip angle once New York is established, and what does this angle accomplish biomechanically? A: Angle your hips approximately 20-30 degrees toward the overhook side rather than lying flat on your back. This angle loads the opponent’s weight asymmetrically onto their trapped arm side, further degrading their already compromised base. Biomechanically, the angle creates a diagonal pulling vector through your shin and overhook that is harder to resist than a straight downward pull from a flat position. The angle also pre-positions your body for progression to Invisible Collar and Carni, reducing the adjustment needed for follow-up transitions.
Safety Considerations
The New York entry requires significant hip and hamstring flexibility. Never force the position beyond your current range of motion, as this risks hip flexor strains, hamstring tears, and groin injuries. During drilling, communicate with your partner about pressure levels during the overhook threading phase, as excessive resistance can strain the shoulder joint of either player. Warm up thoroughly before practicing, focusing on hip openers and hamstring stretches. If you experience sharp pain in the hip or groin during the shin-across-back position, stop immediately and address flexibility limitations through progressive stretching rather than forcing the position. The one-handed transition phase places extra demand on the hip flexors, so build endurance gradually.