1. Position your hands flat, spread across your opponents stomach, your thumbs should be almost touching (Pic 1).

2. Open out your arms so that your elbows and forearms are against / parallel with the opponents inner thighs. This will allow you to move with your opponent whilst controlling your own position (Pic 1).

3. Stay low and tight, forcing your opponent to keep his guard locked. If your opponent attempts to roll, post out a hand. Once you have stopped the attempted roll, return to your initial position.

4. Jam your knee up into the opponents lower back (Pic 2).

5. Push your opposite leg backwards behind you, turning your hips to leave your lower body side on, at this point you will still be in your opponents guard. By turning your lower body you have now made an edge ready to push through the opponents guard (Pic 2).

6. Use your elbows to push down on to the opponents inner thighs, at the same time drive your hands into the opponents stomach and push yourself back to break the guard (Pic 2).

7. Use your body to pin your opponents leg. Reach under the pinned leg and grip the opponents outer thigh. Control your opponents leg and quickly in one movement lift it onto your shoulder (Pic 3).

8. Stack your opponent by driving his leg upwards towards his chest. To make sure you have control of your opponent while stacking them reach across the opponents chest and grip their shoulder (Pic 3).

10. Keeping your opponent stacked and pinned, move your leg up to the opponents shoulder and place it under the armpit. As you do so move your arm from across the chest to under the opponents head (Pic 4). Release the leg and simultaneously move your trailing leg up to the opponents hip, you can now bring your chest down onto the opponent to keep them pinned. Link up with your other hand to create a tight side control (Pic 6). DO NOT LEAVE A GAP BETWEEN YOUR CHEST AND YOUR OPPONENT OR BETWEEN YOUR LEGS AND THEIR UPPER BODY. A large gap (Pic 5) will allow your opponent an easy escape route.

12. Lift your opponents head onto your forearm whilst rotating his chin with your shoulder to make the position more uncomfortable (Pic 6).

The grip is often over looked but is an essential part of mixed martial arts. The grip is your primary method with which to control your opponent. Once you have taken hold of your opponent you need to be able to stay locked on.

The following technique will help you to develop a strong grip:

The Chinning Bar

When working on the chinning bar the only thing holding you up is your grip. Your grip needs to be able to support your entire body weight. This is not a pull-up routine. There are no movements involved. All you need to do is grip hard and hang. The level of progression is simply monitored by the length of time you are able to stay up. Add extra weights around your waist to increase difficulty. To develop a strong all round grip try different gripping techniques such as over hand, wide grip, narrow grip, reverse and opposite palms.