Brandon McCaghren – The Truck

What is this ‘truck position’ of which you speak?

If your knowledge and exposure of 10^th Planet jiu jitsu is limited, then the first time someone puts you in the truck position can seem downright demoralizing. Not to mention the host of nasty submissions you’ll encounter after spending some time in this uncomfortable spot. Let’s see, there’s the one where you feel like your spine is being rotated towards severing. Maybe they opt to rip the calf muscle from the bone, or choose to separate your legs, causing your groin to feel like it will be split in half if you don’t choose to tap. But the twister, the calf slicer, and the banana split are just the beginning.

The truth is, once you learn a little bit about the truck, you’ll understand that its really just an unorthodox form of back control. With a little practice it can become familiar, and it’s a really nice option to the traditional set belt grip and hooks style of maintaining the back. In fact, the two work quite nicely in combination, and transitioning in-between them is actually quite simple.

But unlocking and countering the position so that you don’t succumb to its treachery might be something you’ll want to learn early. In this video Brian Peterson discusses a few details on staying safe in the truck, and demonstrates a nice counter.

The Truck broken down for you

Peterson starts by making a “seal” with his left arm so that hi partner cannot gain access to the inside of his arm to manipulate it. When this area becomes inaccessible, the opponent will likely switch his attention to the legs. Peterson keeps his right leg straight, to avoid it being captured for calf slicing options. His free hand is charged with the task of defending the back take, and preventing transition to the banana split.

During this hand fighting process, he obtains his own set of grips on his partners arm, making it difficult for his partner to establish position and remain mobile. Peterson then initiates a roll that his partner follows. At the completion of the roll Peterson has his partner in a pretty vulnerable position and applies a wristlock, while his partners arm is stuck underneath him. As his partner defends the wristlock, Peterson is able to open up, kick, and create an opportunity to seize the back for himself.

This is a pretty slick counter to the truck that takes care of a lot of the pitfalls the truck presents to those of us that find ourselves here, and turns being caught into an opportunity. It’s definitely worth adding to the knowledge bank, and it may save you from falling victim to some of those nasty submissions!