The Gift Wrap: A Versatile Tool in Your Street Jiu Jitsu Game

The Gift Wrap is a form of positional control. It involves wrapping one of your opponent's arms across their face and securing it with your hand, essentially ‘gift wrapping’ them in a compromised position. This limits their mobility, helps slow down the fight and opens up several submission options. 

Benefits of the Gift Wrap in Jiu Jitsu Training For Police

1. Dominant Control: The Gift Wrap offers a dominant position, making it hard for a subject to escape or attack.
2. Versatility: From this position, you can transition to different submissions, mount, or even take the back, depending on what the situation calls for.
3. Expended Energy: Having an opponent in such a controlled position can be exhausting for them, without needing to put in a lot of work yourself, which gives you a physical advantage. 

How to Achieve the Gift Wrap:

1. Start from Side Control or Mount (Typically): The Gift Wrap is often set up from the one of these two primary positions.
2. Control the Arm: Trap one of your opponent's arms and bring it across their face.
3. Secure the Grip: Use your free hand to go under their head and secure their wrist, wrapping their arm tightly across their face.

Applications one the Street:

1. Setting up Other Submissions or Strikes: The Gift Wrap is a gateway to various submissions, including neck restraints, arm locks or even wrist locks, It can also be used to land effective strikes while keeping the opponent controlled. Obviously, all of these are dependent upon the situation. 
2. Rolling a Subject to Prone: You can use the Gift Wrap to easily roll someone to a prone cuffing position.
3. Slow Down the Fight: If you're dealing with active resistance, the Gift Wrap can be a great way to slow down the fight and gas your opponent out. 

Drilling the Gift Wrap:

To practice the Gift Wrap, incorporate specific drills into your training routine. Practice transitioning into the Gift Wrap from different positions and work on flowing into submissions or positional advancements from there. 

Check out our full Gift Wrap series in the Jiu Jitsu Five-O mobile app for specific techniques and drills you can start working now!