Okay, so today I tried out this move called a “banana split” in jiu jitsu. I saw some guys doing it online, and it looked pretty cool and effective, so I figured, why not give it a shot?
I went to my usual jiu jitsu class. We started with the warm-up, you know, the usual drills and stretches. Nothing fancy. After we were all warmed up, the instructor showed us some basic techniques.
Then, it was time to try the banana split. I paired up with my buddy, Mark. He’s a bit bigger than me, which I thought might be a problem, but I was willing to try.
- First, I got into the turtle position, like I was a ball, all tucked in.
- Mark was on top, trying to get a grip.
- I grabbed his right leg with my left arm, and then hooked my left leg around his left ankle.
- That’s where the name, banana split, I guess, makes sense. Because my body was basically pulling him in opposite directions, like, well, splitting a banana.
It was really hard to get the position at first. Mark kept trying to break my grip. It is such a strange postion. But I finally locked it in, I pulled his right leg up and pushed his left leg down. It felt really awkward, and I almost lost my balance a few times. Mark is a tough guy, but he tapped out pretty quickly. He said it was super uncomfortable, and he felt like his legs were going to rip apart.
First Success!
We switched, and it was my turn to be on top. It’s way harder than it looks to get into that position. When Mark was pulling my legs apart, I could totally feel why it’s called a banana split. My legs were screaming! I tapped too of course!
We practiced it a few more times. Each time, it got a little easier, but it’s still a tough move to pull off. After class, I talked to the instructor about it. He gave me a few tips on how to control the position better and how to apply the pressure more effectively. I was so exciting!
Overall, it was a fun and challenging experience. I definitely need to work on it more, but I think the banana split could be a really useful move to add to my game. I’ll keep practicing and see how it goes.