Hotdog Roll

Student Objectives:

  1. The student will apply the Hot Dog Roll from the Turtle Position.
  2. The student will explain the difference between a Sweep and a Reversal.

Teaching Cues:

  • Straighten the arm
  • Straighten the leg
  • Straighten the top leg
  • Wiley coyote  
  • Back Flat

Lesson: Hot Dog Roll

The practicing student will start in the Turtle Position with their knees, feet, elbows and hands on the floor.  Their head should be down, with the chin tucked to protect the neck.  The assisting student will Crack the Egg by placing their knee in the space between the practicing student’s thigh and tricep.  The knee should be pushed under the body until the assisting student’s hip touches the practicing student’s body.  Then the assisting student will take a loose Seat Belt Grip.
The practicing student will initiate the reversal by taking the arm that is furthest away from the assisting student and straightening the arm between their own legs.  When done correctly, this will trap the outside seatbelt arm in the practicing students armpit.  Then the outside leg will straighten and the practicing student will lay on the arm. This will create an extremely strong hold on the assisting student’s arm.

This position should leave the practicing student’s body slightly angled towards the assisting student. The practicing student will then straighten the inside leg to make space for the hips/legs and a connection to the assisting student’s hips.   To make this connection, the practicing student will walk their hips forward until the assisting student’s weight is transferred onto the practicing student’s hip. This walking of the hips/legs, combined with the trapping of the arm ,should make the weight transfer difficult to avoid.

Once the weight is successfully transferred onto the practicing student, they will roll their back flat to the floor and roll the assisting student over.  Hand placement should be transferred to the knees of the assisting student to help guide them over the body, but also to insulate the position so that the assisting student can not easily bridge and fight for top position.

The angle of the chest when coming up is extremely important.  The goal should be to get the chest angled towards the floor as quickly as possible.  Sometimes when the transition goes well there is not a need to do anything other than stabilize, other times the practicing student will have to shrimp their hips back to make the space for their chest.  This should be done while maintaining the grips on the knees as a chock so that the assisting student can’t follow you.  

Possible Extensions:

  • Combine the successful Hot Dog Roll with a mounting technique.  The Knee Pull to Mount fits very well at the end of the Hotdog Roll.
  • Start the reversal by having the assisting student Sprawl and Spin before “cracking the egg”.  When done in timing, with the assisting student in motion this can really increase the effectiveness of the reversal.
  • Make sure you address failure of this movement by having the assisting student sprawl or base to prevent the roll.  This often includes kicking back the leg that was “cracking the egg”.  This leaves a clear pathway for the practicing student to force themselves back up to their knees and sit to guard.  This will not be an easy transition, however it will be extremely effective and high percentage.  

Possible Refinements:

  • It is a common mistake for the practicing student to straighten the wrong leg and turn their chest away, rather than in.  This will not bind/trap the assisting student’s arm correctly and it further exposes their back.  
  • The Wiley Coyote cue is very important.  Make sure you emphasize walking on your side towards your partner otherwise there will not be a forced transfer of weight.  If this becomes a difficult part of the maneuver, it’s because there was no connection of the hips when setting up the starting position.  Make sure the assisting student has a tighter seatbelt and that will typically help.
  • The hand transfer onto the knees during the reversal is the hardest part of this movement.  This will take a focus of both the teacher and the student to make sure it is done correctly.  In the event the student needs to force themselves back to Turtle after a failed Hotdog Roll then these grips are extremely important in maintaining the space to fight back to their knees.

Reference materials:

Teaching Reflections:

  • How did I do teaching?
  • What could I do better next time?
  • Did the student gain proficiency in lesson material?

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