BJJ Mental Models Ep. 370: The Gift Wrap, feat. Nick Volpe
Dec 29, 2025
Nick Volpe, head instructor at Dark Bear Jiu-Jitsu, dives into the festive world of the gift wrap, a brilliant technique to control opponents effectively. He explains how it manipulates body alignment to gain dominance and discusses its versatility across various grappling styles. With insights on timing cues and common defenses, Nick shares strategies for turning the tables during a match. Plus, he highlights the technique's ability to conserve energy while creating unpredictable submission opportunities. A masterclass in control and strategy!
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Why The Gift Wrap Is So Dominant
- The gift wrap forces an opponent's arm across their midline and ruins their posture.
- That creates dominant control, removes the limb from play, and makes escapes very hard.
Use Their Reach-As-Bait
- When their near arm crosses the midline, seize the moment and set the gift wrap.
- Use Kimura/Americana threats or collar attacks to bait them into reaching across for defense.
Chest Wedge And Shoulder Control
- Drive your chest into their tricep/elbow to wedge their arm across and keep their shoulder off the mat.
- Keep your chest behind the shoulder blade to hold them on their side and prevent them flattening out.