Move of the Day

Kids Guard Recovery Game: Shrimp & Frame

A playful version of the hip escape so kids learn space without getting smashed.

Kids do not need a lecture on frames. They need a game: someone is a slow-moving boulder, you are a shrimp trying to get your knees back in. Keep the partner on their knees, no dumping all their weight, and celebrate every time the bottom player gets a knee shield. Gray / kids classes live or die on this kind of constraint game.

The steps

1. 01Top player starts on both knees beside the bottom player — not in a full smash side control.
2. 02Bottom player frames on the shoulders and shrimps to make a 'door' for the knee.
3. 03If the knee comes in, freeze and high-five. Reset.
4. 04After three successes, let the top player move a little faster — still no full body weight on the ribs.
5. 05Switch roles. The lesson is the same both ways: hips make space, arms only steer.

Details that matter

• Coach the top kid to be a good partner. Winning the drill is not the point.
• If someone is gassed or upset, reset to a slower boulder. Ego does not belong in kids class.
• Name the frames ('fence posts') so they remember them next week.

Video walkthroughs live on the BJJ Everyday YouTube.

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