ADCC Trials Technical Trends: Five Takeaways From West Coast Trials

Q: What were the key trends observed at the ADCC West Coast Trials?

The trials showcased five key trends, including shifting approaches to leg entanglements and the rise of wrestling-heavy control systems.

Q: How have athletes adapted their techniques for ADCC rulesets?

Athletes are refining their games to enhance control, positional dominance, and risk calculation in alignment with modern ADCC rules.

Q: What is the significance of the ADCC Trials in submission grappling?

The ADCC Trials serve as both a proving ground for athletes and a platform for showcasing innovative techniques under high-stakes conditions.

Q: How do leg locks fit into the current trends in no-gi grappling?

Leg locks have become more balanced in their application, reflecting the evolving strategies of athletes competing at the elite level.

In the aftermath of the ADCC season (and especially following a crazy weekend at the West Coast Trials) the no-gi game has clearly continued to evolve as thousands of athletes and coaches work to continue finding a technical or strategic edge. As hundreds of athletes collided in one of the deepest regional brackets in the sport, clear patterns began to emerge, offering a snapshot of where elite submission grappling is headed next. The Trials have always served as a proving ground, but they’ve also become a place to showcase innovation, where theories are stress tested against elite athletes with high stakes.

From shifting approaches to leg entanglements to the continued rise of wrestling-heavy control systems, the meta is tightening in some areas while expanding in others. Across five key trends, this past weekend highlighted how athletes are refining their games to meet the modern demands of ADCC rulesets with regards to control, positional dominance, and risk calculation.

Leg Locks Have More Or Less Evened Out

In the mid 2010's, the heel hook craze hit and by the late 2010's it felt like the inside heel hook was dominating competition. If someone was able to enter legs consistently, odds are they were chasing the inside heel hook nearly single-mindedly. Then the defenses caught up and by the early 2020's it was all about the outside heel hook. Easier to get to, even if wasn't as strong - especially since so many athletes got better at finishing outside heel hooks. After that for a couple years we saw a big increase in straight ankle locks and Aokis, which are even easier to get to (but harder still to break). All this was being done with a big decrease in the other techniques as the larger focuses were clearly shifting and finding balance.

Now, I think things have largely evened out (at least in terms of what people are attacking once they get into the legs). Good leg lockers now need the ability to attack inside and outside attacks with variety, because one dimensional players are getting exposed by the defenders. There's definitely some space for specialists (for example, Reese LaFever is gonna be a killer with outside heel hooks for a while) but when you take the full data sample it seems very even. The next evolution we are seeing, as we broke down in a recent video, is instead coming in the form of entries and the breaking of the dogma around that.

The Triangle Choke Was Key For Open Guard Players

To be a great no-gi guard player in 2026, you have to have a submission arsenal that covers both the upper body and lower body and that was evident at ADCC Trials. The last round we saw intentional guard play, with no penalties, was in the semifinals and we saw two examples of the same submission - triangle choke. One was Dominic Mejia against Tristan Sainz, the other Lyzz Mitrovic against Joslyn Molina. This is a real sign of how important attacking upper body submissions is from off your back.

The days of leg lock specialists is largely done, outside of a few outliers. Now grapplers need to have ways to attack back up the body. We've seen the adoption of a lot of front headlock work to make up for this but now we are seeing a small uptick in the number of triangles from the guard. I think this will continue and maybe even increase as it continues to fill the gap for submission players that leg locks once dominated.

The False Reap Era Is Over

Sadly, the time when a very good false reap was your ticket to winning an elite tournament is basically done. While a few guys (for example Pawel Jaworski) still base their game around the powerful sequence, it's become largely figured out by top players. They've found ways to hide the far leg from entanglement, shut down the reap early, and smash it even when it does come in. The best example of this has to be Gianni Grippo, who used a counter from false reap to set up his winning back take.

There's maybe no one better right now in no-gi better at shutting down leg entries and smashing them with hip pressure. Grippo was using his tight passing all tournament and his combination of tight passing, back takes, and arm triangles were as good as ever. I think up and down the tournament, we saw a lot of evidence that relying on the false reap can be a crutch that now can be exploited.

The No-Gi Passing Meta Is Basically Set In Stone

If you want to see the modern no-gi passing game done to the letter, look no further than Michael Sainz's weekend in Pomona. His passing work, especially against Jett Thompson and Max Hanson, is the meta that seems to have largely cracked how to break down talented guards over time.

Start by establishing connection with low head position, gripping and posting until you can force your opponent onto their back - a seated opponent is much more mobile and harder to pin & control. Once they are flat, pummel around the legs to either a split squat or a full on flanking position where you aren't entangled in the legs at all.

From here, the pressure builds as the opponent's guard weakens over time from holding on. Neck posts and low, connected head position help pin the skull - and spine - of the guard player. As pressure builds, opportunities arise. The common finishes are knee weaves, leg drags, and knee cuts. The passes come commonly to either side control or north south, with any really talented passer also skilled at taking the back. Good passers usually take what is given, because forcing a bad pin can lead to getting caught in a submission threat.

Any entanglements are met with high steps out and resets. The no-gi guard passing meta involves tons of resetting now, with your work accumulating pressure and pace over time as the opponent wilts against the strong positioning.

This process played out tons of times over Trials, with the same process working against guards from bad to elite. This meta will likely continue until the guard players find another answer to shutting this down effectively, which will then engender tweaks again. Right now, it feels like advantage to the top player.

No-Gi Grappling Wrestling Is Really Just Wrestling To The Back

Almost all the takedown attempts I saw over the weekend resulted in a back take or at least a back take attempt. Obviously the rules encourage anyone defending a takedown to keep moving and try to get up - if they can avoid being pinned for three seconds then they won't get scored on. By now, this has become so pervasive that in ADCC competition all takedown attempts are either basically conceded by the opponent or just a pretense to a back take attempt. Some may be able to turtle and roll back to guard, but the opportunity stands.

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