A gripping scenario Colin Oates was not happy with was when a right handed opponent pinned his left sleeve, whilst fighting to control his right sleeve.

Oates’s response was to snap off the sleeve pin on one side, then neutralise his opponent’s grip on the other side, before taking his favoured grip over the top. Here is the initial grip break, with Oates emphasising the double movement of up and inwards.

The two movements must combine fluidly in order to break the strong sleeve pin. The second action is more subtle, and what he describes as a flick of the partner’s hand, this is done to tilt the balance of power on the other sleeve to his advantage.

Once he’s won on the battle on the sleeves it’s time to throw the left arm over the top and take his favoured back grip. From this position he has a lot of throwing options available.