Top-Seed Purple Belt Laura Kolm's Sleeve Guard Game Is Dangerous
Top-Seed Purple Belt Laura Kolm's Sleeve Guard Game Is Dangerous
The blue belt world champ and decorated purple belt competitor has demonstrated time and again her affinity for spider, lasso and collar sleeve guards.
Training for just over three years at Unity Jiu-Jitsu under the inimitable Murilo Santana, Laura Kolm already has a laundry list of accomplishments on her resume. A blue belt world champion, a European champion, and Pans champion, Kolm has build a game around the use of sleeve control through variations of lasso, spider guard, and collar-sleeve that makes her a nightmare for her opposition.
The philosophy behind Kolm’s strategy is similar to the one used by another former color belt World Champion and current UFC contender Beneil Dariush: separate the opponent’s elbow from their chest to relentlessly hunt omoplata, triangle, and armbar combinations until achieving submission.
Collar Sleeve Excellence: pic.twitter.com/rORd4LmOpg
— Leo Santos Stan (@gioiaplata) March 14, 2023
The omoplata-triangle-armbar submission chain is one of the most basic submission chains, one which is taught at every academy. Kolm routinely shows why it is so effective.
“The combination of triangle-armbar-omoplatas have been effective for me because I think it’s very difficult for someone to pass without any space between their elbows and body which creates those submission openings,” said Kolm in regard to her chosen strategy, “constantly threatening them leads to people over compensating and exposing their legs which leads to sweeps and other submissions if necessary.”
When Kolm is not able to control her opponent’s posture through collar control, she usually employs either spider guard or spider-lasso control. One of the main advantages spider guard provides is distance management, especially when utilized by a long, dexterous athlete like Kolm.
When an opponent gets too close, Kolm uses her spider hook to shift her opponent's shoulders, disrupting their posture even further. Kolm’s opponent is forced to be on her toes in the situation, allowing Kolm to push into her, forcing her opponent back on her heels. This off-balance provides the perfect opportunity to pull the opponent’s sleeve way from her body and into a triangle.
— Leo Santos Stan (@gioiaplata) March 14, 2023
When Kolm needs to close the distance between her and her opponent she often looks to enact a lasso. “I love lasso because it allows me to control my opponent’s shoulder line and I can combine with any guard like Spider, X, or De La Riva and still maintain its control benefits,” Kolm said. “Using lasso also makes it easier to monitor triangle, omoplata, and armbar opportunities and act on them fast.”
Kolm uses a variety of different lassos depending on what the situation calls for. If her opponent attempts to pressure toward her lasso side into a stacking scenario, Kolm will use a deep lasso to further suck her opponent’s shoulder in allowing for a quick transition to an omoplata.
— Leo Santos Stan (@gioiaplata) March 14, 2023
If an opponent tries to circle away from the lasso side, Kolm will use her lasso to stay connected to her opponent as she inverts underneath. This not only allows Kolm to stay connected but feeds right into triangles as the lasso prevents any connection between her opponent’s arm and the rest of their body.
— Leo Santos Stan (@gioiaplata) March 14, 2023
With the danger presented by the spider-lasso, some opponents are hesitant to engage on either side and instead look to stack. Even though she does not have control of the collar, Kolm is still able to break down her opponents posture by pressing down on her opponents biceps, shifting her opponents weight and exposing the arm.
— Leo Santos Stan (@gioiaplata) March 14, 2023
Individually these guards have proven to be devastating on their own but when paired together, Kolm is able to overwhelm her opponents with constant off balances and inversions, before finishing her opponents in highlight-reel fashion.
— Leo Santos Stan (@gioiaplata) March 14, 2023
Unquestionably the front-runner in the purple belt heavyweight division. Laura Kolm is the modern remake of a classic, fan favorite strategy with finishing instincts match. With victories at almost every tournament she has entered, Kolm’s confidence is well earned. “Hopefully at Pans I can continue to showcase my game and some new additions to it that I’ve been working on in training,” Kolm said. “However, every competition now is just feedback and preparation so I can eventually be ready for the black belt level.”