Framing Playbook: Structure That Holds Space Against Bigger People

Mat Manual companion guide to "How to Frame So Bigger People Can't Smash You." Print it. The article teaches frames as architecture. This book builds them under rising, honest pressure: framing safety first, the side control frame shape with a breathing standard, frames for mount, half guard, and standing distance, the knee shield built as a leg frame, placement keyed to pressure direction, the set-breathe-spend rhythm drilled before escapes attach, layered defense for when a frame is solved, pressure-tested rounds across weight differences at agreed intensities, and trackers that log survival and collapse causes until structure replaces pushing for good.

Name: ______________________________ Academy: ______________________________ Belt: ______________ Weight class (for pressure pairing): ______________ Frame side (stronger): L / R

SAFETY, BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE — FRAMING AND PRESSURE RULES ☐ A frame is structure, never a weapon: forearm blades shelf the shoulder and hip lines; nothing is driven into a partner's throat, eyes, or spine, and coaches correct any frame that becomes one instantly. ☐ Pressure is agreed before it is applied: intensities are named out loud for every loaded drill and round, and any player can lower the number at any time, no reason owed. ☐ Tap and stop rules run underneath everything: a bottom player in distress signals by hand, voice, or foot, and top pressure releases instantly, including pressure itself as the reason for a tap. ☐ Breathing is a safety metric: a bottom player who cannot breathe or speak at a drill's intensity is at the wrong intensity; the drill stops and resets lower. ☐ Never crank or strike with a frame to create space. Space in this book is built, held, and spent — never hit into existence.

Part 1: Framing Scoring — How This Book Measures Structure

Escapes impress. Held space tells the truth. Every test in this book scores the frame before the escape.