The half guard can be a powerful attacking position so long as you stay on your side and maintain your mobility. However if your opponent gets his grips, flattens you out and drives all his weight onto you it really sucks. And then it’s only a matter of time till he passes your guard… But [...]
A fan recently posted a great question on the Grapplearts Facebook Fan Page (click here to visit the Grapplearts Page). Q: “Hi Stephan. Will you analyze Palhares’ sick heelhooks and combinations or is it more thanks to his bull strength that he’s so successful. Or maybe do already you teach that in your leglocks DVD. [...]
In grappling, sometimes a submission can be more than just a submission. Let me explain… There is no shortage of different submission attacks from the bottom position. Most typically you’d attack from the closed guard, open guard or half guard position, but you can also use submissions if you’re turtled under your opponent, or even [...]
Q: Hello Stephan, I’m a big fan of your website – I’ve been following it since 2009. I compete in BJJ and No-Gi submission wrestling. I’ve also been training MMA with hopes of having my first amateur fight within the year. I’ve been very successful working my guard when I compete, and I’ve been able [...]
Let’s talk about an advanced concept that top submission artists use all the time… There are a only limited number of positions in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. The six most common positions are the Guard, Sidemount, Kneemount, Full Mount, Rear Mount and Turtle (click here to get a free book with a full explanation of this concept). [...]
Just in case you want to treat yourself, here are my top selling DVDs right now 1) THE NUMBER ONE SET: HOW TO DEFEAT THE BIGGER, STRONGER OPPONENT The most popular DVD set of the entire year has undoubtedly been “How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent” that I filmed together with multiple-time world champion [...]
UFC 140 last Saturday night was one of the best MMA shows in recent memory. There were lots of exciting matchups, but THE fight of the night was the much-anticipated rematch between heavyweights Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir. This fight displayed the highest level grappling ever seen in the heavyweight division of the UFC! [...]
Q: Hi, Stephan, I believe it was Erik Paulson who said that older grapplers should focus on gi based grappling compared to no-gi since it was a slower and less explosive game. I’ve been keeping this in mind as I look for clubs to train at. I’m getting up there in age and the plan [...]
Q: Hi Stephan, I’ve been having problems with the triangle choke. I have rather thick, maybe even short, legs and I just can’t lock it in. I always seem to only be able to get my foot half way up my calf, then no more. Are there tips or tricks or anything to help me, [...]
Hey guys! Here’s something different: in November of 2011 I answered questions from my newsletter readers (sign up for free here) on the first ever Grapplearts Q & A Podcast. Find out how how to taper for competition, what to do when you’re getting crushed all the time, what to do when your wrestling coach [...]
I thought that this was just too cool not to share… A few years ago my friend Matt Kirtley sent me a breakdown of the rolling reverse omoplata. This advanced technique looks pretty fancy but I can vouch for it because I’ve used it on some very saavy training partners. But be warned: it’s a [...]
I recently got an email from a reader getting ready to compete in his first BJJ tournament. One of the things that he asked me was “what are the most common mistakes that first-time competitors make?” BJJ tournaments in general, and ESPECIALLY your first competition, are likely to be a little bit chaotic. So it’s [...]
The Ryan Hall interview is ready, and it might be my best interrogation ever! Ryan is one of North America’s most prolific and successful competitors. With more than 200 tournaments, countless superfights, and solid performances in the Mundials and ADCC he’s uniquely positioned to give a ton insight into the world of BJJ and submission [...]
How many times has someone almost gotten past your guard… …You’re just about pinned; it’s just a matter of time… …So you mentally relax, concede the position and prepare for the battle to get out of sidemount using your pin escape techniques. This approach can work, but it’s very much the hard way of going [...]
Many of the most powerful guard sweeps rely on your hips being underneath your opponent’s center of gravity. This makes him very unstable – think of the difference between 1. standing on the floor beside one of those stability balls, and 2. trying to stand on top of that same stability ball. Obviously option 2 [...]
I have 600 complete sets of “How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent” in stock, and they’re ready to ship right now. Emily Kwok and I have been crafting this 5 DVD set for a long time, and it’s one of the best instructional sets I have ever seen. There are 5 DVDs – three [...]
In my early days of martial arts training I ran into quite a few teachers who were so full of themselves that students asking questions was almost unheard of. At first I thought that this was normal. I thought that maybe things would change after I’d paid my dues for 10 or 20 years… And [...]
*** A Sports Psychology Question from a Reader *** Hi Stephan, I was listening to your interview with Ryan Hall and I was wondering about which Sports Psychology Books you had read or would recommend. You and he seemed to use a lot of the same terminology and phrases. Thanks in advance for any info… [...]
*** A Grappling Question from a Reader *** Hi Stephan, Thank you for the newsletters! I started training BJJ and MMA about 5 months ago – it’s been life changing for me. Do you have any tips for keeping someone in your guard and not letting them pass? Sincerely, R.W. ======== My Answer ======== Hi [...]
*** Post edited November 3rd, 2011: Please note that these DVDs are now available for shipping! Click here for more details and ordering information *** It’s a very exciting day! For the past few months I’ve been working like crazy to get my new DVD series finished. In this series I’m collaborating with my friend, [...]
We sweat, strain, get injured and spend money in order to roll around on the ground with men wearing pajamas. (Or worse: men wearing spandex…) So why do we do it? What’s behind this bizarre fascination with grappling? In ‘Blood, Sweat and… Sparta!‘ I take a stab at answering these questions. And then, in a [...]
Life just isn’t fair!! BJJ is the art of leverage, but there are techniques in the grappling repertoire that require you to be at least as strong as your opponent. If you’re a smaller, lighter grappler then you may not want to concentrate on these ‘big guy’ moves. In order to survive on the mats, [...]
Knowing what your roots are may not translate to kicking butt more effectively on the mats right away, but it’s still important! Submission grappling is basically a fusion of wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu… And Brazilian Jiu-jitsu came from Judo… And Judo came from classical Japanese Ju-jutsu… Researching these historical connections led me and a friend [...]
Some grapplers think that cauliflower ears are a status symbol… Others think that it’s gross. Some people can train for 20 years and still have perfectly shaped ears… Others need to wear headgear all the time or their ears start getting lumpier and lumpier. But regardless of which camp you fall into, you need to [...]
I’m in a rush today! The new DVDs that I filmed with BJJ Black Belt Emily Kwok are looking absolutely awesome! But we got so much new content that organizing and helping with the the editing and video production is proving to be a huge job. It’s fun though, and I’m 100% sure that doing [...]
