Category Archives: Miscellaneous
This impressed the hell out of me!
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… (more…)
Sports Psychology for BJJ, MMA & Submission Grappling
*** 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. (more…)
Top Ten List Concluded: Why We Grapple...
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? (more…)
Top Article Number Seven: One of my Favorites!
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… (more…)
Don't make this classic training error!
About 10 years ago I was talking to a pioneer of early MMA. This fighter trained all the time, even between fights.
But whenever he had a fight coming up he’d go absolutely mental and grind himself down into an exhausted mess. (more…)
A Weird Dilemma...
I recently sat down and figured out which of my articles I got the most feedback from. Here’s another article that I’ve received a LOT of feedback on. Back in 2004 I was asked a very interesting question about grappling endurance by someone I’ll call ‘Fred.’
Here was the problem in a nutshell… (more…)
Top Articles on Grapplearts: Number 1 of 10
Obviously I’ve been building up content on Grapplearts for quite some time now.
Nevertheless I was recently surprised to see that there are now more than 500 articles, tips and blog posts on here now! Not all of them are by me – some are articles by guest authors – but that’s still a heck of a lot of content! (more…)
Life in Hollywood North, and an Important Article
I’ve got to be quick with this blog post. We’ve been in studio almost continuously for three days, filming what might be my most ambitious video project ever.
And we’ve got to get back at it really soon. (I’m super excited about this project btw. (more…)
How bad do you want it?
I found this short Youtube video and voice-over really inspiring and wanted to pass it on.
It has nothing to do with martial arts.
But in a way it has EVERYTHING to do with martial arts! Plus the sports-specific training footage is pretty cool too, and might give you some good ideas for your own conditioning!! (more…)
Tony Blauer on Fitness, Fear Management, and Combat Psychology
I just interviewed Tony Blauer. He’s the head of Blauer Tactical Systems which specializes in close quarter tactics & scenario-based training for law enforcement, military and professional self-defense instructors. (more…)
Gi vs no-gi, I don’t think the debate will ever die.
I wrote about this topic first in 2004, arguing that most gi-based grapplers should do at least a little bit of no gi grappling, and visa versa. (more…)
I got some good feedback on the last post (Advice for a Frustrated, Clumsy and Uncoordinated Grappler) and want to share a couple of tidbits with you today.
Here’s what one anonymous Australian BJJ student in his thirties had to say (more…)
Advice for A Frustrated, Clumsy & Uncoordinated Grappler
——————- A Question ——————-
Hi Stephan
I’ve recently started learning BJJ with some friends at their garage. I am by far the slowest student. We’re following a DVD series with very clear & thorough breakdowns of techniques. (more…)
The Four Steps to Master ANY Techique!
Want to learn how to master a technique? Of course you do!
There’s a really cool concept called “The Four Stages of Learning” that’ll help you understand how people learn skills, concepts and techniques. (more…)
Belugas, Bears and an Offshore Tide on Hudson Bay
Fair warning: what I’m talking about today has absolutely nothing to do with martial arts training. But – in keeping with a previous theme – it has everything to do with deliberately facing self-imposed challenges, whatever they may be. (more…)
Blood, Sweat and… Sparta!!!
This may sound a bit weird coming from a guy who runs a grappling site, but I want you to ask yourself a question: why on earth are you spending hours and hours rolling around on the ground with men wearing spandex and/or pajamas? (more…)
How To Attract Women... To Your Grappling School
Krista Scott-Dixon is many things, including being friend of mine, a student of BJJ and the brains behind a great fitness website called Stumptuous.com.
She is also a becoming a semi-regular contributor to Grapplearts.com. (more…)
Teaching vs. Fighting Ability
Some people think that they can only learn from World Champions. And then, when they finally study with a competition legend, they’re often disappointed that he won’t (or can’t) teach them very much. (more…)
Judo Books
Long time readers won’t be surprised when I say that you can learn a lot by studying the techniques used by grapplers of the past (check out my post on old-time grappling). Rules change and sports evolve, but body mechanics stay the same. (more…)
I'm Alive and I Didn't Get Double Armbarred...
A reader recently asked me “I haven’t heard from you in a long time. Did you get double arm-barred and can’t type?”
I’m glad that both my arms are great and I can type just fine! (more…)
Old Time Grapplin'
I’m a big fan of old Judo, Jiu-Jitsu and Catch Wrestling books. I have lots and lots of martial arts books, but some of the real jewels of my library are the Judo and wrestling books published in the 1920′s to the 1960′s. (more…)
The Two WORST Martial Arts Techniques of All Time!
Disclaimer: I’ve trained with some great teachers, getting tons of top-notch information from them. But my teachers are NOT AT ALL RESPONSIBLE for today’s video!
You see, I’ve just posted a video about the two absolute WORST techniques that I’ve ever seen in almost 30 years of martial arts training! (more…)
ESPN, I'm Sorry!
I think I owe ESPN an official apology!
2 weeks ago I released my second-ever podcast and it shot up the charts, eventually making the Grapplearts Radio podcast the number four podcast for the entire sports section of iTunes. (more…)
Do I Really Think Boxing Sucks?
Boy, did my post a few days ago (with the tongue in cheek title: “Another Reason Why BJJ is Better Than Boxing“) set off a firestorm
I admit it: I’m biased! I run a site called “grapplearts,”, not “boxingarts.” (more…)
Another Reason Why BJJ is Better Than Boxing
A few days ago, while traveling, I made my way down to Dartmouth’s Fitplus gym. That’s where I participated in a BJJ class taught by 6th degree Carlson Gracie black belt, Alexandre Penao. (more…)
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