Archive for the ‘techniques’ Category

The Three Most Common Butterfly Guard Mistakes

Monday, February 20th, 2012

When most people start using the Butterfly Guard in BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and/or submission grappling, they make one or all of these 3 mistakes.

The first mistake in the Butterfly Guard is to lie flat. Although a few very talented people CAN play guard in this way, you are much more mobile and powerful when you’re sitting up, and your guard is also much harder to pass.

The second most common Butterfly Guard mistake is not gripfighting. Anytime you allow your opponent to get a grip on you, you give him an opportunity to control you and pass your guard. So, regardless of whether he’s grabbing your feet, legs, head, wrist or lapel you should gripfight, gripfight, gripfight.

The third most common error is not having a plan for each range of the Butterfly Guard. You need to know how to be offensive (i.e. which primarily means having sweeping options) at long, medium and close range.

Once you fix the three mistakes in this video your guard game will improve by leaps and bounds, and you’ll be sweeping opponents all over the place.

Posted in butterfly guard, sweeps, techniques, the guard | No Comments »

Can You Actually Learn to Grapple from Youtube and Video Games?

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

Stephan’s Note: This article is by Grapplearts correspondent Bryanna Fissori, who has previously contributed a piece about MMA training at John Hackleman’s Pit, the home school of former UFC Champion Chuck Liddell.

In the midst of the rising popularity of Mixed Martial Arts with mainstream viewers has come a surge in a new kind of martial artist: the self-taught via television screen and computer monitor.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) began to rise in popularity during the early 1990’s, but due to lack of regulations including weight classes and rules in the cage, it was less popular with average viewer and considered by many to be human cock fighting. That image began to evolve over the next decade or so with implantation of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, creating less of the violent blood-bath many would-be viewers avoided.

Today MMA widely accepted as a sport made up of numerous components extracted from a plethora of disciplines. Most practitioners of the game undergo training in a gym or dojo either specific to a single disciple or combined as an “MMA gym.” Either way, typical training across the board consists of cardio, strength, conditioning and of course technique. But today gyms are beginning to see an increasing number of students coming in to the sport with a background in “video martial arts.”

The increase in MMA’s popularity has triggered a boost in interest for many specific disciplines with some of the major players being Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai and Karate, but instead of heading straight to the dojo some students are finding technique in the comfort of their own homes.

Youtube

Richard Bown Jr. trains at The Arena MMA in San Diego, California where he is endearingly referred to by his teammates as “Chavez” a nickname he was given by a teammate. His interest in training was sparked like that of many others. “I would watch it on T.V. and record anything U.F.C., W.E.C. or MMA related,” said Chavez. “In the beginning, for the first six months to a year the only training I got was on my own. I got started because I use to play a lot of sports, but I was too small to play in college. With combat sports it’s different because you can find people your size.”

Being from the small town of Calexico, California Chavez did not have many options for training, so he resorted to other methods. “I watched a lot of Youtube,” said Chavez. “I would type in G.S.P. training and would watch how G.S.P. trains, or what someone like Freddie Roach is teaching. I would find out what the best people were doing for workout and I would do what they were doing.”

To practice the moves Chavez would borrow workout mats from the school where his father was a teacher. “They were the little yoga workout mats and I would have to tape them together on the bottom so they wouldn’t come apart. Then I would invite friends over and whoever wanted to come would come.”

Two years into training Chavez (shirtless in the photo) has competed in two Jiu Jitsu competitions and one amateur MMA bout. One of his favorite moves learned from Youtube is the Peruvian Necktie, which most Jiu Jitsu practitioners will contend is a difficult move to master from a hands-on instructor, let alone a computer screen.

Jai Troche trains at No Remorse in Honolulu, Hawaii. Despite being only 17, Jai has a wealth of martial arts knowledge well beyond his years, most of which has come from hands-on instruction, but has been complemented by external sources. He has nearly 20 fights/matches already under his belt.

“The Eddie Bravo stuff is pretty slick,” said Jai. “But if you have him as a coach you I’m pretty sure you would be able to do it a lot more successfully. There are certain techniques that work and certain techniques that don’t work for your own personal body type.”

So yes, fighters can and do supplement their training with techniques learned from Youtube, and so can you. But now let’s look at an even more unlikely source of technical instruction…

Video Games

In addition to Youtube, student are also tightening up their skills via Xbox and Playstation. The UFC and E.A. Sports both have well-developed MMA video games which encompass virtually all the details you would find in a real bout. Players who have never touched foot a mat learn how to take down and past the guard to set up for the submission.

“One of the best things I learned from the UFC video game (UFC Undisputed) was the importance of distance,” said Chavez. “Throwing some punches and circling out.”

E.A. Sports Game Designer Victor Lugo shared the same sentiment in an exclusive interview with GrappleArts.com, “One of the things that is really stressed is the importance of circling.” said Lugo. “In the game if you circle into the opponent’s strong side you are going to be significantly more damaged than if you had circled away.”

Lugo explained that he and a number of the other designers for the game were brought on the team because of their background in specific martial arts disciplines. “We are able to capture how a fighter actually trains,” said Lugo, “Because so many of us train we can take the player through that process. There are real drills and real combinations that players have to work on to prepare for the fight in the game. It gives anyone starting in the sport a good idea of what to really expect when they get to the gym.”

Even though the work is being done through the push of a button, those buttons still force players to have knowledge of what will work situational. If one player shoots in, the other has to know how to sprawl. If a player gets mounted on the ground he needs to know the escape. To be successful in the game, players have to have a general knowledge of the techniques. They may not be developing muscle memory, but they are developing a mind set.

After the release of the UFC game Undisputed 2010 Producer Neven Dravinski stated in an interview with Game Focus, “Each match has this inherent tension to it. When you watch two really skilled jiu-jitsu fighters go at it, you can always see that attempt to gain position. . . When you see two people playing who really know the game, it’s scary how much like a real fight it looks like. There’s a really cool cat and mouse game going on that is really indicative of the tension and strategy in a real fight.”

Jai considers the best move he picked up from a game to be the rolling arm bar from back mount. “I thought it was a cool move.”

“The video games are really realistic these days,” said Jai. “So it teaches you decent technique. Not really great, but it’s a way to get knowledge of a position.”

About the Author: Grapplearts.com correspondent Bryanna Fissori is the 135lb belt title holder for Fight Girls, Hawaii and also has a successful track record in BJJ and submission grappling competition. She trains at South Oahu MMA and Relson Gracie Waterfront Jiu Jitsu in Honolulu, Hawaii, and has been known to supplement her training with techniques she’s learned online.

IF YOU LIKED THIS ARTICLE YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE STEPHAN KESTING’S INTERVIEW WITH MARSHALL CARPENTER FROM LOCKFLOW.COM: “LEARNING BJJ IN A DIGITAL AGE“

Posted in teachers, techniques, training | No Comments »

A ‘Stupid’ Armlock I Was Pretty Sure Would NEVER Work…

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

Sometimes you just gotta have faith…

In the first few years of my BJJ career I was shown the armlock in the video above multiple times. And I always thought it was hogwash; that any good opponent would simply twist out of it and I’d end up in a terrible position.

I was always polite about it, of course: when someone taught it to me I would practice it a few times. The whole time, however, I’d be inwardly groaning about how this ‘stupid’ technique would never work on a quality opponent.

Of course I never used it in sparring, and consequently I never tapped out anybody with it, not even the scrawniest beginner whitebelt.

Then one day I was competing in a local tournament…

I tried to throw my opponent with a throw called Tai Otoshi, and when that didn’t work I pulled guard. I then swept my opponent using the omoplata log roll sweep, and got to the top. Once in side mount I noticed that his arm was in the exact position for this attack that I’d written off so many times. Almost in slow motion I shifted my grips, moved my body, and applied the submission. He tapped out right away, and I was kind of blown away.

But my trust in this submission didn’t last.

Before long I’d convinced myself that this was a one-time fluke. A coincidence.

And so, once again, I never even attempted that armlock in sparring.

(Despite my success using it against a tough opponent, and despite my 5th degree black belt instructor telling me it was a good attack, deep down I still ‘knew’ that it wasn’t a legitimate attack).

So there I was, secure in my knowledge that this was an ineffective attack.

Let’s fast forward to the next tournament. In that tournament I ended up fighting a big, strong, aggressive guy. When we got our grips on our feet I remember thinking, ‘holy crap, this dude is strong.’

Somehow I got him to the ground and secured side mount.

Once again I noticed that his arm was in exactly the correct position to attack with this same armlock. Slowly, methodically (and with an overwhelming sense of déjà vu all over again) I applied it. Once again, it worked and he tapped out!

I might be a slow learner, but I’m not completely stupid. It’s pretty hard to write off two successful attacks in a row leading to two tournament victories against big, strong, motivated opponents. I had to admit that this technique worked. And that I’d been a bit of bonehead for writing it off.

Obviously when you’re building your game you can’t concentrate on everything all at once. There just isn’t enough time. And that means that you’ve got to ignore certain aspects of grappling while concentrating on other aspects of your game.

So after a certain point in your development you SHOULD focus on your best moves. Train with a purpose and don’t dilute your game by trying to get good at absolutely every technique, every position and every strategy.

But at the same time keep an open mind…

Have you heard of the “70/20/10 rule” that has helped make Google a multi-billion dollar company? Briefly, it goes like this:

You dedicate about 70% of your time to your core business tasks
You dedicate about 20% of your time to other projects that still relate to your core business
You dedicate about 10% of your time to projects that don’t have anything to do with your core business.

I’m equating your bread and butter grappling game to Google’s core business tasks…

And I’m saying it’s worthwhile to spend about 10% of your training time playing with different techniques and strategies that might seem really weird and wacky at first. I’m officially giving you a ‘hall pass’ to occasionally creatively explore areas that have nothing to with your main game.

If one of the most successful companies in the world thinks that it’s OK for its employees to work on projects that usually lead to dead ends, then it’s OK for you to explore sweeps, submissions, escapes, reversals and other techniques that may seem exotic, impractical, or even foolish.

Being focused is a good thing. But keeping an open mind is good too! Who knows, maybe that ‘stupid’ technique that would never work in a million bazillion years will save your butt someday…

Just like that stupid armlock that I ‘knew’ wouldn’t work saved my butt two tournaments in a row!

Click here for a video breakdown of this specific armlock, including the normal way it’s taught and a not-so-friendly, tournament-only version that puts incredible pressure on your opponent.

Posted in armlocks, competition, teachers, techniques, training | No Comments »

Trapped Flat in Half Guard? Do This!

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

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 even if you get flattened out, don’t give up hope. There is something that you can do that not only gets you out of trouble, but often puts you on top as well.

Here’s a video clip in which I teach the ‘Kamikaze’ half guard sweep for that exact situation. Plus I also show you a hidden detail that is often overlooked. And finally I introduce you to a related, very powerful sweep I learned from a top BJJ competitor.

Posted in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, half guard, submission grappling, sweeps, techniques | No Comments »

Advanced Submission Attacks

Monday, December 19th, 2011

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).

Now most of the time when you learn submissions – chokes, armlocks or leglocks – you start from one of these six basic, static positions.

And after you learn the mechanics of a technique, you then have to drill it to get your reps in, right?

Once again, 99% of technique drilling occurs from a static position. You pick a technique, start in a recognizable position, and go through a series of steps until you end up locking on the final submission.

Drilling a single technique, step by step, with a partner in a specific static position like this is a great way to become familiar with the basic mechanics of a technique.

And there’s nothing wrong with this approach, at least initially…

But it’s NOT the most powerful way of applying these submissions. You can do a lot better, and the key is that a lot of grappling occur BETWEEN positions, during the TRANSITIONS!

If you own the DVD series that Emily Kwok and I did on fighting bigger and stronger opponents then you’ll already familiar with the concept of defending and escaping bad positions during transitions (click here for a video clip about transitional escapes…)

Taking advantage of openings that present themselves during transitions is really important for advanced grappling. And this applies not only to escapes, but also to the most exciting part of grappling, namely submissions.

Attacking with a submission when your opponent is on the move between formal positions is better because as he’s scrambling he’ll inevitably give you openings for your attack. His defenses are down. He’s thinking about moving and scrambling, NOT about defending your submission.

In fact, your opponent often won’t even see the attack coming until it’s much too late.

I once saw Marcelo Garcia tap out a really good MMA fighter with a guillotine. Marcelo slapped it on during a scramble. Then the dude tried to cartwheel out of it which didn’t work. He ended up tapping out in mid-air while upside down, with none of his limbs actually touching the floor.

That’s how quick a transitional attack can finish a fight.

Transitional attacks become even more important as you start fighting more skilled opponents and training partners.

Once people become familiar with a specific submission it becomes pretty hard to tap them out with it. So you’ve got to catch them when they’re not quite expecting it (or at least not as able to defend)…

When people are safely settled down in a position they often become extremely defensive. They tuck their chin, hold their arms close to their bodies, and are on the lookout for your attacks.

But movement creates openings.

Consider the guillotine choke for example…

Imagine sparring someone who is hunkered down in a really tight turtle position. His hands are up, his neck is down, and he’s on high alert for any sort of attack.

How easy will it be to apply a guillotine on someone like that?

Right! Not very easy at all.

But somehow your opponent must have gotten to that turtle position…

Maybe he shot in for a double leg takedown and you sprawled. Or maybe you had him in sidemount and he turned in to his knees. Or maybe he turtled because you were about to pass his guard…

There were probably a LOT more opportunities to get his neck while he was moving into the turtle compared to him being fully hunkered down in the turtle. During that brief period of movement he’s much more vulnerable

This is a super-powerful concept.

The only downside of this style of attacking is that that your game needs to be sharper…

You fight the way you train, so if you want to catch your opponent during the transitions between static positions then you need to have a deeper understanding of the game, drill transitional attacks, and be ready to jump on opportunities the split second they present themselves.

In the words of the famous philosopher Marshall Bruce Mathers III (also known as Eminem)

“Look, if you had, one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted, one moment
Would you capture it?
Or just let it slip, yo”

Nailing a tough opponent with a submission is kind of like that…

Your homework is to take a look at some of the more common transitions in your sparring matches, some of the predictable scrambling patterns that occur over and over with your training partners, and figure out how to slap on some of your favorite submissions DURING the transition, BEFORE the position becomes fully stabilized.

This will really boost your finishing percentage, yo!

Posted in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, marcelo garcia, positions, sparring, techniques, training, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Which Grapplearts Instructional DVDs are the Hottest Right Now?

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

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 Emily Kwok.

Trust me – there is SO much good material in this set, including techniques, drills, strategies, tactics, tricks, tips and training methods.

And all of it is designed to allow you to handle yourself against bigger, stronger opponents when you run into them in training or in competition.

(Since filming this material with Emily I’ve started incorporating a lot of her techniques into my own game, and they all work brilliantly!)

==> www.grapplearts.com/biggerstronger/index.php

Of course if you’re a regular reader then there’s a good chance that you already own the Emily Kwok DVDs. But if you liked them then you might also like one of these top selling sets…

2) THE GRAPPLING CONCEPTS COURSE

The Grappling Concepts Course is my flagship product.

If you like learning techniques, but ALSO want to know how to choose the right technique at the right time, how to do the little tweaks and adjustments that black belts do automatically, and have a method for making techniques easier and faster to remember, then you’ll LOVE this course.

In the course I show you my the highest percentage moves. These are the ones I use all the time when I’m rolling (both with or without the gi).

This training consists of 26 weekly lessons that can be viewed online, downloaded to your computer, synched to your mobile device and/or read as a PDF document.

And you also get 5 physical DVDs of additional advanced content that perfectly complements the concepts, techniques, drills and strategies being taught in the course itself.

More info here:

==> www.grapplearts.tv

3) DYNAMIC GUARD SWEEPS 2 DVD SET

The Butterfly Guard and X Guard are modern guard positions that totally get away from the old ‘lay and pray’ closed guard strategies.

They are favorite positions of Marcelo Garcia (who has been a huge inspiration to me and is actually Emily’s main teacher right now).

Whether you want to use the half guard offensively as an attack position, or you just want to know what to do when your opponent has almost gotten past your guard and you’re just barely hanging on with the half guard, you NEED to know what to do from half guard too.

The techniques in the 2 DVD Guard Sweeps Package dovetail together to give you a very powerful sweeping and attacking game.

The DVDs are packed with tricks, techniques, drills, and strategies. Together they’re over 4 hours of material that will keep you learning for a long time. (I just got an email from someone who’s still referring to the first DVD, 5 years after he first bought it!)

A complete guard game in a box:

==> www.grapplearts.com/Guard-Sweep-DVDs.php

4) HIGH PERCENTAGE LEGLOCKS

The theme of the year seems to be how to get an edge when you’re smaller, weaker or less experienced than you opponent…

I’ve always said that leglocks are the great equalizer. If you’re going against someone who’s been a BJJ black belt since before the first UFC, then – hands down – your single best chance of tapping them out is by using a leglock.

And the same goes for size…

A TON of David vs Goliath grappling matches have ended suddenly when the smaller guy saw a leglock opportunity, jumped on it, and tapped the big guy out.

Finally, the leglock game meshes EXTREMELY well with the Single Leg X Guard position that’s recently becoming so popular (and is a core position in the Emily Kwok DVDs). Keeping your opponents guessing whether you’re going to sweep them with the Single Leg X Guard, or tap them out with a lightening quick leglock, is a very good combination.

High Percentage Leglocks will give you a rock-solid leglock game, including the ability to attack with AND defend against some of the fastest, most effective submissions in the grappler’s repertoire.

I’ve sold this one DVD for as much as $49.95. But if you use ‘XMAS’ at checkout that’ll drop that down to $33.71.

More info here:

==> www.grapplearts.com/High-Percentage-Leglocks.php

Take care

Stephan Kesting
www.grapplearts.com

Posted in Grapplearts DVDs, techniques, training | No Comments »

Frank Mir’s Kimura on Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

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! As soon as the match ended I looked at my good friend and training partner Ritchie Yip and said ‘we’ve GOT to make a video breaking down this match for people.’

And that’s exactly what we did early Sunday morning. Check out the video below for a blow-by-blow, and submission-by-submission analysis of Mir vs Nogueira at UFC 140, including the SHOCKING end of the fight.

Tags: Kimura, Nogueira
Posted in armlocks, Frank Mir, half guard, Injuries, Kimura, MMA, Nogueira, techniques, UFC | No Comments »

The First-Ever Grapplearts Q & A Podcast!

Friday, November 25th, 2011

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 wants you to stop doing BJJ, and how to remember all these bloody techniques…

You can listen to, or download the audio by doing one of the following:

1. Hit play in the middle of the black bar (the audio player link) at the bottom of this list, and/or

2. Right click on this link and select ‘save as’ to download the mp3 file to your computer, and/or

3. Subscribe to the Grapplearts Podcast in iTunes (and also listen to previous audio interviews).

Wait for it, wait for it… A black bar with a play button should appear right below this text in just a second or two…

Posted in bjj, competition, concepts, MMA, podcasts, sports psychology, techniques, training | No Comments »

How to Defeat the Bigger Stronger Opponent NOW AVAILABLE

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

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 main DVDs with more than 5 hours of instruction, and two unique bonus DVDs, for a grand total of more than 7 hours of instruction…

Every aspect of these DVDs is devoted to techniques, drills, strategies and mindset to defeat the bigger, stronger opponent on the mat.

This set is normally going to sell for $150. But because they’re brand new and I don’t have any testimonials yet, I’m pricing these first 600 sets at $97 and throwing in free shipping anywhere in the world.

To keep things manageable the reduced price will apply until the 600 DVDs are gone, or Thursday November 10th, whichever comes first.

Click HERE for the complete story and all the details.

Take care
Stephan Kesting

P.S. I’m also giving an unconditional money-back guarantee on the DVDs. Don’t like them? Don’t want them? Didn’t help you? Let me know and I’ll happily refund your money. I believe that these DVDs will help you and that’s why I’m taking ALL the risk, not you!

Posted in Emily Kwok, Grapplearts DVDs, teachers, techniques, the guard, the mental aspect, women | No Comments »

How To Stop Someone From Passing Your Guard

Monday, October 24th, 2011

*** 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 R,

First of all, congratulations for jumping into such a challenging and hugely rewarding sport. Most of the people around the office water cooler only talk about the MMA, but you’re actually doing it!

With regards to stopping your opponent from passing your guard: there are at least two answers to your question….

First, there are specific TECHNIQUES that you need to know.

This means having specific technical answers to the specific technical problems that you encounter most frequently when you’re using a specific form of guard…

For example, let’s say that you’re using the closed guard and your opponent stands up. You keep your legs locked and your entire body gets hoisted off of the ground

It would look kind of like the picture immediately to the left…

So in this case your specific technical problem is that he’s standing up, your guard is closed, and you’re hanging off of him.

If you stay there for long enough (especially if he gives you some added physical ‘encouragement’) then your legs will eventually open, you’ll flop to the ground and he’ll be in a standing position ready to rocket past your guard.

Now there are MANY different technical answers to this problem.

There are techniques to break his posture, to submit him, and/or to sweep him and get yourself to the top.

(Click here to get a specific example of a really simple and very technique solution that worked on me in this situation.)

So there’s no getting around it: getting good at BJJ and submission grappling does involve learning lots of techniques…

And to “keep someone in your guard and not let them pass” you’ll need to add specific techniques for specific situations in specific guard positions to your arsenal…

But there’s something EVEN MORE POWERFUL than knowing a bunch of techniques…

Which brings us to a second solution to keeping someone in your guard…

Techniques are good. But strategies, concepts and principles are better.

If you’re using a concept, or are being guided by a strategy, then the specific details of a technique you’re using (e.g. precisely where to put your hands, exactly how to move your hips, etc.) become less important to memorize, and the original move becomes a lot easier to execute.

So I’m going to share a STRATEGY that you can use anytime you’re in the guard, and with any type of guard.

Ready? It’s GRIPFIGHTING!

A key part of the battle to keep someone in your guard is constantly fighting the gripfighting battle and never conceding the grips that your opponent is trying to get on you.

Many people only think of gripfighting in the context of standup Judo or pummeling for a good position in wrestling…

But gripfighting is JUST AS IMPORTANT in maintaining the guard and attacking effectively from there.

It’s critically important to constantly fight for the grip, whether you’re doing gi or no gi… With or without striking… For the closed guard, the open guard, the butterfly guard, the inverted guard, spider guard, and every other guard position out there!

Grips are everything.

If your opponent has good grips then you can’t attack, and he can make posture and start the guard pass.

If you have good grips then you can break his posture, attack him with sweeps and submissions and dominate the fight.

Never concede the grip!!!!

Hope this helps!

Posted in concepts, grip training, guard passes, MMA, no gi, techniques, the guard, Uncategorized | No Comments »

How Many Guard Passes Do You Need in BJJ?

Monday, June 13th, 2011

How many guard passes do you think a four time world champion and an 18 year veteran of BJJ uses?

If you can put up with rough guerrilla-audio in the video below (it was shot at the last minute) then Vitor Shaolin’s answer might surprise you…

Posted in bjj, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, guard passes, techniques, Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro | No Comments »

When the Closed Guard Fails…

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

A Question from a reader:

Hi Stephan,

I recently received and read your email with the video link about the closed guard in the Beginning BJJ newsletter.

However my instructor is quite thick and muscular, so I find that getting a solid closed guard is tricky, because my feet can barely cross over for a decent hold.

So what can I do in these cases? I imagine this is a frequent problem especially among smaller opponents trying to work with bigger guys… So what are some workarounds?

Sincerely
K.

—————————————————————————————-

Hi K.

You’re absolutely onto something.

If you’re grappling with someone who big, muscular and/or thick around the middle then it really can be difficult to cross your ankles and properly set the closed guard position.

Consider Royce Gracie. He virtually introduced the closed guard position to North America with his heroic performances in the early UFC. But when Royce fought Akebono MMA-style on New Year’s Eve, 2004, he didn’t even try to close his guard. Akebono is one of the biggest and heaviest sumo champions of all time, and the closed guard was simply not an option.

Instead Royce kept his guard open and eventually finished the fight with an omoplata!

Click here for a breakdown of the omoplata submission

Crossing your ankles in the closed guard is made even more difficult if you’ve got short, stocky legs. If you’ve got *ahem* ‘hobbit legs’ AND your opponent is bigger than you, then forget about using the closed guard on him.

So cut your losses and move on!

Even if your teacher is huge, I’m pretty sure that you can still wrap your legs around one of his thighs. And trapping a single leg is known as the ‘half guard.’ There are many half guard variations and I’m sure one of them will work for your body type…

Click here to get descriptions of the most common and effective half guard positions

From the half guard there are a ton of different sweeps and attacks. So where do you start?

If you’re new to the position, and if your sparring partner is heavier than you, start by trying to take his back from the half guard. When you try to take his back (which is generally the best position you can be in against a bigger stronger guy anyway) the attack will either succeed OR you’ll get a reaction. And those reactions give you the energy for many other highly effective sweeps and attacks.

Here’s a blog post with a concrete example of this two-pronged half guard strategy:

Or here’s an entirely different strategy… Instead of the half guard, abandon the idea of locking your legs closed and start working on your open guard.

Click here for an overview of the different open guard positions.

In your particular case, I’d suggest that you start with the butterfly guard (because the butterfly guard works for people with long legs AND short legs).

I’ll even go a step further and make a suggestion about a couple of specific techniques you MUST include in your butterfly guard arsenal… Two of the ‘heaviest hitters’ from the butterfly guard are the armdrag and the basic butterfly guard sweep. Think of them as your *jab* and your *cross.*

Click here for an example of the armdrag from butterfly guard

Click here for a detailed breakdown of the ‘basic’ butterfly guard sweep.

Master these two techniques and you’ll have a lot of fun on the mats, even with your short legs!

Good luck with this

Posted in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, butterfly guard, half guard, sweeps, techniques | No Comments »

Marcelo Garcia Chokes Me Out (Repeatedly)

Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

As you get better you’ll run into the turtle position more often. That’s because it gets harder for your opponents to put you back into guard, which encourages them to go to their knees in order to escape a bad position. So knowing how to attack the turtle effectively is a key skill in both BJJ and submission grappling.

The past few months I’ve been working on attacking this position with mixed success. Some things worked, some things didn’t, and I had a few questions.

It was definitely time to check in with the master of attacking the turtle: Marcelo Garcia in NYC.

Marcelo is probably the best person in the world at taking the back and finishing people from there. He’s done it over and over at the highest level of competition for years now, both with and without the gi. That’s why he’s a four time world BJJ champion and three time ADCC champion. (To fight at this level, for that long, both with and without the gi is pretty amazing!)

Marcelo is known for having an incredible rear mount. He proved it the very first time he caught our attention and captured our imagination by tearing a swatch through the competition at the Abu Dhabi Combat Championships in 2003

But in recent years he’s also developed his variation of rear mount known as the ‘crucifix.’ In the crucifix you remove one of your opponent’s arms from the equation, allowing you to use two hands to neutralize his one remaining arm and then attack his defenseless neck

Marcelo seems able to magically slap the crucifix on just about anybody and finish them from there. It’s an awesome combination with the more traditional rear mount position.

On my recent trip to NYC, deciphering Marcelo’s turtle attack strategy was a top priority item.

The best way to understand something is to experience it first hand. I wanted to see how exactly he took the back. I wanted to feel how he countered my escape attempts. I wanted to know how he locked in his infamous variation of the ‘crucifix’ position.

So I started our sparring session in turtle position and returned to it every time he got me with a submission. Now maybe starting in the turtle position against a guy who arguably has the best back attacks in the world might not have been the great idea if the goal had been to survive and launch my own offense. But the goal was to learn!

I’ve been told I have a pretty tight turtle game and that it’s hard to catch me in something from there, but not for Marcelo. Somebody call Greenpeace, because he slaughtered my turtle again and again.

I experimented with different initial hand positions. Tap tap.

I tried some of the moves I’ve been frustrated by when trying to get the crucifix, but Marcelo had the answers. Tap tap.

I tried denying him his initial knee and foot position and rolling him over. I thought I was out, but he countered with a beautiful backroll counter. Tap tap.

I tried linking my hands together and turning towards his legs, the same way my training partners have sometimes been escaping. All to no avail – he countered easily. Tap tap.

So now I have my answers! All I need to do now is repetitively drill them and then use them in sparring. Training partners: watch out!!

If you haven’t already used up your free trials at mginaction, then you’ll be able to see some of the video clips from Marcelo’s academy:

1: Here’s the guillotine technique he taught in class before we sparred. And yes, he caught me with that exact move in sparring a couple of times.

2: Then here’s me sparring Marcelo Garcia! Watch how he takes my turtle apart and nails me with choke after choke.

3: And this third clip is cool. Marcelo taught everybody the exact moves he used to counter my best crucifix escape attempts. Although shown as a guard pass counter these are the same moves he used at the 0:21 and 4:06 mark of our sparring session. Another cool thing is that he taught this technique in the context of training with the gi, but used it without the gi in our sparring match. Obviously this stuff translates well between different platforms!

(If you end up at a sign-up page instead of a video when you click these links it’s probably because you’ve already used up your free visits to the MGinaction.com site. Sorry!)

So if you’re visiting NYC I highly suggest dropping in at Marcelo’s school. It’s currently at number 25 West 36th street, on the sixth floor.

But if you can’t train there, then the cool thing about the school is that the camera is running whenever Marcelo is teaching, sparring, or helping students with a technique. Then they edit, label and tag all that video and upload it to his website so that you can easily move from one related technique to another.

MGinaction has close to 5,000 techniques and sparring clips on it, with more being added daily. There are techniques for both gi and no gi. You can learn strategies, tactics and principles. You can go back and forth between seeing a technique taught and Marcelo using it in sparring.

It’s a pretty amazing site, but DON’T take my word for it! If you sign up as my reader then you automatically get a 7 day free trial period. If you don’t like it, or if the techniques don’t work for you, or if you don’t think it’s worth the $$ then just get in touch with them and they’ll refund your entire fee.

No pressure, but it really is one of the best values for a grappling instructional site.

Finally, my most sincere thanks to Marcelo and his crew for making me feel very welcome at the academy!

Posted in bjj, butterfly guard, chokes, classes, concepts, crucifix position, gi, guillotine choke, marcelo garcia, no gi, rear mount, sparring, techniques, the guard | No Comments »

Two Rear Mount Secrets

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

Usually getting better at grappling is a slow process, requiring thousands of repetitions and many hours on the mat to master a technique.

But sometimes transformations occur overnight!

In the video above I share two ‘secrets’ that will double the effectiveness of your rear mount. These tweaks will make it much harder for your opponent to escape, and leave him much more vulnerable to your submission attacks!

No training required – just watch the video and then add the information to your game:

Posted in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, chokes, escapes, no gi, rear mount, rear naked choke, techniques | No Comments »

How The Kneebar Saved The Day!!

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

The first comicbook style instructional I did was super-popular, so here’s my latest creation…

The Three Fundamental Kneebars You Need to Know!

Check it out – it’s 100% free.

And here’s my official permission to share this PDF on Kneebar Entries any way you want. This includes Facebook / Twitter / Email / Forums / Blog Posts / Website. No charge; it’s free! Now and forever.

Posted in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, ground and pound, half guard, kneebars, leglocks, MMA, no gi, techniques, the guard | No Comments »

How to Defend Strikes on the Ground

Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

It doesn’t matter if your goal is casual recreation or if you wanna be the next UFC champ, what I’m going to talk about applies whether you practice BJJ, MMA or submission grappling… Regardless if you’ve got three pairs Chuck Liddell signature series UFC gloves, or you wouldn’t be caught dead in a Tapout beanie…

You’ve GOTTA have a basic idea of how to defend strikes on the ground!!!

(This grappling stuff is a lot of fun, but it is still a martial art. And that means knowing how to apply your techniques in a self defense situation when someone might be trying to rearrange your face with wild haymakers).

Click here to open our comic-format instructional on how to defend strikes on the ground!

This is an important subject presented in a kinda fun way. The direct link to the PDF is

http://tinyurl.com/2b72w2f

Here’s my official permission to spread this PDF on Strike Defense any way you want.

This includes Facebook / Twitter / Email / Forums / Blog Posts / Website. No charge; it’s free! Now and forever.

Posted in bjj, concepts, escapes, ground and pound, martial arts, MMA, no gi, omo plata, positions, self defense, striking, sweeps, techniques, the guard | No Comments »

Advice for A Frustrated, Clumsy & Uncoordinated Grappler

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

——————- 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.

I know that in BJJ, you drill, drill and drill some more, but it feels like everyday is my first day in class. We have classes at least twice a week, and each class, a technique I had memorized a few days before I can’t pull off. Or a technique we just watched for that matter.

Have you taught any students like this? Do you have any advice for me? It’s very frustrating. Also worth noting, I’m pretty clumsy and uncoordinated. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely
G.

——————- My Comments ——————-

Hi G.

First of all, congratulations on training at all. I’m a huge supporter of garage training as well as learning from non-traditional sources like DVDs and the internet.

Of course it’s frustrating to compete with natural athletes (damn them all) but I’ve also seen some incredible transformations over the years. People who originally had two left feet can and do break through to the next level, often reaching a very high level of skill.

Someone with a high level of athleticism has a head start on you for sure, but often these people don’t have the discipline to actually continue training for very long. They get bored or distracted by the next shiny object and stop training.

It’s like the fable about the tortoise and the hare – stay the course and often you (the tortoise) will end up overtaking all those pesky natural athletes (the hares).

It’s also possible that the way you’re training and absorbing information might not be optimal for you. Check out this article on learning styles in grappling and see if it gives you any insight into the best way for you to process and absorb information.

Here are two more suggestions…

First: try to train MORE often. Three times a week would definitely be better than two. You’re trying to wire your body and your brain to do a new activity, and the more hours you spend on a mat the better. (Malcom Gladwell – the author of “Outliers” – contends that it takes 10,000 hours of mindful practice to master a new activity. So take heart; this stuff takes a long time but it’ll be worth it in the end.)

The second piece of advice is to slowly add conditioning to your weekly training regime. If you’re clumsy and uncoordinated then I’m guessing that you also avoid activities like weightlifting, running, soccer, XC skiing, etc.

Here’s a few insights on conditioning to get you started…

Getting more physical will have several benefits. Your endurance will improve and that will allow you to better retain your mental game while sparring. It will also improve your general athleticism which will help you close the gap with those pesky natural athletes!

Good luck with your training!

Posted in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, conditioning, fitness, teaching, techniques, the mental aspect, training | No Comments »

Countering the Double Leg with a Sitout & Switch

Monday, May 10th, 2010

I respect most grappling arts, not just BJJ. Freestyle and collegiate wrestling, in particular, have a lot to offer to submission grapplers and BJJ practitioners. Obviously we can get a lot of good throws and takedowns from wrestling, but we can also ‘steal’ some very powerful moves on the ground as well.

One of these techniques is called the ‘switch.’

The first time I ran into the switch was incredibly frustrating. Years ago I was sparring with a wrestler who was getting ready for an MMA fight. Every time I came close to passing his guard he’d sit up, reach over my shoulder, and completely stalemate my guard pass using his arm. This must have happened 5 times in the course of our sparring that day!

I know this move is effective, so today I’ve recruited Dave Scholten, 3 time Canadian wrestling champion, to take you through the technique. In this 1:41 video Dave uses the switch as a counter to the double leg takedown in an MMA context, but you could use the exact same technique to stop a guard pass in submission grappling.

P.S. If you liked this or my previous Youtube videos then I strongly suggest that you go to my Youtube Channel and subscribe. It doesn’t cost anything, and it means you won’t miss my future Youtube videos!

Posted in Denis Kang, guard passes, takedowns, techniques, the guard, wrestling | 1 Comment »

The Most Important Thing For Improving Your Grappling

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

You know, I used to think that if I just learned enough ways to pass the guard, mastered enough submissions, memorized enough pin escapes, pick up enough guard sweeps, received enough tactics and just had enough techniques at my fingertips, then… someday… I would master the art of grappling.

Techniques, techniques, techniques! I was pretty sure that these were the critical things to learn. Well, guess what? When I look back on my grappling journey it’s obvious that my greatest successes and most exciting breakthroughs all had one thing in common.

And it was never about learning a new technique.

Instead the biggest leaps forward were those suddent insights when, all of a sudden, you see that a whole bunch of different and seemingly unconnected techniques are just different expressions of the same underlying principle.

Some people call these ‘ah ha’ moments. The light goes on, something falls into place, and you can never look at something in quite the same way ever again.

Breakthrough moments like these have been on my mind a lot recently. (In fact this is the main reason I put together my online Grappling Concepts course. What I’m doing in that course is distilling my most important ‘ah ha’ moments in grappling, and passing them on to you.)

But regardless of whether you sign up for that course or not, today I want to talk to you about the power of concepts.

By the end of this email I want you to be convinced that concepts and principles are FAR more powerful than individual techniques. And that figuring out these concepts is the single best thing you can do to become a better grappler.

————————————————————–
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then

A concept is worth a thousand techniques.
————————————————————–

Why is concept-based learning so great when it comes to submission grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu? Here are five good reasons:

REASON #1: There are LOTS of techniques in grappling. Hundreds and hundreds of techniques.

You’ve got your bread and butter techniques. Then there are the techniques that are you use once in a while. And then there are the techniques that you’ll never use yourself but that your opponents will try to use on you. There’s no getting around it: you’ve GOT to learn a lot of techniques to get good at this grappling stuff. And that can seem overwhelming at times – memorizing all this can be hard work.

But guess what? Those hundreds and hundreds of techniques I was talking about – they’re made up of thousands of little steps that make the difference between success and failure for each technique

But the good news is that there are a lot fewer concepts than techniques in grappling.

And it’s much easier to remember a few core concepts than it is to remember hundreds of techniques with thousands of steps and details. Techniques are just applied concepts. A single concept can be applied to many different techniques, in different situations, and using different parts of your body.

REASON #2: A concept makes you understand WHY you have to do certain things in a specific order for a given technique to work properly. Concepts make sense of a technique, and it’s a million times easier to remember things that makes sense.

A concept also makes the techniques you already know more powerful. Once you understand the underlying principles of the armbar, for example, then you’ll also know how to tweak and adjust that submission for maximum effectiveness.

REASON #3: Another limitation of technique-based learning is that a specific technique applies only to a specific situation. And it’s completely unreasonable to expect to know a different technique to deal with each and every situation you might end up in on the mats.

If you’ve done any sparring at all, then you know that two determined grapplers can end up in some downright weird situations. In these tangled positions each grappler will be wondering what the heck they should do next.

Unfortunately the ‘dial-a-friend’ option ISN’T available when you’re in the middle of a grappling match. But most of the time you can figure out the right thing to do by apply the correct concepts. I know this, because going back to ‘first principles’ has saved my butt many times in sparring.

REASON #4: You can use the same concept in many different grappling arts.

Rules can change from art to art, but the laws of physics, anatomy and psychology stay the same. That means that the concepts you’ll discover when you did a little deeper are much more universal than the techniques of any given art.

The same concept can apply in Brazilian jiu-jitsu AND submission grappling, With the gi AND in no-gi. In mixed martial arts AND in self defense. In Judo AND Sambo AND wrestling

REASON #5: Understanding the concepts of grappling allows you to adapt and even invent techniques on the fly.

Just think about music for a second. Understanding the principles and underlying rules of music allows a musician to improvise and create great sounding music. In exactly the same way, knowing the principles and underlying concepts of grappling allows you to adapt and innovate new techniques as needed, and even ‘on the fly.’

This approach to the martial arts also frees you up to continue learning when your instructor isn’t around. The most important thing my instructors did was TEACH ME HOW TO LEARN!

————————————————————————–
Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a day.
Teach him HOW to fish and you feed him for his whole life.

————————————————————————–

You can probably tell that I really believe the number one thing you can do to improve your overall grappling is develop a ‘conceptual’ game.

So take a look at the vast number of grappling techniques and get serious about finding the universal themes, the underlying principles and the most important concepts that make those techniques ‘tick’.

Eventually I hope you’ll agree that a concept is worth a thousand techniques.

P.S. For a few more days only, a two week free trial of the Grappling Concepts course, plus a free DVD for all signups, is available at

===> http://www.grapplearts.tv

Posted in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, concepts, submission grappling, techniques, the mental aspect, training | No Comments »

Brabo Choke Defense

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

A fan of the half guard recently asked me how they could avoid getting caught in the Brabo choke:

“I like going for the foot grab sweep from half guard. My problem is that I always get caught in a guillotine choke or Brabo choke when I go for the leg of my opponent. What can I do to stop getting choked all the time?”

The first step of defending any technique is to understand the technique. Once you know how an attack yourself then your spider sense starts tingling when your opponent starts to set it up on you.

Brabo choke specialists typically like to attack when their opponent has an underhook. Here’s one example of how to apply the Brabo choke.

So it’s true that getting choked from the half guard is a legitimate concern. But that doesn’t mean that the half guard or the foot grab sweep is useless.

Every single position and technique has its vulnerabilities: if you throw a jab your opponent might slip it and counter with an uppercut, if you use the open guard your opponent might have an opportunity to footlock you, and if you use the half guard you have to watch out for the Brabo choke (aka the “D’Arce choke”).

The trick is to be aware of the potential dangers of a position and taking precautions to prevent the counterattacks!

So let’s get back to the half guard. In order to attack with the foot grab sweep you need to first secure the underhook with the top arm. BUT once you get the underhook you shouldn’t just hang out there.

The underhook is a means to an end, NOT an end in itself.

And a related mistake is to get the underhook and then start grabbing for your opponent’s foot. This is incorrect. To do it properly you first need to move down, down down.

You should have your ear resting on his hip and your face almost in *ahem* his crotch before you grab the foot and go for the sweep.

And if you’re down that far then it’s very hard for him to get his arms into position to choke you.

But let’s say that you screw up, give him the opening and he attacks with that darn Brabo choke. If you own it, I suggest you check out the series of defenses to this choke that I covered in my Dynamic Half Guard DVD.

If you don’t have that DVD then one simple Brabo defense is to throw yourself hard, flat on your back, BEFORE he finalizes his hand position. To avoid getting rolled he has to release and post his hands, which also gets you out of the choke.

With regards to the guillotine, the most likely time for your opponent to lock it on is once the sweep is already happening and he’s falling back onto his butt. So keep your awareness high at all times: if he slaps on a guillotine during the sweep, as he’s falling, then scramble to the correct side to counter the choke.

Hope this helps…

Posted in chokes, half guard, techniques | No Comments »

Incorporating Other Martial Arts into BJJ

Monday, February 9th, 2009

One of the tenets of JKD is that one should keep an open mind with regard to other styles. After all, “absorb what is useful, reject what is useless” is a classic Bruce Lee quote.

In general, I find that most BJJ practitioners are relatively open minded when it comes to learning from other styles. Since BJJ hit North America it has been infused with techniques and strategies from wrestling, judo, sambo, shootwrestling, etc. For the most part, these additions have made it a richer, more effective grappling system

But what about other, more obscure martial arts? Let’s take aikido for example, an art that a someone once described as being only useful “for restraining aged professors, run amuck.”

Predictably, I think that aikido CAN contribute something to BJJ and/or submission grappling. One of my favorite sneak attacks is a wristlock that comes straight out of the aikido repertoire (and I get everybody with it at least once).

And for proof that I’m not the only BJJ black belt who thinks that traditional Japanese martial arts can be applied in a ground grappling context, check out Roy Dean’s “Art of the Wristlock” video.

And why stop there – what about Indonesian Silat? How about trying to adapt some techniques from Indian Vajramushti or from Mongolian jacket wrestling?

A long time ago I wrote about how I first learned the omo plata armlock from my Silat training. For a short time I thought that I was the only person using that technique in BJJ.

(You can tell that this is an old article because my training partner Vlado is still a purple belt in those technique photos…)

Well of course I soon found out that I was NOT the first person to use that armlock on the BJJ mat. In fact it was already an established technique with many different applications, ranging from submitting your opponent, to sweeping him, to setting up other submissions. My point is that I got a head start and an alternate perspective on this technique by trying to apply what I had learned in other martial arts.

Interestingly I recently published an article by John Will on the ancient Indian art of Vajramushti. Turns out that they ALSO use the armlock that we call omo plata (check out the photo to the right!)

The bottom line is that there are only so many ways to twist somebody into a pretzel to make them say “uncle.” Over the millennia there have been hundreds of thousands of martial artists in other styles who have done some serious R&D on what works. Learning to grapple does involve a lot of self-discovery, of course, but you don’t have to reinvent the wheel entirely on your own either.

Issac Newton once wrote “If I have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” I encourage you to accelerate your own progress by standing on the shoulders of giants too. Just keep in mind that some of these useful giants are outside the art of BJJ!

Posted in Grapplearts DVDs, inspiration, techniques, training | No Comments »

New DVD – "Step-by-Step Submissions"

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

I just want to tell people that I’m adding another DVD to my Roadmap for BJJ Package. It’s tentatively titled “Step-by-Step Submissions”.

This new video will be in a different format from my other DVDs. Basically it’s a reference tool so you can quickly look up the steps and the key points for the most important no-gi submissions. Think of it as the Cole’s Notes for chokes and joint locks.

Featured on “Step-by-Step Submissions” are 31 setups for 10 different submissions. Each setup is first broken down into the correct sequence and then shown at ‘action speed.’ I also go into the key details that ‘make or break’ each choke or lock.

So here’s the deal:

This DVD is in the final stages of editing. If everything goes according to plan I should be able to start shipping it out in about 3 to 4 weeks.

Everyone who has already bought the Package gets this new DVD shipped to them for free as soon as it’s ready. No shipping, no postage, no nothing.

Everyone who buys the Package between now and when the new DVD is released will get everything else shipped to them right away (i.e. no waiting), and then I’ll also send you “Step-by-Step Submissions DVD” as soon as it’s done. Again, the shipping is on me.

Check out the Roadmap for BJJ Package here!

BTW – I think that the addition of yet another DVD takes an already great product and makes it a fantastic product, but of course I’m a little biased

Posted in armlocks, chokes, Grapplearts DVDs, leglocks, techniques | No Comments »

How to Master Any Grappling Technique (Honest!)

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

I set a challenge for myself while compiling, editing and contributing to the book Mastering BJJ. Inspired by the mini-article World Class Fitness in 100 Words on the Crossfit website I wanted to encapsulate my strategy for refining new techniques.

Being brief was a lot harder than I had anticipated. (I suppose that’s why Mark Twain once wrote “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead”). Being concise is a virtue however, and it also makes it easier for people to retain the information, so I thought the effort was well worth it.

Here are 100 words that give you the keys to unlock any grappling technique:

“Learn a technique and study all its aspects including
set-ups, grips, body position, timing, balance, counters and
recounters. Get help from your instructor, class-mates, the
internet and instructional media.

Repetition makes you smooth. Smooth makes you fast.

Isolate the technique in sparring. Start with the smallest,
least experienced person in the club. When the technique
works consistently, move on and try it on the second
smallest or second least experienced person. Repeat.

In grappling, observe problems you encounter with the
technique. Then take time to analyze, brainstorm and
discuss with coaches and training”

P.S. Related articles on this site include Erik Paulson’s TRIG formula and the piece I wrote on what isolation sparring actually looks like on the mat.

Posted in techniques, training | No Comments »

How To Retain Seminar Techniques

Sunday, December 21st, 2008

I like going to seminars, but I find it frustrating when I can’t remember everything that the instructor taught. The way I think of it, the seminar costs a certain amount of money and the instructor covered a certain number of techniques. details and concepts. The less I remember, the more expensive each retained technique becomes.

I paid good money for that seminar, and I want to get as much out of it as I can!

Sometimes an instructor will allow you to video the seminar – if that’s the case, then you’re laughing. You can review the techniques later just by watching the video. Many instructors have been burnt by video taping, don’t allow it anymore. They’re sick and tired of the material ending up on youtube and/or being traded by video pirates. As a video producer myself I can certainly sympathize with their point of view (the instructors, not the pirates).

My usual method of preserving the information is to take notes. I use a two-step method.

In the actual seminar itself I write things down as fast as I can, using abbreviations and paying no attention to neatness or organization. I can pretty much guarantee that if you got ahold of my rough notes they would make NO sense to you, (partially because my handwriting – when I’m going this fast – is about as bad as that of the average prescription-writing doctor…).

Then, within 48 hours, I write out the final set of notes, using the rough notes to help tickle my memory. In addition to having organized notes that I can refer to later, I find that the actual act of writing the material down a second time really helps me remember and internalize the techniques.

Recently though, I’ve been experimenting with another approach.

First I write the rough notes during the seminar, just as before. The goal here is not to write down everything, or be tidy – I’m just trying to create a set of triggers to help me remember the key points of the techniques.

Then, in the next few days, I grab my video camera and a willing body, preferably someone who was at the same seminar. I then film myself going through the material, referring to my notes as needed.

Now I have a video record of the seminar material, which is great, in and of itself. But even if I NEVER look at that footage again, the very act of reviewing and re-enacting the material helps burn it into the my memory.

(Some photos from seminars I’ve attended with Roy Harris, Roger Machado, Carlos Newton and Marc Laimon)

Posted in teachers, techniques | No Comments »

More on the Unpassable Guard…

Thursday, December 18th, 2008

Recently I published a short article on how I improved my guard pass defense. Shortly thereafter I received an interesting and informative email from ‘Scott’ who trains at Colorado Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Denver CO.

Scott wrote:

“I just reviewed your article on the Unpassable Guard. My instructor David Ruiz (Rigan Machado BB) in Denver, CO has 3 rules that he teaches that really changed the guard game for me, and specifically the open guard game.

Always maintain a maximum of 90 degrees between your torso and your thighs. It can be less (i.e. knees pulled tighter into your chest) but it can never be more than 90. For example if you opponent goes for a bull fighter style pass by pulling/pushing your legs to one side, you must sit up to maintain your 90 degrees.
Always maintain foot controls on either side of your opponents body (e.g. a foot on either side of the hips, on his shoulders, spidered around one arm & one hip, legs X’d on either hip, etc.).
Always keep your knees bowed/flared out. This makes passing around the guard much more difficult and leaves the best option for the opponent to pass through the center where your arms and grips can come into play more effectively.

I find when someone passes my guard, inevitably, I have broken one of these 3 rules.”

Thanks Scott!

I’ve said before (in A Roadmap for BJJ) that the guard is the most complicated position in grappling. Learning how to shut down and defend against your opponent’s guard pass attempts is critical at all stages of your development. Since it’s a complicated position every tip or insight helps, so I’m sure that your three points will help someone else take their guard pass defense to the next level too.

Posted in techniques, the guard | No Comments »

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