7 Defending and escaping the Kimura when you're on the bottom of side control is always difficult. There are several different reason for this... First of all, the figure four grip used in the Kimura is very powerful control. It creates a natural handle that your opponent can use to manipulate your entire body, both in gi or no gi. And once your opponent has secured this grip it's a real … [Read more...]
Escapes
How to Defend and Escape the Armbar from Guard
If you've been grappling for any length of time then you know that anytime you're in the closed guard you've got to watch out for the armbar from guard. It's one of the most common and highest percentage submissions in all of BJJ, submission grappling and MMA. So if we're going to be running into a technique like the armbar from guard this frequently then we HAVE to have some good answers for … [Read more...]
How to Defend and Escape the Rear Naked Choke
In the video above and in the article below we're going to talk about how to defend and escape the Rear Naked Choke. There's a reason that the Rear Naked Choke (or RNC) has finished so many matches in MMA, BJJ and submission grappling: it's a very powerful and super-difficult to escape submission! This effectiveness is the main reason that we've devoted so much time to this choke on Grapplearts … [Read more...]
Standing Guillotine Choke Escapes
Standing guillotine chokes are really tough to escape, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to get out! I recently met up with my friend Ando Mierzwa, and we shot something on the topic of guillotine prevention and escape for his martial arts oriented Youtube channel. It's a video in 3 parts... The first part of the video is about guillotine prevention. It's always easier to … [Read more...]
My Favourite Omoplata Escape
The omoplata is one of my very favourite techniques - it's a submission, a sweep, and a setup for other sweeps and submissions. That's why I've got a ton of articles about this technique on Grappearts! But much as I love the omoplata I absolutely HATE getting caught in it myself. I want to show you my favourite omoplata escapes right now... First of all though, let's talk about the … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 113 – A Close Call, and Avoiding Injuries!
The other day I almost tore a partner’s ACL off the bone, which would have required him to have surgery and many months of rehabilitation. What happened exactly? I was more experienced and a bit bigger than my training partner that day and we were doing some no gi sparring. Because of the experience discrepancy I was hyper-focusing on a couple of very specific positions, namely Ashi … [Read more...]
Crucifix Defences for BJJ and Submission Grappling
The crucifix is a TERRIBLE position to get caught in, and once you're in it then it's really hard to get out of. But if you stay resolute, study these defences, and get a little lucky then maybe, just maybe, you can escape and prevent yourself from getting armlocked, choked or neck cranked. First, here’s a video of on how to escape several variations of the Crucifix. Or scroll down to see … [Read more...]
A Simple Adjustment That Shuts Down the Kimura from Guard
The 10 Second Rule for Effective Choking
How many times have you been trying to choke out a training partner, straining and straining, then give up in disgust only to have him say, "Man, I was SO close to tapping out!!" Or what about those times when you've been caught in a choke, see no way out, and your only defense is to hunker down and hope that your opponent will give up before you run out of air or blood to the brain? The … [Read more...]
How Vinny Magalhães Survived Fabrício Werdum’s Armbar to Win ADCC
In the heaviest weight class of the 2011 ADCC submission fighting championships there was a fascinating matchup between accomplished grappler and MMA fighter Vinny Magalhães and the two time ADCC champion, Fabrício Werdum. After an initial exchange on the feet Vinny caught Fabrício in an omoplata sweep and got ahead on points. Fabrício escapes, they get back to the feet, there's another … [Read more...]
BJJ Breathing Tricks When You’re On the Bottom, Getting Crushed by Your Opponent
One of the very worst things is to be trapped on the bottom with all your opponent's weight on top of you and be unable to breathe. This is usually followed by exhaustion, panic and surrender. But it doesn't need to be like this - there are several approaches to breathing in BJJ that can make sure air gets into your lungs, oxygen into your blood, and keep you in the game, even when you're … [Read more...]
Mount Escape to Ankle Lock Position
If you're caught in mount the first thing you want to try are the conventional bridging and shrimping movements to escape. These are two of the gold standard escapes for a good reason; they work all the time. But as the old saying goes, man makes plans and God laughs. Even the best techniques are going to fail against some opponents and in certain situations so it's always good to have some … [Read more...]
Three Powerful Neck Crank Defenses
Neck cranks are undeniably powerful submissions often used in submission grappling. Rather than constricting the trachea and arteries at the front and sides of the neck like most chokes, a neck crank typically attacks the cervical spine itself. The trouble is, if you're on the receiving end of one of these attacks and don't tap out fast enough then you can sustain a long-lasting or even … [Read more...]
A Bow and Arrow Choke Escape
The bow and arrow choke is one of the most powerful chokes from the back in the entire BJJ repertoire. Many matches in the black belt division of the Mundials have ended with this choke, so you know it works! This attack is called the 'Bow and Arrow' choke because when you apply it your opponent gets bent sideways into a bow shape, while you stay straight (i.e. an arrow). Bending your … [Read more...]
Escaping the Reverse Mount the Proper Way
The reverse mount is a tricky position... If you're opponent has you caught in it then he's placing a tremendous amount of pressure on your diaphragm, which makes it hard to breath. He also has lots of entries to kneebars, heel hooks, leg laces, and other submissions available to him. Compounding the problem is the fact that it's not a very common position, meaning that most people don't … [Read more...]
2 Favorite Knee on Belly Escapes
Being on the bottom of knee on belly (aka 'knee mount') is a terrible thing! You can't move... Your arms and neck are vulnerable to submissions... And the pressure that an opponent puts on your belly makes it hard to breath. So you have to have a good knee on belly escape you can rely on! To get you started with that, in my 6:06 Youtube video called '2 Favorite Escapes from Knee Mount … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Apply the Omoplata Armlock Submission (and Stop the Rolling Escape)
The omoplata is one of my very favorite armlocks. There are so many opportunities to get to this submission from almost every guard position, the top, in scrambles, etc. And because you're using the strength of both of your legs against his arm it has the potential to be an ultra powerful submission! Trouble is, against better opponents the omoplata often turns into a sweep: your opponent … [Read more...]
Escape the Heel Hook!
The Ultimate Guide to Developing BJJ Hip Movement Through Shrimping
Everyone says that moving your hips is one of the keys to jiu-jitsu. And they’re absolutely right: the correct movement of the hips is critical not only for escaping bad positions, but also for applying submissions, sweeping your opponent, passing the guard and much more. Traditionally an exercise called ‘shrimping’ is often used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to develop hip movement. This exercise … [Read more...]
Napoleon and How To Be Ready for Anything in BJJ
Napoleon Bonaparte may have been a megalomaniac who left millions dead in his wake, but if you read about his battles and military campaigns there is no doubt that he was a strategic and tactical genius. (Well, maybe he wasn't a genius when he invaded Russia in 1812, but before that he was damn near unstoppable...) He fought over sixty battles in his lifetime, during which he was … [Read more...]