April 14, 2009
Unorthodox Positions DVD Update
Recently I taught a seminar on Unorthodox BJJ Positions. The success of this seminar inspired me to write a series of newsletters on how touse unusual positions to confuse, frustrate and ultimately submit your opponent.
If you missed those posts you can read them again here:
We've been editing this footage in secret, and I got to have a look at the rough cut last night. Now I'm convinced that it's going to be a very useful and informative product. I'd forgotten how many techniques, concepts and details I shared at that seminar!
So if everything continues to go well with the production process then the final DVD should be released in a couple of weeks.
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
If you missed those posts you can read them again here:
- www.grapplearts.com/2009/03/unfair-advantage-unorthodox-bjj.htm
- www.grapplearts.com/2009/03/kesa-gatame-in-bjj-unorthodox-position.htm
- www.grapplearts.com/2009/03/offside-kesa-gatame-another-unorthodox.htm
- www.grapplearts.com/2009/03/stephan-kesting-teaching-reverse-mount.htm
We've been editing this footage in secret, and I got to have a look at the rough cut last night. Now I'm convinced that it's going to be a very useful and informative product. I'd forgotten how many techniques, concepts and details I shared at that seminar!
So if everything continues to go well with the production process then the final DVD should be released in a couple of weeks.
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs, unorthodox strategies
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
February 09, 2009
Incorporating Other Martial Arts into BJJ
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!
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
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!
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs, inspiration, techniques, training
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
January 22, 2009
New DVD - "Step-by-Step Submissions"
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 ;-)
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
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 ;-)
Labels: armlocks, chokes, Grapplearts DVDs, leglocks, techniques
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
January 09, 2009
Three Keys to Progressing In BJJ
On my road to BJJ black belt I've seen the same mistakes made again and again (and I've also made a few of them myself). That, in a nutshell, is why I created the Roadmap For Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Package.
The material is all about three related things: the Big Picture, the Basics and Avoiding the Most Common Mistakes.
The Big Picture
In BJJ there are hundreds of techniques and literally thousands of variations. That's a lot for anyone to absorb - no wonder why people often go home after their first BJJ class feeling completely overwhelmed!
A big picture is particularly important early in your BJJ career. Which positions are the most valuable, and why? What should should your goal be in every position, both on top and on bottom? Which positions are great for traditional BJJ but might get your head soccer-kicked in the street?
All these questions can be clarified by having a good idea of the big picture; it's always easier to find your way if you have a map!
The Basics
It's a no-brainer that starting your BJJ journey with solid basics is a good thing: you'll go a lot further and progress a lot faster. Unfortunately the basics are rarely taught systematically, and most of the time you have to learn them through trial-and-error.
People with weak basics sometimes even make it to blue belt. This is because that person might have a few parts of his game that are really good. That person usually does OK on the mat, but only as long as he stays in his comfort zone. As soon as he ventures outside of what he's good at (or is taken outside it by his opponent) then the wheels really fall off the cart.
Strong basics ensure that there aren't huge holes in your game that can be exploited by a smart opponent!
The Roadmap for BJJ Package will shorten the time it takes to get good basics for every position. Strong basics equals faster progress every time!
The Mistakes
BJJ is all about taking advantage of other people's mistakes. The more mistakes you make, the more often you're going to tap, it's as simple as that. Every position has its own set of mistakes: the right thing to do in one position will get you killed in another position.
In this package I show you what the most common mistakes are, how your opponent might take advantage of them, and then how to fix them. The good news is that most of these mistakes are easy to fix, if you just know what to do (and what not to do). Don't give your opponent the opportunity to easily tap you out without even having to work for it!
About the Roadmap for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Package
There is a TON of material in this package: a two-hour DVD, a full-length audio CD, a printed book, files for your computer, and a lot more. Too much to describe in the detail it deserves here, so please check it out by clicking here.
Sincerely
Stephan Kesting
www.grapplearts.com/roadmap/
P.S. On this package I'm offering an unprecedented one-year money back guarantee. Take your time to check out ALL the material risk-free, and if you don't agree that it has taken months off of your BJJ learning curve then return it for a full refund.
P.P.S. Just to sweeten the deal even more, right now I'm also offering free shipping. Hurry though, because after January 31st the price goes up and some of the bonuses will disappear.
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs, training
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
December 21, 2008
I'm Outa Here
Tomorrow I'm off to a cabin in the snowy woods. It will be perfect. Wood stove. No running water. Unheated outhouse. No internet.
So I'll be offline until after boxing day. Also my DVD shipping warehouse closes down from December 24th to January 1st, so there will be a slight delay for any videos purchased during that time. Don't worry though, they'll get to you early in the New Year.
Have a great holiday and talk to you in a couple of weeks!
Stephan Kesting
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
So I'll be offline until after boxing day. Also my DVD shipping warehouse closes down from December 24th to January 1st, so there will be a slight delay for any videos purchased during that time. Don't worry though, they'll get to you early in the New Year.
Have a great holiday and talk to you in a couple of weeks!
Stephan Kesting
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
December 16, 2008
As you might know, things have been busy for me lately. The work I've been doing for BeginningBJJ.com has grown into my latest project - the Roadmap for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Package.
I'm having a three day pre-release sale because tomorrow is the day I send the final components of the package off for final duplication. From experience with many previous new releases, that means that the final product is probably only two or three weeks away from being ready to ship.
==> www.beginningBJJ.com/package
To sweeten the deal even more, if you order during the pre-release sale, I'll also send you an additional $377 of free gifts that will kickstart your mat skills and have you tapping out your opponents like never before.
This is a BIG package. It includes a video DVD, an audio CD, a book and a whole lot more. It's primarily aimed at people who are new to BJJ (and to instructors who want to have more arrows in their teaching quiver). On the other hand though, I've heard from several reviewers (including one with more than 10 years of training) that this material firmed up their basics in several areas. They thought they knew the material, but it turns out that they either hadn't been shown it properly or had somehow missed it.
So if you pre-order before December 19th, you get the entire Roadmap for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu package at $159 instead of at the regular price at $197. Pre-ordering will not only save you money, but you'll be at the front of the line when the assembled package is ready for shipping (probably in 2 to 3 weeks).
Thank you
Stephan Kesting
www.beginningBJJ.com/package
P.S. There's really nothing else like this package on the market today. I'm going to remove all risk from your purchase and offer you one full year to check out the materials out. If you're not 100% satisfied with your purchase, then return it for a full refund.
P.P.S. The pre-release sale ends at midnight, PST on December 19th. After that I won't allow anyone else to order again until I've physically shipped your package out the door.
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
December 11, 2008
Emerging Soon From the Lab...
I've been down in the laboratory recently, cooking up the latest Grapplearts offering. Since we're in the final stages of production now, and because I thought you might be interested, I'll whip off the veil of secrecy and tell you about what's going on.
The new project is the "Roadmap for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Package". It is THE guide to beginning BJJ. I want to help people new to the sport get it right, right from the start.
What I've done here is create something very different from anything else on the market. A Roadmap-based approach gives beginners a big picture first, so that they understand what's happening on the mats, remember appropriate techniques quickly, and figure out what moves they need to work on next.
I've created this book-CD-DVD package to make sure that people 'get it' quickly; it should help every beginner's skills improve by leaps and bounds.
I've also been getting feedback from blue belts who say that it's really helped them, and from instructors who say it's made them better teachers. (And they've only seen a small portion of the materials).
I'm confident that this will be a big thing, because BJJ is growing by leaps and bounds. There are a LOT of people out there who are serious about learning BJJ, but just don't know what steps to take to make that happen.
Since I'm excited about this project I'll obviously keep you posted...
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
The new project is the "Roadmap for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Package". It is THE guide to beginning BJJ. I want to help people new to the sport get it right, right from the start.
What I've done here is create something very different from anything else on the market. A Roadmap-based approach gives beginners a big picture first, so that they understand what's happening on the mats, remember appropriate techniques quickly, and figure out what moves they need to work on next.
I've created this book-CD-DVD package to make sure that people 'get it' quickly; it should help every beginner's skills improve by leaps and bounds.
I've also been getting feedback from blue belts who say that it's really helped them, and from instructors who say it's made them better teachers. (And they've only seen a small portion of the materials).
I'm confident that this will be a big thing, because BJJ is growing by leaps and bounds. There are a LOT of people out there who are serious about learning BJJ, but just don't know what steps to take to make that happen.
Since I'm excited about this project I'll obviously keep you posted...
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs, training
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
November 23, 2008
'Tis the Holiday Season
Yesterday I went on a roadtrip to train with Erik Paulson and some of his other instructor's at the NorthWest Kali gym just south of Seattle in the town of Federal Way.
For five hours Erik stuffed knowledge into our brains. I was writing as fast as I could, making about 10 pages of notes, and still getting maybe only half of everything that he taught. I'll be writing about some of the things that he showed us in future posts on this blog and newsletter.
After the session I learned one more thing: Erik told me he'd seen my latest article in Ultimate Grappling Magazine! The issue with Tito Ortiz on the cover (January 2009).
I like seeing my articles in print, so on the drive home I went on a magazine hunt. I finally found it at a Barnes and Noble just north of Seattle. After admiring a large photo of my handsome mug (which is getting choked silly) I wandered around the mall a bit, and made another discovery: the Holiday Season is in full swing!
The music has started. Tinsel and Christmas ornaments are everywhere. People look different - more focused maybe - as they try to do their shopping before the late December rush... This was a good reminder to me to get my own Holiday sale up and running.
So I've figured out what I'm going to do.
First, I'm taking an additional 10% off of all prices, so you can save up to 35% on certain items and packages.
Second, with every order I'm going to include the Tight Makes Right Wall Poster. Erik liked this poster so much he grabbed the last two copies I had with me for his own gym!
Third, I will also send you one of my distinctive Grapplearts Dragon Logo patches, with silver and red thread on a black background. A perfect way to show that you're not just an ordinary grappler...
So take advantage of this sale and pick out your own Christmas present by clicking here.
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
For five hours Erik stuffed knowledge into our brains. I was writing as fast as I could, making about 10 pages of notes, and still getting maybe only half of everything that he taught. I'll be writing about some of the things that he showed us in future posts on this blog and newsletter.
After the session I learned one more thing: Erik told me he'd seen my latest article in Ultimate Grappling Magazine! The issue with Tito Ortiz on the cover (January 2009).I like seeing my articles in print, so on the drive home I went on a magazine hunt. I finally found it at a Barnes and Noble just north of Seattle. After admiring a large photo of my handsome mug (which is getting choked silly) I wandered around the mall a bit, and made another discovery: the Holiday Season is in full swing!
The music has started. Tinsel and Christmas ornaments are everywhere. People look different - more focused maybe - as they try to do their shopping before the late December rush... This was a good reminder to me to get my own Holiday sale up and running.
So I've figured out what I'm going to do.First, I'm taking an additional 10% off of all prices, so you can save up to 35% on certain items and packages.
Second, with every order I'm going to include the Tight Makes Right Wall Poster. Erik liked this poster so much he grabbed the last two copies I had with me for his own gym!
Third, I will also send you one of my distinctive Grapplearts Dragon Logo patches, with silver and red thread on a black background. A perfect way to show that you're not just an ordinary grappler...So take advantage of this sale and pick out your own Christmas present by clicking here.
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
November 20, 2008
Countering the Half Guard Pass
Since I released my DVD on the Dynamic Half Guard I get a lot of questions on how to prevent certain guard passes. I cover a lot of guard pass and leglock prevention in that video, but it's *only* 2 hours long, and so I couldn't cover every last counter for every last guard pass.
Some of these guard pass counters are really difficult to describe in words. Hopefully the little video piece I just put up onto Youtube helps answer some of your questions about the half guard position.
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
Some of these guard pass counters are really difficult to describe in words. Hopefully the little video piece I just put up onto Youtube helps answer some of your questions about the half guard position.
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs, the guard
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
September 09, 2008
Learning BJJ in a Digital Age
I recently did a remote interview with Marshall Carpenter from Lockflow.com on the topic of how the internet has changed the way grappling knowledge is transmitted, learned and modified. You can check out the interview at Lockflow, or in the text below.
Open Source Jiu Jitsu, Session 3 by Marshal Carper
Marshall says: In November of last year, I did two articles on the impact the internet has had on the way grappling knowledge is transmitted, learned, and modified. The first article discussed my humble views on the matter, and the second article was an interview with Björn Friedrich, the owner of Fighter Fitness, a championship grade grappler, and the publisher of multiple YouTube videos that have gained a following in the Jiu Jitsu community.
Just recently, I received an email from Stephan Kesting discussing the issue at length. Kesting owns the widely popular GrappleArts.com and has released some of the best rated instructional grappling DVDs on the market today. Though the articles are nearing a year in age, Kesting’s insights into Open Source Jiu Jitsu are relevant and too useful to keep hidden.
LOCKFLOW: On your site, you have a blog offering weekly grappling tips and you often link to YouTube videos and websites run by other grapplers. While your readers obviously learn a great deal from your posts, how much do you learn from producing these articles and videos?
STEPHAN KESTING: I learn a great deal from writing my articles and producing my DVDs and Youtube videos. Creating these things helps me to organize my knowledge in an organized way, so that it can be efficiently taught and easily learned. Like most skilled grapplers I intuitively do a lot of things without thinking about them. I can DO them but you can't TEACH these things unless you've thought about them. Writing an article or producing a video forces me to take a specific topic and really, really think about it, and I always learn a lot in the process.
LOCKFLOW: How has the internet impacted the way you learn and practice grappling, if at all?
STEPHAN KESTING: The internet has helped my own learning curve in several ways. Occasionally I see a technique, or a counter to a technique that I haven't seen before, and I then take it to the mats and try it out on a non-resisting partner. Usually it turns out that these techniques are either junk or not suited to my body, but a few of them have been keepers and I end up integrating them into my game.
Stuff on the web also helped give me a 'big picture', especially when I was starting out. It helped me place techniques I was learning, and training methods I was experimenting with, into a context. Having a context allows you to figure out what you know, and to identify what you don't yet know.
A lot of my articles and videos are produced with this whole idea of context in mind. I recently had a three part article on the different kinds of guards published in Ultimate Grappling magazine, and now they're online on my site. I wrote these articles to provide a context for learning about the guard position, and if I'd known what was in those articles when I started to grapple I think it might have accelerated my learning curve by about 6 months.
LOCKFLOW: Can you think of a specific example of how your grappling knowledge was impacted by the internet?
STEPHAN KESTING: Sure! I re-learned one of my favorite triangle choke counters from the internet, the first escape on this page.
I'd been shown this triangle escape years before, but then had let it completely slip from my arsenal. When I saw that technique series it reminded me about the escape, and I've since re-incorporated it into my game.
LOCKFLOW: How do you feel the internet has impacted grappling knowledge in general?
STEPHAN KESTING: The internet, combined with the availability of instructional DVDs, has hugely accelerated the learning curve in grappling. The skill levels of both competitive and recreational grapplers is a lot higher than it was 10 years ago. If someone invents a new guard pass and uses it to win the Mundials black belt division then everyone can see it on Youtube the next day and reverse-engineer that same guard pass for themselves. Things don't stay secret for nearly as long, and that drives the evolutionary arms race at speeds that were unthinkable in the past.
LOCKFLOW: Do you see this impact as negative or positive? Why?
STEPHAN KESTING: Almost entirely positive. Some people complain that the proliferation of knowledge draws students away from working on the basics. There is a grain of truth to that argument, however most students eventually figure that out for themselves. In the final analysis, for 99% of grapplers this sport is all about fitness and enjoyment, not necessarily winning their UFC debut or medalling at the World Championships, so they should do whatever it is they enjoy. If that's working on their upside-down guard, or the X guard, or whatever, before they've mastered the basic armbar from closed guard, then who am I to say that that's wrong?
LOCKFLOW: What advice would you offer to students using the internet to supplement their grappling knowledge?
STEPHAN KESTING: Just remember that if you see something on the internet it's only the first step in a 4 step process that some people call TRIG. Here is something I posted on my blog a while back:
STEPHAN KESTING: Yes, I'd like to invite people to come and check my site at www.grapplearts.com. It's getting to be a huge site, with a ton of articles, techniques, videos, blog posts and photos that are exactly the kind of internet references we've been talking about in this interview. When I started Grapplearts in 2002 as a venue to promote my first video I had no idea that it would ever grow to be this large a site and so well reviewed by the grappling community.
Stephan's note: Thanks to Marshall Cooper for initiating this conversation!
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
Open Source Jiu Jitsu, Session 3 by Marshal Carper
Marshall says: In November of last year, I did two articles on the impact the internet has had on the way grappling knowledge is transmitted, learned, and modified. The first article discussed my humble views on the matter, and the second article was an interview with Björn Friedrich, the owner of Fighter Fitness, a championship grade grappler, and the publisher of multiple YouTube videos that have gained a following in the Jiu Jitsu community.
Just recently, I received an email from Stephan Kesting discussing the issue at length. Kesting owns the widely popular GrappleArts.com and has released some of the best rated instructional grappling DVDs on the market today. Though the articles are nearing a year in age, Kesting’s insights into Open Source Jiu Jitsu are relevant and too useful to keep hidden.
LOCKFLOW: On your site, you have a blog offering weekly grappling tips and you often link to YouTube videos and websites run by other grapplers. While your readers obviously learn a great deal from your posts, how much do you learn from producing these articles and videos?
STEPHAN KESTING: I learn a great deal from writing my articles and producing my DVDs and Youtube videos. Creating these things helps me to organize my knowledge in an organized way, so that it can be efficiently taught and easily learned. Like most skilled grapplers I intuitively do a lot of things without thinking about them. I can DO them but you can't TEACH these things unless you've thought about them. Writing an article or producing a video forces me to take a specific topic and really, really think about it, and I always learn a lot in the process.
LOCKFLOW: How has the internet impacted the way you learn and practice grappling, if at all?
STEPHAN KESTING: The internet has helped my own learning curve in several ways. Occasionally I see a technique, or a counter to a technique that I haven't seen before, and I then take it to the mats and try it out on a non-resisting partner. Usually it turns out that these techniques are either junk or not suited to my body, but a few of them have been keepers and I end up integrating them into my game.
Stuff on the web also helped give me a 'big picture', especially when I was starting out. It helped me place techniques I was learning, and training methods I was experimenting with, into a context. Having a context allows you to figure out what you know, and to identify what you don't yet know.
A lot of my articles and videos are produced with this whole idea of context in mind. I recently had a three part article on the different kinds of guards published in Ultimate Grappling magazine, and now they're online on my site. I wrote these articles to provide a context for learning about the guard position, and if I'd known what was in those articles when I started to grapple I think it might have accelerated my learning curve by about 6 months.
LOCKFLOW: Can you think of a specific example of how your grappling knowledge was impacted by the internet?
STEPHAN KESTING: Sure! I re-learned one of my favorite triangle choke counters from the internet, the first escape on this page.
I'd been shown this triangle escape years before, but then had let it completely slip from my arsenal. When I saw that technique series it reminded me about the escape, and I've since re-incorporated it into my game.
LOCKFLOW: How do you feel the internet has impacted grappling knowledge in general?
STEPHAN KESTING: The internet, combined with the availability of instructional DVDs, has hugely accelerated the learning curve in grappling. The skill levels of both competitive and recreational grapplers is a lot higher than it was 10 years ago. If someone invents a new guard pass and uses it to win the Mundials black belt division then everyone can see it on Youtube the next day and reverse-engineer that same guard pass for themselves. Things don't stay secret for nearly as long, and that drives the evolutionary arms race at speeds that were unthinkable in the past.
LOCKFLOW: Do you see this impact as negative or positive? Why?
STEPHAN KESTING: Almost entirely positive. Some people complain that the proliferation of knowledge draws students away from working on the basics. There is a grain of truth to that argument, however most students eventually figure that out for themselves. In the final analysis, for 99% of grapplers this sport is all about fitness and enjoyment, not necessarily winning their UFC debut or medalling at the World Championships, so they should do whatever it is they enjoy. If that's working on their upside-down guard, or the X guard, or whatever, before they've mastered the basic armbar from closed guard, then who am I to say that that's wrong?
LOCKFLOW: What advice would you offer to students using the internet to supplement their grappling knowledge?
STEPHAN KESTING: Just remember that if you see something on the internet it's only the first step in a 4 step process that some people call TRIG. Here is something I posted on my blog a while back:
- T = Technique. First you have to learn the technique. Where do your arms and legs go? How do you develop power? What do you do if your opponent counters your technique.
- R = Repetition. Now you have to go and repeat the technique until your body understands it as well as your mind does. This can involve doing hundreds of repetitions, so lets get to work.
- I = Isolation. Now you use the technique in isolation. Maybe you are working on escapes to a particular position, so start every sparring session pinned in that position. Another example might be deciding only to use one submission, say the triangle choke, when sparring people of lesser skill than you.
- G = Grappling. Now you can incorporate that technique into your grappling arsenal!
STEPHAN KESTING: Yes, I'd like to invite people to come and check my site at www.grapplearts.com. It's getting to be a huge site, with a ton of articles, techniques, videos, blog posts and photos that are exactly the kind of internet references we've been talking about in this interview. When I started Grapplearts in 2002 as a venue to promote my first video I had no idea that it would ever grow to be this large a site and so well reviewed by the grappling community.
Stephan's note: Thanks to Marshall Cooper for initiating this conversation!
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs, the mental aspect, training
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
April 18, 2008
The Four Most Common Leglock Mistakes
This is a small portion of the Introduction and Principles section from the High Percentage Leglocks DVD.
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs, leglocks
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
Leglock Entry from Standing Clinch
This clip is from the Ankle Lock and Heel Hook Entries section of the High Percentage Leglocks DVD, now available on this site.
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs, leglocks
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
The 'Hip Hop' Counter to the Anklelock
This is from the Counters and Recounters section of the High Percentage Leglocks DVD.
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs, leglocks
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
Counter to the Rolling Toehold vs. de la Riva Guard
This clip is from Bonus Toeholds Section of the High Percentage Leglocks DVD.
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs, leglocks
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
February 04, 2008
Frank Mir, the Spanish Inquisition, and Me
A video review blog called White Collar BJJ recently managed to link Frank Mir, the Spanish Inquisition and yours truly into a single coherent post. Check it out the article here.
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs, MMA
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
December 30, 2007
How To Use Instructional BJJ Media
Stephan's note: today we have a guest author, Nicolai Geeza Holt, sharing his thoughts about a topic near and dear to my own heart: learning from instructional material. Nicolai trains with Niko Han and currently has 47 wins by submission in competition. Check out his online video collection on youtube.
The most important point to understand before you build up a big library of BJJ instruction material is this; the books, videos and DVDs you buy will not solve the practical problems you are having on the mat. Your practical problems can only be solved with practice. And you cannot practice in books or in DVDs. Practice happens on the mat.
So what are instruction materials good for?
Instruction materials can give you a big picture general idea of the kinds of things you need to master and understand over your long BJJ learning process. There are four key areas you have to master in BJJ and I will list them in order of how well BJJ instruction materials cover them.
First, techniques; BJJ instruction materials are good databases of both basic and advanced techniques.
Second, fitness; some instruction materials are specifically prepared to help you to prime your body for strength, cardio, flexibility and coordination with exercise routines, while others focus on diet or overall health.
Third, preparing your mind; some of the most insightful and useful BJJ instruction material (once you have trained past the basics), relates to how you manage what is going on in your head before, during and after marshalling on the mats.
Fourth, some BJJ instruction materials cover fight or competition strategy. This last area of knowledge is the least well covered. Strategy is rarely dealt with as the main topic and it seems to crop up as side-points to other points a teacher is making. You have to dig hard for this last kind of wisdom.
Even though the area best covered in BJJ instructional material is technique, every submission or escape, or way to improve your position, or way to prevent your opponent improving their position, takes place in a particular situation. In competition or sparring every sequence happens exactly that way only once; kind of like that old saw – you can never step into the same river twice because the river is always changing (of course this is not to say that you will not get stuck at the same old positions with some of your regular training partners). Therefore, no book or DVD that can cover more than a small fraction of the exact sequences that occur in real live situations. Because each specific sequence of moves occurs only once, most BJJ technique material breaks the knowledge down into individual submissions, holds, sweeps and moves. It is rare that more than 3 or 4 techniques are shown in sequence, and generally instructional material focuses on the details of a single technique. But good instructional material will not only outline suggestions of things to do in precise situations, it will also state the general principles that underlie the practical steps suggested.
How do we learn BJJ?
We learn BJJ by imitation. Here is a little neuroscience to explain how we imitate. In the frontal lobe of the brain is a region called the motor cortex. It is involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary motor functions. Meanwhile, the pre-motor cortex is an area of the motor cortex responsible for the sensory guidance of movement and especially the core trunk muscles of the body. In the pre-motor cortex there are cells that fire when we move our limbs, shrimp or grip. The pre-motor cortex also has groups of cells called mirror neurons that fire we watch someone else move their limbs, shrimp or grip. Mirror neurons are critical to imitation. The more you watch other people do BJJ, the more your mirror neurons fire. The circuits are automatic and they bypass conscious mediation.
Typically most people can copy complex sequence of actions after they have seen them 3 times ( i.e. fired up their mirror neurons 3 times!). BJJ superstars (or any sports superstar), naturally has extensive networks of mirror neurons. The good news is that anyone can build their mirror neuron networks with practice. The point of all this is that the more visual that the learning materials you use are, the easier it is to fire up your mirror neurons and consequently the easier it is to imitate what you just saw. So just watching others doing BJJ can help your own BJJ.
Which one to choose? - BJJ Books versus DVDs versus YouTube
BJJ Books are good because they give you time to think about what is being taught you, they have visual content in the form of pictures and their written word is carefully thought through, well articulated and edited. The weakness of books is that still pictures are less effective at firing up your mirror neurons and frequently the author has a self-congratulatory tone as opposed to a simple genuine desire to spread knowledge.
DVDs are good because they are highly visual in a way specifically designed to fire up your motor neurons and they present a coherent body of knowledge. The weakness of DVDs is that they are expensive, they are extremely mixed in terms of quality and they often have lots of filler techniques that no-one ever uses.
YouTube is good because it is free, you can search for a specific technique and get a variety of insights from many different teachers, you have easy access to all the info, it is highly visual, and you can get both theory and practical content. (Try searching for rear naked choke in YouTube to see the wealth of knowledge available). The weakness of YouTube as a BJJ learning tool is that it is an incoherent collection of videos, good in some areas and weak in others, and you can easily get side-tracked in your learning process.
Some other bullet points on BJJ instruction material
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
The most important point to understand before you build up a big library of BJJ instruction material is this; the books, videos and DVDs you buy will not solve the practical problems you are having on the mat. Your practical problems can only be solved with practice. And you cannot practice in books or in DVDs. Practice happens on the mat.
So what are instruction materials good for?
Instruction materials can give you a big picture general idea of the kinds of things you need to master and understand over your long BJJ learning process. There are four key areas you have to master in BJJ and I will list them in order of how well BJJ instruction materials cover them.
First, techniques; BJJ instruction materials are good databases of both basic and advanced techniques.
Second, fitness; some instruction materials are specifically prepared to help you to prime your body for strength, cardio, flexibility and coordination with exercise routines, while others focus on diet or overall health.
Third, preparing your mind; some of the most insightful and useful BJJ instruction material (once you have trained past the basics), relates to how you manage what is going on in your head before, during and after marshalling on the mats.
Fourth, some BJJ instruction materials cover fight or competition strategy. This last area of knowledge is the least well covered. Strategy is rarely dealt with as the main topic and it seems to crop up as side-points to other points a teacher is making. You have to dig hard for this last kind of wisdom.
Even though the area best covered in BJJ instructional material is technique, every submission or escape, or way to improve your position, or way to prevent your opponent improving their position, takes place in a particular situation. In competition or sparring every sequence happens exactly that way only once; kind of like that old saw – you can never step into the same river twice because the river is always changing (of course this is not to say that you will not get stuck at the same old positions with some of your regular training partners). Therefore, no book or DVD that can cover more than a small fraction of the exact sequences that occur in real live situations. Because each specific sequence of moves occurs only once, most BJJ technique material breaks the knowledge down into individual submissions, holds, sweeps and moves. It is rare that more than 3 or 4 techniques are shown in sequence, and generally instructional material focuses on the details of a single technique. But good instructional material will not only outline suggestions of things to do in precise situations, it will also state the general principles that underlie the practical steps suggested.
How do we learn BJJ?
We learn BJJ by imitation. Here is a little neuroscience to explain how we imitate. In the frontal lobe of the brain is a region called the motor cortex. It is involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary motor functions. Meanwhile, the pre-motor cortex is an area of the motor cortex responsible for the sensory guidance of movement and especially the core trunk muscles of the body. In the pre-motor cortex there are cells that fire when we move our limbs, shrimp or grip. The pre-motor cortex also has groups of cells called mirror neurons that fire we watch someone else move their limbs, shrimp or grip. Mirror neurons are critical to imitation. The more you watch other people do BJJ, the more your mirror neurons fire. The circuits are automatic and they bypass conscious mediation.
Typically most people can copy complex sequence of actions after they have seen them 3 times ( i.e. fired up their mirror neurons 3 times!). BJJ superstars (or any sports superstar), naturally has extensive networks of mirror neurons. The good news is that anyone can build their mirror neuron networks with practice. The point of all this is that the more visual that the learning materials you use are, the easier it is to fire up your mirror neurons and consequently the easier it is to imitate what you just saw. So just watching others doing BJJ can help your own BJJ.
Which one to choose? - BJJ Books versus DVDs versus YouTube
BJJ Books are good because they give you time to think about what is being taught you, they have visual content in the form of pictures and their written word is carefully thought through, well articulated and edited. The weakness of books is that still pictures are less effective at firing up your mirror neurons and frequently the author has a self-congratulatory tone as opposed to a simple genuine desire to spread knowledge.
DVDs are good because they are highly visual in a way specifically designed to fire up your motor neurons and they present a coherent body of knowledge. The weakness of DVDs is that they are expensive, they are extremely mixed in terms of quality and they often have lots of filler techniques that no-one ever uses.
YouTube is good because it is free, you can search for a specific technique and get a variety of insights from many different teachers, you have easy access to all the info, it is highly visual, and you can get both theory and practical content. (Try searching for rear naked choke in YouTube to see the wealth of knowledge available). The weakness of YouTube as a BJJ learning tool is that it is an incoherent collection of videos, good in some areas and weak in others, and you can easily get side-tracked in your learning process.
Some other bullet points on BJJ instruction material
- If your own instructor makes a DVD definitely buy it – it will greatly speed your learning process.
- Watch the whole DVD in one sitting first time through to understand the full set of ideas the instructor is proposing.
- It is a business. Being a BJJ teacher is not a well paid profession and therefore the best will try and supplement their income by selling instruction material. What gets a product sold is not always what will help your BJJ.
- It takes a long time to learn BJJ and nothing can beat a good instructor giving you good drills to do with a good training partner.
- BJJ instruction materials can give you new ideas when you are getting stale.
- Think of BJJ instruction material as being analogous to vitamins in your diet – you need all the basic stuff in your diet and vitamins add that something extra for top performance.
- Most BJJ instruction material is weak on counter techniques, so make sure you ask your instructor for the defence each time you learn a technique.
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs, techniques, training
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon