September 17, 2008
Lets Get The Groundrules Straight!
One of the worst organized MMA shows I ever saw was a small local show, back in 1996. Before I talk about that particular show though, I have to set the stage: UFC 9 had just happened. That UFC was 'special' because at the last minute the rules had been changed to ban punches with the closed fist to the face (more on the event and the backstory here).
Some of the fighters in that UFC ignored the no closed fist rule and merrily punched their opponents in the face (incurring minor financial fines along the road to victory). Other fighters apparently took that rule seriously and only slapped their opponents. Almost of the fans, myself include, were confused by what was going on.
So now let's get back to that particularly putrid local MMA show.
A friend of mine was coaching one of the fighters, so I was privy to the pre-fight rules meeting. I was interested to see what they would allow at these fights. This was before the athletic commissions got involved in regulating MMA so every event had a different set of rules governing the legality of headbutts, elbow strikes, knees on the ground, wearing of gloves, closed fist punching, etc.
Are you ready for the rules meeting? It was one sentence long: "OK, like it's total UFC rules".
That's it.
After that, the fights themselves were a gong show. Some guys were doing Pancrase-style open hand slapping. Other people were throwing repeat headbutts into their opponent's faces and trying to punch them in the balls. The referee, the same guy who had delivered the oh-so-concise rules meeting, seemed completely out of his depth as he tried to manage the mayhem.
The climax of the show occurred when one fighter knocked down his opponent near the ring ropes. He then grabbed the bottom rope, stood up and stepped on the neck of his opponent. With the full weight of his body and the tension of the bottom rope pressing down on his opponent's neck and pinning him there he started stomping his victim on the head.
And the ref did - nothing. He was useless anyhow, but this tactic so stunned him that he stood there and watched.
Finally the victim's corner stormed into the ring and bull rushed the aggressor off of their fighter. A near riot broke out, and eventually, after much yelling in about 3 different languages, the stomper was disqualified and the stompee, somewhat worse for wear, was declared the winner.
Of course this entire schmozzle was almost entirely the referee's fault (who was also the organizer and promoter, by the way). If I had been a politician, and this had been my introduction to MMA, I would have knelt down and made a vow that my life's mission would be the eradication of this brutal bloodsport. Not amateur MMA's proudest moment...
So what does that have to do with us today? MMA is much more regulated and standardized now, but jiu-jitsu and submission grappling tournaments still use widely varying rules. Some allow suplexing throws, others do not. Some allow certain leglocks, others do not. Some award points when you use the turtle position to reverse an opponent, others do not. Some allow neck cranks, others do not.
Even if you never compete, it's still worth clarifying the rules when you're about to spar with someone you've never rolled with before. If you're operating under the assumption that heel hooks are forbidden, but it's the bread and butter move at that other guy's home club, then things could go badly in a hurry. No matter whether you compete or not, make bloody clear that you know what the ground rules are; your ACLs will thank you for it.
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Some of the fighters in that UFC ignored the no closed fist rule and merrily punched their opponents in the face (incurring minor financial fines along the road to victory). Other fighters apparently took that rule seriously and only slapped their opponents. Almost of the fans, myself include, were confused by what was going on.
So now let's get back to that particularly putrid local MMA show.
A friend of mine was coaching one of the fighters, so I was privy to the pre-fight rules meeting. I was interested to see what they would allow at these fights. This was before the athletic commissions got involved in regulating MMA so every event had a different set of rules governing the legality of headbutts, elbow strikes, knees on the ground, wearing of gloves, closed fist punching, etc.
Are you ready for the rules meeting? It was one sentence long: "OK, like it's total UFC rules".
That's it.
After that, the fights themselves were a gong show. Some guys were doing Pancrase-style open hand slapping. Other people were throwing repeat headbutts into their opponent's faces and trying to punch them in the balls. The referee, the same guy who had delivered the oh-so-concise rules meeting, seemed completely out of his depth as he tried to manage the mayhem.
The climax of the show occurred when one fighter knocked down his opponent near the ring ropes. He then grabbed the bottom rope, stood up and stepped on the neck of his opponent. With the full weight of his body and the tension of the bottom rope pressing down on his opponent's neck and pinning him there he started stomping his victim on the head.
And the ref did - nothing. He was useless anyhow, but this tactic so stunned him that he stood there and watched.
Finally the victim's corner stormed into the ring and bull rushed the aggressor off of their fighter. A near riot broke out, and eventually, after much yelling in about 3 different languages, the stomper was disqualified and the stompee, somewhat worse for wear, was declared the winner.
Of course this entire schmozzle was almost entirely the referee's fault (who was also the organizer and promoter, by the way). If I had been a politician, and this had been my introduction to MMA, I would have knelt down and made a vow that my life's mission would be the eradication of this brutal bloodsport. Not amateur MMA's proudest moment...
So what does that have to do with us today? MMA is much more regulated and standardized now, but jiu-jitsu and submission grappling tournaments still use widely varying rules. Some allow suplexing throws, others do not. Some allow certain leglocks, others do not. Some award points when you use the turtle position to reverse an opponent, others do not. Some allow neck cranks, others do not.
Even if you never compete, it's still worth clarifying the rules when you're about to spar with someone you've never rolled with before. If you're operating under the assumption that heel hooks are forbidden, but it's the bread and butter move at that other guy's home club, then things could go badly in a hurry. No matter whether you compete or not, make bloody clear that you know what the ground rules are; your ACLs will thank you for it.
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August 19, 2008
A Sneak Peek Into a Fighter's Conditioning Routine
Most of my text message communications to my friends are pretty short and mundane. Recently, however, I had a very interesting conversation with MMA fighter Denis Kang, partially over the phone but mostly using text messages. Despite the limitations of this conversational medium I came away with some great insights into MMA conditioning.
Denis has spent the last several months in Montreal Canada, both to help George St. Pierre's with his pre-UFC training camp, and also to prepare for his own upcoming title defense in the Spirit MC organization. Denis has worked with a great number of top conditioning coaches, but he told me that while working with coach Jonathan Chaimberg his strength and endurance has jumped to new levels.
One of the things that Denis and George St. Pierre do are circuits which incorporate heavy low-repetition exercises (like weighted pullups) followed by explosive plyometric movements (like medicine ball slams). This combination of weight training and plyometrics is called 'complex training'
To illustrate what complex training in a conditioning circuit might look like, Denis put one circuit, a small part of his workout, onto Youtube and agreed to let me tell the Grapplearts readership about it.
If you think that this circuit might be tiring, then imagine doing it several times in a row, with far too little rest in between. Oh, and before you even hit the weights, make sure you first 'warm up' with some leg-shredding and heart-pounding Tabata sprints on a steeply inclined treadmill!
Now you have an insider's perspective on what these athletes go through to mold their bodies to be ready for the rigors of combat sports. Isn't the life of a professional fighter appealing?
P.S. Click here for examples of other MMA conditioning routines.
P.P.S. Here is Denis teaching the Anaconda Choke, a submission he has used to great effect in MMA competition.
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Denis has spent the last several months in Montreal Canada, both to help George St. Pierre's with his pre-UFC training camp, and also to prepare for his own upcoming title defense in the Spirit MC organization. Denis has worked with a great number of top conditioning coaches, but he told me that while working with coach Jonathan Chaimberg his strength and endurance has jumped to new levels.
One of the things that Denis and George St. Pierre do are circuits which incorporate heavy low-repetition exercises (like weighted pullups) followed by explosive plyometric movements (like medicine ball slams). This combination of weight training and plyometrics is called 'complex training'
To illustrate what complex training in a conditioning circuit might look like, Denis put one circuit, a small part of his workout, onto Youtube and agreed to let me tell the Grapplearts readership about it.
If you think that this circuit might be tiring, then imagine doing it several times in a row, with far too little rest in between. Oh, and before you even hit the weights, make sure you first 'warm up' with some leg-shredding and heart-pounding Tabata sprints on a steeply inclined treadmill!
Now you have an insider's perspective on what these athletes go through to mold their bodies to be ready for the rigors of combat sports. Isn't the life of a professional fighter appealing?
P.S. Click here for examples of other MMA conditioning routines.
P.P.S. Here is Denis teaching the Anaconda Choke, a submission he has used to great effect in MMA competition.
Labels: conditioning, MMA
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August 12, 2008
Thoughts on Lesnar vs. Herring, UFC 87
Like many of you, last Saturday night I sat transfixed, watching Brock Lesnar maul Heath Herring at UFC 87. While I was watching, a friend leaned over and asked me if I'd injured myself recently: I had gotten so tense while watching that my neck was all stiff and my shoulders were creeping up to somewhere around my ears.
My tension (and interest in the fight) arose for at least three reasons.
Firstly, as you've probably noticed, Brock Lesnar is a very large human. He actually has to cut weight to get under the 265 pound limit for heavyweights. The combination of huge size and great athleticism makes for such fascinating viewing that if one of those Pacific Northwest earthquakes had hit while I during that fight I probably wouldn't have noticed.
Secondly, my friend and mentor Erik Paulson was in Lesnar's corner. Brock Lesnar was very happy with the training he'd received from Erik Paulson and Greg Nelson for his debut fight against Frank Mir, and so, despite a disappointing initial loss, decided to stick with his coaching staff. From personal experience I know just how good an instructor Erik is, but it's always nice when someone famous agrees with you.
Thirdly, I was fascinated by how disciplined Brock Lesnar was. He didn't get greedy or overreach, he just stuck to his gameplan and methodically continued the beatdown. He paced himself and never used dipped too deep into his anaerobic reserves. Also, when Lesnar was in mount and Herring turned to his belly, Lesnar DIDN'T put the hooks in and move into rearmount as most MMA fighters would do. Instead he dismounted, leaving Herring turtled beneath him. Years of amateur wrestling have made Lesnar very comfortable in what is basically a modified referee's position, and it worked great for him.
The point here is NOT that you shouldn't take rear mount if your opponent gives it to you - I love the rear mount and always take it if given the chance. The point is that you shouldn't change horses in midstream, especially if the horse you're on is taking you the right way anyhow. Lesnar had a strategy that had worked for him in wrestling and had worked for him in MMA training, and now it worked for him in the UFC.
Here are some links and resources relevant to some of the topics I discussed today:
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My tension (and interest in the fight) arose for at least three reasons.
Firstly, as you've probably noticed, Brock Lesnar is a very large human. He actually has to cut weight to get under the 265 pound limit for heavyweights. The combination of huge size and great athleticism makes for such fascinating viewing that if one of those Pacific Northwest earthquakes had hit while I during that fight I probably wouldn't have noticed.
Secondly, my friend and mentor Erik Paulson was in Lesnar's corner. Brock Lesnar was very happy with the training he'd received from Erik Paulson and Greg Nelson for his debut fight against Frank Mir, and so, despite a disappointing initial loss, decided to stick with his coaching staff. From personal experience I know just how good an instructor Erik is, but it's always nice when someone famous agrees with you.
Thirdly, I was fascinated by how disciplined Brock Lesnar was. He didn't get greedy or overreach, he just stuck to his gameplan and methodically continued the beatdown. He paced himself and never used dipped too deep into his anaerobic reserves. Also, when Lesnar was in mount and Herring turned to his belly, Lesnar DIDN'T put the hooks in and move into rearmount as most MMA fighters would do. Instead he dismounted, leaving Herring turtled beneath him. Years of amateur wrestling have made Lesnar very comfortable in what is basically a modified referee's position, and it worked great for him.
The point here is NOT that you shouldn't take rear mount if your opponent gives it to you - I love the rear mount and always take it if given the chance. The point is that you shouldn't change horses in midstream, especially if the horse you're on is taking you the right way anyhow. Lesnar had a strategy that had worked for him in wrestling and had worked for him in MMA training, and now it worked for him in the UFC.
Here are some links and resources relevant to some of the topics I discussed today:
- Brock Lesnar on his coaches and training to prepare for Heath Herring
- How to cut weight for MMA
- How to apply the Rear Naked Choke, my favorite rear mount submission
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July 31, 2008
Refusing to Concede the Sweep
I trained with Denis Kang for the first five or six years of his MMA career. At some point during that time he became very, very difficult to sweep. Partially this was due to his increasing technical knowledge, but it was also more than that. He started refusing to accept getting swept, and would keep on scrambling and fighting the sweep from its initiation to its very end. Even when I managed to complete the first 90% of a sweep on him I could usually never finish the last 10%: at the very last instant he would bounce, twitch, roll and scramble, ending up back on his feet again.Needless to say, this was VERY frustrating.
Refusing to concede a sweep has a lot of advantages. In MMA the bottom position is almost always a bad place to be, because your opponent can use gravity and land some very heavy blows. In BJJ and submission wrestling getting swept costs you points which could lose you the match.
Some grapplers, however, give up too easily when fighting a sweep. Often this is particularly noticeable for grapplers who love the guard position: they are almost relieved to be swept because it means that they can retreat to their comfort zone and start working their own guard game. Probably their jiu-jitsu would improve faster if they tried to keep the top position and worked on their guard passing skills.
Some people might argue that high-speed scrambling uses up too much energy, but think of it this way: if you do get swept and pinned then how much energy are you going to have to use to escape to a neutral position? It's probably a lot better to use some energy up front and prevent the sweep from getting finalized, rather than ending up in a bad position and having to settle in for a long, hard, and defensive fight.
Scrambling out of sweeps can be taught and trained. What you need is a training partner who will sweep you at 50% to 70% of regular speed, and then takes his time finalizing the sweep by coming to the top position rather slowly. He has to give you the time to scramble and get your legs back underneath you, rather than jumping on top of you and squishing you flat. It can be difficult to find someone who is willing to help you this way, but the results of this sort of training can be very valuable.
IMPORTANT CAVEAT: I don't want to end on a downer, but I have to point out that refusing the concede the sweep is not without its own dangers. If you're trying to stop a very high-energy sweep, or if your opponent is heavy (or heavier than you), then the consequences of posting an arm out could include a sprained wrist, a hyperextended elbow or even a broken bone in the arm. The basic rule here is that it is OK to scramble but it is NOT OK to post on the ground with a straight arm. Better to concede the sweep than end up with your arm in a cast for six weeks!
Not having your arm straight and posted on the mat was also discussed in this previous tip: www.grapplearts.com/2008/02/simplest-way-to-avoid-injury.htm
Finally, some people take the principle we're discussing a step further and apply it to their standup wrestling, which is to say that they refuse to concede the takedown even after all their technical counters have failed. This approach is valid and has won a lot of matches, but the danger level of doing this is very high. I know several people who have broken their arms or dislocated their shoulders posting on their hands while fighting a throw, and every decent size Judo tournament features multiple visits from ambulance crews to pick up and cart off yet another Judoka who was doing all sorts of silly things while trying not to get thrown. Do it if you want to, but consider yourself officially warned!
Labels: Injuries, MMA, positions, the guard
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July 02, 2008
Paulson Podcast
My friend and coach Erik Paulson was recently featured on the MMA Podcast Carson's Corner. It is a very interesting interview in which he candidly discusses his recent (triumphant) return to the ring, why he wasn't allowed to compete in the early UFC, and coaching such fighters as Ken Shamrock and Josh Barnett.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.
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Labels: Grapplearts DVDs, MMA
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January 16, 2008
Training with Erik Paulson
Last weekend I got to train with one of my coaches and friend Erik Paulson, who was hosted in Seattle by Chris Clarke of Northwest Kali. As usual Erik covered an amazing amount of material that I'll be digesting for long time. It was great that several seminar participants came up to me and introduced themselves as readers of this newsletter. Sometimes I forget how big this mailing list has become, and so it's still a thrill to put faces to email addresses and realize that there are real actual people reading these newsletters!
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February 19, 2007
Is it 'only' a mild concussion?
Concussions are an ever-present possibility in grappling, especially if you do a lot of takedowns or striking. This article on post-concussion syndrome is well worth a quick read just in case you, or someone you know, suffers from headaches, dizziness and trouble concentrating after a blow to the head.
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September 03, 2006
Denis Wins in Pride
I am very happy to announce that my once-training-partner Denis Kang has advanced further in the Pride Survival Middleweight tournament! To move to the semi-finals he decisively took out Amar Suloev, no mean feat given that Suloev had dispatched veteran BJJ fighter Murilo Bustamante in the first round of the tournament. You can see the fight on YouTube.com.
Once again, my BJJ coach Marcus Soares was in Denis' corner. After I saw the unorthodox one-armed rear naked choke that finished the fight I teased Marcus about showing Denis "secret techniques" that he wasn't sharing with the rest of us. Marcus laughed and said "it's no secret; first you break the guy's nose and make him bleed a lot, then you can do that choke".
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Once again, my BJJ coach Marcus Soares was in Denis' corner. After I saw the unorthodox one-armed rear naked choke that finished the fight I teased Marcus about showing Denis "secret techniques" that he wasn't sharing with the rest of us. Marcus laughed and said "it's no secret; first you break the guy's nose and make him bleed a lot, then you can do that choke".
Labels: MMA
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July 23, 2006
Self Defense
The following question was submitted by a subscriber of the Grapplearts newsletter.
Q: For self defense would it be better to study the grappling arts or the striking arts?
A: Obviously it is best to have a background in both striking and grappling, but if you could only study one type of art then I believe that the grappling arts are superior for self defense. Rorion Gracie said it best: most real fights end up on the ground. For women the situation is even more extreme, as virtually 100% of rapes end up on the ground.
Another advantage of grappling is that it allows people to spar at close-to-full intensity with a relatively minimal chance of injury. This gives the average grappling practitioner a chance to apply his or her techniques under adrenal stress on a daily basis. To do the same thing with striking would be difficult and unappealing to most people. The average recreational striker doesn't want to getting blasted in the face with a full power right cross, or heave up their lunch after getting kneed in the ribs, as a regular part of their training.
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Q: For self defense would it be better to study the grappling arts or the striking arts?
A: Obviously it is best to have a background in both striking and grappling, but if you could only study one type of art then I believe that the grappling arts are superior for self defense. Rorion Gracie said it best: most real fights end up on the ground. For women the situation is even more extreme, as virtually 100% of rapes end up on the ground.
Another advantage of grappling is that it allows people to spar at close-to-full intensity with a relatively minimal chance of injury. This gives the average grappling practitioner a chance to apply his or her techniques under adrenal stress on a daily basis. To do the same thing with striking would be difficult and unappealing to most people. The average recreational striker doesn't want to getting blasted in the face with a full power right cross, or heave up their lunch after getting kneed in the ribs, as a regular part of their training.
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June 06, 2006
Blood in the Water: MMA Killer Instinct
On June 4th Denis Kang did it again. Fighting in the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix he took on feared striker Murilo "Ninja" Rua from the Chuteboxe Academy. The fight did not go long: he KO'd Ninja in 12 seconds! You can see this video below or at www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0kuV96Zlaw
If you watch the video you see Denis connect with a right cross that causes Ninja to lose his balance. Denis senses an opportunity to end the fight and chases Ninja across the ring and then to the ground, all the while throwing bombs with both hands. It's hard to tell exactly how many punches were thrown, but it was at least 15 or 16 power punches in less than 10 seconds!
Now throwing 15 power punches in 10 seconds is a good way to tire yourself out, UNLESS you are in great shape and are pretty sure that this flurry is going to end the fight. Denis knew Ninja was in trouble and made sure that he never recovered. Great fighters have a well-developed ability to go piranha on someone when they taste blood in the water. This ability to seize an opportunity and end the fight is partially instinctive and partially the result of countless hours of training.
The same killer instinct can be applied to submission grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu: suppose you have your opponent pinned and he escapes, but exerts an enormous amount of energy to do so. If you do nothing, you allow your opponent to rest and recover a little bit. If you use this opportunity to advance your position and finish with a submission - despite being tired yourself - then you have just successfully used your inner piranha!
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If you watch the video you see Denis connect with a right cross that causes Ninja to lose his balance. Denis senses an opportunity to end the fight and chases Ninja across the ring and then to the ground, all the while throwing bombs with both hands. It's hard to tell exactly how many punches were thrown, but it was at least 15 or 16 power punches in less than 10 seconds!
Now throwing 15 power punches in 10 seconds is a good way to tire yourself out, UNLESS you are in great shape and are pretty sure that this flurry is going to end the fight. Denis knew Ninja was in trouble and made sure that he never recovered. Great fighters have a well-developed ability to go piranha on someone when they taste blood in the water. This ability to seize an opportunity and end the fight is partially instinctive and partially the result of countless hours of training.
The same killer instinct can be applied to submission grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu: suppose you have your opponent pinned and he escapes, but exerts an enormous amount of energy to do so. If you do nothing, you allow your opponent to rest and recover a little bit. If you use this opportunity to advance your position and finish with a submission - despite being tired yourself - then you have just successfully used your inner piranha!
Labels: MMA
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May 29, 2006
Royce Gracie Vs. Matt Hughes: Jiu-jitsu Wins!
Last Saturday night Matt Hughes decisively defeated Royce Gracie in a much promoted UFC matchup. One of the most interesting things about this fight was that mixed martial arts have come full circle, with Matt defeating Royce using a strategy first popularized by Royce himself.
Matt Hughes used a positional strategy straight from the jiu-jitsu playbook: takedown to sidecontrol to rearmount, and then finishing with strikes from rearmount. This approach to fighting comes directly from Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Rearmount is not a pin in wrestling and it doesn't win a match in Judo: the dominance of this position is emphasized by jiu-jitsu to an extent not found in other martial arts.
This fight goes to show the HUGE influence the Gracie family has had on mixed martial arts (and martial arts in general). Their techniques and strategies are now out in the open, and have revolutionized our approach to fighting.
Kudos to Royce for igniting the grappling explosion by dominating the early UFCs. Huge respect to Matt Hughes for his continuing dominance in an incredibly tough sport.
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Matt Hughes used a positional strategy straight from the jiu-jitsu playbook: takedown to sidecontrol to rearmount, and then finishing with strikes from rearmount. This approach to fighting comes directly from Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Rearmount is not a pin in wrestling and it doesn't win a match in Judo: the dominance of this position is emphasized by jiu-jitsu to an extent not found in other martial arts.
This fight goes to show the HUGE influence the Gracie family has had on mixed martial arts (and martial arts in general). Their techniques and strategies are now out in the open, and have revolutionized our approach to fighting.
Kudos to Royce for igniting the grappling explosion by dominating the early UFCs. Huge respect to Matt Hughes for his continuing dominance in an incredibly tough sport.
Labels: MMA
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April 05, 2006
Congratulation Denis Kang!
Congratulations to Denis Kang who defeated dangerous striker Mark Weir at Pride Bushido last Sunday. The fight ended at 4:55 of the first round after Denis landed a devastating series of punches and knees. Denis is now undefeated in 16 consequtive fights, and is 3 and 0 in Pride!
A pre-fight interview with Denis is available at the ADCC website. Denis's DVD My Mixed Martial Arts covers many of the techniques and strategies he used against Weir and is available at the Grapplearts website.
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A pre-fight interview with Denis is available at the ADCC website. Denis's DVD My Mixed Martial Arts covers many of the techniques and strategies he used against Weir and is available at the Grapplearts website.
Labels: MMA
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August 31, 2005
The Anaconda Choke
There is a relatively unknown choke that has been making waves in MMA for a couple of years now: it is a rolling head and arm guillotine, otherwise known as the “Anaconda Choke”. This is the choke used by such fighters as Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira in Japanese Pride, Randy Couture in the UFC and Denis Kang in Russian M1.
I started using this choke in sparring about a year ago: occasionally it would work, but often my opponent would counter or escape. Then Denis and I filmed his soon-to-be released instructional video, called “My Mixed Martial Arts”. One of the many things he wanted to show was the Anaconda Choke – he had just choked out Alexei Veselovzorov with it.
I was directing the action from behind the camera, but even watching through the viewfinder I learned at least 3 details that I hadn’t previously been aware of:
1 – dipping my shoulder when initially sinking the arm across the throat
2 – getting my hand well past the bicep when locking your arms
3 – putting my head to the side of the body during the roll, NOT on the back
Adding these details made this a far more powerful and effective choke for me. If you already know this technique you might be able to learn 3 entirely different details just by watching Denis teach this technique, so check out the QuickTime movie at www.grapplearts.com/My-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Download.htm. If this is a new technique for you then your training partners might be in for a surprise the next time you hit the mats!
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I started using this choke in sparring about a year ago: occasionally it would work, but often my opponent would counter or escape. Then Denis and I filmed his soon-to-be released instructional video, called “My Mixed Martial Arts”. One of the many things he wanted to show was the Anaconda Choke – he had just choked out Alexei Veselovzorov with it.
I was directing the action from behind the camera, but even watching through the viewfinder I learned at least 3 details that I hadn’t previously been aware of:
1 – dipping my shoulder when initially sinking the arm across the throat
2 – getting my hand well past the bicep when locking your arms
3 – putting my head to the side of the body during the roll, NOT on the back
Adding these details made this a far more powerful and effective choke for me. If you already know this technique you might be able to learn 3 entirely different details just by watching Denis teach this technique, so check out the QuickTime movie at www.grapplearts.com/My-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Download.htm. If this is a new technique for you then your training partners might be in for a surprise the next time you hit the mats!
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