September 28, 2009
The Most Important Thing For Improving Your Grappling
You know, I used to think that if I just learned enough ways to pass the guard, mastered enough submissions, memorized enough pin escapes, pick up enough guard sweeps, received enough tactics and just had enough techniques at my fingertips, then... someday... I would master the art of grappling.
Techniques, techniques, techniques! I was pretty sure that these were the critical things to learn. Well, guess what? When I look back on my grappling journey it's obvious that my greatest successes and most exciting breakthroughs all had one thing in common.
And it was never about learning a new technique.
Instead the biggest leaps forward were those suddent insights when, all of a sudden, you see that a whole bunch of different and seemingly unconnected techniques are just different expressions of the same underlying principle.
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Techniques, techniques, techniques! I was pretty sure that these were the critical things to learn. Well, guess what? When I look back on my grappling journey it's obvious that my greatest successes and most exciting breakthroughs all had one thing in common.
And it was never about learning a new technique.
Instead the biggest leaps forward were those suddent insights when, all of a sudden, you see that a whole bunch of different and seemingly unconnected techniques are just different expressions of the same underlying principle.
Some people call these 'ah ha' moments. The light goes on, something falls into place, and you can never look at something in quite the same way ever again.
Breakthrough moments like these have been on my mind a lot recently. (In fact this is the main reason I put together my online Grappling Concepts course. What I'm doing in that course is distilling my most important 'ah ha' moments in grappling, and passing them on to you.)
But regardless of whether you sign up for that course or not, today I want to talk to you about the power of concepts.
By the end of this email I want you to be convinced that concepts and principles are FAR more powerful than individual techniques. And that figuring out these concepts is the single best thing you can do to become a better grappler.
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If a picture is worth a thousand words, then
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then
A concept is worth a thousand techniques.
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Why is concept-based learning so great when it comes to submission grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu? Here are five good reasons:
REASON #1: There are LOTS of techniques in grappling. Hundreds and hundreds of techniques.
You've got your bread and butter techniques. Then there are the techniques that are you use once in a while. And then there are the techniques that you'll never use yourself but that your opponents will try to use on you. There's no getting around it: you've GOT to learn a lot of techniques to get good at this grappling stuff. And that can seem overwhelming at times - memorizing all this can be hard work.
But guess what? Those hundreds and hundreds of techniques I was talking about - they're made up of thousands of little steps that make the difference between success and failure for each technique
But the good news is that there are a lot fewer concepts than techniques in grappling.
And it's much easier to remember a few core concepts than it is to remember hundreds of techniques with thousands of steps and details. Techniques are just applied concepts. A single concept can be applied to many different techniques, in different situations, and using different parts of your body.
REASON #2: A concept makes you understand WHY you have to do certain things in a specific order for a given technique to work properly. Concepts make sense of a technique, and it's a million times easier to remember things that makes sense.
But the good news is that there are a lot fewer concepts than techniques in grappling.
And it's much easier to remember a few core concepts than it is to remember hundreds of techniques with thousands of steps and details. Techniques are just applied concepts. A single concept can be applied to many different techniques, in different situations, and using different parts of your body.
REASON #2: A concept makes you understand WHY you have to do certain things in a specific order for a given technique to work properly. Concepts make sense of a technique, and it's a million times easier to remember things that makes sense.
A concept also makes the techniques you already know more powerful. Once you understand the underlying principles of the armbar, for example, then you'll also know how to tweak and adjust that submission for maximum effectiveness.
REASON #3: Another limitation of technique-based learning is that a specific technique applies only to a specific situation. And it's completely unreasonable to expect to know a different technique to deal with each and every situation you might end up in on the mats.
If you've done any sparring at all, then you know that two determined grapplers can end up in some downright weird situations. In these tangled positions each grappler will be wondering what the heck they should do next.
Unfortunately the 'dial-a-friend' option ISN'T available when you're in the middle of a grappling match. But most of the time you can figure out the right thing to do by apply the correct concepts. I know this, because going back to 'first principles' has saved my butt many times in sparring.
REASON #4: You can use the same concept in many different grappling arts.
Rules can change from art to art, but the laws of physics, anatomy and psychology stay the same. That means that the concepts you'll discover when you did a little deeper are much more universal than the techniques of any given art.
The same concept can apply in Brazilian jiu-jitsu AND submission grappling, With the gi AND in no-gi. In mixed martial arts AND in self defense. In Judo AND Sambo AND wrestling
REASON #5: Understanding the concepts of grappling allows you to adapt and even invent techniques on the fly.
Just think about music for a second. Understanding the principles and underlying rules of music allows a musician to improvise and create great sounding music. In exactly the same way, knowing the principles and underlying concepts of grappling allows you to adapt and innovate new techniques as needed, and even 'on the fly.'
This approach to the martial arts also frees you up to continue learning when your instructor isn't around. The most important thing my instructors did was TEACH ME HOW TO LEARN!
REASON #4: You can use the same concept in many different grappling arts.
Rules can change from art to art, but the laws of physics, anatomy and psychology stay the same. That means that the concepts you'll discover when you did a little deeper are much more universal than the techniques of any given art.
The same concept can apply in Brazilian jiu-jitsu AND submission grappling, With the gi AND in no-gi. In mixed martial arts AND in self defense. In Judo AND Sambo AND wrestling
REASON #5: Understanding the concepts of grappling allows you to adapt and even invent techniques on the fly.
Just think about music for a second. Understanding the principles and underlying rules of music allows a musician to improvise and create great sounding music. In exactly the same way, knowing the principles and underlying concepts of grappling allows you to adapt and innovate new techniques as needed, and even 'on the fly.'
This approach to the martial arts also frees you up to continue learning when your instructor isn't around. The most important thing my instructors did was TEACH ME HOW TO LEARN!
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Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a day.
Teach him HOW to fish and you feed him for his whole life.
Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a day.
Teach him HOW to fish and you feed him for his whole life.
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You can probably tell that I really believe the number one thing you can do to improve your overall grappling is develop a 'conceptual' game.
So take a look at the vast number of grappling techniques and get serious about finding the universal themes, the underlying principles and the most important concepts that make those techniques 'tick'.
Eventually I hope you'll agree that a concept is worth a thousand techniques.
P.S. For a few more days only, a two week free trial of the Grappling Concepts course, plus a free DVD for all signups, is available at
So take a look at the vast number of grappling techniques and get serious about finding the universal themes, the underlying principles and the most important concepts that make those techniques 'tick'.
Eventually I hope you'll agree that a concept is worth a thousand techniques.
P.S. For a few more days only, a two week free trial of the Grappling Concepts course, plus a free DVD for all signups, is available at
Labels: Brazilian jiu-jitsu, concepts, submission grappling, techniques, the mental aspect, training
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April 14, 2009
Brabo Choke Defense
A fan of the half guard recently asked me how they could avoid getting caught in the Brabo choke:"I like going for the foot grab sweep from half guard. My problem is that I always get caught in a guillotine choke or Brabo choke when I go for the leg of my opponent. What can I do to stop getting choked all the time?"
The first step of defending any technique is to understand the technique. Once you know how an attack yourself then your spider sense starts tingling when your opponent starts to set it up on you.
Brabo choke specialists typically like to attack when their opponent has an underhook. Here's one example of how to apply the Brabo choke.
So it's true that getting choked from the half guard is a legitimate concern. But that doesn't mean that the half guard or the foot grab sweep is useless.
Every single position and technique has its vulnerabilities: if you throw a jab your opponent might slip it and counter with an uppercut, if you use the open guard your opponent might have an opportunity to footlock you, and if you use the half guard you have to watch out for the Brabo choke (aka the "D'Arce choke").
The trick is to be aware of the potential dangers of a position and taking precautions to prevent the counterattacks!
So let's get back to the half guard. In order to attack with the foot grab sweep you need to first secure the underhook with the top arm. BUT once you get the underhook you shouldn't just hang out there.
The underhook is a means to an end, NOT an end in itself.
And a related mistake is to get the underhook and then start grabbing for your opponent's foot. This is incorrect. To do it properly you first need to move down, down down.
You should have your ear resting on his hip and your face almost in *ahem* his crotch before you grab the foot and go for the sweep.
And if you're down that far then it's very hard for him to get his arms into position to choke you.
But let's say that you screw up, give him the opening and he attacks with that darn Brabo choke. If you own it, I suggest you check out the series of defenses to this choke that I covered in my Dynamic Half Guard DVD.
If you don't have that DVD then one simple Brabo defense is to throw yourself hard, flat on your back, BEFORE he finalizes his hand position. To avoid getting rolled he has to release and post his hands, which also gets you out of the choke.
With regards to the guillotine, the most likely time for your opponent to lock it on is once the sweep is already happening and he's falling back onto his butt. So keep your awareness high at all times: if he slaps on a guillotine during the sweep, as he's falling, then scramble to the correct side to counter the choke.
Hope this helps...
Labels: chokes, half guard, techniques
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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!
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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
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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 ;-)
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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
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January 19, 2009
How to Master Any Grappling Technique (Honest!)
I set a challenge for myself while compiling, editing and contributing to the book Mastering BJJ. Inspired by the mini-article World Class Fitness in 100 Words on the Crossfit website I wanted to encapsulate my strategy for refining new techniques.
Being brief was a lot harder than I had anticipated. (I suppose that’s why Mark Twain once wrote “I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead”). Being concise is a virtue however, and it also makes it easier for people to retain the information, so I thought the effort was well worth it.
Here are 100 words that give you the keys to unlock any grappling technique:
"Learn a technique and study all its aspects including
set-ups, grips, body position, timing, balance, counters and
recounters. Get help from your instructor, class-mates, the
internet and instructional media.
Repetition makes you smooth. Smooth makes you fast.
Isolate the technique in sparring. Start with the smallest,
least experienced person in the club. When the technique
works consistently, move on and try it on the second
smallest or second least experienced person. Repeat.
In grappling, observe problems you encounter with the
technique. Then take time to analyze, brainstorm and
discuss with coaches and training"
P.S. Related articles on this site include Erik Paulson's TRIG formula and the piece I wrote on what isolation sparring actually looks like on the mat.
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Being brief was a lot harder than I had anticipated. (I suppose that’s why Mark Twain once wrote “I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead”). Being concise is a virtue however, and it also makes it easier for people to retain the information, so I thought the effort was well worth it.
Here are 100 words that give you the keys to unlock any grappling technique:
"Learn a technique and study all its aspects including
set-ups, grips, body position, timing, balance, counters and
recounters. Get help from your instructor, class-mates, the
internet and instructional media.
Repetition makes you smooth. Smooth makes you fast.
Isolate the technique in sparring. Start with the smallest,
least experienced person in the club. When the technique
works consistently, move on and try it on the second
smallest or second least experienced person. Repeat.
In grappling, observe problems you encounter with the
technique. Then take time to analyze, brainstorm and
discuss with coaches and training"
P.S. Related articles on this site include Erik Paulson's TRIG formula and the piece I wrote on what isolation sparring actually looks like on the mat.
Labels: techniques, training
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December 21, 2008
How To Retain Seminar Techniques
I like going to seminars, but I find it frustrating when I can't remember everything that the instructor taught. The way I think of it, the seminar costs a certain amount of money and the instructor covered a certain number of techniques. details and concepts. The less I remember, the more expensive each retained technique becomes.
I paid good money for that seminar, and I want to get as much out of it as I can!
Sometimes an instructor will allow you to video the seminar - if that's the case, then you're laughing. You can review the techniques later just by watching the video. Many instructors have been burnt by video taping, don't allow it anymore. They're sick and tired of the material ending up on youtube and/or being traded by video pirates. As a video producer myself I can certainly sympathize with their point of view (the instructors, not the pirates).
My usual method of preserving the information is to take notes. I use a two-step method.
In the actual seminar itself I write things down as fast as I can, using abbreviations and paying no attention to neatness or organization. I can pretty much guarantee that if you got ahold of my rough notes they would make NO sense to you, (partially because my handwriting - when I'm going this fast - is about as bad as that of the average prescription-writing doctor...).
Then, within 48 hours, I write out the final set of notes, using the rough notes to help tickle my memory. In addition to having organized notes that I can refer to later, I find that the actual act of writing the material down a second time really helps me remember and internalize the techniques.
Recently though, I've been experimenting with another approach.
First I write the rough notes during the seminar, just as before. The goal here is not to write down everything, or be tidy - I'm just trying to create a set of triggers to help me remember the key points of the techniques.
Then, in the next few days, I grab my video camera and a willing body, preferably someone who was at the same seminar. I then film myself going through the material, referring to my notes as needed.
Now I have a video record of the seminar material, which is great, in and of itself. But even if I NEVER look at that footage again, the very act of reviewing and re-enacting the material helps burn it into the my memory.
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I paid good money for that seminar, and I want to get as much out of it as I can!
Sometimes an instructor will allow you to video the seminar - if that's the case, then you're laughing. You can review the techniques later just by watching the video. Many instructors have been burnt by video taping, don't allow it anymore. They're sick and tired of the material ending up on youtube and/or being traded by video pirates. As a video producer myself I can certainly sympathize with their point of view (the instructors, not the pirates).
My usual method of preserving the information is to take notes. I use a two-step method.
In the actual seminar itself I write things down as fast as I can, using abbreviations and paying no attention to neatness or organization. I can pretty much guarantee that if you got ahold of my rough notes they would make NO sense to you, (partially because my handwriting - when I'm going this fast - is about as bad as that of the average prescription-writing doctor...).
Then, within 48 hours, I write out the final set of notes, using the rough notes to help tickle my memory. In addition to having organized notes that I can refer to later, I find that the actual act of writing the material down a second time really helps me remember and internalize the techniques.
Recently though, I've been experimenting with another approach.
First I write the rough notes during the seminar, just as before. The goal here is not to write down everything, or be tidy - I'm just trying to create a set of triggers to help me remember the key points of the techniques.
Then, in the next few days, I grab my video camera and a willing body, preferably someone who was at the same seminar. I then film myself going through the material, referring to my notes as needed.
Now I have a video record of the seminar material, which is great, in and of itself. But even if I NEVER look at that footage again, the very act of reviewing and re-enacting the material helps burn it into the my memory.
(Some photos from seminars I've attended with Roy Harris, Roger Machado, Carlos Newton and Marc Laimon)
Labels: teachers, techniques
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December 17, 2008
More on the Unpassable Guard...
Recently I published a short article on how I improved my guard pass defense. Shortly thereafter I received an interesting and informative email from 'Scott' who trains at Colorado Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Denver CO.
Scott wrote:
"I just reviewed your article on the Unpassable Guard. My instructor David Ruiz (Rigan Machado BB) in Denver, CO has 3 rules that he teaches that really changed the guard game for me, and specifically the open guard game.
Thanks Scott!
I've said before (in A Roadmap for BJJ) that the guard is the most complicated position in grappling. Learning how to shut down and defend against your opponent's guard pass attempts is critical at all stages of your development. Since it's a complicated position every tip or insight helps, so I'm sure that your three points will help someone else take their guard pass defense to the next level too.
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Scott wrote:
"I just reviewed your article on the Unpassable Guard. My instructor David Ruiz (Rigan Machado BB) in Denver, CO has 3 rules that he teaches that really changed the guard game for me, and specifically the open guard game.
- Always maintain a maximum of 90 degrees between your torso and your thighs. It can be less (i.e. knees pulled tighter into your chest) but it can never be more than 90. For example if you opponent goes for a bull fighter style pass by pulling/pushing your legs to one side, you must sit up to maintain your 90 degrees.
- Always maintain foot controls on either side of your opponents body (e.g. a foot on either side of the hips, on his shoulders, spidered around one arm & one hip, legs X'd on either hip, etc.).
- Always keep your knees bowed/flared out. This makes passing around the guard much more difficult and leaves the best option for the opponent to pass through the center where your arms and grips can come into play more effectively.
Thanks Scott!
I've said before (in A Roadmap for BJJ) that the guard is the most complicated position in grappling. Learning how to shut down and defend against your opponent's guard pass attempts is critical at all stages of your development. Since it's a complicated position every tip or insight helps, so I'm sure that your three points will help someone else take their guard pass defense to the next level too.
Labels: techniques, the guard
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November 25, 2008
The Deep Half Guard
The Deep Half Guard is a position that I've been working with for the past year or so. I often end up using it to counter various guard passes to the 'regular' half guard.
In the Deep Half Guard you jack your opponent's leg up onto your shoulder. Your hands and legs can do different things, depending on the type of sweep you're trying to set up.
In the first photo (with the gi) my right arm is hugging his top hip and my legs are triangled.
In the second picture (no-gi) my right arm is controlling his bottom thigh and my left arm is buried under his leg. I am controlling his leg by sandwiching it between my right instep, and left calf.
If you play this position then you really have to watch out for two main submissions:
Another way to defend the big two Deep Half Guard submissions is with leg and arm position. The position of the legs in the second picture provides some protection against the kneebar; try it and see! The positioning of the left arm in the second picture (i.e. buried under the thigh) also makes it a lot harder for your opponent attack you with the Kimura.
Does that mean that you should always use the arm and leg position from the second photo? Not really. If you did that then you'd really cut down on your number of attack options.
Speaking of attack options, below are some of the better clips I've found on Youtube for using the Deep Half Guard to sweep your opponent.
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In the Deep Half Guard you jack your opponent's leg up onto your shoulder. Your hands and legs can do different things, depending on the type of sweep you're trying to set up.
In the first photo (with the gi) my right arm is hugging his top hip and my legs are triangled.
If you play this position then you really have to watch out for two main submissions:
- Your opponent stepping over your head and putting a kneebar on your bottom leg
- Your opponent attacking your bottom arm with a Kimura
Another way to defend the big two Deep Half Guard submissions is with leg and arm position. The position of the legs in the second picture provides some protection against the kneebar; try it and see! The positioning of the left arm in the second picture (i.e. buried under the thigh) also makes it a lot harder for your opponent attack you with the Kimura.
Does that mean that you should always use the arm and leg position from the second photo? Not really. If you did that then you'd really cut down on your number of attack options.
Speaking of attack options, below are some of the better clips I've found on Youtube for using the Deep Half Guard to sweep your opponent.
So there you have it, a quick introduction to the Deep Half Guard!
Labels: techniques, the guard
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January 28, 2008
Jiu-jitsu and Physical Attributes
Physical attributes are things like balance, neck strength, limb length, explosiveness, leg flexibility, and percent body fat. Your physical attributes are the foundation of what you can do with your body, and are influenced by genetics, training, age and injuries
Some instructors teach as if everyone, regardless of age, build and flexibility, can use the same techniques. Well I'm here to tell you it's not true: physical attributes do strongly affect which techniques you'll be able to use against a struggling opponent. How your body is put together is an important factor to consider when you build your game.
The rest of this article will take a look at some concrete examples of how physical attributes aid, or hinder, the performance of specific techniques.
First of all, many attributes can be changed: flexibility, strength, endurance, speed, and balance can all be improved with training and conditioning.
Secondly, you can build your 'A game' around your strong attributes and figure out how to avoid depending on your weaker attributes.
Third, there may be technical answers to your problems. Talk to your instructor, ask your training partners and look on the internet for ideas. For examples of how the internet can help I'll point you towards three threads discussing adaptations to help short legged people develop effective triangle chokes: thread 1, thread 2 and thread 3.
In closing, let me emphasize that you should still spend some time learning and practicing techniques that aren't well suited for your body. Doing this will tighten up your defense: by practicing techniques, even ones that don't fit your body, you sensitize your spider sense to tingle when people are getting ready to try those technique on you. Also keep in mind that you may end up teaching some day, and you want to have techniques to show people who are physically dissimilar from yourself.
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Some instructors teach as if everyone, regardless of age, build and flexibility, can use the same techniques. Well I'm here to tell you it's not true: physical attributes do strongly affect which techniques you'll be able to use against a struggling opponent. How your body is put together is an important factor to consider when you build your game.
The rest of this article will take a look at some concrete examples of how physical attributes aid, or hinder, the performance of specific techniques.
- Explosiveness and endurance are prerequisites for a 'mobility' game. If you don't have these attributes then you're still left with the option of a slow crushing 'positional' game.
- Different throws require different attributes. Great balance is critical for some throws like Uchi Mata, but others like Seionage require explosiveness. Timing is great to have for most throws, but some throws like footsweeps just won't work without it.
- People who regularly apply successful collar chokes tend to have killer grip strength (which can be improved by exercise)
- Standing guard passes require more balance and leg strength than do kneeling guard passes
- Longer legs are great for applying triangle chokes, and short-legged grapplers definitely need to make some adjustments in order to finish this submission
- Leg length is important for some, but not all, footlocks. The most leg-length-dependent footlock is probably the straight ankle lock (but Andre Arlovski proved me wrong by ankle locking giant Tim Sylvia in the Octagon). Leg length is a bit of an asset for heel hooks, but less so than for the ankle lock. On the other hand, leg length doesn't have much to do with successfully executing most kneebars, hip locks and calf cranks
- If you want to master the rubber guard (example shown here) then flexibility is very important; at a minimum you probably need to be able to put one foot behind your head and touch both knees to the ground when doing the 'butterfly' stretch.
- Strong arms can make some submissions more effective, including most guillotines, the Brabo choke, and the Kimura. Arm strength isn't as important for performing the armbar, but it is very helpful when it comes to defending the armbar.
- Leg length amplifies the effectiveness of the spider guard, but is relatively unimportant when it comes to using the half guard and X Guard
First of all, many attributes can be changed: flexibility, strength, endurance, speed, and balance can all be improved with training and conditioning.
Secondly, you can build your 'A game' around your strong attributes and figure out how to avoid depending on your weaker attributes.
Third, there may be technical answers to your problems. Talk to your instructor, ask your training partners and look on the internet for ideas. For examples of how the internet can help I'll point you towards three threads discussing adaptations to help short legged people develop effective triangle chokes: thread 1, thread 2 and thread 3.
In closing, let me emphasize that you should still spend some time learning and practicing techniques that aren't well suited for your body. Doing this will tighten up your defense: by practicing techniques, even ones that don't fit your body, you sensitize your spider sense to tingle when people are getting ready to try those technique on you. Also keep in mind that you may end up teaching some day, and you want to have techniques to show people who are physically dissimilar from yourself.
Labels: conditioning, Injuries, physical attributes, techniques, training
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January 16, 2008
Thinking Inside The Box
A few weeks ago I was doing some standing pummeling; both my partner and I were fighting to get underhook positions in the clinch (some things you can do from an underhook). On my way to class I'd thought up a new way to get the underhook and now I wanted to try it out on someone in the flesh. As we were tussling back and forth I tried my new technique and felt a slight 'pop' in my shoulder followed by some sharp pain.
At first I was confused, since we weren't going particularly hard and my opponent hadn't cranked me or used a dirty trick. As I rubbed my sore shoulder I figured out what had happened: my new method for inserting the underhook involved turning my body to the left and reaching my right arm out to the right. My arm was cocked out to the side of my body like a hitchhiker on the side of the highway, instead of being in front of my body (like holding a mirror up to my face). This sideways arm position took my shoulder close to the limits of its flexibility where it needed only a very small amount of clockwise rotation to get tweaked.
I then realized that I should have known all this already from my whitewater canoeing and kayaking days. Informed paddlers are usually quite conscious to keep their arms inside the so-called paddler's box, which Bruce Lessels defines as "...an imaginary box in front of your chest. The sides of the box are the planes that hold your arms. The front of the box if your fingertips. The back of the box is your chest, and the box moves as your rotate your torso left or right."
Paddlers use this concept because it helps keep their strokes efficient, and also because it helps keep their shoulders safe from being dislocated, which is unfortunately a fairly common in the whitewater paddling community (see the fifth point).
If you are a grappler you won't always be able to keep your arms in this imaginary box. Arm and body positions in grappling are a lot more variable than in kayaking, and also there are people actively trying to force your arm into a compromised position. You should be aware, however, that your arms are strongest, and your shoulders the safest, when your arms are in this imaginary box, and try to keep your arms within the box whenever you can. Think of the common shoulder locks like americanas, Kimuras and omo platas - they all rely on forcing the arm out to the side of the body, out of the relative safety of the box.
Should your arms drift from the box (or be forced from the box) and your shoulder get injured, paddlers also have a lot of good information on shoulder rehabilitation (see this previous tip for more info). My shoulder feels 100% again, so I don't have to use this information this time, but it's nice to know that it's there if I need it.
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At first I was confused, since we weren't going particularly hard and my opponent hadn't cranked me or used a dirty trick. As I rubbed my sore shoulder I figured out what had happened: my new method for inserting the underhook involved turning my body to the left and reaching my right arm out to the right. My arm was cocked out to the side of my body like a hitchhiker on the side of the highway, instead of being in front of my body (like holding a mirror up to my face). This sideways arm position took my shoulder close to the limits of its flexibility where it needed only a very small amount of clockwise rotation to get tweaked.
I then realized that I should have known all this already from my whitewater canoeing and kayaking days. Informed paddlers are usually quite conscious to keep their arms inside the so-called paddler's box, which Bruce Lessels defines as "...an imaginary box in front of your chest. The sides of the box are the planes that hold your arms. The front of the box if your fingertips. The back of the box is your chest, and the box moves as your rotate your torso left or right."
Paddlers use this concept because it helps keep their strokes efficient, and also because it helps keep their shoulders safe from being dislocated, which is unfortunately a fairly common in the whitewater paddling community (see the fifth point).
If you are a grappler you won't always be able to keep your arms in this imaginary box. Arm and body positions in grappling are a lot more variable than in kayaking, and also there are people actively trying to force your arm into a compromised position. You should be aware, however, that your arms are strongest, and your shoulders the safest, when your arms are in this imaginary box, and try to keep your arms within the box whenever you can. Think of the common shoulder locks like americanas, Kimuras and omo platas - they all rely on forcing the arm out to the side of the body, out of the relative safety of the box.
Should your arms drift from the box (or be forced from the box) and your shoulder get injured, paddlers also have a lot of good information on shoulder rehabilitation (see this previous tip for more info). My shoulder feels 100% again, so I don't have to use this information this time, but it's nice to know that it's there if I need it.
Labels: Injuries, techniques
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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
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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
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December 18, 2007
Golf and BJJ
I don't like golf. I'll probably receive a large batch of irate emails because of saying this, but I don't like playing golf, I don't like watching golf, and I'm befuddled by its current popularity. I do think, however, that grapplers can learn at least one thing from golfers: intense analysis of basic posture and movement.
Unlike many other sports, golfers, even recreational golfers, spend a lot of time analyzing the most minute details of basic moves (i.e. their strokes). They worry about weight placement, body angles, finger placement, torso rotation, head position, stroke follow-though, etc. Perhaps it helps that success in golf is so easily quantifiable: if you normally drive the ball 250 yards, and changing your finger positions increases that to 270 yards, then you know that you are probably on the right track.
I think that many of the very best grapplers combine a high level of athleticism with an intensely analytical approach to performing their techniques. Ideally we would apply this in-depth scrutiny to every technique -submissions, sweeps, escapes, takedowns, guard passes, etc.) that we've ever been taught. In reality this is impractical. There are so many more techniques in BJJ than there are strokes in golf that to analyze every technique would several lifetimes.
We CAN apply this level of analysis to our favorite techniques though - the "go to" moves and techniques that form the core of your particular game. The exact list of core techniques will vary from grappler to grappler (and will change over time for a given grappler). Whatever your list, you should learn the biomechanics and principles, variations, setups, counters and recounters for each of your favorite techniques.
Some of the submissions in my game that have occupied a front and center position have included the rear naked choke, the omo plata, the kneebar (and see this article too) and the ankle lock. For each of these submissions I went through the process I described above.
In grappling an inch can make the difference between winning and losing. Moving your hand on your opponent's lapel by one inch can make the difference between securing a choke and getting squashed yourself. How you wrap your toes around an opponent can make the difference between maintaining and losing a dominant position. Some of my most satisfying moments on the mat have come from finally realizing how a small adjustment can bring a formerly moribund technique to life.
Most 'normal' people (i.e. non-grapplers) would consider worrying about the details of lapel gripping and toe placement to be on the verge of obsessive-compulsive, but I have the feeling that golfers would understand.
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Unlike many other sports, golfers, even recreational golfers, spend a lot of time analyzing the most minute details of basic moves (i.e. their strokes). They worry about weight placement, body angles, finger placement, torso rotation, head position, stroke follow-though, etc. Perhaps it helps that success in golf is so easily quantifiable: if you normally drive the ball 250 yards, and changing your finger positions increases that to 270 yards, then you know that you are probably on the right track.
I think that many of the very best grapplers combine a high level of athleticism with an intensely analytical approach to performing their techniques. Ideally we would apply this in-depth scrutiny to every technique -submissions, sweeps, escapes, takedowns, guard passes, etc.) that we've ever been taught. In reality this is impractical. There are so many more techniques in BJJ than there are strokes in golf that to analyze every technique would several lifetimes.
We CAN apply this level of analysis to our favorite techniques though - the "go to" moves and techniques that form the core of your particular game. The exact list of core techniques will vary from grappler to grappler (and will change over time for a given grappler). Whatever your list, you should learn the biomechanics and principles, variations, setups, counters and recounters for each of your favorite techniques.
Some of the submissions in my game that have occupied a front and center position have included the rear naked choke, the omo plata, the kneebar (and see this article too) and the ankle lock. For each of these submissions I went through the process I described above.
In grappling an inch can make the difference between winning and losing. Moving your hand on your opponent's lapel by one inch can make the difference between securing a choke and getting squashed yourself. How you wrap your toes around an opponent can make the difference between maintaining and losing a dominant position. Some of my most satisfying moments on the mat have come from finally realizing how a small adjustment can bring a formerly moribund technique to life.
Most 'normal' people (i.e. non-grapplers) would consider worrying about the details of lapel gripping and toe placement to be on the verge of obsessive-compulsive, but I have the feeling that golfers would understand.
Labels: techniques, the guard
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