September 16, 2009
A Video Tutorial on the X Guard
I'm just drowning in email right now, because my new Grappling Concepts course has just launched. I've never seen a response this intense (maybe it's because of the limited number of DVDs available).
But before I get back to taking orders and answering emails, here's a link to an online video X Guard tutorial that I'm using to promote the Grappling Concepts Course
Labels: Brazilian jiu-jitsu, butterfly guard, drills, sweeps, teaching, the guard, x guard
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September 13, 2009
The 'Fundamental Five Guard Sweeps' from the de la Riva Guard
Ricardo de la Riva is an incredibly nice and humble man, but don't let that fool you - this man is a BJJ legend. (I mean, how many people have a popular guard position named after them?)De la Riva started training with Marcus Soares, and then continued under Carlson Gracie at the legendary Carlson Gracie Academy in Rio. He taught Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira, and has had a long and illustrious competition career himself.
He is on the cutting edge of BJJ technology, and could show you fancy techniques until your brain ached and you begged for mercy.
So when I trained with him a while ago I had a seemingly strange question. I asked "what are the five most techniques techniques from the de la Riva Guard?" (I figured that this would be a great starting point for dissecting his elaborate and effective guard game.)
So he showed me his fundamental 5 moves. Then he let me photograph these techniques, step by step... And then he agreed to let me put them online for you guys.
So here are CLICK HERE for the five most important de la Riva Guard Sweeps, as taught by the man himself!
Labels: Brazilian jiu-jitsu, de la Riva, sweeps, the guard
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June 08, 2009
New Book for Grapplearts Subscribers
I publish a lot of stuff on this blog, but I save some of the best stuff for the people who are subscribed to my newsletter.I just added a new resource - a single book that breaks down the different variations of the Guard position. It's called A Glossary of Guards. After you download it you can read it on your computer or print it out and take it with you anywhere.
If you want to get your hands on it then just sign up for the Grappling Tips Newsletter (it's free and you can unsubscribe anonymously at any time). Then I'll immediately send you a link where you can download some really cool, readers-only stuff.
Labels: grapplearts, the guard
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May 17, 2009
Gi? No-Gi? Self Defense? MMA? No Problem!
There's a long-standing debate in the grappling community whether training with the gi helps your no-gi skills.
My personal preference is to train both with and without the gi.
And for what it's worth, MMA super-coach Ricardo Liborio believes that anyone just starting out should train with the gi, even if their ultimate goal is to fight in MMA. (This is discussed further in BJJ Secrets for MMA, a resource available to Grappling Tips newsletter subscribers).
But today I actually want to focus on something slightly different...
Let's assume that you're interested in BOTH gi and no-gi. Or that you're planning on doing some MMA sparring at some point. Or that you'd like your BJJ skills transfer well in a self defense situation
In this case you should be aware that some styles of BJJ translate much better to no-gi than others.
For example, the traditional sleeve and collar grip from closed guard works great in gi-based BJJ, but translates very poorly to no-gi. You just don't have the same handles available to you when you're wearing a rashguard and board shorts.
A good set of grips, but only WITH the gi...
A lot of great BJJ players have gotten pounded in MMA, because they were so reliant on the gi. Without their familiar handles were unable to control their opponent's posture in guard, and if you can't control posture and distance in the guard then you're to get smoked in the head for sure!
Now there's nothing wrong with gi-dependent moves, so long as
1. You're focussing on gi grappling or gi-based competition, or
2. you have enough time to develop a no-gi game that looks entirely different from your gi game
If you don't have the time to develop two entirely different games then what you want is a game that works both in gi and no-gi contexts. For example, maybe specializing in a double-sleeve grip spider guard might not be the best idea...
Instead using grips like the underhook, the overhook and head control would much better. That's because these grips work great both with AND without the gi.
The point is to make most of your game as transferable as possible!
So here's your homework.
If you train with the gi more than 50% of the time, then go through your best offensive and defensive moves for each of the fundamental BJJ positions. Now ask yourself whether those moves are gi-dependent or gi-independent.
If more than half of your moves are reliant on the gi then I predict that making the jump to no-gi grappling could be a rough and difficult process.
In the end, of course, it's entirely YOUR decision how reliant you want to be on the gi. Just be conscious about the consequences of your decision, that's all...
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My personal preference is to train both with and without the gi.
And for what it's worth, MMA super-coach Ricardo Liborio believes that anyone just starting out should train with the gi, even if their ultimate goal is to fight in MMA. (This is discussed further in BJJ Secrets for MMA, a resource available to Grappling Tips newsletter subscribers).
But today I actually want to focus on something slightly different...
Let's assume that you're interested in BOTH gi and no-gi. Or that you're planning on doing some MMA sparring at some point. Or that you'd like your BJJ skills transfer well in a self defense situation
In this case you should be aware that some styles of BJJ translate much better to no-gi than others.
For example, the traditional sleeve and collar grip from closed guard works great in gi-based BJJ, but translates very poorly to no-gi. You just don't have the same handles available to you when you're wearing a rashguard and board shorts.
A good set of grips, but only WITH the gi...A lot of great BJJ players have gotten pounded in MMA, because they were so reliant on the gi. Without their familiar handles were unable to control their opponent's posture in guard, and if you can't control posture and distance in the guard then you're to get smoked in the head for sure!
Now there's nothing wrong with gi-dependent moves, so long as
1. You're focussing on gi grappling or gi-based competition, or
2. you have enough time to develop a no-gi game that looks entirely different from your gi game
If you don't have the time to develop two entirely different games then what you want is a game that works both in gi and no-gi contexts. For example, maybe specializing in a double-sleeve grip spider guard might not be the best idea...
Instead using grips like the underhook, the overhook and head control would much better. That's because these grips work great both with AND without the gi.
The point is to make most of your game as transferable as possible!
So here's your homework.
If you train with the gi more than 50% of the time, then go through your best offensive and defensive moves for each of the fundamental BJJ positions. Now ask yourself whether those moves are gi-dependent or gi-independent.
If more than half of your moves are reliant on the gi then I predict that making the jump to no-gi grappling could be a rough and difficult process.
In the end, of course, it's entirely YOUR decision how reliant you want to be on the gi. Just be conscious about the consequences of your decision, that's all...
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May 16, 2009
Box a fighter, fight a boxer
"Box a fighter, and fight a boxer." This old saying isn't only limited to boxing - you can use the very same principle in grappling, jiu-jitsu and MMA.
In a competition, or a 'serious' match you DON'T want to play the other guy's game. His game is what he's good at.
Your goal, instead, should be to change the rules of the duel.
Here are some concrete examples and suggestions to illustrate what I'm talking about:
Usually this will also be a technique or strategy that he doesn't expect, or a situation that he isn't faced with in training very often.
Hit 'em where they least expect it. And where they leastdefend it!
In a competition, or a 'serious' match you DON'T want to play the other guy's game. His game is what he's good at.
Your goal, instead, should be to change the rules of the duel.
Here are some concrete examples and suggestions to illustrate what I'm talking about:
- Does your opponent have a killer guard game? If so, then maybe YOU should pull guard on HIM, even if that's not your normal gameplan. Alternately you could start setting up a leglock attack.
- Is your opponent super strong and powerful? Maybe it's time to switch to a mobility-based game.
- Does he come from a 'traditional' BJJ school? Well then leglock him silly, or use positions that come from other grappling arts.
- Maybe your opponent is known for his powerful grips and collar choke attacks - if so, I would strongly recommend standing guard passes.
- Etc.
Usually this will also be a technique or strategy that he doesn't expect, or a situation that he isn't faced with in training very often.
Hit 'em where they least expect it. And where they leastdefend it!
Labels: leglocks, the guard, unorthodox strategies
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April 18, 2009
Can't Get Underhooks in Butterfly Guard?
Underhooks in the butterfly guard postion are super important!I was on a popular BJJ forum this afternoon when a thread about one of my favorite BJJ positions - the butterfly guard - caught my eye. As it turns out, someone was having problems.
Here's what he said:
"In the last few months I have really been concentrating on trying to get a solid butterfly guard. I bought Kesting's Butterfly and X guard DVD (which is excellent) and have been working on it every class. While I definitely feel that my butterfly is getting better, I am still having a very hard time establishing the guard.
What I mean by that is that if I can get one of the good butterfly positions (for me they are: 1) an underhook and an overhook, and 2) double underhooks). I can work some sweeps and pass prevention pretty well from there.
The problem is that I have a very hard getting into these positions and it's quite frustrating. It seems that while I fight for those clinches my opponent will generally just grab my pants (I only do gi BJJ) and runaround or just push me down and flatten me out."
Now I feel this guy's pain, because these are legitimate problems. I struggled with the exact same concerns myself for a long time until I found some answers.
The thing is, after you've swept a training partner with the 'basic' butterfly guard sweep 10 times in a row he'll figure out that you want the single or double underhooks. Then he'll make it his mission in life NOT to give those positions to you.Usually this means that he'll back up, and that's when he starts grabbing for your legs.
Letting your opponent control your pant legs in the butterfly guard is not a good idea. If he does this then you have to stop everything and strip his grip off of your pants RIGHT NOW (unless you're setting him up with specific advanced sweeps).
Now on to the solutions...
If you're fighting with the gi, then sometimes you can attack with the same basic sweep using an overhook, especially if your overhooking arm also grips his cross lapel to keep everything tight. I hear that Jean-Jacques Machado is very good at this.
But if you can't get close enough to grip then the armdrag is a great help. If he's pushing you away then he's giving you the arm to attack. And if you're always armdragging him then he usually stops pushing you...
But if you can't get close enough to grip then the armdrag is a great help. If he's pushing you away then he's giving you the arm to attack. And if you're always armdragging him then he usually stops pushing you...
Another strategy that works is to use one arm to stiffarm his neck/collar bone area. This is long range butterfly guard with a stiffarm is basically what some people call the "Sitting Guard" (click for a description).One good attack from here involves gently pulling with the gripping hand, and then - suddently - changing directions, pushing forward with that hand while grabbing his heel with the other hand.
Another great technique involves pushing slightly with the stiffarming hand, waiting until you feel resistance, and then yanking him forward. You pull him down to the ground while shifting your hips out to the side.
When you get the timing for this move right he just falls on his face and then you can scramble and get on top.
Just watch out for flying armbar and triangle attacks when you're using the stiff arm long range butterfly guard!
When you get the timing for this move right he just falls on his face and then you can scramble and get on top.
Just watch out for flying armbar and triangle attacks when you're using the stiff arm long range butterfly guard!I also REALLY like mixing up my butterfly guard with the X guard, both vs. standing and kneeling opponents.
If you're not using the X guard then you're really limiting the power and versatility of the butterfly guard.
And here's one final idea
I often like starting in ANOTHER position with the underhook already secured and then moving into the butterfly guard.
One excellent position to do this from is the half butterfly guard. Start there, pushing your opponent away with your butterfly hook (or move your hips away) and end up in the butterfly guard. All the while you've maintained your underhook while moving everything else into position. And when your legs finally get there - boom - you're ready to sweep him!
The funny thing about all of this is that if you're attacking your opponent with armdrags, stiff arms, heel picks, etc. then he'll often give you the opportunity to get the underhook (or underhooks) that you wanted so much in the first place...
Labels: butterfly guard, the guard
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January 25, 2009
Getting Back to Your Feet From Guard
In the early days of MMA fighters who took someone down tried to keep the fight there. They'd stay on the ground even if they couldn't pass their opponent's guard or mount an effective ground-and-pound offense.
Then the game evolved. I still remember how surprised I was the first time I saw a fighter stand up out of his opponent's guard, back up 10 feet and invite the guy lying on his back to stand up too.
Then the game evolved AGAIN. Strikers figured out how to get back to their feet when they were on the bottom. They'd use the guard to survive but also immediately start to work for the standup. The first big name fighter I saw get back to his feet repeatedly from the bottom was Chuck Liddell. He could even do it multiple times against the same opponent, which speaks to how well he'd developed his guard standup techniques.
It's easy for grapplers to forget this, but there are still hundreds of thousands of martial artists with ZERO knowledge of the ground game. The funny thing is that most of them have roughly the same strategy as Chuck Liddell (just without the skills to back it up).
"I'll just get back to my feet and use my super-duper kung fu pressure-point punching technique to finish off my opponent," they say. What they don't realize (and probably never will until they get in a real fight) is how difficult it is to stand up when a skilled opponent is holding you down.
Please notice how I said it's "difficult," not "impossible," to stand up.
We do difficult things in grappling all the time. Proper technique and training strategies make difficult things possible. Train standups the same way you would train any other move: first learn the correct technique, drill it, and then try to use it against people who are trying to stop you from standing up.
This topic was on my mind when I interviewed Marc Laimon a few years ago (he was coaching on The Ultimate Fighter TV show at the time). Afterwards I published an article with Marc showing two specific ways how to stand up out of guard in Ultimate Grappling Magazine, but I've only just now made it available online.
So if you're interested in more information (and two step-by-step techniques) on standing up out of guard please check out the How to Stand Up from Guard article on Grapplearts.com
Even if you NEVER intend to fight MMA, you can't guarantee that you won't end up on the bottom in a streetfight. Hanging out in the guard on the street isn't a great idea, so either sweep the guy, submit the guy, or get the hell back up to your feet.
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Then the game evolved. I still remember how surprised I was the first time I saw a fighter stand up out of his opponent's guard, back up 10 feet and invite the guy lying on his back to stand up too.
Then the game evolved AGAIN. Strikers figured out how to get back to their feet when they were on the bottom. They'd use the guard to survive but also immediately start to work for the standup. The first big name fighter I saw get back to his feet repeatedly from the bottom was Chuck Liddell. He could even do it multiple times against the same opponent, which speaks to how well he'd developed his guard standup techniques.
It's easy for grapplers to forget this, but there are still hundreds of thousands of martial artists with ZERO knowledge of the ground game. The funny thing is that most of them have roughly the same strategy as Chuck Liddell (just without the skills to back it up).
"I'll just get back to my feet and use my super-duper kung fu pressure-point punching technique to finish off my opponent," they say. What they don't realize (and probably never will until they get in a real fight) is how difficult it is to stand up when a skilled opponent is holding you down.
Please notice how I said it's "difficult," not "impossible," to stand up.
We do difficult things in grappling all the time. Proper technique and training strategies make difficult things possible. Train standups the same way you would train any other move: first learn the correct technique, drill it, and then try to use it against people who are trying to stop you from standing up.
This topic was on my mind when I interviewed Marc Laimon a few years ago (he was coaching on The Ultimate Fighter TV show at the time). Afterwards I published an article with Marc showing two specific ways how to stand up out of guard in Ultimate Grappling Magazine, but I've only just now made it available online.So if you're interested in more information (and two step-by-step techniques) on standing up out of guard please check out the How to Stand Up from Guard article on Grapplearts.com
Even if you NEVER intend to fight MMA, you can't guarantee that you won't end up on the bottom in a streetfight. Hanging out in the guard on the street isn't a great idea, so either sweep the guy, submit the guy, or get the hell back up to your feet.
Labels: MMA, self defense, the guard
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January 03, 2009
Tips and Tricks for the Unpassable Guard
Last December I wrote about why you shouldn't let your opponent control your hips if you want an unpassable guard. The following week a few readers wrote in with their own advice
In the next newsletter I asked if anyone else wanted to share the tips, techniques and concepts about preventing the guard pass. I have taken the best of those reader contributions and compiled them into an article. You can find it at the following link:
The Unpassable Guard: Tricks, Concepts, Techniques and Drills to Prevent Opponents from Passing Your Guard.
My sincere thanks to EVERYONE who wrote in! I'm sure that each and every piece of advice will help someone out there looking for grappling answers out there in cyberspace.
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In the next newsletter I asked if anyone else wanted to share the tips, techniques and concepts about preventing the guard pass. I have taken the best of those reader contributions and compiled them into an article. You can find it at the following link:
The Unpassable Guard: Tricks, Concepts, Techniques and Drills to Prevent Opponents from Passing Your Guard.
My sincere thanks to EVERYONE who wrote in! I'm sure that each and every piece of advice will help someone out there looking for grappling answers out there in cyberspace.
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December 29, 2008
Slaughter on the Mats...
Today my BJJ sparring was a battle for survival.
Maybe you think it's because I sparred with a bunch of high-level black belts... Sorry to disappoint you, but that's wasn't the case at all. In fact, I was barely holding my own against blue belts with only a couple of years experience. And they were all lighter than me...
Let me tell you why this happened.
Yesterday I got back from 6 days of rustic living in a simple cabin with family and friends. At the cabin - between cross-country skiing and chopping firewood to ward off the minus 30 degree night-time temperatures - I was thinking about Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and grappling (surprise, surprise).
One of the BJJ-related things I was thinking about was a new guard pass I've been working on. It's still in embryonic form, so I'm not going to go into too much detail, but the Cole's Notes version would be: "pin his hips to the floor with one arm, post up onto both feet, and then circle left or right to pass the guard."
I've been experimenting with this style of guard passing for a couple of weeks, but have ONLY used it on whitebelts and some brand-new bluebelts. Up till now it's worked great against the relatively unsophisticated legwork of these junior grapplers.
Today I wanted to bump it up a notch and road test it against some more experienced opponents. So I warmed up by rolling lightly with some whitebelts, and then went against some good blue belts and purple belts, always starting in their guards.
Well, the most charitable interpretation is that there were mixed results...
Sure, sometimes the guard pass worked, and sometimes I ended up with a dominant side control position (and then went back into the guard). Most of the time, however, I was frantically defending (and barely escaping from) armbars, collar chokes, omo plata armlocks, triangle chokes and guard sweeps.
Basically I was on the run for about 70% of these matches.
Strangely enough, I consider this training session a HUGE SUCESS!! By getting my butt kicked, I learned about the vulnerabilities of this strategy. Now I can go back to the drawing board and try to come up with technical answers to some of the problems I encountered. Then I'll try it out on the same guys, and maybe this time it'll work better.
Will this guard pass eventually become 'the bomb' - once I iron out these technical kinks?
The truth is that I have no idea. Maybe this technique will eventually become my bread and butter guard pass, or maybe I'll drop it off in the graveyard of stupid BJJ ideas. I've had a lot of ideas in my day, and only a small percentage of them turned out to be great ideas.
The reason I have so much material to share in my newsletter, website and videos IS BECAUSE I'VE MADE SO MANY MISTAKES!
So give yourself permission to make mistakes, go down blind alleys, and try stuff that nobody thinks will work. Test your ideas, evaluate the results, modify your ideas, and test again. As I recently asked someone, "do you think that the very first airplane built by the Wright Brothers actually worked?"
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Maybe you think it's because I sparred with a bunch of high-level black belts... Sorry to disappoint you, but that's wasn't the case at all. In fact, I was barely holding my own against blue belts with only a couple of years experience. And they were all lighter than me...
Let me tell you why this happened.
Yesterday I got back from 6 days of rustic living in a simple cabin with family and friends. At the cabin - between cross-country skiing and chopping firewood to ward off the minus 30 degree night-time temperatures - I was thinking about Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and grappling (surprise, surprise).
One of the BJJ-related things I was thinking about was a new guard pass I've been working on. It's still in embryonic form, so I'm not going to go into too much detail, but the Cole's Notes version would be: "pin his hips to the floor with one arm, post up onto both feet, and then circle left or right to pass the guard."
I've been experimenting with this style of guard passing for a couple of weeks, but have ONLY used it on whitebelts and some brand-new bluebelts. Up till now it's worked great against the relatively unsophisticated legwork of these junior grapplers.
Today I wanted to bump it up a notch and road test it against some more experienced opponents. So I warmed up by rolling lightly with some whitebelts, and then went against some good blue belts and purple belts, always starting in their guards.
Well, the most charitable interpretation is that there were mixed results...
Sure, sometimes the guard pass worked, and sometimes I ended up with a dominant side control position (and then went back into the guard). Most of the time, however, I was frantically defending (and barely escaping from) armbars, collar chokes, omo plata armlocks, triangle chokes and guard sweeps.
Basically I was on the run for about 70% of these matches.
Strangely enough, I consider this training session a HUGE SUCESS!! By getting my butt kicked, I learned about the vulnerabilities of this strategy. Now I can go back to the drawing board and try to come up with technical answers to some of the problems I encountered. Then I'll try it out on the same guys, and maybe this time it'll work better.
Will this guard pass eventually become 'the bomb' - once I iron out these technical kinks?
The truth is that I have no idea. Maybe this technique will eventually become my bread and butter guard pass, or maybe I'll drop it off in the graveyard of stupid BJJ ideas. I've had a lot of ideas in my day, and only a small percentage of them turned out to be great ideas.
The reason I have so much material to share in my newsletter, website and videos IS BECAUSE I'VE MADE SO MANY MISTAKES!
So give yourself permission to make mistakes, go down blind alleys, and try stuff that nobody thinks will work. Test your ideas, evaluate the results, modify your ideas, and test again. As I recently asked someone, "do you think that the very first airplane built by the Wright Brothers actually worked?"
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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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December 11, 2008
The Unpassable Guard
A few years ago Denis Kang and I published an article in Grappling Magazine about passing the guard in MMA. In that article we said the following about the three stages of getting past your opponent's legs:
"If your opponent is using a closed guard (i.e. his ankles crossed behind your back) then you first have to open his legs. Once his legs are open you have to establish some sort of control over his hips and legs, and then finally you have to pass over, under or around his legs."
Now, if you think about it, the reverse also applies. Here's what I mean...
Let's suppose that your opponent is in your guard. As long as you consistently block him at one of these three steps (opening the legs, controlling the hips, passing your legs), he'll never be able to pass your guard.
After that article got published, ANOTHER training partner (with a very good and difficult-to-pass open guard) explained his secret strategy to me.
"As soon as I feel that my opponent is controlling my hips I go into emergency mode", he said. "At that point I push his head, I bridge my hips, I kick my legs... I do whatever I need to do in order to get my hips free again".
I'll admit that, up until that conversation, I'd been a bit complacent about allowing opponents to control my hips. Sure, I'd try and block the guard pass, but I'd only start fighting hard during the very final stages of their guard passing efforts, rather than 'getting serious' about it a step earlier (during the battle for leg and hip control).
Since that day my guard has improved. I think that most of the improvements are due to fighting for leg and hip freedom earlier, and trying not to allow my opponent to move forward and impose his guard passing plan on me.
Don't let your opponent control your hips!
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December 03, 2008
The Give and Take of Jiu-jitsu
I remember seeing a small magic show at a local library when I was about 10 years old. At the time I thought that the magician had a pretty good act, but I had no idea that I was also about to learn a valuable jiu-jitsu lesson.
There was this other kid in the audience (really, I swear it wasn't me), who kept on yelling bonehead things like "I know how you did that," and "that trick isn't so hard." The audience was irritated, and I'm sure it was driving the magician crazy, but he kept his cool and prepared his solution to the problem.
Eventually the magician asked the kid if he would help him on stage. The kid was beaming - he wanted the attention after all - and ran up into the limelight.
The magician produced a short piece of string and asked him to hold onto it...
...and then turned his back to the kid and proceeded to perform his next three tricks. He never used the string or his helper for anything; he just left him standing there, expectantly clutching onto a stupid little piece of yarn. He then took the string back, thanked the kid, and watched as his humbled 'helper' slunk offstage. Not surprisingly there were no more comments or cat-calls from that direction for the rest of the show.
So to bring today's tip back to jiu-jitsu and grappling: the lesson is that sometimes you need to give your opponent something to hold onto in order to get what you really want.
By doing this you get his mind focused on something irrelevant - the illusion that something is bothering you (when it really isn't), or that he's making progress in some area (when you've actually got other plans for him). All the while you're setting up your own cunning evil plan.
You might, for example, 'allow' him to fight his way past your guard in order to get the position and momentum that you need to set up a half guard sweep. In order to set this sweep up you first have to give him something to hold onto, namely the illusion that he's defeating your guard.
Another situation might involve 'letting' him go from side mount to full mount, when your real plan is to push his trailing leg between your legs, achieve half guard and take his back.
We're coming to a season of giving and receiving. Sometimes you need to give your opponent a little something before you snatch it away and receive a whole lot of goodies for yourself.
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There was this other kid in the audience (really, I swear it wasn't me), who kept on yelling bonehead things like "I know how you did that," and "that trick isn't so hard." The audience was irritated, and I'm sure it was driving the magician crazy, but he kept his cool and prepared his solution to the problem.
Eventually the magician asked the kid if he would help him on stage. The kid was beaming - he wanted the attention after all - and ran up into the limelight.
The magician produced a short piece of string and asked him to hold onto it...
...and then turned his back to the kid and proceeded to perform his next three tricks. He never used the string or his helper for anything; he just left him standing there, expectantly clutching onto a stupid little piece of yarn. He then took the string back, thanked the kid, and watched as his humbled 'helper' slunk offstage. Not surprisingly there were no more comments or cat-calls from that direction for the rest of the show.
So to bring today's tip back to jiu-jitsu and grappling: the lesson is that sometimes you need to give your opponent something to hold onto in order to get what you really want.
By doing this you get his mind focused on something irrelevant - the illusion that something is bothering you (when it really isn't), or that he's making progress in some area (when you've actually got other plans for him). All the while you're setting up your own cunning evil plan.
You might, for example, 'allow' him to fight his way past your guard in order to get the position and momentum that you need to set up a half guard sweep. In order to set this sweep up you first have to give him something to hold onto, namely the illusion that he's defeating your guard.
Another situation might involve 'letting' him go from side mount to full mount, when your real plan is to push his trailing leg between your legs, achieve half guard and take his back.
We're coming to a season of giving and receiving. Sometimes you need to give your opponent a little something before you snatch it away and receive a whole lot of goodies for yourself.
Labels: the guard, the mental aspect
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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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November 20, 2008
Countering the Half Guard Pass
Since I released my DVD on the Dynamic Half Guard I get a lot of questions on how to prevent certain guard passes. I cover a lot of guard pass and leglock prevention in that video, but it's *only* 2 hours long, and so I couldn't cover every last counter for every last guard pass.
Some of these guard pass counters are really difficult to describe in words. Hopefully the little video piece I just put up onto Youtube helps answer some of your questions about the half guard position.
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Some of these guard pass counters are really difficult to describe in words. Hopefully the little video piece I just put up onto Youtube helps answer some of your questions about the half guard position.
Labels: Grapplearts DVDs, the guard
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August 31, 2008
One more Von Flue Choke
As you know, in the last few newsletters we've been discussing body position for guillotine chokes and using the 'Von Flue' choke to recounter the guillotine. If you missed them you can click to see the first post here and the second post here.
Well, thanks to Shaldag on the Sherdog.net forums I recently I found yet ANOTHER example of a the Von Flue choke being used in competition. This one is nice because it shows both things we've been talking about: the battle to circle the body so as to nullify the power of the guillotine, and then finishing the fight with the Von Flue choke.
So watch this video with our recent discussion in mind. The positional work to counter the guillotine (and the subsequent choke) starts at about 2 minutes and 14 seconds:
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Well, thanks to Shaldag on the Sherdog.net forums I recently I found yet ANOTHER example of a the Von Flue choke being used in competition. This one is nice because it shows both things we've been talking about: the battle to circle the body so as to nullify the power of the guillotine, and then finishing the fight with the Von Flue choke.
So watch this video with our recent discussion in mind. The positional work to counter the guillotine (and the subsequent choke) starts at about 2 minutes and 14 seconds:
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August 29, 2008
Everybody Was Von Flue Fighting...
When people are learning the Von Flue choke they often find that their opponent can bridge them over and they end up on the bottom. If you're getting rolled into a bad position when trying this choke then check that your legs are perpendicular (i.e. at 90 degrees) to your opponent. If his head is pointing to 12 o'clock, then your legs should either be to 3 or 9 o'clock. The closer your legs get to his head the easier it is for him to bridge you over.
Also keep in mind that some grapplers just have very explosive bridging power. If I was unsure about my base and going against one of these bridging dynamos I might choose NOT switch my legs, and simply use shoulder pressure. It's the same choke, just relying less on body weight, more on arm strength, and a bit slower than the inverted-leg-switching Von Flue choke I showed in aforementioned blog entry.
To illustrate this non-leg-switching variation, here is another video of another Von Flue choke in action (thanks to TravenBJJ on the mma.tv forum for bringing it to my attention):
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Also keep in mind that some grapplers just have very explosive bridging power. If I was unsure about my base and going against one of these bridging dynamos I might choose NOT switch my legs, and simply use shoulder pressure. It's the same choke, just relying less on body weight, more on arm strength, and a bit slower than the inverted-leg-switching Von Flue choke I showed in aforementioned blog entry.
To illustrate this non-leg-switching variation, here is another video of another Von Flue choke in action (thanks to TravenBJJ on the mma.tv forum for bringing it to my attention):
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August 28, 2008
Never Get Guillotined Again!
OK, I have to admit that I'm exaggerating with the whole "never get guillotined again" title, but it's almost true. If you incorporate principle that I'm about to share with into your grappling two things will happen:
So go watch (and rate) my Youtube video on body positioning for the guillotine choke. As a special bonus I've included a section on the 'Von Flue' guillotine recounter, which is always an unwelcome surprise for your sparring partners!
And if you think that the Von Flue choke is unrealistic I encourage you to watch Jason Von Flue pull it off on The Ultimate Fighter TV show:
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- you'll tap out to many, many fewer guillotine chokes, and
- you'll really increase how often you manage to finish your opponent's with the same choke.
So go watch (and rate) my Youtube video on body positioning for the guillotine choke. As a special bonus I've included a section on the 'Von Flue' guillotine recounter, which is always an unwelcome surprise for your sparring partners!
And if you think that the Von Flue choke is unrealistic I encourage you to watch Jason Von Flue pull it off on The Ultimate Fighter TV show:
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August 11, 2008
A Jiu-jitsu Secret
OK, draw the curtains, turn down the lights, turn off your recording devices and come closer. I want to share a principle with you that Marc Laimon calls "one of the secrets of jiu-jitsu".
Are you ready? OK, here it is: "it is impossible for your opponent to stand up when you're holding one of his legs off of the floor".
What? Not impressed?? Well I use this principle almost every time I step onto mats, so maybe I'd better explain what I'm talking about.
Have you ever almost swept an opponent and almost secured the top position when they refused to remain swept and fought their way back to neutral position? Have you ever tried to take an opponent down only to have them scramble back to a standing position? When facing certain kinds of opponents this can be a huge problem, one that I discussed at length in my last newsletter post about refusing to concede the sweep.
This very irritating conundrum can largely be solved if, at the end of your sweep, you stand up and hold one or both of his feet off of the floor. Once your opponent has his foot lifted to waist height he'd need amazing athleticism and balance to stand back up.
Some sweeps (and takedowns) are more suited for this style of finishing than others. For example, many sweeps that you might use on a standing opponent rely on grabbing a foot or ankle with your hand. While doing these types of sweeps you can often convert from using your hand to effect the sweep, to using that hand to elevate his foot to stabilize your top position.
Finally, there is one guard position is particularly good for applying this principle: the X Guard. In the X Guard you already have your opponent's foot hoisted onto your shoulder. When you sweep him from there his leg will naturally be elevated (even if you don't stand up), and it will be very, very difficult for him to stand up or scramble away. The ease which which you can elevate his leg at the end of the sweep is yet another reason to love the X Guard (in addition to being a very powerful sweeping position, well suited to grapplers who lack long, flexible legs).
You can learn more about the X Guard in my article about half guard positions and in the highly reviewed Butterfly Guard and X Guard DVD.
Have fun incorporating this very powerful principle into your training!
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Are you ready? OK, here it is: "it is impossible for your opponent to stand up when you're holding one of his legs off of the floor".
What? Not impressed?? Well I use this principle almost every time I step onto mats, so maybe I'd better explain what I'm talking about.
Have you ever almost swept an opponent and almost secured the top position when they refused to remain swept and fought their way back to neutral position? Have you ever tried to take an opponent down only to have them scramble back to a standing position? When facing certain kinds of opponents this can be a huge problem, one that I discussed at length in my last newsletter post about refusing to concede the sweep.
This very irritating conundrum can largely be solved if, at the end of your sweep, you stand up and hold one or both of his feet off of the floor. Once your opponent has his foot lifted to waist height he'd need amazing athleticism and balance to stand back up.
Some sweeps (and takedowns) are more suited for this style of finishing than others. For example, many sweeps that you might use on a standing opponent rely on grabbing a foot or ankle with your hand. While doing these types of sweeps you can often convert from using your hand to effect the sweep, to using that hand to elevate his foot to stabilize your top position.
Finally, there is one guard position is particularly good for applying this principle: the X Guard. In the X Guard you already have your opponent's foot hoisted onto your shoulder. When you sweep him from there his leg will naturally be elevated (even if you don't stand up), and it will be very, very difficult for him to stand up or scramble away. The ease which which you can elevate his leg at the end of the sweep is yet another reason to love the X Guard (in addition to being a very powerful sweeping position, well suited to grapplers who lack long, flexible legs).You can learn more about the X Guard in my article about half guard positions and in the highly reviewed Butterfly Guard and X Guard DVD.
Have fun incorporating this very powerful principle into your training!
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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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May 12, 2008
A Half Guard Secret
When fighting from my half guard I often recall something that Chris Brennan told me: "one of the secrets of the half guard is to bring your knees to your chest". This advice, simple as it is, can add a whole other dimension to your half guard attacks.
To help visualize the movement think about doing a hanging knee raise - it is basically the same movement, just in a different plane. Here's a good video on how to do that exercise.
OK, so why would we want to do that movement from the bottom half guard? In that position my legs clamp one of my opponent's legs, and when I bring my knees up to my chest my opponent will be moved up, over top of me. If you've seen my Half Guard Sweeps DVD then you know that many powerful half guard attacks start with moving DOWN your opponent's body to get access to his feet, legs and hips. Chris Brennan's 'secret' accomplishes the same thing by a different mechanism: it moves his body UP, rather than your own body down.
There is a pre-requisite to using this move: your opponent can't be clamped down onto your body or head with his arms (which would kill your ability to move him up over you). Accordingly you have to grip fight and time the execution of this move to take advantage of those transitional moments in the half guard when his weight isn't settled and his arms aren't holding you too firmly. Do that and your opponent will be well on his way to getting swept
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To help visualize the movement think about doing a hanging knee raise - it is basically the same movement, just in a different plane. Here's a good video on how to do that exercise.
OK, so why would we want to do that movement from the bottom half guard? In that position my legs clamp one of my opponent's legs, and when I bring my knees up to my chest my opponent will be moved up, over top of me. If you've seen my Half Guard Sweeps DVD then you know that many powerful half guard attacks start with moving DOWN your opponent's body to get access to his feet, legs and hips. Chris Brennan's 'secret' accomplishes the same thing by a different mechanism: it moves his body UP, rather than your own body down.
There is a pre-requisite to using this move: your opponent can't be clamped down onto your body or head with his arms (which would kill your ability to move him up over you). Accordingly you have to grip fight and time the execution of this move to take advantage of those transitional moments in the half guard when his weight isn't settled and his arms aren't holding you too firmly. Do that and your opponent will be well on his way to getting swept
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More Half Guard Resources
Here are some articles, videos and resources on Grapplearts.com that will help you develop a mobile, attacking half guard:
- The Evolution of the Half Guard
- An Attack Series from the Half Guard
- Counter to the Crossface in Half Guard
- 17 Tips for an Active Bottom Half Guard
- Leg Position Drill Video
- Finishing the Kimura from Half Guard Video
- Finishing the Half Guard Backclimb Video
- The Two-Pronged Half Guard
- Half Guard Sweep From Standing
- Information about the Dynamic Half Guard DVD
Labels: the guard
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January 05, 2008
An Alternative To Pulling Guard When Grappling On Your Knees
Many grapplers start their sparring sessions on their knees. From this starting position usually one of two things happen: either the two combatants push and pull each other until one falls over, or someone pulls guard and starts looking for sweeps and submissions.
Well there are alternatives, and one option is to jump into a sweep rather than jump into guard. If things go well, the technique of the sweep combined with the momentum of the jump should bring you to the top position. If things go badly you usually end up in the guard, where you would have been anyhow if you had just pulled guard in the first place.
To help illustrate this concept I have put a short clip onto Youtube for your viewing pleasure. I should stress that the four sweeps used in this video are NOT the only sweeps that will work: your homework assignment is to examine your favorite sweeps and figure out if they might work were you to apply them from your knees (or from your feet). My video can be viewed below or found here:
When you do sweeps in this manner, the line between sweeps and Judo sacrifice throws starts to blur. To illustrate this I'd like to point you towards another Youtube video where you can see a variety of sacrifice throws (and a variety of setups) demonstrated by two skilled Judoka (click here or see below):
Before I sign off I have to give some credit, as this isn't entirely my own idea. I developed this tip after absorbing and fermenting the ideas that Marcio Feitosa, Roy Harris and Walt Bayless have shared on the topic (in seminar and/or on video).
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Well there are alternatives, and one option is to jump into a sweep rather than jump into guard. If things go well, the technique of the sweep combined with the momentum of the jump should bring you to the top position. If things go badly you usually end up in the guard, where you would have been anyhow if you had just pulled guard in the first place.
To help illustrate this concept I have put a short clip onto Youtube for your viewing pleasure. I should stress that the four sweeps used in this video are NOT the only sweeps that will work: your homework assignment is to examine your favorite sweeps and figure out if they might work were you to apply them from your knees (or from your feet). My video can be viewed below or found here:
When you do sweeps in this manner, the line between sweeps and Judo sacrifice throws starts to blur. To illustrate this I'd like to point you towards another Youtube video where you can see a variety of sacrifice throws (and a variety of setups) demonstrated by two skilled Judoka (click here or see below):
Before I sign off I have to give some credit, as this isn't entirely my own idea. I developed this tip after absorbing and fermenting the ideas that Marcio Feitosa, Roy Harris and Walt Bayless have shared on the topic (in seminar and/or on video).
Labels: takedowns, the guard, training, unorthodox strategies
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December 28, 2007
Short Legged Guard Work
A while ago I gave some suggestions about dealing with the open guard of long-legged and flexible opponents . In the interests of fairness and balance let's address some options for the opposite situation, namely what to do if you have shorter, inflexible legs.
Short-legged folks often get told that the open guard is not for them, and that they should mainly use the closed guard. Certainly developing a killer closed guard is an excellent plan (if your legs aren't too short to prevent your ankles from crossing behind your opponent's back), but you should also have some backup open guard options, because your guard WILL get opened at some point, AND/OR your opponent may not allow you to close your legs, OR your opponent may be too wide for you to cross your ankles behind his back.
Flexible Daddy Long Legs grapplers can get away with more in the open guard: they can be lazy about breaking their opponent's posture and imposing their grips and still recover against many near guard passes. Furthermore it is more difficult to footlock someone with long legs, so they don't even have to worry as much about dangling their legs and tempting ankle locks.
If your legs are short then none of this applies.
If you want to play a 'standard open guard' (i.e. maintaining one or both feet on your opponent's hips) with your short legs then you really have to break your opponent's posture. If you don't do this you basically give him an easy guard pass. If you are wearing the gi then get a lapel and sleeve grip and really PULL with your arms and really PUSH with your legs on his hips. This bends your opponent forward at the waist and removes at least 75% of his guard passing options. Without the gi you can achieve a similar effect by grabbing one of his wrists with both your hands, thumbs towards you, and locking it close to your chest while applying the same push-pull action as before.
If you have short legs you might also want to consider exploring some other guards that aren't as leg-length dependent. Here are some options:
Finally keep in mind that short legs are usually powerful legs. You might not be able to scratch your own earlobe with your toe, but if you get your positioning right you can probably legpress that Daddy Long Legs into orbit!
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Short-legged folks often get told that the open guard is not for them, and that they should mainly use the closed guard. Certainly developing a killer closed guard is an excellent plan (if your legs aren't too short to prevent your ankles from crossing behind your opponent's back), but you should also have some backup open guard options, because your guard WILL get opened at some point, AND/OR your opponent may not allow you to close your legs, OR your opponent may be too wide for you to cross your ankles behind his back.
Flexible Daddy Long Legs grapplers can get away with more in the open guard: they can be lazy about breaking their opponent's posture and imposing their grips and still recover against many near guard passes. Furthermore it is more difficult to footlock someone with long legs, so they don't even have to worry as much about dangling their legs and tempting ankle locks.
If your legs are short then none of this applies.
If you want to play a 'standard open guard' (i.e. maintaining one or both feet on your opponent's hips) with your short legs then you really have to break your opponent's posture. If you don't do this you basically give him an easy guard pass. If you are wearing the gi then get a lapel and sleeve grip and really PULL with your arms and really PUSH with your legs on his hips. This bends your opponent forward at the waist and removes at least 75% of his guard passing options. Without the gi you can achieve a similar effect by grabbing one of his wrists with both your hands, thumbs towards you, and locking it close to your chest while applying the same push-pull action as before.
If you have short legs you might also want to consider exploring some other guards that aren't as leg-length dependent. Here are some options:
- Butterfly Guard -especially if you concentrate on attacking with the armdrag and transitioning to X Guard.
- X Guard - hey, Marcelo Garcia (highlight video here) doesn't have long legs either...
- Half Guard - a lot of half guard is based on getting closer to your opponent, not pushing his body away with your legs
- Sitting Guard and Instep Guard - these positions blend the butterfly guard and half guard.
Finally keep in mind that short legs are usually powerful legs. You might not be able to scratch your own earlobe with your toe, but if you get your positioning right you can probably legpress that Daddy Long Legs into orbit!
Labels: the guard
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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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November 21, 2007
Dealing with Daddy Long Legs
Q: Do you have any advice for handling opponents who are tall, long-legged and very flexible?
A: I have had several training partners who were built like daddy long leg spiders and had very good open guards, so yes I do have a strategy to deal with them.
Typically in the open guard his feet (or 'hooks') will be controlling you by pushing on your hips and/or biceps and/or shoulders and/or hooking behind your knees. To pass you need to remove or nullify these hooks - this is often the biggest part of the guard passing battle, but it is a critical step and you can't really continue without it.
Once I've dealt with his hooks I often try to drive his feet up and over his head - I try to plant his knees beside his ears and his feet, folding him in half.
In this folded position most opponents will either: 1) stay there and attempt to reguard, or 2) do a backwards somersault to the turtle position.
If he stays in the folded over position (option 1) I try to control his hips with my body weight by dropping my chest onto his buttocks. This buys me a bit of time to think about my next move, and keeps his long, flexible legs far away from me. There are multiple guard passes and even a few submissions from this position.
If he flips over into the turtle (option 2) I don't mind: at the very least I've managed to change the game from one of passing his guard to one of attacking his turtle. I either try to stabilize him in head-to-head turtle position or spin to his side and attack him from there. On all fours his long, flexible legs are now tucked under him supporting his body, and not entangling me like some amorous octopus. Hopefully your turtle attacks can take it from here...
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A: I have had several training partners who were built like daddy long leg spiders and had very good open guards, so yes I do have a strategy to deal with them.
Typically in the open guard his feet (or 'hooks') will be controlling you by pushing on your hips and/or biceps and/or shoulders and/or hooking behind your knees. To pass you need to remove or nullify these hooks - this is often the biggest part of the guard passing battle, but it is a critical step and you can't really continue without it.
Once I've dealt with his hooks I often try to drive his feet up and over his head - I try to plant his knees beside his ears and his feet, folding him in half.
In this folded position most opponents will either: 1) stay there and attempt to reguard, or 2) do a backwards somersault to the turtle position.
If he stays in the folded over position (option 1) I try to control his hips with my body weight by dropping my chest onto his buttocks. This buys me a bit of time to think about my next move, and keeps his long, flexible legs far away from me. There are multiple guard passes and even a few submissions from this position.
If he flips over into the turtle (option 2) I don't mind: at the very least I've managed to change the game from one of passing his guard to one of attacking his turtle. I either try to stabilize him in head-to-head turtle position or spin to his side and attack him from there. On all fours his long, flexible legs are now tucked under him supporting his body, and not entangling me like some amorous octopus. Hopefully your turtle attacks can take it from here...
Labels: the guard
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September 16, 2007
How to Stand in the Guard
Last week I discussed the differences between standing and kneeling guard passes. One thing I pointed out was that some schools tend use only kneeling guard passes whereas other schools tend to mix up their guard passing and use both standing and kneeling passes.
My BJJ coach Marcus Soares tends to prefer standing guard passes. What makes his passes different is that when he stands up in the guard his legs are NOT STRAIGHT - he actually squats down into a deep crouch position which lowers his center of gravity and makes it much harder to sweep him.
His standing guard passing posture is very similar to the bottom position of the bodyweight squats that he loves to include in his legendary 'warmups' (the sixth exercise in this sequence). Obviously endurance in the leg muscles is an asset to standing guard passes - if you legs get tired you will begin to straighten them, your center of gravity will rise and you will become ever more vulnerable to sweeps.
Here are some other things to keep in mind if you want to develop your standing guard passes:
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My BJJ coach Marcus Soares tends to prefer standing guard passes. What makes his passes different is that when he stands up in the guard his legs are NOT STRAIGHT - he actually squats down into a deep crouch position which lowers his center of gravity and makes it much harder to sweep him.
His standing guard passing posture is very similar to the bottom position of the bodyweight squats that he loves to include in his legendary 'warmups' (the sixth exercise in this sequence). Obviously endurance in the leg muscles is an asset to standing guard passes - if you legs get tired you will begin to straighten them, your center of gravity will rise and you will become ever more vulnerable to sweeps.Here are some other things to keep in mind if you want to develop your standing guard passes:
- Do you know how to defend against the anklelocks and kneebars that your opponent might attack you with if you stand.
- How can you free your foot if your opponent cups your heel (one idea is discussed here).
- What are you going to do if your opponent underhooks your leg with his arm. One of my favorite responses is to drop that knee back down to the ground and attempt to apply the arm behind the back guard pass.
- How can you control your opponent's hips while standing (i.e. the principle of caging the hips)
Labels: conditioning, teachers, the guard
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September 11, 2007
To Kneel Or Stand
A few weeks ago I was practicing technique with a big, strong rock climber who had a grip from hell and tenacious isometric strength. I noticed how much he liked controlling my gi, breaking my posture and attacking with collar chokes. Since I knew we were going to spar soon I formulated a simple sparring strategy: I told myself that as soon as I ended up in his guard I would stand up and not go back down onto my knees until I was past his guard.
Why did I do this? The answer should be obvious at the end of this article.
A coarse classification divides guard passes into either standing or kneeling guard passes. If you wanted to break it down a bit further you could say that there are standing and kneeling methods of opening a closed guard, and standing and kneeling methods of actually passing an opened guard. Both standing and kneeling methods have their strengths and weaknesses - I use them both, but I try to choose the appropriate approach for the situation.
Kneeling in your opponent's guard makes you a little harder to sweep because your center of gravity is closer to the ground. If you are kneeling in an opponent's guard your arms and neck are more easily available for him to attack, but it is quite difficult for him to leglock you.
If you choose to stand in order to pass the guard you make yourself a little more vulnerable to sweeps and leglocks. The advantage of standing passes is that you are more mobile and that it is harder for your opponent to attack you with chokes and armlocks.
How can you use this information?
If you have both standing and kneeling guard passes in your repertoire you can tailor your game to avoid your opponent's strengths. If your opponent specializes in chokes and/or armlocks then get to your feet whenever you end up in his guard and try to work your standing guard passes. If your opponent is a leg locking machine then consider engaging him on your knees.
Additionally, guard passing methods vary greatly from club to club. In some clubs kneeling guard passes predominate, whereas other schools tend to mix standing and kneeling guard passes. Schools that do a lot of MMA or no-gi grappling tend to use more standing passes, although few schools use standing methods exclusively.
If you know that your opponent is from a school that uses only kneeling guard passes then you could try only using standing passes against him: he is unlikely to be as skilled at defending against a standing opponent and you could soon find yourself past the guard.
Good luck with this concept!
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Why did I do this? The answer should be obvious at the end of this article.
A coarse classification divides guard passes into either standing or kneeling guard passes. If you wanted to break it down a bit further you could say that there are standing and kneeling methods of opening a closed guard, and standing and kneeling methods of actually passing an opened guard. Both standing and kneeling methods have their strengths and weaknesses - I use them both, but I try to choose the appropriate approach for the situation.
Kneeling in your opponent's guard makes you a little harder to sweep because your center of gravity is closer to the ground. If you are kneeling in an opponent's guard your arms and neck are more easily available for him to attack, but it is quite difficult for him to leglock you.
If you choose to stand in order to pass the guard you make yourself a little more vulnerable to sweeps and leglocks. The advantage of standing passes is that you are more mobile and that it is harder for your opponent to attack you with chokes and armlocks.
How can you use this information?
If you have both standing and kneeling guard passes in your repertoire you can tailor your game to avoid your opponent's strengths. If your opponent specializes in chokes and/or armlocks then get to your feet whenever you end up in his guard and try to work your standing guard passes. If your opponent is a leg locking machine then consider engaging him on your knees.
Additionally, guard passing methods vary greatly from club to club. In some clubs kneeling guard passes predominate, whereas other schools tend to mix standing and kneeling guard passes. Schools that do a lot of MMA or no-gi grappling tend to use more standing passes, although few schools use standing methods exclusively.
If you know that your opponent is from a school that uses only kneeling guard passes then you could try only using standing passes against him: he is unlikely to be as skilled at defending against a standing opponent and you could soon find yourself past the guard.
Good luck with this concept!
Labels: leglocks, positions, the guard
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August 29, 2007
16 Tips For Your Closed Guard
Jason Scully (in the green shirt) is our guest contributor today. He is a teacher and competitor with 12 years of grappling experience. He owns Jersey Shore Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts and also operates The Grapplers Guide Forum. He is currently a BJJ purple belt under Kurt PellegrinoThese are very important aspects of the closed guard to remember and practice. These tips are especially helpful with no-gi.
- Don't give him space. When having your opponent in closed guard you don't want to give him any space. Space for him means more opportunities to work a pass.
- Don't let him posture. When he has his posture he is able to get his elbows in and head up to work out of your guard.
- You want to get control of your opponent's hips, head, and upper body.
- Climb your legs high up on your opponent's waist, closer to his upper back. When they are higher up it is much harder for him to sit back and get his elbows in. You also have your hips off the ground, which allows for better movement on the bottom.
- Knock his hands off your body. When he has his hand flat on your body he has the opportunity to push off of you. As emphasized before, if your legs are higher up his waist/closer to his upper back it is much harder for him to push on your body and regain his posture.
- Pull him in with your legs. Do not rely on using just your hands to pull your opponent in close to you. It will not work. Your hands against his whole body are not an even battle. You want to close your legs tightly around your opponent and bring your knees into you: this will cause your opponent to lunge forward.
- Control his head. This is a really important point. Where the head goes the body follows, so you want to try to control your opponent's head most of the time, at least until you have moved onto something better. If you have ever experienced someone constantly pulling down on your head while you were in their guard, you would probably agree that it is very frustrating. Also when you pull down on their head you want to pull down on the upper back of their head because that is where you get the most leverage. It is much harder to pull down on your opponent's head once you get closer to his neck area. Don't control directly on the neck.
- Try to control his arms/shoulders. Immediately after controlling your opponent's head and bringing him close to you you want to get control of at least one of his shoulders or arms. This gives you a lot of control. You can either overhook one if his arms or underhook one of his arms, but always remember to keep control of his head.
- After you gain control of your opponent you want to start moving your hips out so you can start working some attacks. Most attacks are going to come from the side or with your hips out, so you need to be a step ahead of your opponent and start moving your hips out right away. Many people make the mistake of not angling out while having a closed guard, but it is very possible to have tight control with a closed guard and work angles at the same time.
- You want to stay tight at the same time as making your movements. An example of this would be placing one of your feet on the ground to aid in scooting your hips out, but retaining control of your opponent's head and shoulder/arm as you do it so he can't sit up. Once you get your hips out you want to immediately get your legs tight around your opponent's body again. Think of yourself as a Boa Constrictor, always on the move but staying tight at the same time.
- If you feel you can't stop your opponent from getting his posture and opening your legs. then you need to open your leg voluntarily before he forces you to do it. Remember you want to always be a step ahead. If he forces your legs open, he will have the upper hand and will most likely be able to control your legs and hips. Always be ready to react and go into a position if you feel your opponent is going to open your legs.
- When he sits back, try to sit up with him. Remember you always want to be tight. When he goes to push you back, lots of times he will open up an opportunity to gain control.
- Always practice regaining guard control. During your practice sessions allow your partners open your guard and work passes. Then fight your way back into guard. To do this always practice your hip escapes (shrimps), this is a really important fundamental movement that is used in a ton of techniques involved in grappling. Also do not let your opponent get control of your legs above your knees, close to your waist. You are in a bad spot if your opponent gains control of your legs close to your hips, or even worse gains control of your hips all together.
- It's in your hips. Remember a lot of the grappling game, especially on the bottom, is in the hips.
- Always practice your backward rolls. These are very important in getting back to your knees if your opponent stacks you up and there is no way for you to stop him from passing your guard. If you can roll back to your knees, you're in a much better position. Also work on getting back to your knees during your grappling sessions so you can increase your reaction time.
- Always practice your shoulder bridges. These are very important should your opponent pass your guard and you need to escape or prevent the pin. You can develop the right mechanics and reaction time to bridge into your opponent and back on your knees, or make at least enough space too scoot back into guard.
Thanks for reading!
Jason Scully
www.GrapplersGuide.com
Labels: the guard
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July 18, 2007
Don't Have A 'Flat' Guard
A few weeks ago I discussed ways to shut down your opponent's guard game by 'caging his hips' (i.e. keeping his hips flat on the ground and squarely between your knees). If you missed it, you can read this tip here:
The obvious flipside of this advice is that an aggressive, attacking guard is often characterized by not staying flat on your back and hips, as summarized nicely by this post by jonpal on the mma.tv forum.
Once in a while someone on the internet agrees with me!
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The obvious flipside of this advice is that an aggressive, attacking guard is often characterized by not staying flat on your back and hips, as summarized nicely by this post by jonpal on the mma.tv forum.
Once in a while someone on the internet agrees with me!
Labels: the guard
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April 19, 2007
Butterfly Guard Crash Course
As I was heading home from a workout recently, someone mentioned that the butterfly guard just wasn't working for them. I didn't have a lot of time but I put down my bag, got back on the mat, and started trying to metamorphose his butterfly guard. I think I gave him some pretty useful and concise advice, which I'm now going to share with you:1 - Float Like a Butterfly, Sweep Like a Bee
The butterfly guard is a DYNAMIC position. This means that you need to keep on moving and attacking. Your legs aren't locking your opponent in place, so if you stop and hang out your opponent will probably figure out how to pass your guard. By always threatening the sweep you make it difficult for him to impose his own game plan.
2 - Get Up, Sit Up
To be effective from the butterfly you need to get your back off the mat and sit up. There ARE some people who are effective with their backs flat to the mat, but they are in the minority. Furthermore it is possible that these same people would be even more effective if they would only sit up...
Sitting up allows you to generate more momentum on your sweeps. If you sit up you can drive forward, fall to the side or fall backwards; all these movements can generate a lot of power. If you are already lying on your back you have less options and it takes a lot more effort to generate power.
3 - Develop At Least Two Reliable Attacks
In order to attack your opponent effectively you need a couple of reliable sweeps to start everything else off. These bread and butter attacks will become the foundation of your game, kind of like the jab and cross in boxing. For many people two such techniques in the butterfly guard game are the 'basic' butterfly guard sweep the armdrag.
The 'basic' butterfly guard sweep works at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, so it is anything but basic. Learn to do it both sideways and at a 45 degree angle (discussed in more detail here).
The armdrag is a great way to take your opponent's back, but even if it doesn't work it still harasses your opponent and puts him on the defensive. I have learned a lot about the armdrag by studying video footage of Marcelo Garcia in competition.
4 - Develop Your X Guard and Half Butterfly Too
The butterfly guard works particularly well in conjunction with the X guard and the half butterfly guard. The X guard is very useful if your opponent stands up or posts a foot: when he does this you can slip underneath him, completely destroy his base and sweep him. It is also good to know what to do from the half butterfly because some opponents will basically put you in this position as they try to pass your butterfly guard. If you don't know what the half butterfly guard look at position 2 of this preview clip.
If you know even a few techniques from the half butterfly and X guard you will be able to take advantage of your opponent's moves rather than feeling intimidated or not knowing what to do.
Until next time....
Labels: the guard
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December 17, 2006
Submissions as Sweeps
Submissions end fights, and sweeps take you from the bottom to the top. At first glance they seem like very different types of techniques, but this week I'm going to discuss how they sometimes merge into one another.
There are times when you lock on a submission but sense that you won't be able to finish it - maybe your opponent is too strong, perhaps you don't have it on quite right, or maybe your timing was off. In these cases you can sometimes use the submission to force a reversal, forcing your opponent to the bottom. Now that you are on top you can either continue attacking with the same submission or switch to a different strategy.
To illustrate I am going to talk about 3 different submissions: the Kimura, the Omo Plata, and the Ten-Finger Guillotine.
The Kimura is a versatile move that can be applied from many different positions. From the bottom you can use it from inside the guard, the half guard, or even when you are pinned in side mount. When you lock this submission onto an opponent he will often roll to alleviate pressure on his shoulder: if you are expecting this counter you can follow him to the top. If you manage to maintain your grip as you roll then you are usually in a much better position to finish the Kimura; if he manages to escape his arm then you have still accomplished a sweep and can continue attacking him from above with some other technique.
The Omo Plata is one of my favorite attacks from the guard, but if I had to guess I'd say that it only results in a submission about one third of the time. The rest of the time it results in a sweep, either as your opponent tries to roll or as you force him over using the leverage created by the position.
The Ten Finger Guillotine is considered by some to be a top secret move, but Chris Brennan and I recently wrote an article about it. I'm not a Ten-Finger expert yet, but I'm using it a lot these days to force reversals. Whether I apply this choke from the guard, half guard or the sprawl it always generates a reaction. People either tap out or freak out, and the freaking usually involves frantic somersaulting with me ending up on top.
OF COURSE the goal is to get the submission not the sweep! But goals can't always be achieved directly, sometimes you have to take a few detours to get there. Locking on a submission and using it to reverse or sweep your opponent is just a detour. Submissions are usually easier to apply from the top anyway!
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There are times when you lock on a submission but sense that you won't be able to finish it - maybe your opponent is too strong, perhaps you don't have it on quite right, or maybe your timing was off. In these cases you can sometimes use the submission to force a reversal, forcing your opponent to the bottom. Now that you are on top you can either continue attacking with the same submission or switch to a different strategy.
To illustrate I am going to talk about 3 different submissions: the Kimura, the Omo Plata, and the Ten-Finger Guillotine.
The Kimura is a versatile move that can be applied from many different positions. From the bottom you can use it from inside the guard, the half guard, or even when you are pinned in side mount. When you lock this submission onto an opponent he will often roll to alleviate pressure on his shoulder: if you are expecting this counter you can follow him to the top. If you manage to maintain your grip as you roll then you are usually in a much better position to finish the Kimura; if he manages to escape his arm then you have still accomplished a sweep and can continue attacking him from above with some other technique.
The Omo Plata is one of my favorite attacks from the guard, but if I had to guess I'd say that it only results in a submission about one third of the time. The rest of the time it results in a sweep, either as your opponent tries to roll or as you force him over using the leverage created by the position.
The Ten Finger Guillotine is considered by some to be a top secret move, but Chris Brennan and I recently wrote an article about it. I'm not a Ten-Finger expert yet, but I'm using it a lot these days to force reversals. Whether I apply this choke from the guard, half guard or the sprawl it always generates a reaction. People either tap out or freak out, and the freaking usually involves frantic somersaulting with me ending up on top.
OF COURSE the goal is to get the submission not the sweep! But goals can't always be achieved directly, sometimes you have to take a few detours to get there. Locking on a submission and using it to reverse or sweep your opponent is just a detour. Submissions are usually easier to apply from the top anyway!
Labels: the guard
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December 04, 2006
No-Gi Scissor Sweeping
Q: Do you have any tips about doing the scissor sweep without a gi? I tried it last night and had a hard time doing it!
A: The scissor sweep is used a lot more in gi-based grappling, where you can control the sleeve and collar of your opponent. In fact, some people have argued that it is the single most important sweep in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
This sweep is a lot less common in no-gi grappling because you don't have convenient grips to control your opponent's head and arm. This lack of control makes it more difficult to break your opponent's posture, and also more difficult to stop him from posting on his hand, thereby preventing the sweep. Finally many no-gi grapplers counter a this sweep by leaping into an ankle lock or heel hook as they are being swept.
That being said I DO use the scissor sweep motion to set up other moves in no-gi grappling. For example, say I'm in closed guard and want to transition to open guard, but I'm having difficulty getting my feet on his hips due to him controlling my hips and legs. To accomplish this transition I might fake the scissor sweep, bringing my left knee across his chest while creating a bit of movement and space. Now I can circle that same knee up so it points at the ceiling and voila: my foot is on (or very near) his hip.
You can also use the scissor sweep to set up other sweeps and submissions in a no-gi context, just do your best to control your opponent's head and watch out for those footlocks!
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A: The scissor sweep is used a lot more in gi-based grappling, where you can control the sleeve and collar of your opponent. In fact, some people have argued that it is the single most important sweep in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
This sweep is a lot less common in no-gi grappling because you don't have convenient grips to control your opponent's head and arm. This lack of control makes it more difficult to break your opponent's posture, and also more difficult to stop him from posting on his hand, thereby preventing the sweep. Finally many no-gi grapplers counter a this sweep by leaping into an ankle lock or heel hook as they are being swept.
That being said I DO use the scissor sweep motion to set up other moves in no-gi grappling. For example, say I'm in closed guard and want to transition to open guard, but I'm having difficulty getting my feet on his hips due to him controlling my hips and legs. To accomplish this transition I might fake the scissor sweep, bringing my left knee across his chest while creating a bit of movement and space. Now I can circle that same knee up so it points at the ceiling and voila: my foot is on (or very near) his hip.
You can also use the scissor sweep to set up other sweeps and submissions in a no-gi context, just do your best to control your opponent's head and watch out for those footlocks!
Labels: the guard
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November 30, 2006
Dynamic Half Guard DVD Update
Thank you to everyone who ordered the brand new Dynamic Half Guard DVD. We have been shipping them out via UPS like crazy since Friday November 24th, and it looks like it is going to be my most successful video ever! I had a suspicion that this video was going to be very popular...
My shipper still has Half Guard DVDs ready to go out, and now you can combine it with other DVDs on sale to get an awesome Christmas deal
Labels: the guard
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November 19, 2006
Two More Previews of the Half Guard DVD
I've uploaded two more excerpts from my soon-to-be-released Dynamic Half Guard DVD to Youtube and Google Video. You can check them out at
Preview 1: How to counter your opponent's attempt to block a backclimb attack. You can watch it below, or at Youtube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP5ODwPbP1g) or at Google Video (http://tinyurl.com/y3sjsp)
Preview 2: How to secure the Kimura armlock from half guard when your opponent grips his shorts or gi pants. Again you can watch this clip below, or at Youtube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdVWyYb61IM) or at Google Video http://tinyurl.com/y7rtrd
P.S. I am expecting that this DVD should be available on www.grapplearts.com by Wednesday or Thursday.
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Preview 1: How to counter your opponent's attempt to block a backclimb attack. You can watch it below, or at Youtube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP5ODwPbP1g) or at Google Video (http://tinyurl.com/y3sjsp)
Preview 2: How to secure the Kimura armlock from half guard when your opponent grips his shorts or gi pants. Again you can watch this clip below, or at Youtube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdVWyYb61IM) or at Google Video http://tinyurl.com/y7rtrd
P.S. I am expecting that this DVD should be available on www.grapplearts.com by Wednesday or Thursday.
Labels: the guard
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October 29, 2006
Half Guard DVD Update
I know, I know, I am always saying that my new DVD - the Dynamic Half Guard - is going to be out soon, and then I make excuses for another delay. A couple of weeks ago we hit a snag in the authoring process (the step that prepares the DVD material to be sent off for replication).
Part of the problem is that there is so much material in this video - two hours of instruction - that I needed special hardware and software to get it all onto a single DVD. The problem has been solved, though, and we will really, really will probably, maybe, possibly send it off for replication later on this week. Replication should take 10 to 14 days, and then I'll be able to announce its availability via this newsletter.
If you want a sneak preview of small portion of this DVD continue on to the next tip about positional flexibility in the half guard.
Labels: the guard
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Half Guard Leg Positions
Someone once defined insanity as "continuing to do the same thing and expecting different results". This applies to grappling as well as the rest of life, and it is very true when you are in the half guard position.
Say you are under your opponent in the half guard, and your bread and butter sweep series just isn't working: perhaps he's too heavy, too nimble or too canny. Time to abandon ship, move to a different position and try a different technique.
One part of being able to switch strategies easily is knowing how to position your legs. The legs perform several different functions in half guard, including:
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Say you are under your opponent in the half guard, and your bread and butter sweep series just isn't working: perhaps he's too heavy, too nimble or too canny. Time to abandon ship, move to a different position and try a different technique.
One part of being able to switch strategies easily is knowing how to position your legs. The legs perform several different functions in half guard, including:
- preventing your opponent from passing your guard
- preventing your opponent from submitting you
- making or removing space between you and your opponent
- lifting and moving your opponent
- Inside Single Hook
- Single Triangle
- Outside Leg Hook
- Double Triangle (Outside)
- Double Triangle (Inside)
- Knee Block
- Half Butterfly Guard
Labels: the guard
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September 11, 2005
The Larger, Stronger Opponent
If you try contesting a larger, stronger opponent using your strength against his strength you will probably lose. You need to fight the battle on your own terms, and two effective (and somewhat related) strategies to do this include:
- move quicker
- tire him out.
Moving quicker: if a larger, stronger grappler gets the chance he will play Godzilla and pretend that you are a small Japanese army jeep.
One way not to play his game is to move the heck out of the way! You have less body mass to accelerate than he does, so in most cases you will be faster and more nimble than him. Start moving and don’t stop until you end up in a good position, like in full rearmount.
You may get lucky and catch him in something right off the bat, but even if you don’t you will still frustrate him and tire him out, which leads us right to…
Tire him out: if you think that your endurance is better than his it is time to start a battle of attrition. Force him to move around and respond to your movements and technique.
You’re not necessarily trying to catch him with all these techniques you're trying; you just want to force the action and keep him moving and moving and moving.
Don’t let him rest – many big guys like to fight in small explosive bursts, taking rests in between these sprints (think of how a bodybuilder trains in the gym). Deprive them of this rest and they will usually slip deeper and deeper into the lactic acid zone, which is where you will finally be able to finish the fight on your terms.
This second strategy can be summed up as “survive first, win later”.
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August 06, 2005
Half Guard Evolution
This week I’d like to talk about the half guard. This position is one where you are lying on your back or side with one of your opponent’s legs between your own. In the last 10 years an increasing number of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling matches feature one fighter aggressively trying to sweep or submit their opponent from the half guard position, which was basically unheard of previously.
The half guard may be hot now, but it had a humble beginning. Initially the half guard was just one step short of having your guard fully passed: your only real options were thought to be regaining full guard or to hanging on and stalling. In fact this position was often referred to as being caught in the “half mount”, a term which is much less common today.
A major player in reconfiguring the half guard into an offensive position was Roberto "Gordo" Correa, a jiu-jitsu black belt from Brazil. After a knee injury he found that regular guard work was too difficult and painful, and he started experimenting with the half guard instead. He discovered that by getting on his side, fighting for grips, and connecting a series of sweeps he could keep his opponents on the run. Significant competition victories soon followed for him.
It wasn’t very long until other grapplers realized that “Gordo” might be onto something, and a whole new game was born. Many other sweeps, submission setups and positional variations were developed, both in Brazil and elsewhere. Some specialists are so confident in their game that in competition they will jump into half guard rather than full guard. Modern half guard techniques are even occasionally seen in MMA competition, but this is still relatively rare.
An interesting development is the evolution of specialized anti-half-guard submissions, specifically designed to counter the offensive half guard. Marcio Feitosa shared four of his favorites in an interview I did with him, so you may want to check out www.grapplearts.com/Marcio-Feitosa.htm. As with all techniques, a lot depends on timing: if you try these submissions too late you are going to get swept.
This new role for an old position, and the development of counters to this new role, is fascinating. It’s all part of the evolution occurring on the mats of the world every day.
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The half guard may be hot now, but it had a humble beginning. Initially the half guard was just one step short of having your guard fully passed: your only real options were thought to be regaining full guard or to hanging on and stalling. In fact this position was often referred to as being caught in the “half mount”, a term which is much less common today.
A major player in reconfiguring the half guard into an offensive position was Roberto "Gordo" Correa, a jiu-jitsu black belt from Brazil. After a knee injury he found that regular guard work was too difficult and painful, and he started experimenting with the half guard instead. He discovered that by getting on his side, fighting for grips, and connecting a series of sweeps he could keep his opponents on the run. Significant competition victories soon followed for him.
It wasn’t very long until other grapplers realized that “Gordo” might be onto something, and a whole new game was born. Many other sweeps, submission setups and positional variations were developed, both in Brazil and elsewhere. Some specialists are so confident in their game that in competition they will jump into half guard rather than full guard. Modern half guard techniques are even occasionally seen in MMA competition, but this is still relatively rare.
An interesting development is the evolution of specialized anti-half-guard submissions, specifically designed to counter the offensive half guard. Marcio Feitosa shared four of his favorites in an interview I did with him, so you may want to check out www.grapplearts.com/Marcio-Feitosa.htm. As with all techniques, a lot depends on timing: if you try these submissions too late you are going to get swept.
This new role for an old position, and the development of counters to this new role, is fascinating. It’s all part of the evolution occurring on the mats of the world every day.
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June 27, 2004
Wrestler's Base in Guard
Have you ever grappled with a high-level wrestler and been frustrated by their uncanny sense of balance? You might be trying to use a guard sweep and just about have them swept over. Suddenly – pop – they somehow manage to end up back on top and driving into you again.
A training partner of mine who was a national-level wrestler helped provide one piece of this puzzle. “I always have 3 points of balance when I’m in someone’s guard: two points of contact on the ground with my legs, and a third where my weight is on his body”. I have since played with this concept, and call it "wrestler's base". Typically it involves keeping your hips low, driving with your legs (knees off the mat), fighting for inside control with the arms and keeping your head on the opponent's chest or under his chin. This position helps develop the forward driving pressure that wrestlers are so well known for.
Like all tools, wrestler's base has advantages and disadvantages. It's main advantages include neutralizing many guard sweeps and making your opponent carry your weight. The main disadvantages include that it may not be the best position to start most guard passes from, and that it the neck and arms may be vulnerable to chokes and armlocks. Know when to use wrestler's base and know when to switch to another tool in your toolbox.
In addition to takedowns and control techniques, wrestling encourages the development of strength, balance, aggression and gymnastic athleticism. These attributes are desirable in any grappling context, and we should all try a little harder to cultivate them.
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A training partner of mine who was a national-level wrestler helped provide one piece of this puzzle. “I always have 3 points of balance when I’m in someone’s guard: two points of contact on the ground with my legs, and a third where my weight is on his body”. I have since played with this concept, and call it "wrestler's base". Typically it involves keeping your hips low, driving with your legs (knees off the mat), fighting for inside control with the arms and keeping your head on the opponent's chest or under his chin. This position helps develop the forward driving pressure that wrestlers are so well known for.
Like all tools, wrestler's base has advantages and disadvantages. It's main advantages include neutralizing many guard sweeps and making your opponent carry your weight. The main disadvantages include that it may not be the best position to start most guard passes from, and that it the neck and arms may be vulnerable to chokes and armlocks. Know when to use wrestler's base and know when to switch to another tool in your toolbox.
In addition to takedowns and control techniques, wrestling encourages the development of strength, balance, aggression and gymnastic athleticism. These attributes are desirable in any grappling context, and we should all try a little harder to cultivate them.
Labels: the guard
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