When I was filming the BJJ Foundations instructional with Cal MacDonald he brought up a really interesting point... He said that if you're in a serious match - a competition or a deathroll at the club - then at a tactical level, jiu-jitsu becomes a zero-sum game. That means every grip, every hook, and every adjustment of position becomes win-lose. If you win that exchange, your opponent … [Read more...]
How to Deal with Doubt and Stress in Competition
In episode 427 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I pick the brain of sports psychologist Dr. Haley Perlis, who delves into the competition mindset, developing mental toughness, managing stress, avoiding burnout, the psychology of extreme sports, and how your core values shape your life and sport. Episode 427 is available right now in audio and video formats here: Apple Podcasts … [Read more...]
3 Great Ways to Pass Butterfly Guard
The butterfly guard offers your opponent two different types of control that set up his attacks and make it difficult for you to pass his guard. Screw up even a little bit and you'll find yourself hoisted into the air and swept or caught in a devastating leglock. To shut him down and pass his guard you first need to understand the control points he potentially has in butterfly … [Read more...]
Black Belts Have Shitty Days on the Mat Too
Before training today I had a suspicion that it would be a tough day on the mats and I wasn't wrong. I mean, things went OK at the beginning with the drilling and workshopping. But when it came to sparring - well, damn. The neurons took forever to fire, and the muscles moved in slow motion. My responses were predictable, and I blundered into the same bad situations again and again. (Yes, … [Read more...]
K Guard Leglock Entry
The K Guard is really hot right now because it solves three very difficult problems. These problems include... How do you maintain control of your opponent if you don't have a strong grip on his arms or upper body (especially in no gi)? How do you deal with opponents who stand up in your guard (the most popular form of guard passing right now)? How do you attack with leglocks when … [Read more...]
BJJ After Age 35
On today's episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast, I'm joined by wrestler, jiu-jitsuka, and author Chris Jessulat (https://www.thewrongsideof35.com/) to discuss the best practices for staying relevant on the mats as you enter your fourth decade and beyond... 00:00 Training as an Older Grappler 02:48 The Transition from Competitive to Recreational Training 05:46 Physical Changes and … [Read more...]
Training Your Techniques in Chunks for Faster Learning
Mastering a new technique can seem overwhelming. There are so many steps, and for every action you take, your opponent might have 10 different reactions. But there's a relatively simple solution to the paralysing amount of material you need to internalise... A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and so does adding a new technique to your game. Start by mastering the first … [Read more...]
Inside vs Outside Leglock Entries
Leglock entries can be divided into inside and outside entries, and you need them both to be a high-level leglocker! Essentially, inside entries involve you bringing a leg between your opponent's legs, whereas an outside entry involves moving into a leglock position by going around your opponent's legs. Examples of inside entries might include using the instep guard to shoot for the SLX or … [Read more...]
Optimal Competition Mindset for BJJ Competition
Rob Biernacki has some very impressive competition victories, including black belt masters gold at both No Gi Worlds and ADCC. In this podcast episode he reveals... Why people sometimes just don't perform up to their potential and how to fix it, How to reframe tournament nerves, The optimal state of arousal for competition, Building and executing on gameplans, Why some people … [Read more...]
How to Deal with Adrenaline in Stressful Situations
On the most difficult adventure of my life I learned a lot about dealing with stress and adrenaline. That trip was deep in the wilderness, but it turns out that many of these lessons apply directly to many aspects of life, including jiu-jitsu. That's why I thought I'd share one of the more important sections of my book, Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic that addresses this topic … [Read more...]
Meerkatsu Draws A BJJ Book!
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the Ultimate Illustrated Guidebook started as an April Fool's joke and then morphed into a BEAST of a book complete with 967 illustrations. In episode 424 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I chat with the authors of this awesome new book: renowned BJJ black belt, illustrator and designer Seymour Yang (better known as Meerkatsu) and his partner in crime Graham Barlow (the … [Read more...]
How to Reverse the Twister Hook
The twister hook is one of the main mechanisms used to take the back, especially in no gi grappling, where it is quite common. (So if you do no gi you should probably practice it because at some point it WILL be used against you.) Fundamentally, the twister hook is a method of entangling one of your opponent's legs with two of your own in a double triangle configuration. Once fully locked … [Read more...]
Don’t Be a One Trick Jiu-Jitsu Pony
When I was coming up in jiu-jitsu, there was a guy in class who only went for kneebars. He was only a whitebelt but in this one move he was a purple belt. In the closed guard he went for kneebars… In someone’s guard, he went for a kneebar… if he was in the turtle position, or on top, or in a scramble: kneebar, kneebar, kneebar. The problem was, he soon became predictable. All you had to do … [Read more...]
Top Crucifix Attacks in No Gi and MMA
The top crucifix shows up a LOT in MMA, and when one fighter gets it the other guy is usually in a HUGE amount of trouble. Here's the thing, though... I really like the top crucifix in submission grappling as well. It opens up some REALLY powerful submission attacks that have served me well in sparring and jiu-jitsu competition. Here's a video of me breaking down the position and those … [Read more...]
Dealing With The “I Just See Red Bro” Guy!
It's just a matter of time but if you're training, then you'll eventually run into an untrained guy who wants to test his skills by brawling on the mats. These are usually the "In a fight, I just see red, bro!" guys. They're never very skilled, but the problem is that even the reddest of the just-seeing-red bros present some danger. That's because they'll go zero to one hundred in the … [Read more...]
Grapplearts Instructionals on Grapplearts BJJ Master App Now
Exciting news!! Historically, Grapplearts instructionals were available in two main formats (online streaming and app), but never did the twain quite meet. It took a TON of development, but as of right now, any online courses you've purchased are ALSO accessible on the Grapplearts BJJ Master App. It's seamless across the two platforms and very simple. Just do this... Download the app … [Read more...]
BJJ, Science, and D&D with Bryan Rumble
Bryan Rumble is a 2nd degree belt and a working scientist. In this episode we start out by talking about BJJ traditions, the depth of the art, and how the scientific method might be applied in jiu-jitsu. Then, at about the 23-minute mark, Bryan and I nerd out SUPER hard on Dungeons and Dragons and how it relates to martial arts training. You've been warned! You can check it out as … [Read more...]
For Fastest BJJ Improvement Specialise, Don’t Generalize.
There's no way around it, when you first start jiu-jitsu you have to be a bit of a generalist. You’ve got to learn an escape from side control… an armbar from mount… a sweep from closed guard… a choke from the back… and so on. What you’re doing with this approach is trying to develop a couple of offensive and defensive options from the top and bottom for each of the major positions on the … [Read more...]
Training to Deal with Adrenaline and Emergency Situations
The fight-or-flight reflex is always lurking just below the surface. When things get sufficiently stressful, our hormonal system dumps enormous amounts of adrenaline into our bloodstream, and — BOOM — suddenly we’re ready for action. That adrenaline serves a purpose: it elevates your heart rate, makes you much stronger, more pain tolerant, and able to ignore injury. If you ever have to lift a … [Read more...]
BJJ Training and Conditioning Myths
On episode 421 of The Strenuous Life Podcast, I'm joined by three-time IBJJ World medallist James Deirmendjian and elite personal trainer to discuss optimal training methodologies and the science behind strength and conditioning for sport. We cover hacks to improve recovery, debunk common myths in the Jiu-Jitsu community, and go deep into the need for a more scientific approach to training and … [Read more...]