The back is the most dominant position in jiu-jitsu, with chokes from the back accounting for nearly half of all finishes at the black belt level in gi competition. Same for no gi competition. The Rear Naked Choke from the back has been the top submission at ADCC multiple years in a row, surpassing both the heel hook and the armbar in frequency. Given the effectiveness of being … [Read more...]
Steve Kwan Shares the Most Important BJJ Mental Models
Today I'm joined by Steve Kwan, the host and creator of the wildly popular BJJ Mental Models podcast. We discuss the most important mental models in the art and how they can improve your ability to perform on the mat! Check out BJJmentalmodels.com for Steve's podcast and Grapplearts.com/rollingbacktakes for my newest BJJ instructional. And, as always, please send today's episode to … [Read more...]
What Is the New Instructional – Rolling Backtakes for Everyone – All About?
I've just released a brand new instructional called Rolling Backtakes for Everyone! Rolling backtakes are a group of techniques that teleport you directly to your opponent's back, the most dominant position in jiu-jitsu. More black belt submissions in competition happen from the back than any other position, which is why events like EBI, WNO, ADCC and Quintet are full of the pros hitting … [Read more...]
The Fastest Armbar Escape
One of the most powerful late-stage armbar defenses is the Hitchhiker escape. You see this escape being used all the time, typically by someone who is flat on their back and being attacked by an armbar that is almost completed. But how many times have you been attacked by the armbar from guard in your jiu-jitsu career? If you're like most people, I bet it's quite frequently, like every … [Read more...]
Step by Step D’Arce Choke vs the Half Guard
If someone has you in their half guard and they have a strong underhook you're in trouble; they're DEFINITELY thinking about taking your back, sweeping your, or setting up a submission like a triangle choke. A great weapon to shut all that nonsense down is the D'Arce Choke (also known as the no gi Brabo choke). This choke is an absolute staple of modern no gi grappling, and you have to know … [Read more...]
UFOs, UAPs, and Alien Bodies with Mick West
With eyewitness testimony in the US Congress and purported alien bodies being wheeled into the Mexican Congress, it looks like we're in another UFO craze right now. It was great to have science writer and sceptical investigator Mick West on the podcast to make sense of this evidence and evaluate what the odds are that aliens truly walk among us. Check it out in video or audio-only format … [Read more...]
How to Attack the Half Guard with the Kimura Armlock
If you're caught in your opponent's half guard then you have to be careful not to get swept, submitted, or have your back taken. That being said, you have attack options on top too! Here's how to use the Kimura, an amazingly versatile submission, to pass the guard and tap out your opponent when you're in the top half guard position... Let's break this technique down step by … [Read more...]
Not a Fair Fight At All!
The 50/50 is a leglock entanglement and guard position that’s pretty unavoidable in modern jiu-jitsu. With the gi it’s a powerful sweeping and backtaking position, and in no gi matches it leads to a TON of leglock submissions. The 50/50 is a seemingly symmetrical position where, superficially at least, it looks like both people have the same set of options. People mistakenly think of it … [Read more...]
When to Keep Pushing the Pace in Jiu-Jitsu
Imagine that you're in a match, and you've just swept the other guy onto his ass. That's a great feeling, but should you take a brief time out to congratulate yourself? Of course not. Languidly taking your time after a sweep might work great against white and blue belts in friendly, relaxed rolling, but it'll never work against a serious opponent, especially in competition where people just … [Read more...]
Strength vs Endurance Training, with World Record Holder James Pieratt
James Pieratt is a hybrid athlete who does things like deadlifting 520 lbs in the morning and then running fifty miles in the afternoon. I caught up with him shortly after he completed a 500-mile, self-supported mountain run along the Pacific Crest Trail. In this interview, we went deep into... How to balance strength, endurance, and skill training, The role of prehabilitation and … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Self Defense Championship
The Ultimate Self-Defense Championship was a competition in which six martial arts YouTubers competed against each other in seven self-defense challenges to find out what works, what doesn't and who would become the ultimate self-defense champion. The results were shocking, and the entertainment value was off the charts! On episode 388 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk with the organizer … [Read more...]
A Simple Hack to Double Your Guard Passing Percentage
Let’s do a quick mental experiment. Think about your favourite guard pass; your go-to passing technique you use when you want to pass the guard of a tough opponent. Visualise the steps one by one. Now tell me, did you a) Pass to your left and end up on your opponent’s right side, or b) Pass to your right and end up on your opponent’s left side? If you’re like 70% of people, you … [Read more...]
Rob Biernacki Double Gold!
Rob Biernacki has been on a tear recently. In 2023 he's competed 4 times. In April, he got a Silver at the ADCC Open... in March, he won Gold at Grappling Industries... in June, he won Gold at the Portland Open... and just a few days ago, he won Double Gold at Grappling Industries! That last victory is particularly impressive because one of those gold medals was in the Masters Open division. … [Read more...]
Taking the Back from Half Guard Using the Kimura Grip
Learning the swinging Kimura backtake is important for at least two reasons... First, it's a legitimate way of defending side control and taking the back that sets up lots of other upper and lower body attacks as well. Secondly, it teaches you that the Kimura is a giant handle you can use to move your opponent around as well as move yourself around your opponent. This is especially important … [Read more...]
The SOS Position, The Rosetta Stone of the Omoplata
The omoplata is a very deep position. There are so many different entries, transitions, defences, escapes, and recounters; it can get a little overwhelming. To bring sense to a scramble it helps to recognize intermediary positions. Positions that repeatedly and reliably occur, often fleetingly, as people engage in what appears to be a chaotic series of transitions. For the omoplata one of … [Read more...]
A Quickstart Guide to the Omoplata in Jiu-Jitsu
This step-by-step guide is designed for you to quickly incorporate the omoplata into your game and build a solid foundation for more advanced omoplata techniques. The omoplata is an incredibly versatile technique in jiu-jitsu that serves as a submission, a sweep, and a setup for other sweeps and submissions. Fundamentally it uses your legs to force your opponent's arm behind his back into a … [Read more...]
How to Do the Shotgun Ankle Lock
Rob Biernacki wanted to show me something. It was an ankle lock variation that he'd recently successfully used to win a match at the ADCC Open. Now I've seen a lot of ankle locks in my day. I've even done highly specific training of the muscles on the front of my shin in order to better resist getting ankle locked. But NOTHING could prepare me for this. He applied the footlock, and … [Read more...]
BJJ Trigger Positions
A trigger position is an alignment of your body and your opponent’s body that immediately invites a specific technique, be it a sweep, submission or guard pass.. Once you're there, all you need to do is pull the metaphorical trigger and - BOOM - you're deep into the attack. This concept makes it easy for you to know when it's time to attack in jiu-jitsu. Knowing the Trigger Position for a … [Read more...]
How To Do The ‘Imanari Roll’
The Imanari roll is absolutely one of the coolest submission attacks out there. It's unorthodox, it's fancy, but unlike many other flashy moves it's it's also quite high percentage. If you do it correctly you get straight into the 411 leglock position, which is the most powerful leglocking position we have. So there's definitely a huge upside if you land it. This move has been used … [Read more...]
The Most Successful Gracie Family Fighter of All Time
Not only is Robert Drysdale a BJJ and ADCC World Champion, he has also conducted extensive research into the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In this interview, he reveals some of what he's discovered, including... 01:54 - The first wave of jiu-jitsu in Brazil - Helio Gracie and Carlos Gracie 04:35 - Exhibition and carnival fighting in Brazil 06:55 - Traditional jiu-jitsu style vs modified … [Read more...]