Alicia Reitz and I dive deep into how BJJ can be used to develop a strong sense of self confidence for everyone, and how that self confidence can then be put to good use in self defense and the the rest of your life. We also digress a little into specifics of the social media drama that I was involved in recently, which certainly raised my blood pressure just a little. You can also catch … [Read more...]
BJJ Techniques and Articles
Welcome to the Grapplearts Blog. Here you can check out black belt Stephan Kesting’s BJJ techniques, tips and articles for jiu-jitsu training and high level performance
Five Techniques to Counter the Kimura
Countering the Kimura The Kimura is one of the most powerful submissions in BJJ, and having your arm cranked by one can lead to serious injury if you don't tap out in time. Therefore you need some Kimura defenses you can rely on. Here are five of my favorite Kimura escapes. Not only do these techniques get you get out of danger, in the course of the escape they ALSO teleport you to your … [Read more...]
The Fastest Way to Boost Your BJJ Cardio
Years ago a big name MMA coach told me that Tabata sprints were mandatory for all his fighters. He argued that this particular exercise acted like a tank of nitrous in a street car; it gave his fighters the ability to generate an extra burst of speed and power when they need it most. In an MMA context this might be a wild flurry of sprawls and punches. In grappling it might be a desperate … [Read more...]
Hybrid Training with James Deirmendjian: Strength and Conditioning for BJJ
James Deirmendjian a strength and conditioning coach specialising in combat and tactical athletes who ALSO competes in BJJ, fighting against much younger opponents. As such he was the perfect choice to finish our 4-part series on hybrid training and the science of developing strength and endurance at the same time. In this episode James and I touch on many topics, including… - The most … [Read more...]
How to Fix Your BJJ Armdrag
After Marcelo Garcia arm-dragged his way to ADCC glory back in 2003 the arm drag became one of the most powerful attacks from the guard in BJJ overnight. The arm drag is so successful nowadays at every level of competition that I'd go so far as to say it's a mandatory technique, especially if you train without the gi sometimes. A well-executed armdrag from the guard teleports you directly … [Read more...]
Hybrid Training with James Pieratt: How to Mix Marathon and Strength Training
James Pieratt from Wild Hunt Conditioning first came to the public attention when he deadlifted 520 lbs and then immediately set out on a 50 mile ultramarathon. Today James joins us to share what he learned on an expedition in which he ran 802 miles through nearly the entire state of California. James is unique in the ultrarunning community because he also lifts heavy weights and trains in … [Read more...]
The 16 Most Important Techniques for the BJJ Beginner
What's the most common problem (aside from getting caught under side control) facing the BJJ beginner? It's probably feeling overwhelmed by the staggering number of techniques that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu contains! There are a thousand variations of sweeps and locks and chokes and pins and escapes and guard passes. It's enough to make your head spin! So where then do you start? Which … [Read more...]
Hybrid Training with Chris Duffin: The Science of Strength, Power and Endurance
Episode 430 features Chris Duffin who has squatted AND deadlifted over 1000 lbs for reps, but has also done some genuinely insane things like deadlifting 405 lbs 60 times in 60 seconds, and squatted 800 lbs every day for an entire month. Given that he has achieved these amazing feats of strength-endurance, I thought he would be a great guest for the podcast in our series on hybrid … [Read more...]
Hybrid Training with Mike McCastle: Peaking for Power, Endurance, and Mental Strength with Mike McCastle
There are strength sports like powerlifting and Olympic lifting, and there are endurance sports like marathoning and biking in the Tour de France... And then there are sports like BJJ that require a hybrid approach - optimising strength and endurance at the same time. This gets really tricky, so over the next four episodes of The Strenuous Life Podcast I'm going to be exploring hybrid … [Read more...]
Taking Your Training Out of the Dojo and Into the World, with Tom Callos
Martial arts pioneer Tom Callos came onto The Strenuous Life Podcast to discuss the California martial arts scene in the wake of Bruce Lee, the importance of taking your training out of the dojo and into the world, how your students can become your school's most effective advertising, being BJ Penn's first BJJ instructor, and his thoughts about BJ's current struggles. Tom has owned several … [Read more...]
Balancing Risk and Reward in Training
Training the chokes, locks, sweeps and throws of jiu-jitsu is an inherently dangerous activity, and for every dangerous activity there's always a delicate balancing of risk and reward. You need to learn when to keep on pushing, and when to back off. Never go 100% in training. And even in competition, you should always leave a little in reserve. Sometimes it helps to have examples from other … [Read more...]
A BJJ Match is a Zero-Sum Game
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...]