Modern BJJ is unimaginable without the Spider Guard. In this form of Open Guard you grip your opponent’s wrists or sleeves and have at least one foot controlling at least one of his arms. Usually your feet will be placed against his biceps, and/or one leg will spiral around his elbow with your toes hiding underneath his upper arm (this is called a 'lasso'). Controlling both of his arms … [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
10 Red Flags That You Might Be Following a Guru
In episode 334 of Stephan Kesting versus the world (aka The Strenuous Life Podcast) I talk with Oxford trained evolutionary and cognitive anthropologist Chris Kavanagh about the 10 red flags that go into creating the ‘gurometer’ used by the Decoding the Gurus podcast. That podcast tackles the secular gurus propagating their ideas, grievances, and conspiracies on the internet. From Jordan … [Read more...]
Every Triangle Choke Setup is ALSO an Omoplata Setup!
Every entry into the triangle choke is ALSO a way to get into the omoplata armlock. Now it's true that the two techniques look very different when they're finished: in the triangle choke you wrap your legs around your opponent's neck and one of his arms, and in the omoplata you're essentially performing a Kimura armlock on his arm using your legs. But for both submissions you have to … [Read more...]
Closed Guard Strategies with Jon Thomas
In episode episode 331 of The Strenuous Life Podcast BJJ black belt competitor Jon Thomas goes deep into the strategies, gameplans and training methods for the closed guard. How to Listen to the Audio-Only Version of this Podcast Episode Featuring Jon Thomas 1) I’ve released this as episode 331 on my podcast (The Strenuous Life Podcast) which you can listen to on all podcast players, … [Read more...]
Trolling Anti-Vaxx Rallies with Walter Masterson
Walter Masterson trolls anti-vaxx and pro-conspiracy rallies. He's brave, funny and insightful, and I was honored to have him as a guest on episode 332 of The Strenuous Life Podcast. Follow Walter.. On Youtube at youtube.com/user/waltermasterson On TikTok at tiktok.com/@waltermasterson On Twitter at twitter.com/waltermasterson And on Instagram at … [Read more...]
The Engagement Phase Game, A Drill to Take Your Gripfighting to the Next Level!
I've written a LOT about gripfighting on my blog, and that's because I really do believe it's one of the highest leverage skills in BJJ. That means a little bit of gripfighting knowledge can have a huge influence on your actual mat skills. For example, if you're going against a bigger, stronger opponent then one of the most important things you can do is control the grips. Now controlling … [Read more...]
How to Learn from BJJ Instructionals (The Strenuous Life Podcast Episode 330)
In episode 330 of The Strenuous Life Podcast we covered how to connect wrestling and leglocks, learn from instructionals, avoid bad seminars, improve BJJ training methods, the Australian MMA scene, trends in grappling, and much more with the eloquent Sonny Brown from the Sonny Brown Breakdown! Here is just a little of what we covered today… 00:21 - The Australian jiu-jitsu scene 05:58 - … [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...]
New Release: The Closed Guard System with Jon Thomas!!
So I just released a BRAND NEW instructional featuring renowned BJJ black belt instructor Jon Thomas! It's called 'The Closed Guard System' and it's your no-nonsense guide to really making the closed guard work for you. Check out the trailer for the instructional right here... The closed guard is an old school position that's still totally relevant today, especially if you lack the … [Read more...]
Fixing Martial Arts Back Pain, with Dr Stuart McGill
Back pain is incredibly common in sport, including all martial arts and combative sports. That's why I was thrilled to talk to Dr Stuart McGill, one of the world's leading experts on back pain. Dr. McGill is considered to be one of the world’s foremost experts on the spine, back pain and rehabilitation. He is an author, scientist, clinician and was a professor emeritus at the University of … [Read more...]
How to Counter the Toreando Guard Pass
So there you are, on your back and fighting your opponent with your legs. Maybe you're using the Spider Guard, the Butterfly Guard, or any other variation of Open Guard, but regardless, both you and he are jockeying for grips and position. You’re trying to set up your guard sweeps and submissions, and he’s trying to pass your guard. Then - disaster! Your opponent grips both your pant … [Read more...]
How Martial Artists Can Break Into Movie and TV Stuntwork
Steve Koepfer is a Master of Sport in Russian Sambo, and has translated his skills on the mat into a busy career as a stuntman appearing in the John Wick movies, Ray Donovan, The Blacklist, The Punisher and more. In episode of 329 of The Strenuous Life Podcast we go into depth about what doing stuntwork is really like, how fight scenes get choreographed, and Steve's best advice for people … [Read more...]
A Powerful Side Mount Escape That Leads Directly into an Armbar Finish
Going directly into the armbar from the bottom side mount has to be one of the most surprising escapes for the guy on top. One moment he's crushing you with his crossface, and the next he's tapping out to a match-ending submission. The first time I saw this technique I didn't think it was very realistic. It looked like a power move that required tremendous upper body strength. But when I … [Read more...]
Combat Sambo and Russian MMA
Steve Koepfer is a Master of Sport of Russia in Combat Sambo and the head coach of New York Combat Sambo. In episode of 328 of The Strenuous Life Podcast we talk about the impending wave of combat sambo specialists coming to the UFC and other MMA events, the differences between training in Russia and North America, the prevalence of leglocks, and much more. I hope you enjoy this conversation … [Read more...]
A Revelation That’s Helped Me ‘Win’ More than 10 Street Fights
Today's video (and podcast episode) is story about the first time I 'won' a street fight by realising that the other guy - an older, shabbily dressed, homeless man - was almost certainly mentally ill. A good street fight is one that you walk away from or de-escalate, because even if you KO the other guy you could still lose (as I discussed in my Death After the Knockout article. Be … [Read more...]
Bringing Jiu-Jitsu into Public Schools, with Dom Hoskins
Dom Hoskins is a BJJ black belt, coach and fierce competitor who is helping bring the lessons of jiu-jitsu to public schools in California's East Bay. I think his insights will help anyone who is looking to work with kids and help them get ahead in life. Bringing Jiu-Jitsu into Public Schools (Video) Bringing Jiu-Jitsu into Public Schools (Audio) You can also just listen to the audio form of … [Read more...]
The BJJ Arm Drag
The arm drag is one of the most versatile BJJ techniques. You can use it to take the back, sweep your opponent, set up a barrage of chokes, sweeps and submissions, defend your guard, and even just spam your opponent so he's reacting to you rather than planning his own offense If you're thinking about adding the the arm drag to your game then starting in the butterfly guard is the way to … [Read more...]
Wrestling with Trust, Propaganda, and Conspiracies, with Amitabha Palmer
Amitabha Palmer is a wrestler, judoka, and an adjunct professor of philosophy at Ohio Northern University. The topics he researches include how widespread conspiracism and science denialism affect democratic policy making. I was thrilled to have him on the podcast and I think it's a very important conversation! Wrestling with Trust, Propaganda, and Conspiracies, with Amitabha Palmer … [Read more...]
An Evolutionary Biologist on the Best Strategies for BJJ, with Marcio Pie
Here's the video of my conversation with Marcio Pie which blends of two of my favorite topics: the science of biology and the science of BJJ. Marcio is a professor of zoology at UFPR and practices Jiu-Jitsu in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil Evolutionary Theory Applied to Jiu-Jitsu, with Marcio Pie (Video) Video Timestamps 01:08 - Introduction to evolution 06:44 - Runaway selection 09:56 - … [Read more...]
The Limits of Human Endurance, with Endurance Athlete Mike McCastle
Mike McCastle set a new world record on Jan 23, 2021, immersing himself in ice for 2 hours and 40 minutes and surviving! He joined me on Episode 323 of The Strenuous Life Podcast to talk about this absolutely insane challenge including, The physical preparation and mental strength required to it off, The limits of the human body, Tummo (inner fire) breathing and visualisation, How … [Read more...]
When is the Best Time to Escape a Pin?
I was recently asked an interesting question... "Stephan, when you're pinned is it better to wait for a good opportunity to escape, or to spend some energy to recover guard right away?" The answer to this is easy! Escape BEFORE the pin is even fully established. Your opponent didn't just magically appear on top of you; some kind of progression had to happen first! He opened your … [Read more...]
Covid Epidemiology 101 with Colin Furness, PhD
What exactly is herd immunity? How can we be sure that the vaccine companies aren't lying to us? What is this 'R0' value and why does it matter? What are the proven methods to stop outbreaks? Are what are some reasons for hope? These are just some of the topics I cover on today's podcast with Colin Furness, PhD, a epidemiologist at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, … [Read more...]
Improving BJJ Training Methods, with Pritt Mihkelson
Priit is a renowned BJJ black belt who has taught his style of defensive jiu-jitsu to thousands of people through his classes, seminars and instructionals. He's particularly known for his unusual approach to teaching jiu-jitsu and structuring classes in such a way that people come away from them with the techniques and concepts they can actually use right away. In episode 321 of The … [Read more...]
So You’ve Been Jabbed: Now What? BJJ After Vaccination with Dr Nicholas Tyau
Dr Nicholas Tyau is a BJJ Black Belt and an internal medicine specialist who worked in NYC hospitals during Covid Ground Zero in 2020. Today we cover the 5 key factors you need to consider after you've been vaccinated but before you decide to return to normal training. We discuss the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing you from getting Covid-19 (good but not perfect), ending up in the … [Read more...]
BJJ Training Pods
APRIL 18 2021 UPDATE (Originally published August 5th, 2020): With the advances in vaccination I believe there is a role for 'vaccinated training pods' to exist in the BJJ landscape. Essentially these are small groups of fully vaccinated people who are willing to accept the much smaller risk posed by training with other vaccinated people rather than training out in general population. This … [Read more...]