Getting picked up and slammed when you've got your opponent in the closed guard is one of the most dangerous things that can happen to you in grappling. It's definitely a legitimate technique for big and strong guys to use. And in MMA and self defense slamming an opponent is one of the best ways to open the guard, or to escape a tight triangle choke. Getting power-bombed and then and having … [Read more...]
Podcast EP22: Adam Singer on Modern MMA Training and Competition
Stephan: I’m here today with my friend, Adam Singer, who runs The HardCore Gym in Athens, Georgia. He is probably best known for being Forrest Griffin’s MMA coach during the formative years of Forrest’s career. He’s also a jiu-jitsu black belt and has trained tons of fighters. I’m really looking forward to picking his brain about MMA and jiu-jitsu and the relationship between these things. … [Read more...]
A Dirty Boxing Breakdown
This is a video from the archives that I shot with my friend and training partner at Infighting MMA in downtown Vancouver. Infighting has since moved into a much nicer, larger facility, but the information in this video is still 100% valid. It's all about the 'dirty boxing' techniques that are technically illegal in boxing but still end up deciding fights all the time. … [Read more...]
A Sakuraba Highlight Video Worth Watching
I came across the video below and thought it was a poignant tribute to the arc of Sakuraba's career in Pride. It combines Sakuraba's beautiful grappling with the extreme violence of Japanese Pride, along with a melancholy undertone that reminded me of the movie 'The Wrestler' starring Mickey Rourke from a few years ago. For those of you not familiar with his career it's hard to convey the shock … [Read more...]
The Most Dangerous Throw in Judo & BJJ
There's a good reason that the extremely effective throw Kani Basami has been banned in all Judo and most BJJ competitions: it's super dangerous! Kani Basami has inflicted severe lower body injuries in dojos and competitions all over the world. I myself used it extensively until I was sparring with a wrestler, misjudged the distances, and landed on his ankle severely twisting it. He was out of … [Read more...]
The Most Distinctive MMA Fighter
Man, nobody else fights like Masakazu Imanari. Such a distinctive (and scary) style… Imanari is a man on a mission: if there's a leg in the room somewhere then he's going to find it and tear it off. Every moment of every fight he's looking to wrap up that leg: it doesn't matter if you're punching, kicking, clinching or on the ground. Even the former UFC fighter (and infamous heel hooker) … [Read more...]
How to Defeat The Judo-Style Rolling Armbar
Love her or hate her, Ronda Rousey is an armbar machine. At UFC 168 she defeated Meisha Tate with her eighth armbar in eight MMA fights. This armbar streak is an amazing achievement, and a lot of people (including a lot of people who don't actually train) have been asking me how to counter this attack. I was thinking about doing this but it turns out that someone beat me to it. Ronda got … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Close the Distance in a Streetfight
BJJ is a great fitness activity and a wonderful sport. But at it's core Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is still a martial art. The word 'martial' is defined as "being related to fighting or war". And that means you have to be ready throw down should the s**t hit the fan out there in the cold, cruel world. Sometimes in a street confrontation you should run away, sometimes you should look for improvised … [Read more...]
Podcast EP18: John Perretti, MMA Matchmaker
I recently talked to John Perretti, the former matchmaker for both the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the Extreme Fighting Championship. In our fifty minute interview John and I discussed the early days of the sport, how he found and selected fighters, brain trauma in the combat sports, his disdain for the current state of the UFC, and much more. So if you're a fan of early MMA there's a … [Read more...]
The Most Important Concept for No Gi Takedowns
Takedowns can seem difficult, tricky and confusing. Especially if you're not gifted with a surplus of fast-twitch muscle and innately awesome timing. But my friend and BJJ world champion Emily Kwok has a concept that makes the whole takedowns game a LOT easier. … [Read more...]
Ronda Rousey and the Power of Gameplans
In case you were hiding under a rock, Ronda Rousey fought Liz Carmouche last night at UFC 157. She both validated her UFC Women's Bantamweight title, and made history by being in the first-ever women's match in the the UFC. And just in case you were under that aforementioned rock, despite a very spirited fight by Liz Carmouche, Ronda won the match with an armbar at 4:49 of the first … [Read more...]
How to Counter the Armlock from the Underhook
If you have any exposure to standup grappling then you know the power of a standing underhook. It allows you to dominate your opponent, move him around, and set up lots of throws, takedowns and other moves. In fact, at every single UFC event you hear some cornerman yelling "underhook, Underhook, UNDERHOOK! But have you ever gone for an underhook in the clinch only to have your opponent wrap … [Read more...]
How Not to Break Your Neck Doing Takedowns
There's no getting around it, all contact sports are inherently dangerous. And it's hard to have more contact in a sport than in MMA. Now it's true that MMA might not be the most dangerous contact sport - that dubious title could arguably go to boxing or pro football - but in the past few years there have still been been some very, very serious injuries in MMA related to takedowns... … [Read more...]
Is BJJ still relevant in MMA?
A while ago I had the honor of interviewing Ricardo Liborio. Liborio is a famous Carlson Gracie's black belt who is known for his incredible depth of understanding of BJJ. He's also the head coach at American Top Team, which is literally one of MMA's most successful champion factories. … [Read more...]
Arm Behind the Back Guard Pass
Getting a handle, or a grip, on your opponent in MMA is not always easy. Here Denis uses an unusual grip both to control his opponent and remove one of his potential weapons from the equation. … [Read more...]
A Confusion of Open Guards
The open guard can be quite confusing. Basically any time your legs are not closed around the back of your opponent you are in a type of open guard. Butterfly guard, X guard, spider guard, sitting guard etc. etc. are all open guards. … [Read more...]
Counter vs. Opponent Catching your Kick
In MMA a sharp striker can sometimes counter a determined grappler. But to do this they have to know how to mix their striking with standup wrestling, like in this technique! … [Read more...]
Takedown and Neck Crank vs. Thai Kick
Photos and explanation that show the transition from Blocked Thai Kick to a takedown and neck crank. … [Read more...]
Clinch to Inside Trip to Heel Hook vs. Punching
Closing the gap in MMA can be the most dangerous part of the fight. Sometimes throwing fake strikes allows you to get in close enough to take your opponent down... White and Black are in punching range. White throws and overhand right - Black blocks at the bicep and rushes in... ...achieving the 'over and under' clinch position, a very common clinch in NHB and MMA … [Read more...]
Sprawl Counter vs. Double Leg Tackle
If you try a sloppy takedown in MMA you could end up paying a hefty price. Here's how your takedown gone wrong might go down... … [Read more...]