I loved doing this interview with Reilly Bodycomb. Reilly is a Russian sambo and leglock expert who has competed in a TON of different rulesets including BJJ, no gi submission grappling, MMA, Russian Sambo, and Chinese San Shou. He is the Pan-American Sport SAMBO Champion (2016), USA Sport SAMBO Champion (2016), Dutch Combat SAMBO Champion (2016), recently competed in Japan and is a BJJ black … [Read more...]
How to Coach at BJJ Tournaments
by Jeff Meszaros I’ve played all the big roles at Brazilian jiu jitsu tournaments: The stressed-out competitor sweating in the bullpen, the furiously screaming coach who is in obvious need of anger management counselling and the referee who seems to be daydreaming rather than watching the match. I’ve done it all, and quite badly. I’m just kidding, of course. I actually was never stressed-out … [Read more...]
New podcast with Travis Stevens, 3 x Judo Olympian, Olympic Silver Medalist, and BJJ Black Belt
In this episode of the Strenuous Life Podcast I go deep with 3 x Judo Olympian and BJJ black belt Travis Stevens. We go DEEP into his training regimen, including Why he does 5 or 6 workouts a day What the strength benchmarks are for effective judo Why mental fatigue is often just as much a limiting factor as physical fatigue How he uses his groundwork skills to force his opponents … [Read more...]
Which Leglocks Are Allowed in IBJJF Competition?
I'm old enough to remember a time when almost all leglocks (except heel hooks) and leg locking positions were legal in BJJ competition. But in the last 20 years the IBJJF - the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation - has really clamped down on what's legal in their BJJ competitions, and since it's the biggest organising body in the sport these rule changes have really changed the leglock … [Read more...]
The Most Powerful Way to Break a Stubborn Closed Guard
Today we're talking about passing the closed guard. In particular, we'll dig deep on one part of this process, because succeeding or failing at this task has decided the outcome of many matches at the highest level of competition. In trying to pass the guard of a good player you've got many different tasks that you need to achieve. These include fighting for grips, establishing posture, … [Read more...]
Weak Side Rear Mount – The Ultimate Free Guide
In the Rear Mount you can end up on either the ‘strong side’ (your overhook side) or on the ‘weak side’ (your underhook side) (In fact here's a link to an article on Grapplearts.com about the strong side vs weak side debate) Ultimately though, the bottom line is that you can’t always be in charge of where you end up; your opponent gets a vote too! So sometimes you’re going to end up on the … [Read more...]
How to Throw Defensive, Stiff-Arming, Bent-Over Opponents
A reader writes... Question: Hi Stephan, I'm looking for a way to incorporate some of judo take-downs into my BJJ game, but I'm having a lot of difficulty finding throws that work with the low center of gravity that is so central to the jiu-jitsu defence against throws. The defensive bent-over posture makes it nearly impossible to get good access to their hips, or even their legs while … [Read more...]
2 Easy Guard Passing Strategies
Here's a brand new video I just shot... It covers two quick tweaks that'll make your guard passing game a LOT more powerful, both when you're sparring in class, and also when you're fighting in competition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sT533p1VHc Passing the guard of a good player is one of the hardest things to do in BJJ. But here are two strategies to help you... Guard … [Read more...]
Training BJJ, Kicked out of Karate, Meeting Rick Flair, and the Movie ‘Logan’ with Masters World Champion James ‘300’ Foster
I think you'll like this Grapplearts Radio Podcast episode! In it I talk to 280 lb BJJ Masters World Champion James '300' Foster who was fresh back from a pre Pan-Ams California training trip. Some of the things we talk about include... Getting kicked our of Karate after starting BJJ, The process of finding the correct mix of training that works best for you, Cutting … [Read more...]
The Key to Getting Better and Tougher
BJJ makes you tougher because it’s a difficult activity that challenges you physically, mentally and emotionally. At first, when you’re getting slaughtered by a 2 stripe white belt, escaping from mount seems impossible. Yet a few years later, fighting your way out of the bottom of mount, passing the guard, and finishing with an armbar is just another day at the office. Over time … [Read more...]
How to do the Over-Under Guard Pass in No Gi
Can you do the over-under guard pass in no gi? That's a good question, and there's nobody better to answer this question than my friend Bernardo Faria, a multiple time BJJ world champion known for his crushing over-under guard pass. As the name implies, the over-under involves getting one of your arms over his legs and your other arm under his legs. In the gi you would typically grasp his … [Read more...]
How to Break a Tight Sleeve Grip on Your Gi
The single best thing you can do to stop your opponent from dominating you in grappling is to get rid of his grips on you. But against someone with strong hands and a powerful grip this can be tough to do. That's why I want to share a super-powerful way to break a sleeve grip with you. It's illegal in Judo but still totally allowed in BJJ. I've seen small women use … [Read more...]
The Training and Competition Strategies of Bernardo Faria
Bernardo Faria is a 5 x BJJ World Champion (and a good friend) so I was very excited to sit down with him and have an in-depth conversation about his competition, training and conditioning routine. The full transcript, audio and video are below on this page, but here's a quick preview of some of the things talked about: Exactly what a world champion's day to day training regimen … [Read more...]
Overtraining in the Martial Arts
How to Avoid Bringing Your Martial Arts Training to a Screeching Halt... Overtraining is a major problem for the serious martial artist, and especially for competitors who have to balance technical training sessions with sparring and additional conditioning, often in the course of a single day. All this hard training can result in the body breaking down faster than it can repair itself, which … [Read more...]
The Miyao Brothers’ 5 Step BJJ Competition Strategy
by Jeff Meszaros Every now and then, someone comes along who takes a sport by storm and revolutionizes the game by playing it differently... The Gracies famously changed the world of martial arts by showing the importance of ground work. Wayne Gretzky changed hockey with his "go around the net" trick. Mike Tyson dominated boxing by using a "peekaboo" style that hadn't been used like that … [Read more...]
Grapplearts Radio Podcast Episode 039: BJJ, Adversity, and Stopping Your Mind From Going Blank
I've just released the latest episode of the Grapplearts Radio Podcast! In this episode I'm flying solo and addressing two main topics... How and why BJJ training helps prepare you for ANY adversity that you might encounter in life, and What to do when your mind goes completely blank when you're sparring, rolling or competing. This podcast episode, along with all my others, … [Read more...]
10 Key Techniques and Tactics of Marcelo Garcia
Marcelo Garcia is probably the most dominant jiu-jitsu athlete of the last 15 years. When he was competing he owned both the gi and the no gi divisions (4 x ADCC champion, 5 x Mundial World Champion). As if that wasn't enough, his amazing performances in the absolute division against giants like Ricco Rodriguez have ensured his place in grappling history. It’s always a good idea to … [Read more...]
A Strategy for Getting 15 Points in a BJJ Tournament Fast
The ultimate goal of BJJ competition is to tap your opponent out, not to win by points. That being said, the point system is still a very important part of the game and you have to understand how to use it! Here's why... First of all, the point system in BJJ tournaments generally reflects what would work in a real fight. For example, its better to be on top than on bottom in a fight, … [Read more...]
How To Find the High Percentage BJJ Techniques You Can Rely On
As a young martial artist I once debated whether a certain Kung Fu striking technique could actually work in a real fight. To prove my point I mentioned that a bouncer I knew had successfully used that technique on a drunk in the bar the other night. The guy I was arguing with shut me down with a devastatingly simple rebuttal, “Yeah Stephan, that doesn't prove anything, because ANYTHING will … [Read more...]
BJJ Competition Mindset Tips
Here's a video that I shot with Rob Biernacki and one of his visiting students in response to a question I'd received from an email newsletter subscriber about competing at your very best in BJJ tournaments. You can watch the video below or scroll down to see the main points that we covered... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0HTOI9qKkk I get a lot of questions asking for tips, tricks and … [Read more...]