I was recently asked "what are the most common mistakes that first-time competitors make?" BJJ tournaments in general, and ESPECIALLY your first competition, are likely to be a little bit chaotic. … [Read more...]
Podcast EP9: Best Interview Ever? Ryan Hall Speaks his Mind
The Ryan Hall interview is ready, and it might be my best interrogation ever! With more than 200 tournaments, countless superfights, and solid performances in the Mundials and ADCC Ryan is one of North America's most successful and prolific grapplers. As such he's uniquely positioned to give a ton insight into the world of BJJ and submission grappling. Click Play Below to Listen to My … [Read more...]
Sports Psychology for BJJ, MMA & Submission Grappling
*** A Sports Psychology Question from a Reader *** Hi Stephan, I was listening to your interview with Ryan Hall and I was wondering about which Sports Psychology Books you had read or would recommend. … [Read more...]
Podcast EP6: Judo for BJJ, An Olympian’s Perspective
One of the most neglected areas of BJJ training is takedowns. Which is a shame, for a couple of reasons… … [Read more...]
More on Self Defense, MMA and the UFC
I've received lots of email recently, so today I thought I'd dip into the mailbag and share a few emails. I've also quickly jotted down some quick comments, and some links to a few relevant articles. … [Read more...]
Q & A: Should I tape my matches?
==> A QUESTION <== "Do you think there's much benefit to video taping myself in sparring sessions and then watching them later to try and pin point bad/good techniques, or stuff I need to work on? … [Read more...]
Podcast EP2: BJJ & Submission Grappling Competition: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know!
"Everything you ever wanted to know about Brazilian Jiu-jitsu competition but were afraid to ask!" That's a strong statement, but it's almost even true. In my latest podcast I talk extensively with David Meyer, author of Training for Competition: Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Submission Grappling. We cover a TON of ground in this interview, ranging from why you might want to compete at all, to … [Read more...]
‘My’ Technique at ADCC…
Talk about synchronicity! A month ago I told you about a specific guard position I've been having a ton of success with - the logsplitter position. … [Read more...]
Do You Have Competition Questions?
David Meyer has a ton of credentials, but for now I'm only going to mention three of them: He's a BJJ Black Belt under the Machado brothers, He's got a very solid record in BJJ and in submission grappling competition, and He's the author of one of my favorite new books "Training for Competition: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Submission Grappling." Sometime in July of 2009 I'm hoping to … [Read more...]
10 Principles to Prepare for Battle
by Erik Paulson How often do you get to see a victorious coach’s training plan? … [Read more...]
Box a fighter, fight a boxer
"Box a fighter, and fight a boxer." This old saying isn't only limited to boxing - you can use the very same principle in grappling, jiu-jitsu and MMA.In a competition, or a 'serious' match you DON'T want to play the other guy's game. His game is what he's good at. … [Read more...]
The Wrestler (and Tips for Competition)
Some people are natural born competitors. Like Mickey Rourke's character in "The Wrestler" they love the limelight, the roar of the crowd and putting it all on the line... ... and the rest of us tend to have more of a love-hate relationship with competition. … [Read more...]
On Keeping Your Enemies (and their Coaches) Close
I don't remember too much from my first BJJ tournament other than that the place was packed, that there were lots of huge guys strutting around like they owned the place, and that I was nervous as hell. … [Read more...]
A Dangerous Time
We've been discussing injuries a lot recently, and it seems to have hit a chord with the Grapplearts readership. I don't want to beat a dead horse, but I wanted to discuss one more thing before we leave this topic. … [Read more...]
Keeping the Will to Fight
As is so often the case, Mark Twain said it best: "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." This applies to dogs, grapplers, MMA fighters and jiu-jitsu players alike. … [Read more...]
Cutting Weight: A Rant
Today I want to write about a practice I don't like and don't endorse, but that is probably here to stay: cutting weight to get into a lower weight bracket for competition. … [Read more...]
Grappling with Competition Anxiety
I don't do a lot of competition these days, and I do miss it (and the wonderful focus it adds to your training). One thing I DON'T miss, however, is the stomach churning anxiety that accompanied competition. … [Read more...]
Beating the Big Guy (Again)
Of all the questions I am asked, the most common question has to be how to beat someone who is much bigger than yourself... I've already tackled beating the larger, stronger opponent in a previous article on this site but people keep on asking me for more tips … [Read more...]
OK, Enough Already, I Get It!
Lessons in grappling (and life in general) repeat themselves until learned. Sometimes there are techniques or principles that you learn, take for granted, teach to others and then slowly forget … [Read more...]
Let’s Get It On – Raising Your Arousal Level
In the last article I promised to discuss some methods and techniques to raise your arousal level and get some serious adrenaline flowing in your system. If you haven’t figured out why you might want to do this then check out the discussion of optimal state of arousal from the previous 3 weeks of tips. … [Read more...]