If you end up on your opponent's back in rearmount then he'll be doing his very best to escape! Here's how to shut him down and stay glued on his back using cross body rotational control! This is part 1 in a series on the so-called 'weak side' of the back we're releasing on Youtube and is a small part of the Back Control module of the BJJ Formula instructional. You can get The Back Attacks Formula … [Read more...]
Back Attacks: Best Way to Control the Back in BJJ
Rob Biernacki breaks down the strong and the weak side of back control for BJJ and no gi. This is the introduction to series on the so-called 'weak side' of the back which we will be releasing on Youtube and is a small part of the Back Control module of the BJJ Formula instructional. This is the introduction in a series on the so-called 'weak side' of the back we're releasing on Youtube and is a … [Read more...]
How to Defend and Escape the 411 (aka Honeyhole, Saddle, or Inside Sankaku)
The 411 (also called the 'Honeyhole', the 'Saddle' and the 'Inside Sankaku') is the most powerful position in leglocking. Here's a clip from https://www.grapplearts.com/modern with BJJ black belt Matt Kwan showing how to defend and escape it! https://youtu.be/oUFjr-JDyPw … [Read more...]
A Powerful Heel Hook Leglock Escape
Many grapplers treat leglocks as the black magic of jiu-jitsu. They fear leglocks and never use them. Cnsequently never learn how to properly escape them either. The problem is that if you're doing any form of no gi grappling you will inevitably run into ankle locks, heel hooks, kneebars and toeholds - sticking your head in the sand like an ostrich and ignoring them is no longer an … [Read more...]
Modern Jiu-Jitsu Instructional with Matt Kwan Out Today!
Hey guys, the brand new instructional Modern Jiu-Jitsu is now LIVE on Grapplearts!! It's a deep dive into the techniques that have had the biggest effects on gi and no gi jiu-jitsu in the last 10 years and that are now required knowledge for any serious competitor. It's available in online streaming, DVD and app format. And right now it's available at an absolutely KILLER … [Read more...]
How To Do The Crab Ride in BJJ and No Gi Grappling
The Crab Ride is one of the hottest new positions in BJJ used by competitors like Rafa Mendes, Gianni Grippo, the Miyao brothers, Mikey Musumeci and more. It looks kind of like you're doing the butterfly guard on the back of your opponent's legs with your insteps behind his knees... except that you're upside down while doing it! The cool thing is that from that strange position there are a … [Read more...]
Defending and Escaping When Someone is On Your Back!
Having someone on your back in rear mount is an absolutely terrible situation. It doesn't matter if you're doing BJJ, no gi submission grappling, MMA, or are in a self defense situation. When someone is behind you with the hooks in and his arms locked in the seatbelt position then you're really very close to getting choked into a drooling mess. There's a reason that being caught in rear … [Read more...]
How to Escape Cross Side Mount
Getting crushed on the bottom of the cross-side mount is one of the most terrible feelings in jiu-jitsu. In the worst case situation his weight is heavy upon your chest making it hard to breathe. Your limbs are completely out of position making it impossible for you to frame or push him away. And his arm is anchored under your head allowing him to drive his shoulder into your jaw with a … [Read more...]
How to Do the Rolling Backtake
The rolling backtake started gaining acceptance on the mats about 10 years ago, and since then has become a mainstay of modern jiu-jitsu. Watch any Rafa Mendes match and you'll more than likely see him teleport to someone's back using a variation of this move. The fact that he does it again and again, against people who know it's coming and are doing everything they can to stop it, means … [Read more...]
The BJJ Crucifix Position and Your Best Submission Options From There
The crucifix is a very important position in BJJ and No Gi grappling. Like the rearmount the crucifix puts you behind your opponent where all your weapons are pointed at him and he's essentially unable to launch any offense against you. Unlike the rearmount, however, the crucifix ties up both of his arms so that defending your choke and armlock attacks becomes even harder for him. So it’s … [Read more...]
Single and Double Leg Takedowns for Beginners
My friend Rob Biernacki and I recently shot a video about two of the most important takedowns for grappling: the single and the double leg takedowns. These are deeply complex techniques that can be explored and elaborated on endlessly, but for beginners it's sometimes good to keep things simple. However we let our inner smartasses run wild when we were filming this material, so the … [Read more...]
Kesa Gatame in BJJ
Kesa Gatame in Judo There's a pinning position in Judo known as 'Kesa Gatame' (which translates to 'scarf hold' in Japanese) In a Judo competition a 20 second holddown wins you the match, so Judo competitors often develop fiercely powerful pins. And Kesa Gatame (aka the 'scarf hold') is one of the most classic Judo pinning positions. Kesa Gatame is essentially a headlock on steroids: you … [Read more...]
How to Set Traps for Your Opponent in BJJ
Today I want to talk about setting traps for your opponent in BJJ. The idea is that you force your opponent into a position or a situation where he only has a limited number of possible responses. Because you already have a pretty good idea of what he's going to do as soon as he uses one of those responses you spring your trap and go to the next pre-programmed move. This concept allows you … [Read more...]
How to Pass Closed Guard with the Stack Pass
If you're caught in the closed guard against a skilled opponent then you're in serious trouble. Give him time and you'll find that he's wrapped up your arms, broken your posture, and is getting closer and closer to tapping you out with some choke or armlock. That's why the closed guard is NOT a place for you to hang out. Instead you should immediately and determinedly start passing the … [Read more...]
How to do the de la Riva Anklelock
The de la Riva ankle lock is the holy grail of open guard leglocking. It has been pursued by many, but mastered by few. It's a super effective, IBJJF legal submission from the de la Riva open guard developed by BJJ phenom and 12 time world champion Caio Terra (hence it also being known as the 'Caio Terra anklelock.') So why is it so hard for many people to learn? It's not that it requires … [Read more...]
Passing and Smashing Inverted Guard, by Fabio Gurgel
Passing the guard of an extremely flexible player can be really annoying. You get close to passing and they simply flip upside down, put their feet on the floor, and taunt you from their strange inverted guard position. Some gumby players go even further and develop an entire attacking game from this inverted guard, sometimes also known as the tornado guard. It may look strange but it … [Read more...]
Does Pressure Passing Work for Small Guys?
"Does pressure passing work for small guys, or is it just for the big, heavy guys at they gym?" I'm getting this question a lot now that I've released The Pressure Passing System instructional with 4 x world champion Fabio Gurgel. And it's a good question! First things first, let's define what we're talking about... The Styles of Guard Passing Fundamentally there are two styles of guard … [Read more...]
No Gi Butterfly Guard Pass
The butterfly guard is a very popular guard position in no gi grappling because it doesn't rely on fancy sleeve and lapel grips. So if you're going to be competitive in no gi you definitely need to know how to deal with the butterfly guard, how to shut it down, and how to pass it. There are some very athletic speed-based passes for butterfly that involve jumping, spinning, floating, … [Read more...]
How to Crush the Younger Grappler
One problem with fighting younger guys is that they're like the Energizer bunny - they keep going and going and going... How can you beat them? To beat them you first need to wear them down and then break their will to fight. This is all well and good in theory, but how exactly do you do this in reality? Think of the young punk's gas tank as completely full. However unless you're in … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 195 -Guard Passing Strategies and Tactics with Fabio Gurgel
Today's episode is PURE GOLD for BJJ practitioners and No Gi grapplers. Fabio Gurgel - 4 time BJJ Black Belt World Champion (and trainer of more than 50 other world champions) - talks about his approach to passing the guard, including How to connect your moves, The evolution of guard passing, Advice for older grapplers, When you should stop halfway through a guard pass to tire the … [Read more...]