The Imanari roll is absolutely one of the coolest submission attacks out there. It's unorthodox, it's fancy, but unlike many other flashy moves it's it's also quite high percentage. If you do it correctly you get straight into the 411 leglock position, which is the most powerful leglocking position we have. So there's definitely a huge upside if you land it. This move has been used … [Read more...]
Three Critical Control Points You Must Have to Apply a Good Leglock
It's a terrible thing to do all that work to get into a good leglock position only to have your opponent find enough space to slip out and escape. Or worse, have him laugh at your submission attempt because it's not tight enough to cause him any concern. The key to a good leglock is having 3 points of control, namely, The three ingredients of every good leglock are Control of the hip, … [Read more...]
Wristlocks in BJJ; What Makes Them Work?
Wristlocks are submissions that bend the wrist by bending, flexing, extending or rotating the hand relative to the bones of the forearm. Some martial arts like aikido, hapkido, and traditional Japanese jujutsu specialise in wristlocks, making them a major part of their curriculum. Most of the common BJJ jointlocks target the elbow (e.g. straight armbars), shoulder (e.g. Kimura and … [Read more...]
The Step by Step Aoki Lock
The Aoki lock is an incredibly versatile submission that can instantly turn the tables in a match. You can apply it in situations where you have the dominant leglock position, but you can also use it as a counter when your opponent has the dominant position. Either way, it's a gamechanger! Here's a video from Cutting Edge Leglocks to break down the Aoki Lock for you, followed by a written … [Read more...]
A Masterclass on Finishing the Heel Hook from the 411 Position
Leglocks are incredibly devastating submissions, especially in a no gi grappling context. And the inside heel hook from the 411 position (aka the saddle, the cross ashi, and the honey hole) is one of the most powerful leglock attacks in no gi grappling. As this attack becomes more popular people are inevitably getting better at defending it. Right now the most common defence by far is to turn … [Read more...]
New Product – Cutting Edge Leglocks!
Leglocks have changed the grappling game forever, and leglock attacks have never been more effective! But this area of jiu-jitsu is evolving FAST. In the last 5 years, a TON of new techniques, tactics, strategies and counters have been developed. So most grapplers need a bit of help to keep up with the times and avoid being left behind. Help is on the way... In our BRAND NEW, JUST … [Read more...]
Rolling Back Take from 3/4 Mount
Rolling backtakes have become part of modern jiu-jitsu but are undeniably intimidating. To help you become comfortable with the idea of doing a somersault and ending up on someone's back, here's the simplest rolling backtake you can do. First, learn to identify the trigger position (which is 3/4 mount)... Then make sure his hands are on one side of your body... Then roll in line … [Read more...]
The Three Most Important Back Mount Escapes
Having someone on your back in back mount or rear mount is a terrible situation in jiu-jitsu, especially if he's doing a good job of controlling your upper body with an over-under seatbelt grip and your lower body with his hooks. The longer he stays on your back the longer you'll be vulnerable to submissions like the rear naked choke, the rear triangle choke, armlocks, spinal cranks and even … [Read more...]
How to do the Low Single for No Gi Grappling
The low single is a variation of the single leg takedown, which is one of the staple techniques of wrestling. Probably the most famous low single in history belonged to John Smith, who used this move to win multiple world championships and multiple Olympic gold medals. Not only is the low single is good for winning Olympic medals, it's also a great technique for submission … [Read more...]
Top 10 Wrestling Moves for BJJ
by Jeff Meszaros In many ways, wrestling and Brazilian jiu jitsu are total opposites. The core concepts of the two sports run against each other, and what's a great idea in one art is often a terrible idea in the other. In wrestling, you do anything you can to avoid having your back put on the mat. But in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, people will often fall to their backs immediately to "pull guard" … [Read more...]
Pressure Guard Passing with Fabio Gurgel
There's a reason why Fabio Gurgel has successfully coached over fifty Black Belt World Champions and is a 4 time BJJ world champion himself! He's an amazing teacher, able to simplify complicated techniques so that they work for everyone... Fabio's top pressure is unbelievable. No matter if it's the closed guard, spider guard, butterfly guard, half guard, or some type of newfangled … [Read more...]
Fake Low, Go High; How to Use Level Change Fakes to Set Up Takedowns and Submissions
There's a universal combative principle known as 'fake east, go west.' This idea has been valid since forever. It has been used effectively in small-scale fights between individuals and also at the grand strategic level in huge wars. That's because it only always works. The idea is to distract your opponent by doing one thing over here and then hit them hard somewhere else. One … [Read more...]
Elbow-Knee Connection in BJJ, And How to Develop It.
You often hear about elbow-knee connection in BJJ, but what does it mean and, more importantly, how will it help you? To finalise a guard pass, your opponent must invade the space between your elbow and knee to gain control of your torso. Elbow-knee connection involves keeping your elbow touching your knee when you're in guard. This denies him the space he needs to effectively pass your … [Read more...]
How to Set Up Submissions So Your Opponent Gives You His Neck, Arm, or Leg on a Platter
A reader of my free email newsletter recently had a question about how to become better at setting up his submissions. The thing is, once you get past white belt, submissions don't just happen anymore. Chokes and joint locks need to be set up, which means taking your opponent out of alignment somehow and breaking his base, posture or structure. Once his alignment is broken, it's 100 times … [Read more...]
How to Train Jiu-Jitsu With an Injured Knee?
It can be really difficult to train jiu-jitsu with an injured knee because the legs and the guard are so central to the art. 90% of what you do might put strain on an already wonky knee. That being said, there are guard retention strategies you can use that rely mostly on upper body frames and DON'T require fancy legwork. This allows you to keep your injured leg mostly straight while continuing … [Read more...]
The Easiest Way to Do the Berimbolo
At the bottom of this post is a Youtube video I just created to show the easiest way to do the Berimbolo. Now if you're a Berimbolo aficionado then you've probably already scrolled down. But maybe you're on the fence about this move. Or maybe you don't even know what it is and why you should care about it. Well, give me a minute to put it into context for you... Over the last couple of … [Read more...]
3 Great Knee Cut Counters
The Knee Cut Pass is one of the most powerful and most commonly used guard passes in all of grappling. This pass uses the knee to pin the opponent's leg, opening the opportunity to slide across to the other side of his body. It's used in BJJ with the gi, submission grappling with spandex and shorts, and even in MMA. The knee cut is a very powerful pass, and if you're a grappler you … [Read more...]
A Safe and Effective Open Guard Pull
If you do it wrong then pulling guard can be dangerous for both competitors; I've seen people pulling guard knock themselves out AND people pulling guard injure their training partners by pulling guard incorrectly. It's important to clarify that I'm not against pulling guard in competition. I mean, what if your opponent is much bigger than you, or is a much better at takedowns than you, or … [Read more...]
The Single Leg X Guard – A Surprising Way to Pull Guard…
Should you pull guard in competition? And if you decide to pull guard, then how do you do it correctly? In a certain sense, I am uniquely unqualified to answer these questions... You see, much of my BJJ comes from 8th degree black belt Marcus Soares, and Marcus is very much from the old-school Carlson Gracie way of doing things. The Carlson approach to jiu-jitsu is definitely focused on … [Read more...]
3 Easy Throws for BJJ
People often ask me what the easiest throws or takedowns are for BJJ competition. My usual advice is that takedowns are great. They bring the fight to your opponent, score 2 points, set you up to pass the guard, and allow you to fight from the top. All of which are good things. Now I love wrestling and judo, and think that takedowns are essential skills, but training them to a high level … [Read more...]