Some people are under the mistaken impression that you can only defend or sweep from the Half Guard. But it's a big mistake to ignore the powerful submission attacks that present themselves from that position! One of the most powerful, most effective, and most popular attacks from the Half Guard is the Triangle Choke. You see this in high level competition all the time, both with and without … [Read more...]
A Fast and Simple Butterfly Guard Sweep
Jiu-jitsu doesn't always need to be complicated. In fact, sometimes the best solution is also the simplest, most direct solution. Consider a situation where your opponent is in your guard but is refusing to engage you in any meaningful way. Maybe he's ahead on points and is trying to coast for the rest of the match, or maybe he just wants the satisfaction of being able to say that you didn't … [Read more...]
A Super Sneaky and Slick Triangle Choke Attack!
This is one of the sneakiest, slickest submission attacks I have ever seen. The first time I saw this technique was when BJJ world champion Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins used it at the IBJJF European Championships in 2013. At first I just didn't understand what I had seen. One minute his opponent was in the X Guard, and the next he was tapping out from a super-tight triangle choke. I had to … [Read more...]
Shutting Down the Guard Pass
It's called 'rolling' for a reason: if you're doing BJJ then you're going to be somersaulting all over the place. And there are three types of rolls that you encounter all the time on the mats: The forward roll, The backwards roll The side roll In the video below BJJ world champion Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins shows how you can use the third movement - the side roll - to defend … [Read more...]
The Easiest Way to Develop Fast Guard Sweeps
Speed kills! When it comes to blowing through your opponent's defenses there's nothing like being just a little bit faster than him. That way you're always a step or two ahead, and he never has the chance to catch up. But how exactly do you do this? Well, have you ever heard of something called Hick's Law? It's an idea that comes from academic research, and has been applied to areas as … [Read more...]
ARCHIVE The FREE Roadmap for BJJ App!
Here's something brand new that I've been working on for a whole year. It's available right now and I think you're really going to like it!! How would you like a top-to-bottom game plan for the closed guard position? What about a complete roadmap for the Open Guard? And while we’re at it, would a game plan for the modern Half Guard help you out? … [Read more...]
How to Do the Head and Arm Choke (aka ‘Kata Gatame’)
The Head and Arm choke is a super-powerful submission that works with and without the gi, with and without strikes, in BJJ, Judo, Submission Grappling and Judo. It's ended a lot of matches and even put a few people to sleep. The Head and Arm choke comes from Judo (where it's known as Kata Gatame) and if you grapple then it's a technique that you need to know! This choke cuts off the blood … [Read more...]
How to NOT Clog Up Your Phone with My Instructional Apps
This week we've been releasing a series of apps featuring BJJ black belt Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins at a rate of one per day. (A lot of the apps have also been getting the coveted four and five star ratings in both Google Play and iTunes, which is awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to rate them!!) But not everyone's happy… … [Read more...]
Home Drilling for BJJ Skill Development
I often get questions from BJJ and submission grappling practitioners about whether they can benefit from doing additional drills at home. Often the people asking these questions are either extremely time-constrained and can't make it to the class as often as they would like. Or they are just very serious students of the art and want to improve as fast as humanly possible. My answer is that … [Read more...]
The Android BJJ Apps Are Finally Here!
The next generation of instructional Android apps have finally arrived! As evidenced by the fact that I slept about 2 hours last night, and now I'm in front of my computer AGAIN, it's taken a TON of development and testing to get here... But today we're releasing the first Android app in the 'How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent' series with myself and black belt world champion Emily … [Read more...]
How to Maintain Good Posture in Butterfly Guard
Posture in the butterfly guard is incredibly important. With the butterfly guard (as with any guard position) good posture is the key to defending the guard pass, attacking with submissions, and/or sweeping your opponent. But maintaining good posture is easier said than done, because your opponent is actively working to break it down. In fact if I'm trying to pass someone's butterfly guard, … [Read more...]
My Favorite One-Two Sweeping Combo from X Guard
Today I'm going to share two of my favourite (and very powerful) X guard sweeps with you. Plus I'll show you how put them together so that it looks like you have amazing timing without actually having to increase your reaction speed one iota. Let's first talk about what makes two techniques work well together in general. I touched upon the topic of complementary techniques in a previous … [Read more...]
Roadmap for BJJ Package Now Available Again!
A few years ago I released the Roadmap for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructional package. This is a multi-component product that focuses on the strategies, tactics, techniques and training methods of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It's basically a quick start guide for how to get good on the ground as fast as possible. … [Read more...]
Grapplearts Submissions App for Android!!!
The first Grapplearts Instructional app for Android devices is finally here! Apps are such a great tool. They give you a way to brush up on your skills when you're on the go, on the bus, stuck in a bank lineup, whatever. Now I've had some bestselling apps for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch available for quite a while. … [Read more...]
Hidden Techniques for Maintaining Rear Mount
When people teach the rear mount they often show you how to get your hooks in to achieve the rear mount, and then they teach you a couple of submissions from the back. Their idealized flowchart has two steps: Get your hooks in, Submit your opponent. Oh, if only life were so simple! … [Read more...]
No Gi Guard Passing Strategies vs. Bigger People
Passing the guard in a technical manner during no gi training can often be very frustrating, especially for people coming from a gi-based background. To the uninitiated it just seems that things move too fast... That there aren't any good handles to control your opponent... And things seem even worse when you're going up against a bigger person who's not afraid to use his athleticism to fight … [Read more...]
How to Set Up the X Guard
I love the X Guard. It's such a high-percentage position. First of all, it can be applied from a huge number of open guard and half guard situations. If you've ever watched an X Guard specialist you'll know that he needs just a tiny bit of room to insert those hooks and - BOOM - he's slithered into the X Guard. And once an opponent is caught in the X Guard he's going down! In fact, by the … [Read more...]
Ambush Armbar from Modified Scarf Hold
I might not be 100% correct with the actual wording, but I'll always remember this fantastic quote from Karate legend Bill 'Superfoot' Wallace which I read in Black Belt magazine many years ago. It went something like this: "There's always going to be someone bigger, stronger or faster than you, but there never has to be anyone sneakier than you!" Ain't that the truth! Sneakiness … [Read more...]
How to Counter the Backstep Guard Pass
BJJ and submission grappling are in a continual state of evolution. New techniques, tactics and strategies emerge, or are rediscovered, or are brought into the art all the time. The backstep guard pass is one such modern technique. You won't see this guard pass in old-school BJJ … [Read more...]
How to Pass Deep Half Guard
In the last 5 years the Deep Half Guard position has taken the BJJ and submission grappling world by storm. And every serious grappler now needs to know how to neutralize and pass the Deep Half Guard. This position is a variation of the half guard. If someone manages to get settled into this position underneath you then they're right under your center of gravity, can compromise your balance, … [Read more...]