I respect most grappling arts, not just BJJ. Freestyle and collegiate wrestling, in particular, have a lot to offer to submission grapplers and BJJ practitioners. Obviously we can get a lot of good throws and takedowns from wrestling, but we can also 'steal' some very powerful moves on the ground as well. … [Read more...]
The Double Leg Takedown in MMA
I recently had the opportunity to meet up with my friend and professional fighter Denis Kang. I wanted to pick his brain about some MMA techniques. He shared a lot of stuff, and because I had a video camera with me I can now pass that information on to you. … [Read more...]
Combining the Thai Clinch With The Double Leg Takedown
Today's goodie is a report written by my online friend John Will, discussing how to combine the deadly Muay Thai clinch position with the double leg takedown (arguably the highest percentage takedown in MMA). … [Read more...]
Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir: How to Destroy the Half Guard
Brock Lesnar probably wouldn't be on my list of people to invite to a book club or an evening of wine tasting. But love him or hate him, you have to admit that he's a hell of a fighter and force to be reckoned with. … [Read more...]
Gi? No-Gi? Self Defense? MMA? No Problem!
There's a long-standing debate in the grappling community whether training with the gi helps your no-gi skills. My personal preference is to train both with and without the gi. … [Read more...]
Boring? Why I thought UFC 97 was Great!
OK, I admit it. UFC 97 did have a few boring fights. The worst, hands down, was the debacle between Anderson Silva and Thales Leites. (I find it hard to blame Leites, because he was outclassed by an opponent who clearly didn't want to engage or push the pace of the fight). … [Read more...]
Denis Kang Achilles Ankle Lock and Follow-up
Combining Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Wrestling and Striking in MMA Training
A few days ago I foolishly did a strength and conditioning workout late at night. I ALWAYS find it impossible to get to sleep right after strenuous training, so to relax I sat down on a treadmill and talked to a video camera. … [Read more...]
Denis Kang: Double Leg Tackle Counter to Neck Lock
This may seem like a flashy technique, but it definitely works. It can be used standing or on the knees to get to a match-ending neck lock submission. As his opponent shoots in to take him down Denis secures a front head lock, trapping the opponent’s head and left arm with his own arms Denis drops to the mat, making sure he is off to one side Continuing the momentum he … [Read more...]
Getting Back to Your Feet From Guard
In the early days of MMA fighters who took someone down tried to keep the fight there. They'd stay on the ground even if they couldn't pass their opponent's guard or mount an effective ground-and-pound offense. … [Read more...]
Mixed Martial Arts: Ultimate Sport, or Ultimately Illegal? Part 3
By: Donald F. Walter, Jr. 12/8/03 Part 3: A Defense of Mixed Martial Arts … [Read more...]
Mixed Martial Arts: Ultimate Sport, or Ultimately Illegal? Part 2
By: Donald F. Walter, Jr. 12/8/03 Part 2: An Overview of the Conflict between the States’ Police Power and Personal Liberties … [Read more...]
Lets Get The Groundrules Straight!
One of the worst organized MMA shows I ever saw was a small local show, back in 1996. Before I talk about that particular show though, I have to set the stage: UFC 9 had just happened. … [Read more...]
One more Von Flue Choke
As you know, in the last few newsletters we've been discussing body position for guillotine chokes and using the 'Von Flue' choke to recounter the guillotine. If you missed them you can click to see the first post here and the second post here. Well, thanks to Shaldag on the Sherdog.net forums I recently I found yet ANOTHER example of a the Von Flue choke being used in competition. This one is … [Read more...]
Everybody Was Von Flue Fighting…
When people first learn the Von Flue choke they often find that their opponent can bridge them over and then they end up on the bottom. If this is happening to you and you're getting rolled into a bad position when trying this choke then first check that your legs are perpendicular (i.e. at 90 degrees) to your opponent. If his head is pointing to 12 o'clock, then your legs should either be to 3 … [Read more...]
A Sneak Peek Into a Fighter’s Conditioning Routine
Most of my text message communications to my friends are pretty short and mundane. Recently, however, I had a very interesting conversation with MMA fighter Denis Kang, partially over the phone but mostly using text messages. … [Read more...]
Thoughts on Lesnar vs. Herring, UFC 87
Like many of you, last Saturday night I sat transfixed, watching Brock Lesnar maul Heath Herring at UFC 87. … [Read more...]
Refusing to Concede the Sweep
I trained with Denis Kang for the first five or six years of his MMA career. At some point during that time he became very, very difficult to sweep. Partially this was due to his increasing technical knowledge, but it was also more than that. … [Read more...]
Paulson Podcast
My friend and coach Erik Paulson was recently featured on the MMA Podcast Carson's Corner. … [Read more...]
Congratulations to a Leglock Master
Oleg Taktarov was one of the early pioneers in the UFC. Coming from a sambo background he had a very distinctive skill set. And nobody had more heart!! I'm delighted that Oleg recently stepped back into the cage and defeated Mark Kerr with a kneebar, which has always been one of Oleg's signature moves. Oleg was very influential on my leglock game development, both in terms of technique and … [Read more...]