OK, this is a quick post because it's only a short video that I filmed right before training today... If someone tries to armdrag you they're usually gripping your triceps area with their cross hand and pulling you hard, trying to either get behind you or elicit a pulling reaction. And it's a legit threat, because a good armdrag can set you up for a number of things, including... The rear … [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...]
10 Key Techniques and Tactics of Marcelo Garcia
Marcelo Garcia is probably the most dominant jiu-jitsu athlete of the last 15 years. When he was competing he owned both the gi and the no gi divisions (4 x ADCC champion, 5 x Mundial World Champion). As if that wasn't enough, his amazing performances in the absolute division against giants like Ricco Rodriguez have ensured his place in grappling history. It’s always a good idea to … [Read more...]
Top 10 Throws and Takedowns for BJJ
If you do BJJ or submission grappling then you should have some ways to get the fight to the ground. Yes, pulling guard is an option in sport BJJ competition, but ultimately this is a martial art, which means we have to at least occasionally consider the self defense aspects of what we're doing. Are you going to pull guard in a streetfight? Not bloody likely. In this Grapplearts article … [Read more...]
Armdrag Counters
Q: "What are some simple ways to prevent armdrags as well as handle them once they're in process or completed?" A: Armdrags are a great tool to get behind your opponent or to set up other moves. They can be used on the ground (e.g. from the butterfly guard) or on the feet (e.g. to set up a tackle). They are simple, powerful and effective, and because of that they are also pretty popular, so … [Read more...]
Armdrag Adversity
The following question was submitted by a subscriber to the Grapplearts newsletter. Q: Do you have any tips/entries to the arm-drag? A: The arm drag is a great move (click here for an example of it at work). It works best when his arms are stiff, and/or he is driving into you.Anything you can do to make him do either of those things will help set up the armdrag. Try driving into him … [Read more...]