The north south choke is a powerful choke that you can apply from the top of sidemount or the north south position. This submission looks a bit like an upside-down guillotine choke but the mechanics of finishing the choke are quite different. Given that this technique works both with and without the gi I think everyone should experiment with it, at least enough to recognize when someone is … [Read more...]
The 6 Steps of a Good Submission
Did you know that there's an actual physics and biomechanics-based procedure that'll definitely help you tap out many more people in BJJ? At a high level there's so much more more to getting a choke or an armlock than simply seeing an opportunity and jumping on it. That approach rarely works against good people. Instead it's about gradually manoeuvring your opponent into worse and worse … [Read more...]
Back Attacks 7: The Most Powerful Chokes from the Back Position
Rob Biernacki with the highest percentage chokes you can use when you're on someone's back in rear mount. This is part 7 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 (including the NEW weak side material) in several different ways... 1) … [Read more...]
Back Attacks 6: How to Transition to the Crucifix from Rear Mount
The crucifix is an absolutely terrible position to be caught in when you're doing BJJ, No Gi or MMA. Here's Rob Biernacki of BJJ Formula fame showing exactly how to apply the crucifix on your opponent!! This is part 6 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 … [Read more...]
Back Attacks 5: How to Switch to an Armbar Submission When You’re on the Back!
Many people are surprised to learn that the straight armbar is a reliable, high-percentage, and super-powerful submission, from the back when you're grappling in BJJ, No Gi or MMA. Here's Rob Biernacki of BJJ Formula fame showing exactly how to do that. This is part 5 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 … [Read more...]
Back Attacks 4: How to Systematically Apply the Triangle Choke from Rear Mount
The rear triangle choke, also known as 'ura sangaku' is a fantastic way to submit your opponent when you're on his back in rear mount. Here's Rob Biernacki of BJJ Formula fame showing exactly how to do that. This is part 4 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 … [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...]
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...]
The ‘Soft One, Hard Two’ BJJ Gripfighting Strategy
Have you ever heard the story about the old bull and the young bull, standing at the top of a hill, watching some cows? The young bull turns to the older bull and says, "Hey, let's run down there and each make sweet, sweet love to one of those cows!" The older bull retorts, "Why don't we just walk down there, nice and slow, and make sweet, sweet love to ALL the cows?" The original … [Read more...]
The Strong and Weak Sides of the Guillotine Choke (And How to Use Them for Offense and Defense)
OK, today we're going to talk about something that's both very simple and incredibly important. I've explained this to SO many grapplers over the years it's not even funny, and most of the time the reaction is a "Doh! I should have known that!!!" Here's what I'm talking about... The guillotine choke has a strong side and a weak side. Attacking with a strong sided guillotine is MUCH … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Guide to the Guillotine Choke in BJJ
The guillotine choke is a powerful submission in BJJ, no gi grappling, and mixed martial arts. At first glance it seems like a simple submission - you just wrap your opponent's neck with your arms, pull up and squeeze, right? Not so fast... There are a LOT of subtleties that you need to master before this submission starts being reliable for you, especially if you don't spend 4 hours a … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 113 – A Close Call, and Avoiding Injuries!
The other day I almost tore a partner’s ACL off the bone, which would have required him to have surgery and many months of rehabilitation. What happened exactly? I was more experienced and a bit bigger than my training partner that day and we were doing some no gi sparring. Because of the experience discrepancy I was hyper-focusing on a couple of very specific positions, namely Ashi … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 47 – Prison for 15+ Years for a Knock-Out?
In every story about every streetfight the centrepiece is the big haymaker that landed and knocked somebody out cold. It's a compelling story, but the reality is that whenever you do this you automatically run a very serious risk of killing the other guy. Your punch to the head may be powerful, but usually it's not nearly as dangerous as the second impact when his falling head lands on the … [Read more...]
Can You Use a Collar Choke in a Streetfight?
BJJ has a ton of gi-based techniques, and while not all of them are very street relevant, some people tend to throw out the baby with the bath water. The bottom line is that many people wear either coats or jackets, especially in the winter or at night. And if your attacker is wearing a potential noose around his neck you'd be a fool not to take advantage of it. You want to take advantage … [Read more...]
My Favourite Head and Arm Choke Finish
The head and arm choke (aka the 'arm triangle' and/or 'kata gatame') is one of the staple submissions of BJJ. It works with the gi, in MMA and in submission grappling. A lot of people can get to this position, but then have problems actually finishing the choke, especially if their opponent has a strong neck and upper body. Here is my favourite way to finish the head and arm choke. You … [Read more...]
Five Triangle Chokes You Should Know
This video and article was inspired after a run of triangle chokes in MMA in 2010, including those used by Fabricio Werdum against Fedor Emelianenko, Chris Lytle against Matt Brown, and Brock Lesnar against Shane Carwin. But the term 'triangle choke' can be used for several different submissions, and this can be confusing to the novice or intermediate-level grappler. So to make sense of the five … [Read more...]
A Surprise Triangle Choke from Butterfly Guard
This transition from butterfly guard to triangle choke is one of my new favourite techniques. I learned it from BJJ black belt Rob Biernacki and it starts sitting up in the butterfly guard, and fighting for the powerful two-on-one grip. In the two-on-one I use both of my own hands to control one of my opponents arms which then isolates that side of his body. The next step is to kick out one … [Read more...]
The 10 Second Rule for Effective Choking
How many times have you been trying to choke out a training partner, straining and straining, then give up in disgust only to have him say, "Man, I was SO close to tapping out!!" Or what about those times when you've been caught in a choke, see no way out, and your only defense is to hunker down and hope that your opponent will give up before you run out of air or blood to the brain? The … [Read more...]
BJJ Breathing Tricks When You’re On the Bottom, Getting Crushed by Your Opponent
One of the very worst things is to be trapped on the bottom with all your opponent's weight on top of you and be unable to breathe. This is usually followed by exhaustion, panic and surrender. But it doesn't need to be like this - there are several approaches to breathing in BJJ that can make sure air gets into your lungs, oxygen into your blood, and keep you in the game, even when you're … [Read more...]
Cartwheels in BJJ and Submission Wrestling
So I saw something spectacular the other day... It was a clip from a wrestling match in which 125 lb Ronnie Bresser from Oregon State cartwheels himself over his opponent in a move called 'the Flying Squirrel' to get to a 15 point advantage and win the match by technical fall (thanks to "i like to wrassle" on reddit for giving me the proper name for it)! Here's the move: Of course … [Read more...]