In case you were hiding under a rock, Ronda Rousey fought Liz Carmouche last night at UFC 157. She both validated her UFC Women's Bantamweight title, and made history by being in the first-ever women's match in the the UFC. And just in case you were under that aforementioned rock, despite a very spirited fight by Liz Carmouche, Ronda won the match with an armbar at 4:49 of the first … [Read more...]
Chokes
The Difference Between the Brabo Choke and the Anaconda Choke… Plus Tips for Both
I recently received the following question about the Brabo and Anaconda chokes from a reader of the Grapplearts Newsletter: Hi Stephan, I've been training in BJJ for about a year. In no gi training I really like chokes, but I still get confused sometimes: what is the difference between the Anaconda Choke and the Brabo Choke? I get my hand positioning all messed up every time I try either … [Read more...]
How to set up and apply the head and arm choke
Here's a clip of Emily Kwok teaching something really cool - how to set up the head and arm choke (also known as 'kata gatame') from mount, and then how to ratchet it on so tightly that your opponent has no choice but to tap out, no matter how big he is. I've played around with the adjustments she shows, and it allowed me to REALLY tighten up this position WITHOUT using a ton of upper body … [Read more...]
Defending Stupid Big Guy Attacks (and the Honor of Jiu-Jitsu)
It's amazing what some big guys will do when they get frustrated. In fact, sometimes they'll try stuff so stupid that it'll take you completely by surprise! Now, many BJJ instructors never bother to teach you what to do against these 'stupid attacks.' … [Read more...]
2 Good Reasons to Bail Out of the Mount
What? Abandon the Mount? The position you've worked so hard to achieve?!? Let me explain... BJJ is a position-based art. The positional system of BJJ is the central organizing theme of my 'Roadmap for BJJ' book (click here to be emailed instructions on how to download this free book). On page 5 of the book we talk about how the positions in BJJ definitely fall into a hierarchy. Some … [Read more...]
Chris Brennan’s 10 Finger Guillotine
Originally published in the December 2006 issue of Ultimate Grappling The 10 finger guillotine is a curious technique. There has probably been more speculation about how to properly apply this guillotine than just about any other technique. It is the Loch Ness monster of grappling – everyone knows someone who has seen it, but nobody can even agree what it looks like. You might have seen … [Read more...]
Technique 1: the Reverse Clock Choke
A demonstration of the Reverse Clock Choke against the Turtle Position by Denis Kang and Marcus Soares … [Read more...]
The Shaolin Choke by Andreh Anderson
Andreh Anderson is a black belt under Rey Diego at (www.reydiogo.com). Andreh talks about this choke: "I call it that because Shaolin taught it to us when he visited our school. It wasn't until a year or so after first seeing it that I started using it. … [Read more...]
The Ninja Choke by Andreh Anderson
Andreh Anderson is a black belt under Rey Diego at (www.reydiogo.com). Here he demonstrates a choke from side control that he learned from Rey Diego. … [Read more...]
Sneaky Lapel Choke from Guard, by Andreh Anderson
Andreh Anderson demonstrates a technique where your opponent will think he's passing your guard, but this only sets him up for a sneaky lapel choke. The opponent tries to pass your guard by underhooking your legs. Maintain a deep cross grip on his lapel and keep your legs heavy in order to make it difficult for him to put your back on the mat and pass. If you can hook inside his leg with … [Read more...]
Advanced Cross-Choke from the Mount Position
BJJ black belt Andreh Anderson demonstrates a sneaky gi choke from the Mount position. … [Read more...]
No Gi “Brabo” Choke from Top Half Guard
The Brabo Choke can be a match-ending submission. And one of the best times to apply it is when you're on top in the half guard.. In this technique Marcio finds himself in Marco’s half guard, but without the gi. Marcio wraps his right arm around his opponent’s left arm and cups his head with the other … [Read more...]
“Brabo” Choke with Gi from Top Half Guard
You can attack with this version of the Brabo Choke anytime your opponent is using his half guard from the bottom and is wearing a gi... Marcio (dark gi) is caught in Marco’s (white gi) half guard. Marco is on his side with his left arm under Marcio’s armpit. Marcio free’s Marco’s left lapel, stretching it behind his body… and passes it to his right hand, under Marco’s … [Read more...]
Rolling Crucifix Choke
Thanks to Eduardo de Lima for demonstrating this technique, and to Matt Kirtley for taking the photos and writing the descriptions. For more information, or to contact either person, please visit the Gracie Barra Tampa - Stephan Kesting. The crucifix is an often overlooked or neglected position that has the potential to be very effective if known and practiced. Eduardo encourages his students … [Read more...]
A Confusion of Crucifixes
With the addition of the Crucifix Series, I felt I should address a common confusion people have when they try to discuss the crucifix. The root of the problem is that two different positions share the same name. One is legal at all levels of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and judo competition, while the other is a neck crank that is only legal in no-gi submission wrestling and mixed martial … [Read more...]
A Cool Trick for Finishing the Rear Naked Choke
When you’re attacking with the Rear NakedChoke (aka the RNC) you’ve got to have answers for when your opponent buries his chin in his own chest to hide his neck. Here’s a simple trick that Erik Paulson recently showed to me to get your opponent to lift his chin so you can sink the Rear Naked Choke properly. (And here’s a link to the original 10 minute tutorial on the RNC) Give it a try. … [Read more...]
Triangle Chokes for People with Short Legs
The triangle choke is one of the signature submissions of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Just about everyone takes a stab at perfecting it during their grappling career. But you can run into problems with the triangle choke if your legs are short. Just like the reader below... Q: Hi Stephan, I've been having problems with the triangle choke. I have rather thick, maybe even short, legs and I just … [Read more...]
How to Defeat the Bigger Stronger Opponent NOW AVAILABLE
It's here! The How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent DVD set is in stock, and ready to ship right now. Emily Kwok and I have been crafting this 5 DVD set for a long time, and it's one of the best instructional sets I have ever seen. … [Read more...]
Some recent pics; see me get choked!
Emily Kwok is a BJJ black belt who has trained with some of the best people in the world. And she's been very successful at the highest levels of competition in BJJ, Submission Grappling and Women's MMA. And she recently choked me silly for the camera... … [Read more...]
Critical Submission Details
Are there any submissions out there that you just can't finish? You can set it up, lock it on, and strain for all you're worth, but your opponent just won't tap out? It happens all the time. In fact, I'm not immune either. There have been lots of submissions where I initially thought, "oh man, this will never work for me!" But take heart! Usually there are just one or two critical … [Read more...]