There's nothing quite like watching a smaller, lighter, weaker person use their technique to defeat a bigger, heavier, stronger opponent. And when it comes to tapping out bigger, stronger, heavier opponents there's nobody quite like Marcelo Garcia. Not only is he a four time world BJJ champion and three time ADCC champion in his weight class, but he's often fought in the absolute division … [Read more...]
Chokes
Marcelo Garcia Chokes Me Out Repeatedly
Marcelo Garcia is maybe the very best person in the world at attacking the turtle position. But before I tell you how I know this first hand, I should point out that as you get better you'll run into the turtle position more often. This is because when you're pinned by an advanced player it's pretty damn hard to put them back into your guard. And the other main escape option is to go to … [Read more...]
Two Rear Mount Secrets
Usually getting better at something like the Rear Mount in grappling is a slow process, requiring thousands of repetitions and many hours on the mat to master a technique. But sometimes transformations occur overnight! In the video below I share two 'secrets' that will double the effectiveness of your rear mount. These tweaks will make it much harder for your opponent to escape, and leave … [Read more...]
Toby Imada’s Amazing MMA Triangle Broken Down For You
A lot of people thought that Toby Imada's triangle choke was the best MMA submission of 2009. And they may be right - it was a stunning display of quick thinking and 'sticktoitness' on Toby's part. Here's the clip of the match highlights including the spectacular submission: Last week I uploaded posted an article and video called 5 Triangle Chokes You Need To Know, and shortly … [Read more...]
The Best Brabo Choke Resources
The 'Brabo' choke is a powerful weapon in BJJ, MMA, and Submission Grappling. And people are beginning to realize this. In fact, shortly after Paulo Thiago defeated Mike Swick at UFC 109 a reader asked me to write about the Brabo choke (Thiago finished the fight in the second round using this very choke choke). I've always had a suspicion that this attack (also known as the 'Darce choke') … [Read more...]
Submission Grappling Choke
Here is a modern way of applying the Rear Naked Choke, which had it's origins in Classical Japanese Ju-Jutsu. (This technique is from the Submission Grappling vs. Classical Ju-Jutsu article on Grapplearts.com) Stephan controls his opponent with the butterfly guard. He grips his opponent’s triceps with his right hand… … and pulls him forward while simultaneously moving his … [Read more...]
Classical Ju-jutsu Choke
Most of the techniques used in modern grappling were used in some other form in some other grappling art first. Here's how the Rear Naked Choke might have looked back in the day... (This technique is from the Submission Grappling vs. Classical Ju-Jutsu article on Grapplearts.com) … [Read more...]
Finishing the Rear Naked Choke
Grappling is usually a refined and elegant martial art. But you can't always use sophistication and leverage to get what you want... Let's look at question that was recently forwarded to me, and see why sometimes you need to go lowbrow! Q: "I have a quick question on the Rear Naked Choke (RNC). I have come across a few guys who are excellent at tucking their chin well into the crook of my … [Read more...]
Bring ‘Em Back Alive: More On Recovering From Chokes
The last blog post (Choke Recovery in Grappling) prompted some lively discussion and debate when I posted it on the Sherdog Grappling Forum and on MMA.tv. I also received a number of emails on the topic. … [Read more...]
Choke Recovery in BJJ and Submission Grappling
The first time I saw someone choked unconscious it scared the crap out of me. And it was made worse by the fact that it was a friend of mine... It was many years ago at a local tournament. My friend was winning his match but got caught in a sneaky gi choke. He was (and still is) a stubborn bastard, so he refused to tap and passed out. He might have been out for about 10 seconds before anyone … [Read more...]
Another Reason Why BJJ is Better Than Boxing
A few days ago, while traveling, I made my way down to Dartmouth's Fitplus gym. That's where I participated in a BJJ class taught by 6th degree Carlson Gracie black belt, Alexandre Penao. … [Read more...]
A Lifetime of Learning
At my recent seminar on Unorthodox Positions I thought that I would be doing all the teaching, and that the students would be doing all the learning. Well I was wrong... One of the things I taught was a cool entry into the north-south choke from the offside kesa gatame position. … [Read more...]
Brabo Choke Defense
A fan of the half guard recently asked me how they could avoid getting caught in the Brabo choke: "I like going for the foot grab sweep from half guard. My problem is that I always get caught in a guillotine choke or Brabo choke when I go for the leg of my opponent. What can I do to stop getting choked all the time?" The first step of defending any technique is to understand the technique. … [Read more...]
Emergency Rx for Cranked Necks and Strained Backs
Yesterday I was training my side mount escapes. My partner and I repeatedly started with me pinned, and then we worked until I got out or until someone tapped. Well I got sloppy and ended up on the receiving end of this rather horrendous armlock/choke/neck crank technique that's one of Marcus Soares's signature moves. … [Read more...]
New DVD – “Step-by-Step Submissions”
I just want to tell people that I'm adding another DVD to my Roadmap for BJJ Package. It's tentatively titled "Step-by-Step Submissions". This new video will be in a different format from my other DVDs. … [Read more...]
Catch and Release – What to do if your opponent just won’t tap?
Back when I was mostly training in Judo I heard that there were some traditional dojos in Japan where tapping out to a choke was frowned upon - even in club sparring sessions you were supposed to fight the choke right to the bitter end, and your opponent would release the hold only AFTER you passed out. I thought that this was pretty hardcore, and felt lucky that the Judo club I trained at … [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...]
Never Get Guillotined Again!
OK, I have to admit that I'm exaggerating with the whole "never get guillotined again" title, but it's almost true. If you incorporate principle that I'm about to share with into your grappling two things will happen: you'll tap out to many, many fewer guillotine chokes, and you'll really increase how often you manage to finish your opponent's with the same choke. I was very happy when … [Read more...]
Jiu-jitsu, a Game of Inches
One of my favorite expressions is that "jiu-jitsu is a game of inches". Sometimes a whole match can be decided by the battle to move your hand one inch forward. The single best example I can think of to illustrate this concept is the Ten Finger Guillotine as taught by Chris Brennan. Take a look at this picture, paying special attention to the position of the thumbs. Notice how the first … [Read more...]