In December, 2008, I sent out a Grappling Tip Email with a tip about not letting your opponent control your hips (see the first tip below). I asked readers to share their best tips for preventing or blocking the guard pass... … [Read more...]
Drills
Pulling Guard in MMA
Q: Hello Stephan, I'm a big fan of your website - I've been following it since 2009. I compete in BJJ and No-Gi submission wrestling. I've also been training MMA with hopes of having my first amateur fight within the year. … [Read more...]
Two Drills on Video to Improve your Guard Sweeps
Many of the most powerful guard sweeps rely on your hips being underneath your opponent's center of gravity. This makes him very unstable - think of the difference between 1. standing on the floor beside one of those stability balls, and 2. trying to stand on top of that same stability ball. … [Read more...]
Best Type of BJJ Guard for Beginners
Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro is a four time World BJJ Champion. In MMA he held the welterweight title in Japanese Shooto. And he has the Cage Rage lightweight championship belt proudly mounted on the wall too... … [Read more...]
A Drill To Improve ANY Guard Sweep
Today I'm not going to talk about a technique per se. Instead I'm going to share a cool training method with you. (Training methods are the ways in which you practice, hone and internalize the techniques you're learning. … [Read more...]
A concept that makes it MUCH harder to pass your guard
I shot a new video about a concept that makes it so much harder for someone to pass your guard. Figuring this one out was was a major "aha!" moment for me. And it works in the closed guard AND the open guard, both with the gi AND without the gi. … [Read more...]
Podcast EP3: Erik Paulson; an MMA Master Coach Shares His Secrets
Erik Paulson is an MMA Master Coach. He's trained tons of fighters competing at the highest levels of Mixed Martial Arts. And he held the Shooto light-heavyweight title in Japan for 5 years. He's also my friend and a mentor. Click Play Below to Listen to My Conversation with Erik Paulson... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx7gT-EXohM Recently I asked my newsletter readers if there was … [Read more...]
Confessions of a Reformed ‘Unco’
I got some good feedback on the last post (Advice for a Frustrated, Clumsy and Uncoordinated Grappler) and want to share a couple of tidbits with you today. Here's what one anonymous Australian BJJ student in his thirties had to say … [Read more...]
Sorry, It’s Gonna Get Worse…
As you improve as a grappler you'll go through phases of adding new techniques and strategies to your game. These are exciting times, but the sad truth is that you're usually gonna get worse before you get better. … [Read more...]
Training MMA Skills Under Pressure
It's easy to train an activity when you're calm, relaxed and not tired. But being able to execute those same movements correctly when you're fatigued and gasping for breath is something entirely different. … [Read more...]
Sensitivity Training for Grappling
Physical attributes are really important for Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling (a point further discussed in this article about physical attributes and BJJ). Being able to feel your opponent's intent and react to it even before he moves (like when he's trying to bridge his way out of your mount) requires sensitivity. … [Read more...]
Flow Sparring
Last week I had a short but fun training session with my friend Ritchie doing what we call 'flow sparring.' The rules of flow sparring are very simple: you have to keep moving, and you can't use strength. … [Read more...]
The Deep Half Guard (video)
Nowadays you often see the Deep Half Guard at the highest levels of BJJ and submission grappling competition. But there are a lot of important details to the Deep Half Guard that you need to know before it becomes a powerful sweeping weapon. Because I saw this position working again and again, several years ago I decided to add it to my repertoire. It's a bit like regular half guard except you … [Read more...]
A Drill to Rescue the Armbar from Guard
At a seminar I attended, martial arts legend Dan Inosanto once distinguished between the techniques used in a martial art, and the training methods used to develop those techniques. These are different things! … [Read more...]
A Video Tutorial on the X Guard
The X Guard is a really powerful open guard position that creates a whole world of trouble for your opponents. Here's an excerpt from my DVD "13 Techniques You Can Use On The Mat Today" which takes you through the most important points of the X Guard... … [Read more...]
A Great Half Guard Resource!
If you haven't seen this video yet then you're in for a treat! Here Indrek Reiland and Jorgen Matsi take you through the Half Guard Position, covering the basics of both the top and the bottom position. … [Read more...]
Study Time for Intermediate and Advanced-Level Grapplers
Today I want to talk about a very useful tool for intermediate and advanced-level grapplers. The idea is to create study blocks where you focus on a single topic. During this time you basically take one aspect of grappling, and beat it to death with a large stick! … [Read more...]
Miracle Cures for Grappling Problems
I first truly realized how powerful drills can be about 15 years ago. At that time I was I was teaching a self defense class. One of my students was of average size and strength with severely below-average punching power. … [Read more...]
Coming Back from a Training Layoff
Coming back to training after a layoff is a tricky thing. There is a real danger that you jump back into full intensity training and re-injure yourself right off the bat (especially if you've been gone for a while and/or are coming back from an injury). … [Read more...]
How to Master Any Grappling Technique in 100 Words (Honest!)
I set a challenge for myself while compiling, editing and contributing to the book Mastering BJJ. Inspired by the mini-article World Class Fitness in 100 Words on the Crossfit website I wanted to encapsulate my strategy for refining new techniques. … [Read more...]