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...]
Escapes
The Stiff Arm (in Grappling)
The stiff arm on the Heisman Trophy is an iconic posture in football, and it is used by players in every single game. In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, however, the stiff arm has a bit of a bad rap. One of the first lessons a grappler learns is to NOT push the chest with straight arms when trapped in the mount. This piece of wisdom is reinforced by training partners endlessly applying effortless … [Read more...]
The ‘Hip Hop’ Counter to the Anklelock
Here's on of the highest percentage leglock escapes from the Counters and Recounters section of the High Percentage Leglocks DVD. Click here to see the same Hip Hop Counter video on YouTube. … [Read more...]
Counter to the Rolling Toehold vs. de la Riva Guard
The rolling toehold is a very powerful, very surprising attack. Here's a way to counter it and shut it down when your opponent tries to do it to you. This clip is from Bonus Toeholds Section of the High Percentage Leglocks DVD. Click here to view the same Rolling Toehold Counter video on YouTube! … [Read more...]
A Pinch In Time
Grappling uses muscles that don't normally get a lot of attention in the gym. As evidence of this I'll point to the muscle soreness in unexpected places that otherwise fit people experience when they grapple hard for the first time. Today I want to talk about the importance and role of your thigh adductors, the muscle groups that bring your knees towards each other when your legs are apart. The … [Read more...]
Preventing & Escaping the RNC
A reader asked: Q:"How do I escape the Rear Naked Choke - I've tried all sorts of things and they don't seem to work..."\ A: The Rear Naked Choke (or RNC) is one of the top finishers in submission grappling and MMA. Once applied, the odds of an equally skilled grappler getting out of it successfully are very small, probably 5 to 10%. You have two general options: 1) Prevent it from being … [Read more...]
A Game of Inches
I was recently helping someone with their sidemount escapes, and of course we had to discuss posture when trapped in side mount. As I was working with this person we kept on returning to one particular detail … [Read more...]
The ‘Kick Out’
Today I want to talk about a little move that has probably saved my butt at least a thousand times. I call it the Kick Out and if your game includes any standing guard passes I think it might deserve a place in your repertoire. … [Read more...]
Armbar Defense vs. Crossed Ankles
A reader writes: Q: How do I escape the armbar when my opponent is crossing his ankes? A: Crossing the ankles during the armbar is controversial, but is an effective way to shut down many of your opponent's escapes. … [Read more...]
How To Get Posture While Pinned
We recently talked about some examples of good defensive posture when you're on the bottom, achieving good posture when pinned under your opponent is the first, and often the most critical, step in the escape process. … [Read more...]
Posture Under Side Mount
Recently we discussed the concept of 'posture' and how it applies when you're pinned underneath someone. A few people have contacted me since then, asking for specific examples of posture while pinned. … [Read more...]
Posture Outside of Guard
Practitioners of submission grappling and BJJ quickly learn about the importance of posture in an opponent's guard. If you have bad posture in the guard you will get swept and submitted all the time. … [Read more...]
Combatting Claustrophobia
At first I thought that this particular question was going to be simple. Someone, let's call him 'Bob', wrote me about extreme claustrophobia when trapped in a bad position: "I am hoping that you can help me with problems of extreme claustrophobia while grappling. … [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...]
Side Mount Escape Help
A Reader Asked: Q: I keep getting trapped in side control. Sometimes I can't even get my hips loose to attempt an escape. Some of the guys I train with are really good and get so tight, epecially trapping my hips between their knee and arm, that I can't move my hips at all. … [Read more...]
A Very Last-Ditch Kimura Defense
There is a slightly wacky Kimura (chickenwing) defense that has saved my butt several times recently. I haven't seen it described anywhere else, so I thought I'd share it with you this week. If you don't know what the Kimura armlock is you can see some examples in this article here. Suppose that your opponent has you in side control; he is on your right side and is attacking your left arm … [Read more...]
Shutting Down the Leglock Game
There is a certain type of opponent who is best described as a compulsive leglocker. You know the type: no sooner have you put him in your guard than he flings himself backwards and starts attacking your lower body with ankle locks, toe holds, kneebars and other submissions. You generally don't want to trade leglocks with this kind of opponent - he uses them all the time and will probably get … [Read more...]
Three Pin Escape Movements
Escaping pins is never easy: if you get pinned in a match, then chances are that your opponent is either pretty good (relative to you) or that you are tired. Either way, escaping pins is almost always difficult and tiring, but a few simple principles can make it a little easier. … [Read more...]
Rear Mount – Crossing your Feet
The rear mount is arguably the most dominant position in grappling. When you have rear mount you can apply some very powerful chokes and locks. In MMA or self defense you can administer severe punishment without your opponent having the ability to strike you back. … [Read more...]
Static Bridging – a Common Mistake in Sparring
There are two fundamental ways to escape from most pinning positions: escapes based on ‘shrimping’ style hip movement, and escapes based on bridging. One common mistake I see among beginners is that they hold the bridge position for far too long. … [Read more...]