The straight arm figure 4 was one of the very first armlocks I was ever shown on the ground. But it was super unreliable. In fact, for the next 3 decades, I would only be able to get it to work occasionally and then only against inferior or very tired opponents. Most of the time my sparring partners would simply twist or muscle their way out of it, or - most discouraging of all - just … [Read more...]
The Most Powerful Way to Break a Stubborn Closed Guard
Today we're talking about passing the closed guard. In particular, we'll dig deep on one part of this process, because succeeding or failing at this task has decided the outcome of many matches at the highest level of competition. In trying to pass the guard of a good player you've got many different tasks that you need to achieve. These include fighting for grips, establishing posture, … [Read more...]
Old School Closed Guard Pressure Pass
In the era of the inverted inside-out de la worm guard it's sometimes easy to forget how brutally effective the closed guard is. Until someone puts you in it, shuts down your guard passes, chokes you silly and armlocks you until you want to rip your belt off and throw it across the mat. The closed guard is old school but it still works. And for self defense and MMA it's still an incredibly … [Read more...]
A Powerful Guard Pass Defense Used by Carlson Gracie
One of the most powerful ways to defend against the guard pass is with a movement called 'the Frame and Hip Escape'. In fact it's fair to say that learning this concept and movement completely revolutionised my guard game, especially my ability to defend against the guard pass! In this article we'll break down this exact movement for you. Then we'll discuss how to train it on your own … [Read more...]
Is Really Position vs Submission? Sometimes You Can Have Both…
One of the fundamental rules of BJJ is that you should value 'Position over Submission.' This means is that you shouldn't abandon a good position - like the mount for example - to go for a dubious submission and lose the position. This is even more important in MMA and self defense: imagine going for an armbar from mount, your opponent escaping it, and you now ending up on the bottom … [Read more...]
2 Easy Guard Passing Strategies
Here's a brand new video I just shot... It covers two quick tweaks that'll make your guard passing game a LOT more powerful, both when you're sparring in class, and also when you're fighting in competition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sT533p1VHc Passing the guard of a good player is one of the hardest things to do in BJJ. But here are two strategies to help you... Guard … [Read more...]
How to do the Over-Under Guard Pass in No Gi
Can you do the over-under guard pass in no gi? That's a good question, and there's nobody better to answer this question than my friend Bernardo Faria, a multiple time BJJ world champion known for his crushing over-under guard pass. As the name implies, the over-under involves getting one of your arms over his legs and your other arm under his legs. In the gi you would typically grasp his … [Read more...]
The Training and Competition Strategies of Bernardo Faria
Bernardo Faria is a 5 x BJJ World Champion (and a good friend) so I was very excited to sit down with him and have an in-depth conversation about his competition, training and conditioning routine. The full transcript, audio and video are below on this page, but here's a quick preview of some of the things talked about: Exactly what a world champion's day to day training regimen … [Read more...]
My New, Favourite Butterfly Guard Pass (Step-by-Step)
Here's my new favourite guard pass! It uses opposite corner control (shoulder and knee) to rotate the body of your opponent plus a kick to disengage his hooks and prevent him from following you. I call it the 'Kung Fu' or the 'Punch, Pull, Kick Pass'. I've been pulling this off consistently for a couple of months now, both against butterfly guard and also against some other forms of open … [Read more...]
A Simple Drill to Shut Down Your Opponent’s Guard Pass
I don't usually have to spend a lot of time sitting around and dreaming up new crazy techniques to put onto my Youtube channel... Typically all I have to do is look back at the last couple of training sessions I've done and something obvious to talk about pops right out at me. In the case of today's video, I was working with a friend who was having trouble with his guard getting … [Read more...]
A Strategy for Getting 15 Points in a BJJ Tournament Fast
The ultimate goal of BJJ competition is to tap your opponent out, not to win by points. That being said, the point system is still a very important part of the game and you have to understand how to use it! Here's why... First of all, the point system in BJJ tournaments generally reflects what would work in a real fight. For example, its better to be on top than on bottom in a fight, … [Read more...]
How to Pass Mission Control in the Rubber Guard and Lockdown Half Guard
The popular no gi grappling system 10th planet jiu-jitsu has many unique positions and strategies. Their closed rubber guard system, which emphasises and requires quite a bit of flexibility, starts with a position called 'Mission Control'. In Mission Control you get one foot on your opponent's hip and hook your leg behind his neck to keep his posture broken. From here there are numerous … [Read more...]
Guard Pass Prevention in BJJ
Maintaining your guard and defending the guard pass are incredibly critical skills in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is the guard that allows a smaller opponent to control and defeat a bigger attacker. And the guard allows you survive when you're on the bottom - if you're underneath your opponent in any other position then basically you're losing. Preventing the guard pass doesn't necessarily … [Read more...]
How To Find the High Percentage BJJ Techniques You Can Rely On
As a young martial artist I once debated whether a certain Kung Fu striking technique could actually work in a real fight. To prove my point I mentioned that a bouncer I knew had successfully used that technique on a drunk in the bar the other night. The guy I was arguing with shut me down with a devastatingly simple rebuttal, “Yeah Stephan, that doesn't prove anything, because ANYTHING will … [Read more...]
Leg Lasso Spider Guard Pass
If you've ever been caught in the leg lasso position by someone with a good spider guard then you'll know exactly how a fly feels when it gets caught in the web of a big, old, nasty spider... Basically, in a correctly executed leg lasso spider guard you're in deep trouble! Your arms are both trapped so you won't be able to make effective grips. Because of the tremendous leverage of the … [Read more...]
How to do the Armbar Without Crushing Your Balls
It's a question that I get from BJJ beginners all the time, "How do I do the armbar without crushing my balls in the process?" And it's a legitimate problem for people starting out their BJJ career. In fact, it's a simple equation... Elbow + Groin = OUCH!! Now you could wear a cup, but most intermediate and advanced players don't do that unless they're training for MMA. Instead of … [Read more...]
How to Counter the Bullfighter / Matador Pass
In the 'Bullfighter' (aka 'Matador' aka 'Toreando') guard pass, you grab your opponent's legs, push them to the ground, and then run around to the side. (There are some refinements to this technique, of course, but even the super basic version I just described can be super-difficult to stop if you're facing someone who is explosive, athletic, and determined.) If you're on the bottom using … [Read more...]
How to do the Windshield Wiper Guard Pass
The windshield wiper is a leg motion used by a TON of high level BJJ guys to pass the guard (and also to showboat sometimes). It allows you to cross from one side of your opponent's body to the other without him entangling you in either guard or half guard. For example, let's say that you're passing the guard to your right and your opponent counters by high-legging (i.e. stepping over your … [Read more...]
Passing the Guard like Leandro Lo
If you’re passing the guard then the very first thing you need to worry about is avoiding getting swept or submitted. After all, it’s pretty hard to use your killer guard passing techniques if your opponent hits a sweep on you and takes you to the bottom right away… That’s why in our recent instructional on passing the guard the first thing Rob Biernacki and I teach is how NOT to get swept or … [Read more...]
New Instructional App: BJJ Guard Passing and Top Game Formula!
Hey, I've just released the latest Grapplearts instructional. It's called The BJJ Guard Passing and Top Game Formula (or 'Top Game Formula' for short). And it's available for Apple, Android and Kindle devices. And during the new release period it's half price (regular price $19.99 USD, this week only $9.99). Guard passing is without a doubt the most complex task in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. … [Read more...]