I love the Single Leg X Guard position! It's relatively easy to get to, offers you many powerful sweeps, gives you the option to upgrade into other forms of X guard, and - if you want to go that way - it dovetails very nicely with the leglock game (seeing as it's basically the same as the 'ashi garami' leglock position). But a lot of people get a key element of the Single Leg X Guard … [Read more...]
Robot Legs Drill (video)
Today I want to show you a fun and effective way to improve your guard passes that I call the 'robot legs' drill. Using this drill you make a super-powerful guard passing movement totally instinctive. And once you get comfortable with this drill you can also get a good cardio workout by going faster - start with 3 sets of one minute at full speed and tell me how you feel afterwards! But … [Read more...]
An Easy and Effective Guard Retention Drill
There are many guard retention techniques you can use to stop someone from passing your guard, but just like any other technique they require drilling and repetition to become automatic. So that's what we're going to start with; an easy line drill where you can warm your body at the beginning of class and also get in lots of repetition for the 'frame and hip escape' guard retention … [Read more...]
Defense vs the Over-Under Guard Pass
The 'over-under' pass is a pressure-based technique for passing the guard which is used quite successfully in high level competition. In part it's a great pass because you don't have to be particularly fast or nimble to pull it off. When you're on the bottom and defending this pass, however, life can really suck... Not only is it an effective pass, but it's a tiring one to defend. You're … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Guide to Developing BJJ Hip Movement Through Shrimping
Everyone says that moving your hips is one of the keys to jiu-jitsu. And they’re absolutely right: the correct movement of the hips is critical not only for escaping bad positions, but also for applying submissions, sweeping your opponent, passing the guard and much more. Traditionally an exercise called ‘shrimping’ is often used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to develop hip movement. This … [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...]
The Two Most Important Guard Retention Techniques
Retaining your guard and preventing guard passes can seem like a daunting task. There are so many techniques that your opponent might use to try and pass your guard. Do you need to learn a different technique to counter each combination and permutation of grips, movement and body positioning you might run into? Not at all. There may be many different guard passing techniques, but there are … [Read more...]
How to Stop the Leg Shuck Pass
The leg shuck pass has become a very popular, very powerful way to pass the guard. This pass is applied from the feet against many types of open guard. It involves an angle change, hipping in, and pushing your opponent's leg out of position. If all goes well then you end up in a very good position on your opponent's side. You should definitely be familiar with the leg shuck, especially if … [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...]
How To Stop Someone From Passing Your Guard
A reader writes: Hi Stephan, Thank you for the newsletters! I started training BJJ and MMA about 5 months ago - it's been life changing for me. Do you have any tips for keeping someone in your guard and not letting them pass? Sincerely, R.W. ======== My Answer ======== Hi R, First of all, congratulations for jumping into such a challenging and hugely rewarding sport. Most of the … [Read more...]
Can’t Get Underhooks in Butterfly Guard?
Underhooks in the butterfly guard postion are super important! I was on a popular BJJ forum this afternoon when a thread about one of my favorite BJJ positions - the butterfly guard - caught my eye. As it turns out, someone was having problems. Here's what he said: "In the last few months I have really been concentrating on trying to get a solid butterfly guard. I bought Kesting's … [Read more...]
The Unpassable Guard 1
Tricks, Concepts, Techniques and Drills to Prevent Opponents from Passing Your Guard 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 then asked readers to share their own top tips for preventing or blocking the guard pass. Below is a selection of reader contributions on the topic of making your guard … [Read more...]
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...]