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...]
Guard Retention
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...]
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...]