Here is a modern way of applying the Rear Naked Choke, which had it's origins in Classical Japanese Ju-Jutsu. (This technique is from the Submission Grappling vs. Classical Ju-Jutsu article on Grapplearts.com) Stephan controls his opponent with the butterfly guard. He grips his opponent’s triceps with his right hand… … and pulls him forward while simultaneously moving his … [Read more...]
Guard Sweeps
The ‘Fundamental Five Guard Sweeps’ from the de la Riva Guard
Ricardo de la Riva is an incredibly nice and humble man, but don't let that fool you - this man is a BJJ legend. (I mean, how many people have a popular guard position named after them?) … [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...]
Countering the Half Guard Pass
Since I released my DVD on the Dynamic Half Guard I get a lot of questions on how to prevent certain guard passes. I cover a lot of guard pass and leglock prevention in that video, but it's *only* 2 hours long … [Read more...]
Refusing to Concede the Sweep
I trained with Denis Kang for the first five or six years of his MMA career. At some point during that time he became very, very difficult to sweep. Partially this was due to his increasing technical knowledge, but it was also more than that. … [Read more...]
A Half Guard Secret
When fighting from my half guard I often recall something that Chris Brennan told me: "one of the secrets of the half guard is to bring your knees to your chest". This advice, simple as it is, can add a whole other dimension to your half guard attacks. … [Read more...]
An Alternative To Pulling Guard When Grappling On Your Knees
Many grapplers start their sparring sessions on their knees. From this starting position usually one of two things happen: either the two combatants push and pull each other until one falls over, or someone pulls guard and starts looking for sweeps and submissions. … [Read more...]
Short Legged Guard Work
A while ago I gave some suggestions about dealing with the open guard of long-legged and flexible opponents. In the interests of fairness and balance let's address some options for the opposite situation, namely what to do if you have shorter, inflexible legs. … [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...]
Butterfly Guard Crash Course
As I was heading home from a workout recently, someone mentioned that their butterfly guard just wasn't working for them. I put down my bag, got back on the mat, and started trying to metamorphose his butterfly guard. … [Read more...]
Submissions as Sweeps
Submissions end fights, and sweeps take you from the bottom to the top. At first glance they seem like very different types of techniques, but this week I'm going to discuss how they sometimes merge into one another. There are times when you lock on a submission but sense that you won't be able to finish it - maybe your opponent is too strong, perhaps you don't have it on quite right, or maybe … [Read more...]
No-Gi Scissor Sweeping
Q: Do you have any tips about doing the scissor sweep without a gi? I tried it last night and had a hard time doing it! The scissor sweep is most often used in gi-based grappling, where you can control the sleeve and collar of your opponent. … [Read more...]
Two More Previews of the Half Guard DVD
I've uploaded two more excerpts from my soon-to-be-released Dynamic Half Guard DVD to Youtube and Google Video. You can check them out at Preview 1: How to counter your opponent's attempt to block a backclimb attack. You can watch it below, … [Read more...]
Half Guard DVD Update
I know, I know, there have been a ton of delays in getting the Half Guard DVD ready... … [Read more...]
Half Guard Evolution
This week I’d like to talk about the half guard. This position is one where you are lying on your back or side with one of your opponent’s legs between your own. In the last 10 years an increasing number of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling matches … [Read more...]
The Two-Pronged Half Guard
Andreh Anderson has trained with many famous grapplers and is a skilled brown belt under Rey Diego. Recently he posted detailed photos and explanations of two of his favorite techniques. … [Read more...]
A Roadmap for Grappling
When an uninitiated person sees grappling in action for the first time it seems very chaotic and confusing. There are limbs and bodies all over the place and then, all of a sudden and for ‘no reason’ someone taps out. This can be a very intimidating activity for beginners to launch themselves into. … [Read more...]