If you've trained BJJ for any length of time then you've probably come to the conclusion that mastering this art is more of a marathon than a short sprint. And you're right! There's a LOT to learn and a LOT to get good at in this sport. That's why a black belt takes so bloody long! … [Read more...]
Injuries
Judo for BJJ
An article by Mark Mullen Most students of Brazilian jiu-jitsu are aware that the origins of modern day BJJ came from Japanese judoka Mitsuyo Maeda who was one of the earliest of Jigoro Kano's members at the Kodokan. Since those early days, Brazilian jiu-jitsu has evolved significantly and now Olympic style judo and sport BJJ have diverged into their own sports. The rules governing IBJJF … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Deal With Injuries in BJJ
I'm not going to pretend that injuries don't suck. They do. There have been many great athletic careers cut short by injury. Many people who would otherwise have been great have had their dreams derailed when a bone went 'crack' or a ligament went 'snap' and then never quite recovered. The typical reaction of the BJJ addict when they get injured is, 'Oh no, now I can't train.' … [Read more...]
How to Train with Beginners so that Nobody Gets Hurt and You Both Get Better
The most dangerous situation in BJJ is training with an absolute novice. I'm serious! Someone who has never trained before is often unpredictable, jerky, and just doesn't know the rules of the game yet. All that thrashing around, lack of control, as well as potential ego issues means that there's a pretty high likelihood of something going wrong. Either that dude planting an elbow in your … [Read more...]
The Most Dangerous Throw in Judo & BJJ
There's a good reason that the extremely effective throw Kani Basami has been banned in all Judo and most BJJ competitions: it's super dangerous! Kani Basami has inflicted severe lower body injuries in dojos and competitions all over the world. I myself used it extensively until I was sparring with a wrestler, misjudged the distances, and landed on his ankle severely twisting it. He was out of … [Read more...]
More On Concussions in MMA
Last week I published my contentious, 'Does MMA Make You Stupid' article. Since then there have been a few more developments on the concussion controversy, so I figured it was worth sharing the updates so as to keep you in the loop. UPDATE 1: STEPHAN KESTING ON THE NHB NEWS PODCAST Over the weekend I was contacted by Eddie Goldman, the Godfather of MMA, from the NHB News website and podcast. … [Read more...]
How to Improve Your Hip and Leg Flexibility
Hip and leg flexibility is a huge asset in grappling, especially when it comes to not letting your opponent pass your guard, for launching sneaky sweeps and submissions from the guard position, and for weaseling your way out of tight pins. Plus if you're training in MMA, Muay Thai, Karate, Kickboxing, or any other martial art that involves kicking then flexibility will obviously help you out … [Read more...]
Inflexible, Stiff Back? Try This Workout…
There's almost nothing worse than a painful back. Unlike other body parts, an injury to your back comes to define your entire life. If your arm is strained, or you've twisted your knee, or if you've tweaked your shoulder, then usually you can find a way to get through your day without aggravating your injury too much. But a sore back finds a way to haunt you every second of every day. … [Read more...]
How Not to Break Your Neck Doing Takedowns
There's no getting around it, all contact sports are inherently dangerous. And it's hard to have more contact in a sport than in MMA. Now it's true that MMA might not be the most dangerous contact sport - that dubious title could arguably go to boxing or pro football - but in the past few years there have still been been some very, very serious injuries in MMA related to takedowns... … [Read more...]
Preventing Achy Elbows (and Getting a Killer Grip)
A lot of grapplers have creaky joints, and tennis elbow and golfer's elbow are just two of the most common overtraining injuries you're likely to encounter at the club. Here's one grappler's solution to his grappling-induced elbow problems. … [Read more...]
Preventing & Treating Foot Injuries in Grappling
Here's a reader question that turned into quite the 3-way discussion.... Q: Hi Stephan, I twisted my foot badly around 18 months ago. I tore a load of ligaments and was out of action for a bit. … [Read more...]
19 Tips on Lifting Weights for Martial Arts
In the not-so-distant past weight training was discouraged for martial artists. "It will make you slow", "it will make you muscle-bound", and "all you need is technique" were common opinions from the 'experts'. Times have changed! Athletes in almost every sport lift weights now. Coaches and trainers recognize that it will make their athletes stronger, faster, and more resilient to injury. It is … [Read more...]
A Girl’s Guide to Grappling What You Need to Know Before You Start Rolling
Although the sport and art of grappling is currently mostly a male activity, many female readers have commented on how important it is for women to learn to grapple (see Why Should Women Grapple?). In this article Liz Bader, an active mixed martial art competitor and instructor, explains what women should be aware of before they step onto the mat for the first time. … [Read more...]
Frank Mir’s Kimura on Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140
UFC 140 last Saturday night was one of the best MMA shows in recent memory. There were lots of exciting matchups, but THE fight of the night was the much-anticipated rematch between heavyweights Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir. This fight displayed the highest level grappling ever seen in the heavyweight division of the UFC! As soon as the match ended I looked at my good friend and … [Read more...]
No cauliflower for you!
Some grapplers think that cauliflower ears are a status symbol. Others think that it's gross. Some people can train for 20 years and still have perfectly shaped ears. Others need to wear headgear all the time or their ears start getting lumpier and lumpier. … [Read more...]
Don’t make this classic training error!
About 10 years ago I was talking to a pioneer of early MMA. This fighter trained all the time, even between fights. But whenever he had a fight coming up he'd go absolutely mental and grind himself down into an exhausted mess. … [Read more...]
Podcast EP3: Erik Paulson; an MMA Master Coach Shares His Secrets
Erik Paulson is an MMA Master Coach. He's trained tons of fighters competing at the highest levels of Mixed Martial Arts. And he held the Shooto light-heavyweight title in Japan for 5 years. He's also my friend and a mentor. Click Play Below to Listen to My Conversation with Erik Paulson... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx7gT-EXohM Recently I asked my newsletter readers if there was … [Read more...]
BJJ Wrist Injuries and My Guilty Conscience
Today's tip comes from my heart, because I learned this lesson first hand when I injured my first BJJ teacher (and friend) Pshemek Drabchinsky. Once upon a time we were grappling. I was on top and things seemed to be going well (this was unusual at the time because he was way more skilled than I). However on this day I almost had him pinned! Pshemek is one of those Daddy Long Legs kind of … [Read more...]
Bring ‘Em Back Alive: More On Recovering From Chokes
The last blog post (Choke Recovery in Grappling) prompted some lively discussion and debate when I posted it on the Sherdog Grappling Forum and on MMA.tv. I also received a number of emails on the topic. … [Read more...]
Choke Recovery in BJJ and Submission Grappling
The first time I saw someone choked unconscious it scared the crap out of me. And it was made worse by the fact that it was a friend of mine... It was many years ago at a local tournament. My friend was winning his match but got caught in a sneaky gi choke. He was (and still is) a stubborn bastard, so he refused to tap and passed out. He might have been out for about 10 seconds before anyone … [Read more...]