If you've ever been shown Spider Guard by your instructor then chances are it was the double feet on biceps variation. This is the classic form of Spider Guard first developed in the eighties, which has continued to change and evolve and as a consequence is still very effective today. But it can seem like a complicated position, and if you've ever had problems with it then there might just be … [Read more...]
Understanding Spider Guard – the Critical Fundamentals
Today is the release date for the first of the five brand new Spider Guard instructional apps from Grapplearts.com. The name of this app is "Understanding Spider Guard, The Critical Fundamentals." This may sound like a boring topic but I promise you that it's anything but!! It's super-useful, super-applicable, and super-important information. … [Read more...]
ARCHIVE The FREE Roadmap for BJJ App!
Here's something brand new that I've been working on for a whole year. It's available right now and I think you're really going to like it!! How would you like a top-to-bottom game plan for the closed guard position? What about a complete roadmap for the Open Guard? And while we’re at it, would a game plan for the modern Half Guard help you out? … [Read more...]
Try This First When You’re in X Guard
The X Guard is a hybrid open guard / half guard position, first popularized by Marcelo Garcia. There are a million sweeps, finishes, and follow-ups from the X Guard. Everything from kneebars and omoplatas, to fancy upside-down backwards flipping sweeps, to techniques that take you directly to rear mount. But I don't suggest starting with any of these techniques... Don't get me wrong - I … [Read more...]
How to Do the Head and Arm Choke (aka ‘Kata Gatame’)
The Head and Arm choke is a super-powerful submission that works with and without the gi, with and without strikes, in BJJ, Judo, Submission Grappling and Judo. It's ended a lot of matches and even put a few people to sleep. The Head and Arm choke comes from Judo (where it's known as Kata Gatame) and if you grapple then it's a technique that you need to know! This choke cuts off the blood … [Read more...]
How to NOT Clog Up Your Phone with My Instructional Apps
This week we've been releasing a series of apps featuring BJJ black belt Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins at a rate of one per day. (A lot of the apps have also been getting the coveted four and five star ratings in both Google Play and iTunes, which is awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to rate them!!) But not everyone's happy… … [Read more...]
The Android BJJ Apps Are Finally Here!
The next generation of instructional Android apps have finally arrived! As evidenced by the fact that I slept about 2 hours last night, and now I'm in front of my computer AGAIN, it's taken a TON of development and testing to get here... But today we're releasing the first Android app in the 'How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent' series with myself and black belt world champion Emily … [Read more...]
How to Counter the Cross-Collar Grip
When you're in your opponent's guard one of the most annoying things he can do is secure a really good cross-collar grip on you. True, this grip doesn't have much utility for MMA or no-gi training (in fact being too reliant on it can create some really bad habits for when the gi comes off), but in BJJ the cross-collar grip is a serious problem. When your opponent snags a cross collar grip on you … [Read more...]
A Easy Way to Stay Out of Trouble in the Guard
Posture, posture, posture... Everyone talks about posture as THE solution to staying out of trouble in the guard. Every guard pass ever taught starts out with, "First, make posture in the guard." But the trouble is that your opponent knows this too. If you're in his closed guard, and if posture is good for you, then posture is bad for him. So guess what? He'll work like crazy to disrupt, destroy, … [Read more...]
How to Stabilise Mount Against a Bigger, Stronger Opponent
Many smaller grapplers avoid the mount position because they feel it's too easy for a larger opponent to simply throw them off or roll them to the bottom. It usually takes a TON of work to get to the mount, and it really sucks when some big doofus simply sits up and rolls you to the bottom where you have to start all over again!= But there ARE ways to shut down this silliness, and allow you to … [Read more...]
The Most Important Concept for No Gi Takedowns
Takedowns can seem difficult, tricky and confusing. Especially if you're not gifted with a surplus of fast-twitch muscle and innately awesome timing. But my friend and BJJ world champion Emily Kwok has a concept that makes the whole takedowns game a LOT easier. … [Read more...]
3 Open Guard Options vs. Standing Opponents
If you don't have a gameplan from the open guard then this position can quickly become a confusing and ineffective tangle of arms and legs . And open guard chaos gets much, much worse when you don't have a good grip on your opponent. … [Read more...]
The Highest Percentage Sidemount Escape in BJJ?
Sidemount is arguably the pinning position you're going to run into most often in BJJ. Most guard passes lead into sidemount, and from sidemount you can get to almost every other position (it's kind of like the Grand Central Station of BJJ pinning)! So it's not surprising that there are a ton of different sidemount escapes involving shrimping, bridging, spinning, reguarding, etc. But the … [Read more...]
My Favourite Kneebar Defenses and Escapes
The kneebar is one of my very favourite submissions - it's become a bit of a signature move, in fact. So it's always a man-bites-dog moment whenever someone attacks me with the kneebar and I find myself on the receiving end of this powerful leglock. (The nerve of some people! Sheesh!!) Anyway, here's a YouTube video excerpt from my Submission Defense app (available in Apple, Android, & … [Read more...]
Three Keys to Escaping Any Submission
Some people might not be the greatest grapplers but are still notoriously hard to submit. Obviously technique is important, but there's more to slipping out of submission than just knowing the escape techniques. In fact the most important thing is knowing WHEN to apply your techniques. If you use the right technique at the wrong time then it won't work. For example I remember rolling with a … [Read more...]
Tap Out Less Often! The ‘Submission Defense’ App for Android…
After a ton of planning and working with video editors and Android app programers, I'm thrilled to announce that Submission Defense - the latest Grapplearts app for the Android platform - is finally ready!! This app was designed with one single-minded purpose: to help you tap out much less often. This app takes you through my very favorite escapes for many of the most common and most … [Read more...]
My Favorite One-Two Sweeping Combo from X Guard
Today I'm going to share two of my favourite (and very powerful) X guard sweeps with you. Plus I'll show you how put them together so that it looks like you have amazing timing without actually having to increase your reaction speed one iota. Let's first talk about what makes two techniques work well together in general. I touched upon the topic of complementary techniques in a previous … [Read more...]
6 Steps for an Effective Sleeve Choke
I know, I know, I KNOW! I go on and on about how tapping out is no big deal, and how you can get injured if you let ego get in the way, and how everybody gets caught from time to time… But there I was, leaping all over the place to escape a submission, becoming increasingly desperate as the noose tightened around my neck, just because the whole thing seemed so cheesy. Let me jump back a … [Read more...]
The Easiest Butterfly Guard Sweep
Today I want to quickly share the easiest way to sweep someone from the butterfly guard. Many butterfly guard attacks require you to close the distance, pull your opponent forward, load him up onto your legs, and then sweep him. But what if he resists? What if you've caught him with the butterfly sweep so many times that he now refuses to engage, keeps on backing up, and gripfights like … [Read more...]
My Favorite One-Two-Three Sweep Combo from the Half Guard
The half guard is one of my favorite guard positions. And here are three of my favorite half guard sweeps and attacks! Not only is each of these moves a high percentage technique in its own right, but when you put them together they create a powerful one-two-three combination that will serve you well in the half guard for the rest of your grappling career. The first attack in this sequence … [Read more...]