Multiple time world champion Robert Drysdale came onto The Strenuous Life Podcast to share the discoveries he's made while studying the history of BJJ for his forthcoming documentary 'The Closed Guard' and accompanying book "Opening Closed Guard." There's a TON of good stuff here, including how Judo slowly evolved into BJJ, the role of George Gracie, why the Japanese (including Mitsuyo Maeda) … [Read more...]
Crosstraining in BJJ and Classical Martial Arts
In episode 245 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I sit down with Japanese ju-jutsu black belt Alex Kask to discuss the benefits, pitfalls and procedures for training in traditional systems and in modern BJJ at the same time. Both Alex and I have extensive backgrounds in both approaches and have co-authored the Classical Japanese Ju-Jutsu vs BJJ article that got published in several magazines and … [Read more...]
BJJ Wristlocks Everywhere!
For some reasons wristlocks in BJJ just don't get no respect. Many grapplers consider it OK to tap out to armlocks, triangle chokes, shoulder locks or lapel chokes, but for some reason wristlocks are considered super cheesy. However the wrist is just as legitimate a joint to attack as the elbow, shoulder or knee. In fact there's a meme going around the online BJJ community right now. I … [Read more...]
Japanese Jiujitsu vs BJJ
BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-jitsu) is undeniably the most popular grappling system on the planet right now. But BJJ came from Judo, and Judo came from the traditional Japanese Jiujitsu systems. So there's a direct lineage from Japanese Jiujitsu (aka Jujitsu or Jujutsu) to BJJ. Both arts contain chokes, pins, armlocks and leglocks, so what's the difference? There are differences in both the … [Read more...]
Podcast EP13: Roy Dean on BJJ, Aikido, Judo, Wrestling, and the Martial Artist’s Path
You can listen to, read, or download this interview in several different ways... To listen to this conversation you could press play on the embedded audio player below, but then you might miss out on future episodes, wouldn’t you? So the best thing to do is to subscribe to The Strenuous Life Podcast using the podcast player that you almost certainly already have on your phone! (For … [Read more...]
Submission Grappling vs. Classical Ju-jutsu; when cultures and concepts collide
Introduction There are many similarities between the sport of Submission Grappling and the classical Japanese Ju-jutsu systems. Both arts emphasize grappling over striking. Both arts recognize the importance and efficiency of ground-fighting. … [Read more...]
Judo Books
Long time readers won't be surprised when I say that you can learn a lot by studying the techniques used by grapplers of the past (check out my post on old-time grappling). Rules change and sports evolve, but body mechanics stay the same. … [Read more...]
Classical Ju-jutsu Leglock
Classical Japanese Ju-Jutsu included leglocks as well as armlocks and chokes. The details of how the technique were applied were a little different however... (This technique is from the Submission Grappling vs. Classical Ju-Jutsu article on Grapplearts.com) Alex ties up with his opponent, gripping pressure points at the elbow and in the neck. Alex throws his opponent to the … [Read more...]
Classical Ju-jutsu Choke
Most of the techniques used in modern grappling were used in some other form in some other grappling art first. Here's how the Rear Naked Choke might have looked back in the day... (This technique is from the Submission Grappling vs. Classical Ju-Jutsu article on Grapplearts.com) … [Read more...]
Classical Ju-jutsu Armlock
Here's one classical approach to applying the armlock that has morphed into the 'Americana' or Figure 4 Armlock in modern submission grappling). As you can see, it's similar but different... (This technique is part of the Submission Grappling vs. Classical Ju-Jutsu article on Grapplearts.com) … [Read more...]
Old Time Grapplin’
I'm a big fan of old Judo, Jiu-Jitsu and Catch Wrestling books. I have lots and lots of martial arts books, but some of the real jewels of my library are the Judo and wrestling books published in the 1920's to the 1960's. Not all are original - some are reprinted editions - but all offer very interesting historical perspectives on modern grappling. There is just something special about seeing … [Read more...]
From Traditional Ju-jutsu to Modern Grappling
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, submission grappling and mixed martial arts are relatively new phenomena, but they are rooted in martial traditions hundreds, and even thousands of years old. Although I choose to train and compete in a modern setting I still believe that there is value in examining the origins of one’s art. … [Read more...]