The common headlock is often overlooked in BJJ - it's just not considered to be a very technical pinning position. But not training your headlock escapes is a HUGE mistake! … [Read more...]
Judo
Toby Imada’s Amazing MMA Triangle Broken Down For You
A lot of people thought that Toby Imada's triangle choke was the best MMA submission of 2009. And they may be right - it was a stunning display of quick thinking and 'sticktoitness' on Toby's part. Here's the clip of the match highlights including the spectacular submission: Last week I uploaded posted an article and video called 5 Triangle Chokes You Need To Know, and shortly … [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...]
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...]
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...]
Offside Kesa Gatame has an Judo Name
OK, it's official. The collective intelligence of the Grapplearts readership is awesome. Thousands of people people receive my newsletters, and many more read my articles on the website, via RSS feeds, etc. If we all got together and combined our knowledge we'd make Rickson Gracie look like a three-stripe white belt. … [Read more...]
Catch and Release – What to do if your opponent just won’t tap?
Back when I was mostly training in Judo I heard that there were some traditional dojos in Japan where tapping out to a choke was frowned upon - even in club sparring sessions you were supposed to fight the choke right to the bitter end, and your opponent would release the hold only AFTER you passed out. I thought that this was pretty hardcore, and felt lucky that the Judo club I trained at … [Read more...]