The leg drag is a modern addition to the world of guard passing in BJJ. It was popularized by world class competitors like the Mendes Brothers among many others. And if you spend even a little bit of time competing or watching major tournaments you will notice this style of pass being used successfully in every weight division, from white belt up to world champion black belt. Not only is … [Read more...]
Modern Jiu-Jitsu
“Jiu-Jitsu Nowadays Is Much More Effective”, Fabio Gurgel on Old vs Modern Jiu-Jitsu
In this clip of my epic talk with BJJ black belt legend Fabio Gurgel on The Strenuous Life Podcast he talks about whether old school or modern BJJ is more effective in competition, MMA, and in a real fight. He argues quite convincingly that new school jiu-jitsu is now MORE effective than it's ever been, that there are now MORE submissions in competition, and that reminiscing about the good old … [Read more...]
A Powerful Heel Hook Leglock Escape
Many grapplers treat leglocks as the black magic of jiu-jitsu. They fear leglocks and never use them. Cnsequently never learn how to properly escape them either. The problem is that if you're doing any form of no gi grappling you will inevitably run into ankle locks, heel hooks, kneebars and toeholds - sticking your head in the sand like an ostrich and ignoring them is no longer an … [Read more...]
How to Do the Rolling Backtake
The rolling backtake started gaining acceptance on the mats about 10 years ago, and since then has become a mainstay of modern jiu-jitsu. Watch any Rafa Mendes match and you'll more than likely see him teleport to someone's back using a variation of this move. The fact that he does it again and again, against people who know it's coming and are doing everything they can to stop it, means … [Read more...]