The straight arm figure 4 was one of the very first armlocks I was ever shown on the ground. But it was super unreliable. In fact, for the next 3 decades, I would only be able to get it to work occasionally and then only against inferior or very tired opponents. Most of the time my sparring partners would simply twist or muscle their way out of it, or - most discouraging of all - just … [Read more...]
Ritchie Yip
2 Favorite Knee on Belly Escapes
Being on the bottom of knee on belly (aka 'knee mount') is a terrible thing! You can't move... Your arms and neck are vulnerable to submissions... And the pressure that an opponent puts on your belly makes it hard to breath. So you have to have a good knee on belly escape you can rely on! To get you started with that, in my 6:06 Youtube video called '2 Favorite Escapes from Knee Mount … [Read more...]
Your Open Guard Options vs. Standing Opponents
If you end up on the bottom with your opponent standing up and detached from you then be prepared for a very frantic and dangerous scramble. Unhindered by your grips and hooks he can deploy his favourite Open Guard passes on you without having to feel endangered by your own attacks. Now of course one option is to use the separation and stand back up to your own feet using the technical … [Read more...]
Grapplearts Radio Podcast Episode 40: Stephan Kesting and Ritchie Yip
In the 40th episode of the Grapplearts Radio Podcast Ritchie and I start with a discussion of Darth Vader's lightsabre technique in Rogue One and then go deeply into the topic of paralysis by analysis in jiu-jitsu, teaching technique, the best way to train to get good fast, and many other fun topics. We finish up by talking about areas that we've focussed on in our own training this … [Read more...]
Guard Pass Prevention in BJJ
Maintaining your guard and defending the guard pass are incredibly critical skills in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is the guard that allows a smaller opponent to control and defeat a bigger attacker. And the guard allows you survive when you're on the bottom - if you're underneath your opponent in any other position then basically you're losing. Preventing the guard pass doesn't necessarily … [Read more...]
A Big Guard Passing Tip Learned from Boxing
Today I'm going to share a tip which - if you actually use it - should make your guard passes twice as effective as they are right now. I learned this a long time ago from my friend and training partner Ritchie Yip. One day we were sparring, and unlike our previous sparring session he was absolutely demolishing my guard. It was as if I had butter legs and he was wielding a red-hot samurai … [Read more...]
Podcast EP25: BJJ Beginner Tips Interview and Podcast
In this Grapplearts interview I talk to BJJ Black Belt Ritchie Yip, focusing on tips that BJJ beginners need to know. But sometimes the conversation goes a little off track! 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 … [Read more...]
A Dirty Boxing Breakdown
This is a video from the archives that I shot with my friend and training partner at Infighting MMA in downtown Vancouver. Infighting has since moved into a much nicer, larger facility, but the information in this video is still 100% valid. It's all about the 'dirty boxing' techniques that are technically illegal in boxing but still end up deciding fights all the time. … [Read more...]
Why You (and Everyone Else) Should Train BJJ
My friend Ritchie Yip really nails it in this video. Ultimately it's not about winning tournaments, triangle choking a mugger in an alley, or being king of the dojo. It's about developing the strength, the fortitude and - dare I say it - character that will serve you for the rest of your whole life in any field of endeavour. … [Read more...]
Podcast EP20: The Art and Science of Teaching Martial Arts
I recently interviewed my friend, training partner, black belt, and school owner Ritchie Yip. The main theme of our discussion was the art and science of teaching martial arts, including how to teach students with different learning styles and experience levels. Not every student learns the same way, and a good teacher knows how to adapt his material and curriculum to help students of all learning … [Read more...]
3 Drills for Passing & Defending Butterfly Guard
Drilling is critical to skill development in BJJ in general, which is why we talk about it so often in this blog (click here to see some past articles about drilling). Drilling and technique repetition become even more important if you're dealing with a position like the butterfly guard. This is because the butterfly guard can be a very fast-paced game with much less time to think about your … [Read more...]
What To Do When Your Guard Attacks Fail
It's my very favorite quote from the movie 'The Avengers' which I saw last night: Captain America: We need a plan of attack! Iron man: I have a plan... Attack!! It's a funny moment in the movie, but there's a lot of truth to that statement. For example, wouldn't having an continuous, irresistible and relentless offense from the guard would be great in BJJ? In an ideal world you'd be … [Read more...]