The north south position is a variation of side control where you're lined up at roughly 180 degrees to your opponent; your head is pointing towards his feet and vice versa. If you're skilled at the north south position you can make life hell for your opponent, especially since many of his standard side control escapes won't work in this configuration. And it also opens up some very … [Read more...]
A Primer for Inversions in BJJ
Inversions and going upside down have become part of mainstream jiu-jitsu. There are now many techniques where you flip upside down temporarily to achieve your defensive or offensive goals Now can you train BJJ without ever inverting? Absolutely! But can you compete at a high level without inverting? Probably not. I think it's safe to say that every high level competitive blackbelt today … [Read more...]
Making the Armbar from Guard Harder to Escape
How many times have you gone for an armbar from the guard only to have your opponent escape your attack, pass your guard, and then smash you from a dominant position? This is an incredibly common scenario, but it really doesn't need to happen nearly as often! The truth is that by making some simple tweaks to your technique and the sequence in which you apply that technique you'll make the … [Read more...]
3 Tips to Tighten Any Joint Lock Technique
It' s not easy to tap out a high level grappler with a joint lock. First of all their submission prevention is tight. They do everything they can to stop you from getting the submission in the first place. Next, their defense and escape techniques are also top notch. If you give them even an inch of slack they'll use that space to wiggle out of the submission. Finally elite grapplers are … [Read more...]
The 6 Steps of a Good Submission
Did you know that there's an actual physics and biomechanics-based procedure that'll definitely help you tap out many more people in BJJ? At a high level there's so much more more to getting a choke or an armlock than simply seeing an opportunity and jumping on it. That approach rarely works against good people. Instead it's about gradually manoeuvring your opponent into worse and worse … [Read more...]
The Step-by-Step Armbar from Mount
The armbar from mount is often taught as the 'CPR' armbar where you're mounted on your opponent, he sticks his arms straight up, you put both your hands on his chest and swing around into the armbar. It's slick, it's smooth, and it looks great. But the only reason the CPR armbar works is because your opponent has broken his own structure by pushing on your chest. Good opponents will almost … [Read more...]
Leg Action in Rear Mount – How to Put the Squeeze on Your Opponent
The rear mount is one of the very best positions you can get in BJJ. In rear mount you're behind your opponent and can attack him with chokes and armlocks (not to mention strikes in an MMA or self defense context). And there's pretty much bugger all that he can do to you... But it can be a lot of work to get here. You have to pass his guard, induce him to turn, secure your grips, get your … [Read more...]
Back Attacks 7: The Most Powerful Chokes from the Back Position
Rob Biernacki with the highest percentage chokes you can use when you're on someone's back in rear mount. This is part 7 in a series on the so-called 'weak side' of the back we're releasing on Youtube and is a small part of the Back Control module of the BJJ Formula instructional. You can get The Back Attacks Formula (including the NEW weak side material) in several different ways... 1) … [Read more...]
Back Attacks 6: How to Transition to the Crucifix from Rear Mount
The crucifix is an absolutely terrible position to be caught in when you're doing BJJ, No Gi or MMA. Here's Rob Biernacki of BJJ Formula fame showing exactly how to apply the crucifix on your opponent!! This is part 6 in a series on the so-called 'weak side' of the back we're releasing on Youtube and is a small part of the Back Control module of the BJJ Formula instructional. You can get … [Read more...]
How to Escape Cross Side Mount
Getting crushed on the bottom of the cross-side mount is one of the most terrible feelings in jiu-jitsu. In the worst case situation his weight is heavy upon your chest making it hard to breathe. Your limbs are completely out of position making it impossible for you to frame or push him away. And his arm is anchored under your head allowing him to drive his shoulder into your jaw with a … [Read more...]
Single and Double Leg Takedowns for Beginners
My friend Rob Biernacki and I recently shot a video about two of the most important takedowns for grappling: the single and the double leg takedowns. These are deeply complex techniques that can be explored and elaborated on endlessly, but for beginners it's sometimes good to keep things simple. However we let our inner smartasses run wild when we were filming this material, so the … [Read more...]
How to do the de la Riva Anklelock
The de la Riva ankle lock is the holy grail of open guard leglocking. It has been pursued by many, but mastered by few. It's a super effective, IBJJF legal submission from the de la Riva open guard developed by BJJ phenom and 12 time world champion Caio Terra (hence it also being known as the 'Caio Terra anklelock.') So why is it so hard for many people to learn? It's not that it requires … [Read more...]
No Gi de la Riva Guard Instructional, Now for Apple & Android Devices!
Hey there, I've just released The No Gi de la Riva Guard which will give you, I hope, a step-by-step formula for fixing your open guard. The main instructor in this instructional is Rob Biernacki, and having been at the receiving end of his de la Riva guard in no gi sparring I 1000% vouch for this system working. Now on my site it's available in online streaming and DVD formats, which is … [Read more...]
A Three Step Open Guard Strategy
Are you flailing around in your guard, trying to react to your opponent, without a clear plan of what to do? If so then this video and podcast episode is for you! When you're using the open guard there's a definite series of steps and strategies you should be using. Here Rob Biernacki of No Gi de la Riva Formula fame, taking you through the 3 stages of open guard and shows you specific … [Read more...]
Arm Drag from Reverse de la Riva Guard (Simple and Effective)
The Reverse de la Riva Guard is a variation of the regular de la Riva Guard, but with your inside leg entangling your opponent's lead leg instead of your outside leg. This picture should make it a little clearer what the difference is... Why Use the Reverse de la Riva? Most of the time players use both the regular and the reverse de la Riva positions, because they complement each … [Read more...]
5 Techniques for Knee Cut Guard Pass Defense and Prevention
It doesn't matter if you use closed guard, spider guard, butterfly guard, half guard or any other type of guard... At some point someone WILL try to knife through your legs using the Knee Cut Guard Pass! The Knee Cut is one of the most popular, most powerful guard passes out there. Every serious competitor uses some version of it, so you'll absolutely run into it!This is a promise, not a … [Read more...]
The Critical Importance of ‘Kuzushi’ in the Guard
Of all the articles and tips I've shared this year, today's might be the most important one... This concept and strategy has the potential to completely revolutionise your guard game. Ready? Good! Here it is... Use 'Kuzushi' (which is Japanese for 'offbalancing') before every single guard attack you launch! Here's a video on the topic of using Kuzushi from guard that you really should … [Read more...]
Standing vs Kneeling Guard Passes
When you're trying to pass your opponent's guard you can use either standing or kneeling guard passes. (Of course if you're dealing with the closed guard you have an additional decision to make, namely whether you first stand or kneel to break the closed guard open in the first place.) Anyhow, there's a tendency for modern BJJ players to use more standing, mobility based passes, especially … [Read more...]
Some High Percentage Pin Escapes from the North South Position
One of the most common questions I get asked is "how do I escape from north south?" It's a totally understandable question, because the north south position is a TERRIBLE place to be stuck in! On the bottom your arms are dangling out ripe for armlocking, your neck is just waiting to be choked, and the whole time your opponent is smashing you with heavy pressure from the top. Some of … [Read more...]
The 6 Ranges of Half Guard
The half guard is one of the three fundamental classifications of guard (closed, open, half). It can be used as both an offensive and a defensive position. There are many different variations of half guard, and one way to categorise those variations is by how far away you are from your opponent's hips. If there's a big space between your hips and his then you're at long range. If your hips … [Read more...]