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...]
Self Defense
One Of My Favorite Techniques…
Here's a breakdown one of my favorite techniques: the sitout from turtle position. It's a very versatile move: you can use it to finish a pin escape, or recover after a failed takedown attempt, or to get the upper hand during a scramble. … [Read more...]
More on Self Defense, MMA and the UFC
I've received lots of email recently, so today I thought I'd dip into the mailbag and share a few emails. I've also quickly jotted down some quick comments, and some links to a few relevant articles. … [Read more...]
Is Grappling Still Relevant to Self Defense?
I've been wanting to get something off my chest, so I just put a new video up onto the Grapplearts Facebook page. In it I break down: why we're seeing more knockouts and less submissions in modern MMA … [Read more...]
Get Off the Ground!!!
Once you get good at Brazilian jiu-jitsu the ground will be your happy place. Rolling around and hunting for submissions will feel as natural as walking! But there's a time and a place for everything... … [Read more...]
How to Stand Up From Guard And Get Back to Your Feet
Originally published by Stephan Kesting in Ultimate Grappling Magazine Marc Laimon is one of the foremost grappling coaches for mixed martial arts fighters. Not only was he a coach for the hit Spike TV show "The Ultimate Fighter," … [Read more...]
The Two WORST Martial Arts Techniques of All Time!
Disclaimer: I've trained with some great teachers, getting tons of top-notch information from them. But my teachers are NOT AT ALL RESPONSIBLE for today's video! You see, I've just posted a video about the two absolute WORST techniques that I've ever seen in almost 30 years of martial arts training! … [Read more...]
Podcast EP2: BJJ & Submission Grappling Competition: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know!
"Everything you ever wanted to know about Brazilian Jiu-jitsu competition but were afraid to ask!" That's a strong statement, but it's almost even true. In my latest podcast I talk extensively with David Meyer, author of Training for Competition: Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Submission Grappling. We cover a TON of ground in this interview, ranging from why you might want to compete at all, to … [Read more...]
Combining the Thai Clinch With The Double Leg Takedown
Today's goodie is a report written by my online friend John Will, discussing how to combine the deadly Muay Thai clinch position with the double leg takedown (arguably the highest percentage takedown in MMA). … [Read more...]
Gi? No-Gi? Self Defense? MMA? No Problem!
There's a long-standing debate in the grappling community whether training with the gi helps your no-gi skills. My personal preference is to train both with and without the gi. … [Read more...]
Getting Back to Your Feet From Guard
In the early days of MMA fighters who took someone down tried to keep the fight there. They'd stay on the ground even if they couldn't pass their opponent's guard or mount an effective ground-and-pound offense. … [Read more...]
Why I Started Martial Arts
Here's how the book Ninja, Clan of Death got me started on my martial arts journey. And how a crayon-written black mail note failed to get me into Judo class. And which teachers have been my biggest influences. And how I finally transitioned into the grappling arts. https://www.youtube.com/v/pj2R4YYq5CY Click here to see the same video about Why I Started Martial Arts on YouTube. … [Read more...]
On Keeping the Top Position
This is an excerpt on one of the most important sections from my book " A Roadmap for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu" … [Read more...]
A Survival Story
An anonymous person contacted me recently and shared a story of how a female friend had used a few months of BJJ training to escape from an assault and/or attempted rape situation. … [Read more...]
Grappling for Self Defense
It's very easy to forget all about the self-defense aspects of what you are doing when you train grappling. There's so much material to work on, and it's so much fun to train, that self-defense considerations can get overlooked. … [Read more...]