It's easy to train an activity when you're calm, relaxed and not tired. But being able to execute those same movements correctly when you're fatigued and gasping for breath is something entirely different. … [Read more...]
Sparring
Sensitivity Training for Grappling
Physical attributes are really important for Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling (a point further discussed in this article about physical attributes and BJJ). Being able to feel your opponent's intent and react to it even before he moves (like when he's trying to bridge his way out of your mount) requires sensitivity. … [Read more...]
No, no, no. Sharpen your blade first!
Friendly rivalries on the mat often turbocharge your grappling progress. Recently I was corresponding with a BJJ player who kept on getting caught in the same leglock by a fellow student with a Sambo background. … [Read more...]
Never Satisfied!
Today, at the gym, a young grappler asked me a question he'd obviously been wondering about for a long time."How long did it take until you had grappling all figured out?" … [Read more...]
Sleepwalking Through Your Sparring
Back in my early teens, when I was infatuated with Kung Fu, I read a book purporting to describe about 50 supernatural abilities that Kung Fu masters could develop. Skills like levitation, or making your body impervious to weapons, or killing people with a poke of your fingertips... … [Read more...]
I Only Got Tapped Out Twice!!
A few weeks ago I went to a training session with the goal of working on and experimenting with the so-called "Sao Paulo Guard Pass." My plan for sparring this day was to start in my partner's closed guard, and then only use this one guard pass. … [Read more...]
BJJ Wrist Injuries and My Guilty Conscience
Today's tip comes from my heart, because I learned this lesson first hand when I injured my first BJJ teacher (and friend) Pshemek Drabchinsky. Once upon a time we were grappling. I was on top and things seemed to be going well (this was unusual at the time because he was way more skilled than I). However on this day I almost had him pinned! Pshemek is one of those Daddy Long Legs kind of … [Read more...]
Box a fighter, fight a boxer
"Box a fighter, and fight a boxer." This old saying isn't only limited to boxing - you can use the very same principle in grappling, jiu-jitsu and MMA.In a competition, or a 'serious' match you DON'T want to play the other guy's game. His game is what he's good at. … [Read more...]
breath, breath, BRIDGE!!
One of the things I talk about in my Beginning BJJ online Course is the importance of not telegraphing your moves, particularly your explosive escapes, by holding your breath. Now this lesson led to many interesting conversations, including one with Mr. Will Wood, who trains with Garrett Erickson. … [Read more...]
How to Master Any Grappling Technique in 100 Words (Honest!)
I set a challenge for myself while compiling, editing and contributing to the book Mastering BJJ. Inspired by the mini-article World Class Fitness in 100 Words on the Crossfit website I wanted to encapsulate my strategy for refining new techniques. … [Read more...]
Slaughter on the Mats…
Today my BJJ sparring was a battle for survival. Maybe you think it's because I sparred with a bunch of high-level black belts... Sorry to disappoint you, but that's wasn't the case at all. In fact, I was barely holding my own against blue belts with only a couple of years experience. And they were all lighter than me. … [Read more...]
The Give and Take of Jiu-jitsu
I remember seeing a small magic show at a local library when I was about 10 years old. At the time I thought that the magician had a pretty good act, but I had no idea that I was also about to learn a valuable jiu-jitsu lesson. … [Read more...]
One Grappler’s Secret Weapon
In the last newsletter we talked about what an arms race is, and how it can drive BJJ technique to higher levels. I also promised I would reveal a couple of secrets used by my training partners and I in our continuous struggles to get even the slightest advantage over the other person. … [Read more...]
The Arms Race
Is there someone at your club that you are always battling against? One week you kick his butt, and the following week it's payback time? Back and forth, week after week? If you do, then consider yourself lucky. … [Read more...]
The Two Meanings of the Tap
Tapping out is sending a message to your opponent. The most common message is "OK, you got me with that submission. Now let me go" Many grapplers don't realize that tapping out can also be used to send a different message … [Read more...]
The Pre-Fight Check In
A few days ago, in class, it was time to spar. I walked over to an older white belt, new to the club, who was standing by himself at the edge of the mat. I introduced myself and asked if he wanted to do some rolling. … [Read more...]
Balancing Mat Time with Conditioning
Forget the work-life balance! Let's talk about something much more important: the balance between mat time and conditioning. I bring this up because one of the questions I get asked most frequently is about how to structure one's training and conditioning for maximum benefit … [Read more...]
Short & Long Term Problem Solving
Grappling is problem solving, and part of improving in Brazilian jiu-jitsu is maintaining enough awareness during sparring to figure out precisely what your problems are. Let me explain... … [Read more...]
Always Injured, the Feedback
Several tips ago I gave some advice to a reader who had suffered a rather terrible string of orthopedic injuries while training in MMA . I also opened up the conversation to other readers of this newsletter and invited comments on several martial arts forums. … [Read more...]
An Alternative To Pulling Guard When Grappling On Your Knees
Many grapplers start their sparring sessions on their knees. From this starting position usually one of two things happen: either the two combatants push and pull each other until one falls over, or someone pulls guard and starts looking for sweeps and submissions. … [Read more...]