As is so often the case, Mark Twain said it best: "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." This applies to dogs, grapplers, MMA fighters and jiu-jitsu players alike. … [Read more...]
Sparring
The Berserker
There's one at almost every club. The guy who can't lose. The guy who always goes 100%. The guy who applies every submission with speed and power. The guy who fights as if his life depends on it. … [Read more...]
How to Train Dangerous Submissions
In the previous article we discussed some of the most dangerous submissions in grappling, and ended with the question of how one can train these submissions realistically... The easy answer "slowly, gently, and with control". But even with this advice people still get hurt, so obviously more explanation is required. Below are some solutions used by different schools to solve the problem. … [Read more...]
The Dangerous Locks
Not all submissions are created equal: some cause pain, some put you to sleep, and some do a lot of damage. Today I want to talk about the latter category, those submissions most likely to send you to the orthopedic surgeon. Knowing which locks are dangerous is important for at least two reasons: first, you need to know which submissions to tap out early to if you are caught in one yourself, … [Read more...]
Trust Your Spider Sense
Most instructors, motivators and 'experts' will tell you to train, train, train. Today I am going to tell you the exact opposite: there are some days when you shouldn't go within a hundred yards of a mat. The trick is figuring out which days those are. … [Read more...]
Beating the Big Guy (Again)
Of all the questions I am asked, the most common question has to be how to beat someone who is much bigger than yourself... I've already tackled beating the larger, stronger opponent in a previous article on this site but people keep on asking me for more tips … [Read more...]
Neck Cranks
A Grapplearts reader writes: Q: "What are the true dangers of neck cranks?" A: It is funny how many clubs ban leg locks but allow neck cranks. Necks are under a lot of stress in grappling, even under 'normal' conditions: throw in a couple of uncontrolled neck cranks and you are looking at herniated disks, osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis and a whole host of other painful degenerative … [Read more...]
Training with Injury
Injuries suck. They hurt, they take a long time to heal, and most importantly, they prevent you from training. Knowing how to train around injuries is an important part of getting better at any sport, and this is especially true in grappling. … [Read more...]
The ‘Elders’ Speak
My newsletter last week about grappling with an aging body generated a fair bit of feedback. Some respondents thanked me for the article (you're welcome). Others called me a candy-ass and that I should work harder and complain less (they were joking, I think). … [Read more...]
The MOST Important Training Gear
Over the last couple of months I have written about various pieces of training gear, ranging from wrestling shoes to mouthguards. Looking over these tips I realized I had left out the single most important, completely indispensable training gear of all: your partner! … [Read more...]
Don’t be Afraid of Making your Students Better (Than You)
Normally in this newsletter I try to help you tap other people out, or at the very least make it more difficult for others to tap you out. This week's advice will result in you getting tapped out MORE often, not less, but you'll be a better grappler because of it. Let me start with an example. Recently I taught a sparring partner a new choke to attack the half guard (the 'Brabo' choke). This … [Read more...]
Grappling with Jean Jacques Machado
One of my favorite grappling sessions of all time was only about 1 or 2 minutes long. It was with Jean Jacques Machado, ADCC champion and a personal hero of mine. This happened about 4 years ago when I was a large, strong purple belt. … [Read more...]
Defeating the Smaller, Faster Opponent
I am sure some of you are scratching your heads, trying to figure out why on earth I would be writing about how to beat a smaller opponent... Well I've written a fair bit on how to take out bigger guys, but smaller opponents tend to be fast, squirrelly, and sneaky. Also they’re not about to take it easy on you just because you’re bigger … [Read more...]
How to Beat Any Opponent (Honest)!
The question I get asked most often goes something like this: “There is a guy at my club (let’s call him ‘Bill’) who bench presses 400 pounds, used to wrestle in college, and has an 18 inch neck. Bill has been doing jiu-jitsu for only a couple of years, but he has already learned how to counter all my attacks. … [Read more...]
Thrashing Escapes
As you may know already, I like leglocks a lot.I have applied hundreds upon hundreds of leglocks to training partners without injuring them.This week I am going to tell you about the ONLY person I have ever injured using a leglock. I was grappling at a class once, in a bit of a lazy mood.I was playing light and easy, not really going for the kill very often or with very much intensity.Eventually … [Read more...]
Targeted Sparring Concluded: Bad Positions
In this last installment on fine-tuning your sparring time I would like to talk about starting your sparring sessions from bad positions. Starting out in a bad position is a good way to rapidly improve your pin escapes and submission counters. It is also a great way to challenge yourself, particularly when sparring lighter or less experienced people. … [Read more...]
Targeted Sparring: Limited Techniques.
A good way to get more out of your sparring sessions is to limit the techniques you can use. As has been pointed out many times in many different disciplines, creativity thrives on limitation, because it forces you to think outside the box to achieve your goal. … [Read more...]
Targeted Sparring: Mobility
Sometimes it's good to just go and roll, with no plans, no goals and see what happens. You will make faster progress, however, if you have a plan for most, if not all, your sparring sessions. … [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...]
When Training Time is Limited
In a really good training month I might take some BJJ classes, do some submission grappling sparring, take some private classes with a wrestling coach, run and lift weights for conditioning, do some boxing drills, do some yoga, and be a sparring partner for some NHB competitors at the club. … [Read more...]