After 6 months of crazy intensive work, I'm releasing something new for you today... It's the BRAND NEW 'Grapplearts BJJ Master App'! And it's free! Yup, grab it for your phone or tablet and pay nothing. Plus it has a CRAZY amount of free grappling content for you!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxTN9sVby4Q The app includes... 457 minutes (7 1/2 hours) of free video … [Read more...]
Submission Grappling
The 5 Steps to Training A New Technique
Most of the videos I post online are from my main Youtube channel which focusses quite heavily on BJJ, no gi jiu-jitsu, MMA and other forms of grappling. But what a lot of people don't know is that I also have a second youtube channel called 'Self Defense Tutorials' which - as the title might imply - focuses more on self defense and martial arts training. Here is one of the videos from that … [Read more...]
How to Coach at BJJ Tournaments
by Jeff Meszaros I’ve played all the big roles at Brazilian jiu jitsu tournaments: The stressed-out competitor sweating in the bullpen, the furiously screaming coach who is in obvious need of anger management counselling and the referee who seems to be daydreaming rather than watching the match. I’ve done it all, and quite badly. I’m just kidding, of course. I actually was never stressed-out … [Read more...]
Three Powerful Neck Crank Defenses
Neck cranks are undeniably powerful submissions often used in submission grappling. Rather than constricting the trachea and arteries at the front and sides of the neck like most chokes, a neck crank typically attacks the cervical spine itself. The trouble is, if you're on the receiving end of one of these attacks and don't tap out fast enough then you can sustain a long-lasting or even … [Read more...]
Escape the Heel Hook!
The Modern Leglock Formula is Out!
The Modern Leglock Formula is finally out and it's the best leglock instructional that I've ever seen. Rob Biernacki, the star of The BJJ Formula, has outdone himself. In this 10 volume set he has created a step-by-step guide to the submissions, positions, transitions and strategies that are make up the lower body submission game that has become so popular and so powerful in modern … [Read more...]
The Styles of X Guard
I'm a huge fan of the family of guards known as the X Guard. This type of guard has saved my butt so many times it's not even funny, and has allowed me to sweep opponents that were otherwise almost entirely unsweepable. But there are still some people out there who haven't heard about the X Guard position. And there are other people who might not know that there are actually different styles … [Read more...]
Is Really Position vs Submission? Sometimes You Can Have Both…
One of the fundamental rules of BJJ is that you should value 'Position over Submission.' This means is that you shouldn't abandon a good position - like the mount for example - to go for a dubious submission and lose the position. This is even more important in MMA and self defense: imagine going for an armbar from mount, your opponent escaping it, and you now ending up on the bottom … [Read more...]
Grappling Styles of the Pacific
by Jeff Meszaros Our around-the-world trip is nearly at an end. First, we took a spin through Asia. Then we hit the grappling styles of Europe. Then we did a tour of the various U.K. wrestling systems. After that, we headed south for a look at Africa and South America, and then back north up through North America, where we left off with trying hockey in Canada. (Sure, you could make the … [Read more...]
37 Powerful BJJ Submissions for Grapplers
Have you ever wondered what the most popular and powerful BJJ submissions in BJJ are? Here's our list of the top 37 submissions taught in BJJ academies all over the world. WARNING: not all of these techniques are legal in IBJJF competition, or allowed at all schools. But it's still better to be familiar with these illegal techniques just in case someone tries to use them on you. And many of … [Read more...]
Who’s Who in EBI 6?
by Jeff Meszaros Brazilian jiu jitsu has always been an art for creative people who like to experiment and find newways to reach their goals, whether it's new ways to make an opponent tap, or brand new events to promote the sport. And Eddie Bravo is certainly one creative guy. Known for his innovative system of 10th Planet jiu-jitsu, he has branched out again to start his own tournament. His … [Read more...]
Top 3 Armbar Mistakes in BJJ
The basic armbar is one of those bread-and-butter submission techniques in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. You just can't do BJJ without it, so it's SUPER important to understand this submission inside out! But I see people make the same silly errors for the armbar all the time. That's why I shot a quick and dirty video showing the three most common mistakes for the armbar (plus how to fix … [Read more...]
Five Tricks to Tighten Up Your Sidemount
There's nothing worse than weathering the storm in someone's guard, passing their guard by fighting your way past their legs, finally getting to sidemount, making one tiny mistake and then - boom - you're back in their guard. It's tiring, demoralising, and leaves you open to getting swept or tapped out. No! After doing all that work you want to stay in sidemount, make them pay for giving … [Read more...]
How to Defend Strikes on the Ground
You're walking down the street, someone bumps you, words are exchanged, you get pushed to the ground, and now some big gorilla is trying to knock your teeth down your throat. No matter how focused you are on the sportive aspects of grappling you've still GOTTA know how to defend strikes on the ground!!! It doesn't matter if your goal is casual recreation or if you wanna be the next UFC … [Read more...]
Flying Armbar Guard Pull
Some people will tell you never, ever to pull guard. "Fight from the top," they tell you... In general that's good advice, but what if you run into someone with vastly superior takedown skills? Or someone who is good at defending takedowns and determined to fight a completely defensive battle? It's good to have some takedowns in your arsenal. But it's also good to have some other ways to get … [Read more...]
How To Do the Twister the Easiest Way
The Twister is a flashy and hellishly effective submission made famous by Eddie Bravo. It's now illegal in IBJJF competition, but it shows up sometimes in submission grappling and you're even starting to see it in MMA! If you catch your training partners in it - carefully and gently of course - then you get major bragging rights and some instant 'mat cred.' There are lots of advanced ways … [Read more...]
How to Maintain Good Posture in Butterfly Guard
Posture in the butterfly guard is incredibly important. With the butterfly guard (as with any guard position) good posture is the key to defending the guard pass, attacking with submissions, and/or sweeping your opponent. But maintaining good posture is easier said than done, because your opponent is actively working to break it down. In fact if I'm trying to pass someone's butterfly guard, … [Read more...]
Podcast EP14: Keenan Cornelius on Training, BJJ Competition, MMA Goals and More
Keenan Cornelius is a BJJ phenomenon. Known for his exciting guardwork and movement-oriented game, he won double gold medals in four of the biggest BJJ tournament in the world as a purple belt, which is a HUGE accomplishment. Here's my recent interview with Keenan … [Read more...]
Hidden Techniques for Maintaining Rear Mount
When people teach the rear mount they often show you how to get your hooks in to achieve the rear mount, and then they teach you a couple of submissions from the back. Their idealized flowchart has two steps: Get your hooks in, Submit your opponent. Oh, if only life were so simple! … [Read more...]
No Gi Guard Passing Strategies vs. Bigger People
Passing the guard in a technical manner during no gi training can often be very frustrating, especially for people coming from a gi-based background. To the uninitiated it just seems that things move too fast... That there aren't any good handles to control your opponent... And things seem even worse when you're going up against a bigger person who's not afraid to use his athleticism to fight … [Read more...]