In this episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast I was thrilled to talk with the articulate and knowledgable Seph Smith. Seph is a prolific competitor, was awarded his BJJ black belt by UFC fighter Ryan Hall, and has a black belt in Combat Sambo. He has competed with and without the gi and in MMA as well. We covered many topics including How to train leglocks safely, Competing in … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 131 – Kirik Jenness of The Underground Forum, the Fighter’s Notebook and More
In this episode I have a great talk with Kirik Jenness who is mayor for life of the underground forum at http://mixedmartialarts.com, the author of The Fighter's Notebook, the official records keeper for mixed martial arts, and has "done every job in MMA except for being a ring girl." This man is one of the founding fathers of MMA in North America and had a TON to share! Here's just some of … [Read more...]
Adding New Techniques to Your BJJ Game
I once posted a cool new technique by a famous jiu-jitsu fighter on the Grapplearts Facebook Page. Within the hour I got a text from a purple belt friend of mine who wanted me to show him how to do this technique and start using it. I said sure, but I also advocated caution... I told him that it was going to take a LOT more time to incorporate this particular BJJ technique in to his game. … [Read more...]
New Strenuous Life Podcast Episode with 5 x BJJ World Champion Bernardo Faria
I've just released a KILLER new podcast episode with 5 x BJJ World Champion on my Strenuous Life Podcast. (This is episode 086 of the podcast for anyone keeping track.) In this episode we talk about Bernardo's 'kidnapping' in the Philippines two years ago His thoughts on the results of ADCC 2017 The toughest guys he has ever rolled with Whether you can get your BJJ black belt … [Read more...]
Are You Willing to Go Back to White Belt?
Most people training in the martial arts have a goal to achieve the mythical black belt. "When I finally wrap that black belt around my waist", the narrative goes, "THEN life will be good, my wife, kids and dog will all love me, and I'll never look stupid on the mats again." Ummmm, back up just a second... A good black belt frequently has to go back to being a white belt, and deliberately … [Read more...]
How to Choose a BJJ School to Train At
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em0akAwkjGI I often get emails from people trying to decide where to learn BJJ. They're usually trying to choose between 2 or 3 different schools... Should they train with the purple belt down the street, or the black belt across town? Should they study at the Gracie Barra school, the Atos affiliate, or the 10th planet representative? Should they … [Read more...]
Keep It Simple Stupid When Learning New Techniques
Have you heard of the acronym K.I.S.S? It stands for “Keep It Simple Stupid.” (It was later made politically correct by changing it to “Keep It Short and Simple” but that never really caught on, especially me.) Anyway, K.I.S.S. is a good rule to live by when fighting, sparring and training. You want to simplify as much as possible and not try to keep track of too many things at … [Read more...]
Don’t Be Afraid of Admitting that You Don’t Know Everything
This is rant was brewing inside me for a long time, and I'm sure it'll upset some people and ruffle some feathers. Oh well, can't make an omlette without breaking a few eggs, so I'll get over it... I did the rant in video form, and the full name of that video is "Don't Bullshit Your Students About Knowing Everything!" which pretty much sums it up! The humility to admit that you don’t know … [Read more...]
How to Get Kicked Out of Your BJJ Club
by Jeff Meszaros So, you've been training at the same jiu-jitsu club for a while now and you've decided it's not for you. You've given it very careful consideration and concluded that it's time to move on to another club or quit altogether. But you don't want anyone to call you "a quitter" so instead of quitting, you've decided to take the high road and get kicked out. But how can you do … [Read more...]
Should You Compete in BJJ Tournaments?
I often get asked whether competition is essential to BJJ, and if you need to have competed to get promoted to black belt. (If you prefer to watch or listen to me talk about this this topic then just scroll to the bottom of this blog post and look for the video called "Do you need to compete to get your black belt"). The quick answers are: no, you don't necessarily need to compete. And no, … [Read more...]
Podcast EP 34: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Principles with Rob Biernacki (plus Ninjas, Insane Martial Arts Instructors and Martial Arts Cults)
The latest episode of the Grapplearts Radio Podcast is out. In it I talk with Rob Biernacki, a friend, BJJ black belt, and contributor to Grapplearts (see the videos and articles he's been involved with here). Rob is known for his analytical style of teaching BJJ. He doesn't focus on being a 'technique collector, but rather specialises in sharing the underlying principles and concepts that … [Read more...]
Black Belt Blindness, And Other Dangers….
A black belt is just a 2 inch wide piece of cloth, not a license to pontificate upon matters about which you are utterly ignorant. It's also doesn't give you the right to have people's unquestioning obedience. To get a legitimate black belt in BJJ requires more time, effort, and investment than a black belt in almost any other martial art. If someone has spent the blood, sweat and tears … [Read more...]
Podcast EP25: BJJ Beginner Tips Interview and Podcast
In this Grapplearts interview I talk to BJJ Black Belt Ritchie Yip, focusing on tips that BJJ beginners need to know. But sometimes the conversation goes a little off track! You can follow/consume/download/watch this awesome and informative interview several different ways... You can watch the Youtube video below You can download the mp3 file by right clicking here and selecting 'Save … [Read more...]
Why Don’t More BJJ Students Ask Questions?
I know I've been lucky, but most of my martial arts instructors have encouraged questions. For example, my BJJ coach, Marcus Soares, is known for his killer conditioning sessions ('warmups,' he calls them...). But right after putting his class through hell he always starts the technical part of class by asking, "Are there any questions." He then takes time to answer each and every question, … [Read more...]
The Answer is Out There!
Let's say that you want to add a new technique - any technique - to your game. With new techniques there's always a ton of trial and error, struggle and effort, discouragement and tough times before it starts working reliably for you. But here's the thing: no matter what area of jiu-jitsu or submission grappling you're working on, I guarantee you that there's someone out there who has … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Improve Your BJJ Coaching
by guest author Brendan Hufford Tournaments are inherently stressful environments. There is always a lot of commotion, and unfortunately, there is also often a lot of disorganization. Assisting our students in navigating such an environment is an essential skill that separates a teacher from a coach. … [Read more...]
Marcus Soares, the Encylopedia of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
By Stephan Kesting Originally published in Grappling Magazine, August 2001 … [Read more...]
Can You Actually Learn to Grapple from Youtube and Video Games?
Stephan's Note: This article is by Grapplearts correspondent Bryanna Fissori, who has previously contributed a piece about MMA training at John Hackleman's Pit, the home school of former UFC Champion Chuck Liddell. … [Read more...]
A ‘Stupid’ Armlock I Was Pretty Sure Would NEVER Work…
Sometimes you just gotta have faith... In the video below I'll share an armlock with you that I'd been shown multiple times early in my BJJ career. And I always thought it was hogwash; that any good opponent would simply twist out of it and I'd end up in a terrible position. Click here to view the same "Stupid" Armlock video on YouTube! The technique in question was the reverse or … [Read more...]
How to Defeat the Bigger Stronger Opponent NOW AVAILABLE
It's here! The How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent DVD set is in stock, and ready to ship right now. Emily Kwok and I have been crafting this 5 DVD set for a long time, and it's one of the best instructional sets I have ever seen. … [Read more...]