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Techniques, Tutorials and Gear for BJJ, MMA and Submission Grappling

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Teachers

How to Get Kicked Out of Your BJJ Club

January 19, 2017 by Stephan Kesting

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...]

Filed Under: For Beginners, Training Tagged With: Classes, Jeff Meszaros, Teachers, Training

Should You Compete in BJJ Tournaments?

September 9, 2016 by Stephan Kesting

Do you need to compete to get your BJJ black belt?

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...]

Filed Under: Competition, For Beginners Tagged With: Black Belt, Competition, Snapchat, Teachers, Training, Video

Podcast EP 34: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Principles with Rob Biernacki (plus Ninjas, Insane Martial Arts Instructors and Martial Arts Cults)

March 29, 2016 by Stephan Kesting

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu principles with Rob Biernacki

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...]

Filed Under: Interviews, Podcasts, Self Defense Tagged With: BJJ, Competition, Gi vs No Gi, Interviews, Leglocks, MMA, Rob Biernacki, Sparring, Teachers, The Mental Aspect, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Video

Black Belt Blindness, And Other Dangers….

March 31, 2015 by Stephan Kesting

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...]

Filed Under: For Beginners, Miscellaneous Tagged With: Belt, BJJ, Bruce Lee, Teachers, The Mental Aspect, Training

Podcast EP25: BJJ Beginner Tips Interview and Podcast

January 24, 2015 by Stephan Kesting

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! To listen to this conversation you could press play on the embedded audio player below, but then you might miss out on future episodes, wouldn’t you? So the best thing to do is to subscribe to The Strenuous Life Podcast … [Read more...]

Filed Under: For Beginners, Interviews, Training Tagged With: Classes, Injuries, Interviews, Ritchie Yip, Teachers, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Training, Video

Why Don’t More BJJ Students Ask Questions?

July 29, 2014 by Stephan Kesting

Stephan Teaching a Jiu-Jitsu seminar

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...]

Filed Under: For Beginners, Miscellaneous Tagged With: BJJ, JKD, Makoto Kabayama, Marcus Soares, Teachers, Teaching

The Answer is Out There!

July 19, 2014 by Stephan Kesting

Stephan Teaching a Jiu-Jitsu seminar

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...]

Filed Under: For Beginners, Training Tagged With: Teachers, Teaching, Techniques, Training

10 Ways to Improve Your BJJ Coaching

September 20, 2012 by Stephan Kesting

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...]

Filed Under: Competition Tagged With: Brendan Hufford, Competition, Teachers, Teaching

Marcus Soares, the Encylopedia of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

April 8, 2012 by Stephan Kesting

By Stephan Kesting Originally published in Grappling Magazine, August 2001 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Grappling Techniques, Interviews Tagged With: BJJ, Marcus Soares, Teachers

Can You Actually Learn to Grapple from Youtube and Video Games?

February 9, 2012 by Stephan Kesting

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...]

Filed Under: Training Tagged With: Teachers, Training

How to Defeat the Bigger Stronger Opponent NOW AVAILABLE

November 3, 2011 by Stephan Kesting

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...]

Filed Under: Instructional Videos Tagged With: Armlocks, Butterfly Guard, Chokes, Emily Kwok, Escapes, Grapplearts DVDs, Guard Passes, Open Guard, Sidemount, Teachers, The Mental Aspect, Women

This impressed the hell out of me!

October 31, 2011 by Stephan Kesting

In my early days of martial arts training I ran into quite a few teachers who were so full of themselves that students asking questions was almost unheard of. At first I thought that this was normal. I thought that maybe things would change after I'd paid my dues for 10 or 20 years... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous, Training Tagged With: Classes, Positions, Teachers, Teaching

Best Type of BJJ Guard for Beginners

April 23, 2011 by Stephan Kesting

Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro is a four time World BJJ Champion.  In MMA he held the welterweight title in Japanese Shooto.  And he has the Cage Rage lightweight championship belt proudly mounted on the wall too... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: For Beginners, Grappling Techniques, Training Tagged With: BJJ, Concepts, Drills, Guard Sweeps, Teachers, Training, Video, Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro

Podcast EP3: Erik Paulson; an MMA Master Coach Shares His Secrets

December 22, 2010 by Stephan Kesting

Erik Paulson is an MMA Master Coach.  He's trained tons of fighters competing at the highest levels of Mixed Martial Arts.  And he held the Shooto light-heavyweight title in Japan for 5 years. He's also my friend and a mentor. Click Play Below to Listen to My Conversation with Erik Paulson... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx7gT-EXohM Recently I asked my newsletter readers if there was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Interviews, Mixed Martial Arts, Podcasts Tagged With: Brock Lesnar, Classes, Competition, Concepts, Conditioning, D'Arce Choke, Denis Kang, Drills, Erik Paulson, Fedor Emelianenko, Gi, Gracie, Ground and Pound, Half Guard, History, Injuries, Inspiration, Interviews, Kesa Gatame, Leglocks, Martial Arts, MMA, Older Grapplers, Physical Attributes, Seminars, Sparring, Striking, Submission, Submission Grappling, Teachers, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Training

Q & A: Should I tape my matches?

August 4, 2010 by Stephan Kesting

==> A QUESTION <== "Do you think there's much benefit to video taping myself in sparring sessions and then watching them later to try and pin point bad/good techniques, or stuff I need to work on? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Competition, Training Tagged With: Teachers, Teaching, The Mental Aspect, Training

Teaching BJJ to Kids

June 5, 2010 by Stephan Kesting

Teaching BJJ to children

Game Theory; How I Learned to Teach BJJ to Kids, A Guest article by John Connors and Jon Grayzel … [Read more...]

Filed Under: For Beginners, Mixed Martial Arts Tagged With: Classes, Kids, Teachers, Teaching

Teaching vs. Fighting Ability

May 18, 2010 by Stephan Kesting

Some people think that they can only learn from World Champions. And then, when they finally study with a competition legend, they're often disappointed that he won't (or can't) teach them very much. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Competition, Greg Jackson, MMA, Teachers

Killer Grip, and How To Get It!

September 20, 2009 by Stephan Kesting

Stephan's note: this post is one of over 50 lessons in the Beginning BJJ eCourse. Sign up here to get your hands on the rest of the lessons for free. My BJJ coach Marcus Soares believes that a really strong grip is one of the most important physical attributes for a BJJ fighter. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Conditioning Tagged With: BJJ, Conditioning, Grip Training, Teachers, Video

The Reverse Mount; Another Unorthodox BJJ Position

March 23, 2009 by Stephan Kesting

The first time I saw the Reverse Mount I was at an Erik Paulson seminar. My reaction was something like "yeah, right...." I honestly thought that Erik had run out of high percentage things to teach and was now just making stuff up. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Grappling Techniques, Instructional Videos Tagged With: Competition, Leglocks, Positions, Teachers, Unorthodox Strategies

Off to the Glue Factory? Jiu-Jitsu for Middle-Aged Adults

February 12, 2009 by Stephan Kesting

Here's a question I received recently: Q: "I'm 56 years old and in pretty good health except for a few old injuries. My question is whether it is it too late for me to start training in grappling without wrecking my body too badly? (I'm not interested in competition)." … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition Tagged With: Injuries, Older Grapplers, Overtraining, Teachers, Training

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