Grapple Smart

Grappling phenom Tyrone Glover

This post is a tribute to one of the greatest influences in my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling game.  I had the honor of being coached by Tyrone Glover at City Boxing for a couple years.  I earned my blue belt from him as well as so many insights into the his grappling philosophy.  Thanks for everything!

Here’s a famous video of a demo Tyrone did at Cassio Werneck’s place.  Truly dynamic movement!

Here’s a cool highlight vid:

And another.  Can you say figure four toe hold?!?

Still roll’n even after earning his JD.

QUESTION: How can I learn to fight at home?

I’m in high school(a freshmen) and the 10th graders are a holes at my school. I really want to learn how to fight because I almost got in a fight with this HUGE girl because she thought I was calling her fat when I wasn’t.. But I want to learn so that I can defend myself. What exercises can I do, and with what equiptment? I’m only like, 5′1″ so I know it will take a lot of practice. Any ideas on what I can do? Thanks! And don’t leave any rude comments pleasee.

Great question and I give you a lot of credit for asking the question because frankly there are a ton of people men and women that are in similar situations but are too afraid to ask for help.

This is a confidant look. Meet their gaze but not mad dogging.

I’m sure you can probably think of other people your size that don’t get targeted by bully’s like that HUGE girl. I’d bet they have a different demeanor about them that say’s “Don’t mess with me!” Now I’m not saying to mad dog (stare down) the person but the way you present yourself plays a large part in how you’re perceived by the school bullies. So keep your head up and don’t slouch when you pass a bully. If they try to instigate you, then you don’t have to respond but don’t act intimidated even if you are inside. Main idea here is to put a question mark in the head of the bully and they will move on to someone else.

If you must defend yourself you WILL be able to!

To develop this confident presence you should consider taking a martial art of some sort. I’d suggest Brazilan Jiu-Jitsu or submission grappling because it’s a martial art that best fits the David/ Golliath (small vs. large) scenario. Since it was developed to help the smaller opponent neutralize the strength and size of a larger and stronger opponent it’s perfect for you.

You WILL have to grapple and be put in some difficult and uncomfortable situations in a controlled training environment BUT it’s a great way to prepare yourself if you ever have to defend yourself out in the real world (uncontrolled environment). Find a good BJJ school by talking to the instructor and observing a class. Some BJJ schools have special womens only classes if that makes you feel more comfortable. A good instructor will help you learn without you feeling like you’re going to get hurt all the time.

You will learn to control your breathing, and emotions when in semi stressful situations and begin develop confidence in your technique. You will see that good technique can prevail over size and strength. When you get to that point and you wear your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu shirt to school a few times, I’m pretty sure those bully’s will stop harassing you. Remember that bullies actually don’t want to get into fights, unless they know they can win.

Good question, and you CAN do it!

If you’re not quite ready to step on the mat today then please check out my E-Book and audio entitled “10 things I wish I knew before I started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – A practical introduction to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling”.

How do I prepare for my first competition?

There were so many things that I learned the hard way that I wish I knew before I began competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling tournaments.  I learned that live sparing during Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or submission grappling class did not completely prepare me for my first competition.

Why not?

Since my coaches had the class begin live sparring sessions from our knees (or closed guard), I had very limited experience taking down an opponent.  I believe they did not have us start from standing, understandably, in order to prevent injuries and reduce their liability.

So what did I do?

After getting taken down quickly in my first competition I vowed to increase my repertoire of takedowns and begin live sparring from the standing position more often.   As I began to train my takedowns more I became more confident with my stand up and that confidence translated into increased effectiveness of my throws.  The term stand-up refers a grapplers ability to take an opponent down as well as defend takedown attacks.  For example, “are we working on stand-up today?”

Keep it simple at first!

When you decide you’re going to improve your stand up game learn a few takedowns well.  Don’t overcomplicate the process by trying to learn a ton of new throws, instead focus on a few takedowns and practice those few relentlessly.  If you are going to do a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition or Gi competition then I would learn two judo style throws and one wrestling style throw.  By judo style throw I mean learn a throw that involves gaining an advantageous grip on your opponents gi or top jacket (the grip is called a “kumikata” in Japanese) and utilizing that grip to execute a judo throw.  I would suggest a hip toss such as Uchimata and a leg throw like Osotogari.  These are among the most basic judo style throws and common to the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world so most Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teachers will know how to teach these throws.  I’d also add one of the most common wrestling takedowns called a single leg takedown. This can be simply described as grabbing one of your opponents’ legs (typically with both hands) and causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground.

If you are planning to do a submission grappling or no-gi competition then I would suggest learning one upper body throw and two wrestling leg takedowns.  I would learn the single leg takedown as described above as well as the double leg takedown.  Also you will need to learn an upper body judo style throw that has been adapted to no-gi grappling.  No-gi judo style throws are just adapted to be executed without the advantage of gripping your opponents’ gi.

Learn good takedowns as well as takedown defense and you’ll be a step ahead of the competition!

Stay Tuned for Part 2: When all else fails… Pull Guard!

Give yourself the tools to get better fast and safe!  Get my E-Book and audio “10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu”.

BJJ and submission grappling champion Jeff Glover

A while back I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend a great seminar by Jeff Glover who is an amazing submission grappler.  I’ve watched Jeff’s highlight videos on YouTube and was really excited to meet him.

One first things Jeff said was that he hates the typical seminar format.  Unlike most seminars, Jeff asked us to ask him questions that we were interested in.  He said that he used to hate it when he’d go to a seminar and the guy would teach a bunch of fancy moves, none of which he could execute.  So we got a chance to pick Jeff’s brain a little.

One of the first things I noticed was that Jeff was balancing himself on top of a Swiss Ball.  A Swiss ball is a large inflatable ball that you see at the gym.  When asked about this Jeff said that the Swiss Ball is the secret to his success! I’m not kidding.  He said that he’s been using the Swiss ball to learn balance and improve core strength since he was a white belt back at Paragon BJJ back in Santa Barbara.  He’s a black belt now but that’s like saying Kobe Bryant’s an NBA level player, he’s a grappling champion.  Jeff balanced atop the ball with his shin and other foot on the ball (like a half kneeling position).  Jeff then proceeded to roll to his back and then around to a half kneeling position again and then rolled off the ball backwards landing on his feet on the mat.  He did this several times basically keeping his weight centered on the ball at all times in complete control.  He said this helps his grappling in several ways:

1. Increased core strength.  Since balancing on the ball requires you to constantly make small adjustments, your abdominal muscles are always activated.
   

   develop cores strength, agility, speed, and balance

2. Increased Balance:  Keeping your balance on the ball while moving around to your back and back to your knees helps you learn to keep your weight perfectly centered on your opponent (essential in BJJ).
3. Decreased Reaction Time: Since you must train your body to make constant, small adjustments to stay balanced on the ball, you’re in essence training your muscles to react instinctively to subtle movements.   In BJJ this skill would manifest itself as your reaction to your opponent’s attempts to attack, escape, or throw you.
4. You Ride Opponents Better:  Since being atop the Swiss ball is approximately like being atop someone in turtle position (hands and knees) you learn to react to your opponents movements much better.  Keeping you on top.

So get out that Swiss Ball!

Are you tired of gassing out when everyone seems fresh?  Are nagging injuries getting you down?  Are you uncertain about how to start BJJ training?  Would you like to catapult yourself years ahead of your pears?

Get the book no one will hand you on your first day of practice!

If you answered YES to any of these questions then check out my E-Book and Audio “10 Things I wish I knew before I started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – A practical introduction to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling”