Grapple Smart

PART 3: PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT – NOT PERFECT!

The great American investor Warren Buffet said it best “Practice makes permanent – not perfect.”  The same rule applies to everything you do to prepare for your first competition.   You can not expect to be able to effectively execute techniques and think clearly when you’re tired in a real match if you only train when you’re fresh and full of energy.

Goodbye clear headed methodical grappler, hello reptilian brain.

I was ready for my first competition… so I thought.  I felt like I had decent technique and had several combinations that I was ready to execute in my first match.  I was clear headed and was ready to apply what I had learned in a methodical thoughtful manner… WRONG!  I was keyed up from all the anxiety leading up to the competition.  The grappling tournament was poorly run so although I was scheduled to compete at 1pm I didn’t end up fighting until 8pm!  As I began to wrestle and get out of breath, my mind went BLANK.  I couldn’t even remember how to recompose full guard from half guard.  Forgetting technique was the weirdest feeling, it was like having a persons name on the tip of your tongue, and you know you know their name but you just can’t remember it.  Sadly, my reptilian brain took over and I did what felt instinctual.  As many of you may know, doing what comes instinctually or naturally is typically not the correct Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique and rarely effective.  For example, when mounted and being smothered by your opponent it is a natural instinct to push the opponent away (extending your arms) which exposes you perfectly to an arm bar.  Correct Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique, however, calls for a hip escape to the side to recompose guard.

Simulate real match conditions

Once you learn the mechanics of a takedown or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique it is imperative to simulate how you will feel in an actual match.  Although you can’t simulate everything you will experience in a competition match there are a few things you can simulate.

It is important to live spar and practice takedowns when you are physically tired as well as when you are fresh.  It is too easy to execute a throw when you’re well rested with a clear head.  Try executing throws after you’ve done wind sprints or a conditioning workout.  You’ll notice that your muscles don’t feel as strong and your mind isn’t as clear.  This is the time to find out how you react under these conditions, not during your first match!  Did you draw a blank on the simple throws you’ve learned? I did.  Was it really difficult to execute the take down when you were really out of breath?  It was for me.  Now you can make an honest assessment of how prepared you are and make the necessary changes to your training.  You may determine that you need to add some High Intensity Interval Training to your conditioning program.  This will have the obvious effect of increasing your physical endurance and strength.  The other benefit will be that you will feel more confident with the knowledge that you’ve prepared to the best of your ability.

Now go train!

Stay tuned for part 4: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS… PULL GUARD!

How I learned about it:

I remember the first time someone ever jumped or pulled guard on me.  It happened really fast!  The gripped up on my gi and before I knew it I was pulled to the ground in his guard and he was already setting up his first sweep or submission.  I was prepared to attempt a throw and thwart his take down attempts but I had never seen this form of take down and was surprised at how effective it was.

Low risk and low effort alternative to traditional take downs.

Although it is very important to learn basic wrestling moves and takedowns it is not the only way to get the fight from the standing position to the ground.  Jumping to guard allows you to get the fight to the ground in a relatively low effort and low risk way.  Let me emphasize the word “relatively” when I say relatively low effort and low risk because jumping guard is by no means a magic take down that works 100% of the time.

Basic mechanics

The basic mechanics of this move is to get a good grip on your opponents’ gi or body and basically jump into the guard position on your opponent while he is still standing.  Once your legs are wrapped around your opponents’ waist, the weight and downward momentum of your upper body is used to pull him to the ground ultimately ending up with your opponent in your closed guard.  Although you do not get any points for bringing the opponent to the mat this way it is a widely used sport Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique. “Sport Jiu-jitsu” is utilizing techniques that are useful for winning BJJ competitions as opposed to BJJ for only self-defense purposes.

KEY POINT : To execute a successful guard pull you must bring your hips to your opponents body first as opposed to your legs first.   I imagine I’m going to hit him with my hip before my legs do which helps me execute the technique properly.

What are the risks of pulling guard?

The risk associated with pulling guard is that it just doesn’t work on everyone.  Especially if you get a reputation of a “guard puller” people will be ready to defend it.  That said there are some grapplers at the world class level that have perfected the guard pull and use it almost exclusively.

Here’s two ways I’ve found to deal with a guard puller (stop someone from pulling guard on me):

As he attempts to pull guard, base out.  Basically, pulling someone into your guard requires that you cause them to lose balance and fall forward into your guard.  If you widen your stance and bend your knees you will not be pulled off balance easily.  Now they are holding their own weight on to you while you are just standing there.  Now you have the advantage and can proceed in two different ways:

1)  Break Guard: You either push down on one of your opponents’ knees, slow and steady pressure, until their guard breaks open.  As you follow them down to the mat, make sure you don’t allow them to close their guard again when you both land on the mat. Passing their guard will be much easier now that their guard is open.

2) Prepare for the single leg:  This works best in gi competitions.  Once you’re opponent jumps guard and you’re able to remain standing.  Basically, you grab your own gi pants just below their leg (imagine carrying fire wood under one arm and their leg is the wood).  Once they realize they have failed pulling guard they must do something else since it requires more energy for them to hold on to you then for you to hold them up.  Once they open their guard to stand, you already have their leg secured and immediately go for a single leg take down.

Now go train!

Stay tuned for Part 3: Practice makes PERMANENT and not necessarily perfect!

Question: from Twitter: Wayne (@vinson06) asks: Why did you go to Gi grappling?

Answer:

Special thanks to xharekx33 amazing photography!

Hey Wayne n Bruce.  My transition to mostly Gi BJJ occurred when my PB instructor, Tyrone Glover, introduced GI work into City Boxing which at the time was nogi all the time.  Over time I began to realize that I had a lot more techniques available to me with the addition of “handles” which of course are the things you can grip on the Gi jacket; collar, sleeves, belt, pants etc. Another reason is that as I got older (and a little slower lol) the Gi game was more methodical, slower and negated some of the pure athleticism many of younger wrestlers possessed.

I also like the Judo throws that you can implement in BJJ, especially competition.  Since I’m always looking for any edge I can get to catch up with some of the really experienced sport jiu-jitsu players I tried to get better at Judo take downs than my opponents.  I found that a lot of sport jiu-jitsu players (people who train to compete in BJJ tournaments vs. Brazilian jiu-jitsu only for self defense)  didn’t always have the best stand up game.

Interestingly, I use nogi techniques when rolling gi and vice versa.  You also have a lot more options for sweeps and subs in Gi game which I like.  Finally, the belt system in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu gives you yet another incentive to improve and train consistently.

Nice question Wayne!

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”

As in any sport you will have ups and downs in your training.  Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling are no different.  Every grappler will encounter sore joints and even need to take time off to let an injury heal.  The treatment for an injury, although not fun, is typically fairly straight forward.  Ice it, elevate it, take some Motrin, or even go to the doctor if you need to.  But there’s no doctor that can heal you or pill you can take when you hit a plateau in your training.

What is a training plateau anyway?

The dictionary defines a plateau as: When an individual’s adaptation or performance levels off or gets worse, a plateau has been reached and retrogression has occurred.  In my time I’ve hit several plateaus that you may be able to relate to.

1. You feel really mechanical when rolling and can’t execute moves that used to come naturally or seem simple.  There have been times when I know what I need to do to execute a technique but for some reason my body refuses to do it.   Maybe I eventually execute the desired movement but my intentions are telegraphed and my opponent easily defends it.
2. You’re getting your guard passed like it’s not there or getting submitted more frequently than usual and you just can’t put your finger on why.
3. You can execute a move well when drilling but blank out when live sparring.
4. You’ve learned new techniques but you just keep going back to your same old style of grappling even though you’d like to incorporate new techniques.
5. You just feel discouraged or burnt out.

Things I’ve done to push through plateaus that you may benefit from.

1. Understand that if you stick with the sport long enough everyone hits plateaus.  Even the best grapplers in the world will tell you that they too hit plateaus.  Try not to get discouraged and understand that you’ll eventually push through it.
2. Take a break from training to clear your head.  I’ve gotten into a training rut where I’m physically present and doing the movements but my mind is just not into it.  It can very beneficial to take time off and do something else.  You’ll know you’re ready when it’s fun to be in the gym again.
3. Focus on other things you can improve and quantify.  The goal is to be successful at something else, anything else in order to neutralize the negative experience you have on the mat.  You can focus on improving your conditioning, flexibility, or strength.  I have found that flow drills can really help get past plateaus.  A flow drill is where you move (with a partner) from one submission to another, linking one submission or sweep to another.
4. 

   Master Lloyd Irvin and Mike Fowler

   Mental Strength training is yet another underrated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique. We’ve all heard of Olympic athletes visualizing a world record performance or executing perfect technique to win the gold.  Developing a grappling game plan puts some structure to that mental training.  Developed by the world class Judoka (Judo player) and BJJ champion Lloyd Irvin, a grappling game plan will make you a more tactical and effective grappler.  Basically, a grappling game plan is a plan of attack that you will use in a match and drill during practice.  You will develop combination’s of sweeps, submissions and escapes that you will test in practice.  After being in a slump in the gym I spent a week working on my grappling game plan and found that this increased mental training helped me push past my training plateau.

Hopefully, you can utilize one of these techniques to push the next training plateau you encounter.

Grapple Hard but Grapple Smart!

If you’re ready to take catapult yourself ahead of the competion 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”.

I had the honor and the opportunity to gain some insight into some valuable Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu philosophy.  Elias Gallegos a black blet and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor told me about his philosophy on grappling. 

Elias described a technique called “chain gunning” where you launch a never ending chain of attacks at your opponent.  Like a machine gun firing a stream of bullets, eventually one will hit the mark.  The same is true about attacking submissions in grappling, if you launch your attacks and chain one attack to the next, to the next, eventually you’re opponent will fall behind not be able to keep up with your continuous attacks.  Elias said you need to accept the fact that you will probably end up losing positions and submissions a lot for about the first 3 months as you get used to the increased frequency of attacks.  After internalizing this technique by practicing it for a few months he says I’ll notice that I’m catching people in submissions much faster and with higher frequency.

Tyrone Glover

In the same vein as Elias’ “Chain Gunning” is a technique taught to me years ago by grappling phenomenon Tyrone Glover called a “flow drill”.  In this drill you work with a willing partner and move through a sequence of ten connecting submissions.  The goal of the “flow drill” is to help you learn how to instinctively move from one submission to another when you meet resistance.  For example, you could move from a Kimura (shoulder lock using arms), to triangle, to Omoplata (shoulder lock using your leg), back to triangle, and to an arm bar.  Eventually, as I have found you will begin to expect resistance to your attacks and be ready to immediately move to the next attack.

In addition to attempting to spar from open guard I’m also attempting to attack even if I’m not in exactly the optimal position.  For example, I’ll be playing open guard and my opponent is trying to pass my guard, I’ll attack a guillotine choke just to see how he reacts.  Interestingly, it causes him to fight my hands and defend the choke instead of continuing to try to pass my guard.  Then I’ll attempt to lock up full or half guard to finish the choke.

See if you can implement some of these techniques and let me know how it goes.

So Grapple Hard But Grapple Smart!

Want the secret to longevity in BJJ, submission grappling, or any martial art for that matter? Check out my E-book and Audio!