Triangle Wizard: Jeff Glover Seminar… and the Swiss Ball???
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
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:
- 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
- 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).
- 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.
- 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!
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