People Learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Twitter? Why Yes they do!

Jared Asks: “I need some advice on passing half guard. Any would be appreciated!”

>GS Answer: Hi Jared, great question! Here are a few tips that you can implement immediately and hopefully immediately improve you’re ½ guard passing.

1. GET THEM FLAT ON THEIR BACK. Just imagine you’re in half guard the worst place u want to be is flat on your back. You will minimize their mobility and hip movement. How to get them on ur back? See #2

2. MAKE THEIR HEAD TURN AWAY. If you can effectively make their head turn away from you then there is no way they can shrimp their hips out (unless ur grappling gumby)!

GI: grab the lapel behind their head and straighten your wrist and arm (imagine the way your arm looks at the end of swinging a hatchet) and presto they look the other way (or at least make it extremely uncomfortable for them ).

NOGI: Utilize shoulder pressure on their chin to turn their head. HOW? Connect your hands in the typical way you would hold someone down in ½ guard roll ur shoulder across their face to make them “Look Away”.

CAUTION: Consider you’re training partners face when implementing this technique… in a completion, this pressure can be so great on their jaw and chin that they simply concede the pass to relieve the pressure on their face.

3. KEEP UR HIPS LOW KEEP UR BASE: If you’re too aggressive at pressuring up high obviously the pressure against their hips will reduce. If you keep a balanced base it will be difficult for them to sweep you or replace full guard.

4. FEIGN ATTACKS & KEEP EM GUESSING: If you just attempt to pass and they know it then they have the highest chance to defend. If you feign attacks (submissions) then they will often forget about defending the pass and more about the sub.

NOTE: You can get Americana’s, chokes, leg locks etc. from the ½ guard it’s just a bit harder. So fake an Americana, pull the material on their gi pants… for this example you’re only try’n to lead their mind away from the pass long enough for you to execute it.

There are many more things to think about but if you overload your mind with too many things then you’ll remember nothing.

Let me know if this helps you out!

Jeff
Grapple Hard, Grapple Smart

The King of Crazy - Charles "Crazy Horse" Bennett

I’ve compiled a collection of some amazing and sometimes crazy things that happen in the MMA ring.  You will see Muay Thai striking, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wild moves you’d only see in a movie, and flat out outrageous behavior! Enjoy!

10. Arm lock voador Rumina Sato

9. Double Knockout MMA KO

8. Sakuraba vs. Galesic: Submission of the Decade

7. MMA bloopers and crazy moments

6. Giant Silva attacks Sugira with Big Sitck

5. Fedor Emelianenko vs Hong Man Choi

4. 1 Second MMA Fight KO

3.Ryo Chonan vs anderson Silva Submission

2. Bellator Fighting Championships V – Toby Imada v. Jorge Masvidal – Submission of the Year

1. Anthony Pettis Off-The-Cage Kick

AWWW YEAHHHH!

Whether your a fan of No-Limit Hold Em’ poker or not I’m sure you’ve seen some of the widely televised poker tournaments on TV. Long ago, only the final table of the World Series of Poker would be condensed into an hour show played on ESPN. These days it’s almost impossible to flip through the channels and not see some re-runs of the massive $10,000 World Series of Poker tournament, World Poker Tour, Big Money Cash Games, or Heads-Up Hold Em’ Championship.

Would you pay $10K to play 1 on 1 against Kobe?

The great thing about the WSOP (World Series of Poker) is that it is one of the few tournaments that allow ANYONE to compete in. Anyone who can put 10 grand at risk at least. The point is that amateurs can go head to head with seasoned poker pros like Doyle Brunson, Jonny Chan, Phil Helmuth, and Gus Hansen. Sort of like if anyone of us could play one on one with Kobe Bryant or fight for the Heavy Weight Championship with Mike Tyson. Sound crazy doesn’t it. Well the poker pros pretty much treat these green amateurs as pawns and own or “pwn” them lol!

Or get in the Ring with Mike Tyson?

Can you illicit the reaction you want to execute your game plan?

If you ever see a poker pro ask their opponent how many chips they have or start talking to them about particular poker hands they may have they’re actually creating an ACTION to gain a REACTION from the opponent. It could be a glance one way or the other, holding breath, even an increase in the pulse rate visible in their neck (it’s true). That reaction gives them the information they need to defeat their opponent.

So how does all this this apply to Jiu-Jitsu?

Well, once you’ve been in Jits for a while and mastered the basic movements you will begin to develop your own game plan (or attack pattern). Once you learn some submissions and sweeps you may try to force them to work right? I mean we’ve ALL done it and maybe still do!  But occasionally, you’ll execute a sweep that feels almost EFFORTLESS! Just like when Michael Jordan hit so many consecutive 3-pointers against Portland that he shrugs his shoulders to the scorers table. He himself doesn’t understand how they go in with ease, just that they do. When you execute a technique in BJJ, especially a sweep, you’ve probably in inadvertently performed an action that caused your opponent to react in a way that essentially made him fall into the sweep. It feels as easy as when you’re drilling the technique. This is the beginning of recognizing and understanding Action/ Reaction and utilizing it to your advantage in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Eventually, with practice you’ll be able to chain attacks together (action) and cause your opponent to react in a way that will allow you to execute a technique (sweep, submission, throw, or defense).  If you do it right it will seem effortless as the masters intended it.

In this ADCC match between Rodrigo Gracie and Genki Sudo you’ll see what I mean.  Fast forward to about 0:46 to see the set up and 0:55 to see the actual sweep. You’ll see Rodrigo pushing into Genki and grabbing his legs (pulling him in) which in turn causes Genki to push back into Rodrigo and falls into the sweep.

Please Feel free to post questions and comments at the bottom! Happy training!!!

Seriously, "What the F@#K were you thinking?"

Ok, this post is half rant and half warning to all of you budding BJJ players out there. In all the years I’ve been training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sub Grappling, Muay Thai, and MMA I’ve seen, heard first hand accounts of, and been a victim of really bone headed things guys have done to their training partners.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Let’s just start with my biggest peeve and poses the biggest threat to the safety of newbie and veteran grapplers alike – SLAMMING! I guess with the explosion MMA and the UFC wannabe Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s come out of the woodwork. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Rampage. I’ve been a fan and will always love his entertaining attitude toward MMA. I mean have you heard his interviews? The guy is just flat out funny! I’m talking about the guys that see his high flying slams in the octagon and think that somehow translates to BJJ and Sub Grappling.

Just to be clear on this: “It is NEVER ok to slam your training PARTNER during live sparing or grappling opponent in a tournament EVER!”

Rampage slamming Arona in PrideFC

K there I said it, feel’n a little better now. One of my instructors was rolling with a guy who was new to the gym

and basically “flowing” with him to get a feel for his skill level. For those of you who don’t know, to FLOW with your partner is to basically work with him to improve transitioning from technique to technique with the emphasis on transition not submission. Anyway, my instructor at the time who weighed maybe 150#’s moved up for a triangle. In this case it was a leg triangle choke

which traps the head and one arm. Before he could flow to the next transition the guy picked him up about head high AND SLAMMED HIM!  His head hit first and he

Rampage slamming Minowa in PrideFC

was knocked out!

He ended up coming to rather quickly and recovered just fine, thank goodness.  The guy was bounced out of

the gym and was lucky he was allowed to walk out (vs. dragged out).

I’ve been lucky enough to have avoided this in my years.  Maybe it was because world class grappler Dean Lister

"The Boogeyman" Dean Lister

was one of my first instructors.  Dean always taught us ways to defend against, well basically stupid and crazy things people do.  I learned to hook their leg with one arm which makes it

One of Many of Rampage's slamming of Sakuraba in PrideFC

virtually

Lister hooking Sakara's left leg thus preventing slam and escape!

impossible for them to gain the leverage required to slam you.

Why do they do it?  Well, my guess is either their ignorant or have bad intentions.  Sadly, both have the same result, someone getting badly hurt.  I mean in an MMA fight it’s an accepted form of attack.  Those guys sign a waiver saying, “I understand that I could get seriously injured or even die from participating in this event.”  When you see Rampage pick up guys and when he’s in a full arm bar or triangle and get out of the sub by slamming them in the ring, it’s exciting.  But that’s where it should stay, in the ring.

Fast forward to 8:00 if you just want to see Mike get spiked on his head. This is a pretty amazing match between US superstar and Lloyd Irvin prodigy, Mike Fowler vs. Brazilian super star Daniel Moraes.  The spike on head is ABSOLUTELY not allowed in any tournament.  Mike proceeds to release the submission assuming Daniel will be DQ’d but this match is in Brazil and I guess home court advantage applies.

Bottom line, is until you know someone well use extreme caution when you roll with them.

Originally, I intended for this to be a single post but after more thought it will be multiple posts.  I’ll also be releasing some new audio programs that will go into many grappling topics that you may find helpful.  Love to hear your comments on this topic or anything you’d like to know more about!

Grapple Hard but Grapple Smart!

Just wanted to take a moment to share a world champion BJJ player and grappler Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu. I’ve been studying this guys techniques during his Grapplers Quest matches and finally got his instructional DVD! Although Cyborg is clearly extremely strong his techniques seem to flow effortlessly as he sweeps and submits his opponents. I hope you enjoy watching this amazing grappler as much as I do!

PART 4: HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING (HIIT)

I’m not going to lie to you, HIIT training is not fun, at least not for me.  It’s not fun like learning a cool Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique is fun.  But it is absolutely necessary to prepare your body for what it will go through in an actual submission grappling or sport Jiu-Jitsu match.

Let’s be realistic here your opponents are going to be trying to twist your arm, leg, or choke you until you submit due to fear of a broken/ hyper extended limb or unconsciousness.  It’s hard enough to outsmart your opponent in this game of human chess when you’re well rested.  You need to put your body through the ringer often to make sure your stamina (or lack thereof) is an asset not a liability on the mat.  This is the one element of preparation that people have total control over but often neglect because it hurts and it’s not nearly as fun as rolling in class.

What would a typical HIIT work out look like?

My former coach, grappling phenomenon Tyrone Glover had me do this circuit 3 times per week 4-6 weeks leading into a competition.

Sprint 100 yards

15 push ups

Sprint 100 yards

15 bar dips

Sprint 100 yards

15 jump squats

Sprint 100 yards

You REALLY want to be fit? Try CrossFit!

Allow your pulse to get back down to 110 bpm and repeat a total of 3 sets.  You don’t have to do push ups and bar dips either.  You can replace these movements with basic wrestling moves like sprawls, or shots.  A “shot” is a freestyle wrestling move that refers to the motion of lowering your level and shooting forward to attempt a single leg takedowns.  You could also utilize submission wrestling moves like triangle drills or arm bar drills if you have a partner.  The goal is to drill these movements when you are under great physical and mental stress so that they will become ingrained into your muscle memory and come more naturally when you’re tired in the final minutes of a match, which is where many matches are won or lost.

Here’s another example of a HIIT specific workout:

I hope this four part series on how to train for your first competition will help you to prepare for your first competition or will shed some light as to why you may have fallen short of your expectations in competitions past.  It will always be my goal to help people avoid some of the pitfalls and mistakes that I learned the hard way.

So Grapple Hard But 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!

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.