BJJ / Grappling tips: Fixing the Most Common Armbar Mistakes

Hip movement is the heart and soul of Brazilian jiu jitsu and grappling in general. When trying to lock a submission such as the triangle or the armbar or even the triangle armbar (serious ninja mystery!) then the most important factor for success is getting your engine (the hips) aligned to the joint you're trying to attack (the elbow (armbar) / the neck (triangle))

When attacking with an armbar from guard, use the foot on the hip
to align your hips with the elbow you're attacking

Question: Where does red in the second picture need to move the hips to put on a triangle-armbar?

Answer: You're hips are always chasing the joint you're trying to break, in this case the elbow, so to his / her left.

If you're countering the posturing escape against the triangle choke with
an armbar, it's very important to move your hips out and align them with
the elbow you're attacking

In the first instance, get your foot on the hip, or on the mat if you have long legs. That's not the main issue. Why you put the foot down is. You put it down so you can: chase the elbow, both by rotating but more importantly to bridge your hips up into the armpit to trap the elbow, while the second leg climbs and clamps on their back. Which way do you move your hips? You chase the elbow. If it's their right arm you've trapped, you scoot your hips to their right (your left) and both align yourself behind the elbow and make sure it’s high on your body and not almost out past your groin.

Always chase the elbow, or whichever joint you’re trying to lock. Everything else should fall into place from there.

I will leave you an excellent video from Mr Stephan Kesting on correcting arm bar mistakes:



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ZHOO ZHITSU IS FOR EVERYONE!

Liam "The Part Time Grappler" Wandi

Proudly sponsored by Predator Fightwear: Built for the kill and Brutal TShirt: Made By Grapplers For Fighters

Training Gracie Jiujitsu at EKBJJ HQ

This Monday I spent just under 6 hours on the mats with several regional instructors going thru the self defence curriculum of Gracie jiujitsu under the watchful eyes of Eddie Kone, head instructor of the EKBJJ Association and what an experience that was. Mind blown indeed.

Is Gracie / Brazilian Jiu Jitsu good for Self Defence or Is It Just a Sport?

Gracie Jiu Jitsu, self-defence, MMA and the competitive aspects of Brazilian Jiu Jitus (BJJ) all build on the same fundamentals, or at least in my mind they should do. But together these disciplines have hundreds if not thousands of techniques and details, so where should I focus my limited training time?

Well, you should follow your bliss as it’s up to you, but to me the answer is obvious: Focus on the universal delivery system which is acquired thru keeping your training strike-safe and punch-proof.

One of my favourite martial arts books is one called “Mastering Judo” by the awesome Takahashi Family:

The book has great technical sections on how to train, grip, do combinations and counters, weight cut, plan your competitive strategies in a judo match / tournament…etc. but it starts with 35 pages on the evolution of judo over the years, its traditional values and etiquette and its focus and attitude. A brilliant judo book. On page 8 is a very simple yet powerful diagram describing the evolution of judo as a sport:

BJJ / Grappling tips: Competition nerves and how to deal with them

Last Saturday, I competed in the Sub North BJJ Interclub event which Fighting Fit Manchester has been hosting regularly. I won one match and lost two, which got me a bronze medal in the Absolute Advanced division and I'll post the videos from the matches as soon as they are released by the organizers. As usual, I was there not just to compete but to coach our team of ward working athletes and they did themselves proud winning matches and medals, improving their jiu jitsu and having a great time but something was different this time.

BJJ tips: Improving your jiujitsu beyond basic understanding and performance

"What's the best way to perform a triangle choke? How do I make my armbars from guard more effective? I want to get more success with my high percentage sweeps from (insert name) guard. What should I do?"

These are very natural questions and they're very common amongst grapplers and BJJ practitioners. Can you see a common thread in them?

They all express a desire for improvement, suggesting the asker already has some kind of understanding that they wish to improve on. Most white belts have a general idea of how to lock in the triangle choke, the straight armlock from guard or flower sweep...etc. They know at least one setup to the move(s), 3-4 details to how to make it work (angle, pressure, muscles...etc. and they add a nice dose of grrrr and they make it work. Sometimes.

They smile and think to themselves: "got that one in the bag"

"My curse, my whole life, has been that 'good enough' was never
 'good enough' for me and I only accepted 'perfect'.
Not just in Jiujitsu. In everything" Rickson Gracie. 

So when the technique suddenly reaches a threshold, the smart grappler asks herself "am I missing something here?" The technique that was working fine against people with little experience, attributes or fighting spirit suddenly doesn't work against the more advanced (or athletic or spirited) opponents. What to do?

In most cases that I have personally experienced, the cure has been a deeper dive into the technical finesses that make each Jiujitsu technique..magical!

"The best way to really understand a technique is to break it down into
further and further steps. I still do it now and when I hit a wall,
I ask my instructors Rigan and Jean Jacques Machado for more steps." John B Will

My jiujitsu sources over the years have been very rich in knowledge. From pioneering Gracies to world class competitors and coaches to highly decorated police officers. I've never forgotten that there's more to every simple fundamental Jiujitsu technique than meets the eye so the next time one of your techniques stops working, ask yourself: "how well do I know this technique and others like it?"

Grab a sheet of paper and right a move down, say, triangle choke and break it down into these components:

• -setups and entries
• -grips, frames and postures
• -defences
• -angles and distances
• -pressures
• -specific muscles
• -movement patterns
• -counters and follow-ups
• -optimal timing and window of opportunity

Now date this sheet and make a commitment to re-visit it regularly with more steps and details until you can write a book on triangle chokes. That's when you know jiujitsu.


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ZHOO ZHITSU IS FOR EVERYONE!

Liam "The Part Time Grappler" Wandi

Proudly sponsored by Predator Fightwear: Built for the kill and Brutal TShirt: Made By Grapplers For Fighters