BJJ / Grappling Tips: How to leglock like Garry Tonon

Leg locks of all variety are gaining a huge momentum in both Brazilian jiujitsu, MMA and of course Submission Grappling. There are many different ways to attacks the joints of the leg such as straight foot locks, heel hooks, figure - 4 footlocks, knee bars...etc. But how can we learn to leglock like a champion of Garry Tonon? Well you need to know how to set up the leg lock from a variety of positions. In this video we see the standard basic entry to the straight foot lock from the open guard by Professor Ryron Gracie, head instructor at the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California:

What is often missed when entering the foot lock (and the guillotine, as Garry explains below) is the invisible details during the transitions. These are the details that will win or lose the leg lock battle:

BJJ / Grappling Tips: Everybody Makes Mistakes in Jiu-jitsu

It's just that mistakes made from mechanically advantageous positions tend to be more forgiving.

 

A recent BJJ discussion centred around countering someone whose tripoding to Ezekiel choke you from inside your own closed guard. It's not the best or smartest move but it can still work. It can at least make you open your guard for them. But It's still a mistake, at least for beginners, for many reasons:

• Committing the weight forward,
• Making the legs light,
• Committing the arms to their upper body,
• Leaving their hips free...etc.

The counters we discussed involved:

• Sweeping,
• Armbarring,
• Taking the back.
• Attacking the legs (oh yes!)

All well and good. The thing is, I often catch myself make stupid mistakes like these (committing too much weight forward...etc.) but usually from mount or side-control. I lean too much in this or that direction or commit my arms too early to a technique and I often get away with it. There are just simply wider margins when you have the positional advantage. They can still throw you, joint-lock you or take your back. It's just so much harder, more obvious and hence easier for you to stop or even counter.

 

It becomes my responsibility to keep my ego in check and realise that I simply got lucky. When I'm in mount and I almost get thrown off or even worse, it really is my responsibility to go back and check why that even came close to happening, rather than pat myself on the back, content that I got away with a quick last-second recovery. "All's well that ends well", but why did it even get to start, never mind come close to ending?

 

While this might be the kind of thing that corrects itself with lots of mat time, I think it's a perfect opportunity to put the Part Time Grappling mentality to test. Why not learn 3-4 things at once if you can?

Here's a great example of attacking from a mechanically advantageous position: Ezekiel choke from half guard top by Roger Gracie:

 

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ZHOO ZHITSU IS FOR EVERYONE!

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BJJ tips: How to defend the Baseball Bat Choke

How to defend the Baseball Bat Choke

The Baseball bat choke from the bottom (and from the top) is a very devestating jiujitsu technique that has put many BJJ fighters to sleep. If you are not sure which one I mean, here is a great demo by Relson Gracie black belt Robin Gieseler from Gracie Ohio:



A fantastically hard working blue belt at our academy has been catching eveyone lately with this great choke so I did my research into ways to counter this, other than all the tapping I've been doing and this is what I have come up with:

Jiujitsu master Caique shows how to use body positioning and weight placement to counter the choke:

BJJ Tip: Saulo Ribeiro shows his attacks from mount: Cross choke and armbar

You go to the gym to learn, not to compete. Grappling/BJJ has a series of positions and the fastest way to get good is to immerse yourself in the "map" that is grappling. You need to visit all the locations and familiarize yourself with the neighbourhoods. I know that many grapplers give this advice but they usually refer to starting in disadvantageous positions (working escapes...etc.), which is very sound advice indeed.

What I’m referring to however is giving EVERY POSITION a chance. Are you decent from side control top but you often get bucked up from mount? Are your gi chokes miles better than your arm bars? Make a commitment to shelve what your good at for a couple of months and exclusively work on what you feel is shaky, but don’t see it as a chore!

In this clip, one of the best jiujitsu fighters and teachers Saulo Ribeiro shows us his secrets to attacking with the double attack (cross choke and the arm lock) from the mounted position:



Remember why we are in this game. It’s because we love it. Look at working your weaknesses as a fantastic opportunity to tighten your game but also as a gift to your partners to sharpen their counters. Or as every great jiujitsu coach / instructor I have ever met and learnt from says: Enjoy the process!

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ZHOO ZHITSU IS FOR EVERYONE!

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BJJ / Grappling tips: How to defend against the Darce choke

The latest Metamoris III event was a great event full of submission threats and excitement. One that caught my eyes was Babalu's Darce attacks against Dean Lister which he, successfully, defended.

Renzo Gracie 3rd degree black belt Joe D'Arce,
the man behind the famous arm triangle choke

I love defence, especially technical and intelligent defence. I've included below a few technical tips by some high level black belts on how to prevent and defend the Darce choke.

BJJ DVD Review: Peruvian Dozen 2.0 by James Clingerman

What a great DVD! I was very pleased with the Leg Drag DVD that my friend Mr Tim Sledd sent me to review and soon after I published that review, I came in contact with the man behind that production company The Fight Hub: Mario Roberto Black Belt Mr James Clingerman. We got talking and I really liked his work ethics and he liked the thorough job I did on Tim's DVD so he sent me three volumes to review for the Part Time Grappler readers. Since then, university happened and I've had to do the work, if you can call it that, piecemeal by piecemeal. Here is my review of the first one:

The Peruvian Dozen 2.0

James builds this DVD in segments:

1. The Peruvian Necktie as a finishing attack and how it sits with other finishes.
2. The Peruvian Necktie as a defined positional strategy and your position and submission options from there.
3. The Peruvian Necktie as a quick, transitional position and where you can go from there.

The Peruvian Dozen 2.0 is a great production and well worth the humble price ($39). More importantly, James is one of the good guys with a lot of great jiujitsu to teach so support him and his community. Why do I know this? Because he's been gracious enough a LOT of material on YouTube:



You can get the Peruvian Dozen from here.

BJJ / Grappling Tips: control vs management

Yesterday, I choked a white belt out from side control with the bread slicer choke (aka the fish bone). Here's a very nice and detailed breakdown of the choke by Kid Peligro:



I initially learned this technique from another Royler Gracie black belt, none other than Saulo Ribiero, or at least his amazing DVDs: Jiujitsu Revolution 1, but a couple of weeks ago I visited my friend and instructor Mr Eddie Kone and attended his Annual Gathering and there he taught, amongst many other techniques and concepts, the finer details of the bread slicer choke.

As soon as I settled in position, I started adding pressure onto my partner and I asked him:

-Are you ok buddy?
-Yes.

I started controlling the nearside arm and waited for him to move his far-side arm and as soon as I could, I pinned it with my head. All that was left was to grab his gi and apply the choke and the circular motion that Kid explains in the video above. I asked again:

-Are you still ok buddy?

-Yes.

I put the choke on and waited for the tap, but instead of realising he was in too deep, my partner started bridging and thrashing like mad, trying to push me off him. The thing is, the more he pushed, the more he released the gi that was trapped under him and the more material I had to work with. Tight tight tight!!

-Are you ok buddy?

No answer. But he was still moving.

I let go and looked at him, only to realise he had passed out. 

BJJ / Grappling Tips: Mount Cross choke - a different approach to relative movement

In BJJ, NoGi submission werestling or MMA, when you pass your opponent's guard, take the side then mount, you have really demonstrated a high level of skill. Mainting the mount position is a skill worth investing a few years into and if you think about it, the only more points left to take* are for the back so feel free to pressure and attack-attack-attack!

There are many types of mount (low mount, S-mount, technical mount, high mount...etc.) with attacks flowing from each grappling position. The cross choke is a staple of mount attacks with the gi (Roger Gracie anyone?) but this is the only place I've seen anyone teach the finish this way around. I love it. The way legendary BJJ fighter and instructor Saulo Ribiero breaks it down in Jiu Jitsu Revolution is just beautiful:



This also made me think, how many other places can this principle be applied in BJJ / grappling? Where else are we insisting on moving our body closer to the opponent when we could just as easily move them closer to us (and vice versa) to affect the technique?

Are you constantly struggling to break your opponent's posture when they're in your guard when you could simply sit up and hug them?

Are you pulling too much with your arms when finishing the head and arm choke (arm triangle / anaconda / Darce...etc.) instead of getting on your toes / knees and pushing into them?

There are plenty other examples, but I won't spoil your fun.



*especially if you go thru Knee on belly to the mount


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Liam "The Part Time Grappler" Wandi

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

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BJJ Tips: Smooth BJJ. Take the back and choke a brother out!

One of the best compliments someone can give you in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is that you move smoothly on the mat. I'm nowhere near that, but I have noticed that the more details I learn about moves in BJJ the more I can polish these grappling moves and make them smoother. No where is this more apparent in grappling than in transitions between positions.

In the video clip below, Mr Italo Fereira (black belt from American Top Team ATT) shows me, Ian, Jay and Martyn (it was a Fighitng Fit Day-Trip) how to break the turtle position and move into a killer banana-split choke.



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Liam "The Part Time Grappler" Wandi

Proudly sponsored by Predator Fightwear: Built for the kill

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BJJ / Grappling Tips: What to do when your cross choke from guard is countered?

What do you do when you can't finish a cross choke in BJJ? The beauty of BJJ is that it works. Naturally, BJJ will defeat those who don't know BJJ much more smoothly than against those who do know it. Every BJJ move has at least one counter (at least so I am told).

I mentioned in an earlier post that we should watch BJJ matches with a focus. When we focus our attention on one or two elements (also called memory anchors) only while watching a BJJ or grappling match we learn a lot more as we start recognising patterns of movement. For example, if every time an opponent has us in their half guard they start fighting hard to get the near underhook, we should make a note of that. It will come handy later on in our BJJ / grappling career.

I shot a quick video teasing with two alternatives we can go to when the opponent manages to counter and prevent our cross choke from the closed guard. The most important thing is of course to actually notice the defensive action and recognise it as a pattern. What you do from there is really up to your grappling creativity and that's part of the magic that is BJJ. What I have presented here in this BJJ video is simply two suggestions:

1. Taking the back from the closed guard
2. Triangle choke from the closed guard



What other ideas can you come up with from this particular BJJ position? What other patterns can you recognise when attempting the cross choke from the closed guard? How can you take advantage of these grappling movement patterns?

Finally, I wish to send a shout out to Mr Ken Primola and his gang at I Love BJJ and Takedowns101 for the huge passion and support they show to the grappling and BJJ community.

Liam "The Part Time Grappler" Wandi

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BJJ / Grappling Tips: Finishing triangle chokes: Liam Wandi vs Marcelo Garcia

What to do when you get, or almost get, a triangle choke in BJJ or No gi grappling and can't finish it because they wrap their inside arm around your leg and put too much shoulder in? How do you finish triangles in BJJ or grappling when the opponent resists like this?

I shot this short video with the help of my brother. It shows ONE way to counter and finish the triangle. In it, I use the reverse triangle as a transition position, an intermediary pitstop, that allows you to counter their counter and finish the triangle. Give it a go and tell me what you think:



Nothing like a good windshield weeper, eh?!

In this video, some random guy called Marcelo Garcia shows another (ok better!) way to finish the triangle against the same type of resistance by simply changing the angle  and using the reverse triangle to get the tap:




Never heard of him.



Liam "The Part Time Grappler" Wandi ----Did You Like This Article?--- Click here to add The Part Time Grappler to your Favourites / Bookmarks

BJJ Belts: Awareness & milestones in the journey of BJJ

I was talking to one of our first generation Lab Rats* yesterday after two gruelling BJJ sessions. He brought something up that we all experience throughout our Brazilian jiu jitsu journey: Awareness and coming out of plateaus**.

White, blue and purple.

As you my already know, I see BJJ, and all martial arts and other physical endeavours, primarily as tools to develop my awareness on every level. To me, sitting inside someone's closed guard is an exercise in physical (grips, balance, postures, frames, motion...etc.), intellectual (why did he do that? How can I best block it? How do I best initiate this?...etc.) and even emotional (I can't believe the SOB just blocked my sweep / passed my guard / armbarred me so hard...etc.) awareness training. I'm on the mat to observe actions and reactions and how they affect me.

Understanding BJJ: Linking Grappling Techniques

“See Construction”

Please read the above phrase 5 times in your head.

Now please read it again 3 times loud enough for you to hear your own voice (but not necessary loud enough to alarm innocent bystanders, or sitters)

What does it mean?

Do you want me to help you a little? OK, I will put it in a sentence that has Brazilian Jiu Jitsu / Grappling / MMA context:

“As a BJJ athlete, I have travelled the world to see construction!”

I’m sure most of you fine; intelligent people have figured this out by now. If you haven’t, it’s not your fault. It’s a trick. Pesky me!

Now read this:

“As a BJJ athlete, I have travelled the world to seek instruction!”

“See Construction”
“Seek Instruction”

It’s an easy mistake-a to make-a.

Now take that and think about all the moves you’re struggling to make work in BJJ / Grappling. Have a think about that flower sweep you just can’t pull off or the armbar that people seem to escape at will. After you’ve examined it properly and ensured all the technical details are adhered to (and you still can’t make it work) then start thinking about the set-up or the move you do just before.

1. Are you breaking their posture before entering your technique?
2. Are they stationary or are they in motion, generating momentum that you can perhaps use?
3. If you’re linking two or more BJJ manoeuvres, is it very obvious that the first one is just a fake? My Karate sensei always stressed that the first move should always carry enough of a threat to warrant their reaction.

Before initiating the flower sweep, break their posture then release so they posture up and raise their centre of gravity.

If you can’t keep the arm in place to armbar, attack with a deep; threatening palm-up palm-down cross choke and watch them chase you with that arm trying to block the choke.

Basically, if you can’t see the construction, you should seek some instruction.



Here is Gracie Humaita black belt Mr Raphael Lovato Jr. talking you thru the Flower Sweep. Watch and learn from the best!



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Dealing with Frustration in BJJ / Grappling

We've recently introduced a rotating curriculum for the fundamentals sessions at the Labs-BJJ. Last- and this week's themes are mainly techniques from the guard* on the ground. That means that at the end of next session, our white belts would have learnt and - thanks to the I-method - practiced against live resistance up to 6 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu techniques from the closed guard. Going out on a statistical limb, I'd say that's a lot more than 95% of the country's population knows, with BJJ / grappling being a relatively small community.

Why am I mentioning this? Because it's very easy to forget when you are sweating buckets and working your butt off against other BJJ players and grapplers at various levels of experience.

If you're having a hard time getting your new techniques to work against people with a couple of years of experience on you, I beg of you to remember that they are the top 5% of the country's population** and give yourself a nice, big pat on the back. The other 95 are practically clueless to how to defend a properly executed scissor sweep, let alone defend a follow-up technique (e.g. palm-up palm-up choke). By playing this game, you are already part of the elite.

BJJ is a wonderful art.

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*Every session starts with techniques from standing.
**Not exact figures of course and doesn't take into account age...etc. Having said that, 1% of Britain's population is 600 thousand people and I doubt that many people in Britain have ever tried BJJ.

Invisible BJJ Details: Tips on the Palm Up Palm Down Cross Collar Choke

I covered for Martyn last night, coaching both the Fundamentals and Advanced BJJ sessions. I had planned the first to evolve around the art of getting a deep cross collar grip and the options that that can present (chokes, armbar, back take...etc.) and the second session around preventing stalling in a competition scenario. The second session was hard physically. Very hard, actually. One of our blue belts is competing at the Gracie Invitational this weekend and I had designed that session with him in mind, but I will get back to that in another post.

The first session covered details that you don’t usually see and it was inspired by a quote from John Will’s blog: “Notice what no one else notices and you’ll know what no one else knows.”

There are very few secret moves in BJJ / Grappling nowadays. The real secret is and will always be in your application of the moves and your commitment to the level of detail. The Cross Choke from guard is a great example because when done correctly (with three rotations/shrimp movements and the correct wrist action) it will go on so fast, you’ll tap before you even realise you’re tapping. When done with any less than 100% commitment to the technique, it can still work (of course it can – it’s a choke and even a heavy shoulder bag can choke you!) but it will need a lot of muscle and much longer to set in.

It took me at least 20 minutes of repetitions to convince the whole group of exactly how deep I wanted the first hand needs to go into the collar. I mention that for two reasons:

1. They all saw me demonstrate the move a number of times and they all understood what I was saying, but they had probably seen the move so many times before that their eyes were on autopilot. I had to go around to each training pair and say: “Good. Now push that hand at least 2 more inches in. Crunch up and push that hand in and behind their neck”

2. I don’t remember this level of detail being shown to me in a BJJ / Grappling class. If it was, it wasn’t afforded the time it needed to sink into my slow brain. I had to re-learn this choke by rewinding matches and digging into lots of DVDs until I found it and I’m sure that this is the situation for most players.

The way BJJ / Grappling classes are taught at most schools nowadays*, everybody wants at least 3-4 moves from the instructor or they tell you that the class was boring. Well I can put my hand on heart and tell you that when we rolled in the second hour, every single one of those white and blue belts had a much deeper** and more threatening Cross Collar Choke. They learnt something so well that they could apply it successfully in the same day.

Look for the invisible detail. When you find it, drill it against progressive resistance. That’s the easiest and fastest way to gain a deeper understanding of the BJJ / Grappling game.


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*Carlos Valente, 6th degree black belt under Rickson Gracie, talked about this in a great interview on the Fightworks Podcast back in 2006.



**Stephan Kesting lays down the law on deep collar grips in this excellent and concise article.

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