BJJ and the Cycle of Action

You didn't think Helio rolled competitively every day did you?

BJJ works, but that of course goes both ways.

When I’m rolling competitively I'm always initiating attacks. Always. It might feel like I'm just laying on you in side mount or just holding your head in my guard but believe me I'm actively working to kill your arms in the former and rocking your balance (kuzushi) in the latter to initiate a flower sweep or a back take. At the very least, I'm working to create a posture deficit to my advantage. This is something I've worked hard to develop over the past few years. To me, this is one of the strongest links between BJJ and MMA*.

But as I said above, this goes both ways. The other person is doing the same thing. They are constantly defending and negating my actions, trying to set up their own. This places the following three sets of demands on you:

Mental: As Saulo says in this clip, the only thing that differentiates us on the mat is the heart, and for this style of BJJ you need a huge heart. It's not easy. You're constantly working. Constantly flowing. Constantly in the moment.

Technical: You need to know your techniques inside and out. If your takedowns are getting stuffed and your passes ending with you getting swept then you will eventually stop doing them or at least hesitate to initiate them. Your momentum will be turned against you and you will start freezing.

Physical: I put this last because even though I acknowledge that BJJ, MMA or any combat sport places physical demands on you (strength, cardio, balance...etc.) these can never overshadow technical knowledge and having a big heart.

Start today. Grab a piece of paper and write down three attacks from each position you know and work out how to link them. The next time you roll competitively**, start from one of those positions and just machine-gun those 3 attacks in succession at your partner and watch your progress rocket***! Speed is not essential. Technical knowledge, heart and flow are.

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*Martyn, our coach at the LABS - FIGHTING FIT MANCHESTER, has always kept the MMA mindset with us. He couldn't care less if we ever compete (whether in gi-jiu jitsu, submission wrestling or MMA) or if we are just training for fun or self-defence. To him, you always keep to the positional strategy and hierarchy of BJJ.
**I don’t roll competitively often at all. I do it every week or two just to stay sharp and more nearer *the rare) competitions.

***Roy Harris wrote a classic article on Progress in Jiu Jitsu and the different belts.


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BJJ / Grappling Back Take Tips: The Secret to Successful Armdrags

Commitment is very important in martial arts in general and especially so in BJJ and grappling. Coming to BJJ from the "one-punch-one-kill" mentality of Karate, every BJJ coach / instructor I've learned from has stressed upon me that in grappling, moves are never a one-off and combinations are the key to success. Nonetheless, you must commit to each individual technique, have full faith in it and never do it half-heartedly. This is never truer than in the example of armdrags.

The heart of armdrags (irrespective whether from closed guard, open/butterfly guard or even standing) is in the first two moves:

1. Clearing the arm to the side
2. Reaching your arm across his back to the opposite lat.

What you do from here depends really on where your partner’s weight is and your own preference really… Christian Graugart gives a very nice breakdown of a few options on his blog. Above all, however, nothing will work unless you completely own that arm, and that is achieved by hugging/clinching tightly.

Leave behind the false notion that pure technique involves no muscle exertion. That is a misunderstanding! The art is pitting your strengths against your partner’s weaknesses: Your two legs against their neck (triangle) your hips and back against their biceps (arm bar) and, in the case of the armdrag, your clinching musculature against an isolated lat and rear deltoid! Once you get the arm past your centre line, you own it. Maintain a tight hug while you advance to the back (or any other option).

In the words of Beatrix Kiddo: Those of you lucky enough to have your lives, take them with you. However, leave the limbs you've lost. They belong to me now.

BJJ / Grappling Back Take Tips: Successful Armdrags and the way Roger Gracie takes the back

One of the newer BJJ enthusiasts at the Labs comes from a Karate background. The particular style of Karate he had trained featured an important aspect in their sparring called Sabaki.

Sabaki (捌き) simply means management or handling but it's often translated to "movement". The reason I like "management" is because it indicates movement with an intent or purpose. In modern Karate, Sabaki* aims to take you out the opponent's line of fire and into a position where you can attack with less/no chance of getting hit back. I was having a short chat with my new friend and the more we talked about Sabaki the more it reminded me of this article I wrote a couple of years back on taking the back with an armdrag.

BJJ Tips: Using BJJ / Grappling Technique to Beat Strength / Size?

If you belong to a decent sized BJJ / Grappling / MMA gym like the Labs @ Fighting Fit, you are likely to run into a variety of people of all shapes and sizes, not to mention levels of experience.

I have presented here a simple matrix of Size / Strength vs. Grappling Experience. Any two people rolling in BJJ will either match each other in grappling experience, in size and strength or both. I’ve divided your potential level in relation to your training partners into 9 scenarios:

You are Less experienced with strength / size Disadvantage: LD
You are Less experienced with strength / size being On par: LO
You are Less experienced with strength / size Advantage: LA

You get the picture.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tips: Balancing Control and Mobility

Put a basketball on the ground. On it put:

A. A plank of wood.
B. A wet towel*.

Sometimes in BJJ / Grappling you need to be the plank of wood (projecting gravity through a small contact area with them which frees your limbs for mobility and attack) and sometimes you need to be the wet towel (maximizing friction, minimizing your own efforts, unifying both masses into one). Leverage hunters will master the plank version (constant pressure from the side control, half guard and mount top which can be tiring for both) and muscle-heads the wet towel version (constant closeness, perfect tight control but don't dare attack fearing the well-timed escape).

High quality Brazilian Jiu Jitsu players I've rolled with fluidly switch between the two almost without working up a sweat. It's not that they smother the submission out of you, which is still a valid grappling strategy, but rather the submission seems to come when you least expect it. They don't chuck you out of the frying pan into the fire. You walk into it voluntarily. That's BJJ.

*The Wet-towel analogy came to me from an excellent Roy Harris article on using Space in BJJ.

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How Do You Play the BJJ / MMA Game?

I found a short video by Hapkido master Fariborz Azhak where he talks about how to play the game. Which game you may ask.

The way he explains it is that anytime we do something that may involve a risk(such as love, work, school or indeed MMA / BJJ or any other sport) we assume a certain attitude or style, which would put us on one of four quadrants:



First quadrant: playing to lose. "I'm here, but chances are it'll go wrong anyway!"
Second quadrant: playing only when it's fun. "I don't want to do the hard work. I just wanna play!"
Third quadrant: playing not to lose. "Eyes are on me. I better find out what's exactly required not to lose and make sure I hit just that!"
Fourth quadrant: playing to WIN, where he defines WIN: focusing on What’s Important Now.


Do you know what it would be like in each quadrant when: on the training mat, at a comp, at work, in your relationships with people?

If you do know what it'd be like, where do you find yourself spending most of your time*?

It's human nature to first think about others and where we think they'd fit in the quadrant. We like to judge others. I've met many people who've either faked injury to get off the mat or, even worse, sparred out of their comfort zone either technique-wise (beginners jumping for triangles) or attribute-wise (going 200miles an hour in the warm-up and then tell you they're tired throughout the whole session) just to have an excuse.

Where are you, or more accurately, where do you think you are?

*I believe people fluctuate a lot of the time between these states of mind, not just in life but actually from minute to minute. If you love what you do, then all will be well.

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Describing What You Do: BJJ / Grappling Commitments

If you are employed in a job you may have a job description (JD) explaining what you have to do. It may or may not be very precise and detailed. An example is if you are a recptionist your JD could be:

 

It is essentially a practical method to communicate a shared understanding between you and your boss about:

• what your job is
• what you're expected to achieve
• where/how it relates to other jobs
• the character traits and skill sets you are expected to foster and develop though your job.

How does this then relate to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu / Grappling?

Well think about your training. Think about the amount of time, energy and money you invest in your sessions both on and off the mat.

What if I suggested that a similar summary can be drafted between you and your coach / instructor / gym owner? How would you approach that?

Are you in an honest relationship? Are you expecting things that your BJJ / Grappliong academy has no intention of delivering? Are they forthcoming about that or are they pretending to be all-things-to-all-people? Maybe you aspire to be a fearsome competitor but your academy focuses on Self-Defence. Maybe you want to learn how use BJJ in amateur, pro-am or even Pro-MMA. Does your academy have the right classes for you?

Here is a quick example based on how I feel as a BJJ player / Grappler at the LABS - FIGHTING FIT MANCHESTER:

Main Job Tasks and Responsibilities

• for every class I attend, show up early enough to be changed and ready on the mat exactly at start of the session
• always adhere to general rules of conduct and exhibit exemplary hygiene (person, personal equipment and any equipment I use)
• listen/watch/feel/train intently and with my best focus
• assist others to do the same (minimise distractions and wise-ass jokes!)
• direct any administrative queries to the gym owners (prices, gi purchase...etc.)
• pay my fees in a timely fashion

  

Education and Experience

• declare any conditions I may carry with me to the instructor (e.g. dodgy heart, blood pressure issues, skin infections...etc.)
• suitable skills for the class attended (don't attend an advanced class on your 4th visit and complain the pace was too fast!)

Key Competencies

• work on BJJ / Grappling related attributes (e.g. balance, weight management, flexability...etc.) in my own time
• gain a basic understanding of both exercise nutrition and recovery 

In short, I don't expect to work at weight management or flexibility at the BJJ / Grappling sessions. Neither do I expect the classes to be tailored around me and my needs. More importantly, I know my own needs and wants and suffer from no illusions between the two nor around them being my coaches' responsibility vs my own.

How do you view your relation with your academy and coaches? Also, how do you think they view you and their responsibilities towards you? Do the two match?

If they don't, WHATCHUGONNADO ABOUT IT?

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Busy Busy Busy

I don't just mean me personally, but rather the Part Time Grappler blog!

When I started this blog just over a year ago, I didn't realise how much interest it would generate amongst BJJ / Grappling players. I knew that I wasn't the only one out there with Part Time Grappler attitude, but I had no idea as to how many of us there are and in so many countries!

I currently sit on 4 very interesting projects for the blog and I honestly don't know where to start. That's a problem I can live with though :)

For the time being...

"...My whole life I never feared anyone above me,
Ignorance made me think that only my mother loved me,
I'm waitin' on death cos my whole life is a mess,
I'm sick of the stress so I start aiming for less..."

The above words belong to a great poet and a friend of mine. Next interviewee on the Part Time Grappler: Stephen "Dairy" Li

I've known Ste for a few years now and he's one of the most passionate and genuine people I've had the pleasure to meet. He was kind enough to give me some of his time and answer my questions about training, motivation and probably the most extensive list of time-thieves I've ever heard. I will publish Ste's interview later this week so stay tuned.

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Interview with Royler Gracie Black Belt Eddie Kone Part 3

As you all know, on Friday the 28th of May I interviewed Mr Eddie Kone, Royler Gracie Black Belt at his EKBJJ Headquarters in Tottenham for the blog. What came out of that was a 20+ minute chat about, amongst other things, Gracie Jiu Jitsu, honour and some of Eddie's own tips to all the Part Time Grapplers out there. Here's the final part (of three) of that interview, where Eddie talks about (amongst other things):

Why he wants to see BJJ in schools
The philosophy of Gracie Jiu Jitsu
Hobbies and Supplementay activities
What made Helio Gracie so good?
The value of self-defence in GJJ
The value of tapping
What he felt like walking into Gracie Humaita the first time

I hope you enjoy it.

Part Three: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkKA0eN-gVw

For those of you who missed parts One & Two, Where Eddie talked about being in the zone, the gift and legacy of Jiu Jitsu and putting your own signature on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you can find it here:

Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgYncxWFCFk

Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngz36EmX8ug

Mr Kone was nothing but a perfect gentleman and I really look forward to train with him and his team really soon. For those of you lucky enough to live near his academy: Go to the Ultimate Fitness Centre and learn from the man himself.


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Interview with Royler Gracie Black Belt Eddie Kone Part 2

As you all know, on Friday the 28th of May I interviewed Mr Eddie Kone, Royler Gracie Black Belt at his EKBJJ Headquarters in Tottenham for the blog. What came out of that was a 20+ minute chat about, amongst other things, Gracie Jiu Jitsu, honour and some of Eddie's own tips to all the Part Time Grapplers out there. Here's part two (of three) of that interview. I hope you enjoy it.


Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngz36EmX8ug

For those of you who missed Part One, Where Eddie talked about being in the zone, the gift and legacy of Jiu Jitsu and putting your own signature on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you can find it here:

Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgYncxWFCFk



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The Quickest Way To Improve Your BJJ / Grappling

On Friday I had my first private BJJ session with a new client. These are always very exciting for me because I'm always working on new ways to improve my teaching curriculum and methods but most importantly because I get to spend quality time doing something I love with someone who's obviously very keen on the same topic: getting better at Brazilian Jiu Jitstu.

As with every first session of the introduction pack, we spend a few minutes talking before the session to establish background in BJJ / Grappling but also general athletic background and time they can realistically dedicate to training. We follow this with a 5 minute slow roll where I'm mainly working out the client's energy and pressures. At this stage, I'm not really interested in what they can do from, for example, guard, but rather in HOW they play guard. That's where I see my contribution to be useful. Not in feeding someone new techniques, but rather in giving their existing BJJ game an M.O.T. test!

Naturally, what I discover in those first 5 minutes can vary depending on whom I rolling with but the one most common denominator is often commitment. Roy Harris talks about using your attributes to FUEL your techniques. I like thinking in terms of commitment: Commitment to the position. Commitment to the transition or sweep. Commitment to the armbar, choke or leg lock. Of course, I'm not talking about forcing your way thru muscular strength or speed or power. I'm talking about committing your directional energy and weight and sensitivity. Applying yourself wholly to each and every move. The quickest way to improve your BJJ / grappling experience is to commit your full and undivided attention to it.

Are you playing guard? Don't let your partner settle in your guard. Move their weight around. Deny them their posture or base and watch them give you the armbars, chokes and sweeps.

Are you on side control top? Let them carry your weight. Free your hands and use sensitivity and the outside of your knee to monitor their guard retrieval attempts. Don't just grab hold and squeeze, a little like an ostrich with its head in the sand, but rather apply yourself to what you are doing! Keep you jiu jitsu alive by staying committed.


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Interview with Royler Gracie Black Belt Eddie Kone Part 1

On Friday the 28th of May I travelled to London to attend a BJJ seminar with Royce Gracie but unfortunately Royce couldn't make it past Heathrow! Luckily the seminar organiser, Mr Eddie Kone - Meerkatsu's old instructor, decided to give everybody who was in attendance something to take home and that was a 2 hour session mainly on passing the half guard. Eddie's level of detail, but also style of instruction and general attitude towards his students, really impressed me and after the session I asked if I could interview him for the blog. What came out of that was a 20+ minute chat about, amongst other things, Gracie Jiu Jitsu, honour and some of Eddie's own tips to all the Part Time Grapplers out there. Here's part one (of three) of that interview. I hope you enjoy it.

In Part One, Eddie talks about being in the zone, the gift and legacy of Jiu Jitsu and putting your own signature on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

The questions we covered in Part One were:

Greatest thrill he got out of practicing and/or teaching Jiu Jitsu?
Background in training and teaching Gracie Jiu Jitsu
What he thought makes a good student?
What he thought makes a good teacher?
What he would look for in an affiliate?
When did he decide to teach BJJ for a living?
The first part of the interview ends with us touching on what 2010 holds for Eddie Kone.


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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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Do you think specific beginners classes are necessary in BJJ/Grappling?

The picture above of lion cubs learning to fight a.k.a. playing is from a fantastic site. It just so happens to link into my story.

I saw a topic on the Cage Warriors Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Forum. The question was: Do you think specific beginners classes are necessary? and this was my reply:

I'm a softie. I believe there is a place for everyone in BJJ / Grappling and the reason someone should walk out and never come back is because they found something greater for them elsewhere, not because they were thrown in the deep end.

When I first started in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, there were defined beginner classes but due to work commitment I couldn't make them. Karl was kind enough (after much begging and nagging on my behalf) to let me train in the advanced session on the condition that I told everyone I shook hands with that I'm completely new. I basically learnt to tap a lot. I also learnt how easy it is for a girl to tap a strong beginner.

Unfortunately, I also picked up a ton of bad grappling habits. Sink-or-swim has it's place, but if it's your first exposure to the water, you will develop bad swimming habits and that's true to BJJ / Grappling too. Habits you’ll need to, best case scenario, re-learn later on or may lead to your injury.

As soon as my schedule allowed, I started attending the beginner gi-classes and man...it took me months to re-programme my basic techniques like mount escapes and how to apply pressure from side control top. These are things that an instructor faced with 20-25 athletes couldn't possibly pick up on in an advanced session and it would be unfair to expect him/her to do so. Not to mention the stupid notions I developed like: "Yeah scissor sweep isn't really suitable for me!" No you daft idiot. I felt it wasn't suitable for me coz the advanced guys always caught me with foot locks coz I was doing the sweep wrong. No one had actually shown me how to properly do the sweep. I had just watched someone somewhere and missed out essential details. It had nothing with being tough or not. I just didn't know!

Sparring is what separates Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from all the crap out there and it’s what makes it real and alive. That doesn’t mean that the student have to free-spar from the first day, week or even month!

This is how you stay protected and somewhat safe under the mount.
Here is a mount escape.
Here is another.


Now go under his mount and try to stay protected while you go back and forth between the two while the top guy is trying to maintain position and maybe attack with a choke or maybe even an armlock.


That’s alive. That’s BJJ and it’s definitely suitable for anyone on their first day.

Will they learn something? Yes
Will it be something true, honest and useful within the whole of BJJ/MMA/No-gi? Yes
Will they work hard? Yes
Will the coach have time and space to drill properly and supervise the technique? Yes
Will the student come back? Maybe. Who knows! But if not, it won’t be because they didn’t feel they belong or the golden phrase “I think I need to go the gym/loose weight/work on my cv…etc. before I start doing this!”.

But like I said. That’s just me, and I’m a big softie.


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The Part Time Grappler Interviews Hillary Williams

Hillary Williams is an awesome and well-decorated BJJ brown belt and no-gi grappler. I first heard about her thru fellow blogger Georgette Oden (featured above in Hillary's closed guard) and, after hearing her on her recent Fightworks Podcast interview, I couldn't resist but to attempt to interview her for this blog. After all, she's just come back from Abu Dhabi Pro!

Busy as she is (which becomes evident in the interview) she kindly took the time to sit down and answer my questions. Many thanks Hillary and all my best wishes. I hope all the readers will both enjoy and learn from this interview. She is a true Part Time Grappler!

Hillary Willams:


Hello. Why don't we start by you telling us a little about yourself?

I'm a 21-year-old Arkansan, fully trained in domestic duties, an avid horseback rider, and aspiring BJJ champion.

Are you currently working / studying? Is that Full time / Part time?

I'm a fully time student in the Honors College at University of Central Arkansas, where I'm on track to finish my undergrad in Biology (pre-med) next spring. I love it, it's a good sized university at about 12,000, so enough to feel like I'm at college but few enough to let me get away and study when I need to. When I need to "work," it's just here and there things, mostly artwork to make some money on the side.


You also set aside time to practice a sport. Which sport(s)?

In high school, I played volleyball, softball, soccer, golf, and trained horses (in dressage) while studying, and I picked up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the beginning of my senior year. Once I hit college I dropped all the other sports to really focus on BJJ, and it's been a great decision. I'm really able to train hard and travel quite a bit to train.

How long have you done that?

My Jiu Jitsu anniversary is in June, so once Worlds rolls around it'll be four years. As much as I've trained and traveled, it seems like so much longer, but at the same time I feel very new in the sport. The fact that I get an email to answer questions about BJJ still astounds me, hahah.


Do you follow any special diet? Do you use any Dietary Supplements?

Not particularly special, just careful. When competition season is around, I focus on a lot of veggies and a lot of protein. Clean eating, not particularly a special diet, is what I focus on. And it makes me feel better when I train. As far as supplements, I don't take any. I would but I don't know that much about them, and I don't have a supplement sponsor, so both ignorance and lack of funds is preventing that.


How do you manage to fit your training around work, study and family time?

Very carefully, hahah. I have a very strict, set routine. It's train, study, train, study. Most of the art pieces I produce are products of insomnia so the time just kind of creates itself. I just have to be very careful. I can't go to a party, I can't waste large blocks of time, I just have to hustle from the gym back to my room and use all the time on airplanes that I have to study. I like being busy, actually. I always have been, and having nothing to do makes me very antsy.


Do you compete in your sport(s)? Have you won any competitions?

Absolutely, I compete at least once a month. I've placed first at the Pan Ams in my division six times (white belt gi, blue belt gi, purple belt gi, purple belt gi absolute, purple belt nogi, brown/black belt gi) and five at the World Championships (purple belt gi IBJJF, purple belt gi CBJJE, purple belt gi absolute CBJJE, brown/black nogi IBJJF, brown/black nogi absolute IBJJF). I also took two bronzes at ADCC and World Pro BJJ, in Barcelona, Spain, and Abu Dhabi, UAE, respectively.

What is the greatest thrill you have got out of practicing your sport?

The first time I stepped on the mat to compete at ADCC was a feeling I can never explain...I was so shocked to be there, to be at the most prestigious grappling tournament in the world and to be competing at it. I was sharing the same mats with legends of the sport and people were watching ME. It was unbelievable, and very surreal.


Give us your top 5 tips for time-management (to fit exercise around life)

1) Eat on the run. One thing that helps me eat well and save time is to have pre-prepared meals at set sizes. That way, I only have the certain amount allotted (no time for seconds or desert!) and I can grab it quickly on the way to the gym without having to stop and wait in a drive thru or anything unhealthy.

2) Multitask. If I have to get a chapter of reading done, I do it on the treadmill or the elliptical. That way, I get my work done, and I don't focus on being tired, I'm focusing on the book. It really helps me double task.

3) To-do Lists. I love marking off tasks on a to do list and it keeps me bouncing from one task to another throughout the day.

4) Ration phone calls. I usually only make phone calls when I'm in situations where I can't be doing anything else. For me, this is walking to classes. If I need to call, I do it when I can't be studying or training, I do it when I'm on the way. Try to never, or rarely, make phone calls when you're capable of doing something else.

5) Drop the unnecessary tasks. There are lots of little things we think we can do that we don't need to do. Don't be afraid to just say no to something.

Now let's balance that with what you consider the top time-thieves.

1) TV.

2) Video games.

3) Procrastination (to-do lists kill this).

4) Internet.

5) Phone.

Essentially? Technology. I try to do all my work and studying the old fashioned pen and paper way, if not there's too much temptation. Also, you get comfortable. You can't just drop down on the couch to watch TV then honestly think you're gonna get up to work out in 20 minutes. It's hard.


Do you have any regrets?

None. I love my life and everyone in it, every mistake has been a lesson to get me where I'm at now.


Any great sponsors you want to give a shout-out to?

MTX Audio for being the most supportive sponsor ever and revolutionizing the lives of so many athletes, Koral Fight Co for making the best gear in the business, and Team Zipplokk for always being by my side. Can't forget my boys at Westside MMA for pushing me every day.


Finally, why do you train? What drives you?

I train because it makes sense. I don't have to push myself to train, it's something that I want to do every day and I feel very lost if I don't go to the gym. It never the same. Each day, there is something new to learn, something new to discover, and some new situation you're going to be put in. That dynamic characteristic keeps me going back.


What a great attitude! Once again, many thanks to Hillary Williams for granting me this interview and all the best wishes in her sportive and academic career. I have no doubt that we will continue to hear more great news from her. Her journey has just begun.

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Passing The Open Guard. Pit Stops, Awareness and the 3P

I watched some old-ish footage of a Joe Moreira and Roy Harris seminar on open-guard passing during this Easter break just gone.

Joe Moreira wasn't really showing any particular techniques that I wasn't familiar with which was a bit odd, mainly because I have this image in my head of him showing 12 ways to drink a glass of pineapple juice! (After all, the man released a book with over 100 techniques just from Side Control!) What he did instead was something much, much more valuable.

He gave his take on the 3P model. He never called it that but hey...pineapple juice is pineapple juice no matter what else you call it. What he did was:

1. Got rid of and constantly fought against any meaningful contact or pressure exerted by the guard-player on him and instead established his own meaningful grips (posture) and
2. He fully turned on the pressure. Pressure pressure pressure! Now for those of you who haven't seen what Mr Moreira looks like, he's not a big man by any measures, but once he had the postures and grips he wanted, he was in the zone. The pit-bull zone! Pressure pressure pressure! I swear at one point it looked like he was going to fall out of the TV screen! That would've been awkward. "Hey Joe. How's it hangin'? Pineapple juice?"
3. The third P- the possibilities- kind of took care of themselves. I mean you can either pass over, under or around the leg(s). Which one ends up depending on what the poor guard player “gives” you.

Yesterday, I taught a private session on passing. I showed 2 techniques (the double under and the bull pass) and entry to a good pit stop (See my drawing above) and we spent a lot of time working on the necessary awareness to clear any obstacles (hands, hooks, knees...etc.) and Pressure pressure pressure! It was emotional.

Now despite all that, why did I still show two techniques? Not because these specific two are the be-all-end-all of passing and not because they are my favourites, but simply because they served as good demonstrations of the principles.

And the pit stop? Well, it’s all in the pit stop baby!

Oh by the way, Cane did an excellent piece on Guard passing. Highly recommended reading!

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BJJ Tips: Position before Submission

We've all heard this countless times but what exactly does mean or, more importantly, how do you interpret it?

Here are just a few of the ways I interpret Position before Submission (Pb4S):

1. Learn positional escape before submission escapes.
2. Master positional escapes before submission escapes.
3. Learn positional dominance before submissions.
4. Master positional dominance before submissions.
5. Treat every submission as a control position before seeing the finish value in it and practice it from that respective.
6. Focus on transitions between positions before transitions between submissions.
7. Never sacrifice a good position for a chance of submitting someone.
8. Always ensure you are in the best possible position before launching your submission.
9. Always ensure your opponent is in the worst possible position before launching your submission.
10. When mid-submission you sense your positional dominance slip away, abort the submission and work on regaining your superior position.
11. What I learn from positional dominance will translate in gi, no gi, MMA, self defence...etc. better than submission knowledge which may work under one set of rules but not another.

Remember: Every time you go for a submission*, you narrow your options (not always a bad thing, as long as you understand it!)


While the superior position will always give you a number of options


Do you want the best of both worlds? Work hard on making your positions so mechanically superior that you don’t have to actually make the choice. Here is a clip of a newfound heroine of mine Hillary Williams demonstrating a wicked Americana from mount in perfect form.

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*I’m not saying don’t go for subs or that you can't transition from one sub to another. That’s too simplistic. I’m a deep, deep man!

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BJJ Strategy: Riddle me this…Riddle me that…Who’s the cleverest on the BJJ mat?

Here is a statistics-influenced riddle (ok ok I may have seen it on an old NUMB3RS episode!)

You are asked to rig a room. The room has 4 doors and you are given 4 identically designed traps that can be attached to the doors. Each trap, however, only has a 25% chance of working and 75% chance of failing. Your victim wants to go into the room and there are no windows so she has to choose one of the 4 doors. What’s your best strategy?

If you want to see the answer, scroll down. It’s past the silly (or clever, if you believe Georgette!) cartoon.

Ok it’s a bit of a trick question as it has a piece of information missing. The doors are lockable. But then again that’s an important part of today’s post theme.

All other factors remaining equal, your best bet is to lock three of the doors and attach your entire arsenal to the 4th one. Your victim needs to go into the room, and you’ve just stacked the odds heavily in your favour.

BJJ / Grappling is, or at least should be, the same. It’s a series of traps and mazes and the beauty of it; your opponent WANTS to go into the room. They WANT to SWEEP you. They WANT to pass your guard. They WANT to go to mount…etc. But how does the analogy above ink into this?

Two ways:

1. In any situation on the mat, each player will have a number of options. A number of possible manoeuvres. How many depends on the situation: When someone is inside your guard you have many more possible things you could do than when they have go back with hooks on you with one of your arms trapped by their leg. Statistical analysis advises that to increase your chances of success, limit your opponent’s possible options. Don’t give them a room with 4 doors, give them a room with 3 locked doors and one unlocked door, with a small bag of cookies dangling from the handle and a trail of crumbs leading into the room.

Offensive example: When someone is in your closed guard (for example) they can place their hands in a variety of postures and positions, offering them a spectrum of support levels. Why not open your lapels, eliminating the(double lapel grab). Also work to control their wrists or at least push them off your chest/ribs area but keep pulling their torso into you with your knees. Effectively, you have given them only three options to pick from: To tuck their pelvis under them and remain upright (in which case you can sit into them and work the hip-bump/Kimura/Guillotine series), to place their hands low on your torso (which shouldn’t stop you from breaking their posture and possibly wrist locking them) or to post on the mat which just opens up a can of whipass of attacks. Place your traps only where the open doors are.

Defensive example: You’re in someone’s closed guard and your tuck your pelvis in and remain upright, hardly really touching them with your hands (use them to deflect their grips. That narrows their options to either opening their guard and sitting up for the hip bump/Kimura/Guillotine series or start playing open guard. You just zipped what you need to defend against from several unknowns to a few knowns.

2. The Doors are lockable. I didn’t tell you that in the initial riddle for a reason. I wanted to make a point about this strategy: Not many people know it!

Not many people I know actively use this strategy and it’s, I’m guessing here, because no one ever told them that the doors are lockable so they keep searching for more traps to buy/learn/download.

There are postures in BJJ / Grappling that eliminate certain attack opportunities for your opponent and I’d rather spend my time learning/working at those than learn 1-2 counters to each of these potential attacks. To me, that’s the essence of great BJJ.

The wild buffalo cannot butt its horns against him, The tiger cannot fasten its claws in him, And weapons of war cannot thrust their blades into him. And for what reason? Because in him there is no room for death.


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New Beginning and a Really Cool Link

Monday the 15th of February will see the first roll on the mats of the new gym, The BJJ Labs. I created an impromptu Facebook Group for us last Wednesday and now we have over 50 members on it!

In the eternal words of Manik: "All that's left now is to have a roll!"

I'm very excited about this for many reasons:

1. It's the same coach
2. It's the same fine group of people
3. It's a better, brighter location
4. It's part of a successful long-term thinking establishment
5. They have kettlebell and Crossfit classes

More on that after the session itself.

In the meantime, here is an article with a great list of tips that will do wonders for your closed guard and, if you subscribe to my multidimensional view on grappling, your mount as well!

Have a great weekend and Valentine's Day. I hope you get lucky!

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Ryron Gracie's Guest Article on JiuJitsuKingdom

I just read a great guest article by Ryron Gracie on Felipe's JiuJitsuKingdom. I heard about it on Cage Warriors but here is the link for your eyes anyway.

I got very excited when I saw it and I can imagine it will get quite a response from you too.

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