BJJ / Grappling tips: Jiu-jitsu works, always!

Positional sparring is a fantastic way to sharpen your execution of a technique. Way more important than Free Rolling and that's not just my opinion. It's the opinion of practically every single world champ or Gracie family member I have ever interviewed.

For those not familiar with the term positional sparring: The instructor introduces three triangle fundamental escapes (for instance) then you drilled them in isolation (against progressive resistance) and then you roll, but every roll started from inside your partner's triangle set-up position. This is an excellent way to learn fast and learn well!

BJJ / Grappling Discussion: Is Your Jiu Jitsu Pure?

A discussion about “Pure Jiu Jitsu” was brought to my attention yesterday. I must admit that the discussion itself didn’t really teach me anything I didn’t already know but it made me think.

The central question raised was: What defines Pure Jiu Jitsu? This situation is not unique if you look at many traditional martial arts. A family member(s) (usually the eldest son or brother or even most senior student) ends up "inheriting" responsibility for the art and feels, in a lot of cases, rightly passionate about preserving what they learnt and inherited. You see this in Karate (Wadokai v wado ryu or even ITF Taekowndo vs the WTF version), Jujutsu (Iwama ryu v Aikikai) and even weapon arts (family-based ryu or schools vs curriculums by the Budokai. I'm not agreeing with it, I'm just saying that it's a natural thing.

If I was to create a system (of any kind) and spent a very long time teaching the ins and outs of it to someone (especially blood related), then they will see my passion for it and may develop a feeling that they need to preserve it after my death, rather than open it up and develop/expand it. That is human. This is not even to mention the perceived financial advantageous of a monopoly!

On the other hand, you will often have a group of people who are more passionate about the art itself and how it can enrich people's lives. They respect what those who created it/discovered it/formulated it did but are more excited by the prospects that the future holds and they realise that for the art/system to thrive and expand, it needs to evolve and stay up-to-date. They form committees and they created federations and they bring in democratic regulations. That too is human and of course welcome.

Which way to go then? Well the beauty of it is that it's up to the instructor, as long as he or she is honest, it all adds to the art and by being honest, I mean honest in all your communication with your students and the public. If you focus on preserving techniques that were meant to deal with a set of circumstances (be it sword attacks, BJJ competition or Vale Tudo) and you tell everyone that that’s your focus then great. If they like it, who’s to stop them/you.

The original question (What defines Pure Jiu Jitsu?) is really just a trap. A trap of attachment and measurement. “Pure” simply implies that something/everything else is “impure” which we have come to feel is something negative, turning the question into, in essence, marketing. The word is not the thing. If you want to know the thing, go roll. Don’t power your way thru, leave your ego outside and flow with the go and you will experience the thing and no one will be able to take it away from you or make it “impure”, whatever the hell that means.

 

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BJJ / Grappling tips: Passing the half guard: Dealing with the Underhook

The half guard used to be viewed as a position of weakness, especially if strikes are available as a weapon. Partly, the top player is almost past the guard players defenses and partly it allows the top player to lock the bottom player's hips in place and deliver damage.

Naturally, the half guard player has many attacks at their disposal and by becoming a subject matter expert within that narrow field, they can learn to manipulate the top fighter's weight and sweep, submit or take their back. To stop them, we need to first neutralize their most valuable asset: The underhook.

Picture courtesy of grapplearts.com 

The best option to defend the underhook is to have the underhook first. The half guard will not suddenly materialize out of thin air so anticipate your opponent's intentions to steal it and get there first.

If, however, they get there before you, here's a strategy that my professor, Mr Eddie Kone, learnt from his teacher Master Royler Gracie that has given me much success over the years.

and you can see the same technique explained by legendary jiujitsu fighter Sensei Saulo Ribeiro:

Lineage in the Martial Arts is something I am very passionate about, for this simple reason. No man is an island and we are all connected. Use this technique to re-gain the underhook from the half guard top.

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BJJ / Grappling tips: escape the triangle choke from guard

How to escape the triangle choke from guard:

Moving upstream is a marketing term. It can easily be explained with the analogy of a river. If you walk past a river and spot a problem (pollution, stagnant water...etc.) you can either address the immediate problem or simply walk upstream trying to understand the origins of the situation at hand.

What does all this have to do with BJJ/grappling? Everything! Prevention is the best solution in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and by moving upstream we solve problems we didn’t even know we had.

Are you getting caught in triangles in the closed guard? Want to learn how to avoid that in the first place? Let’s move upstream step by step:

Don’t let your opponent close their guard around you, and earlier than that…

Don’t leave your arms one in and one out, and earlier than that…

Don’t let your opponent control your head and posture, and earlier than that…

Don’t let your opponent place their foot (feet) on your hip(s) in open guard, and earlier than that…

Don’t let your opponent control your sleeves

The way I see it, the deeper you get into the rabbit hole, the harder it will be to get out and the more likely that you will get caught. Your chances of you getting caught in a triangle are higher if you let them place their foot on your hip than if you use your knees and elbows to control their thighs (even if they manage to control your wrists) and they are higher still if they control your posture (from your head or collar).

The beauty of moving upstream is that if you don’t let them control your sleeves your will avoid triangles, omoplatas, armbars and most sweeps.

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The Fundamentals of Brazilian Jiujitsu

What are the fundamentals of jiujitsu?

Helio vs Kato

"What constitutes the fundamentals of jiujitsu?" is a question that has been thrown around quite a lot recently. In fact, this is not the first time I myself attempt to wrestle this particular beast. I have, in the past, on at least one occasion, tried to list the techniques and concepts which I felt belong under the banner of “fundamentals of jiujitsu”. Today’s article, however, approaches the subject from a different point of view.

What is a fundamental? Well a fundament, to begin with, is word closely linked to the French word “fundare” or “to found”. It is also linked to the foundation of base of a building. In other words, a fundament or a fundamental component of jiujitsu is something that we learn early not because we want to, but because we cannot afford not to. You cannot build the second floor of a building before the ground (or in some cases the basement). Without a solid foundation, it is just a matter of time before your whole structure is doomed to collapse.

The majority of people will agree with the above. However, saying this we are no closer to knowing what a fundamental technique or concept of jiujitsu actually is. We’ve just established some parameters, that’s all.

My approach for today’s article is to list, rather than the techniques themselves which I feel can fall under the umbrella of fundamentals of jiujitsu, the various reasons that justify a technique being called a fundamental jiujitsu technique.

BJJ Evolution: Why Do You Train?

BJJ is evolving into many, different sports. The various rules dictating this evolution.

I was recently listening to a very funny Swedish podcast (unrelated to BJJ) where they mentioned an international level Swedish athlete from the 1950s and 60s, Gösta Sandberg. Mr Sandberg won my country many international honours, including an Olympic bronze in the Helsingborg games in 1952 and another bronze at the European Championships in1961 so he was very consistent for a long time. The unique thing about him was that he did that in two completely different sports (football and ice-hockey) and was a national team member in a third sport (bandy).

You don't get that many all rounders nowadays. Some, but not many. I find that sad. 

Every person needs to figure out why they do what they do. In our case, we all need to ask ourselves: Why do I do BJJ / grappling?

My reasons are very personal. I started doing Martial Arts to become a super hero. No word of a lie.

It all started with watching David Carradine in "Kung Fu" and wanting to be a Shaolin monk. I was 15. There were no Shaolin schools around where I lived in a small quiet suburb in northern Stockholm, but my highschool had a once a week tai chi chuan course and the best thing was that it finished just in time for me to get home and watch Kwai Chang Caine in "Kung Fu"! Aces!

To me, learning a martial art was an avenue to learn more about myself, body mind and spirit. Taichi changed into Wing Chun kung fu, Taekwondo and later Karate which I stuck with all the way to black belt. After that, I got into jiu jitsu and grappling which I've been doing since 2005.

My goal was and still is to learn how to move. How to handle myself. Fighting, to me, is an avenue, not a goal. But I wanted to learn authentic skills and not scenario-specific. I didn't want to be a competitor or a champion. I wanted to become a super hero.

I can imagine that that was a similar challenge to the allrounders of yesteryear. I can imagine that Mr Sandberg was not satisfied with the simple concepts of winning or losing within the confines of one rule set or another. Rather, he sought to constantly challenge himself to become a better and better version of himself. He couldn't compute the idea that, just because he was wearing his ice-hockey attire and not his football / soccer kit that he should fair any worse. He wasn't a footballer, an ice-hockey player not a bandy player. He was, first and foremost, an athlete.

This is why my goal is the training itself. This is why it's hard to find me in a bad mood on the mat. I get caught all the time. I get pinned, passed and tapped. Every single session. 

Every single session, I achieve my goal: To train. I

In my gi, wearing my belt. I am that super hero. My super power? Intrinsically driven happiness.

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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

BJJ / Grappling Tips: Self defence and Gracie Jiu Jitsu

With my friend Mr Eddie Kone, Royler Gracie
Black Belt and head of EKBJJ

The applicability of Gracie Jiu Jitsu as an art of self-defence is an area I have found myself increasingly interested in. I’ve never been a massive self-defence guy and I’ve always believed that you should work hard to gear your life in a way that you don’t necessarily find yourself in need of self-defence and I still stand behind that statement. Basically, if you’re becoming an expert and defending yourself against muggers or those who wish to harm you, you need to move house, stop showing off your iPhone and maybe work a little on your attitude!

That said, I have developed an interest in how self-defence and jiu jitsu actually link. It all started with me a few years back looking for a good online / DVD based source of jiu jitsu information and finding the Gracie University programme called the Gracie Combatives. I must iterate that, initially at least, my interest was in finding the best jiu jitsu instructionals I could get my hands on and not something particularly focused on self-defence per se. I was looking for someone who not only spoke excellent English, but could articulate their approach to jiu jitsu very clearly and for that reason, the Gracie Combatives was a great choice¹. Rener and Ryron Gracie are excellent instructors with a wealth of experience and a very clear objective behind every lesson, something an aspiring high school teacher like me really appreciates.

What the Gracie Combatives also did was get me to appreciate, amongst many other things, the following:

1.       The value of indicators: For every technique, there is a clear indicator for when it’s best utilised. A simple and commonly known example is “when the opponent in your guard puts his hand on the mat, it’s time to attack him with the kimura” but there were many other ones I, as a BJJ purple belt, didn’t know such as when to switch from hips-down side control to hips-up kesa gatame…etc.²

2.       The value of head control: In practically every position on the ground, the opponent can gain a mechanical advantage over you by controlling your head and NOTHING reminds you to keep your head away the opponent’s hands like punches!³

A question was brewing in my mind:

 “Does a focus on self-defence (punch protection, conservation of energy, defence against attacks a skilled jiujitsoka wouldn’t do such as standing headlocks…etc., training against people of various sizes and experience levels…etc.) help better other aspects of your jiu jitsu (rolling, nogi, MMA, competition preparation…etc.)?”

I recently celebrated my 35^th birthday and as a present, my wonderful wife hooked me up with a private session with my friend Mr Eddie Kone. Eddie is a Gracie Jiu Jitsu black belt under Royler Gracie and recently received his first degree through Rafael Lovato Jr and he’s also the head instructor of a large and growing jiu jitsu organisation. Most importantly, Eddie is dear friend of mine so I was very happy with my gift and the opportunity to spend some mat time with him.

Drilling the finer points of posture within the closed guard

When he asked me what BJJ skills / areas I wanted to cover in the session, the answer was very simple: Gracie Self-Defence. I wanted him to review and update my current understanding of defence against front chokes, rear chokes, bear hugs over / under the arms (both front and back), collar grabs, shoulder grabs and the basic hip throw from the safe clinch.

What Eddie did far exceeded my expectations. Not only did we cover all these in detail, and more techniques, he spent a good amount of time explaining the mind-set⁴ and framework⁵ within which these techniques fit. It was really mind blowing. The level of detail⁶ was fantastic but more than that, the attention to both the value of indicators and head control / knockout protection really cemented to me how authentic his approach to Gracie Jiu Jitsu is and I look forward to learning more from him.

More to the point, the adjustments he made to my self-defence techniques immediately addressed a couple of issues I’ve been having with getting some techniques to work when rolling! Look at this famous example from Kid Peligro’s and Royce and Charles Gracie’s book “Brazilian Jiu Jitsu self defence techniques”:

The devil is in the detail!

 When I demonstrated this defence against the shoulder grab to Eddie, he made a tiny adjustment that immediately:

1.       Put ME in total control

2.       Completely ruined my opponent’s balance

3.       Linked with a submission from side control that Martyn taught us a while back that I kept struggling with (and mentally blamed it on having short legs!)

Martyn had learned this really sneaky near side Americana from Rodrigo Praxedes at Phuket Top Team and I immediately liked it by kept failing at it. I thought it was a height thing (Martyn is tall and lanky and I’m, well, not!). The adjustment Eddie showed me from this self-defence position he had learnt from Royce Gracie personally not only fixed my defence against shoulder grabs and the nearside Americana Martyn had shown me but also meant I could better perform this other fantastic nugget of an Americana attack from side control I saw once on a Keith Owen DVD but could never get (this time I blamed it on, you guessed it, my short arms!):

I am convinced that training the self-defence aspects of Gracie Jiu Jits will trickle in and improve every other aspect of your jiu jitsu but, as always, don’t take my word for it. Try it out for yourself. The next time your opponent smothers your armbar or a triangle attack from guard, ask yourself, would he have been able to do that if I had protected against say punches by controlling his other arm / wrist or broken his posture more…etc.?

  

With the team: Shuban, Piotr, Eddie and Nish

1.       MGinaction is another great platform to learn but from what I’ve seen, it doesn’t lay out jiu jitsu in a linear format (i.e. this is the first technique you should learn and this is the next and this is the next…etc.). Still, MGinaction.com is nothing short of a brilliant BJJ resource.

2.       Those who know me know my love for Saulo Ribeiro’s focus on the right timing (or as he calls it “momento”) for every move and this is a similar concept

3.       Whether by stretching your body away from them when recovering full guard or by controlling the distance when playing open guard or burying your head under their jaw line in a butterfly sweep, head control = safety from punches = better leverage

4.       How does what you’re doing look to a bypasser? Who looks like the aggressor / defender?

5.       When to clinch, how to de-escalate a violent situation, how to close down your opponent’s options…etc.

6.       Where should your feet be, your hips, your arms, your head…at one point, he even asked me to pay attention to what he was doing with his armpits!

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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

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 Tips: Escaping the mounted position

Stuck?

In his fantastic book : Jiu-jitsu University: The Daddy of BJJ books!, Saulo Ribeiro tells a story about his meeting with Helio Gracie. The short of it is: Helio told Saulo that irrespective of the latter’s athletic ability and youth he (Saulo) wouldn’t be able to defeat Helio. Helio didn’t say that he could defeat Saulo: Only that he wouldn’t be defeated. Helio was confident that he would survive!

Before you start looking at escaping from side control (or any position for that matter) ask yourself if you are doing all you need to do to survive in the position:

Are you stopping him from anchoring his weight to you with his arms?
Are you stopping him from controlling your neck?
Are you stopping him from controlling your nearside arm?
Are you stopping him from controlling your farside arm?
Are you stopping him from controlling your hips?

Once you have answered yes to these questions, you should find yourself in a position where you can start bridging and creating space between you and your partner (the most important component of escapes). Follow that bridge with a good shrimping motion to connect your nearside elbow and knee and your more than half way to Freeville!

If you want a better (much!) description and more, I highly recommend Saulo’s book and, of course, all his DVDs. In the meantime, feast your eyes on this backdoor escape from the technical mount that I've been working on for a couple of months. It's demonstrated here by a hero of mine Mr Roy Harris with a much younger Mr Roy Dean/




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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

BJJ Tips: How do you define success in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?

Our advanced BJJ sessions at the Labs - BJJ always include a huge chunk of sparring / rolling. The objective is not to win every grappling sparring bout at the gym. That would be ridiculous. Not only will you run into several athletes of a similar if not higher level (especially if this is at a big, healthy BJJ academy / gym), but you are constantly swimming against the current of resistance. After an hour and 30 minutes or so, the semi-dead grappler will easily get tapped by a stronger / fresher* / more skilled opponent. So what does that mean in the grand scheme of things? Well, nothing naturally!

That brings us to the question, how do you define success on a BJJ mat?

I have asked this question to a number of athletes** / BJJ enthusiasts and here are a few of their suggestions, please remember that none are more right than the others:

1. Number of rounds won in a row against equals in skill (irrespective of size, gender…etc.)
2. Winning is not losing (made famous by Helio Gracie)
3. Keeping someone stronger at bay
4. Keeping someone more technical at bay
5. Positionally dominating someone stronger (with or without a submission)
6. Positionally dominating someone more technical (with or without a submission)
7. Doing what you used to do but with less energy expenditure (efficiency)

Add to this specialisations within the Grappling-orientated game (Gi v No gi – v MMA) and the multitude of brackets that the Sport (an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively) bring to the table (such as age, weight and round durations) and the question becomes very big. Answering these questions is important to outline your progress in the grappling game but more importantly to stay happy and motivated.

It seems to me that the healthiest way to look at this is to keep an open mind and rotate your priorities in line with your progress. Someone just starting may have self-defence and general health at the top of their list but after 6-7 months of rolling, they value the mental challenge that grappling provides. Suddenly, they don't try to muscle out of mount bottom but patiently look for the technical solution. The attractant is different, but the game is the same. Keep your goals fresh and you will be able to enjoy this wonderful game your whole life***.

*Not everyone can / wants to train the full two hours so some people only manage to attend the second hour, which does mean they are much fresher and fuller of energy
**and athletes from other sports
***that's my only goal: to actually continue training BJJ my whole life (or until I no longer want to). Funny thing is, every time I step foot on the mat, I can tick that goal :)

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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 / 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 / Grappling tips: depth vs breadth of game. Should I focus on technical details or learning more techniques and counters?

How can you defeat your opponent's defences? Are you struggling to make your jiu jitsu submissions work? Do you find yourself attempting submissions but struggling to finish with them?

The reason I lead with these questions is because I have the privilege of teaching jiu jitsu (2 BJJ Fundamentals classes per week, weekly private sessions and 4-5 Intro-to-Grappling courses per year) and when jiu jitsu students and grapplers attempt a move for the first time against resistance, it is not unheard of that they come across an obstacle they can't figure out. It's only natural that the first time you (or I or anyone) attempt a BJJ submission against a resisting opponent that we forget a small make-it-or-break-it detail and they defend successfully. Sometimes, we do everything correctly but we do it at the wrong time and that gives our training partner the perfect opportunity to block our attack. When that happens, we can do a number of things:

1. Learn a counter to the counter: e.g. I go for an americana from mount but accidently leave enough space for their free arm to slide between us and support the arm that's under attack so I spin to S-mount for an armbar on it

2. Learn a defence to the counter: e.g. I go for a kimura from side control / head mount and they grip their belt so I use a grip break to release their hand and carry on with the original attack (the kimura)

Check out this example by none other than Mr Craig Kukuk (to my knowledge the first American to get a BJJ Black Belt)

3. Learn from my mistake and make sure I have a way to prevent it happening again: I go for a cross choke from guard but my first forearm was not flush against their chest so they managed to sneak a hand under it to defend the neck. I acknowledge that and ensure I do it properly next time (i.e. keep the forearm flush against their chest, control that wrist or at least attack with a sweep so they are forced to use that hand to post)

I'm sure I'm leaving some more options out but you get the point. Every action has a number of potential reactions.

Which answer is the correct answer? Well, let's investigate what would happen if we took each option further:

BJJ / Grappling tips: How best to learn BJJ / Grappling: Listen to my actions and see my words

The best way to learn BJJ, grappling or any other activity is to focus on the details of the fundamental skills. The more we understand grappling details, the better we understand the whole picture and the reason for that is because everything is connected in BJJ. If you do the first three moves correctly, there is a higher probability that what you do after that will be good too.

My strongest memory of enhanced learning is from spending a lot of time with my karate instructor sensei Siamak back at the Gothenburg Kanzenkai. On one occasion, we were practicing lead leg inwards foot sweeps entry to punches (ashi barai to gyaku tsuki) and I just couldn't get the sweep to work. I was bashing the hell of my partner's leg (to his dismay) but I just couldn't get it to budge. I asked sensei over to watch and correct and very quickly he realised what I was doing (or rather not doing). Simply, my angle of entry was a little off (I searched the internet for pictures to demonstrate what I'm saying and these two are the best I could find)

This is the angle I was coming at

this is the correct entry angle

While that technique did become my favourite attack (and I still use it, even in BJJ), it's what he said afterwards that was one of the most important lessons I've had in martial arts and learning in general:

"You must always try to steal the most amount of knowledge from all your teachers. We as instructors always strive to share as much as possible, but there will be times when a move or detail gets missed. We are only human. You must not only watch my actions and listen to my instructios, but also listen to my actions and see my words"

Translation to BJJ speak:

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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BJJ Tips: More on Approaching the Opponent

My previous post was inspired by the awesome three-hour seminar with Royler Gracie black belt Mr Eddie Kone on Sunday at his Rotherham affiliate EKBJJ North. Eddie didn't necessary spend too much time on the topic of approach and grip fighting, but one thing that struck the first time I visited his BJJ and MMA academy in London (The Ultimate Fitness Centre) a few months back was how quick all his students were to establish grips, both from standing, when playing guard and also when working the guard pass. Coming from Karl's heavily MMA-influenced style of underhooks and overhooks, I was very taken aback the first time and as I struggled to grip fight, Eddie's students were 3-4 steps ahead of me. That highlighted a weak area to my attention and I've been working on that from every position and in every roll over the past few months. I was pleasantly surprised on Sunday when we rolled after the seminar that I was better prepared.

To be clear, the biggest improvement was in my approach. It's not that I was grip fighting more, but I was approaching them in a way and at an angle that gave them much less to go for, allowing me to be more proactive with my own grip hunting.

At the request of Allie and Georgette in response to my previous post, I made a quick video addressing the Approach side. In it, Mr Andy Rhind, who was kind enough to drive the two of us to the Eddie Kone seminar, helps me demonstrate my stance and which arm I use to protect my collar and which arm I reach with both from an open (opposite lead legs) and closed (same lead legs) stance.

It's important to notice that while it's all done in standing, the same concepts can just as easily be applied on the ground. Also, the video was shot at the Labs right after 2 x 1hr BJJ sessions so the lens kept steaming up. While that did give the shot a dreamy, Barbra Streisand-y kind of mist, it was not the original intent, just an added bonus :o)



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BJJ Tips: Approaching Your Opponent

The correct approach is very important in any activity, BJJ / grappling is no exception. I learned a long time ago that early mistakes can quickly escalate, snowball and totally throw you off your course. I still remember Mr Robinson my high-school maths teacher shaking his head as I discover that the reason my answer at the bottom of page 3 was way wrong was a simple mistake I made at the top of page 1.

In BJJ / grappling, the first time I heard someone talk of the approach was on a Saulo Ribiero DVD. I was a newly graded BJJ blue belt and up to that point, I never really thought about it. To my simple, inexperienced eyes you just started from the handshake and just somehow went on with the roll, either pulling guard or working the pass. It took Mr Ribiero's well honed attention to the intricate details of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to open my eyes.

Saulo Ribiero masterfully teaching grip fighting on Jiu Jitsu Revolution 2

By the way, by approach I don't mean grips or grip fighting. It's even earlier than that. Just before or immediately after you shake hands with someone, you shape and turn your body and stance in a way that blocks your opponent's advantageous grips. If you are starting from standing for example, you stagger your feet to prevent an easy double leg takedown, you bend your knees and stay mobile, protect your leading arm and collar and keep your back hand active.

This isn't an extensive list by all means but it's a start. This is your BJJ platform from which you tip the scales in your advantage. Anything you do from here, while it may or may not work 100% successfully, will at least be built on a solid BJJ / Grappling foundation.

How do you approach the roll?

Ps. One of the best articles I’ve read about the approach in Stand-up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is this one by my friend Glyn Powditch. Glyn is an awesome brown belt in both Jiu Jitsu and Judo and he taught me 90% of my stand-up strategies, approach and grip fighting.


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BJJ Analysis: Heel Hooks and Foot Locks. My hates = My biggest weaknesses.

Last night's BJJ session at the Labs focused on a least favourite area of mine: heel hooks. At least the biggest chunk of the session was around using sound BJJ principles to prevent, counter, thwart, unravel and finally escape heel hooks. It made me think a lot about why I dislike this subset of BJJ / submission grappling.

Heel Hook City!

BJJ Video Tips: Finishing Straight Armbars from Spider Web / Mount

I have decided to make and post more videos. They really help me get my point across but more importantly, they help start a discussion from the blog readers.

Here is a short video I made with my brother Mr Sam Wandi demonstrating how a weight management principle I picked up in Yoga can be applied to positions and submissions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. To demonstrate the point, I use the straight armbar. Please let me know what you think:



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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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