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 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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ZHOO ZHITSU IS FOR EVERYONE!

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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 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 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 / 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 DVD: Brown Belt Requirements Review - Roy Dean hits another home-run

As I promised here, this is my review of Roy Dean's latest volume: Brown Belt Requirements.


"After all, this is your personal expression"

The music-lead voice of Roy Dean introduces this giant volume. The brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is quite an advanced rank and rolling with a solid brown belt is quite a humbling experience and that's exactly the feeling you get from watching the 3 minute flow of techniques that starts off this DVD: humbled. Humbled by the skill of presentation but also by the amount of effort and production quality that Roy invested in this product. We are treated to a variety of Roy's personal expressions of the usual techniques of jiu jitsu. Triangles, chokes, sweeps, leg locks and armbars are not just performed, they are expressed.

Roy doesn’t instruct as much in this volume. Rather, he shares. He shares his (and in some cases his instructor’s Mr Roy Harris’) experiences and expectations for the brown belt. I have tried to outline my review to reflect this.

BJJ Review: 'How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent' by Stephan Kesting and Emily Kwok

In a recent email from Stephan Kesting he said:

“If you've already purchased 'How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent' then CONGRATULATIONS! You've made a great decision and will be getting a ton of great information that can totally transform your game.”

I tell you what, the man is not lying!

The people behind these BJJ instructional DVDs are highly qualified:

-Stephan Kesting (BJJ black belt under Marcus Soares and the man behind Grapplearts.com, Beginningbjj.com and a number of great BJJ & grappling educational products)

-Emily Kwok (BJJ world champion, No Gi world & PanAm champion, MMA fighter and currently a student of Marcelo Garcia)

The name of this BJJ instructional set of DVDs is "How to defeat the bigger, stronger opponent" and it stretches over 5 DVDs (3 instructional plus 2 bonus ones)

BJJ Tips: How to become a more effecient grappler? Another application of the Pareto Principle.

We all want to become really good at this enigma that is BJJ, but are we doing all we can to make the best out of our training on the grappling mat? Are we really training as effeciently as we can?

"2500 rand per hour."

That's just under £200 (or $315 for all the American readers). The comment above came as a reply to how much a top of the range lawyer in Cape Town is expected to charge for a consultation. Don't worry, I didn't actually need one when I was there, but I have a good lawyer friend who lives there and she told me this.

How is that relevant to the Pareto principle? If you remember, the Pareto principle roughly says that 80% of the results (good or bad) will come from 20% of the actions and, consequently, the remaining 20% of the consequences will come from the remaining 80%. Translating this into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and grappling terms gives:

1. 80% of your success on the mat is thanks to 20% of your functional grappling knowledge
2. 80% of your grappling struggles and challenges are caused by 20% of all the mistakes you make when rolling

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 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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Auxiliary Training and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu / Grappling

It's important to treat it as that: auxiliary. If the intensity, duration or frequency of there sessions has a negative effect on your performance in BJJ / grappling / MMA then you have gone too far. All types of exercise exert stress on your body and dig a proportionate hole into your recovery reserves and you need to weigh off that against the potential benefit that auxiliary training will bring you.

Keeping the above in mind, there is also a hierarchy in building the attributes that you need for grappling and BJJ:

1. Mobility.
2. Endurance.
3. Strength.

You simply need enough mobility to be able to perform all the fundamentals of your art Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Find a simple and reliable programme to increase your range of motion in your wrists, shoulders, neck, lower back, hips and ankles and stick to it. A Yoga vinyasa (chain) like the Sun Salutation is excellent. Notice I didn’t say flexibility! Flexibility is awesome and I stretch loads every single day, but I do it because I enjoy it. For a dynamic art like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (or any other martial art) you need to work on your joint mobility. Rotation work ala Pavel is the way forward.

Once happy with this basic level of flexibility it's time to work on your gas. Once again it's important to remember why you're doing this. This is nothing to do with your Lactic Acid Threshold. You're not aiming to become a long distance runner, or any kind of runner for that matter. Don't get overzealous and push past the lactic acid barrier. Keep the pace and intensity low and never allow these sessions to interfere with your ability to train your main sport and art. If anything, there sessions will help you move the blood around and flush any remaining lactic acid out of your grappling muscles, not generate some more!

Next on the agenda is strength. Once again, keep the goal in mind and don't train like a body builder or a power lifter. Focus instead on strengthening your back, core and legs and perhaps leave the holy bench press aside for a while. You want to be strong in the areas that end up carrying toe most tension and stress during grappling so you can stay healthy and grapple your whole life.



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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.

Finishing Armbars from Guard in BJJ / Grappling

One thought I always keep in the background when I'm rolling / drilling is: is this the most efficient way to do what I'm doing? While that certainly sounds nice, it can be interpreted in more than one way.

Am I using my whole body?
Am I using too much or too little muscle?
Am I using the right ones and only them?
Am I working 3-4 steps ahead or am I simply reacting to my partner?

And so on. I urge you to come up with a few of your own interpretations.

I was watching an old video, Arm-Locks, and Mr Harris showed a beautiful way to use your whole body and principles from weight lifting (the leg press to be exact) to finish the spinning armbar from guard against the stack. I share that with you here.

They've stacked you and hugged your head. Your back is not strong enough for your legs to push their weight away from you, but your hands are not being utilised

Use both hands on your knees to help you with the difficult first couple of inches. Utilise a popping motion to help push their weight off you.

From there you have a choice of straight-armbarring the near-side arm by pressing down the elbow or just going back to your original armbar on the far arm (with or without throwing them on their back)

Where else in BJJ / Grappling are you leaving a hand or a foot (or a hip or a shoulder or even your head) without use?
Oh, don't forget to visit the Crazy-Ass BJJ Gi Design Challenge Blog and submit your fab designs! Over 1200 visitors can't be wrong.

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The Fastest Way to Learn BJJ / Grappling

Last Monday, one of our up and coming BJJ white belts said to me: why do you place more importance on awareness than on techniques? I was very chuffed to hear that of course (it means somebody is reading this blog). The reason to me is quite simple: I do it because I'm a part timer and you learn, at least, twice as much by working your awareness than when you are hunting particular techniques.

What I mean by that is I don't pay too much attention to memorising exact sequences of limb placement and call them a pass, sweep or submission. Instead, I learn and practice the fundamental postures and pressures that make or break the position and take it from there.

For example, I don't always cross the arm when I'm triangle choking my partner. The make-it-or break it detail is to close their arteries with my hamstrings on one side and their shoulder on the other and that's the posture and pressure I focus on achieving.

What do I mean when I say that I learn more BJJ faster this way? What I'm referring to is those translatable fundamental postures and pressures. I've said many times that most of what works in e.g. mount will work in guard and Martyn always tries to link ground work to wrestling against the cage wall. So rather than learn 12 ways to pass the open guard I'd rather work on the safe way to approach someone's open guard, the postured that will put them at a relative disadvantage and start feeding them pressures from an advantageous position.

The beautiful thing is, if I lather, rinse and repeat I will quickly end up learning all those aforementioned 12 passes without consciously trying AND those fundamental postures and pressures will translate automatically into better mount escapes and back takes! Double BJJ bonus!

I'm a part time grappler. I've got stuff to do. I'm outta here!

Now remember the Crazy Ass Design Your Dream BJJ Gi Challenge available here: http://crazy-ass-bjj-gi-challenge.blogspot.com/

There are already some awesome ideas on it. Go there, download the blank canvas and give it your most creative of juices!

You too could be the proud winner!!!

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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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BJJ and Self Defence

This is inspired by the current poll at the Fightworks Podcast: "What Percentage of Sport Jiu-Jitsu Techniques Are Street or Self Defense Applicable?"

BJJ is a great fighting art. That's all the early UFCs proved.

What did challenge matches and the early UFCs prove? All over the BJJ / Grappling media you will see claims that the early UFCs and the Gracie Challenge matches proved that Brazilian / Gracie Jiu Jitsu is the most effective martial art for self-defence. But what does that exactly mean and to what extent does that even matter?

Patrick McCarthy is a karate instructor who opened my eyes years ago to the simplicity of combat thru his books, articles and interviews. He explained early on that Karate and several other martial arts, were initially devised for specific purposes and had drills that addressed specific, commonly reoccurring acts of violence.

There was indeed a time when attacks on our person consisted on hair-grabs, strikes, chokes and takedowns (not to mention dirty tactics such as biting and eye gouging). Some say that was last century, some say that was the 1950’s and 1960’s. I prefer to call it the 6th grade.

Seriously, how often do adults attack each other with punches, chokes, kicks or throws in a one-to-one environment? Without any (visible or concealed) weapons? Don’t just give me a (at best, educated) guess. Ask a police-statistician. Consult some government statistics online. Very very few!

The way I see it (and I may be wrong here) the only cases of person-on-person violence that doesn’t involve weapons are:

1. Rape attacks
2. Child bullying
3. Domestic violence

For those, Brazilian (Gracie) Jiu Jitsu (physically, mentally, spiritually) is beyond good. It’s great. It’s fantastic. It’s amazing.

The picture that the above-mentioned statistics paints is very different from what you see in the UFC (irrespective of old or new) or your average Jiu Jitsu session. Real violence involves weapons, gangs and mob mentality, premeditation, surprise element and in some cases even range and distance. It would be unfair (or even crazy) to pretend that BJJ / Grappling equips us for that.

I read somewhere a quote by Helio Gracie along the lines:

“If a big guy fights a small guy to a draw, the small guy wins!”

If you survive, you win.


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BJJ Time Management: Are You Always Busy on The BJJ / Grappling Mat?

1. Are your BJJ / Grappling mat sessions busy and high-paced from start to finish?
2. Would you say that you are constantly active?
3. Are they productive or would you say:

•  You are doing things that you like doing (playing whatever area of BJJ that you prefer), rather than what you should be doing (working on getting more well-rounded)?
• You are putting your efforts into low value activities (wrestling from the knees) rather than those that will give you higher payoff for your efforts (starting every round from your least favourable position)?
• You are putting off what you know you should really be doing?

Many BJJ-players / grapplers rarely stop to think about what they are doing and, more importantly, why they are doing it in the first place.

Start making functional changes to how you utilise the time on the mat (and off it) by ensuring you focus your attention on the things that matter. The basics. The 20 that give you the 80.

This is much easier said than done. I know. I know too well.

The funny things is, once we start doing the things we’re not too fond of (working the guard pass, side control escapes, take downs, Turtle defence…etc.) and you do them for a while, you’ll be a little better at them and by extension enjoy them more.

What are your grappling sessions like?

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