Lake Tahoe Combat Club

Promotion... When?

2011-07-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

"The first and most important criteria for promotion is performance. Can you successfully apply your moves in live training in the gym against people in the belt category above yours? Or, for those who like to compete, have you consistently excelled in local compeitions within your current rank? To this fundamental demand I add some other considerations. There may be some handicaps that a student has that soften my demand for performance. The age of the student, for example. I don't expect a 55 year old blue belt student to tap out 22 year old purple belts. I also look at the breadth and precision of the student's technique. If he consistently wins in class with only a few sloppy moves from a limited number of positions due mostly to advantages in strength and size, I will be reluctant to promote him until he improves his technical repertoire. In general I am fairly easy in giving out belts as I do not attach great importance to them. If you make jiu jitsu a lifetime study (as I hope all my students do), the vast majority of your training years will be at black belt level and beyond, so the amount of time taken to acquire the various early belts is not a significant issue. In all truth, you do most of your learning over a life time post-black belt. Accordingly I see people growing into their belts over time, so I don't like to hold people back in rank forever. " - John Danaher

2011-07-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

Lakeland Man Witnesses Carjacking, Nabs Suspect

Man trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu uses the "Lion Killer" move to subdue suspect police say took keys from 75-year-old.

LAKELAND | Michael McCoy Jr. was after a car, police say. He got the "Lion Killer" instead.

The 21-year-old is accused of attempting two carjackings Friday evening, the second on an elderly man. He might have gotten away if not for an observant passerby trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Josh Hagan was driving home from work when he noticed McCoy and dropped him to the ground in a move some call the "Lion Killer," he said.

He held McCoy until police arrived.

"I just wasn't going to stand for that," said Hagan, 35. "I knew what I was going to do right away and didn't even think twice about it."

A police report says McCoy accosted a couple just before 5 p.m. at the 7-Eleven gas station at 2010 E. Edgewood Drive.

Pamela Pedone, 25, was waiting in the car while her husband, Andrew Stevens, 27, pumped gas. Their three children, ages 2, 4 and 6, were in the back seat.

McCoy calmly asked for their car, Pedone said. They thought he was joking until he lunged inside and tried to grab the keys from Pedone's hand.

"I was more concerned about my children," she said.

Her husband grabbed McCoy and they struggled, the report says. McCoy stopped and picked his sunglasses from the ground. Then he pointed at Stevens.

"You messed with the wrong person," said McCoy, the report says. He headed to a nearby Winn-Dixie grocery store.

Hagan, who had witnessed the incident at the 7-Eleven, followed McCoy and pulled into the parking lot and watched as McCoy tried to enter other vehicles, the police report said.

The report says McCoy approached John Teaff, 75, and grabbed the keys from his pocket.

Hagan got out of his car and ran full speed at McCoy. He put him in a move similar to a sleeper hold, threading his forearms around McCoy's neck.

"I just blitzkrieged him from behind," Hagan said.

McCoy struggled intensely and passed out for about 30 seconds, Hagan said. Police arrived about five minutes later.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu eschews punches and kicks for take-downs and holds. Hagan, a carpenter by trade, began training five years ago with local instructor Fabio Novaes. Hagan thanked his teacher after the incident.

"It was really easy to take him down," Hagan said Saturday by phone from an Orlando jiu-jitsu tournament.

Pedone never got to thank Hagan personally. She was happy to know McCoy was caught.

"I wish there were more people like that," she said.

McCoy, of 2604 Crystal Lake Acres Drive, in Lakeland, was booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of battery and two counts of carjacking.

Hagan got out of his car and ran full speed at McCoy. He put him in a move similar to a sleeper hold, threading his forearms around McCoy's neck.

"I just blitzkrieged him from behind," Hagan said.

McCoy struggled intensely and passed out for about 30 seconds, Hagan said. Police arrived about five minutes later.

"It was really easy to take him down," Hagan said Saturday by phone from an Orlando jiu-jitsu tournament.

Pedone never got to thank Hagan personally. She was happy to know McCoy was caught.

"I wish there were more people like that," she said.

McCoy, of 2604 Crystal Lake Acres Drive, in Lakeland, was booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of battery and two counts of carjacking.

Are you in a hurry? It took this guy 16 years to reach Black Belt.

2011-06-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone's goal is to reach black belt. It may not be your first goal, but it should be something you want to reach none the less. I started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu when I was 36, I thought a realistic goal would be to reach black belt by the time I turned 50. That gives me 14 years and I think I'm right on schedule. However, I see some of my BJJ friends and classmates already clambering for their next belt. I recognize that BJJ can be competitive. But the real competition is with yourself. It can be frustrating to see a new student come in and pick up Jiu-Jitsu quicker than you did. Their first day you were schooling them on the mat, a few weeks later they’re harder to sweep, a month later you can only catch them with your best submissions, and then suddenly you can’t submit them at all. And then you come to realize that they have surpassed you in skill. Am I doing something wrong? No. That guy (or girl) has half the mat time that I do, but is already better than me! Maybe. The fact is we’re all on a different path to black belt. Some people’s path is longer than others. So if you accept that as the truth, what’s the rush? What makes more sense? For YOU to go your instructor and ask to be promoted or your instructor coming to you and telling you that it’s time for you to be promoted. The last thing you want is a belt that doesn’t fit. That’s one of the things that makes BJJ different. Anyone can wear a colored belt around their waist, but you want yours to mean something. So if it takes you 3 years, 10 years, or 16 years to reach your goal, You want it to be legitimate.

That’s one of the best things about Jiu-Jitsu is that we can all start on this path at different times of our lives and still make it to the goal. Ed O'Neil is 65 years old, he said it took him 16 years to make it to black belt, so that means he started training around 48 or 49 years old. You’re never too old to start and we’ll all get there if we just keep going.

The crazy part is that black belt is just the beginning…….

The Art of Jiu-Jitsu

2011-05-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ranking system

2011-03-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ranking system awards a practitioner different colored belts to signify increasing levels of technical knowledge and practical skill. While the system’s structure shares its origins with the Judo ranking system and the origins of all colored belts, it now contains many of its own unique aspects and themes. Some of these differences are relatively minor, such as the division between youth and adult belts and the stripe/degree system. Others are quite distinct and have become synonymous with the art, such as a marked informality in promotional criteria, including as a focus on a competitive demonstration of skill, and a conservative approach to promotion in general.

Common usage

Adult belt colors (16 and over)

White

Blue

Purple

Brown

Black

Black/red

Red

Youth belt colors (15 and under)

White

Yellow

Orange

Green

The most commonly used belt system is the graduation system as designated by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) and used in all international tournaments. It largely resembles the ranking system currently used by most officiating bodies of Judo, but with some major differences.

One prominent difference being that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (with the notable exception of the white belt, which is used by beginners of all ages) generally awards the first few belts (yellow, orange, and green) exclusively as youth belts. That is, for those 15 and under.

The remaining belts (blue, purple, brown, black, and above) are awarded only to adults, with various age and time-in-grade restrictions for each.

While this is certainly the most prevalent system it is not exclusive, a prominent exception is the system used by American Top Team, which awards green belts to adults as a rank between the IBJJF white and blue belts.

History

In 1907, Kanō Jigorō, the founder of Judo and the individual who would later dispatch Mitsuyo Maeda on the trip to Brazil that resulted in the development of BJJ, introduced the first use of belts (obi) and gi (judogi) within the art of Judo, replacing the practice of training in formal kimonos.

At the time however, Kanō implemented only the use of white and black belts, with white representing the beginner, as a color of purity and simplicity, and black being the opposite, representing one who is filled up with knowledge. Mikonosuke Kawaishi is believed by many to have been the first to introduce additional colored belts. He originated this practice in 1935 when he began teaching Judo in Paris, France. Kawaishi felt that structured system of colored belts would provide the western student with visible rewards to show progress, increasing motivation and retention.

Kawaishi's adoption of colored belts came only 10 years after Carlos Gracie opened his academy in Brazil. Since then, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and many other martial arts have adopted the use of colored belts as a way to denote a students increasing progress.

Individual adult belt ranks

The following sections are provided as brief synopsis regarding the general themes surrounding each individual belt rank.

White belt

White belt is the beginning rank for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu students.

White belt is the lowest ranking belt within Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is the rank held by any practitioner new to the art and does not require any special prerequisites to obtain. It is the rank immediately preceding the blue belt. Some instructors and other high-level practitioners feel that white belt is the rank where most of the student’s training emphasis should be placed on escaping and defensive positioning, as it can be argued that a white belt will do much of his or her fighting from inferior positions (especially when training with higher belts).

While this may be largely true, and forms a solid training base for belts to come, most academies will require a prospective blue belt to show a well-rounded skill-set, with a knowledge of not only survival techniques, but basic offensive moves, such as common submissions and guard passes.

Blue belt

A general estimate of the time required to obtain a blue belt in most academies is 1 to 2 years.

Blue belt is the second lowest adult rank within the most commonly accepted Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grading system, bridging the way between the beginner rank of white belt and the intermediate rank of purple belt.

To progress to a purple belt, a blue belt level student must acquire a vast technical knowledge regarding all aspects of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and hundreds of hours of mat-time to know how to implement these moves efficiently. Perhaps because of this, blue belt is often known as a rank where a student collects a large number of techniques.

The IBJJF requires that a practitioner be at least 16 years old to receive a blue belt (thereby officially entering into the adult belt system).

Purple belt

A general estimate of the time required to progress from blue belt to purple belt in most academies is 3 to 4 years.

Purple belt is the intermediate adult ranking within the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, coming after the rank of blue belt and before brown belt. It is often considered one of the longer held ranks, and typically takes at least 4-5 years of dedicated training to achieve.

Even as an “intermediate” rank, the purple belt level practitioner holds a formidable amount of knowledge, and purple belts are generally considered qualified to instruct lower belts in other arts students with a similar amount of time and effort invested would often be ranked as a black (instructor) level belt.

The IBJJF requires that a student be at least 16 years old and have spent a minimum of 2 years ranked as a blue belt to be eligible to receive a purple belt (with slightly different requirements for those transitioning straight from the youth belts).

Brown belt

A general estimate of the time required to progress from purple belt to brown belt in most academies is 2 to 3 years.

Aside from the exceptional belts awarded at the highest levels, brown belt is the highest “color” belt rank within the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, providing a transition between the intermediate purple belt rank and the elite black belt. Brown belt is arguably the beginning of the elite ranks in and of itself, typically taking at least 5-6 years of dedicated training to achieve. As a transitional rank, it is often thought of as a time for refining rather than accumulation, where a practitioner hones already acquired technical and practical skills until they reach a black belt level.

The IBJJF requires that a student be at least 18 years old and have spent a minimum of 1.5 years ranked as a purple belt to be eligible to receive a brown belt.

Black belt

A general estimate of the time required to progress from brown belt to black belt in most academies is 2 to 3 years.

As with many other martial arts, the black belt is the highest common belt within the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, denoting an expert level of technical and practical skill. Estimates vary on the time required to achieve the rank, with 10 years total (or more) an often heard estimate. No matter how many actual years are required, every Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt will have undoubtedly invested thousands of hours of mat time (randori) into the art and hold a skill-set that demonstrably reflects such.

The IBJJF requires that a student be at least 19 years old and have spent a minimum of 1 year ranked as a brown belt to be eligible to receive a black belt.

Black and red belt

Current IBJJF regulations places the time it takes to progress from a 6th degree black belt to 7th degree black-and-red belt at 7 years.

When a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt reaches the 7th and 8th degree, the practitioner is awarded an alternating red-and-black belt (Similar to the alternating red and white belt earned at the 6th degree in Judo). Black-and-red belt holders are very experienced practitioners, most of whom have made a large impact on the overall art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Some notable current black-and-red belt holders are Carlos Gracie Jr., Rickson Gracie, Relson Gracie, and Pedro Sauer.

Red belt

Current IBJJF regulations places the time it takes to progress from a 8th degree red-and-black belt to 9th degree red belt at 10 years.

In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the red belt is reserved “for those whose influence and fame takes them to the pinnacle of the art”.

It is awarded in lieu of a 9th and 10th degree black belt (identical to the art of Judo). Assuming that someone received his or her black belt at 19 years old (the minimum age to receive a black belt under the IBJJF's graduation system) the earliest they could expect to receive a 9th degree red belt would be at the age of 67.

The 10th degree red belt is permanently reserved to the founders of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Carlos, Oswaldo, George, Gastão and Hélio Gracie.

Promotion criteria

There have been few published guidelines or standards that determine when a practitioner is ready for promotion, with the criterion generally determined on an individual instructor and/or academy basis. Even the IBJJF, while maintaining an extensive graduation system that takes into account time-in-grade and membership standing, makes no mention of specific performance or skill requirements. When instructors or academies do comment on the criteria needed to achieve the next belt, the most widely accepted measures are:

• The amount of technical and conceptual knowledge a practitioner can demonstrate, and;

• Performance in grappling (randori) within the academy and/or competition.

Technical and conceptual knowledge is judged by the number of techniques a student can perform, and the level of skill with which they are performed in live grappling. This allows for smaller and older practitioners to be recognized for their knowledge though they may not be the strongest fighters in the school. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a distinctly individual sport, and practitioners are encouraged to adapt the techniques to make them work for their body type, strategic preferences, and level of athleticism. The ultimate criterion for promotion is the ability to execute the techniques successfully, rather than strict stylistic compliance.

Informal verses formalized testing

As noted above, the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu historically has had an informal approach to belt promotions, with one or more instructors subjectively agreeing that a given student is ready for the next rank. In recent years however, some academies have moved toward a more systematic, formalized testing approach. This is especially true for the lower ranks, where the decision to promote is arguably the least contentious.

One of the first instructors to publicly publish some of this formalized testing criterion was Roy Harris, who has formalized promotion tests, up to and including black belt. Formalized tests are generally based around the same elements as a normal promotion, that is, technical/conceptual knowledge and the ability to apply those techniques against a resisting opponent. Some tests however, take other aspects into account, such as a student's personal character or a basic knowledge regarding the history of the art.

Formalized testing may also contain conditions more familiar to traditional martial arts, such as testing fees and a required amount of pre-testing private lessons with the instructor.

Competitions

Students are generally encouraged to compete, as it can play an important and often times accelerating role in a practitioner's growth and overall speed of promotion. Competition allows an instructor to gauge a student's abilities while grappling with a fully resisting opponent, and it is not uncommon for a promotion to follow shortly after a good competition performance. In most academies it is not an essential prerequisite for promotion, but there are exceptions to this and in a minority of schools, competing is not only endorsed but required.

Stripes/degrees

A blue belt with three stripes.

In addition to the belt system, many academies award "stripes" as a form of intra-belt recognition of progress and skill. The cumulative amount of stripes earned serves as a rough indication of a practitioners skill level relative to others within the same belt rank (i.e. a blue-belt level practitioner with four stripes would be more adept then blue-belt practitioner with one, but not a purple belt with one.)

Stripes can be as formal as small pieces of cloth sewn onto the sleeve of the belt, or as informal as pieces of electrical tape applied to the same general area. Although the exact application (such as the amount of stripes allowed for each belt) varies from school to school, the IBJJF sets out a general system where 4 stripes can be added before the student should be considered for promotion to the next belt.

Stripes are only used for ranks prior to black belt, after black belt is achieved, the markings are known as "degrees" and are only formally awarded (with time-in-grade being as significant a factor as skill level). Unlike the belt system, stripes are not used in every academy and, where they are used, they may not always be applied consistently.

Extra-promotional customs

One long-standing tradition practiced in many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools immediately following a promotion, is a custom known as "running the gauntlet" ("passar no corredor" in portuguese)

Said to have originated in Brazil, the gauntlet can come in many forms, but generally follows two basic patterns:

• The newly-promoted student is hit on their back with belts—once by each of their fellow practitioners—as they walk or run past;

• The newly-promoted student thrown by his instructors, and sometimes also by each of the students with equal or higher grade in the academy.

In recent years some have criticized the practice, citing philosophical and even legal reasons, and it is no longer part of some prominent academies. Advocates for the custom argue that "running the gauntlet" serves as a method of team building and reinforces camaraderie between classmates.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Jiu-Jitsu_ranking_system

Abraham Lincoln: The toughest of our Presidents?

2011-03-31T12:35:00.000-07:00

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the U.S., was such an accomplished wrestler that once, after disposing of an opponent with a single toss, he stepped to the center of the mob that had gathered and shouted, "Any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns!" No one stepped forward.

Which is not surprising, because the self-taught scholar who wrote the ringing Gettysburg Address was also one of the American frontier's fiercest grapplers during the early 1830s. "He can outrun, outlift, outwrestle and throw down any man in Sangamon County," said Bill Green, a store clerk in New Salem, Ill., as he watched the 22-year-old Lincoln whip all comers one day in 1831.

Lincoln's wrestling supremacy, however, was challenged often. Gangly and awkward as a child, he grew into a tall, muscular man with broad shoulders. But at 6' 4" and 185 pounds, Lincoln was a tempting target for any newcomer to the frontier eager to make a name for himself.

"He sure was the big buck of this lick," said another New Salem resident who saw Lincoln give the notorious county wrestling champion Jack Armstrong the worst thrashing of his life one hot September day more than 163 years ago. That was the future president's most celebrated victory. Frustrated from the start by Lincoln's tremendous reach, Armstrong began stomping on his opponent's feet. Lincoln lost his temper. And a few tosses later Armstrong lost consciousness.

"We can only find one recorded defeat of Lincoln in 12 years," says Bob Dellinger, director emeritus of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla., where Lincoln is enshrined in the Hall of Outstanding Americans. "He was undoubtedly the roughest and toughest of all the wrestling presidents."

There were nine, actually, who were accomplished grapplers. At 18, George Washington was the school champion at the Reverend James Maury's Academy in Fredericksburg, Va. Washington was a master of the British style known as collar and elbow—named for wrestlers' hand placements in the face-to-face starting position. This was a disciplined sport in which success depended on tactical expertise. Later in life, as the commander of the Continental armies, Washington, then 47, used his superior wrestling skills to defeat seven consecutive challengers from the Massachusetts Volunteers.

Other commanders in chief who were successful wrestlers include Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S. Grant and Chester A. Arthur. At 225 pounds William Taft was twice crowned undergraduate champion at Yale after he mastered a wicked move called the Flying Marc with which he would savagely flip an opponent to the ground. And Theodore Roosevelt kept fit with regular wrestling workouts during his term as governor of New York.

On the American frontier the sportsmanlike collar and elbow gave way to a catch-as-catch-can style that required less skill and more brute strength. The matches were decided when an opponent was thrown off his feet. In the name of civic pride (and, of course, some friendly wagering) champions from each county were pitted against each other. Lincoln progressed swiftly in this rougher style of wrestling—though he often helped conquered opponents to their feet or gave them water after matches. He was a proud competitor but a humble sportsman. And when his wrestling skills diminished, Lincoln's leadership qualities emerged.

In his service with the Illinois 'Volunteers during the Black Hawk Indian uprising of 1832, Lincoln was one match away from a regimental championship. Wrestling for the Sangamon County Volunteers, he had disposed of seven opponents before facing Hank Thompson, a fellow soldier. The two men locked up and strained for advantage before Lincoln broke away and declared Thompson "the most powerful man I ever had hold of." Honest Abe wasn't lying. Upon resuming the match Thompson secured his place in history by becoming the only man ever to throw Lincoln. And he did it twice.

With their hero defeated, Sangamon's troops cried foul and prepared for the brawl that often followed wrestling matches. Lincoln, showing the poise and character that would sustain him later as president, held up his hands and halted the hostilities. "Boys, give up your bets," he commanded. "If this man hasn't thrown me fairly, he could."

The preceding was taken from an article written by David Fleming titled the Civil Warrior for Sports Illustrated.

It can be found at: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1141550/1/index.htm

'The Science of Wrestling & the Art of Jiu Jitsu'

2010-04-17T22:19:00.000-07:00

Here's an excerpt from a book from 1923 titled 'The Science of Wrestling & the Art of Jiu Jitsu'. Remember that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was established in 1925, so this is from a couple of years prior to that.

Here it is:

"In modern wrestling bouts the strangle hold is usually barred, owing to the danger of it. This also applies to a great number of the Jiu Jitsu holds, for considerable damage would be done if some of these holds were permitted. There is hardly a wrestlter who does not have some knowledge of Jiu Jitsu, and the reader will find it advantageous to combine Jiu Jitsu in wrestling, even though the former may not be used completely, for there may come occasions where such combined knowledge will help you out of considerable difficulty.

As a protection in self defense, Jiu Jitsu and wrestling combined is the most perfect combination that anyone could adopt. The writer has demonstrated that he can better any fighter by using the combined knowledge of Catch-as-Catch-Can wrestling and Jiu Jitsu and make the fighter disabled in an exceedingly short period of time. Having considerable experience both in boxing and wrestling, I have no doubts as to which is the quicker method of disabling anyone."

Roy Harris Breaks Down BJJ Belt Ranks

2010-04-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a real good breakdown of belt progression by Roy Dean. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

White Belt

This is the belt of paying your dues. This is the belt where you will spend most of your time on his back. You usually end up doing most of the tapping as well.

Your ability to grapple successfully will depend largely on three things:

1. your previous martial arts experience, (a grappling background helps a lot)

2. your current fitness level, (a higher level of fitness help tremendously)

3. your ability to learn visually (visual learners adapt and absorb information more quickly)

Students who come from a wrestling background seem to adapt very well to the slight change in grappling methods. Students who come from an athletic background also seem to adapt quite well.

Those who come from a striking background sometimes have a difficult time adapting. Many have become so accustomed to visually grabbing onto the vertical and horizontal lines of the walls, doorways and ropes to stabilize their equilibrium that they feel very uncomfortable with the diagonal world of grappling. They quickly learn that the ground has not been their friend, and, that they must take some time to acquaint themselves with this new perspective.

The most frustrating part about being a white belt (especially if you have no experience on the ground) is the fact that most of the advanced students will make you tap, or at least positionally dominate you. (I remember feeling frustrated as a white belt.) This frustration usually leads to white belts asking questions like, "How do I get on top of these guys? How do I escape the side or full mount? How do I tap out the blue and purple belts?" Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do right now to immediately change the tables in your favor. Get used to the blue and purple belts tapping you out. Get used to having them positionally dominating you. Consider tapping as a "form of learning", a way of "paying your dues." I remember when I was a white belt. I remember feeling like a rag doll in the hands of the blue and purple belts. I wish there would have been something I could have done to prevent from feeling like that, but there wasn't. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is just one of those "time in service" things. You simply have to put your time in. There are no short cuts!

The only encouragement that I can give to you is this, "Keep training! Your day is coming. The day will come when you will no longer be a white belt. The day is coming when you will be able to escape from any position with finesse and ease. Then, it will be your turn to watch the frustration of the new white belts that enter your school. Then, it will be your turn to encourage them as I have encouraged you!"

White belts are expected to rely on speed, power, strength and explosiveness. For that is all they know. However, once a person dons the "blue belt", the world of Jiu Jitsu suddenly changes.

Blue Belt

This is the belt of survival. It is the belt where the focus of your training must be on escaping from most of the inferior positions (the mount, the guard, the side mount, the wrestler's cradle and headlocks). Having the ability to escape from most inferior positions is paramount to having the ability to get on top of a person, positionally dominate them and making them tap. I know that there are a number of submissions from inferior positions (not necessarily the guard), but these submissions require a high level of speed, power and explosiveness. The reason why these submissions require speed, power and explosiveness is because your body, when placed in an inferior position, can not effectively apply leverage. To compensate for the inability to apply leverage, you substitute it with speed, power and explosiveness to effect the lock. (Anyone who tells you any different is either purposely misleading you or very unknowledgeable with grappling! I know that some may argue this point, but I stand by this point.) Not only do you have an inability to apply leverage from an inferior position, you also do not have control of your opponent's body! So now do you see why escapes are so important to building a firm foundation in grappling?

When you can easily escape the tightest pin (from just about anyone), you will find yourself on top more often. When you find yourself on top, you have more chances for submission. However, you should not jump right into submission just yet because you have not developed the skill to hold someone down with finesses and ease. I have seen too many blue belts begin their journey into submission too soon and often become frustrated because they just can't finish their opponent. They get so close, but they often fail at finishing their opponent. This usually leads the blue belt to seeking out more and more submission techniques. He thinks that the "new" and "sneaky" techniques will make him more skilled at submissions. However, what he doesn't realize is that his inability to finish his opponent is directly related to his inability to positionally dominate him. The blue belt feels good when he has escaped a hold down and has landed on top. However, he also feels like he has ONE SHOT at sinking in the submission. He knows if he fails, he will end up on his back and have to fight for the top position again. So, he usually stalls, waiting for his opponent to make a mistake so he can hopefully capitalize on it.

Once the blue belt has a firm grip on positional escapes, he should then move on to positional dominance: which is "the ability to control an opponent." When the blue belt can readily escape from most of the bottom positions, he should focus his training on learning how to control his opponent with greater ease and finesse. Although anyone can control their opponent if they can use all of their strength for short periods of time. It will take some time before a person can effortlessly hold down their opponent.

Once the blue belt has a good grip on these two aspects, he should then begin to develop a few good submissions. Still, he should not be consumed with them because there are still a few more areas to train before a lengthy period of time should be spent on submissions. (Yes, yes, yes, I know that submissions are the more enjoyable part of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I am not saying that you should not train them at all. However, all I am saying is this, "Don't focus on them quite yet. Wait until you are a high purple belt!")

The blue belt should have a large repertoire of positional and submission techniques. However, his depth of knowledge of these techniques is very limited because of his experience level. And because of his limited experience, he will still require a good amount of speed, power and explosiveness to effect most of his techniques. This is to be expected.

Another interesting thing happens at the blue belt level: the bar of performance raises itself to highly competitive levels. I remember when I was a white belt, it felt OK to tap to everyone because hey, I was a white belt. However, once I was promoted to blue belt, many of the bigger, stronger and more talented white belts began to set their cross-hair on me. What once was a shared journey of joy and frustration suddenly became field of itchy trigger fingered snipers. Many of the white belts who were once fellow sojourners now wanted the privilege of being able to say, "I made a blue belt tap!" It seemed like overnight the game of Jiu Jitsu suddenly became very competitive. Well, if you think the game was interesting at the blue belt level, wait until you hear about the highly regarded purple belt!

Purple Belt

This is the belt of momentum and combinations. This is the belt level where the amount of energy you expend to accomplish a specific task should be considerably lower than it was when you were a white belt. Your game should have a certain amount of grace and finesse to it. Your game should not have rely on speed, power and explosiveness to get you into positions or out of positions. Your repertoire of techniques should be very high. However, you should begin to focus your training on your depth of knowledge. The white and blue belts are the belts where you accumulate techniques. The purple belt is the first belt where you must begin to refine your techniques. It is also the belt where you learn to put the basic techniques together into various two technique and three technique combinations, with the use of momentum.

Because you become more reliant upon combinations and momentum, the amount of speed and power required to effect your technique decreases. This is not something a white or blue belt can do just yet because of their limited amount of knowledge and experience.

As a purple belt, you must begin to focus your training on the use momentum. You must train your entire body to FEEL momentum. Up until this point in time, most everything was visual. You must develop a high level of sensitivity so that you can flow with your opponent instead of forcing techniques with speed and power, especially when you grappled people who are much bigger and stronger than you are. Pushing an opponent's dead weight around is exhausting if you do not have a firm foundation in escapes and positioning. You will need to learn to use the momentum that your opponent gives to you, as well as create momentum when his body is not in motion. Momentum will help you to lower the amount of strength you use to perform your techniques.

Your training should also begin to use the basic techniques together into two, three and sometimes five technique combinations. Notice I said "basic" techniques. The purple belt mentality is very different from the white and blue belt mentality. White and blue belts think the answer to their problems is learning more techniques. The purple belt thinks to himself: "I need to refine the techniques I already know and then learn how to reflexively put the appropriate techniques together into flowing combinations." For example, when I first learned the triangle, I thought it was just a matter of throwing my legs over their head and shoulder and squeezing my legs together. Then as I matured in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I noticed that there were a specific set of components that made up the technique (20 to be exact!). Then, I noticed that these components could be broken down even further into sub-categories. Now (as a black belt), the triangle is no longer a simple technique with three or four movements. It is now a myriad of over twenty (20) different (and subtle) moving parts that must be put together in a specific order so they can all work together towards one common goal: apply pressure to the neck. Once I had mastered the triangle, I needed to put it together with other basic techniques like the arm lock, the hip bump, the sweep, the kimura, a knee lock, etc. Knowing how to combine the triangle with other basic techniques was very important to my development in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu! Once I could combine techniques together and use them in conjunction with momentum, I now felt ready to take on the world. I've noticed the same in many students, both in seminars, at my school and other schools.

The purple belt's mind set should be on the refinement of his current knowledge and the use of momentum and combinations. The purple belt is able to do this because he already has a wide base of knowledge in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I know that white and blue belts want to learn how to do this, but they simply aren't ready for it just yet.

This mindset, along with some rapidly developing skills by the purple belts usually sets the stage for some highly charged matches, especially amongst new purple belts. Why? Because the some of the "veteran" blue belts want to make a purple belt tap. Plus, a number of students who get their purple belts go through a period which I call "testing their wares." They want to see just how they compare to the older, more experienced purple belts, especially those who are about to be promoted to brown belt.

Brown Belt

This is the belt of mastery of ALL the basics and something I call "at-will grappling." This is also the belt where submissions play a big part in the training. When I decide that someone is about ready for their brown belt, I tell them in advance that they are about 9 months to a year away from their brown belt. I give them a schedule of tasks that I want them to work on.

First, they must master each and every escape. I want them to be able to escape every position with the use of their hands AND without the use of their hands (they must know how to push and pull, lift and lower with every portion of their anatomy.). I want them to be able to hold other students down with their hands and without their hands. I want to see them use all of the basic techniques in three and five technique combinations. I also want them to begin to refine their submissions. This is where I begin to use the "at-will grappling" training method. I will tell the student, "for the next thirty days, all I want you to do is apply straight arm locks when you grapple with the other students. No chokes or leg locks. Just arm locks." Then, a month later, I will tell them, "for the next month, all I want you to do are leg locks. Then a month later, I will tell them to choke the other students. So, for each month, they have been given a specific task to master. Because they tell the other students, "All I am going to do is arm lock you today," the student knows what the purple belt is going for. This forces the student to be creative in setting up the arm lock because his opponent knows that he will not try a different submission. Setting up an opponent is a difficult task, however, it is one that needs to be learned at this belt level. (I know the lower belt levels want to learn this stuff, but again, they are simply not ready for it.)

Once the student has gotten pretty good at arm locks, leg locks or choke, I will have him narrow the scope of his training. Now, he must focus on one specific limb. I will tell him, "for the next month, all I want you to do is arm lock your opponent's left arm." This really forces the student to develop a multiplicity of ways to enter into the straight arm lock on his opponent's left arm. The student has the confidence to go for all of these submissions because he has a foundation in positional escapes and positional dominance. If he did not have this foundation, he would be timid to go for the submission because he would not want to end up on the bottom again. However, because he can easily escape from any position, and because he can readily hold down and control his opponent, he can repeatedly try for these submissions time and time again! This is why I do not place a lot of emphasis on submissions until the purple or brown belt levels. Position and control are the most important tools to develop at first.

Once a student has a firm grip on the mastery of his basics, I will promote him to brown belt. Once he has been promoted to brown belt, he must continue to refine his game. He must seek out his weak areas and focus on them. He must also find his strengths and focus on them for an extended period of time because these will define his character as a black belt. Most black belts have a specialty. Some are good at throws. Others are good at collar chokes. I happen to be good at leg locks. I want my brown belts to find their sweet spot and train it like crazy!

Black Belt

This is the belt where a person focuses his training on counters and placing his or her signature on the art. First, let's talk about the signature. Some black belts develop an affinity for leg locks (like myself). Others tend to focus on throws or take downs. Some are exceptional at arm locks. While others are magicians at collar chokes. This is also the belt where you really begin to refine and redefine the art. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu takes on a more personal look to it. The new black belt begins to realize that there's more than one way to skin a cat. He also begin to notice how certain things work for some people while others don't. (Now, let me qualify that last statement: all of these things apply to the black belt who is still refining, growing, learning and adapting. They do not apply to the black belt who is stuck in his old ways, paralyzed by his resistance to change!)

At the black belt level, the learning process starts over again. If a new black belt is honest with him or herself, they realize they know very little about their chosen art. They will also know that there is a difference between a new black belt and a black belt who has consistently been training "as a black belt" for the past ten years. For example, I am a relatively new black belt, someone you might call "a white belt amongst other black belts." I've had my black belt for two years now. Then there's Royler Gracie. He's had his black belt for several years. As a matter of fact, he had his black belt before I even thought about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Plus, he has so many more hundreds of hours competing, teaching and training that there's no way to compare my black belt with his black belt. So, as a new black belt, I am introduced to a new journey, one that is as long and hard as the one I just traveled. However, because I have already traveled a similar road, I am ready to take on this new one!

At the black belt level, a person's technical expertise is very high. However, his ability to skillfully perform all of his technical knowledge will not be as good as some might think. The black belt will obviously have some favorite moves that he does most of the time. However, over time (if he continues to train with the same intensity as he did in the earlier belts), his skill level will continue to increase. The only thing that will be different is that his game will become much smaller. He will not concern himself with "NEW" techniques, but the refining and redefining of the old ones. He will work on the small subtle movements that will make the art much easier and more enjoyable to practice. He will begin to make smaller movements to accomplish the same objectives as the other belt. For example, to a black belt, the difference between escaping and being held down is often the difference between a hip movement of less than one inch. YES, I SAID "ONE INCH!" The black belt's feel and sensitivity of the game is so much higher than the white, blue or even purple belt's game. The black belt begins to move like a shadow. He flows effortlessly around his opponent's movement and follows the path they set. He finds his opponent's weakness and then exploits it. The game is very small and tactile!

Finally, the black belt's knowledge and ability to execute counters will be much higher. For example, when a student performs a basic technique, the black belt is already three or four moves ahead of him. The black belt knows that for every move, there are several counters. For every counter, there are several more counters. Let me show this to you another way:

We will call the bridge and roll escape from the mount (Upa), technique "A". Technique "A" has ten (10) counters to it:

A.1 straight arm lock

A.2 catch your balance with your head

A.3 catch your balance with your right foot

A.4 catch your balance with you left foot

A.5 catch your balance with your far arm

A.6 spin to knee on stomach

A.7 spin to side mount

A.8 turn onto your side

A.9 roll and sweep to mount

A.10 triangle

"A.1" is the first counter to technique "A", the bridge and roll escape from the mount position. "A.1" also has ten (10) counters to it:

A.1.1 heel hook

A.1.2 sit up and crush escape

A.1.3 sit up and crush escape to knee lock

A.1.4 sit up and remove leg off face

A.1.5 sit up and spin to opposite side

A.1.6 roll over shoulder escape

A.1.7 basic elbow/knee escape

A.1.8 basic elbow/knee escape, go to the back

A.1.9 basic elbow/knee escape

A.1.10 shin

Now, do you see how I could keep going on and on with counters? I could list the ten counters for A.2 and A.3 and so on, and then I could begin to list the counters for A.1.1 and A.1.2 and so on and so on.

Do you now see and understand the progression from white to black belt? The process of becoming skilled at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is frustrating, very time consuming and nerve racking, however, it is always rewarding!

I wish you continued success in your journey. Keep training hard and smart!

Roy Harris

"Get in my Guard!"

2010-04-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

Biggest mistake that new grapplers make

2010-01-30T09:08:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered the website http://www.bjjinterviews.com/. It’s a fairly straight forward site that is exactly what the title says Interviews of People involved in BJJ. Some well known and some not so well known. One thing I liked was that they finished each interview with the question “What’s the biggest mistake new grapplers make?” As you will read there’s a common thread. Take a look.

Biggest mistake that new grapplers make:

Brandon Quick: They run in circles and are too frantic. When they roll, they look like the Tasmanian Devil. Also, they don’t take notes. Look at football players; do you see them doing a bunch of random stuff? No, they have a playbook of exactly how to do stuff and they follow it.

Cameron Diffley: Focusing on the wrong things. The ultimate goal is obviously the submission, but some guys take this and go in the wrong direction bypassing the necessary steps to get there. It is important to understand grips, movement, weight distribution, and how to get ahead of your opponent in each of these areas. Having a deep understanding of these basics will allow you to submit your opponent much easier.

Dustin Ware: Not really a mistake, but a state of mind…EGO! My advice would simply be no matter how big, how strong, or how many ‘street fights’ you may have won (lol)….when you walk into a school, show respect, humility, and a willingness to learn.

Gustavo Dantas: Bad posture, lack of leg movement, and improper grips (gi training).

Jose Diaz: It’s to forget the basics; they will miss that when they fight someone where they have to defend more than attack.

Javier Vazquez: They train no gi only.

Phil Cardella: They don’t relax & think when training & train with control. They tend to make the mistake of trying to win matches instead of trying to apply what they have learned.

Rafael Lovato Jr.: When they try to learn advanced positions without developing the fundamentals.

Ricardo Pires: They don’t open their minds.

Robin Gieseler: Not learning in the gi. Watching youtube for techniques before developing solid fundamentals.

Roy Dean: Sparring with too much intensity and strength. You can’t feel what the other person is doing if you’re totight and struggling for control with everything you’ve got. Relax, my friend!

Ryan Hall: Mortgaging long-term development for short-term success by focusing on low-percentage, wacky stuff instead of sound fundamental movements and attacks.

Steve Maxwell: Everyone should learn with a gi. A lot of these guys who do MMA only practice no-gi which is a mistake in my opinion. They never learn the technical aspects of grappling that guys who train in the gi do. It is easy to transition from gi to no-gi but not the other way around.

Also, I think way too many people jump into competitions too soon. I don’t think white belts have any business competing. A lot of inexperienced people jump right into competition after a few months of training before they have knowledge of the fundamentals. I think a lot of people end up discouraged from competition and end up quitting. I think it would be better if they waited until they were at least blue belts.

You got promoted! (Don't forget to color coordinate your shoes with your new belt)

2010-01-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

On this past Saturday I had the privilege of attending a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu belt promotion ceremony in Reno, NV.

Belts are just pieces of colored material an inch and a half wide tied around your waist. But more than that it’s recognition of hours, weeks, months, and sometimes years of blood, sweat, tears, separated ribs, popped capsules in your elbow, Gi burns on your eyes, knees to your un-protected groin from a guard pass, being choked until your eyes bulge out, being choked to sleep, your wife griping at you for spending so much time at the school and not with her, struggling to make weight, not giving a shit about making weight, driving 8 hours to Vegas only to get your ass kicked HARD, etc, etc, so on and so forth.

But, when your instructor, Teacher, Coach, God, or Personal Tormentor wraps that colored piece of cloth around your waist it all seems worth it. Because it is!

I got to see several people promoted to Brown Belt and one to Black Belt this weekend. I can only dream of making it that high. I also saw several other people, kids and adults, promoted to the other various ranks. They too are to be congratulated. For the kids, I’m just jealous because I didn’t have the opportunity to start as young as they did, just don’t ever stop. For the new Blue Belts, I say welcome, even though they’re probably already better than me. We’ll see! To the new Purple Belts, I say I’ll be there someday eventually.

Good Job!

Is Choking Safe? (or How much blood does your brain really need)

2009-12-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

Some Law Enforcement agencies have regulated the Carotid Restraint Hold (i.e. Rear Naked Choke) to the level of deadly force. Meaning the only time you can apply the hold is under the same circumstances as when you could pull out your gun and shoot them in the head. Is the blood choke really that deadly. I mean I see people being put to sleep all the time in MMA, BJJ tourneys, and elsewhere. So, If it's so dangerous that some cops can't use it, why have the State Athletic Commisions approved it's use. Well, the fact is that it's not that dangerous. Some police agencies overreacted when some doped up "douche-bag" died after fighting with the police.

Anyway, it really bugs me that I can choke people all I want on the mats, but If I'm at work on the streets I can't unless I'm in fear for my life.

Well let's look at a study conducted regarding choking in the sport of Judo. Maybe that will answer some questions.

How Safe is Choking in Judo?
by E. K. Koiwai, M.D.

Choking or shime-waza has been used since the advent of Judo as a sport. It is still being allowed today except for juniors in actual competition. A match is won when the opponent submits or becomes unconscious. Among those who reject the use of choking are parents and physicians.

How safe is choking in Judo? Almost every judoist with experience has been choked either to submission or unconsciousness. It is not unusual to have the unconscious contestant, after revival, look around to find out where he is. He still wants to continue to fight not realizing that he had lost the contest by shime-waza.

The technique of shime-waza used in Judo exemplifies one of Jigoro Kano's doctrines of "Maximum Efficiency with Minimum Effort". If properly applied, the weaker and smaller person can subdue and defeat a stronger and bigger adversary. Actually it is difficult to choke since most experienced players will fight intensively to avoid being choked. To choke effectively the opponent's body must be controlled first since there are many techniques used to escape from a shime-waza.

Basically, except for one form of shime-waza, hadaka-jime, the pressure is applied to the lateral side of the neck which the anatomists call the "carotid triangle". This triangle is formed by the midline, anteriorly (front) from the apex of the chin to the upper part of the sternum (breast bone), superiorly (above) by the line formed by the lower border of the mandible (lower jaw bone) and posteriorly (behind) by the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle (strap muscle between the clavicle and to the bone of the skull behind the ear). In the center of this triangle are the jugular veins, carotid artery and its branches and the carotid sinus. No strong muscle protects this area. The pressure is applied in a certain manner, depending upon the technique, directly on these structures. It may be the fist or the collar of the judogi. Very often it is the pressure of the distal end of the radius and the wrist which compresses the soft structures of the neck. Until the above named structures are sufficiently compressed the choke will not be effective. The neophyte may submit not because of the choke but because of the fear of being choked or the pain produced by improper choking methods.

Hadaka-jime differs from other forms since part of the pressure is also applied to the larynx and trachea which is extremely painful and the player will usually submit before unconsciousness intervenes.

Using the collar of the judogi for choking takes more time than using the bony structures of the wrist and forearm. The pressure exerted is diffused around the neck and until the pressure is sufficient on the carotid triangle the choke will not be effective.

Considerable scientific research has been done by the Japanese. These results are published in two reports of the Bulletin of the Association for Scientific Studies on Judo, Kodokan, in 1958 and 1963. They studied the physiological effects of choking in Judo by using the electroencephalogram for brain wave changes, the earoxymeter for blood oxygen saturation, the sphygmamometer for arterial blood pressure, the plethysmograph for reaction of peripheral blood vessels, the micro-pipometer for skin temperature changes. Others also studied the plasma protein concentration, blood water volume, hematocrit, complete blood count, eosinophil count, and urine 17 keto-steroid content. They were, of course, interested to know if there were any deleterious effects during and after the shime-waza was applied and what precautions should be taken to prevent any serious consequences.

The following are some of the conclusions made based on their experiments with human subjects and animals.

1. Unconsciousness occurs approximately 10 seconds (8-14 seconds) after choking. After release from the choke hold, the subject regains consciousness naturally (spontaneously) without difficulty in 10-20 seconds.

2. In hadaka-jime the pressure on the larynx and trachea produced excruciating pain but there was no pain in other techniques before unconsciousness.

3. The unconsciousness resulting from choking in Judo is mainly due to lack of oxygen and metabolic disturbances created in the brain, as a result of disturbance of cerebral circulation.

4. The appearance of flushing of the face is due to disturbance in pressure in the carotid arteries and jugular veins.

5. When convulsions occur, the EEG findings are very similar to a very short epileptic seizure.

6. Tachycardia (increased heart rate), hypertension (increased blood pressure) and mydriasis (dilation of the pupils) were caused by stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system (vagus nerve).

7. Tachycardia and hypertension may be also attributed to the carotid sinus reflex.

8. All other laboratory studies show changes that are similar to condition accompanying central shock. Choking in Judo acts as a stressor on the circulator and hypophysio-adrenocortical system.

9. According to their experience, no deleterious after effects remain after being "choked".

It is considerably less dangerous than a "knock-out" in boxing and there is no necessity of completely excluding "choking" from Judo, provided necessary precautions are taken.

There are, however, three main dangers of choking based upon the above experiments.

1. To perform a "choking" hold on subjects with cardiac disorders or hypertension.

2. To apply "choking" on youngsters whose central nervous system and heart have not yet attained complete development.

3. To continue to hold after the subject falls unconscious.

Since the advent of Judo, first developed by Professor Jigoro Kano in 1882, no death directly attributed to choking has been reported. There are four main reasons why fatalities do not occur:

1. Choking, whether in practice or competition is supervised and observed by qualified trained instructors and officials.

2. The contestant submits before unconsciousness occurs.

3. After choking the contestant regains consciousness naturally and spontaneously without difficulty in ten to twenty seconds.

4. The immediate application of artificial respiration by the qualified instructor or official prevents prolonged hypoxia.

Choking in Judo is safe because since the advent of Judo statistics show no fatality attributed to the shime-waza. Moreover, scientific studies on choking reveal no deleterious after effects.

Finally, the precautionary rules and methods used make the technique of choking a relatively safe means of subduing an opponent in competition.

Old School Jiu-Jitsu

2009-12-13T19:59:00.000-08:00

Dan Henderson: A True Patriot

2009-08-13T22:37:00.001-07:00

This pretty much sums up the entire revolutionary war.

What Makes a Good Training Partner

2009-07-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

This subject comes up again and again in schools. Students do not understand what it means to be a good training partner. Even people who have been training at your school for well over a year and should have gotten it by now, don't get it. They can't put their ego in check and end up hurting someone for no reason.

I read an article about Pedro Sauer and that he woud keep track of students that hurt other students while rolling live. If you were marked down as hurting a student twice, you where then asked to leave the school. When I first read this I thought it was harsh, now after further consideration I think it is justified.

Anyway, I found this article and I thought it had some excellent points on what a good training partner is. People should want to roll with you, not avoid you.

What Makes a Good Training Partner?
by Jason Scully

I would like to talk about what makes a good training partner. This is something that really isn't discussed too often, but I feel it is also important. If your training partners aren't that good it can really affect your results.

I mean you can't train this stuff by yourself unfortunately. Below are some things that I feel make a good training partner.

First we have to think in terms of how you're drilling, as there are different ways and I'll talk about this more in-depth in another thread. Then after that, is a list of general things a good partner should have or do.

1. Dead Pattern Training - No resistance from your partner. Usually done when you are learning a brand new move

2. Progressive Resistance Drilling - Gradual resistance given by your partner. Added once you start feeling more comfortable with the movements

3. Semi-Live/Flow/Slow Rolling - Rolling live with your partner at a pace that is not usually more than 50% of your max effort and you both match each other’s pace without muscling movements and exploding out of things

4. Live Rolling - This is where you both go with 75% to 100% of you max effort and you are both trying to get the best of each other. You are trying to time your movements correctly to catch your partner off guard and he is defending with full resistance and vice versa.

Ok, now onto what makes a good partner in my opinion in each area. Now when you read this and you think of it. Think of it not only in a manner of what or how your partner should be reacting when he is working with you, but also how YOU should be reacting when you are a partner yourself.

In dead pattern training a good partner:

Will be cooperative in their movements. They will not give resistance or a ton of resistance as to where it will hinder your training and restrict you from trying the new movements.

Will not be a dead body. Meaning they won't just go limp on you and lay their body to where you feel every single bit of their weight. If they do this it will restrict your movements and it will nowhere near mimic what it would be like if you were actually rolling live. You will get frustrated with them because they aren't making it at all practical for you.

Will not resist your movements as your drilling them. Dead pattern drilling is a time for you to be able to practice the movements of the technique without having to worry about someone fighting you. It's the time that you go through the motions and get a small grasp on the initial concepts of the movements. If someone just starts resisting you right off the bat it may mess up your initial try of the move and discourage you from doing it in the future because you may think your doing it wrong.

Will not just lose their base and balance. Many times when people train with others, especially new students they tend to lose their balance very easily. They do this even when they would probably never do that when they are rolling. Let’s say your practicing a sweep and you know that when you do it in a live situation a person will probably not just lose their balance right away because their reflexes will kick in and they will try to stay up because they don't want to get swept. What happens though when you train with a new person or someone who isn't a very good training partner is they will just tip over. They'll do this even if you hardly even do anything. It's like a rag doll. This is not a good training partner. This in my opinion is probably the most frustrating part of a bad training partner when it comes to dead pattern drilling. So when you're a training partner and someone is drilling a sweep or something, don't just fall over like you have no stability sense in your body. React a bit to keep your balance because if your partner does the move correctly they should sweep you. I'm not saying you should resist their movements but don't just fall without them having to do the technique correctly.

When drilling with progressive resistance a good partner:

Should be aware of what progressive resistance is. It's not where all of a sudden they go from dead pattern drilling to all out 100% resistance. It's where you add a bit of resistance a little bit at a time. Some people have a hard time getting this concept. It is up to you, being their partner to tell them just how much resistance you might want also.

Should be adding the resistance gradually and at the same time paying attention to what it is you are doing. The purpose of this is because if you are not getting the movements for some reason they will be able to give you feedback on their end of what they think you might be doing wrong. Then from there you can adjust your movements accordingly.
You both should discuss when more resistance should be added. When you just rely on your partner to add the resistance progressively on their own it tends to be difficult to gauge what each other wants during the drilling as far as the resistance goes.

When semi-live/flow/slow rolling:

In this type of training it is once again important for your partner and yourself to make sure that you do not confuse it with "Live Rolling", which is at a much higher pace. You need to focus on moving at no more than 50% and feeling your partner’s movements. This helps for you both to see things while you are moving and counter acting each other.

It is important for you and your partner to understand that you need to be creative and feed each other thing. By doing this it will possibly open up your eyes to different openings and situations. It may help you see your game in a new light.

It is important for you to get your partner in bad positions and then let him escape and for you to pay attention to how he is escaping so you can figure out how to stop him when you do "Live Rolling"

Make sure you explore many areas and both you and your partner should be cooperative.

You and your partner should not be competitive during this type of training.

When doing live rolling a good partner will:

Leave their ego at the door and not get frustrated if he is caught in a position or submission. A good partner will learn from that situation.

Never apply a submission hold in a extremely fast or malicious manner. This is what leads to injuries.

Always do their submission with control and safety in mind. You want to make sure you do not hurt your partner because you want to keep training with them.

Listen to their training partner in regards to any injuries their partner might have to ensure they do not go for those areas and hurt their partner even more.

Will not be malicious in there rolling with their partner for example they will not dig their chin in their partners eyes, or anything similar of that matter.

Will be competitive at times. Your partners and your rolling doesn't always need to be competitive, but it's good to have the competitive nature once in a while to help really get you going and test your limits. A good partner is someone who can help you do this.

I know a lot of these in the categories sound similar and come down to communication and not being competitive, but I feel it is also good to see the little points in between.

General things a good partner should be aware of:

Always communicate with their partners. Tell them your injuries and ask them if they have any injuries.

Always keep safety in mind. Make sure you try to avoid any unnecessary accidents, such as over applying submissions or hitting your partner on accident with your limbs.

Will be aware of their surroundings. Make sure when they roll that no one is really close to them so they do not cause an accident around them.

Will not be tense. Make sure you are not extremely tense as it may lead to injury and reduce the effectiveness of the training.

Will be open minded to learn from their training partners

Will not stop drilling until the instructor says so or moves onto another technique. They will make use out of their time and they would want you to do the same.

Will listen to you. When you tell them you do not want to go hard they should listen and not just do whatever they want, and you should do the same. If he wants to roll light, and you agree that means you roll light, not 100% percent.

Will let go as soon as someone taps them and will not hold on too long.

Will not have an ego and will submit always on time.

Will adapt their game according to theirs and your experience level. If you are a white belt and they are a brown belt they should adjust their game accordingly and not always go all out. This also applies to size differences.

Will make sure they have clean hygiene. Their gi will be clean. They will have clean breath, shower, and wear deodorant.

Will be someone who has a positive outlook on training and enjoys it as much as you do.

Will be someone you enjoy drilling with. You never want to leave anyone out, but you also want to make sure you enjoy training with someone and they will help to elevate your game.

Will be someone who supports you and tries to help motivate you. This is important to develop the "Team" aspect and to help everyone move one step forward in their training. You want someone who will help push you when you are tired and help get you past that mental barrier of wanting to give up and stop.

Accelerate your Jiu-Jitsu Path to Black Belt

2009-07-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

Accelerate Your Jiu-Jitsu Path To Black Belt
by Eddie Edmunds

Eddie Edmunds is the head instructor of Fusion Academy of Martial Arts located in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is a Black Belt in the Bihonte Academy (Filipino Martial Arts, Jeet Kune Do, Mokuraiken Kempo) under Master Daniel Berry and a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Brown belt under Professor Pedro Sauer.

Achieving a blue belt level of Jiu-Jitsu may take only a year or two. But what if you’re not content with intermediate Jiu-Jitsu skills? What if your goal is to get your black belt and become a submission machine?

To earn a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an exceptional achievement. Many McDojo’s will give away a black belt after a maximum of 3-4 years of study. In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it requires a minimum of 5-8 years before one is even considered as a black belt candidate. And, you also must take into account the vast technical knowledge combined with the physical demands needed to achieve a black level ranking in Jiu-Jitsu.

In this article I will share with you two powerful methods of learning that will catapult you closer to achieving your black belt:

1. Ask questions.
Studying Jiu-Jitsu like other martial arts is an investment in you. Those who take this investment seriously will start asking questions. What are the advantages to those who utilize the potent practice of questioning?

· Asking questions means you’re trying to understand Jiu-Jitsu from a perspective other than just doing repetitious movement without really knowing why. Jiu-Jitsu is learned not just from physically participating in class each day but by careful observation of others training and striving to understand (asking questions) the root of each individual’s style.

· Asking questions is similar to a private lesson. The purpose of a private lesson is to custom-fit Jiu-Jitsu to the student. If a student asks a question in a regular class, my customized response to that student will help him retain the answer for much longer because it is asked by him and the answer is directed to him for his benefit.

2. Keep a notebook.
During college I came to class each day with a notebook and a pen/pencil prepared to take notes. I needed to remember the material presented to me and taking notes allowed me to review the material over and over again. Is there any other way to remember the lecture? Well you can video tape the class or use a micro-recorder but you will still be taking “notes” in order to remember the content of the lecture.

Getting a notebook and taking notes will allow you to review a move as many times as you like. Through consistent review my ability to remember the move in detail is enhanced. In addition, there are numerous scientific studies that clearly show a vividly imagined event triggers our nervous system and aids in the embedding of a technique in our muscle memory.
Keeping a notebook also provides both a place where you can write down the techniques your working on and be able to track your improvement

It is also a forum to record the development of your trademark moves and comments on your teammate’s strengths, weaknesses and what strategy works best against each one.

It is also a history of the progression of your Jiu-Jitsu game. It will show you where your skill level was six months ago with regards to a position or a move your working to perfect and the progress you have made since then.

Thus, the path to black belt can be shortened by performing these two, simple tasks. Asking questions will build your ability to understand and remember Jiu-Jitsu better. Keeping a notebook will also enhance your memory and aid you in executing a technique easier. And it gives you a blow-by-blow history of your progress.

Dedicate yourself to these two tasks and you will be surprised to see your Jiu-Jitsu game step up a notch or two and get you closer to your ultimate goal: A Black Belt.

Are you the 1% ?

2009-06-28T22:33:00.000-07:00

Michael E. Thornton

"Out of every 100 men, ten shouldn't even be there, Eighty are just targets, Nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back."

Hericletus, circa 500 BC

Jiu-Jitsu Gi Buyer's Guide

2009-06-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

When I bought my first gi, I didn't know the first thing about single weave or gold weave. But, I found this guide on MMAOutlet.com. I think a quick look at this and it will up everybody's gi IQ.

Enjoy

Jiu-Jitsu Gi Buyer's Guide

If you’re going to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you’re going to need a gi (sometimes also called a kimono). Even if your goal is to be an MMA fighter and not a world class BJJ player, practicing jiu-jitsu with a gi on can be a tremendous training aid. Training with a gi on makes grappling a more technical activity and can help you improve your submission defense, your hand placement and grip making and your guard passing to say the least.

Here's a guide to give you everything you need to know about jiu-jitsu gi’s and how to get started.

Weaves
Jiu-Jitsu gis are commonly classified by the type of fabric “weave” they are composed of. When referring to the weave, we are usually referring to the construction of the gi jacket, not the gi pants. However, buying a more durable gi jacket will usually always come with more durable gi pants

Single Weaves

Single weave gis are the most basic jiu-jitsu gi. They are cheap and light, but their thin composition makes them easier for your opponent to grip and hold onto. Single weave gis use the same fabric twisting pattern found in double weaves, but due to their lightweight they are often a good choice for extreme heats during the summer. A single weave kimono will be less durable than other weaves, but if you are just starting out in Brazilian jiu-jitsu a single weave might be a good idea as there is a lower upfront cost.

Double Weaves
Double Weaves gis are more expensive and heavier than single weaves. They are probably the most common gi worn by experienced jiu-jitsu practitioners. Double weave uniforms are very similar to single weaves, but they are woven with extra material that results in a heavier weight. This material and weight adds strength and durability to the kimono. Due to their weight and relative stiffness double weaves can be a little uncomfortable if they don't fit just right.
For jiu-jitsu competition, double weave gis, are a much better option than single weaves because their thickness and stiffness will make it more difficult for your opponent to hold onto. A drawback for double weaves is that they are usually heavy and if you’re having trouble making weight for a jiu-jitsu tournament, a double weave gi will make it that much harder for you (most tournaments require you to weigh in with your gi on). To combat the problem a few gi manufacturers are now making ultra lightweight competition gis. Another issue with double weave kimonos is that they will also be a little hotter than single weaves, so some jiu-jitsu practitioners that need to train in extreme heat will choose a single weave during hotter months.

Gold Weave
Gold weaves are composed of fabrics that are kind of a hybrid of single weave and double weave. They are designed to be durable without adding all the weight of a traditional double weave gi. Gold weaves were proposed as a way to ensure uniformity for competition by the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Confederation, however this is not enforced these days—as long as your sleeves and pants are long enough that is usually sufficient.

Other Weaves
Some manufacturers have come out with names like Platinum weave or honey comb weaves, however these are not standardized and might reflect more marketing than actual differences in construction.

Gi Size Explanation
Sizing up Jiu Jitsu gis is difficult. Rather than working on a straight measurement method using inches or centimeters to measure gi jackets and pants, manufacturers simply supply a size. The sizes can vary fairly significantly across different manufacturers.

Gi Collars
Some gi jackets will have thicker and stiffer collars than others. This is more uncomfortable to wear, but will make it tougher for your opponent to choke you. Most gi collars are filled with cotton; however some new high performance kimonos are filled with rubber. The rubber has a slightly different feel, results in faster drying times and can reduce formation of bacteria and mildew.

How Many Gis Do I Need?
If you are training a few times a week, you’re probably going to need more than one jiu jitsu uniform unless you are really disciplined when it comes to doing laundry (and have a lot of spare time on your hands). Usually wearing a gi two times is the absolute max before you need to wash it. Wearing a smelly gi is really rude to your training partners and your gym.

What color gi?
The most traditional gi colors for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are white and blue. Most major tournaments will not let you enter without wearing one of these colors.
These days many bjj gi manufacturers are producing gi’s in a variety of colors like black, navy, red, yellow, pink and camouflage. If you are interested in buying one of these non-traditional gi’s it’s a good idea that you check with your instructor first, some schools do not allow them.

Taking Care of Your Gi

Always hang up you gi immediately after you get home from training to stop mold and mildew from growing on it as it will be very hot and wet.

Wash you gi’s, rashguards, knee braces etc separately from your other clothes; you don’t want your everyday clothes smelling like you training bag.

MOST GI’S ARE NOT PRE-SHRUNK! Always check whether or not your gi is pre-shrunk before you dry it. If your gi is NOT pre-shrunk and it already fits correctly, do not put it in the dryer as it can shrink significantly! Instead hang dry it.

If you put a colored patch on a white gi, make sure you wash it first. I have seen so many people walk into class with their nice white gi stained totally pink because they put a red patch on it.

Strong detergents can potentially be tougher on the cotton and shorten the lifespan on your gi, an alternative is to use a mild detergent like Woolite. If you have blood on you gi though, these stronger detergents have enzymes that will help break down and remove the blood.

Colorsetting: Some BJJ players recommend washing a colored gi in vinegar the first time to "colorset" it and reduce fading. I have not tried this as risk of having my gi smell like vinegar for all eternity far outweighs the benefit of reducing fading slightly. Do this at your own risk!

Philosophy of the Triangle Choke

2009-06-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

Steven Seagal's best movie

2009-06-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

The Gracie Diet

2009-06-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

For years I've heard about the Gracie Diet. I knew it was the grouping of certain foods but, I really never new exactly which ones. Well here's an article from Gracie magazine that will hopefully answer any questions you may have about the legendary Gracie Diet.

The Pioneer’s Menu - Gracie Diet

How Master Carlos developed the Gracie Diet, the nutritional method that is still a success 50 years after being created.

The year is 1996, the month September and on page 8 of the 2nd issue of GRACE Magazine Carlos Jr. begins the article as follows: “There is a lot of talk about diets. There is a number of possibilities, some are prescribed to fight diseases, obesity and even to improve the body’s performance during physical activity.” Nine years and 98 editions later, you could say the panorama has not changed. With the boom of the health generation in the 90s, Brazilians seem to have set aside a special place in their minds, and calendars, for worrying about what they put into their bodies. In a quick search of the internet one can find no less than 981,000 pages containing the word "diet", counting only the pages in Portuguese. On TV the number of programs targeting nutrition has multiplied, and one need only scan the newsstands to see the topic as headlines on hundreds of both feminine and masculine publications.

It hasn’t always been this way, though. At around the 1950s, panels like the “Weight Question”, led by Dr. Drauzio Varella, on TV Globo's Fantastico show, might seem like some director’s science fiction lunacy. The preoccupation with what Brazilians ingest in their day to day lives was almost completely absent, and for this reason health problems started to surface well before reaching the later stages of life.

It was after suffering from blinding migraines (rendering him prostrate in his bedroom) it struck Carlos Gracie that something had to change. From the words of the philosopher Hipocrates came the first clue: “Make your nourishment your cure".

Hungering for knowledge, Master Carlos came to read more and more on the subject and over the years he compiled what he learned, developing would be consecrated as the Gracie Diet. He left the health problems behind and the weakly youth turned into an athletic adult. The next step was to prove the efficiency of the method and there was no one better to test his discoveries on than his own offspring. Carlos Gracie instilled in his children, nephews and grandchildren the need to listen to the body and offer it only nourishment that is of benefit to it. Little by little, the family’s body type began to change and the Master's descendents were growing ever bigger than his 5’2”, 139 pound frame. In fact, according to Carlinhos Gracie, “healthy nourishment modified an entire family”.

But ultimately, what is the Gracie Diet about? It deals with not poisoning the body, not letting it get sick, and establishing the appropriate balance its nourishment. The main idea behind it is to keep the pH of meals as neutral as possible, balancing the substances through the proper combination.

Master Carlos’ idea is global and overcomes all problems. It is about not mixing: cereals with other cereals, fat with sugar, nor acidic foods with any other acidic food. Meals are to be eaten in intervals of, at the least, five hours, eating again only when the stomach is empty.

But that is not all. Beyond worrying about solid foods, Master Carlos sought to complement them with teas, using what nature offers as cures for man’s ailments. “Our body is a machine running on blood. If the blood is pure, the machine runs well”, says Carlos Gracie Jr. “My father’s objective was to make sure the family's fighters were well, or in other words, free of any illness that might arise and make combat unviable", Carlinhos concludes.

The inclusion of fruits as a fundamental part of the diet can also be credited to Master Carlos Gracie. “Almost 30 years ago people came into my house and saw the pantry full of fruits and greens. Everyone thought it was strange, as the culture of that time considered fruits to be nothing more than dessert, while it made up 50% of our family's diet."

A father to 21 children and grandfather to more than 50 grandchildren, the Gracie patriarch had, curiously, in his brother Helio the best defense for his thesis. A relentless follower of the Diet, Master Helio today beams health at 92 years of age and is pointed out by Reyla, Carlinhos' sister, as a great example of the efficiency of her father's diet. "When no one talked of nutrition, my father perceived that red meat needed to be stricken from Uncle Helio’s diet before his fights. The proof that he was right didn’t take long to come about: in 1955, Uncle Helio fought with Waldemar Santana for 3h40m non-stop”, says Reyla. It is worth remembering that in '55, Helio Gracie was already 42 years old, while Waldemar was not yet 24.

Proud of the legacy left by his father, Carlos Gracie Jr. and Reyla agreed particularly on one point: to reduce Master Carlos' science to being a simple diet is to diminish the importance of his work. "He foresaw so many recent scientific discoveries, such as the important role of beta carotene, a substance found in papayas and carrots, the concept of free-radicals and orthomolecular medicine. That goes without mentioning his being a pioneer with his habit of eating açaí, drinking watermelon juice, coconut water and smoothies”, says Reyla. Carlinhos adds: “Everyone should supplement their work with nutrition. We opened the eyes of our students to this and they influenced others. Since then health-food restaurants, juice houses and a whole wave of healthy living have arisen. I see my father as a great precursor to healthy nourishment here in Brazil", Carlinhos affirms.

Whoever would like to test the thesis need only follow the Gracie Diet, To prove they are exaggerating may be only as hard, or harder, as getting close to submitting Master Helio Gracie…

Combination Tables: These tables are the heart of the Gracie method for nourishment. By understanding and following the matches established in them correctly, the chemical combination of the foods will be respected, always maintaining the neutral pH of the blood, which will make digestion easier, as well as prevent and even combat ailments.

Click to enlarge

20 Tips on Improving Your Grappling Game

2009-06-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been awhile since I last posted. I've been lazy and just living my life. I'll do better.

Anyway, I came across these tips and they really made sense to me. So, as always I thought I would share them.

20 Tips on Improving Your Grappling Game
http://www.thegrapplersguide.com/

Goal oriented training
Have a specific technique or area of focus for each rolling session. For example, I will come into training thinking "Today I am going to work on passing the butterfly guard". You may even want to let your training partners know this and start in those positions.

Consistent Training
Make BJJ a priority in your life, training 3-5 times a week EVERY week. Its no coincidence that the best guys in class also have the best attendance.
Set a schedule for yourself and don't let anything that isn't really major interrupt it. Some guys get good really quick, but the best guys have all put in countless hours to get there. You will never see your game improve as fast as it should if you are missing classes or weeks of training.

Take advantage of your training partners
Make a mental note of who has the best guard, takedowns, passing, pins, or escapes. Then work with them, allowing them to use their strengths. This will highlight your mistakes and help you monitor your progress. Once you can consistently overcome their strong points then you know you are seriously improving. I never pull guard against someone if I know they have a slick bottom game, I want to be on top.

Study everyone else's game - When you aren't sparring, study your team mates games and try to pick up their effective moves. Go over it in your head as they spar. Think about when you would be able to use that move, or how you would counter it. Ask them what little adjustments they make so that the technique works better.

Ask your instructor questions
All too often I see brown and black belts teach class and ask, "Any questions or things you guys want to work on?" and everyone is SILENT. Always have a question in mind, unless you are an absolute phenom there will always be a position where you don't feel 100% confident.

Try new things
I always use white belts for this. I will take a move or setup that I haven't tried yet and try to pull it off on the beginners. This works well because if you are still unsure about parts of it, you most likely will not be able to pull it off at all on the more advanced guys. For example, I'm trying to learn the twister right now, so whenever I roll with white belts or new blues that is what I go for. It also helps because it makes rolling with those much less skilled than yourself challenging.

Work on a new area until you feel it is one of your strengths, then move on to another. Work on keeping your guard, for example, until it is almost impossible for any other blue to pass, and really difficult for someone advanced to get by. Then add your sweeps. Once you are sweeping blues easily and higher belts on occasion, move to subs from the guard, etc...

Individual attention

Privates with your instructor work wonders. Roll with them or have them watch you roll with someone who usually get the better of you, then have them point out areas you need to improve upon or blatant mistakes you are making.

Train at different gyms
I realized that having new perspectives helped me greatly. Also, the experience of rolling with guys you don't know anything about will make your moves much sharper. This is especially true if you are the most technical one in your academy, don't fall into the "big fish in a small pond syndrome".

Compete as often as possible
Under the stress of competition the true nature of your skills come out. Also it helps to let you know where you stand in the larger scheme of things by giving you a realistic look at where you stand against other guys with the same belt level.

Teach new guys
If you can get a pure beginner to do a move 100% accurately then you know that you have it down. It is good practice to make sure you are aware of each little detail that makes a technique work.

Roll until you are exhausted at every training session
I see many guys pack their bags and go home when they have barely worked up a sweat. I always try to train until my instructors tell me they have to lock up and go home. Even if I'm so tired that I'm getting my ass kicked by someone of lower rank, the experience of training when you have no strength left will vastly improve your game both mentally and physically.
Your cardio is a technique. You may know a lot, but you wont be able to express it well if you are worried that you are going to run out of air. You can really open up your game and keep pressure on your opponent if your lungs can handle the constant movement and explosiveness.

Train in inferior positions
Allow your training partners to get your back, pass your guard, or mount you. Don't let them know that you are allowing them to have the position (I say this because if they think they got it legitimately they tend to get excited and really work for the finish, which is good for you). Stay in the inferior position and work on simply avoiding the submissions, then work your escapes. This will help you feel comfortable in even the worst situations, which in my opinion is a major difference between a blue belt and a purple belt.

Have a good balance between top and bottom
If I tap someone from my guard, then I will make it my goal to pass and tap them from side control during the next roll. If I tap someone from the top, I will pull guard the next time. When I was a new blue belt I had a very good guard and I would tend to neglect my top game while rolling because I could tap everyone from the bottom, it was an ego thing I had to get over and it held me back quite a bit. Now when I roll I always alternate between top and bottom, not allowing myself to neglect either area.

Find someone who can manhandle you
I made my biggest leap in skill after I switched academies. At my old school I could tap everyone if I wanted to, the only person who could give me a run for my money was the instructor and he flat out refused to roll with me. When I switched schools, my new instructor was able to dominate me without even trying. I rolled with him every opportunity I had and asked him how he was able to overcome my attacks, he explained to me what he was doing and I altered my game accordingly. The improvement was astronomical, I had to make changes in what I previously thought were my strongest moves, he pointed out errors I otherwise never would have known existed.

Never backing down from sparring the toughest guys in class. Each sparring session, put your ego aside and roll with the best guy you can find, also spar with heavy guys, quick guys, and guys with unlimited endurance. As a blue belt, you are under no pressure to be brilliant, so use that time to open up your game and test the positions you know against guy who know what they are doing.

Drill things to death
Take about ten minutes before or after you roll to just work on the techniques you've been shown over the past few days of class. Also try to take one day a week and make it your drilling day. That day spend at least a half hour - 45 minutes just repeating techniques and sequences over, and over and over. Its boring and I hate doing it, but it helps a great deal.
Although it is boring, many of the best guys I know devote a portion of every training session to drilling a basic movement with a partner. The key here is to make sure it is a BASIC movement you are drilling.

Specialize
Find positions that fit your game and work them in sparring until you can rely on them against just about anyone. For example, there was a time when my all-around game was weak, but I KNEW that I had one sweep from my half-guard that I could catch just about anyone with. Didn't matter what level they were, I knew I would sweep them if I got the underhook in the half-guard. You need a technique like that from every position to go to against tougher guys. Against guys at your level you can work your entire game and not worry too much about forcing them into your best positions

Share your tricks
Share your tricks with anyone who asks. As they get better, they will be more competition for you. When you have tough competition, you will inevitably get tougher to beat yourself.

Use training sessions as a time to learn not win

Think of a move you want to pull off and the situation that would require it. When training, the sparring sessions should be more about pulling off that move/moves than winning the match. to me, it's more important if you pull off a move you've been wanting to implement in your game then tapping your teammate in class. It's a great feeling finally getting a move you've been wanting for a long time, even if the end result is you getting tapped. Tourneys are about playing your best game and playing to win; class is all about experimenting.

Visualization
Training isn't just on the mat. It is also in the mind. When you learn a technique that you feel works for your game or you've been having trouble pulling off a certain move. Think about how you can make your technique better and practice in your head. Visualize your movements and try to feel and react in your mind what it is you can and will do to beat your opponent. I also recommend a book called "The Mind Gym" to aid in your mental training.

Be Technical
Just like stated before practice isn't the time to go full force and try to maul your partners. It is a time to learn and improve. True there are times in class where you do want to play to win. I would say maybe 1 out of every 5 classes, but for the most part you want to improve and become as technical as possible. It is important to focus on good technique first and then add your attributes. It will make things much easier in the long run. If you feel your self muscling out of position or using your speed instead take a moment to stop and thing what the proper technique it is you can use to accomplish your goal. If your not sure you can always "ASK QUESTIONS". Remember this the more technique you use the less energy you waste.

Don't Ever Forget The Basics
A lot of people get wrapped up in the newest techniques that are coming out. While some are very good and some are not. It is also extremely important that you don't forget about the basics. If you watch any major tournament you will see that most matches are won by using mostly the basics. If you are not proficient at the basics you will never be able to properly expand upon your skills and add any new techniques and make them work easily for you.

Train Takedowns
I know BJJ is a ground fighting art but too many schools neglect the importance of the stand-up game. Most altercations start from the feet and ALL tournaments start on the feet. Especially when you start to move up the ranks and as time goes on you will see that more and more people are getting comfortable with there takedown abilities.

When you are the one that dictates where the fight is going to be and when and how it will go to the ground that is a big confidence booster. If you are the one to take your opponent down chances are you not only physically gave yourself an advantage but you did mentally to, because you felt confident on your feet and you startled your opponent because you just dictated the fight from the beginning. It is always nice to be able to stand in front of your opponent and not be afraid of getting taken down and resorting to pulling guard.

Black Belt Learning Strategy #5

2009-01-15T17:12:00.000-08:00

As allways, full disclosure, these are not my learning strategies, they came from the Gracie Insider newsletter. I am neither wise enough or have the jiu-jitsu insight to come up with these things. But, I like them and I believe in sharing wisdom. So here's #5

Black Belt Learning Strategy #5: Learn to Teach

One of the best ways to test your understanding of a technique is to try to teach it to someone else. Although you might be very proficient in the execution of a technique, if you can’t teach it to someone else, you don’t truly understand it. Anytime you instruct someone less knowledgeable than yourself, you are forced to deepen your understanding of the technique beyond the surface details. For this reason, we recommend that you seek to teach others as often as possible, regardless of your skill level. What is most fascinating is that your knowledge of any technique will increase in direct proportion to the number of students you successfully teach that technique to. In other words, if you can successfully teach a technique to 5 people, your understanding of that technique will be 5 times greater than before you taught it.

To get to black belt in the least amount of time possible, teach your techniques to as many people as possible. It’s that simple.

BJJ works on Pitbulls too!

2009-01-15T16:35:00.000-08:00

How great is that. Moves so simple even a 9 year old can do it.

BJJ for Law Enforcement Seminar

2009-01-15T16:30:00.000-08:00

If you've read my blog at all you know I'm a big proponent of Law Enforcement Officers training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I'm happy to say that I've found the perfect seminar for just that. The Charles Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy of Truckee/Tahoe is now offering a two day seminar exclusively for Law Enforcement. The instructors have designed a program to provide the simplest most effective Jiu-Jitsu techniques that are perfect for use by Police, Sheriffs, and Highway Patrol personnel.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has hundreds of techniques that are very effective, but are too complicated for Law Enforcement use or would require hundreds of hours to master. And not all BJJ techniques are realistic for a Law Enforcement Officer wearing a gun belt and bullet resistant vest. This course will provide you with a series of easily understood techniques that can be recalled when you need to use them.

The Seminar is held in Truckee, California close to world class ski resorts, Casinos, and beautiful Lake Tahoe. The seminar is held on Thursday and Friday so you can turn two days of tax deductible training into a nice weekend on the slopes or down in Reno.

It’s affordable too, at only $160 you can't beat it.

Here's the link: http://www.strongvon.com/cglawenforcement/

And You Think You Had a Bad Day!

2008-12-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

Teddy Roosevelt appreciated Jiu-Jitsu.

2008-11-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

I read about this in the Novemeber issue of Fight magazine and it peaked my interest, so I checked it out myself. President Theodore Roosevelt was a consumate Warrior-Statesman. You may have heard of his exploits with the "Rough Riders" down in Cuba. He was a great soldier. But, as he moved upwards in politics he never lost his appreciation for the combat sports. He continued to train in boxing and wrestling. In the below letter (Feb 24, 1905), from President Roosevelt to his son Kermit, you will read of his exposure to Jiu-Jitsu and how much he realized the effectiveness of the art.

Now, this was not Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that he saw, so you can just imagine if it would have been Helio Gracie, granted it was before his time, giving the demo and not Yamashita how impressive it would have been.

Anyway, here's the letter:

"I still box with Grant, who has now become the champion middleweight wrestler of the United States. Yesterday afternoon we had Professor Yamashita up here to wrestle with Grant. It was very interesting, but of course jiu jitsu and our wrestling are so far apart that it is difficult to make any comparison between them. Wrestling is simply a sport with rules almost as conventional as those of tennis, while jiu jitsu is really meant for practice in killing or disabling our adversary. In consequence, Grant did not know what to do except to put Yamashita on his back, and Yamashita was perfectly content to be on his back. Inside of a minute Yamashita had choked Grant, and inside of two minutes more he got an elbow hold on him that would have enabled him to break his arm; so that there is no question but that he could have put Grant out. So far this made it evident that the jiu jitsu man could handle the ordinary wrestler. But Grant, in the actual wrestling and throwing was about as good as the Japanese, and he was so much stronger that he evidently hurt and wore out the Japanese. With a little practice in the art I am sure that one of our big wrestlers or boxers, simply because of his greatly superior strength, would be able to kill any of those Japanese, who though very good men for their inches and pounds are altogether too small to hold their own against big, powerful, quick men who are as well trained."

Check it out for yourself: http://www.bartleby.com/53/59.html

Black Belt Learning Strategy #4

2008-10-22T19:45:00.000-07:00

Here's the fourth black belt learning strategy from the Gracie Academy. Agian, full disclosure, these strategies are reprinted from the Gracie Insider newsletter. If you would like to get them from the source you can signup here: http://www.gracieacademy.com/gracieinsidersignuppage.htm

Black Belt Learning Strategy #4: Become a Type 2 Student

There are three basic steps involved in mastering any technique of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu: 1) Learn the steps 2) Develop your reflexes, and 3) Build your confidence. The most critical of these steps is the first, because if you do not learn the steps, you cannot develop the correct reflex or the confidence in the execution of a technique. Regarding the ability to learn and incorporate new techniques, we have found that students can be categorized into one of two groups. If you are in the first group, it will take almost double the time for you to reach black belt than if you are a member of the second group.

Type 1 Students: Those who think they know how to learn the steps of a technique.

Most students fall into this category. They come to class on Monday, watch the technique presentations, practice the techniques in class, spar at the end of class, win some, lose some, and go home. They come back to class on Tuesday, learn the new techniques, spar, win some, lose some, and by this time they have totally forgotten the steps of the techniques from the previous day’s class. When a Type 1 student is taught the same technique for a second or third time, they tend to be very lazy in their viewing of the presentation, since they think they already know the technique. Generally speaking, Type 1 students have adopted the belief that they will progress as rapidly as everyone else as long as they show up to class and go through the motions, and they couldn’t be more wrong.

Type 2 Students: Those who know how to learn the steps of a technique.

Very few students fall into this category. Type 2 students treat each new technique as if it were a newborn child. They realize that unless they care for it through infancy, childhood and adolescence, it will never reach adulthood. When watching a technique presentation, Type 2 students are totally focused on ever y detail as if it could save their life (which makes sense, because most details could). When practicing a technique for the first time, their only concern is to incorporate every detail presented by the instructor. They realize that any detail that is not incorporated in the practice of the technique may be lost forever, or at least until they learn the same technique again. When sparring, Type 2 students are primarily concerned with incorporating the technique they just learned, and often times they will ask their partners to cooperate and create the opportunities for the techniques during the sparring session. These students are more concerned with incorporating recently learned techniques in a sparring session than they are with winning or losing. After each class, these students take written notes on the newly learned techniques, aware of the fact that memory alone is not enough, since it is constantly overburdened by the adding of new techniques. Any time a Type 2 student views a presentation of a previously learned technique, they are as attentive as they were the first time they learned it. They realize that if they pay attention, they may get one detail from the presentation that they missed the previous time, and that this detail may be the one that leads to their successful mastery of the technique. Generally speaking, Type 2 students realize that although the Gracie Academy provides them with the resources necessary to achieve black belt, it is how they manage these resources that will determine the speed with which they reach the top. In other words, they take full responsibility for their progress.

It is a fact that the instruction at the Gracie Academy is so effective that regardless of which student group you fall in to, you will eventually learn how to defend yourself and ultimately reach black belt. It is also a fact that you can greatly reduce the time it takes to reach your goals if you simply learn to take more from each class, and the key to doing that is becoming a Type 2 student.

Black Belt Learning Strategies Continued

2008-10-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

The below strategies can be found in the Gracie Insider, which you can sign up for free at http://www.gracieacademy.com/ . I decided to reprint them here for those who choose not to get the Insider. Strategy #3 makes allot of sense to me, it actually validates my thought process about rolling live with my classmates. I think I fell into this sparring methodology by chance or maybe it was just that when I started BJJ everyone was kicking my butt, so I immediately was working on my defense, because I was always defending (Survival Strategy), it wasn't until we got new students was I able to move onto the Attack and Test strategies. And of course most often I'm still gettin' whooped up on. Such is life! Just gotta' keep rollin'

Black Belt Learning Strategy #3: Spar Smartly

Here at the Gracie Academy, approximately half of each advanced class in the Master Cycle program is dedicated to learning the technique of the day, and the other half is dedicated to sparring. Over the years we have found that although sparring is a very exciting way to develop reflexes (and a great workout), the full benefit from sparring is rarely achieved by students. This is because most do not know how to "spar smartly"

Most students develop comfort with a specific set of techniques or sparring strategy and then use this strategy every time they spar, regardless of who the opponent may be. What they don't realize is that in order to progress most rapidly, and benefit most from each sparring session, they must adapt their strategy based on who their opponent is. There are three basic strategies that each student should seek to adopt:

1) Attack Strategy: If you are sparring with someone who matches your skill level, you should utilize the Attack Strategy. Focus on avoiding defeat at first, and once you feel comfortable with your ability to defend, seek to defeat your opponent with your most reliable attack strategies. Use this opportunity to put your "bread and butter" techniques to the test and sharpen your reflexes.

2) Test Strategy: If you are sparring with someone who is less skilled, you should utilize the Test Strategy. Select one or two techniques that you are not too comfortable with, and seek to apply them on the less skilled student. Since there is no real threat of being defeated, you can use this sparring opportunity to practice techniques that you are not fully comfortable with, but would like to master. Once you can successfully apply a technique at will against less knowledgeable students, you will have the confidence to test it on a equally skilled training partner.

3) Survival Strategy: If you are sparring with an opponent who is much more skilled than you, or much heavier, you should adopt the Survival Strategy. The most common sparring mistake is to utilize the Attack Strategy against a much more knowledgeable opponent. Any time you are sparring with someone who is supposed to defeat you, your best option is to focus entirely on neutralizing their attacks. The danger in trying to attack someone who is has sharper reflexes and opportunity recognition skills, is that you unknowingly create a multitude of opportunities for them to submit you. If instead, you focus on defending, not only will you make it much more difficult for them to defeat you, but you will be much more perceptive of their techniques and strategies and ultimately learn much more from each sparring session.

Students who utilize the same strategy every time they spar tend to get very good a handful of techniques very quickly, but fail to perfect all the rest. By using the three "smart sparring" strategies listed above, you will progress faster and will be more well rounded once you reach black belt.

On a separate note, you must never forget that although jiu-jitsu sparring is a great way to enhance your skills and develop reflexes in the execution of your techniques, because punches are not thrown, you can easily develop bad habits without knowing it. When sparring, you should get the habit of asking yourself the following question: “In a real fight, would this technique leave me exposed to get punched or kicked?” If your sparring habits are causing you to expose yourself to potential punches, you risk developing habits that can lead to your demise against a larger, more athletic opponent in a real fight.

100 things you should do before reaching black belt

2008-09-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

(This is from Gracie magazine. I really loved this and thought it was worth reprinting.)

Based on the experience of established fighters, GRACIE Magazine puts together a goal plan of the most daring kind for the unconditional Jiu-Jitsu love

Regret is not one of the most pleasant things in life. Overall, we suffer a ton when we think of the past and regret having done or not done something or the other at a determined point in our lives. That is how, in a philosophic manner, GRACIE Magazine went after 40 Jiu-Jitsu instructors and asked: If you could go back in time, what would you do differently in your career before reaching black belt?

“I regret not having followed a good diet. I only started worrying about that now, I’ve seen how doing so yields such extremely positive results,” André Galvão responded. Keeping in mind that Galvão was already an impressive athlete at purple belt, imagine if a sophisticated dietary regime had helped him attain even more spectacular performances.

Breaking down in detail each instructor’s response, GRACIE Magazine made a list of 100 things you should do before reaching black belt (and 20 more you shouldn’t do). If you are already a black belt, the list still counts as a review of your career and even as stimulus to create your own list of goals to complete before receiving your red belt. At no time did we have the pretext of creating a universal decree, a recipe book. Each athlete will take the path he/she wishes to, but with a script based on the experiences of established fighters at hand. We believe that, as the path comes to an end, you will have a greater chance of looking back and feeling satisfied

1 » Like Jiu-Jitsu.

2 » Love Jiu-Jitsu.

3 » Respect Jiu-Jitsu.

4 » Learn to apply the right amount of force and technique, so as to fight as long as you can without tiring.

5 » Learn that the belt is not the only objective, but the result of effort and learning. One whose only objective is to get the new belt limits one’s own potential, which is always enormous and unknown. Rather than focus on that, worry about developing technical aspects of the fight.

6 » Know the entire program of basic classes inside out and back to front.

7 » Study self-defense techniques in depth, to the point of being a master. Do you want to be the kind of black belt that despairs at just having to get out of a basic choke?

8 » Have a grueling training session with your own master.

9 » Make several close friends in the gym.

10 » Dispute a championship and return home with the gold medal.

11 » Dispute the open-weight category.

12 » Realize that deep, deep down, points and the clock do not exist, while nothing is more real than the three little taps.

13 » Participate in a seminar conducted by your greatest idol.

14 » Learn to speak Portuguese, the original language of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

15 » Apply a flying armbar during a fight. Or at least try. 16 » Fight in a World Championship.

17 » Invent a move – be it by chance, intuition or full consciousness.

18 » Give the move you invented an original name, like “the flying butterfly,” “get-the-sucker,” “gogoplata” or “fireball,” for example.

19 » Try out a variety of different diets until you discover two or three that really work to stimulate your body, before, during and after competitions.

20 » Do at least a year of judo – if intense throw training is not customary in your gym.

21 » Learn to lose.

22 » Learn to win.

23 » Find the brand of gi with the cut that best suits your body.

24 » Brush up on your surfing, as you have yet to participate in a Black Belt Surf Championship.

25 » If surfing isn’t your thing, work on another outdoor activity to invigorate you on the days you are not in the gym.

26 » Learn to teach. This includes knowing how to conduct an entire class, plan the warm-up for the specific lesson of the day, match the fighters properly and put the student at ease before going home, among other things. “At brown, the promising athlete may teach a class under a black belt’s supervision, as though it were an internship, a test,” suggests instructor Raphael Abi-Rihan.

27 » Read the IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu rule book.

28 » Close to receiving the black belt, participate in MMA or a slap training session. A training session involving real-life fighting is extremely important to sharpen up your self-defense, by learning to time takedowns and refining other aspects.

29 » Forget steroids.

30 » Try to get private classes – vital for refining your technique and learning tricks from your teacher.

31 » Offer yourself as your master’s sparring partner, especially in private classes, in which you too will learn a lot.

32 » Put together your basic bibliography of martial arts. The more books, the better.

33 » Fight, with all your strength, so that whatever nickname it is they gave you doesn’t stick.

34 » Accept the nickname, if it sticks.

35 » Give a good nickname to a good partner.

36 » Encourage a child to start learning Jiu-Jitsu. After all, they are the future of the sport.

37 » Gain self-control.

38 » Use your technical abilities and stamina to get out of a bind. Adventures are a part of every black belt’s story.

39 » Don’t let your Jiu-Jitsu go to your head. Keep yourself well-centered.

40 » Learn how to react. There is no precise guide to reacting in each situation, but instructor Carlos Gracie Jr. teaches a classic lesson. When someone is bothering you, in the cinema, on the plane or wherever, think before reacting: what if this person is a Ricardo Arona or Wanderlei Silva, what would you do? Figured it out? There are times when you definitely must intervene, or just talk to the bugger, but do it politely – without treachery. It doesn’t matter if the person is a little old woman, a bunch of teenagers, Arona or Wanderlei Silva.

41 » Don’t forget to practice the basics, nor how to defend the basic moves.

42 » Have a physiotherapist buddy, who after all the appointments will give you that discount when a new little injury pops up...

43 » Have a favorite recipe for açai.

44 » Find out when the best time of the day for you to train is, and understand whether your body responds better to training hard at night, in the afternoon, or early in the morning.

45 » Send an email commending GRACIE Magazine.

46 » Send an email criticizing GRACIE Magazine – or suggesting an article for us to write.

47 » Study the basic history of your sport, and understand who Carlos, Helio, Carlson, Rolls, among others were, and their roles in Jiu-Jitsu.

48 » Every white belt has seen them 48 times, so don’t you be the one not to re-watch them: watch, every now and then, the first fights Royce fought in the UFC, Rickson fought in Pride or the battle between Minotauro and Bob Sapp. After all, they make up a big part of the saga of Jiu-Jitsu.

49 » After so many years of injury, find out one hold you will not tap out to by any means – a foot lock, a guillotine…

50 » Be flexible; discover your favorite stretching program.

51 » Get your bottom game up to par with your top game – or at least get close.

52 » Face off against athletes from other modalities, like wrestlers in submission grappling tournaments, judoka friends and so on.

53 » Talk a lot with those that are more advanced and great masters.

54 » Shave your head, even if just once.

55 » Register in photos your top physical form. Besides serving as a record, this will motivate you to not fall out of shape, even as the years – and belts – go by. You will also have a beautiful photo to one day show your children and grandchildren...

56 » Take an unforgettable trip to fight or train Jiu-Jitsu with the team.

57 » Represent well and divulge the flag of our Jiu-Jitsu abroad.

58 » When in San Diego, California, drop in at the University of Jiu-Jitsu. The telephone number is (419) 283-7310.

59 » Get used to discomfort. After all, as Wallid Ismail used to say, “it’s a bad time the whole time.”

60 » Get turned down by women because of your ears.

61 » Pick up women because of your ears.

62 » Go through at least 17 gis before becoming a black belt. If not, you didn’t go through enough cloth...

63 » Donate your old gis to the needy and social projects.

64 » Understand how your body works, after all, each body type adapts differently to Jiu-Jitsu. Your game should be in tune with the type of body you boast.

65 » Respect the white belts. And the blues, purples...

66 » Develop your mental flexibility – in any tournament in the world, it is not unusual that you will compete later, earlier, change fight arenas before the battle… “In these cases, relax and accept it. Not being uptight allows you to get the most out of any experience and evolve,” teaches the coach and trainer Martin Rooney. It’s just not worth being bitter.

67 » Believe in whatever new technique you are taught, even if it doesn’t become your specialty. It very well could be your opponent’s.

68 » At least once in life, decide to compete in some tournament at the last minute. Remember, there is no such thing as the “perfect” moment to compete. Go and fight – and who knows, it might just turn out to be the perfect moment.

69 » Tap, tap, tap and tap, many times. And, who knows, maybe even pass out from a hold. That’s part of the game, and everything is a learning experience after all, until you’ve been decorated with the highest honors.

70 » Fight a fight (or at least in training) with no time limit, until it ends.

71 » If given the chance, or if you have friends in other gyms, visit new environments. “I would like to have trained more with other athletes, to have tested my Jiu-Jitsu without the pressure of tournaments. I feel I missed something for not having trained with Amaury, Libório, Roleta, Cachorrão and Pé de Pano,” reveals the six-time world champion Saulo Ribeiro.

72 » Be somebody’s hero.

73 » Explain more than once, to several friends, the philosophy of Jiu-Jitsu, and don’t lose patience when you hear, “But fighters are all kinda stupid, aren’t they?”

74 » Be invited to help bounce a friend’s party, even if you politely decline, despite the proud feeling inside.

75 » Have a favorite Gracie.

76 » Lend a hand, in any way you can, to a social project a black belt friend of yours is involved in.

77 » Make Jiu-Jitsu a lifestyle and make the most of it. To do so, you should understand that the art is not just a sport.

78 » Discover what it is to persist first hand – after all, it is almost certain you will have to spend some time on ice because of an injury. Even so, don’t be discouraged.

79 » Know that GRACIE Magazine is the best Jiu-Jitsu magazine in the world, and always make sure your friend at the newsstand sets one aside for you.

80 » Don’t be shocked by the curious expressions you hear in the gym.

81 » Every once in awhile add a “bro” to the end of a sentence, and know that it never went out of style.

82 » Find out what motivates you before a training session and what makes you feel better after a bad day at the gym – be it music, reading or positive thinking.

83 » Develop your own style as a fighter.

84 » Develop your own efficient way of teaching.

85 » Understand that the practitioner gains nothing from a scuffle or street fight, and they do represent a step back in Jiu-Jitsu’s struggle for recognition. As Saulo affirms, “I have never given a black belt to an unscrupulous person, or better yet, that person would never train with me because I couldn’t find it in my heart to teach him.”

86 » Find a means to derive pleasure from the big and little things in Jiu-Jitsu, from warming up to even the bad days in the gym and the defeats.

87 » Learn to render first aid.

88 » Learn to deal with the fear, insecurity and anxiety we all have, some more, some less than others. That is why competition is one of the best environments for us to get to know ourselves, not just as an athlete.

89 » Understand your responsibility as an advanced athlete. “If the guy intends to be a teacher the responsibility is even greater, as you are the example others will mirror. Jiu-Jitsu does not carry only the function of creating good fighters, but men that are capable, dignified and honorable to carry forth Jiu-Jitsu’s flag. That is the greatest responsibility a black belt has,” teaches Robert Drysdale, instructor at Brasa.

90 » Reflect on your mistakes.

91 » After growing from the mistakes, shed them from your shoulders.

92 » See the black belt as the beginning, not the end of the road. “For example, I myself improved my game a great deal after reaching black belt,” recalls Marcelinho Garcia.

93 » At least from brown belt on, start competing without the gi. Grappling is developing as a modality, and you don’t want to be left out.

94 » Innovate with exercises.

95 » Realize as quickly as possible that the gym is not the place to compete, and is the place to practice positions. “Only by hitting and working on your weaknesses will you become a well-rounded fighter. This business of ‘winning a roll’ is silly and limits the student’s game,” Saulo Ribeiro reminds us.

96 » Experiment with breathing techniques, ginástica natural and yoga, to strengthen your performance as an athlete. Although they were scorned in the days of old, these days these resources have been largely accepted by great fighters. Rickson, for example.

97 » Prepare your speech for the ceremony when you receive your black belt.

98 » Write up your own list of 50, 100 or 200 goals you WILL meet before reaching black belt.

99 » Apply the cardinal rule of Jiu-Jitsu to your own life: face challenges in the simplest way possible, as this will certainly be the most efficient.

100 » Put down the magazine and go train!

Another example of BJJ used in a real fight

2008-09-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

Not Bad!

Fedor's Loss

2008-09-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

In case you've never seen it, Here is Fedor's only loss. It's a stoppage due to cut. It came from an illegal blow (elbow). But, they called it a TKO anyway.

Black Belt Learning Strategies

2008-08-31T18:44:00.000-07:00

Below is an excerpt from the most recent "Gracie Insider" newsletter (August 2008). The newsletter is free and you can sign up at http://www.gracieacademy.com/. The strategies listed here made so much sense to me I knew I had to share them with anyone who could happen onto my blog and not be a Gracie Insider member. So, I take no credit for the wisdom below. I don't plagiarize people, I give credit where credit is due. Also, I believe in the sharing of wisdom. If I find something on the web or elsewhere that I believe is useful. I will reprint it here, but I will also tell you where I got it from.

I'm not really that smart, so I have to learn from other people.

Black Belt Learning Strategies

At the Gracie Academy a black belt is awarded to any person who reaches their max potential in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Although any person who trains long enough will eventually be awarded a black belt, it is fascinating how some people do it in much less time than others. Because the time varies so greatly, people often wonder what the secret is to rapid progress in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Most instructors would tell you that all it takes is hard training as often as possible. At the Gracie Academy we believe that it is not how many classes you take, but what you take from the classes. Those who progress most rapidly in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu are the ones who know how to learn most effectively. In the each of the next 5 issues of the Gracie Insider, we will be discussing one learning strategy that will help you reach black belt in the least amount of time possible.

Black Belt Learning Strategy #1: Learn Between the Lines

At the Gracie Academy, we pride ourselves in providing super detailed instruction. The problem is that students of ours tend to believe that by simply showing up to class and absorbing all the details, they are reaping all the benefit of the class, when in fact, this is totally wrong. What they don’t realize is that in any given class, the spoken details only cover 50% of the valuable information presented during the class. The secret to learning between the lines is to take what is said and see what other valuable information you can derive from it. For example, if we say, “The most important Triangle Choke detail is to control the head,” most people would only infer that they must control the head during the Triangle Choke while the students with more effective learning strategies would also infer that if you are on the receiving end of the Triangle, the most important thing would be to keep your head from getting controlled by your opponent. By learning to “learn between the lines,” you will benefit doubly from each lesson which is why this learning strategy will unquestionably put you on the fast track to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu mastery.

Black Belt Learning Strategy #2: There is an old saying that says you learn more from losing than you do from winning.

On the path towards Gracie Jiu-Jitsu mastery this couldn't be truer. Any student who intends to go from white to black belt can expect to tapout several thousand times in the process. What is fascinating, however, is that some students will get to black belt after only 5,000 tapouts while others will take 10,000 or more. The reason some students are able to earn black belts in much less time than all the rest is not because they tapout less often but because they figured out the secret in less time. The secret to reaching black belt in the least amount of time possible is to learn to love losing. Although most students acknowledge that you do learn more from defeat than from victory, the vast majority never figure out how to actually learn from their defeats. The reason for this is that their priorities are wrong. While sparring their peers, 99% of all students make winning their first priority and by definition, and if winning is their first priority, learning is not. Any student who is more concerned with winning than learning will be so emotionally charged with feelings of frustration when they lose that they miss out on all the lessons that could have been derived from the experience. The students who progress faster than all the rest have realized two very important truths: first, they must accept that learning is more important than winning, and second, they must remain emotionless during each sparring session in order to capture the invaluable lessons that are hidden in every defeat.

Karate?

2008-08-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

Karate, is it effective? Well, I'll let 5th degree black belt Fred Ettish answer that for me!

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, accept no substitute.

My Elbow Hurts, Now What?

2008-08-19T21:57:00.000-07:00

Steps to Alleviate the Pain

The first four steps, known commonly as R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) are great starting points.

1. Rest

It may seem obvious, but gung ho participants often reinjure themselves by subjecting the injured area to more stress before it's had ample time to heal. Give yourself a break and ride the aerodyne for awhile, your arm will thank you later.

2. Ice

The tried and true remedy for sprains, strains and other soft tissue trauma, ice works wonders by reducing both pain and swelling and helping to speed recovery.

3. Compression

As with ice, compression aids in the reduction of swelling which in turn helps reduce pain. Bandaging your arm also helps you lay off the injured area and does double duty by announcing to your training buddies that you are riding the stationary bike because you really are hurt.

4. Elevation

Elevating your limb reduces the strain on the body part and lets the other measures work their magic.

Additional steps

5. Pain Relievers

In most cases, any over the counter anti-inflammatory pain medication (Ibuprofen) will do the trick. For worse injuries, a trip to the doctormight net you some heftier ammunition to combat the pain.

6. Cortisone

If the above measures have been taken and the injury isn't healing, a cortisone injection might be necessary to help speed the process. Fighter's beware though, cortisone is a steroiod and although it would be used for injury recovery, it can still show up on a drug test as a banned substance. Consult your physician and take any upcoming competitions into account before making the decision to go with the needle.

Taken from Fight Magazine (August 2008) page 63

Rickson's opinion regarding BJJ in modern MMA

2008-08-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

In a recent article in Fight magazine Rickson Gracie had this to say when asked about the rules in the UFC.

" Standing the fighters up, gloves, reducing the time limits, all these little aspects make style a secondary component to the individual. How fast you are, how aggressive, how explosive... It is very hard for a fight to be decided in the first 3 or 5 minutes, a major aspect of Jiu-Jitsu is defense, defense, defense and then capitalizing on a mistake your opponent makes... When my dad fought he was 130 pounds. He would survive until he caught the guy in a mistake. How can you do this if there isn't enough time?"

.
Excerpt from Fight Magazine (August 2008) Great Masters: The unexpected origins of MMa in Brazil from three of the men who helped create it. by: Donovan Craig. Page 80

How to reduce injuries in BJJ

2008-08-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

I remember the first time I was injured in BJJ. Oh yes, like it was yesterday. I was caught in an arm bar, it was solid, I wasn't getting out, but I wasn't going to tap. I thought if I could just swing my hips around or work a magic spell I would get out. But, I didn't want to tap. I mean if I would have tapped to that arm bar, I would have been humiliated, I would suffer the most sever injury on earth, a bruised ego. Well, what happened next was a popping sound emanating from my hyper extended elbow. I then felt nice bit of pain from that hyper extended joint. Good times! Now, whose fault was it that I was injured? Rob, the guy who arm barred me, or me, the dumb ass who wouldn't tap. I'll tell you, it was the dumb ass (me).

Now, I could take a couple of paragraphs and tell you that if I would have just tapped I wouldn't have been injured, we would have just restarted, and I would have gotten a lot more training that night. But, I won't. Instead I'm going to let Pedro Sauer say way better than I ever could. So, please watch the video below and take his advice to heart. It may save you some down time from an injury. But, honestly most of you won't learn until you hear that popping in your elbow for yourself.

The Peruvian Necktie

2008-08-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

This is the technique that C.B. Dollaway pulled off on Jesse Taylor at the UFC:Silva vs. Irvin show. Just in case you would like to add this to your game, I've addded it here, thanks to Submissions 101.

Eddie Bravo: Ego and Jiu-Jitsu Evolution

2008-08-01T15:24:00.000-07:00

I don't agree with everything Eddie B. says, but I do agree with what he says here. To properly develop your Jiu-Jitsu you have to roll with people that are better than you, worse than you, and then at your same level. But your technique really develops when you roll with people that are not yet at your level.

Those Who Can, Teach

2008-07-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

Another article from Lockflow.com

Those Who Can, Teach
Posted by Marshal Carper

With most combat sports prescribing to an open door philosophy, seasoned veterans frequently find themselves sharing the mat with someone completely new to training. The signs are all there: their gear is still creased from the packaging, their hands and feet aren’t calloused from sparring and grappling, and their eyes gleam with the same excitement as everyone else present for training.

If you have been training for any length of time, whether it be for a few months or for a few decades, chances are that you have shared your knowledge and experience with someone else at the gym. Teaching is an important part of training that comes with a plethora of benefits. The following are five ways that teaching can aid in your development as a fighter:

1) Creates a Positive Atmosphere
Having quality training partners at your disposal is an integral part to improving your own abilities. Their skills will elevate yours and your skills will elevate theirs. Taking a moment to help a struggling newbie will ultimately benefit you. Not only will he become a better fighter, but he will be friendlier. Students who help each other act more like comrades than as rivals; everyone is training together to reach the same basic goals, and competition between training partners fades into the background.

2) Improves Your Technique
Teaching a technique requires you to break that technique down into simple steps, and you have to highlight the minor details and nuances of the move for someone else to understand and use the same move. Going through this process forces you to think critically about your technique and distill the key elements that make a particular technique effective. The more details you know about a move, the more that move will be effective in your game.

3) Increases Your Mental Awareness
As your technique improves from having to be critical of a move, your awareness of how that move connects to others will also improve. A student asking for a counter or an escape to a technique that you just showed is virtually inevitable. In this situation, you have to come up with a technical response. You are forced to see the bigger picture, to see the next step. What should your students do if they block their escape? What should they be looking for? What other options are there? Answering these questions vastly improves your ability to think about the fight game and will translate to improvements in your own training.

4) Longevity
Fighting seems to be a lifetime commitment, but competing well into the grey-haired years is not an option for most people. Learning to teach is an excellent way to remain a part of the sport, stay abreast of the developments, and continue to enjoy training without the pressures and stresses of competition. Making teaching a part of your training now will make it much easier to dedicate yourself to teaching more in the future. The wisdom that you gather in your career is valuable and personal, but for the most part, that wisdom is given to you by others. Passing your wisdom on to others is essential to the growth of the sport.

5) Rewarding
There are few things as gratifying as seeing one of your students apply something that you taught them during sparring or during competition. That visible improvement, that evidence of their understanding can be more rewarding than you personally winning a fight. You put time into someone’s life and made a difference. Few experiences can compare to that.

So, teach.

Constructing Confidence

2008-07-31T12:37:00.000-07:00

Here's another good article from Lockflow.com.

Constructing Confidence
by Marshal Carper

Confidence is a vital component to success in any part of life. In combat sports, having confidence in your techniques and in yourself can mean the difference between victory and defeat, between your hand being raised and going to the hospital to have your face put back together. While confidence issues tend to occur in the early stages of training, when a student is first learning the ropes of grappling, confidence issues are not limited to neophytes. Even seasoned veterans can find themselves questioning their abilities, especially following a loss or in the face of a serious challenge.

Though confidence may be largely internal, confidence in yourself begins with external factors. In the case of grappling or mixed martial arts, before you can be confident in your techniques and your ability to achieve victory, you must find coaches and instructors that you believe in. If you are constantly questioning the skill level of your instructors and the validity of their advice, you will never have faith in the techniques that they teach you.

When your instructor gives you information that immediately benefits your game, such as technical adjustments during your drilling or coaching during sparring, your confidence in your instruction grows. If you trust the source of your knowledge, you are on your way to having confidence in your technique and have taken the first step to having confidence in yourself.
Learning to trust the advice your coach gives you is relatively easy, especially if they have an impressive competition record or have produced quality fighters, but developing confidence in your techniques can be a bit more difficult. When you first use a new move, your movements are uncoordinated, sloppy, and jerky. As you rehearse the move over and over, the connection between your brain and limbs strengthens, making your movements more efficient and smoother. Eventually after thousands of repetitions, the move becomes instinct, and you can perform each step of the technique without conscious thought.

To have confidence in a technique, you must have practiced it enough to make instinctual, but that is not enough. Move from compliant drilling into drilling with resistance. Drilling with resistance generally requires isolating a position and a scenario with a training partner. To be truly confident in a move, you must have executed it successfully in a live situation multiple times, and this can be difficult. Being conscious of your training practices is essential at this point.

In Gracie Submission Essentials, Helio and Royler Gracie recommend trying a new move on the lightest, least-skilled training partners as possible. If you’re a blue belt, of course a training partner at blue belt or higher is going to shut down the move you just learned. Your favorite guard sweep may be at the blue belt level, but your brand new arm bar set up is still at the white belt level.

Just like in a video game, the skills you use repeatedly improve and become stronger. Skills you don’t use stay low or deteriorate. Individual techniques are the same way. So start on the new guys and work your way up. Raise the skill level and weight of your opponent as you get more and more comfortable executing a technique in real time against a live, resisting opponent. Once you are catching people at or above a skill level with a move, you will have developed confidence in that move. Creating a collection of these effective moves brings you that much closer to having confidence in your ability to enter into a contest and come out victorious.

With a game plan of well-rehearsed moves at your disposal and a trusted coach on your side, the next step to having confidence in yourself is taking your game that is effective in the gym to competition. There are plenty of well-written guides dedicated specifically to easing pre-competition jitters, so I won’t rehash what has been said better by others.

I do, however, want to add that part of easing pre-competition jitters and having confidence in yourself stems from knowing that you have prepared well. These pieces of advice are important and will certainly help you develop confidence in your abilities, but the most important factor to developing confidence is having the work ethic and dedication necessary to train consistently and intelligently.

Good luck.

NY Times Article on Cauliflower Ear

2008-07-31T11:13:00.000-07:00

Badge of Honor for the New Fighter: Mangled Ear

By MICHAEL BRICK
Published: July 31, 2008
Is your son into mixed martial arts? Check his ears.

Once an outlaw sport derided for its brutality, the prizefighting style known as mixed martial arts or ultimate fighting has toned down its act to gain government approval, a loyal television audience and hundreds of gyms training youngsters across the country. Now, to herald its full arrival, mixed martial arts has claimed a signature injury — cauliflower ear.

A deformity initiated by repetitive trauma, cauliflower ear can crumple an outer ear to a misshapen shell.

Unfazed by the prospect of living life as a walking what’s-grosser-than-gross joke, a nationwide corps of professional fighters, amateur enthusiasts and teenagers have taken to leaving their ears untreated or self-treated, wearing their shriveled, hardened waxen auricles as badges of honor.

“It’s definitely part of the culture,” said Dr. John H. Park, a physical therapist in Rockville, Md., who specializes in treating M.M.A. participants. “They say, ‘Chicks dig that stuff because they know you’re a fighter.’ “

A familiar chasm separates what women dig from what dudes imagine women dig. But for mixed martial arts, a combination of boxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu that has found favor among young men, cauliflower ear has assumed a place alongside such evocative conditions as torn elbow ligaments in pitchers, knee tendinitis in marathon runners and torn anterior cruciate ligaments in female basketball players.

In gym locker rooms and online discussion forums, teenage boys trade advice on ways to gain that telltale look.

“It’s man’s ear,” said Nisar Loynab, 15, who trains at Capital Jiu-Jitsu in Alexandria, Va. “When you get cauliflower, you’re really a man.”

Nisar, a 10th-grader who has lost weight and gained an incentive to make good grades through his pursuit of mixed martial arts, said his sore ears had yet to calcify. By leaving them untreated, he hopes to cultivate the appearance of more seasoned fighters, like his father.

His father, Abubakr Loynab, 43, who trains at the same gym, said he expected Nisar to develop the ailment.

“In my family, we’ve had boxers and stuff, and it’s just one way you toughen up the kid,” Loynab said. “There’s some people in here that he looks up to. He’ll go up and show them, ‘Look, I’m starting to get the cauliflower ear.’ ”

As a signature injury, cauliflower ear stands alone in one illuminating respect. Although most athletes tend to err on the side of overtreatment, or at least treatment, fighters develop cauliflower ear by avoiding medical care.

Long familiar to amateur wrestlers, the condition begins when creasing, pulling and rubbing creates a blood clot between the cartilage and the connective tissue of the upper ear, said Dr. Gregory Ator, an otology specialist at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Infection and swelling can follow.

Properly drained, sutured and insulated, the ear can recover. The condition poses no serious threat to hearing, Ator said. But without medical care, scar tissue can reshape the skin and cartilage to give the outer ear a mangled, stunted, pale appearance.

In a study of 635 mixed martial arts matches in Nevada, researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that the most common injuries were lacerations and wounds to the upper extremities. The study did not count conditions that develop over time, like cauliflower ear. In an article in The British Journal of Sports Medicine last year, the researchers concluded that overall injury rates for mixed martial arts roughly matched those of other combat sports.

With minimal subtlety, cauliflower ear announced itself to a national audience during a Saturday night broadcast on CBS on May 31, when a British fighter’s ear exploded in a shower of blood and pus. The match was stopped as a technical knockout, causing no small controversy among fans, rival promoters and some mixed martial arts officials.

The declared victor, Kimbo Slice, had been promoted as the star of the show. The loser, James Thompson, who had been winning on the scorecard, insisted he was ready to continue despite his bloodied ear. In hindsight, some considered the size of his ear and the volume of its gush suspicious. One popular theory held that his ear had been pumped full of blood for dramatic effect.

The rumblings posted all over online discussion forums were never substantiated. Nicholas Lembo, legal counsel to the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, which approved the fight, said Thompson’s ear had been drained twice and examined by doctors before the bout. He dismissed the speculation as nonsense.

But whatever the circumstances, the spectacle of that stomach-churning ear disaster proved memorable. Overnight, the tomato ear became the glass jaw of the mixed martial arts set.
“People started seeing it because it was on TV,” said Steve Fossum, president of the International Sport Combat Federation, an organization that handles mostly amateur events.
By the time the phenomenon reached prime time, fighters at all levels were growing acquainted with the curious changes on their heads.

“Most of the guys have cauliflower ear to one degree or another,” said Aaron Stark, 32, a professional fighter for Team Quest of the International Fight League.
Stark, who has experienced symptoms since his collegiate wrestling days, does little in the way of prevention as an M.M.A. combatant.

“You can wear headgear, but to be quite honest, headgear’s a pain,” he said.
Sure enough, purveyors of protective equipment for mixed martial arts report exceptionally low sales of headgear. Jim Cristia, owner of the online shop Ground and Pound, said his customers buy far more gloves than head protection.

“I guess the hands are the weapons they’re using,” Cristia said, by way of explanation. Michael Jen, a jiu-jitsu black belt who operates the online store Smash Supply, reported similarly low demand for ear guards. “Sometimes the ear protection actually makes things worse,” Jen said, adding that the guards can cause trouble when an opponent tries “to squeeze the heck out of your head and it just presses the ear protector hard into the injured ear.” The role of machismo extends to treatment, or lack thereof. Once the condition develops, some fighters seem willing to try anything as long as it does not involve a doctor. Many young men cannot afford medical care, but there is also a do-it-yourself ethic at work.

“The guys that it tends to happen to are the tough guys,” said Kurt Osiander, 43, a trainer in San Francisco who has seen cauliflower ears on students as young as 15. “They don’t stop. They’ll go home, they’ll drain their ears, they’ll sleep uncomfortably on them and they’ll go back to it.”
For all the tough guys out there, Osiander has filmed a two-minute instructional film demonstrating one way to drain an infected ear with an insulin needle. The video clip is not for the squeamish. (It should also be noted that Osiander’s technique departs from the advice of medical experts at certain key points, such as doing it yourself in the first place.) Posted on YouTube in May, the video has been viewed more than 33,000 times.

Still, many young fighters display little interest in treatment, even the ill-advised sort demonstrated online. Jeff Hammond, 24, an amateur fighter from Tyler, Tex., has been nursing his most recent case of cauliflower ear since April. His first developed last year.
Hammond sought treatment for the first case. But in preparation for his next fight in August, he has no such plans. “I’ll brag about it,” he said. “People always, when I tell them I’m a fighter, they say, ‘You got that cauliflower ear yet?’ I say, ‘Yeah, you want to see?’ ”

Hammond’s approach to aural hygiene tends to mystify his coach, Drew Arthur, 57, a retired deputy marshal. Arthur, who built an octagonal cage to train his students in the forum used for the most popular professional fights, describes his Lone Star M.M.A. Gym as Christian-based.
Arthur’s theory about cauliflower ear goes like this: “I think it’s this generation. It’s an all-about-me type thing, and ‘I can make my own decisions.’ There’s a lot more independence with these guys saying, ‘I read this on the Internet’ or ‘I saw a guy drain his ear,’ when you should be in a doctor’s office when you’re starting to get a deformity.”

Fight Science: Anatomy of an Armbar

2008-07-31T00:04:00.000-07:00

An interesting video on the amount of force that can be applied using the proper armbar technique. Rickson Gracie is the guy that's doing the armbar, so the technique is about as good as you'll ever get.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs. Wrestling

2008-07-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

This one has Rickson fighting a college wrestling coach.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs. Kickboxing

2008-07-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

Just found some more Gracie challenge matches. I always liked the style vs. style of the first UFC, and these remind of the early days. The poor video quality is the only negative.

UFC Widget

2008-07-21T21:20:00.001-07:00

Is MMA bad for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

2008-07-07T21:49:00.000-07:00

Is MMA bad for BJJ?

The answer is YES and No. How can that be you ask. Well, let me first start with the good. First off, I, along with most of the United States, would probably never know about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu if it wasn’t for UFCs 1 – 5. Yes, I know Martin Riggs pulled off some sweet Jits against Mister Joshua in Murtagh’s front yard in Lethal Weapon 1, but BJJ didn’t really gain notoriety until Royce’s skinny ass started triangle choking everybody on Pay-Per-View.

Back then, no one knew what really worked in a fight. I mean we knew about punching and kicking. And we thought that the Japanese maintenance man in our mom’s apartment building had special skills that he would only impart to that one lucky kid he found worthy enough. I used to think if you had a black belt in Karate, even if you were a 10 year old Asian kid named “short round”, you could kick any normal person’s ass. But, my fantasy was busted by the events of the Ultimate Fighting Championship #1. Then came the mystical days of BJJ. Back, when if your name was Gracie you couldn’t be beaten. Then we found out that there were about 500 guys named Gracie and some of them COULD be beaten, even my personal hero “Royce”. As time went by more and more Brazilians came to America to teach BJJ. As the UFC became more popular, smaller events began to pop up and the term Mixed Martial Arts was coined. Over the years more and more rules were thrust upon MMA. No kicks to the head of a downed opponent, no strikes to the groin, and if you’re not working on the ground the referee will stand you up (I’ll come back to that one), just to name a few.

Back, to the good of MMA. MMA showed that BJJ is very, very effective. It finally showed that a smaller person could beat a larger person in a fight. A claim that almost every other martial art had been making for centuries. So, for that I thank the sport of MMA, the UFC, and everyone else that introduced me to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I just wish I would have discovered it at 7 instead of 36.

Now for the bad. MMA is bad for Jiu-Jitsu because a person new to the sport of MMA could easily think that BJJ is not as effective as it really is. And I’m talking about in a real fight, a self-defense situation. What I mean is that the modern rules of MMA favor the striker far more than the grappler. For instance the last rule I mentioned above, the referee standing you up for perceived lack of activity on the ground. One effective technique of Jiu-Jitsu is conserving your energy while your opponent becomes exhausted. For example, a larger person knocks you down, you pull guard, keep his posture broken down avoiding strikes, until your opponent gives up an armbar, triangle, etc. The stand up rule was made to make the fights more exciting. Most of the crowds don’t appreciate the ground game. They’re just looking for the knock-out. That’s the reason the UFC has DVDs called “Ultimate Knock-outs” and not “Ultimate Submissions”. Actually there are DVDs of submissions (101 submissions, etc) but those are for guys looking to learn submissions, not for guys to go “oooh!” and “Oh, shit!”

Also, newbie’s may not realize how hard it is to pull off a rear naked choke, triangle, armbar, or omoplata on a half naked man covered in sweat. In a real fight, if you have to fight, unless you’re at the beach your opponent is probably going to be wearing more than board shorts. He’ll probably be wearing a VanHalen (or possibly Winger) T-shirt, Levi jeans, and a pair of high top white Nike shoes. (I’m sorry my last fight was in 1988). In this instance sweat probably won’t be a factor, a referee won’t stand you back up after a minute of inactivity and you’ll be able to grab a hold of his concert T-shirt. Oh, and you’ll be able to grab onto the fence without having a point deducted. If Joe Dirt is able to punch you, he won’t be wearing five ounce gloves, so it will probably hurt his hand as much as it will hurt your head.

Now days, all fighters train Jiu-Jitsu. Maybe they only train to defend against BJJ techniques, or defend against the take down, But they all train it in some form or fashion. The fighters also study each other. They watch tapes of their opponents, the last time they won and the last time they lost. In a self-defense situation, I’m almost positive the guy who wants to kick your ass for ordering a Zima at his tough guy bar isn’t going to allow you to watch a video of his last fight and study his weakness.

So, New Guy, don’t think because Patrick Cote beat Ricardo Alamedia, some no name guy beat Roan Carneiro, or that Matt Hughes beat Royce Gracie, that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is not a top self defense art. If you invest some time training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, at a quality school, and some dumbass tough guy off the street picks a fight with you, I can almost guarantee that your BJJ will work like magic on him. Just like in UFC 1.

My Jiu-Jitsu Instructor did inform me today that he thought more fights have been won by submission than any other method in the UFC. I'm not going to dispute that fact, because he's right, and he can also choke me pretty much at will.

Eddie Bravo vs. Royler Gracie (ADCC 2003)

2008-06-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

First let me say "Great job Eddie, you made a legend tap". But, Royler is a legendary man, not a God. Any man can be beaten, just like Royce was choked unconscious by Walid Ismail. Everybody can lose. Just like Eddie lost in his next match at that particular ADCC. In this match between Royler and Eddie, you did get to see the famed Rubber Guard and the lock-down half guard, but what won the match was a triangle choke. That's right just your fundamental triangle choke. I know its hard to believe it wasn't the "electric chair", "the brass monkey", "the Ganja fist", or the "sensimilla strangle". It was just your everyday, run-of-the-mill, triangle choke. The one you learned as a white belt.

So, here's what I got out of watching this famous grappling match was that the exotic techniques are great for some people, but when it comes down to it the fundamental techniques that you learn as a white belt are the ones that will win 98% of your matches.

Even when used against the "immortals" of Brazilain Jiu-Jitsu.

A 250 lb body builder versus a 150 Lb BJJ black belt!

2008-06-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

Let me first say the video quality is not good in this video, but it's good enough to see the fight.

The story is that a 250lb former Mr. Utah was talking smack saying that he was too big and too strong for Gracie Jiu Jitsu to work on him. So, Pedro Sauer (2nd Degree BJJ Black Belt at that time) gave him the opportunity to put his muscle where his mouth was.

Watch the video to see how it turns out.

Fighting Multiple Attackers

2008-05-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

One of the most common things people say against Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is that it's not effective against multiple attackers. I was going to provide my thoughts about this topic but I remembered that Rorion Gracie addressed just this question in the Gracie Insider back in June 2007. Here's what Rorion said:

Question of the Month: “I know that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu has been proven effective against single opponents but how reliable is it against multiple opponents?”

Angie A. (Pittsburgh, PA)

Answer: Performances made by martial artists such as Jean Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal and Bruce Lee in Hollywood Blockbusters have led the people to believe that one person is capable of defeating 2, 3, 4 or even 100 opponents at once. People often forget that movies are scripted and that the opponents these actors are up against are told precisely when to attack and when to fall. Many instructors of high flying, spin kicking, flashy disciplines spend their days claiming that their styles consist of techniques proven effective against multiple attackers but what they forget to include is that these techniques are only reliable if you are able to stay on your feet and if you land each strike with 100% accuracy. The chances of you staying on your feet against two determined opponents is slim to none and as a result you can bet that your ability to survive the situation relies almost entirely on your ability to protect yourself and defeat your opponent as quickly as possible once the fight goes to the ground and this is where Gracie Jiu-Jitsu comes into play. Although we are not going to lie to you and say that GJJ is guaranteed effective against multiple attackers, we can say that the more you perfect your GJJ techniques the faster you will be able to incapacitate one opponent and as you increase your efficiency against one opponent, you will be increasing your chance of survival against multiple opponents. Additional Note: For what it’s worth, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu representatives have challenged and defeated representatives from nearly every system of self-defense which claims to be effective against multiple attackers.

BJJ Purple Belt Exam

2008-05-22T19:27:00.001-07:00

This is a video of a BJJ Purple Belt exam at the Roy Dean Academy. Probably the first thing you will notice is the Japanese writing on the wall and think this isn't Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Well, it is. Roy Dean is also an Aikido practitioner, and you can tell it heavily influences his school. He is a BJJ Black Belt. He says that he blends some Aikido with his BJJ.

I'm not into the bowing though, I'd rather just shake hands.

Anyway, I thought the video shows a lot of techniques in rapid fire procession and would be of interest for someone new to BJJ. Enjoy!

A positive article on BJJ for Law Enforcement

2008-05-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

Becoming a Professional Combatant

Tracy E. Barnhart

Dec 09 2007

There is one topic that I enjoy more than no other to talk about, and that is the use of force. In this article specifically, I was asked about techniques to utilize so officers can use that actually work during restraints. My answer is that no technique that I could ever write about in a training article that can be learned from and then applied correctly just by reading my information. I can however, give you some basic principals that you can take away and seek out a good martial arts program in order to gain further knowledge.

“The responsibility for preparing men and women for battle should never be taken lightly. What you say and do, or fail to say and do, may be the difference between winning and losing. More importantly, it may be the difference between living and dying.” I have made this statement hundreds of times and this is why I continually strive to get as much job specific continuing education and training so that the information that I provide is the best, most up to date knowledge that I can offer.

Most agencies think that a defensive program is a collection of techniques, and tend to associate a given martial arts system with the most distinctive techniques as the best for their employees. This response is a natural enough consequence, seeing that most martial arts styles put an emphasis on techniques as the basis for their art. But as you will gather, this is an unfortunate state of affairs. The truth is that technique by itself is of little value. Technique is only as useful as the degree to which it can be used by an officer under actual stressful combative conditions.
All the techniques in the world are useless if they cannot be applied well. The missing link in most fighting styles, which was quickly revealed in UFC competitions, is an adequate training regimen that allows an officer to master a technique under combative situations. By making it impossible for officers to train with their specific techniques in live situations, traditional departmental defensive tactics never exposed their officers to the pressure and feel of applying those instructed techniques in a live situations. It is one thing to know the theory of applying a technique on a cooperative partner; and it is a completely different reality to apply it on someone who is doing everything they can to resist your techniques and then escape or apply their own on you.

The way that you train is the way that you will fight. Martial arts that allow you to apply your techniques at close to full power in daily training and sport will allow you to constantly use those very techniques in almost exactly the same way during a real fight. This consistency creates a tremendous familiarity with the technique and its real world application. This is what I was seeking when I started my journey into the life of a professional combatant. This is what you must call yourself today in the law enforcement profession as we at times get paid to utilize combative techniques to bring about restraint and stability of aggressive individuals within our facilities.

Does the study of martial arts actually allow you to defend yourself from attack? You often hear stories about people who have studied a particular martial art in depth, only to be soundly trounced when they actually got into a real fight. Thus there is a legitimate concern among many that martial artists walk around with a dangerously false sense of confidence that is not based on any real fighting skill. Asking martial artists whether their fighting style is really effective is never a reliable means of answering your questions. Most martial artists are convinced that their style is more effective than any others. Indeed, few human activities have more claims that are grandiose and that are made on such weak evidence than those of the world of martial arts.

I have studied many different martial art styles over the past 20 years from Karate, Tae-Kwon-Do to Wrestling and Aikido. I have taken several courses from Krav Maga as well as Judo and all have fallen short of what I needed to accomplish my mission in the law enforcement profession. I could not very well utilize the kicking or punching techniques of Karate, Tae-Kwon-Do and Krav Maga and the wrist locking or throwing techniques of Aikido, Judo as well as Wrestling were difficult to obtain in a real combative situations. I wanted a practical art that the techniques worked well, trained at real life speeds allowing me to go full force training my body to adapt and transition into another position when the initial applied techniques either failed or did not work as applied. I was seeking an art that when I performed the fighting style when I was in uniform and being video taped appeared to be soft, subtle and less brutal but yet bringing about quick compliance and stability to the situation and keeping me injury free. What I found was that today’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was the best fighting style for me.

The grapplers were the only fighters who consistently demonstrated a real ability to act out a claim made by all martial arts – to enable a smaller, weaker fighter to overcome and defeat a larger, stronger fighter with a minimum amount of violence and bloodshed. I contacted a Tae-Kwon-Do instructor one time and asked him what if any grappling techniques that he taught and his actual reply was, “With our art, you will never have to go to the ground, so why teach it.” This flawed way of thinking has been proven wrong time and time again within the octagon and other professional settings where no holds barred fighting is allowed. Going to the ground is a reality as well as an asset allowing trained fighters to dominate larger and more aggressive opponent.

I often laugh when instructors say when you do this you will kill your attacker, or break their arm or leg. How do they know this to be true? How many lives have they taken or arms or legs have they broken? What you will find to be true is that many martial art instructors have never been in a real street fight utilizing their chosen martial arts in real world situations. These instructors posses a false sense of security around a knowledge base that has rarely, if ever, been truly tested. The fact is, I never want to kill an inmate I am restraining or break a leg or arm and most definitely never want to introduce blood into the situation. What will the video tape reveal showing you punching an inmate or kicking an inmate in the head during a restraint? I want to appear as if I am the victim and the non-aggressor in every restraint that I take part in. And no matter how confident I am I never want to be alone either. I want as many officers present during the restraint as I can so that I can better my odds for success and maintain me on the active duty roster and not on disability.

Inmates will tempt you in fighting them one on one because they stand a better chance of defeating you. They will challenge your manhood and taunt you for days as scared or weak when you don’t restrain them one on one. You know what; I can take that criticism any day other than an ass kicking I may take by letting my ego and pride take over. You never know what set of fighting skills an inmate may have or that they may have fought professionally in a ring before they were incarcerated. Watch your inmates as they play fight, and test each other in shadow boxing events. You may not come out on top during a one on one real world combative situation. Violence and fighting is an ingrained set of values that all inmates or criminals possess and they truly believe in their effectiveness. The reality is that it may not be one on one when it starts, whenever you start a restraint their buddies may jump into the fight. Every correctional restraint needs to be addressed as a multiple combatant scenario, because it just may.

Beginning Grappling Tips

2008-05-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

This article was written by Nathan Leverton of www.totalgrappling.com. I thought it was pretty good advice for new BJJ students, as I have heard almost the same topics from my Jiu-Jitsu instructor. I just thought I would pass it on

Enjoy The Training
This is a hobby/pastime for most, you are learning to fight but you should also be having fun. It will be hard at times and you may question if it's worth it but you gotta be enjoying it deep down. If you don't then find something else, life is to short.

Relax
Every newbie gets told to "relax" about a hundred times, it'll take time to come but is important for productive training.

What they roughly mean is:
a) Pace yourself. Don't try to go all out for 30 seconds then be unable to carry on rolling without passing out or throwing up. Learn that gassing sucks and that a purple complexion suits nobody.
b) Don't be so tense. It'll slow you down and make you tire quicker. Not every muscle in your body has to be working at full contraction the whole time!
c) Don't freak out in bad positions or when you're caught in a sub, it's just training. By staying calm and reacting instead of panicking you'll learn more.
d) Expend your energy as efficiently as possible.
e) Don't try to do moves a hundred times faster than needed (or that your skill level allows). Mechanics and leverage are important too
f) Don't try to bully moves. Use what is there, not just what you want. Also, learning when to let go of a move is as important as when to go for one.
g) Head squeezers suck. You're there to learn, not to try and headlock someone to death.

Breath
When newbies tense up they tend to hold their breath as well. Try to keep a regular breathing pattern. Sounds simple but you'd be surprised how hard it can be when under pressure. You will gas anyway but breath and you'll last a lot longer.

Patience
If you want to learn anything and get good it takes time. You aren't going to be tapping everyone out after a weeks training. Have patience and put in the work, it'll come.

Consistency
If you want to make progress then consistent training is key. A session here and there is no good, make the effort to get down to regular classes. Consistency in attitude is also important.

Focus
Simply turning up is not enough. No one else can make you good, a coach can only guide you, it's down to you. Pay attention and try to get as much out of the class as possible. You should take something from every drill and roll.

Ask Questions
If you don't understand something then ask, you are there to learn. Ask more experienced students you train with as well as the coach. If someone keeps catching you with something during training ask what you are doing wrong. Correcting it will make you both better. As the saying goes "The only stupid question is the one not asked".
Note: Ask relevant questions, don't be the nob who's asks "Would Bruce Lee beat Rickson Gracie?" when a drill is being explained.

Tap!
Don't get hurt. If you are caught tap.
You're supposed to get tapped, it's part of the game. If you can escape go for it but if you're going to get hurt tap. You don't actually have to be in pain with gritted teeth to tap, sometimes that is too late!
We all end up learning this the hard way. Anyone with some mat time under his belt can probably think of times he wishes he hadn't been so stubborn and had tapped earlier. Tapping and carrying on with the class is lot better than missing sessions while an injury heals.

Don't Be A Jerk With Submissions
Apply the final portion of submissions with slow even pressure, do not jerk them on without control. By all means enter quickly in to the technique, but when it comes to finishing you gotta control the limb and apply pressure slowly.

Be Aware Of The Tap
When you have a submission applied it is your partners job to tap, but it's yours to notice the tap. Don't just wildly apply the submission without being a aware of your opponent, he may not be able to use his hands on you and could signal vocally, tapping the mat or by stamping his feet.

Injuries

** Take injuries seriously **

Another biggie we all learn the hard way, and some of us never get in to our thick heads.
If you pick up an injury, stop and get it treated before you go back on the mat. Missing the end of a session to ice an injury and skipping the rest of the week is better than creating a problem which will blight your training for months or even years. Seriously, if you need to take time off, do it.
Going down to watch the classes during your break is encouraged, but only if you can resist going on. If it's too much temptation find something else to do.
Learn to treat your injuries. R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) will be your best friend.

Don't Beat Yourself Up
You WILL get your ass kicked. At the start you will get tapped lots. Remember that everyone went through the same thing, even the best. Even with some experience you'll always get caught and have days when you get schooled by people you normally clown. Bad sessions are part of training. Don't get discouraged. Have patience, keep training and try to enjoy the workout.

Watch Others
You can learn a lot from watching others. Being able to see and understand what others are doing will increase your understanding. You may be able to pick up a technique, detail or movement that will help your game. Everyone has their own way of grappling, differing styles can teach you different things.
Also, studying someone better than you and modeling how they roll can be a good way to make progress.

Hygiene
Shouldn't really need to include this but you never know.
Wash your kit every session. Wash yourself every session. Keep nails trimmed.

Respect
Show respect to the people you train with.
On the mat keep your partners safety in mind and don't go bullying less experienced players.
Off the mat some piss taking is part of being a team but bad blood and gossip can kill a group.

"Leave Your Ego At The Door"
This is a motto at many clubs. Training can be competitive but you are there to learn, not fight. Training and drilling is about improving performance, not "winning". Don't bring your insecurities on to the mat.

Position, Position, Position
Good position skills are what makes a good grappler.
Pin escapes and guard passing are the two most important aspects of your game, they are what you are going to need when rolling with better opponents. Add to that your pinning game and sweeps. This should be your focus, not just when you start training but always.
Submissions are great fun but good position skills are where it's at, they are what get you to the sub and keep you out of bad positions. Not much point learning a submission combo from the mount if you can't get there or hold the position.

The Fundamentals Are Your Friends
Spending the time on the fundamentals is the way to get good at grappling.
The "basics" may seem a boring after a few months but in time you will see the depth of understanding there is to gain in their application. Little nuances will become apparent and you will have the foundation to take your game to the next level.

Learn To Do The Things You Hate To Do
We all have areas we need to train but try to put off. It may be your side control escapes, your penetration step or your leg kick. You need to learn to enjoy this training, it is focusing on these areas that improve your game, not relying on your strong moves. Train the things you hate in the knowledge you're making progress and putting in that extra bit of effort others at your club might not.

Training Partners
Finding a good drilling partner is great for making really progress, someone who understand how you train and will challenge you.
However, training with just one or two people can put you in a rut, make sure you roll with as wide a cross section of the club as possible.

Goal Setting
"Set daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. Write them down and share them with someone close to you." - Randy Couture
You must constantly set realistic and relevant goals, have a plan to achieve them and stick to it. Goals keep you motivated and give you a map for improvement.

Performance Is Your Guide
When evaluating your physical skills in fighting/martial arts the only thing that matters is performance. Performance is measured by success against a resisting opponent (ie sparring and live drilling).

Rest
Get plenty of sleep and rest. Your body needs time for recuperation, repair and growth. Over-training, tiredness and stress will all hamper performance.

Nutrition
Your nutrition is your fuel. You must find a good balance in your food, drink and supplements to support your training.

The Big Picture
Remember that fighting ability doesn't mean @#%$ in the big picture. If it brings enjoyment to your life that's brilliant. But, at your funeral do you want the mourners missing you and grieving over the loss, or saying "well, he had a really tight side control". Be nice and let your family and friends know how much you love 'em.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu:Does it have a place in Law Enforcement Training??

2008-05-12T20:58:00.000-07:00

As you can read in my earlier posts, I belive that Law Enforcement (everyone for that matter) should train in BJJ. But, not everyone shares that opinion. Well, I'm not opposed to sharing with you an opinion that differs from mine. And here's one now. The article is below and a link to it: http://www.swatdigest.com/archives/arch_brazilianjuijitsu.html

In a later post I will list the issues I have with this article.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu:Does it have a place in Law Enforcement Training??

“There are not fifty ways of fighting, there is only one: to be the conqueror.”
--Andre Malraux

As a professional instructor of law enforcement and military tactics, I believe it is my responsibility to research what is being taught by other instructors. I do this for several reasons. My primary objective is to further my education on how the field of combatives and tactics are evolving. My secondary objective is to learn from these instructors about what works and what doesn’t work; what is applicable to different units; what clearly isn’t appropriate training; and to stay abreast ofcutting-edge developments in the field. I try to take what I observe and apply a rigorous examination of its applicability and appropriateness to the reality of the officer. I begin my audit by asking myself a series of questions. Does the particular technique or training seem realistic for the type of situations that an officer would be engaged? Can these skills be executed in the gear the officer will be wearing (duty uniform, tactical rig, clandestine lab operations)? Are the techniques limited to a very narrow scenario or pre- fabricated situation? Do you believe that you could execute these skills when the adrenalin is pumping and you are scared? The final question that I ask is, “Did the training have an element of limited-constraint fighting?” Making a decision about the value of techniques is extremely difficult without testing them in the reality of noncompliance.

Everything works on a compliant training partner. The introduction of noncompliance and unpredictability, however, changes things. When your life or well-being is the price you pay for adhering to unrealistic training techniques or training methods, we must answer these questions with complete honesty. Using these directed questions as our “reality-check road map”, let’s begin our intellectual exercise of trying to determine what role, if any, that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) plays in law enforcement training.

To expedite this examination I will list three major areas of concern that should flash red lights in your mind immediately:

1. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a sport and law enforcement is not. Any time we try to substitute techniques and training methodologies from sport to reality we must proceed with extreme caution.

2. Officers must adhere to rules of engagement (ROE). Failure to apply a response that coincides with the force continuum can result in many negative repercussions. While BJJ also has ROE, they are not as specific as those present in law enforcement. A BJJ competitor cannot poke his opponent in the eyes while grappling. If he does choose to do so the result is disqualification. If an officer chooses to gouge a citizen’s eye when they were being non-compliant they would suffer much greater punishment than the athlete. Furthermore, compare the narrow range of force that a BJJ competitor employs in competition to that an officer must contend with in reality. The BJJ competitor attempts to secure a choke or a joint-compromising technique. Choking and arm-breaking are often not appropriate actions for the officer. The officer, in comparison, must choose between responses that cross the gamut of verbal persuasion to deadly force.

3. The last place an officer wants to be in an engagement is on the ground. Notice I am not stating that they will never end up there, rather they wish to avoid having to go to the ground. The opposite is true in BJJ. The goal of the skilled practitioner is to successfully take the fight to the ground. Again, when there is such a discrepancy between goals and tactics of sport and reality we must be rigorous in our examination.

So what can we learn from BJJ for law enforcement? After asking the questions that I posed above I have reached the following two conclusions:

1. It is applicable for law enforcement as a reference tool.

2. It is applicable for law enforcement as a conditioning and fitness development tool.

As a reference tool, BJJ is very useful for law enforcement. I believe its value is twofold in this capacity.

First, understanding BJJ gives us a reference tool for understanding how a ground fight evolves. It allows us to speak intelligently about positions of vulnerability and positions of dominance. This is important because any time we can systematize components of a fight we are better able to problem solve issues that often occur in a particular evolution of a physical encounter. For instance, BJJ provided officers a very valuable hierarchy of ground position dominance. Understanding when one is in a non- dominant position is a critical piece of information that should dictate how one responds to their opponent.

Secondly, BJJ’s focus on the positional theory of ground fighting teaches officers the importance of being able to hold a position of dominance. An untrained fighter will try to punch his/her opponent from any position on the ground without paying attention to dominance and positional control. What often results is that the puncher, more attentive to landing blows than maintaining control, is thrown off balance and out of dominance. In a wild, free-for-all grappling situation, the stronger opponent will most likely come out on top. Officers must understand that control is the foundation for their safety. Ground-fighting training is also beneficial to law enforcement personnel in the area of conditioning and physical fitness development. This type of training allows officers to train at various exercise intensities with a low chance of injuries. I would much rather have officers practicing BJJ, while developing warrior ethos, than have them run around a track in a mind-numbing mind set.

With a little imagination a trainer can significantly change the tempo, intensity, and situational applicability of this type of training. It is also useful as a training tool when you have officers of various fitness levels. Having some officers practice standing up in base and doing floor exercises might be challenging enough while others may be fit enough for multiple sparring rounds.

I believe that BJJ, when appropriately framed, has a role in law enforcement training. To ignore training for a ground fighting scenario is irresponsible. Furthermore, blindly transferring the techniques and training methodologies from sport to reality is equally irresponsible. Take some time to carefully scrutinize what officers need to know when a situation moves to a ground based scenario and apply the questions that I have outlined in this article. In the words of Bruce Lee, “Take what is applicable, disregard what is useless.”

Jason Winkle, Ph.D.
Director of Combatives
United States Military Academy
West Point, NY 10996

Female Officer sucker punched

2008-05-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

Violence happens in an instant. Yes, cops put themselves in harms way. But, this could happen to you in a heartbeat. Prepare yourself!

A very bad day for this cop!

2008-05-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

This officer was not prepared for the day that he came across this guy. He tried everything on his duty belt from pepper spray to his handgun. Neither one really worked. What you don't see is kicks, knees, or elbows. And you definitely don't see a ground game. You have to prepare yourself for the former pro-boxer who's not going to go along with the program.

Surrender Your Gun? Don't even think about it

2008-05-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

The majority of my posts are BJJ or fight oriented. But, my original idea was to have a blog that was more than just hand to hand focused. So, to get back to my original idea I've added this post.

The article below came from the Backup Law Enforcement newsletter. The article is intended for cops but, it's also very practical for civilians that have a concealed carry permit.

Think you have a better chance at surviving by listening to an assailant's orders? Think again. You have an 85% chance of surviving a handgun shooting if you are on the move. Gain some distance from the suspect - most hand gun shootings occur at less than 7 yards. Of those shootings, only 11% of an assailant's bullets actually hit the intended target. What if he appears to be a professional marksman? Surprisingly, only 25% of police bullets hit the intended target. And unlike the movies, most of these winners have little to no firearms training AT ALL. You want to give your gun up? What kind of chance do you stand when he turns your gun back around and manages to shoot you in the head? How do you react then? What form of protection will you be left with?

One of the hottest issues in law enforcement today is whether or not you should give your gun up to a suspect who has the drop on you, or is holding a hostage. You could be in the camp that considers the views of Officer Survival expert Ron McCarthy unjustified. You would argue that his views are biased, and outdated. You could even believe it is impossible to predict what you'd do unless you are faced with this situation. Well, do yourself a favor - don't wait until that time to decide whether or not you will surrender your gun. You wouldn't want to enter into a deadly situation unarmed, would you? So, why would you give that option up? If you ever plan on living through that deadly encounter - you'd better heed this warning and HOLD ONTO YOUR GUN. Give up your gun?! You didn't earn a badge by being last in your class, so don't start acting that way now. If the suspect has you at gunpoint, or has taken a hostage, there are several other things you can do rather than give up your firearm.

BUT what if there are innocent hostages? If you give up your gun, you might as well add one more unarmed, underpowered, vulnerable individual to the group. This suspect is clearly intent on causing serious harm or death. What convictions are you acting upon if you believe by giving up your gun you are saving anothers life? Are this thug's words something you would trust your LIFE with? Surrender your gun and you stand just as defenseless as those you are attempting to protect.

BUT what if you're not in a position to run? React decisively and forcefully. Force him to react to you. Get him to start talking and when he blinks, begins to reply to you, or is distracted in any way, use that as your opportunity. In the three-quarters of a second that it takes him to react to you, you could disarm him and shoot him. On the other hand, you hand over your weapon, and you stand in a position of attempting to protect yourself against an armed fugitive with what? A quick right and a left jab?? That's less than "tying with a suspect." The only thing more foolish would be if you took a time out to give him some shooting lessons, and THEN handed him your gun to use - on you.

BUT what about the cops who handed over their gun and made it? For all of those who have lived to tell their war stories when they surrendered their guns and lived - they're lucky. But what about those who didn't? If someone orders you to give up your gun or they will shoot - don't fall victim to this threat. If he's crazy enough to threaten an armed, trained, LE officer, he's probably stupid enough to try and shoot you either way. You only have 2 options in this situation: You must disarm him or shoot him. How can you expect to accomplish this without your gun?

Let's hope you never find yourself in this type of situation. If you do - we want you to do whatever you can to survive. Experts like Ron McCarthy stress to NEVER give up your gun, and for good reason. There are too many better alternatives that have proven effective, time and again. And if you follow the fallow myths swirling around out there, you might end up as one - and that's probably not the legend you had in mind, is it?

BJJ for your health

2008-04-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

I thought I would take a minute to write about the health benefits of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I started training BJJ in June 2007. I was 36 years old, 5'11" and weighed 230 lbs. It wasn't a muscular 230, it was fat. I could barely make it through my first few Jiu-Jitsu classes, I would get exhausted after just a couple of minutes of grappling. Well, today I weigh 179 lbs, that's 51 lbs lost, and I can grapple for a hell of a lot longer now. Granted, I didn't lose 51 lbs on BJJ alone, I had to change my diet also. I cut out fast food and soda, but BJJ was my motivation. Everyone has to find what motivates them to get healthy.

But, my story is not unique. I found a testimonial from a Doctor in Florida who also found the benefits of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I've attached it below:

Dr. Paul Guzman testimonial
My name is Paul Guzman, as a physician, I have been practicing emergency psychiatry at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center for ten years. My job is satisfying and rewarding, however, it is very stressful, unpredictable and can be emotionally draining at times.
In February of 2006, my son asked me to take up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the fastest growing martial art in the country. I agreed, thinking that this was something that I would do for him and would bring us even closer. I hesitated because I was 48 years old at the time, in terrible shape, overweight and believed that I could never accomplish anything in this sport. After my first class, this became even more evident because I could not even accomplish 10 minutes of the warm-ups! At that moment, I approached our instructor, Professor Mauricio Villardo, former BJJ World Champion and Pan American Champion, a third degree black belt from Brazil and asked him, "what do you think, should I even come back?" Mauricio guaranteed me that if I stayed with it, I could accomplish many things in the sport and grow with-in the sport of BJJ. I must admit that I did not have faith in myself. I weighed almost 230 pounds, had a waist of over 38 inches and at 5’11", did not believe that I would be able to last much longer as I could not even complete the 1st 30 minutes of class or warm-ups without having to stop, totally out of breath and fatigued.
In retrospect, I realize that the only thing that kept me in class was my son and the patience and support of Professor Mauricio Villardo.
With-in a few months I found myself training or sparring with my class mates and we developed an awesome sense of camaraderie. By October, 2006, I entered and competed in the 1st Orlando Cup U.S. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. Unfortunately, there was no one in my age group at my weight and experience level. Fortunately, Professor Mauricio Villardo approached me and asked me if I wanted to fight in the 21 to 30 year age group. I recall distinctly that he said that I should not feel any pressure as my opponent was 21 years younger than I was at the time. I could not bypass the opportunity so I accepted. Although I lost the fight, it was by one point and my opponent was totally out of gas. He admitted to me that he was exhausted. Meanwhile, I still felt that I could have gone for an additional 2-3 minutes. This told me several things; I was overjoyed at being able to compete, Professor Mauricio’s training is superior and I no longer felt old.
I have lost over 30 pounds, more than 5 inches have come off my waist and I am in better shape or conditioning than I have ever been in my life. Equally important is that I am no longer stressed out by my job, my co-workers and family members say that I am much more relaxed and at ease, energy levels are better, my mental capabilities are sharper and much more cognizant of what and how I eat.
Professor Mauricio Villardo and my classmates have helped me tremendously. We are a family and I feel real kinship towards my classmates and Professor Mauricio. I attend class more regularly than my son. BJJ has become a lifestyle for me and I am much healthier in mind, spirit and body than I ever have been.

Fight Quest - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

2008-04-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

I never really watched this show but, this episode on BJJ is pretty good. It's broken up into 6 segments so you don't have to deal with commercials.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Armbar submission when your opponent has you in halfguard

2008-04-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hopefully, no one at my school learns this submission, because I try this sweep all the time. Usually, with pretty good success.

Combat Base to Omoplata

2008-04-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

This is a slick little sweep to Omoplata.

Royce Gracie vs. Akebono

2008-04-13T21:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, Mr. Grappler, What would you do if a big fat guy just fell on top of you?

That's a fairly common question from people who don't understand what BJJ is all about. Well lucky for them this question was answered in the ring. Thanks Royce for the answer.

Groundfighting for your life.

2008-04-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

This Highway Patrolman was conducting a routine DUI stop when he found himself fighting for his life on the ground. It appears this trooper knows what he's doing on the ground. If you watch his positioning, he was able to remain in a dominant position. So, if you read my previous post on Law Enforcement Ground Fighting and apply my opinions in that post to what you see in this video, I think you will see my point.

Should Cops train in groundfighting?

2008-04-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

Recently while surfing the net for Jiu-Jitsu news I came across an article on a website called The-CAPSprogram.com. The title of the article was “Ground Fighting for Law Enforcement Personnel. Our Dangerous Trend Toward Hitting the Deck” By Arnie Lipson. Lipson is a Law Enforcement trainer, with an expertise in Tae Kwon Do and Karate (Black Belts in both). He also states that he is ranked in “Judo and Jiu-Jitsu”.

The article is definitely anti-ground fighter and pro striker. I have taken out excerpts from his article so I can provide my counter opinion to his. If you want to read the entire article, it can be found at http://www.the-capsprogram.com/caps_articles_ground.htm

“Ever since the Gracie family started to dominate the “cage match” scene, I have noticed that many defensive tactics instructors in law enforcement have stated that “all street fights will end up on the ground.” I would have to disagree, unless of course one trains to go to the ground deliberately. This seems to be the case in some law enforcement circles lately. Some officers have resigned themselves to the fact that if they get into a physical confrontation; they will end up on the ground. “

Well, I disagree with the above statements. Not all fights go to the ground, just 95% of them. A police officer cannot resign themselves to anything. They have to prepare themselves for everything.

“As a result, they decide to train themselves to grab and hit the deck, instead of strike and stay on their feet. Ground fighting is very effective for those who practice it all the time and become experts. Yet even then, most are not performing the same techniques in the same way while dressed in full law enforcement garb. “

Well, I only partially disagree with this. First, you don’t have to train “all the time and become an expert”. The brilliance of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is that the basic techniques are simple and very effective. No matter what force option you may use in law enforcement the more you train in the technique the more effective it will be. This includes your gun, baton, punching, kicking, or grappling. If you trained only once to fire your handgun and never trained with it again, when you needed it you probably would not be able to hit the target. Grappling (Jiu-Jitsu) is no different. If a cop took a 40 hour grappling course and never trained again, he probably would not be able to remember the technique. The part I do agree with is that when a policeman trains Jiu-Jitsu he does need to train with his gun belt on. Not at first, when you understand the technique then you throw in the gun belt. The gun belt will make a difference. Some BJJ techniques are not compatible for use with a gun belt on.

Here are the “safety issues” that Lipson has identified concerning L.E. Jiu-Jitsu.

TRAIN THE WAY YOU FIGHT, AND FIGHT THE WAY YOU TRAIN

“Just as we do in our combatives classes, we dress in training as we will dress on the street. It is unrealistic for an officer to train in “pajamas” if he isn’t working in them. The hip and shoulder throws, as well as purposely locking oneself to an attacker on the ground is unrealistic when a gun belt and equipment are worn. All these techniques offer deliberate and easy access to an officer’s weapons.”

Of course you should always train the way you fight. As I said before you have to train with the gun belt on. If guys aren’t doing it they should. But, I can tell you that even striking training most of the time is not done wearing the full “Sam Brown” gun belt. But, you should!

No matter what defensive tactic you may employ, weapon access and retention should be the first thing you consider. Grappling is no different. If you are doing a technique that provides easy access to your gun, Don’t do it! Of course if you’re standing with a big guy and he knocks you out, I guess then he would have easy access to your gun.

THE PROBLEM OF MULTIPLE ATTACKERS

“If there are multiple assailants involved during a confrontation, it does not make sense for an officer to go to the ground to apprehend his subject. Reality is an officer grappling with his assailant, as the other assailants put the boot to the officer’s head, stomp his legs and body, or assault him with a weapon. Most likely his own.”

What does work against multiple attackers? The only for sure thing is running away. If you learn how to grapple it can help you avoid being taken down and having the boots put to you. Honestly, nothing works against multiple attackers. So, I would focus on something that will work on one attacker. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!

LOSS OF MOBILITY

“We have less mobility to employ our weapons and unarmed skills, and we give up an easier escape should the arrest go bad. If an officer is tied up on the ground fending off one or more attackers, it is harder for him to employ power development techniques when he strikes”.

Well, this is kind of the whole point of grappling. Its to have your attacker lose mobility. The fact is if you fighting a guy on the ground or standing up, the arrest has gone bad.

POSSIBLE UNINTENTIONAL PERSONAL INJURY

“It is bad enough sustaining an injury by falling, or getting knocked to the ground. By grabbing an assailant and deliberately going to the ground with him, the officer puts himself at unnecessary risk for injuries caused by hitting the ground with not only his own body weight, but that of his attacker as well.”

All personal injuries are unintentional. If you are training to slam an attackers body weight down on top of you, you’re doing something wrong. If you are training to slam your body weight down on top of your attacker, you’re doing something right. Keep it up.

DIFFICULT TO DISENTANGLE

“When an officer grapples with an assailant on the ground, he ties up his limbs trying either to wrap the attacker up to gain control, to gain a position of advantage, or to prevent himself from being put in a position of disadvantage. All of this hinders his ability to defend against other possible attackers or escape if necessary. Furthermore, depending on the officer’s physical condition, he may not be able to continue fighting for his weapons and his life while on his back.”

Lipson doesn’t seem to understand what Jiu-Jitsu for Law Enforcement is really about. No one should be training to just stay underneath an attacker. Cops have to learn sweeps for the purpose of getting into a superior position and for escape. And if they simply just can’t get out from under the bad guy, you need to know that you can still finish a fight from the bottom.

NO CLEAN FINISH

“Even if the officer succeeds in besting his attacker on the ground, he needs to untangle himself, maintain his advantage, and secure his assailant all at the same time. Whereas a good clean striking technique which succeeds in stopping the assailant, keeps the officer in a position of advantage while he secures the arrest.”

Lipson makes this more complicated than it is. He makes it sound as if you need the Jaws-of-Life to disentangle from your opponent. His point is that if you simply knock your opponent out it will be SO easy to hook him up. If it was just that easy, everybody would be Chuck Liddell.

SIZE AND WEIGHT DIFFERENTIAL

“Being 5' 5" tall and weighing 145 pounds, I can truly relate to this one. This would also apply to female officers as well. It doesn’t make sense for an officer to risk his or her safety by tangling on the ground with an assailant who is heavier, larger, or stronger. “

So, it makes sense to him that a smaller person should stand and trade punches with a larger person. I think one thing that the early UFCs proved were that a smaller person could defeat a larger opponent with Jiu-Jitsu. Even though Royce Gracie is a BJJ master, the techniques he employed in those early fights were fundamental techniques of Jiu-Jitsu. No flying arm-bars.

Here’s his summary:

“In summary, ground fighting is generally a dangerous game to play for a fully uniformed officer of average training. I believe that a 40-hour course with little to no follow-up training will teach an officer just enough to get hurt in a confrontation. As a veteran officer of almost 14 years, I believe staying on your feet makes you harder to beat. If you do get knocked to the ground, employ the same fighting principles on the deck that you employ on your feet. Your goal, however, is not to tangle on the asphalt, and pin your assailant. Your goal is to cause as much pain as you possibly can in the shortest amount of time, so that you can get to your feet, and get to your weapons.“

It’s crazy to think you can employ the same fighting principles on the ground as you do on your feet. It’s just not the same. Arnie Lipson is obviously biased against Jiu-Jitsu. One thing MMA has shown us, usually the most well rounded fighter is the victor.

Jiu-Jitsu works, I don’t think anyone can deny that. Although there are still doubters in the world, usually from the world of traditional martial arts , like Arnie Lipson. But, he's in the business of selling his product to law enforcement and I bet his system is based on striking.

Sweet Takedown

2008-04-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

Nice takedown. Now that he's on the ground what's next?

Vegas Cop does a Chi - Funny blooper videos are here

BJJ White Belt vs. Judo Black Belts

2008-04-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

OK, so the white belt is BJ Penn.

White Belt Blues

2008-04-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

I thought this was a very good article I found on a real good website. It's located at www.lockflow.com. I'm a fairly new guy at my school and I think this article has some good advice for new and old students. Enjoy it!

White Belt Blues
Posted by Marshal Carper
Thu Apr 03, 2008 10:39 am

Being the new guy is difficult. You’re stepping into a world where everyone knows each other and where everyone is probably more experienced than you. While this is difficult in any setting, being the new guy on the mat presents a unique set of challenges. After all, everyone will be beating you up.

The learning curve for grappling arts can seem impossibly steep. Adjusting to a new gym can be intimidating. Losing matches repeatedly can be disheartening. These obstacles can lower motivation and impact your work ethic. In the worst cases, the frustration can build to the point that you feel like quitting.

Don’t panic. This is perfectly normal.

Grappling and MMA are difficult sports, so it’s not unusual to experience these types of negative feelings. Learning to overcome these obstacles in a healthy and efficient manner is an important part of your development as a student. So whether you’re a new student putting on a stiff white gi or a veteran fighter tightening your faded lucky hand wraps, here are some tips that can make your time at the gym more enjoyable and more productive.

1. Shake Hands
Quality training partners are essential to your development as a grappler. While a challenging training partner is important, a safe training partner is paramount. So, the best person to train with is someone who cares about your well being as well as your development. Since combat sports are highly competitive, establish mutual, friendly respect as early as possible.

Shake hands with everyone in the room, at least twice.

When you come in for a training, give a warm greeting. If you’re kind, people will generally be kind in return. Making this a habit, even if you’re really shy, will make your face a welcome one and allow you to begin building rapport with the people in the gym.

When you spar or roll with someone, shake their hand before, and shake their hand after. Thank them for them for the sparring session. You don’t need to be creepy about it, a simple “Hey man, thanks for the roll” will do.

When class is over, shake hands goodbye. Thank your partners for working with you, and thank your instructor for the class. Being kind and respectful will make your life at the gym much more pleasant. People will return the favor, and eventually, you’ll have friends as sparring partners.

2. Learn to Lose
Being a good sport is just as vital as being friendly. Very rarely will you be the best person one the mat, especially if you’re just starting out. You will lose, and you will lose a lot. Tapping out and eating a few punches is an important part of learning. Each mistake is an opportunity to learn. If the same submission or same combination keeps catching you, ask your partner what you’re doing wrong, either right then or after training. If you’ve been friendly and respectful, chances are that they’ll be more than happy to give you a few pointers.

Losing is actually a good thing.

Now, when you’re getting submitted 20 times a night, that statement will seem like a load of hogwash, and that’s fine. A losing streak can be frustrating, and frustration is the enemy of progress.

Try rolling with someone less experienced than you. Even if you have only been training for a few weeks, you will likely be able to find someone even greener than you. I’m not suggesting demolish them; I mean to take it slow and control them. Against a less experienced opponent, you will find it easier to secure positions and find submissions. This is good for both your development and your confidence. Having the time to think about attacking instead of constantly defending advances your mental game, letting you see openings and opportunities that you may have missed while running from the triangle choke for 5 rounds straight. Finishing an opponent lets you know that even though you’re losing against stiff competition, you are still progressing and can actually do the things you have been learning.

Try rolling with someone way above your experience level. While this advice may seem counter-productive, entering a match where you’re “supposed” to lose gives you the freedom to experiment. Of course a purple belt is going to trounce a white belt, but when the white belt taps, it’s no big deal because it was expected. A quality upper-level training partner won’t just spank you up down the mat. He should be relaxed and methodical, letting you work your game while he himself experiments. Instructors are best for this, and it might be a good idea to get to know the people you train with before approaching a high level grappler (some people are still mean).

3. Do Your Homework
With many grappling classes teaching a range of skill levels simultaneously, an instructor may not be able to cover core fundamentals with every new student. Also, class sizes may prevent an instructor from addressing the particular position that’s giving you the most trouble. These are not signs of a bad instructor; these are the realities of grappling instruction.

Reading books and watching videos outside of class is a great way to patch up your game. If you’re looking for a video of grappling fundamentals, you may want to first ask your instructor what material he recommends (some schools are affiliated with instructors that have instructional DVDs). Otherwise, I recommend Cesar Gracie’s Instructional series for basic concepts, positions, and submissions.

For the more advanced student that finds himself in a rut, do some research on the position that you have trouble escape or the submission that you have trouble finishing. If you can’t think of a specific area that you would like to improve, read about grappling for the sake of reading. With the amount of material available in books, videos, and online, you are bound to find something relevant and interesting.

Time spent studying off the mat will enhance your time on the mat. Fighting is a thinking man’s game, and doing your homework will make you more critical and more aware of what’s going on during training.

4. Take a Break
A skilled painter will often-times stop adding paint to his canvas and step back to view his work at a distance. This allows him to view his art work in its entirety. When he is within brushing distance, he cannot see the big picture and may find it difficult to make progress because he cannot properly assess the interaction of each element in the piece.

Fighting is no different.

If you have been training hard for months and feel as though you’ve hit a wall, or “plateaued” as some fighters call, it may be time to take a break. Off time lets you rest and escape the day to day frustration that may be hindering your progress. Taking a break lets you reset and return to training refreshed.

How long you need to sit out will vary. A lay off longer than a couple of weeks is probably too long. You will begin to backslide after too much idle time. Waiting until you’re hungry to get back to training is a good rule of thumb. You might sit out for a week; you might sit out for a day. The key is to step outside of the box long enough to clear your mind and return revitalized.

Conclusion
Improving yourself is no easy task, but if you approach the challenges with a positive attitude and a constructive mind, you can overcome the road blocks that may slow your journey through the fighting world.

Be friendly, be respectful, be a good sport, be a good student, and learn to take a break every once in a while. If you’re proactive about the obstacles you are likely to encounter, your training will be more productive and more pleasant.

Train hard and train smart.

The violence of life

2008-03-27T19:27:00.001-07:00

Today, I had the pleasure of having coffee with my Jiu-Jitsu instructor. I say pleasure because he is my friend and he also paid for coffee, So it was a pretty good deal. We talked about last nights WEC fight on Versus network. He told me that he, and his 5 year old son, went to a sports bar/restaurant for dinner and convinced them to put on the fights in the area he was eating. While sitting eating his meal and watching the fights, he was approached by a British woman. She had left her table of friends and family, to come over and inform him of what a terrible parent he was being. Apparently, she wasn't very subtle in her method of delivering the message. Basically, telling the guy that she couldn't believe that he was subjecting his small child to viewing this violence, and that her children were at the next table suffering the same fate. Well, after she gave my friend an earful she turned on the owner of the restaurant. This woman complained that this television program was doing severe damage to her children's developing minds and needed to be immediately turned to Barney or the wiggles or some other Saturday morning bullshit. "Please God change it before my children want to eat red meat!" Well, surprisingly, the owner of this sports bar/restaurant had a pair of balls, and he happened to have them with him at that moment. He told her "No, this is a sports bar and that is a sporting event. If you don't like it you can leave". Well, she finished her meal, and her kids heads didn't explode, and she left. Probably, never to return.

Now, here are my thoughts on this lovely dinner encounter.

Life is violent. From the begining to the end. Being born is a violent event, whichever way you come out, Natural or Cesarean Section. Natural child birth is extremely violent. Your small body comes out a canal that is half as small as it should be. In fact it's so violent that your head is misshapen for several days after birth. Cesarean is no less violent. Your mother's abdomen is sliced open, her intestines moved around, and your body is snatched out through the incision. I've seen both of these methods and neither one is a pretty sight.

Death is usually violent. Automobile accidents, falling off your roof, being attacked by killer bees, being eaten by sharks, and having a piano dropped on your head, are all fairly violent ends. But, even a heart attack is a violent end. That's why people grab their chests in pain just before their hearts stop beating. Usually, people die with a look of discomfort on their faces.

So, between the begining and the end there is also the opportunity for violence to be encountered or observed. Violence Happens!

We as parents have to prepare our children to deal with violence. Whether we like it or not, children will encounter violence. Usually, the first place is at home from a sibling, cousin, neighborhood friend, or pet. I'm talking about getting bit. Yes, a bite is violent. Then comes a hit, a slap, or a kick. Of course you tell your kid "It's not nice to hit people". Which is true, it's not nice to hit people, but sometimes it's necessary. Especially, if the Light Heavyweight title is on the line.

Later on, kids run into the school bully. Everyone remembers the school bully. Some people stood up to the bully, some did not. Sometimes, the school bully haunts people all the way into their adult life.

Then, sometimes in life, you run into real hardcore violence. In law enforcement we call them the 1% 'er. 99% of people are good, law abiding people. I'm talking about the 1% who are not. They will steal your car, break into your home, rob you, rape you, beat you up, stick an ice pick in your eye, and cut off your head. Not nice people.

If you have lived a sheltered life, you will not recognize this 1% of people when you see them in the wild. If you fall victim to this 1% of society, you will not only suffer physical injury, you will also suffer psychological injury. Because, you just can't believe that a person could be so mean as to beat the shit out of you and take your wallet. I mean really how could they.

If we look to the animal kingdom, the antelope know not to go too close to where the lions are hanging out. It's not because the antelope mothers wouldn't allow them to watch the lions on TV, it's because they saw other antelope taken down and eaten. It probably took only one time to see it and they got the point. Stay a healthy distance from the lions and be just a little bit faster than the antelope standing next to you.

So, my point is. Educate your child about violence and bad people. MMA is a combat sport. It won't rot your brain or turn you into a serial killer. There is far more violent programming on television than MMA. Practically, everything on the Lifetime network is more violent. Their programming almost always ends with some woman killing her husband that was leading a double life. I've yet to see an MMA event end in a shooting. I'm sure this lovely British woman, who tried to verbally rear naked choke my friend, indirectly exposes her children to more violent programming. Actually, by lecturing the wrong person she could have exposed her children to witnessing her get her ass kicked.

Talk to your children. Explain to them what happens in the real world. Teach them self-defense, but don't turn them into a bully. Get them ready for life.

Fox Sports Network segment on the origins of the UFC

2008-03-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

An excellent segment from FSN on the origin of the UFC. Ken Shamrock actually speaks coherently in this piece.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Documentary

2008-03-27T18:48:00.001-07:00

Here's another good documentary video on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It's amazing to see Helio roll they way he does. When this video was shot he was 91 years old. Most people don't even live to that age, let alone roll.

Classic Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Demo Video

2008-03-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

This video is a classic. It's a little long but, for a true fan it's worth a look. Carlos Gracie has unreal flexibility. The last part of the video reminds me of the "Charles Atlas" ads in the back of comic books I read as a kid. You know the one where the guy gets sand kicked in his face and then he works out and comes back all muscular.

Tae Kwon Do vs. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

2008-03-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

Kempo Karate vs. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

2008-03-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Kung Fu vs. Brazilain Jiu-Jitsu

2008-03-24T20:09:00.001-07:00

Hapkido vs. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

2008-03-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

I thought I would add some Gracie challenge matches to my blog. As you can see this match has quite a few spectators, and thats what gave Rorion the idea to create the UFC.

Rickson Gracie versus Royler Gracie sparring

2008-03-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

This is about the highest level sport Jiu-Jitsu you will ever see. The first few minutes are just a demo of self defense techniques. After that Rickson and Royler roll live (sparr). Just remember that Rickson was a black belt when Royler was a blue belt. Check the photo from my Feb. 7, 2008 post.

Royce Gracie being choked unconscious by Wallid Ismail

2008-03-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

First let me say that Royce is a hero of mine. But, anyone can be beaten. We've seen Matt Hughes beat Royce in the Octagon, and in this video you will see Wallid Ismail choke Royce unconscious in a BJJ match. You got to give it to Royce, he'd rather go to sleep than tap out. He's still my hero!

What parents owe their children!

2008-03-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking alot about the murder of Brianna Denison and what a parent owes their child. Parents teach their children the basic necessities of life; how to speak, eat, walk, manners, how to tie their shoes, and much, much more. But, most people don't teach their children to defend themselves. They think teaching a kid to fight is wrong or uncivilized. I know Jesus turned the other cheek. But I don't think turning the other cheek means allowing yourself to be raped, robbed, beaten to death, or any of the other heinous shit that bad people perpetrate on good people.

You'll put your kid in Soccer, Pop Warner Football, Little Leauge Baseball, cheerleading and the rest of the like. But, you balk at combat sports. Why? Don't get me wrong, those are all important sports that children should participate in. I'm not saying turn your 8 year old into a cage fighter, but get them involved in a school wrestling program, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, or a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program (my personal favorite).

Even if you don't think martial arts work, it gives a child self confidence, and maybe keep them from becoming a victim. We owe them that!

Here's a great link for kids in the Truckee/Tahoe area:

http://www.bjjtruckeetahoe.com/KidsProgram.html

Fighting Tahoe Style

2008-03-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

This fight didn't actually happen in Tahoe, but I couldn't pass on a fight on a ski slope. This just goes to show, assholes are everywhere and that you are responsible for your own safety. You have to be your own bodyguard. Take the time to invest in your own safety; learn some fight skills (No matter your age).

Everybody has to start somewhere!

2008-02-07T18:22:00.000-08:00

Recently I was flipping through the latest Gracie magazine and came across this picture of the Gracie clan. The photo was from the 70's and showed Royce and Royler (both very young) as blue belts. For me seeing Royce as a blue belt was fascinating. In my mind, I always imagined Royce (and Royler) as being born as black belts. But, that's simply not true. Yes, they were born into Gracie Jiu-Jitsu But, they still had to learn it. Everybody starts somewhere.

A brief comment about UFC 81

2008-02-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

I thought UFC 81 was a pretty good event. It was a GREAT event for Jiu-Jitsu. It once again proved the benefits of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Without a doubt in the two main events the bigger stronger man lost due to the equalizing factor of Jiu Jitsu.

One of the standards of BJJ is that the smaller man can defeat the bigger stronger opponet by using better technique.

On a side note, I've never been a fan of Tim Slyvia, but he did score some points with me in his comments in the post fight press conference. If you didn't see it I've attached a link below:

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/ver/251.7/popup/index.php?cl=6264694

"S" Mount Position

2008-01-20T19:10:00.000-08:00

The "S" Mount is commonly taught to get the arm bar or triangle from the mount position. But, as this video shows you can actually do several different arm attacks from this position. Take a look I think you'll like it.

Another good BJJ video from Keith Owen.

BaseBall Bat Choke

2008-01-18T15:56:00.000-08:00

The other night at class a student brought up a choke he had learned from a friend of his. He called it a "Baseball Bat Choke", although he had some trouble remembering how to do it. Well, with a little Net surfing I think I may have found it thanks to Keith Owen from BJJmoves.com.

This Officer needs some Jiu-Jitsu Training

2007-11-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

Get More Police Videos Here

http://www.policevids.com/

I would never criticize another officers safety techniques (I wasn't there), but it seems a little Jiu-Jitsu would have helped this guy out a lot sooner.

Charles Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy of Reno, NV

2007-11-11T20:07:00.000-08:00

I thought I should give a shout to my man Gary Grate.

Modern army combatives program. Hand to hand, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai.

2007-07-24T22:54:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty long video, but it's informative in the fact that it details what the Army is trying to do to up there hand to hand combative IQ. So many people believe that combat is about firearms. Well, firearms are an important part, but firearms malfunction, jam, and misfire. So to be a complete modern warrior, just as in the past, not only do you have to understand modern weapons, but you also have to rely on your personal combative skills. Hopefully your punch or kick won't malfunction.

Here's the Army video (it's about 39 min)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1462151077277855734&pr=goog-sl

You can also reference a book titled "Hand to Hand combat: Modern Army Combatives", but it only focuses on the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu portion. It's worth a look though!

Gracie Technique - Elevator Hook Sweep

2007-07-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

Gracie Technique - Kimura

2007-07-24T22:42:00.001-07:00

Gracie Technique - Taking the back from the Mount

2007-07-24T22:41:00.001-07:00

Gracie Technique - Taking the back from the Guard

2007-07-24T22:40:00.000-07:00

Gracie Technique - Guillotine

2007-07-24T22:36:00.000-07:00

Gracie Technique - Americana

2007-07-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

Gracie Technique - Armbar from the Guard

2007-07-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

Gracie Technique - Armbar from the Mount

2007-07-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

Gracie Technique - Footlock

2007-07-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

I've decided to add the Gracie Insider techniques of the month to my blog. I know you can find these on YouTube or by subscribing to the Gracie Insider newsletter. But, I thought it would be nice to save you some searching. I hope you enoy them.

One other thing, No matter what you think about the Gracie family, you have to admit that they changed the way we look at modern martial arts.

Rare MMA Submissions

2007-07-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

I found this on someone elses site, but I thought people would benefit from it. Most of the submissions you never see in MMA, hence the name "Rare MMA submissions". I hope you enjoy them.

Here's the legend for the clip:

1. Jeff Monson vs. Brandon Hinkle (North South Choke)
2. Shinya Aoki vs. Joachim Hansen (Gogoplata)
3. Mike Brown vs. Taiyo Nakamura (Full Guard Arm Triangle)
4. Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. T.Ishizawa (Gi Choke)
5. Ivan Salaverry vs. Tony Fryklund (Body Triangle)
6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Heath Herring (Anaconda Choke)
7. Frank Mir vs. Pete Williams (Shoulder Lock)
8. Dokonjonosuke Mishima vs. J.Wiseniewski (Cobra Hold)
9. Carlos Newton vs. Pat Miletich (Bulldog Choke)
10. Rumina Sato vs. M.McAuliffe (Calf Slicer)
11. Rani Yahya vs. Kazuya Yasuhiro (Brabo Choke)
12. T.Murahama vs. Yuji Hoshino (Scissor Choke)
13. Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi (Gogoplata)

History Channel's "Human Weapon"

2007-07-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

The History Channel has just introduced a new series that is profiling different styles of martial arts. The series is titled "Human Weapon" and it premiered July 20 at 10:00pm. The first episode profiled "Muay Thai kickboxing", and to my surprise it was pretty good. The next episode I believe will feature "Escrima"

I've attached a link to there website: http://www.history.com/minisites/humanweapon

The Begining

2007-07-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this blog is to list my thoughts on modern combat. Specifcally, thoughts on mixed martial arts, reality based combat training, and firearms. I hope who ever comes across this blog will find it helpful.

Jake