The Daily Jits, The Journey of A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu White Belt

Fight Quest BJJ Video

2008-02-18T14:26:00.000-08:00

I don't know how long this video will stay up but I thought it was a pretty good one.

Marcelo Garcia Video

2008-01-02T12:35:00.000-08:00

I like this video because it really shows what you need to do if you are smaller facing a larger opponent. Speed is the key...the second sub on the video is pretty amazing IMO...he is just so quick.

The Long Road Back

2007-11-06T14:39:00.000-08:00

Well its always tough coming back after time away but missing two months has made it very difficult. One of the guys that started at the same time I did has gotten his blue belt now and is running circles around me. Im happy for his success but its still painful for the ego. Things are slowly coming back to me but I have a long way to go in the fitness department. I forgot how much rolling takes out of you. Of course I still struggled when rolling before my two month hiatus so that hasnt really changed. My muscle memory seems to still be there as I havent had too much problem with the basics like arm bars and triangles which I have done thousands and thousands of times by now. Some of the other moves that I sed to use I have struggled a little more with. One of my old favorites the oma plata has been causing me trouble. My timing and movement is off a little so I keep getting over powered and rolled back over so Im not getting my momentum moving forward enough to carry them down to the mat. Well I think that enough run on sentences for the day. Cya

Roger Gracie 2007 Absolute Champion

2007-10-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

I'm Finally Back

2007-10-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well after a two month hiatus I have returned to the blog. This isn't really BJJ related but I have missed going to the gym for the last two months due to travel for work and buying a new house. So after this long time away how was it going back to the gym, in a word "challenging". I feel like I am starting over from scratch but there wasn't much I could do sometimes life just gets in the way of training. The good news is I still really enjoy the training so hopefully I wont have to take a break like this again for awhile as it really hurt my progress.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Highlights Video

2007-07-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty good highlight video that has a really nice submission at the 2:04 mark in the video.

Interesting BJJ Training Video

2007-05-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting video about learning how to stay connected to your opponent. I think I may give it a try for a few weeks and see if it makes any difference in my game. I don't know if it will add much value and im more than a little sceptical but I thought I would post it to see if anyone else has tried it or if anyone does try it let me what kind of results you see.

Good Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Article & Training Update

2007-05-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't posted in a few weeks due to my busy schedule with work but the good news is I have been keeeping up with my training consistently. I actually have been told by several purple belts that if I would just go to a tournament I would get my first stripe. The problem is I dont really have too much interest in competing. I feel like if I am going to compete I should make more of a time commitment to BJJ and train properly to win as I feel the only reason to compete is to try and win. How do others here feel about competing?

Well here is a good article I came across the other day that I thought I would share.

1. Exercise your ears
“The first rule to perfect your Jiu-Jitsu is to never be deaf to other people’s knowledge,” says Renzo Gracie. “It’s common to see guys who deem themselves professors decline a new teaching, ignoring a pupil who shows something new. To grow better you must understand how people think and how they got to that position. Even if it’s not perfect, it’s up to you to enhance it.” A clear example was a coup with which Gracie surprised Canadian fighter Carlos Newton in the Pride Bushido 1: “I nearly submitted him on the foot lock, in a position a white-belt had taught me. Starting from the tip I perfected and developed the leg attack, from the knee lock to the foot lock.” To Renzo, it doesn’t matter whether the student is a blue-, white-belt, or someone who’s never fought: the moment they show you something, shut your mouth and pay attention. “Even if the move is not efficient, the concept might help your play. When you don’t allow yourself to accept any other form of knowledge, you become a limited professor,” he teaches.

2. Always believe in the move
If you follow Rodrigo Minotauro’s MMA bouts, you can probably figure out his tip to make your Jiu-Jitsu better. A combative athlete, always with a surprising coup at hand, he shoots: “Fight to get a grip on your opponent.” How do you do that? Well, the Brazilian Top Team star suggests that every fighter ignores the clock and the points during the combats. This measure may result in defeats in the beginning, but on the long run it’ll leave the fighter “light and loose” (Nogueira’s definition). “There is nothing better than fighting naturally and pressure-free,” he says. “The secret is to believe He’s got to believe,” adds Wallid Ismail. Carlson Gracie’s black-belt’s advice is based on three elements: stamina, attitude and will to win. “At the time of the position or the fight, the main thing is to believe. To make the move work, you’ve got to believe it will work. And it doesn’t matter who’s on the other side, because there lies the difference between winner and loser. The winner is never intimidated. He may even fear, but he must have something greater inside – the attitude.”

3. Practice an outdoor sport
Soccer, jogging, outdoor work out – there’s always a healthy activity waiting for the athlete who takes off the gi after hours of grappling in the academy. One can then dive into a commonplace sport (surf, for instance, is practised by nine in every ten fighters) or even invent their own distraction. This strategy keeps the body in shape without making the fighter stressed from the training routine. “Every physical activity, not only Jiu-Jitsu, is useful for working out heart and mind, leading the guy to thinking that, instead of smoking a joint or using drugs, he can dedicate his time to exercise,” says Royler Gracie, who has since 1999 been climbing the Rock of Gavea, at Rio de Janeiro: “It’s a workout similar to the Macacos Hill trail at Teresopolis, which I would cross with Rickson when he was preparing for MMA fights,” he recollects.

4. Repeat the moves over and over
Leaders of victorious academies in Jiu-Jitsu and MMA, Andre Pederneiras (Nova Uniao) and Sylvio Behring (Winner-Behring) don’t fear being repetitive when they assure that the motto is to persist and persist and then persist some more when it comes to position-training. “Definitely the key is the positions. In judo, the athlete makes 1,000 takedowns on every session. It’s sad to see that in the Jiu-Jitsu milieu people think it’s a waste of time. We repeat the basic positions in the warm up about 5 times before every practice”, says Pederneiras. Master Sylvio corroborates: “Every title we conquered in the last years with Mario Reis and Fabricio Werdum were due to this philosophy: repeating the basics and go through a training fight under supervision, which is the sparring game. One of the athletes executes every type of attack, arm, triangle, and the other tries to defend from the blitz”, says Marcelo Behring’s brother, who demands 90 seconds or a series of 100 repetitions after training. “Thus the athlete reaches exhaustion and lets the movement flow naturally.” After all, as professor Jean Jacques Machado puts it, it’s better to repeat a position a thousand times, working on it for a month, than learning one a day.

The phenomenon Nino “Elvis” Schembri also agrees on the tip: “More and more I convince myself that one should pay attention to the positions, from the white all the way to the black belt. The main thing in Jiu-Jitsu, a sport in which, I believe, the most technical player gets the advantage, is to repeat the positions. Everybody does that in boxing, judo, but in Jiu-Jitsu the guys are a little lazy. Including me.” To Nino, it’s reasonable to reserve the beginning of the practice to repeating 50 positions for each side, thrice a week. “And don’t even think of giving up”, he smiles.

5. Set goals
In the nineties, when he was among the best competitors in Jiu-Jitsu, Ze Mario Sperry had a notebook where he would right the goals to be reached in training, in a given period. The black-belt used to rip the leaves and leave them on all corners of his house. “I’d go to the bathroom to shave and would find a note glued to the mirror: ‘If you want to be a champion, you’ve got one week to do this or train that’,” he recalls. Sperry explains that setting goals helps in the evaluation and control of what is being produced in the training. “The ideal is that the fighter define what he wants. Afterwards, find ways to get there, reckoning the time necessary to reach it.” For an example, the black-belt recollects the time he set the goal of getting a perfect physical condition. To achieve it, he designed a series that focused on several exercises, such as squatting, weight lifting and running-sprints. “By keeping my heart-beat accelerated with this workout, I made progress until I conditioned my body to the rhythm of the combats.” This “note pursuit” enabled the BTT master to keep focus on his career’s objectives, being sure what he had to improve in a near future.

Black-belt Vitor Shaolin warns his students about this up to this day: “You must set up your training in such a way that you define what are the two most important competitions for you to be in that year. No matter how much you try it, you can never be 100% in all tournaments,” he guarantees. “Then you must establish the rules: ‘I want to be well in the Brazilian and World championships.’ And prepare to place well only in these tournaments, not minding whatever you win or lose in the rest of the competitions. The body is not a machine and cannot remain on a level 8 or 9 all the time, be it in Jiu-Jitsu or MMA, which is the Triathlon of fighting,” the Shooto champion concludes.

6. Be dynamic
To Amaury Bitetti, Jiu-Jitsu is like chess: you only move a piece thinking of the next move. The two-time world open champion in ’96-’97 says an attacking position during the fight must always be connected to other future positions whose objective is the submission or – just to follow the comparison – the check-mate. In order to achieve that, Amaury advises that the attack-trainings should be made in a logical progression. For instance: a takedown leads to a guard-pass, which in its turn leads us to a mount, which leads to a choke. The combinations are infinite; what matters is that your game be not static. Just as in the whiskey advertisement: keep walking. Turn your Jiu-Jitsu into a motor gear.

7. You are an athlete, not a weight-lifter
Two-time world open champion 02-03, Marcio Pe de Pano strives to convince the athletes of the fact that they don’t need to look for a superathlete’s body at any cost. To the black-belt, the secret lies, above all, in training to ally technique and good conditioning. “If you train Jiu-Jitsu, you ought to work out, but not make a monstrous physical preparation,” he comments. “If you fight MMA or wrestling, you might need such a body. In Jiu-Jitsu, physical preparation is not all: one must work to become a technical and conditional athlete.” Therefore, don’t go try anything silly.

8. Strengthen your grip
The first attitude necessary to follow this hint by Vitor Shaolin is: tighten that rope well! After all, the principle behind this task is to use a thick rope tied to the academy’s ceiling in order to strengthen the fighter’s grip on the opponent’s gi. An important detail is that this exercise is good to another very important muscle for the athlete: the abdomen.

9. Strive to be complete
What good is it to get an A+ in guard-passing but flunk attack-from-the-back? To stand out in Jiu-Jitsu, the fighter can’t excel at one or two moves. He must play in the eleven, as we say in football. Black-belt Saulo Ribeiro teaches a simple way of reaching versatility: “Many people despises the warm-up before practising. Well, dedicate the first 15 minutes in the academy to doing the basic: escape from the back, from the mount, and side-mount. In the next 15, practise submission from the back, the mount and the side-mount. Do this every day in your Jiu-Jitsu career. It may be boring, but it’ll make you complete. No matter what belt. I am a black-belt and still discipline myself into doing it till today. Oh, I nearly missed it. Practise judo at least twice a week. Knowing how to fight standing is also fundamental. That it my formula for becoming complete.”

10. Posture is everything
By training Jiu-Jitsu frequently, three or four times a week, our physical preparation specialist Martin Rooney’s attention was caught by a simple, though essential, tip. “It was something that changed the way I looked at workout itself: whether on the mat or with the dumb-bells, always pay attention to your posture. That is the most important, both if you are trying pass a guard or lifting tremendous weight. Without the adequate posture you don’t spare moves, you worsen the strike’s execution and augment the health hazards – or loss hazards.” In case the reader suspects on Martin for the fact that he isn’t a great BJJ star, remember that is one of the aspects Rickson Gracie stresses the most while training. So, straight neck, lined-up shoulders, firm back and off you go.

11. Learn from defeat
Many fighters absorb but negativity from losses. They get depressed, blame God and the world for the result and, sometimes, deem their careers finished. Leonardo Vieira does the exact opposite. He uses the defeats (preferably in practices, of course) to reflect on what he can do better. “I’m convinced that everybody who submits all of their opponents in the trainings is actually learning nothing,” says Leo. Like the child, who only learns how to walk by stumbling, it’s by tapping that the Jiu-Jitsu practitioner improves their art. Therefore, the Brasa black-belt advises that the masters mix athletes of different graduations in the trainings. Thus the fights aren’t too even, leaving room for adversities. Martin Rooney agrees: “The athlete who reacts with bad feelings to the defeats isn’t learning the incredible lessons that have been taught him, and that would make his chances of losing again much smaller. There’s no such thing as winning and losing, but only winning and learning,” says Renzo’s and Ricardo Cachorrao’s trainer. “Only you can your reaction and spirits to grow as an athlete. I believe the person that has been submitted the most is the toughest to beat. That’s what a tough guy is made of. That’s of a black-belt is made of,” he summarizes. Leo Vieira calls the attention to the fact that the losses out of the mats are just as fundamental to form a champion, above all in what concerns character. “When there was a dissidence at the first formation of the Alliance team and I was alone in Sao Paulo, I went through one of the most difficult moments of my life. However, I became a much stronger person and learned a lot about life. I wouldn’t be here today if I hadn’t gone through that,” he evaluates.

12. Look for the best version of the move for you
Master Osvaldo Alves says that up until the nineteen-seventies one only gave and armbar-in-guard by uncrossing and wide-opening the legs. “I realized this coup was vulnerable, for it enabled the opponent to flee and pass the guard easily. So I invented the climbing-armbar,” recalls the red-and-black-belt. As you can see on the image, this armlock version makes it a lot harder for the adversary to escape. “The thing is to not lock the opponent’s arm, but his/her shoulder,” clears up the master, who uses his own calf against the sparring’s shoulder, stopping him from getting up. Summarizing: if you don’t get along with a certain move, try to perfect it, adapt it to your physical and technical traits, always searching new versions for it. That’s what makes Jiu-Jitsu evolve continuously.

13. The best strategy is the attack“
I always try to attack. While I’m on the offensive, my opponent can think of nothing but defending, that is, I’m protected,” Marcelo Garcia teaches. As an example, the Alliance black-belt recalls the time when he didn’t know to keep an open guard. He would cross the legs on the opponent’s back and pray for the time to elapse. “I was afraid of attacking,” he evaluates. After noticing the deficiency Marcelo started uncrossing the feet and practising sweeps. He realised that, if he went right onto the adversary, he’d run a much smaller risk of being submitted than if he played defending, applying but rare counter-strikes. Garcia also realised that, by being the first to attack, he would make his opponents abandon their former plan. If he prolonged the blitz, Marcelo also prolonged this “untouchable” state. But there are those who say that repeated attacks tend to tire the athlete. “What really tires is to hold the fight back the whole time,” Marcelo argues. Notwithstanding, the black-belt gives some advice on physical preparation for those who agree that the best defense is the attack: “Climbing stairs and ramps is the best option for an amazing guard,” he reveals.

14. Don’t forget to enhance your defense
Despite liking the attacking strategy suggested by Marcelo Garcia, Rillion Gracie stresses the importance of training submission-escapes (remembering that the other guy may attack first). “Look at Roger Gracie’s performances in the last World Championship. He suffered fulminating attacks right in the beginning of the battles but was able to defend like a master to then counter-attack,” Rillion recalls. The Gracie Leblon Master says that, while practising defense, the competitor learns exactly what the opponent feels like in situations of adversity. “Learning defense improves the attack. I f the lion knows how the prey can escape, it’ll capture it in a much more precise way,” he ponders. To practise defense in Jiu-Jitsu, Rillion advises the reader into forgetting s/he is strong. “Exercise your patience. Use the weight and the force of the levers,” he explains. “Start practising defense as soon as possible, to awake just as soon the survival instinct in your fighter’s soul.”

15. Stretch!
Ever since he was a kid, Antonio Schembri has been used to stretching daily. And he never complained, unlike his opponents, whom, in time and practice, he began to submit in the most varied ways. “I’m very flexible, so I always take a strong session before and after training. Some people are stiffer, they don’t like it, but stretching is essential, especially the bottom half, legs, spine and lumbar,” says the Chute Boxe athlete. According to “Elvis,” stretching is vital even for improving the guard. “What I realize in competitions, even black-belts’, is that everybody gets along well on top, but not everyone can keep a good guard. So besides stretching, which improves the de-passing, the athlete must set up a schedule and program himself and persist in training every single variation, butterfly guard, closed guard, with inside hooks… You can’t let the guy cross the knee line, or else you’ll have to pull something out of your ass to stop the guy from passing,” Schembri teaches.

16. Develop self-knowledge
According to Fabio Gurgel, competition-Jiu-Jitsu is so leveled nowadays that the small details can make the difference in the fight’s result. Considering that you, fearless reader, have already looked after the technique and physical preparation, the Alliance general calls the attention to a “detail” that can turn you into a giant of the mats: self-knowledge. “I advise my students to talk to themselves. Self-evaluation makes the athlete know himself better, finding out his true virtues and weaknesses. He starts being conscious of his own instincts, develops self-confidence and doesn’t chiken out. Thus the athlete can design an ideal fighting plan,” Gurgel analyses, and then describes the state of mind with which one should enter the ring: “The fighter’s self-knowledge must turn the battler into something pleasant. The Jiu-Jitsu practitioner must have fun in the championships. That way, it all becomes easy.”

17. Simulate hindrances and escapes“Back at Carlson’s academy, I always trained with partners who would attack me full-on That’s what’s bad about training in an academy where everybody wants to fight for real: you don’t get used to the opponent that hinders the fighting in the competitions,” Ricardo de la Riva points out, stressing the hard time he had developing his game against Japanese fighter Yuki Nakai in September 2004.His hint, accordingly, is to simulate fights where the opponent neither tries to pass nor to submit; to fight against a technical sparring – or one who runs away. Marcelo Garcia also has a hint for those hard situations: stretching and breathing. “The fighter has got to know how to stretch and move all of his members, besides breathing properly, for the time when he is on the bottom, being smashed and smothered by the adversary,” says the middle-weight world champion. In order to learn how to get out of the tough situations, Garcia indicates: the good thing is to practise guard with heavier mates.

18. Try!
Jean Jacques Machado likes to awake his students’ creativity. The master organizes “lab sessions” during the trainings in the academy where he teaches in Los Angeles. On these moments he shows the classroom a move, asks the students to study it and to present a defense a week later. “There are many ways to get to a goal. I like my pupils to use their creativity and find out new ways to get there,” he evaluates. In other words, Jean doesn’t make his apprentices “move repeaters.” By disseminating experimentalism in his lessons, the black-bellt gives birth to classrooms full of creative and innovating athletes. Leo Vieira likes Jacques’ methodology, but presents another way of making the students open minded: “Look at the kids fighting. Notice how they’re always laughing and jumping around. That’s how I like to fight. Children invent, use unexpected moves that, if adapted to adult Jiu-Jitsu, can be fruitful. Teaching kids is a great source of knowledge to me.”

19. Regularity, always
Also to 1999 ADCC champion Jean Machado, there’s nothing more important than regularity. Not vanishing from the academy is, therefore, essential for the athlete’s evolution – s/he must avoid substituting wasted weeks with overtraining periods. Nearly every one of the gi-superstars knows that by heart, as Pe de Pano Illustrates: “The secret is regularity: training over and over and over. Twice a day if possible. As I began late, I would make it up by going to the academy in the afternoon and at night.” According to him, training regularly leads to evolving and injury-avoiding. “For the fact that you keep training, the body gets used to the effort you make. It was after I began resuming and quitting that I began to have injuries often,” he completes. A partisan to that idea, Vitor Shaolin exemplifies: “Besides training often, you must divide the trainings, understand that there is a little something called resting. So if in the afternoon the practice is slower, take the chance to rest. If your body doesn’t react all that well in the morning but you know that in the morning the training is profitable, wake up earlier to get your body prepared. Practise more heavily at night, but don’t let it go on till too late, for you might go to bed tense, thinking of training – and end up not resting at all.”

20. Respect and reflect
Respect and dedication are utterly necessary to Ricardo de la Riva. “The idea is to arrive with an open mind and to practise with pleasure, and not to simply want to win in the training. You must respect, above all, not only the dojo and the professor, but also your practice-mate, after all you need him/her,” says the master. According to Martin Rooney, the salutation can afford great benefits that sometimes can go by unnoticed. “In all sports, athletes create rituals that push the negative energy away. However, I realise that many Jiu-Jitsu beginners ignore that fact, maybe for seeing martial arts as just a way of defending, a game of win or lose,” he says. Martin refers to the simple and traditional act of bowing. Associated for centuries to martial arts, the act should not be seen as only a demonstration of respect or a sign that the fight has begun. As the American trainer explains, the time to bow is a great opportunity to concentrate. The bow is the moment when the practice begins, so any negative thought or attitude must be left aside – or out of the academy. “A salutation at the end of the practice enables the athlete to go back to his normal life,” he says. “Develop, therefore, a strong mental connection so that your mind is activated by the bow in the beginning. Just as in any sport, if your head is not ready to practise, it’s impossible to learn anything,” Rooney concludes.

Another Rickson Gracie Video

2007-04-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

The music on this video is pretty bad but I always like watching Rickson roll.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Training and Some Drills

2007-04-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would write a short blurb about a pretty sweet move I learned the other night at classs. We have a few blue belts and purple belts that like to give away the omo plata from the guard and then when you try to finish it they jump over your head and take side control. This led to me trying to block them jumping over me by sitting up quicker but then I find I dont get the omo plata set as well. So the other night we learned a new technique to combat this isssue. Basically when your opponent tries to throw their legs over your head to avoid the submissions and take side control you wrap your arms around both their legs and roll over to your stomach and end up in their side control. I hope this makes sense but if not drop me a comment or leave a post over on www.MMAHUB.com and I will try my best to clarify it.

I got a comment that asked for a few more of the drills we do in class to be posted so here are a few. We often times set the clock for 5 minutes and see who can do the most arm bars in 5 minutes. Who ever is running the warmup watches everyone and if anyone does any half assed armbars they are made to do 50 pushups so generally they are pretty good arm bars. It really pushes your cardio while trying to execute the movement properly. We also do what we call spinning drills which is when you have one person get down on their hands and knees then the other person rests their chest on the other persons back. Then we spin around them with our wieght on their back. You cant use your hands at all so you have to rely on your feet and the opponenets back. So you basically just go around them again and again switching directions after a direction change is called out. It is a very tough drill to do for 5 min straight.

Rickson Gracie Rolling Video

2007-04-04T11:32:00.001-07:00

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Technique Class

2007-03-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

Last night was an excellent class as we only had 6 guys in class. It was great because we did something we have never done before. We sparred and then had what we were doing critiqued. It was great because it gave me a chance to learn more about what I was doing wrong and right in different techniques. I actually learned that I have been doing one of my guard passes incorrectly which is why I always seem to get stuck in half guard but its something that usually happened so fast I never really noticed where my mistake was. So overall if you have never had that experience I would get with someone else at or near your level and have someone more experienced watch what you doing and offer advice it can be a great help. Until next time see you at MMA HUB

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Sparring

2007-03-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

Well this past week I focused on attending more sparring sessions. It went pretty well considering I didn't get any injuries which is always a plus. In addition it was good to get back into rolling more consistently as I feel you can only take in so much from technique class and without consistent sparring you don't really learn how to apply what little you do retain from technique class. Overall I did pretty well but it really surprises me how few people that joined after me have continued training. I would imagine there has probably been 25 to 35 new students sign up for the 1 year program since I joined and of that I would say only 5 or 6 are still coming to class more than once a month which is why I still feel so far behind when I go to sparring sessions as it is pretty rare to roll with someone that has less experience than I do.

Wow that was quite a few run on sentences...oh well I apologize for my poor writing skills...until next time good luck with your training everyone.

Anyone who hasn't come over to MMA HUB yet stop by and leave a post if you have minute.

Back to the routine

2007-03-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

Well last Monday was a tough night as expected but after being back in class for a week I feel much better. The bad news is I continue to watch a few people who started near me or after me be promoted and I am not anywhere near ready for the next level. Its due to the fact I haven't trained consistently. I wish I could be more consistent in my training but its tough when I have to travel for work. The other problem has been my lack of discipline while on the road. I always plan on doing some drills while traveling but it is so tough to come back to the hotel room after a long day of work and do training drills. Its easier to just make excuses...maybe now that I am home again I can get back into training 4 times a week consistently til I have to hit the road again in a month or so.

Roger Gracie Vs. Xande Ribeiro

2007-03-05T14:10:00.000-08:00

I found the transitions in this video to be pretty amazing. Very good video IMO.

No Brazilian Jiu Jitsu For Me

2007-03-05T13:50:00.000-08:00

Well I have been away from BJJ again for about 10 days because of work. It's tough to progress when you keep having to take a week here and a week there off because it really starts to add up and slow down your progress. It makes me feel like I need to make two steps forward just to get back to the level I was at before leaving. I try to do some drills and work while I am on the road but a hotel room is not the most conducive environment for doing brazilian jiu jitsu drills. Luckily I will finally get back in class tonight but I am not looking forward to the struggles and frustration that are sure to ensue. So until next time good luck with your training and remember to avoid missing class for too many night or you will find yourself just trying to get back to the level you were at before you left.

Combatting Claustrophobia in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Sparring

2007-02-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

I read an interesting post over at Grapple Arts the other day and thought I would make a post about it since I have also experienced this problem when rolling. Here is a copy of the article.

"Someone, let's call him 'Bob', wrote me about extreme claustrophobia when trapped in a bad position:

"I am hoping that you can help me with problems of extreme claustrophobia while grappling. For some reason, I just become anxious and begin to panic if I feel like I can't escape. Being under side control and feeling like I can’t move or breathe is the worst."

My initial reaction upon reading this was that I was talking to a beginner, and that my counsel should go something like this: don't worry, many newbies get freaked out at first when they find themselves trapped. Just keep on concentrating on the following things and everything will work out in a month or two:

* keep breathing when you are on the bottom,
* get on your side a bit instead of being flat on your back,
* keep his weight off of you with your elbows and forearms (i.e. defensive posture)
* learn to survive the smother

But then I read on and found out that Bob was actually a 3 to 4 year grappling veteran at a reputable school and has had claustrophobia issues since day one on the mat. OK, he probably already knows the things I was going to tell him; what else can it be?

Aha - I thought - it has to be conditioning!!! He might be technically skilled but is grossly out of shape. He might be losing the will to fight as soon as he gets into a bad position simply because he is tired!

Wrong again! He went on to tell me is very fit and that he does extensive, intense conditioning sessions.

He closed by saying

"And I do know my escapes. It’s just that I’ll try a couple of times and if it doesn’t work the panic starts to rise. I try visualization, which helps. I try to consciously relax and breath (easier said than done) and this helps to a degree."

So all my easy answers seemingly didn't apply. What was worse, is that I had no intuition about what he should do, mainly because I have never experienced claustrophobia (on or off the mat). I know I'm supposedly an 'expert', but being at loss for answers prompted me to put out an appeal to the Grapplearts readership.

There were several interesting answers posted so if you are interested go over to grapple arts and check them out. I wouldn't consider myself claustrophobic but I have felt panicked being under much larger opponents after rolling for some time and becoming tired and hot. The feeling is quite dreadful and scary but I found the best way to work through it was to simply focus on breathing out not in. That simple shift in thought helped me to relax a little and keep from panicking and tapping for no real reason. Im sure it won't be that easy for someone that has serious Claustrophobia but if you have ever felt a little panicked when being smothered by a much larger opponent I would give this simple breathing technique a try and take a look at some of the other possible solutions on grapple arts.

Roger Gracie Vs Rodrigo Cavaca 2006 Mundials

2007-02-05T12:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a video form the 2006 Mundials of Roger Gracie and Rodrigo Cavaca competing.

Kron Gracie Rolling at a Tournament

2007-01-29T15:22:00.000-08:00

He is a video of Rickson Gracies son Kron Gracie rolling at a tournament.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Sparring

2007-01-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

Well as expected I had a pretty rough day Saturday sparring. It was mainly due to a lack of energy though from the long week in Las Vegas. Everything I did was haphazardly executed and therefore not much stuck but I did manage to survive several of my match ups. The day was actually all about survival for me and it taught me quite a bit about myself. It's interesting rolling when you are tired and very week from not training for a week. I basically just worked on repositioning to keep anyone from passing my guard which allowed me to keep from getting submitted over and over again. I did try to work some submissions from the guard but I was very timid in my execution to make sure I didn't give up too much making it easier for them to get to much control to pass. It also just felt like I was on autopilot the whole time and I really didn't think too much about what I was doing so I have obviously gotten to the point where I feel pretty comfortable maintaining the guard against non-stripped white belts which for me a is a noticeable improvement compared to me rolling 3 or 4 months ago.

Las Vegas

2007-01-25T12:22:00.000-08:00

I just got back from Las Vegas last night and I'm sure that trip did absolutely nothing to help my BJJ game. In fact I am actually not looking forward to sparring tonight as I know its going to be rough. Far too much good food (good tasting not good for you) and way too much drinking, so im pretty sure I will be sweating vodka on the mats this evening. Other than that I have some big news about MMA HUB that I will be announcing soon. We are going to be having several contests coming up with several different prizes from GI's to UFC tickets so if you're interested head on over and join MMA HUB.

Renzo & Ryan Gracie Rolling

2007-01-16T14:29:00.000-08:00

This is a pretty good no gi video of Renzo and Ryan Gracie rolling.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Training

2007-01-16T13:24:00.000-08:00

Well I guess I was due for a tough night after so many good classes. Last night was the worst class I have had in quite some time. I nearly passed out during our warm up which didn't seem to be that much more intense than any other warm up but I just couldn't keep up. Then during technique class I couldn't seem to execute the easiest of moves without problems. It ended up becoming a self fulfilling prophecy at that point as I began to feel like I couldn't do anything right. The only good news is that I made it all the way through the class. We had a couple new guys in class last night also and one threw up about 5 minutes into the warm up, the other sat out after the warm up. I also sparred once at the end of class but my heart was only half into it as all I wanted to do was go home and call it a night. Hopefully Wednesday night will be better.

Rickson Gracie Video

2007-01-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

Here is a video of Rickson Gracie submitting a guy. He makes the game look so easy.

Repositioning in the guard

2007-01-10T08:27:00.000-08:00

Class went pretty well Monday night, I worked on repositioning in the guard which is so important to maintaining the guard and if you can always keep your opponent in your guard you can't loose (well I guess you could but it is unlikely). We did a couple drills working from the open guard where we placed one of our hands in our belt. That limited us to using our feet and one hand to keep an opponent from passing. It was a good drill but tough to do well. We also discussed how repositioning in the guard and finishing from the guard are the two most important skills for beginners to learn. Overall it was a good class.

Igor Gracie Jiu Jitsu Video

2007-01-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

Here is a short video that isn't of the best production quality but its still worth a watch.

MMAHUB.com is Up & Running

2007-01-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

MMAHUB.com is up and running. I just launched the new forum to create a place for readers of The Daily Jits and others into MMA to come and chat. I would really appreciate it if you have the time to come on over and join me in forum. The gym was closed for the past 3 days so nothing new to report in the way of training so far this week but I will get a new video up on the site here shortly.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Technique Class

2006-12-29T09:02:00.000-08:00

Well I had another good night of class Wednesday. I worked out a few more combinations that have proved to be very effective. I paired up a failed scissor sweep with an oma plata that is working well. Basically I go for the scissor seep but if the opponent is able to get his weight down on my legs first to defend I move to my elbow and push down on his head and come to my knees with my free leg that was the chopping leg for the scissor sweep. If he holds onto my right leg I roll over on my shoulder to an oma plata. If you arent familiar with either of these moves that probably doesnt make much sense but I thought I would share anyway as I really like the move since I was having problems with getting my scissor sweep blocked by higher ranking students.

I also wanted to announce that I am starting a new MMA forum that is going to have a section for Daily Jits readers if anyone is interested. Please leave a comment on the blog here if you would be interested in being able to talk to others from the blog on the forum. If there seems to be enough interest I will add the section for sure.

Last of all I hope everyone is having a great holiday season and best of luck to everyone in 2007.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Technique Class

2006-12-20T09:12:00.000-08:00

Well I had a great class last night and picked up a lesson you would have thought I would have learned long long ago but I didn't, I had to be told and now I will share it with you. It is simply to always think of everything you do in terms of 3 moves or 2 moves minimum when ever you do anything. For example I went after a shoulder sweep last night and it met with great resistance so I simply let them push me back down while keeping hold of there arm and put them in a shoulder lock. So when I went for the shoulder sweep I already had in mind to try for the shoulder lock as well. I didnt simply say ok im going to get a shoulder sweep right here I thought about a move I could pair with the shoulder sweep if it didn't go as planned. I also paired up a triangle with the oma plata which worked pretty well also. In the past I have always been so focused on executing one move and having my mind set on doing it that it became obvious what I was going for and when I would miss it I was left scrambling and reacting to what they were doing instead of keeping them on the defense. Building these combinations up I think will help me a great deal. We always did things in combination in class but I still always thought about the moves in isolation as a single move. So my basic and simple advice is to never simply go for an arm bar from the guard, go for an arm bar as well as a sweep or pair a sweep up with a choke...thats it, very simple and basic but can make a huge difference if you see everything one dimensionally as I have. I always read and heard to be thinking several moves ahead and be prepared for your moves to be met with resistance but I didnt put it together that you should only make a move when you have several in mind that you can switch between and keep them on the defense. I hope this post makes sense, if not leave a comment or two.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Video

2006-12-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

I haven't put up any videos lately so here is one I found recently that shows some sparring.

Interesting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Technique

2006-12-12T09:36:00.000-08:00

Well I was rolling last night and had a very interesting technique used on me. I wouldn't call it a good technique as it required much strength and speed. It is a very effective technique though against a lighter weight opponent or if you have a lot of strength I would assume it could be used on a heavier opponent. Basically what happened is I was sparring with a blue belt and he managed to get side control and then he moved to the north south position over the top of me. He grabbed my belt and began pulling it up toward my chest he continued to do this til it wouldn't go up any higher. He then proceeded to to jump up to his feet and lifted me up by my belt with him. He then took my back and fell to the ground and proceeded to work a collar choke. He pulled the technique off very quickly and I didnt see it coming at all as I was mainly concerning myself with trying to get to the turtle position without giving anything to him in the process. I hope this makes sense to those of you who train. If not drop a comment and I will do my best to explain further.

Too Old For Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

2006-12-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Well apparently I am getting old. I went to the doctor last Friday because my toe has been hurting pretty bad at class this week and it turns out I have Hallux Limitus (Def. A bony proliferation and articular degeneration of the first METATARSOPHALANGEAL JOINT that is characterized by pain and a progressive decrease in the dorsiflexion range of motion.) Basically as I continue doing Jiu Jitsu I am wearing down the joint which will continue until my toe no longer moves without extreme pain because the bones will be rubbing together. So that was good news. I can't believe I am only 26 and I have joints failing already. The good news is I am glad to be back at class on a regular basis again. Since I cant really do much except not use my toe to slow down the degeneration im just going to keep going and not worry about it until I need the surgery which will hopefully be later instead of sooner I guess.

More Time Away From Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

2006-11-27T13:07:00.000-08:00

Well right after I got back from California and was ready to get back into training I of course had to get sick. After enjoying thanksgiving dinner I came down with a massive fever of 103 that had me spending Wednesday through Sunday in bed. I just started feeling ok today so I probably won't make it back to the gym unfortunately til this Wednesday at earliest but more likely Friday based on how I feel today. So thats my short update for the beginning of the week.

I picked up a couple of new Jiu Jitsu gi's

2006-11-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

- Koral MKM Competition Blue Gi -

Well I ordered two new gi's this week as one of my mine got lost on the way out to LA last weekend. I was hoping to spend one day training at Ricksons school in California but since my gi didn't make it I didnt go. I ended up not being able to have the time to go anyway but I was still upset about my lost luggage.

Anyway, back to my two new gi's. I picked up a new Atama Mundial Model #5 gi and a Koral MKM gi. After trying them both out I have to say they are both very nice. The Atama is much lighter than my the double weave Atama I already have which makes me wonder how well it will hold up, but for right now it is very light and soft which makes it comfortable to wear. It also doesn't have a seem down the back like my double weave Atama which makes working on my back more comfortable. The Koral is the nicer gi in my opinion though because it feels more durable and it fits nicer than the Atama leaving less for my opponent to grab. I also like the fact the collar is filled with rubber which allows it to dry much faster after washing and it keeps it from retaining all that sweat while training which can make a gi very heavy.

You can get the Koral MKM Competition Blue gi here

Submission Highlights Video

2006-11-13T20:44:00.000-08:00

Here is a highlight video that shows a bunch of different submissions from various sparring matches...not the best production quality but still a good video I think.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Technique Class

2006-11-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

Well I had a pretty good night in class and I got quite a few submissions while working the guard game. I got a tight oma plata tonight which of late has been tough for me to pull off against strong opponents. I have been having problems with them standing up and rolling me back over cause I havent been carrying my momentum around quick enough to keep then from getting there foot under them. I also worked on a new way of executing an arm bar from the guard without having to use my foot to pivot. Basically I have been grabbing the arm I want with my opposite arm and then I grab the opposite collar of my opponent with my free hand. Then I work my legs up high around their torso and pull there collar down to get there head out of the way and to create the momentum to get the angle I need to execute the arm bar. It has been working pretty well as long as I get my legs high enough because it is much faster and less obvious what I am going for. So thats pretty much it for tonight hopefully things will keep moving along well as its much more fun when things are working than when they aren't.

Spider Guard Sweep Video

2006-11-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

This is a video of a sweep from spider guard that I like to use a lot. Its very effective against newer guys because they are always in a rush to get the pass and forget there arm.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Training

2006-11-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

Well after thinking about my current situation I have decided to continue down the path I have already started. I love BJJ but I don't think I am at a point where I can give up more time to become competitive at the sport and take on competitions. I think I will continue training in and out of class but I think I am going to focus more on training consistently 4 times a week at the gym and focus less on trying to achieve a blue belt...not that I don't want it but I think I will do better at this point to focus on consistent training than on what belt I wear. I also am going to stop focusing on the relative level of my skill to those that started with me...this will be the difficult part of the plan for me as I tend to be very competitive but I think it will be better for me long term to keep myself from getting too discouraged with my improvement. If anyone else has ever gone through something similar to this in their training I would love to hear about it so leave a comment or two.

A Week Away From Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

2006-10-30T07:32:00.000-08:00

Well I took last week off from training to let my bruises heal and my body rest for a week. I also had quite a few things going with work so it was kind of a forced break. The break gave me a little time to step back and think about how my game has progressed since I started so many months ago. The sad part is for anyone that maybe reading this that is new is that I still feel like I don't really know much and that I am still very much a beginner. New guys to the gym who don't have any ground work are pretty easy unless they are extremely strong and fast which can be a handful but I feel I have been progressing a little slower than others that started about the same time I did that have been going consistently. I think the main reason for this is that I don't spend enough time outside of class working on drills and studying video and books. I always feel like I make big gains when I spend a week watching a new instructional DVD and then taking the time to memorize all of the pieces of the movements but it is tough to make the time for this study and I guess it comes down to commitment. I made the commitment to attend class regularly and have but I didn't make the commitment to spend the time necessary outside of class to become skilled at brazilian jiu jitsu. I guess I am at a point now where I need to define what exactly my goal is in brazilian jiu jitsu and then take the time to layout the requirements necessary to meet that goal. When I started I had the goal to get my blue belt but when I look back at my initial posts and thought process I realize my real goal was simply to get active again and get myself in shape it wasn't really to get a blue belt. Well I guess I need to go and think about this for a little bit and see what I come up with.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Guard Game Video

2006-10-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a video that shows the guard game that we do during each class. I know many other schools do this also so if you were wondering what it is now you know. Basically the purpose of the guard game is to develop two important aspects of your game in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Guard Passing & Working from the guard. These two areas are worked on heavily because they are really the two postions you are in the most.

Picked Up A Couple New Shirts From Adidas

2006-10-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

I picked up a couple of these adidas shirts last week to wear under my gi and they are awesome. I was using under armor shirts and still do but I like these Adidas shirts much better. They cost a little more than the under armor shirts but they are worth it in my opinion. The link is below.
TechFit TPU Compression Short Sleeve Top

Exciting Class Last Night

2006-10-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

Well last night started off like any other technique class with a warm up, drills, guard game, and a couple techniques but then we decided to have a white belt tournament. Things started off well with the first tournament ending by submission. The second match on the other hand was not too good. Things started off ok but when one of the guys jumped to guard from the standing position the other guy moved and he kicked the guys shin and broke his leg. Not a fracture either it folded over. It really makes you stop and think after you see someone get injured like that. I instantly started thinking back to my past injury and felt very nervous about getting in the ring after that. I feel bad for the guy and hope he recovers quickly. I don't want to scare anyone but don't forget that this can be a dangerous sport so make sure you have good health insurance before you participate.

Space & Weight, The Foundation Of BJJ - Good Article

2006-10-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

The foundation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is built on the correct use of space and weight. When these two components are used correctly, the amount of effort you'll expend to effect your techniques will be minimized. When used incorrectly, you will still be able to effect your techniques. However, the amount of energy you'll expend to effect the same technique will sometimes increase substantially.

First, let's discuss the correct use of space:

When you find yourself in a superior position, you will need to close the distance (minimize the space) between your body and your opponent's body. For example, when you are in the side mount position (on top), envelope (wrap yourself around) the opponent's upper torso with your forearms and upper torso like a wet towel would envelope a basketball. By decreasing the amount of space between your upper torso and his, it will be more difficult for him to push you off of him. Why? Because he will find it difficult to locate a platform to push off of, as well as gain the correct angle to effective apply pressure to your body. (i.e. when your opponent cannot use the heel of his hands or the lower third of his elbows to push with, he will not be able to push with leverage – especially when your body is so close to his.)

Now, let’s look at a similar situation (but with a different twist). Let’s say you are side mounted on top of your opponent. However, this time, your body is stiff like a board. While you may be able to hold him down, the amount of effort you will expend will increase substantially! Why? Because you will be giving your opponent more space to push your weight off of his chest. Where? At the neck and at the hips. If your body is stiff, your head will be elevated up off the ground and so will your hips.

So, if your body is more relaxed and you make more of an effort to envelope your opponent’s body, you will decrease the space between your upper torso and his and thereby decrease the amount of leverage he will gain over your body. However, the opposite is true. If your body is stiff like a board of wood, your head will elevate and so will your help. And, you will increase the opponent leverage over your body.

Do you see how decreasing the space between your body and your opponent’s body will help you to hold him down with less effort?

Let's talk about the use of space from an inferior position:

If you allow your opponent to wrap his body around your body from the side mount position, you will find it extremely difficult to escape his hold down. Why? You know the answer: not enough space to push. Let me give you an example. Have you ever lifted weights? Have you ever performed the bench press without someone spotting you? Have you ever "GONE FOR" (tried to push very hard on) that last repetition on the bench press when you were near muscular failure and got the bar stuck on your chest? Go ahead admit it! We've all been there.

Now, what made it so difficult was not so much the weight as it was its relationship between the bar and your chest. As soon as you asked for help and someone lifted the bar off of your chest, you felt relief. However, think for a moment what just took place. You had weight on your chest that you could not push off. It was so close your chest that you did not feel you had the leverage nor the strength to push off. But when someone lifted the weight a foot or so off of your chest, you found it very easy to push the weight off. Well, the same is true in Jiu Jitsu.

When you find yourself in an inferior position, you must create space between your upper torso and your opponent's upper torso. To create space, you will need to maintain posture AT ALL TIMES, as well as move your hips and head away from the center of your opponent’s body. Escaping involves three simple movements:

1. Precise limb placement for leveraged pushing, which is a good way to describe posture,
2. Good vertical and lateral hip movement, and
3. Good head and shoulder movement away from the opponent’s centerline.

So, do you see how important it is to create space from inferior positions? Also, do you see how important posture is for escaping? Too many beginning students overlook posture. Many of them have the "Yeah, I got it" mentality and then struggle with side mount escapes for one to two years.

The bottom line is this: Use space to your advantage regardless of whether you are on top of your opponent or caught underneath him!

Now, this same concept not only applies to the positional game (escapes and control), but it also applies to submissions (chokes, locks and strangulations). For example, when you apply a straight arm lock from the side mount position, it will be important to decrease the amount of space between your buttocks and his shoulder, your heel and his head, your other heel and his armpit, your knees, your forearm and his elbow, as well as his wrist and your sternum. I could go on and on with examples, but I think you get the idea. Decreasing the amount of space between your body and your opponent’s body is paramount to good Jiu Jitsu.

One last comment about the use of space:

When you find yourself in a superior position, there should be a certain amount of tightness to your game: A tightness that makes the opponent feel uncomfortable. This tightness is caused by your position, the driving power of your legs and the pulling power of your arms and back. The uncomfortable feeling should persuade your opponent to push on your body with his arms. When he does, it will give you an opportunity to lock his arm or apply pressure to his neck – a very nice benefit!

Now, let's discuss the correct use of weight:

In a superior position, you will need to keep your weight centered on the opponent's upper torso. To keep your weight centered on his upper torso, you will need to have a driving or maintaining force (your feet) and at least one anchoring tool (one forearm) buried deep under the opponent’sbody. You will need to stay mobile with your knees and hips because you will have to adapt to your opponent's movements (i.e. his attempts to escape). You will also need to keep your hips and head down to stay balanced and to decrease the space between your bodies. The higher you raise your hips, the easier it will be for your opponent to bridge and roll you. The higher your place your head, the easier it will be for your opponent to place his forearm under your neck, elevate your head even further and then push your weight off of him.

From an inferior position the opposite is true. You will need to either suspend the opponent's weight above your body (for a short period of time), or, push the opponent’s weight alongside of your body. When you temporarily suspend the opponent's weight above your body, you decrease the amount of friction between your back, your butt and the ground. With decreased friction, you can move your hips a lot easier. When you push the opponent's weight alongside of your body, you substantially decrease the amount of friction between your body (your back and butt) and the ground. The decrease of friction will make it easier to escape. Pushing the opponent's weight alongside of you is the best of the two!

Now, regarding the use of weight for submissions: It is an absolute must! For example, it is important to apply weight to your opponent's body AND limbs during the transition that occurs between the superior position you held and the specific submission you are attempting to effect. Let me give you a more specific example so that you can see what I mean.

Let's say you are attempting a straight arm lock on your opponent's left arm from the side mount position. It will be imperative to place most of your body weight on the upper arm of the opponent. To do otherwise will give him an opportunity to escape. Why? Because if you don't control his upper arm and elbow by immobilizing it and pinning it to his upper torso, you will allow it the freedom to move wherever he wants it to go. Controlling that elbow is paramount to finishing the arm lock. So, to immobilize it, place your weight on it and then maneuver your body into position for the finish!

So, as you can see, using space and weight to your advantage has many benefits. Learn how to use space and weight correctly and your game will improve: GUARANTEED!

Jean Jacques Machado Finishing Moves

2006-10-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Technique Classes

2006-10-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

Well, Monday night my first night back was bit of a struggle but Wednesday things came back together a little bit. The thing that worried me most Monday was some of my goto moves that I rely on weren't working to well. I had to work out a couple small kinks that developed to get them fluid again. Other than that both nights were a good time as always and I am glad to be back training. Its amazing how quickly my technique falls apart from being away for a few days at this early stage of training. Thats why I find it really important to keep your mind on techniques when away from the mats cause it makes a big difference when you do get back in the gym.

Finally Back From Working Out of Town

2006-10-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't been to class in about 10 days because I have been out of town working. I finally get to go back to class tonight and I can't wait. Im sure things wont go to well but it will be good to finally get back. I will be back with comments Tuesday or Wednesday.

A good night of rolling...

2006-09-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

Its interesting to me how one night can go so smooth and the next night you just cant make anything work. Last night was great, I was getting arms bars, omaplata, chokes, sweeps etc... everything just worked. Of course last Thursday I couldn't make anything work it seemed like I really struggled with every opponent and still couldn't finish them. I wish I could understand what made the nights so different for me. I felt good both night going into class and sparred with many of the same opponents. I guess for now I will just have to attribute it to my mindset. It is true the more you feel like nothing works the more it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy and vice versa.

Respect The People You Train With

2006-09-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

It should go without saying but it really is important to respect the people you train with. They should be more than a test dummy for you. A good partner can really help you improve your technique even if they are of a lower rank than yourself. They know if a technique is working or not and in this game its all about finding all of the minor details that keep you from success. Respecting the people you train with is also about keeping your gi clean and cuts properly protected. No one wants to roll with the smelly guy or get blood all over there gi. Its all common sense but sometimes neglected.

Rickson Gracie On Fight Science Video

2006-09-07T14:11:00.000-07:00

This is a clip of Rickson Gracie from Fight Science which was on The National Geographic channel.

A Week Away

2006-09-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

I have been on vacation for the past week so I havent been to class or on the internet for awhile. I am looking forward to getting back to class tommorow night. I did watch a few instructional dvd's while I was away that I will review here in the next couple weeks.

Rickson Gracie Choke Video Part 2

2006-08-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Technique Class

2006-08-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

I had a pretty good week training last week except for my sore arms. We were doing a lot of spider guard work so my biceps are covered in bruises. The open guard has been very challenging for me so far. It is still fairly new to me in my training so working out all the details has been a slow process. Controlling an opponent from open guard has been much more difficult than working from the closed guard. It will all come together in time but it is another new aspect to my training to work out the basics of.

Rickson Gracie Choke Video Part 1

2006-08-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Submission Highlights

2006-08-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty slick video featuring a bunch of different submissions from multiple fights.

More Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tips For Newbies

2006-08-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

Well I got a request for more newbie tips so here they are;

Enjoy The Training
This is a hobby 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 thousand times, it'll take time to come but its 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.

Breath
When newbies tense up they tend to hold their breath. 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 few weeks of 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 guy 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. will be your best friend.

Don't Beat Yourself Up(I still haven't gotten this one down yet.)
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.

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.

"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 or escapes. 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 progress, someone who understands 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.

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.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Advice from a newbie

2006-08-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

DON'T TAKE OVER A WEEK OFF -- thats my great advice to newbies who want to improve quickly. I took a week off not too long ago and it really affected my performance. Now when I say a week off, I mean not thinking about Jiu Jitsu in any form. If while your off or away from the gym you watch some DVD instructionals and do some drills at home this will help you dramatically. When I got hurt earlier this year I watched quite a few DVD's and read a few books that helped me to actually improve while I was away from the gym. Lately I have only been thinking about Jiu Jitsu when I am at the gym which is a big reason I think my progress has slowed of late. Going to the gym, watching DVD instructionals, and reading BJJ books out side of class can really help speed up your progress. Thats my quick sorta informed opinion for the few who are newer than I am.

Why Do You Train In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?

2006-08-14T10:17:00.001-07:00

I am curious to hear why others decided to train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, so if you feel like sharing go ahead and post a comment below. I personally started training because I had become a couch potato after college. For a year and half after college my life consisted of going to work, (sitting at a computer all day) coming home eating fast food, watching a little tv, doing more work on the computer, and then going to bed. Not a very healthy lifestyle compared to when I was in college cycling competitively and playing hockey 5 or 6 times week. So after getting very out of shape do nothing for a year and half I tried to join a gym which didn't last long as I was bored out of my mind 5 minutes after I got there. That's when I started looking for some way to get exercise that would continually challenge my mind and body. From that concept I decided to take a look at various martial arts. I looked into aikido, boxing, and several other martial arts. None of them appealed to me as much as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu did. The main reason I liked Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was and is because of the sparring aspect of the sport. You could train hard and apply what you learned in a live environment at full intensity. It was a sport I actually imagined could hold my interest for more than a few months. So after a long deliberation due to having to sign a two year contract required to join, I took the plunge and have never looked back. I am very happy with my decision to this day even after getting a broken rib.

BJJ.org article that sums up my experience as a white belt to date.

2006-08-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

This article from bjj.org pretty much sums up what i am experiencing currently as a white belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Therfore I though it would make a good post here.

White Belt

This is the belt of paying your dues. This is the belt where you will spend most of your time being dominated. 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 me 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.

Saulo Ribeiro Video Clip

2006-08-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

This is a video of Saulo Ribeiro and his brother at various tournaments. Saulo came to our school and did a seminar but I was out with a broken rib so I missed it. From what I heard he did a great job at the seminar and people were pretty amazed with his technique.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Technique Class

2006-08-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

Well I really didnt want to go to class last night cause I had a pretty rough day at work but I forced myself to go anyway. I'm glad I went now because it was exactly what I needed to pick myself up off the floor and get myself going again. It just shows how much training can improve your life in ways you dont expect. I really started training in brazilian jiu jitsu just to get some exercise that wasnt boring like the gym but it has improved many aspects of my life I never anticipated. If anyone alse is considering training dont delay like I did and just get out there and do it, you will be happy you did.

This is a question for anyone else who trains.
What are your classes like? The reason I ask is because we have had several guys from out of town come to our school and they say training at our school is nothing like their school. We do 45 mintues of heavy conditioning and then we do either guard passing drills or basic submission drills. Then we finally get down to learning new techniques. This happens three nights a week and then the other 4 nights of the week are 2 hour sparring sessions. The guys from the other gyms seem to tell the same story that they usually work on techniques for a half hour and then spar for a half hour. So if anyone else who trains minds taking 5 minutes to layout their classes I would appreciate the info.

Blue Belt Envy

2006-08-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

So, of late I have been experiencing what I will call blue belt envy. Its not so much the belt they have that I envy but the skills that come with putting in the work to earn the belt. I was sparring the other night with a blue belt and just wasting so much energy constantly trying to defend he incessant attacks. I really can't wait to get to the point where I can relax a little while sparring so I'm not wasted after 10 minutes. Most of the blue belts in class can roll without breaking a sweat against any white belts. Its actually pretty amazing to watch.

The Guard

2006-07-31T15:16:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading The Guard and its another great book from Ed Beneville. I reviewed his other book Passing The Guard a month or so ago and really enjoyed it so I picked up his follow up book The Guard. I have the review below, but in short its another great book from Ed.

-Review-

The Guard is certainly worth the money and is a great study of the guard position. The authors are thorough and systematic in their coverage of the guard.

The book uses an interesting method of graphical symbols to indicate what limb moved or had previously moved from picture to picture. They also list alternative approaches within a technique. The level of detail is tremendous and this book should be read with pen and paper at some point so you can decide which techniques fit well into your style. The section on "flowing attack" offers combinations and this section alone is almost worth the price of the book.

Unlike many BJJ books the written instructions are clear and there are only a minor number of typographical/editing errors. I was very impressed with the outlines and explanations throughout the book. The text really enhances the images and helps to make sure you are getting all the details correctly. I would recommend anyone beginner to expert pick up The Guard as it covers in great detail every aspect of the guard.

Rickson & Royler Gracie Demo Video

2006-07-31T15:14:00.000-07:00

This is an exhibition video of Rickson & Royler Gracie rolling.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Sparring

2006-07-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

I rolled a little last night after technique class with one of the guys I work with regularly in class. He has been in class for a couple months longer than I have so he is definitely better than I am. Generally when we spar he pretty much controls the pace of the match. But, last night I was controlling the pace, I just kept seeing so many ways to attack him. The problem was I couldn't finish any of the moves due to my poor technique. So I still lost every match but I did much better than my usual performance. I think if I can start sparring twice a week (instead of once every two weeks) in addition to going to technique class twice a week I will start improving more dramatically. Which would be good since as of late I have felt like I haven't been making much forward progress.

My South Park Character

2006-07-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Technique Class

2006-07-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

Well the slow progression continues slowly but surely. I still feel like I have been making little to no progress over the past few weeks but when comparing myself to newbies I am obviously improving. The techniques I know keep taking on new levels of depth as I continue to learn new little details for facing different types of opponents. For example, the triangle choke is almost impossible for me to execute against very broad shouldered opponents. I can't lock it up properly if I don't raise my hips up high enough initially. It needs to be much tighter and deeper before attempting to close it up. These subtle differences are helping me to see where I was being lazy before and not using proper technique. All of these subtle differences continue to mount and I find myself thinking about 95 different things when trying to execute techniques which causes me to always be one step or two steps behind my opponents. I know it will all come together with time but I feel like I am bogged down with all the details and not really going anywhere.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Q&A

2006-07-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

1.Q: What does "Jiu-Jitsu" mean?
A: Jiu-Jitsu translates to "the gentle art", it is referred to as such because the art utilizes balance and leverage instead of force and strength. Also the finishing submissions are viewed as a more humane alternative to striking.

2.Q: What is the difference between Classical or Japanese Jiu Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
A: There are numerous differences the main one being BJJ focuses more on ground grappling while Classical Jiu-Jitsu places a greater emphasis on standing grappling and striking.

3.Q: Why do Jiu-Jitsu practitioners where the gi?
A: The gi serves as a teaching tool for developing a strong grip, balance, and control. Fighting with the gi requires a high level of precision and attention to detail; two tools essential for good Jiu-Jitsu.

4.Q: What is the belt system in Jiu-Jitsu?
A: Belts in BJJ include white, blue, purple, brown, and black. Each successive belt represents an increased mastery of the art.

5.Q: How long does it take to obtain a black belt?
A: This varies for each individual however it is usually between 8 and 15 years.

6.Q: Why does Jiu-Jitsu focus on ground fighting?
A: First of all, it is a fact that nearly all real fights will go to the ground. Also, BJJ always prepares its fighters for a physically superior opponent, someone much bigger and stronger. Striking with a larger opponent is very dangerous, when on the feet the utilize leverage to his advantage and instead must try to match strength. On the ground leverage can be used to control and submit even the largest of foes. It has been proven time and again that if you can't fight on the ground then you can't fight.

7.Q: Is Jiu-Jitsu effective against other styles of martial arts?
A: In MMA (mixed martial arts) matches and no-rules challenge matches Jiu-Jitsu has consistently proved its supremacy. Evidence of this can be found in the videos Gracies in Action I & II, a documentary in which the finest Jiu-Jitsu fighters took on and defeated all comers.

8.Q: What are some of the physical benefits of training Jiu-Jitsu?
A: Jiu-Jitsu if the best workout I've ever experienced. In addition it improves balance, coordination, cardio vascular capacity, and muscular endurance.

9.Q: How much does training Jiu-Jitsu cost?
A: The price varies depending on location. A school in Manhattan will be more expensive than one in Ohio. However, an average price is approximately $100-150 a month for unlimited classes.

10.Q: Is Jiu-Jitsu beneficial for women?
A: Jiu-Jitsu is excellent for rape prevention and other forms of self-defense necessary for women. Also, since Jiu-Jitsu was designed for smaller people women will not find their lack of size a hindrance.

11.Q: How are classes structured?
A: Most schools begin with a warm up of stretching and calisthenics, then a series of grappling related drills, followed by technique instruction, and finally a long period of sparing (also known as rolling).

12.Q: Is it possible to learn Jiu-Jitsu simply by reading instructional books and watching videos?
A: No, those mentioned above should serve simply as supplements to a Jiu-Jitsu program. In order to learn and progress in the art one must have a qualified instructor and numerous training partners.

13.Q: What are the different forms of Jiu-Jitsu?
A: There is sport, self defense, and vale tudo.

Rickson Gracie Budo Challenge Trailer

2006-07-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty cool trailer for the Rickson Gracie Budo Challenge.

Finally back to civilized life

2006-07-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

Well I hate to report on my life outside of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu but I felt like ranting a little.

I am finally back to the 21st century now that I have electricity at my house. We have been without power for 5 very long boring days. I couldn't even escape to work as we didn't have power there either. So for the past 5 days I drove around trying to come up with things I needed to do that were in air conditioned buildings that still had power because it was over 95 degrees for 3 of the days.

All in all when I think about it, its not that bad. It could have been much worse. A tree could have fallen on my house like our neighbor not a pretty site.

Well I will stop with the complaining now and be back with a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Report Monday. CYA

Nothing To Report

2006-07-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

Well I dont have much to report of late as we have been without power here for the past 3 days because of severe storms. I will be back with a report once I have access to the internet for more then 5 minutes.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Sparring

2006-07-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

So last night I returned to sparring after not going for a few weeks. It was nice to see 3 or 4 new guys there as that meant I could have a test dummy instead of being the test dummy.

The sparring class lasts for 2 hours; I made it 1. It wasn't bad considering how tough the sparring classes are. Fighting takes alot out of you and fighting someone that has much better technique than you (ie. blue belts, purple belts, etc...) requires alot of speed and strength to overcome. Unfortunately I don't have much of either so I spent the night struggling with the advanced students. Basically I was just holding on for dear life grabbing their collar and not letting go. After 30 minutes of that I could barely make a fist.

After being schooled over and over again I got to spar with a couple of the newbies which meant a little time to relax and experiement. It is so much easier to relax against a less skilled opponent as nothing they do suprises me too much, which is what makes fighting them easier. It makes it easier to understand how the advanced students can submit you over and over again without breaking a sweat, its the same principle. So I worked on my sweeps quite a bit and a few side control submissions which all went well. My technique is still pretty poor and I pulled off one of the worst looking armbars of the night but what can I say, I'm a newbie to. All in all though it was a good time that was injury free which is always nice.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Technique Class

2006-07-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

Well the lesson of last night was to keep my head off the mat. Easier said than done after working from the guard for an hour.
The head leads every movement from the guard and if your head is on the mat it cuts the speed of all movements from the guard. Keeping my upper back and head off the mat definitely made a big difference with the ease of execution of arm bars and triangles but was challenging to do after holding my head up for an extended period of time. I have said it before but I will mention it again, from the outside Brazilian Jiu Jitsu moves look so simple but to execute them correctly is very challenging as the small details are what separate success from failure. If any part of your body isn't properly placed the movements become challenging to execute or you make it easy for your opponent to escape or defend the technique.

My forward progress has felt very slow of late. I just don't feel like I have been improving very much of late, hopefully that will change.

Required Items for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Training

2006-07-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

I thought I would mention a couple items that I have found to be very useful for training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; (I used both of these items quite regularly for the first month of training. I still use the Liquid Bandage off and on as I still get mat burns on my feet.)

1. Liquid Bandage

2. BenGay

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ( A Few Days Off )

2006-07-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

I have taken the past week off for a little R and R but I will be back on July 5th with an update.

Rickson Gracie Rolling

2006-06-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

Some footage of the legendary Rickson Gracie rolling at a seminar.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ( Sparring With A Girl )

2006-06-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Well this post may sound a little sexist so I want to warn any female readers out there and apologize in advance for my ignorance. So, last night I had to spar with one of the girls in our class. I didn't think I would have much of an issue with it, but I did. I didn't want to but I found myself compelled not to submit when she got me a triangle choke that I would have submitted to if it was one of the guys that caught me. I worked very hard to try to get a submission on her once I passed her guard but couldn't get one completed. I fought the full 5 minutes with her without either one of us completing a submission. I didn't want to act like it was a big deal but deep down inside I didn't want to lose to a girl as sad as that sounds. I guess I have some growing up to do. At least we both got in some good intense training. I hope in the future I can let me ego lighten up a little an stay cognizant of the fact that we are both there to help each other get better not to win or lose. Unfortunately it easier said than done or I wouldn't be writing this post.

Video

2006-06-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

This is the commercial for the gym where I train that has been bringing in quite a few new guys, which is great cause I'm no longer the worst guy there.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Technique Class

2006-06-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well the inundation of new students to the school has continued due to the commercials continuing to run. Which is great but there have been more frequent injuries due to new students pairing up with other new students. Last night we had a kid get his knee hurt pretty bad when a new guy sat down on the inside of his knee. I was also training with a new guy and he couldn't relax. I tried to tell him to relax a little but he was so jumpy and wanted to do every move with as much strength and speed as he could. Therfore he ended up busting his lip on my elbow when he was trying the leg on shoulder guard pass. I tried to show him how much more effective the move was by taking your time and using leverage properly but he just dint get it I guess. It could also be that im a really bad teacher which I'm sure is part of it since I also don't really know what I'm doing. I just hope the classes don't get too much bigger, 45 guys on the mats gets pretty crowded.

Effective Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Training Methods From BJJ.org

2006-06-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

Allow me to share with you my personal perspective on effective training methods. This perspective, I believe, will guide you along a path to becoming a more efficient grappler. It will also help you to discover what areas of training need the most attention in your training regimen.

There are three specific areas of training that will help you become a better grappler:

1. technical knowledge,
2. the development of physical and mental attributes, and
3. the use of strategy.

Technical knowledge

Technical knowledge begins with the student learning a series of physical movements called techniques. Once these movements have been learned, the student should practice them until he/she can do them in their sleep. The student should try to reach a level where he/she can reflexively respond to a specific stimuli and perform the technique without thought. Next, a student must learn how to put the basic techniques together into a series of movements called combinations. These combinations will teach the student how to flow from technique to another when they encounter resistance. Resistance will guide them into the next area of training, the development of physical and mental attributes.

Attributes

Attributes are those qualities that fuel the techniques. Physical attributes, like speed, power, explosiveness, balance, coordination, timing, sensitivity endurance and accuracy are the qualities that give life and vibrancy to techniques. Mental attributes, like focus, concentration, determination, the will to survive, and pain tolerance give extra added fuel to the physical attributes. Developing attributes is an extremely important and necessary component of training for the serious martial art student. Why? Because technical knowledge without the aid and assistance of physical and mental attributes is useless. Physical movements without the added fuel of speed, power, timing, accuracy or explosiveness are nothing more than a series of flowery dance movements. Developing these physical and mental qualities is more important than the accumulation of technical knowledge. Once technical knowledge has been combined with the development of physical and mental attributes, the student can begin to focus on the use of strategy.

Strategy

Strategy can be defined as "a careful plan or method." It is the choosing of a specific set of tactics that will enable the student to accomplish their desired goal in an efficient and effective manner. The strategy they choose will depend upon the unique set of circumstances that have presented themselves. It will also depend on the amount of technical information the student has, as well as which attributes the student and his opponent possess.

So, "Where do I start?" you might ask? Well, you start by learning and practicing the mechanics of a specific technique. Next, you put some techniques together into two and three technique combinations. Next, you spar with it, and then finally, you review it. Here's an example of what I mean: let's start with the mechanics of a triangle and an arm lock. There are eight separate components of a triangle. There are seven separate components of an arm lock. To realistically put these two techniques together into an effective combination (while sparring) would require you to manipulate about fifteen different components within a short period of time (less than two seconds). Plus, you would have to set the first technique up by leading your opponent into it from a superior position. (As you can see, this is not an easy task to accomplish. Especially the first time you try it. This is why it is so important to master the mechanics of one technique before moving on to another one.) So, as you can see, this is a lengthy process. However, it is obtainable.

Once you can perform a technique reflexively where you no longer have to think about it, you can then move on to developing the specific attributes required to make that technique work.

Once you gain a handle on the mechanics and the attributes, you can then focus your efforts on developing a variety of strategies to set the technique up on a variety of opponent's. For example, how would you set up the technique on a bigger and stronger person? How would you set up the technique on a more experienced person? How do you set up the technique on an opponent who is faster than you are?

Do you see how strategies are dependent upon the physical and mental attribute and technical knowledge you possess? Do you see how technical knowledge and attributes lay a foundation for strategy?

Start this new journey of yours by first identifying your weaknesses. Once you've done that, attack those weaknesses like a wild chicken on crack! Get rid of those weaknesses so that you can one day look back on them and say, "I remember when..." Find something that you're not good at and work hard to become good at it!

In closing, let me leave you with these words of wisdom: Everything of value will come through great efforts on your part!

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Technique Class

2006-06-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

Well lets get started...Technique class Friday was the best yet. There was only 6 or 7 students Friday so we really got some great individual attention that really helped out my game. We worked on combinations and sensitivity to selecting which combo to use. It was great because until Friday I only saw moves in isolation. I got to improve my scissor sweep dramatically by getting some guidance on the small details I was missing to take my sweep from a 40% success move to a 60% success move which for me is huge. I still need to make all of the new details flow naturally without thought before I get it to a fully functional level but it was big step forward.

Analysis Of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (Part 7) from BJJ.org

2006-06-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

The Process Of Becoming Skilled
I have been practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu since 1991. Since that time, I have made several observations about training. Allow me to lead you through my observations.

There are ten major areas of training. Each area of training contained a lot of new information. Each area provided me with a new and more enhanced understanding of Jiu Jitsu. Here are the areas of training:

1. technical knowledge - large gross motor movements
2. coordination of different body parts
3. timing - knowing when to use the appropriate technique
4. sensitivity - feeling when to use the appropriate technique
5. basic strategy - knowing which techniques work for different body types
6. small, very precise movements - movements become smaller and more detailed over time
7. the combination and coordination of multiple movements and techniques
8. intermediate strategy - the use of counters and set ups
9. the development of mental attributes: patience, focus, determination
10. advanced strategy - planning to feel, not think

The first major area of training involved learning techniques. This is where you learn specific techniques for specific encounter situations. Technical knowledge is the starting place for many who begin their journey in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Unfortunately, it is an area where a lot of students plateau and become frustrated.

Learning techniques involves familiarizing one's self with the individual components of each move and then learning how to orchestrate them into a sequence called a technique. For example, the spinning arm lock from the guard involves nine individual movements:

1. grabbing the top of training partner's left forearm with your right hand
2. grabbing the inside of the training partner's right thigh with your left hand
3. spinning your body to your left by raising your hips up off of the ground, swinging your right leg over the training partner's face and pulling your head to their thigh with your left arm
4. pulling both of your heels to your buttock
5. squeezing your knees together
6. pulling the training partner's elbow into your belly button
7. pulling the training partner's wrist and pinky onto your chest and maintaining control of it
8. raising their hips even higher to hyperextend the training partner's elbow joint
9. releasing the pressure when their training partner taps the mat

(Do you see how that even a simple move is not so simple when broken down into separate components? Do you remember what it was like the first time you did this arm lock? Do you remember the difficulty you had? I do!)

Too many student take the technique portion of training for granted. They have the "Yeah, I got it" attitude. They are so anxious to move onto the next technique that they harm themselves. They do not realize the importance of developing a foundation of fundamental movements that will help them with more highly complex movements at a later point in time.

When the student learns a new technique, it is the instructor's responsibility to teach them not only the specific components, but also the strengths and weaknesses of the technique. The students must also be taught that no one single technique will work all of the time. They must be taught that every technique will not work for every student. Techniques have limitations. Therefore, it is important for the student to understand these limitations.

In the beginning, students are usually taught very large, gross motor movements which involve the use of large muscle groups. Fine motor movements (those that involve small muscles like the fingers and thumb) are too complex for the beginning student. Usually, the student has enough on their mind with large amount of gross motor movements. Once a student has mentally grasped the idea of a technique, he can then move onto physically coordinating his body to move in a sequential order. This is where coordination comes into play.

For most students, coordinating the movements of one's feet, knees, hips, shoulders, elbows and hands in a sequential order can be somewhat difficult. If the movements are performed out of sequence or on the wrong side of the body, chaos usually occurs. For example, do you remember the first time you did the elbow/knee escape from the mount position? I do. It was rather difficult. Yes, I know, most of us muscled our way through it and made it work. However, we noticed that the brown and black belts seemed to have no problem using this technique at all. Why? Because they had put in the required time necessary to develop a skill in this one area. We, however, were just going through the first phase of learning. We were trying to coordinate each of the movements in the right sequence and not look stupid while doing it. The coordination of movements is an extremely important area to train. Although we might KNOW a technique, being able to perform it under pressure is quite another.

Once we KNOW a new technique, have a good understanding of it, and can coordinate our movements into a smooth technique, we must now begin our journey with timing. Timing involves knowing and feeling when to perform a technique. For example, when your opponent is in your guard and he begins to lean his weight onto his left knee, when is the best time to sweep him? A good understanding of timing would tell you that the best time to sweep him would be when he is beginning the process of shifting his weight onto his left knee. If you were to sweep him after he had placed all of his weight onto his left knee, you would find that his weight had settled and that the sweep was still possible, but it required more effort on your part.

Good timing only comes with diligent practice at slow speeds. Diligent practice at slow speed only comes with a disciplined mind, perserverance and patience. Knowing when to perform a technique is crucial in developing skills in Jiu Jitsu.

(I have spoken with a number of students who feel that certain techniques are invincible. I have been told that once a person put this lock on you, it is impossible to escape. Well, then I would allow this person to put me in that lock and would ask them to apply pressure and make me tap. Once they began to apply pressure, I escaped. They asked to perform it again because they "weren't really trying the first time" and I gladly accepted. Again, like the Great Houdini, I escaped. Now their curiosity was peaked. They thought, or had been taught, that once a certain move was applied, that no one could get out. What they did not know or understand was the concept of timing. Timing is a very important skill to develop. It will enhance your techniques!)

Now that we have some technical knowledge, we can coordinate our movements with ease and we have a good sense of timing, we must pursue the attribute of sensitivity. Sensitivity is the ability to feel and read pressure. To fight power with power is inefficient. To use an opponent's power against him is the efficient use of knowledge and power. This is what sensitivity does for the experienced Jiu Jitsu practitioner.

Sensitivity is an attribute that takes time to develop. However, once it is obtained, it is very easy to maintain. Sensitivity, like timing, comes with diligent, disciplined practice. It does not come very soon. Neither does it come by always training with a competitive attitude. Rather, sensitivity comes by learning how to be humble in your attitude and allow your opponent to dominate you entirely. Only by the controlling of one's own self and emotions can they develop good sensitivity. Good sensitivity will bring your Jiu Jitsu skills to a high level.

Next, comes basic strategy. Strategy is a plan, a set of predetermined tactics. Good strategy must be flexible. It must be able to adapt to an ever changing environment and mind set. Your strategy must allow for different body types, because if it doesn't, you're in for a BIG surprise.

Basic strategy allows for certain walls of resistance. For example, your goal may be to sweep your rather large opponent onto his back from your guard. However, he widens his base and prevents you from even thinking about going for another sweep. You, being the strategic Jiu Jitsu practitioner, know that the only way to widen one's base is spread their knees and lower their buttock to the ground. SENSING this, you immediately jump onto his back and hook your feet on the inside of his thighs. Then, you choke him out in front of everyone! Mentally, you prepared for the widened base and were ready for it. You knew that it was impossible for your opponent to widen his base and simultaneously maintain good mobility. Therefore, sacrificing mobility, your opponent chose to widen his base and there you were, waiting for him to do it so that you could go to his back. You knew he would do this because he was so much bigger than you. You would probably have another strategy for a much smaller and faster opponent because he would probably race around you like speedy Gonzales. Basic strategy allows for different body types and the most common types of resistance they will provide.

Next, you must move on to the smaller game of Jiu Jitsu. You must learn the tiny little details that make the game much easier physically, yet much harder mentally. When I first started doing Jiu Jitsu, my movements could be measured in yards or meters. After a few years, you could measure my movements in inches and centimeters. At this point in time, my movements are now measured in millimeters.

I have heard some people say, "Blue belts know the same techniques as black belts. It's just that they are not as good at them as the black belts are!" This statement, in my opinion, was obviously made by a blue or purple belt, or someone who measured their skill against a black belt who was out of shape. For me, the Jiu Jitsu game keeps getting smaller and smaller. The tiniest of movements many times determines the outcome of the effort. For example, in one of my competitions, I had my opponent in a tight arm lock. I mean that baby was sunk in tight. REAL TIGHT! However, there was one small detail that made the difference between the tap (which I did not get) and the escape. The difference was this: my opponent's elbow was resting on my left nut. The harder I squeezed my knees together, the more it hurt. The higher I raised my hips, the more it hurt. The more I pulled my heels to my buttocks, the more it hurt. Had his elbow been one inch higher, he would have tapped. One inch made the difference between a tap and an escape.

There were times when I was training with my instructor Joe Moreira and he would show me some tiny little detail that made such a difference in my game. I could not believe what I was hearing, seeing and feeling. How could such a tiny little detail make such an improvement on my game. I am now convinced that as one progresses in Jiu Jitsu, their game gets tighter and tighter, smaller and smaller. It's the tiny little details that will make the game much easier physically!

Now, at this point in the game, I am sure you are wondering, "How much deeper can this game go?" Well, the answer is: MUCH, MUCH DEEPER! I have only scratched the surface of each of these topics. Lets move on though.

We now move on to the combination and coordination of multiple movements and techniques. This is where the game becomes highly complex. You must now combine your previous training together into a tightly knit ball of motion. Five techniques must now flow together as one. Your timing and sensitivity must be at a very high level. You must no longer THINK about how to do a technique. You must respond reflexively! Your ability to flow from one technique to another is crucial to lowering the amount of energy you expend to accomplish a specific goal! Coordinating all of the previous information into a tightly knit ball of fluid motion is much easier to describe on paper than it is to perform. How does one perform a five technique flow into one constant ball of motion? Simple! Train, train, train and then train some more. And then when you're done training, train some more. This is the only way to make Jiu Jitsu an art of fluid, yet very precise and powerful movements!

Next, we move onto intermediate strategy. Intermediate strategy involves the use of counters. It also involves setting up an opponent for the next move. Intermediate strategy is usually the first thing that most beginning students want to learn after they have gotten arm locked or triangled. They get tired of tapping out and want to learn how the blue and purple belts arm lock them so easily. However, they do not understand that this strategy is far too advanced for them. They beginning student must first work on the basic techniques, the coordination of their body, the timing of the basic techniques, sensitivity, basic strategy and then learning how the BJJ game gets smaller and smaller as they train harder and harder. Intermediate strategy is fun, but it requires a functional working knowledge of all basic techniques. If a student has to think about where to put his legs or arms for an arm lock, then he/she is not ready for intermediate strategy. To be able to counter a specific technique, a student must first have a thorough understanding of the original technique. Without this understand, the counter does not have much meaning. It is nothing but a fancy move!

The type of strategy where you purposely lead your opponent into his next move is sometimes referred to as a feint. This strategy involves putting the basic techniques, combinations and strategies together into a pattern that is designed to lead an opponent down an alley where there are a limited amount of choices. To do this requires an extremely high level of skill and patience. Not only must one possess great skill and patience, but he must also be a technician. He must intrinsically know that when he does a certain move, he opens certain doors and closes others. For example, when I am mounted on top of my opponent and I place my left hand into my opponent's collar (for a choke), I allow the opponent to perform the upa technique on his right side. I also allow him the opportunity to perform elbow knee escape on his right side. Intrinsically, I know that if he performs upa, he opens himself up to an arm lock. I also know that he opens himself up to an arm lock when he does elbow/knee escape on his right side. How do I know this? Because I have been through that series of techniques a thousand and one times, and because I have drilled them a thousand and one times, and because I have practiced and drilled the counters to each move a thousand times. That's how I can purposely and confidently place my hand into his collar and wait for him to perform upa or elbow/knee escape on his right side. This is intermediate strategy.

Next, we must move onto the development of mental attributes. Mental attributes, just like physical attributes, fuel your techniques. Mental attributes, such as focus, concentration, determination, pain tolerance, the will to survive and patience are what fuel your physical attributes. Some times, mental attributes are more important than physical attributes. Mental attributes give you the edge you need in those tight and uncomfortable situations. Have you ever heard of the mom that lifted an overturned burning car to save her child? Well, that was mental attributes in action. Granted, it is an extreme example. However, I must point out that the mind is a very powerful tool and should not be overlooked in training. The development of mental attributes will play a big part in a person's overall effectiveness in Jiu Jitsu!

Finally, we come to advanced strategy. This is where you put it all together: technical knowledge, the coordination of your body parts, the timing of your techniques, sensitivity, basic and intermediate strategy, precise movements, as well as physical and mental attributes. Your previous training has lead you to this stage of training: advanced strategy. Because of your vast experience and disciplined approach to training, you are now able to think and plan ahead of your opponent. Granted, things may not go as planned, but you are prepared for the worst. Your experience, disciplined training habits and unrelenting spirit has put you in a class by yourself. You can not only think for yourself, but you can also think for your opponent. This is the level where most of your techniques are performed without thought. You simply respond to a given stimuli out of habit. Why? Because you have been there a thousand times before. You are now set free from thinking and can focus on what you feel. Based on what you feel, you are able to predict the next series of movements from your opponent. Jiu Jitsu has now become a highly strategic chess game that you play in your mind and feel in your skin. You have forgotten more variables than most brown belts know. When someone ask you what to do in a specific situation, you immediately responds with the correct answer. When they begin to ask you how to counter that move, you interrupt them and by showing them not only the counter, but five counters ahead. Jiu Jitsu is now a feeling, not a thought!

It takes years and years of consistent, disciplined practice to reach this obtainable level. Some reach it before others, and others never reach it. What's important is that a person understand the path that lies before them and that they give their best effort to attain it!

I hope that you have gained insight by reading this article. I wish you all the best in your training!

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu In Action ( Royce Gracie )

2006-06-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Technique Class

2006-06-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

Well class proved to be rather difficult last night, for me anyway. Anybody I went up against in our guard passing drills probably had a pretty easy time. All started well when I was passing others guards but when I was put in the middle and others were trying to pass my guard I struggled very badly. Everything I tried failed. Generally it doesn't take more than 30 seconds to a minute for a person to either get submitted or to pass the guard but I struggled with one opponent for about 5 minutes. I couldn't scissor sweep him which is generally my goto move if I am struggling with someone. He also couldn't pass my guard. He would get it open but I would get it closed back up pretty quick so we weren't getting anywhere. Every attack I tried failed, I went for chokes, armbars, and the kimura to no avail. I tried almost every submission I know from the guard but I couldn't get any to work. It finally ended with me getting the sweep after 5 previous attempts. After this long drawn out battle I couldn't make a fist with my right hand because it was so sore from gripping his collar. This made me easy work for everyone that followed I couldn't stop a single person from passing my guard. It was pitiful. I then went back to attempting to pass others guards and I couldn't pass anyone's guard so I repeatedly got submitted. I think this is the worst I have ever felt after a class mentally. I just felt like I really haven't learned anything. Even the moves I thought I knew I realized I really don't know very well. Hopefully things will come together better Friday.

Analysis Of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (Part 6) from BJJ.org

2006-06-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

Learning and practicing submission holds is one of the funnest parts of learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. What's even funner is making the opponent tap to an arm lock, choke or leg lock.

To be proficient at submission holds, one must be proficient in the following areas:

1. The mechanics of each submission
2. The positions of control that accompany the submissions
3. The transitions that occur between the positions and submissions
4. The physical attribute of sensitivity
5. An understanding of the principles involved with joint manipulations and chokes

Learning the mechanics of submission holds is so important to develop good submission skills. I have seen numerous grappling matches where an aggressor tries to effect a lock, yet struggles with getting it on just right. He fumbles, and the opponent escapes. Why? Poor mechanics. He had an basic idea of how to do a lock, but he used strength to apply the lock. If he'd had good mechanics, his opponent would have tapped and he would have been declared the victor.

Learning the mechanics of a specific joint lock is more important than anything else. It lays the foundation for your understanding of specific limb placement and the use of leverage. Knowing the mechanics of a specific joint lock is also important because contained in the mechanics are the escapes. (And we all know how important it is for us to know how to escape a submission hold.)

Finally, learning the mechanics will help you at the intermediate and advanced levels of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Intermediate level Jiu Jitsu is nothing more than putting the basics together into numerous two and three technique combinations. However, once you begin to put these basics together into two technique combinations, you must maintain the integrity of both techniques as well as the transition, otherwise, you leave your opponent a chance to escape. For example, an arm lock has six different components to it and a triangle has seven. To put those two techniques together into a combination, one must coordinate sixteen different components (six for the arm lock, seven for the triangle and three for the transition between both submission holds). That's a lot of stuff to remember and coordinate. If you can not coordinate all of the above components, you must stick with learning and mastering the basic mechanics. Also, if you can not coordinate all of the above components, it means you must fill the gaps in the mechanics with speed, power, strength and explosiveness. Now, there¹s nothing wrong with filling the gaps with speed, power, strength and explosiveness. All it means is that you better not grapple with anyone who's bigger, stronger, faster, more explosive and as equally skilled as yourself. Otherwise, you're gonna end up real tired, real quick.

The second thing you must devote yourself to learning are the positions of control that accompany the submission holds. Contained within the mechanics are the control positions that allow you to maintain positional dominance over your opponent. When you opponent frees himself from your grip, you must learn how to adjust your body to maintain control over his body without relinquishing your hold on the submission. You must also learn how to deal with those walls of resistance that present them self as you go for the submission (e.g. while attempting an arm lock on your opponent, he grabs his forearms with both of his hands and pulls his arms to his chest.)

Next, you must learn how to control the transitions that occur between the positions and submissions. When you find yourself locked into a position of control and dominance, you feel secure. However, as soon as you begin to go for that submission hold, you struggle with the thought of giving your opponent too much space to escape. Or, you struggle with the thought of taking your weight off of your opponent too long which will also give him an opportunity to escape. So, what do you do? You wait and wait and wait and wait, hoping your opponent will give you his arm or neck. OR, you ballistically shoot for the arm or neck, only to find yourself on your back again, wishing you had not gone for it. Well, all this ads up to is your unfamiliarity with transitions and your inability to set your opponent up.

Transitions are very important to your BJJ game. You must have them at high levels. Too many people become focused upon the positions and the submissions and ignore the transition that occur between the two of them. Just as you practice holding someone down from the mount, and just as you practice finishing a spinning arm lock from the mount, you must also practice the transition that occurs between the two.

The next thing to train is the physical attribute of sensitivity. Sensitivity is the ability to read and feel pressure. Once you obtain this attribute and can apply it from every position, it will make your game much easier. Especially against much larger and stronger opponents. Additionally, sensitivity is one of those attributes that is easily maintained. Unlike speed and power.

Finally, you must have a firm understanding of the principles involved with joint manipulations and chokes. When you apply a joint manipulation or choke, you are applying a certain amount of pressure on a specific location, at a specific angle. If you change the angle of pressure, you make the lock ineffective. If you change the position of leverage, you make the lock ineffective. The same applies with chokes.

As you can see, learning how to effectively apply a submission hold is an uphill battle. You will encounter a variety of difficulties along the way. But keep going, it's worth the battle. When you can repeatedly make muscle bound guys tap with greatest of ease, you will feel proud of your accomplishments. Don't worry so much about that big monstrosity in your BJJ class. He is the exception to the rule. He knows the same BJJ that you know. Focus on the new students that come into the class. The ones that are muscle bound. If you can make them tap, you have a lot to be proud of!

I remember the first bodybuilder I made tap. He was 6'2", and weighed 315 lbs. He was a high school wrestler to boot. His curiosity led him to my school and we rolled. He took me down and I placed him in my guard. He put his hands on my shoulders to pin me down and I took his arm and made him tap like an experienced conga player. he asked to go at it again and I obliged him. He took me down again and I immediately placed him into my guard again. He reached under my leg to pass my guard and I triangled him. Again he tapped. He asked to go again and I said, "SURE!" (Smiling like a Cheshire cat!) I took him down this time and mounted. He rolled over to his knees and I choked him. He tapped again, but this time he was angry! He said, "You can't do that!" I said, Sure I can. I just did." He said, "That¹s not allowed in wrestling." I told him, "Of course it isn'¹t. That's the Jiu Jitsu stuff you said would never work on you. How did it feel?" He said, "Man, I've never felt anything like that before. Can you teach me some of that Jiu Jitsu stuff?" Sure, I said. I'll never forget that day. I was still a blue belt at the time.

So my point in saying all of this is:

* Learn and master your mechanics
* Learn and master the positions of control
* Learn and master the transitions that occur between the positions and submissions
* Develop the physical attribute of sensitivity
* Develop your understanding of principles

They will turbo charge your current skills!

Gracie Jiu Jitsu History on FSN

2006-06-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Good video about the history of BJJ and the UFC

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Technique Class

2006-06-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well class went well last night even though I am still struggling with our 45 minutes of cardio. The bear crawls are the worst as we have to do about 10 laps around the edges of the mats and our gym is pretty big. Apparently the cardio used to be much more intense in the past so I guess I can't complain too much. The problem is it never gets any easier, as I get in better shape I am able to complete more of the cardio without having to stop. At least I am losing some weight and getting fit. Last night we worked on techniques from the butterfly guard which is new to me. I have seen it used but I have never used it in class before as it seems like it would make it easy for your opponent to pass your guard. I definitely think it is an advanced guard as I can't even keep anyone in my closed guard for very long. We worked on guitine chokes and sweeps from the butterfly guard which were very effective but very time sensitive. The slightest mistiming made the moves very difficult to execute. Rodrigo made a good point last night by saying, "most jiu jitsu moves look very easy from the outside but are extremely difficult to execute properly." Right now I try to muscle through the moves instead of using good technique which would make the moves very easy to execute. Unfortunately it is much easier said than done as there are so many small details that must be executed perfectly as I have said many times before in other posts. The road to success with Brazilian jiu jitsu is going to be much longer than I initially believed, I hope I can stick to it.

Analysis Of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (Part 5) from BJJ.org

2006-06-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

Submission And Strategy
Learning is a process of time and effort. This process begins with the simple knowns of life and progresses endlessly towards the very complex unknowns. When a child learns mathematics, he begins with a very simple known value system. He learns how to count from one to ten by using his fingers and toes. Once he can comfortably and confidently maneuver around these simple things, he can then be introduced to more complex things like counting to one hundred. Once proficiency is achieved at this new level, he can then be introduced to basic arithmetic (which is the idea of putting the basics together into numerous combinations). Once his grasp of basic arithmetic has grown to a high level, he can then be introduced to more complex mathematics like algebra, geometry, trigonometry and calculus. This is the process of learning mathematics. This is also the process of learning anything in life, especially Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

The starting point in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is positional escapes. It is your value system, your foundation. Without this foundation, everything else you learn will not have meaning or substance. If you can not escape from an inferior position, you will never be able to control or dominate your opponent. You will have to resign yourself to always being on your back. Always trying to escape but never quite succeeding. Positional escapes must be your starting point because it will give you the ability to get off of your back and onto a top position. Plus, it will give you the power to further your education in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with things like positional dominance, submissions and counters.

Once you have built a solid foundation in positional escapes, you can then move onto positional dominance. The building block of positional dominance will lay the foundation for your study of submissions. If you can positionally escape and dominate your opponent at will (meaning any time you damn well please), then you will be able to repeatedly try submission after submission without regard to whether or not they escape the hold. For example, if your opponent escapes your attempt at an arm lock, oh well, you'll just pull him back into your guard, sweep him and do it all over again. If he escapes again ... yawn ... you'll flip him onto his back and try it from a different angle. Positional dominance, along with positional escapes, will give you the confidence to be able to do this. That's why it is the second building block along your path to submissions and set-ups.

Your next building block is learning the specific mechanics of each submission hold. The mechanics of each submission are what give you the leverage to be able to arm lock, leg lock or choke a 325 lbs. athletic, body builder with ease and finesse. Mechanics are made up of two thing: 1) the specific position your body must be in to control your opponent while you place him in a submission hold and apply leverage to a specific joint or appendage, and 2) the correct angles at which you apply and maintain pressure on the joint or appendage you are manipulating. Once you understand the how's, where's, when's and why's of submissions, the rest is easy.

Now before I move on to the next building block, I must interject something here. You must take these three beginning building blocks (positional escapes, positional dominance and mechanics of submission holds) and master them before even attempting to think about set-ups. Why? Because the set-up portion of the game is very intellectual. You can't be physically struggling with an escape from an inferior position or the mechanics of an arm lock, while at the same time trying to formulate a "what the hell am I gonna do next" strategy. You must be in absolute command of your positional skills, as well as your mechanics of submission holds, before you begin the very mental game of set-ups and strategy.

Now, when it comes to set-ups, you have to play a lot of the "what if" game. You have to take your training partner aside and do a frame by frame analysis of the game. When your opponent or training partner offers you resistance in one direction by slamming shut a door of opportunity, you need to take the time and look around to find the other door of opportunity that exists. Up until this point in time, your learning process should have taught you that there are always two sides to every coin. So there must be at least two doors of opportunity in every situation. All you need to do is take the time during your training sessions and find them. Yes, an instructor can show them to you, but you must take it upon yourself to find them. Here's an example of what I mean. If my opponent were to lift his head up while I was trying to apply a triangle on him, I would simply flow into an arm lock. Why? Because the specific energy or pressure that he gave me was conducive to me taking his arm. He was leading me into an arm lock. If when I tried to arm lock him from that triangle position by throwing my leg over his face and he ducked his head under my leg, well, I'd flow right back into the triangle.

So when he lifted his head up to counter one submission hold, he led me into another one. When he lowered his head down to counter another submission hold, he led me into another. My opponent could not simultaneously lift and lower his head at the same time. So, as my opponent chose to close door "A", I made a bee-line to go through door "B". When he saw me making a bee-line for door "B", he tried to close door "B" instead. Either way, I was gonna make it through one of those doors of opportunity sooner or later.

So, when it comes to set-ups, you must realize that you are talking highly complex issues! This is not the kind of stuff you talk about with children, but with University Professors. So now that I have made you a University Professor, you should not ask childish questions that relate back to positional escapes, positional dominance or the specific mechanics.

For the person who is concerned with setting up an arm lock on a highly talented, equally skilled and knowledgeable individual, they should first be able to setup an arm lock on a unsuspecting and unknowledgeable individual like taking candy away from a baby! If they can not do this, then they are not ready for this complex issue. Setting up an arm lock on a highly talented, equally skilled and knowledgeable individual is a very difficult task. It is one that can be done, but it can be a lengthy process.

You must start the process by establishing control of his body. Once you have established control, you must determine his skill level by what you feel. Next, you must begin you the process of attacking a joint or his neck. Should you encounter physical resistance (meaning power or strength), you just have to wait it out because he will tire in a minute or two. Should you encounter technical resistance (meaning he knew a technical counter to your submission attempt) you should flow into the submission hold he is leading you into without giving up control of his body. Following someone's pressure is like water finding the path of least resistance. It is there, it just needs to be found.

Yes, you can plan ahead and try to stay ten moves ahead of your opponent, but that usually doesn't work. Why? Because you're doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu kata. You may think you can plan what your opponent is going to do, but if he surprises you, then you'll find out that your kata was your worst enemy. It misled you into battle. You must not plan on doing this and doing that. You must learn how to respond to what pressure your opponent gives you. If you always try to force an issue, you will one day more than likely encounter an issue that is a lot bigger and stronger than you can force. Then what will you do? You'll probably get tired and panic, expend more energy than you really had to, and maybe even lose the fight. Maybe luck will be on your side and you will win the fight. But you will have spent so much unnecessary energy that you will be unable to continue fighting other fresh opponents.

Your planning, strategy, and set-up must happen during training. You must address every little nook and cranny of the issue at hand before testing it out in live action. You must also have an instructor who is willing to share with you the flowchart of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. You must see and learn how each technique has several individual counters, and you must learn and memorize each and every counter. Then, you must see and learn how each and every individual counter has several counters to it. For example, if I were to show you a simple arm lock from the guard, and then show you ten (10) different counters to that one arm lock, you would say WOW! Then, if I took each individual counter and showed you five counters to each of them (i.e. five counters to counter #1, five counters to counter #2, ..., five counters to counter #10; fifty counters in all), your mind would be blown. And then if I asked you to memorize them for your up-coming match with Jean Jacque Machado, you'd think I was crazy! Well, welcome to the intellectual world of set-ups and strategy. It is a world of complex factors and exponentials!

Passing The Guard

2006-06-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Passing The Guard and it is a great book. I picked up the book because I really need to work on passing the guard since it is so important to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and I really struggle against higher ranks when doing our guard passing drills at class.

-Review-

Passing The Guard is not only the most reasonably priced book but the first that I've seen that really covers passing the guard in such detail.

The book uses an interesting method of graphical symbols to indicate what limb moved or had previously moved from picture to picture. They also list alternative approaches within a technique. Counters are listed on the same page with each technique so you not only learn how to pass the guard but you get some ideas on how to keep it.

Unlike many BJJ books the written instructions are clear and there are only a minor number of typographical/editing errors. I was very impressed with the outlines and explanations throughout the book. The text really enhances the images and helps to make sure you are getting all the details correctly. I would recommend anyone beginner to expert pick up Passing The Guard as it covers in great detail every aspect of passing the guard.

This Kid Is An Amazing Fighter

2006-06-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how good this kid is.

Here is his record to date:
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - 160-8-0 (win-loss-draw)
Boxing - 12-1-0 (win-loss-draw)
Wrestling - 99-20-0 (win-loss-draw)
Vale Tudo (NHB) - 3-0-0 (win-loss-draw)

Technique Class

2006-06-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

Well last nights class was much better than Mondays. We got to learn some new moves that I will try to describe below. I figure trying to write a description of the move might help me to better understand the techniques minor details. Attempt this move at your own risk I am not responsible for you killing someone or injuring someone trying to do this move of any other move described in this blog.

I will call the move,

"The side choke from guard"
1. Opponent is in my guard
2. Opponent tries to gain base and posture by placing both hands against my stomach and pushing up.
3. I Circle my right hand behind my opponents right elbow (from my perspective)and push out to the right side of my body. Simultaneously I use my left hand to push my opponents left(from my perspective)elbow off to my right side (I must push his arm far enough that it is to the right side of my head).
4. I Bring my right hand up between my opponents arms and around the back of his neck. I Bring my head up off the mat and pin my opponents left bicep (from my perspective) against his neck and my ear. I want my head as high as possible on his bicep.
5. I Grab my left arm bicep with my right hand and bring my left hand back to the side of my head.
6. I keep my guard and arms closed while scooting around like I am trying to get to his back. I am trying to get the blade of the inside of my right arm against his carotid artery in his neck.
7. Once I am positioned well I squeeze my head against his left bicep (from my perspective) and my right forearm against his carotid artery and choke him. I must make sure to use the inside blade of my forearm or the choke wont work very well.

Analysis Of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (Part 4) From BJJ.org

2006-06-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

Passing The Guard
Passing the guard is one of the major tools one should have in his/her BJJ arsenal. If there was one skill to be obtained in BJJ, this would be the one! If you can consistently pass someone's guard with ease, you will take so much away from their ability to control you. (Add to this some good hold down skills to become truly effective.)

I have spent a little over two years working on it with my instructor Joe Moreira. This one skill has helped me so much that I must recommend it to all. Let me share with you some of what I have learned.

Here are the principles and guidelines to passing the guard:
Space

* create space to uncross the opponent's ankles
* space while you're in the process of passing his guard

Weight

* keep your weight centered on the opponent's upper torso while passing

Formula
(This is a simple way to remember where you are in the process of passing.)

* Step one - establish base and posture
* Step two - uncross the opponent's ankles
* Step three - secure and control the opponent's hips
* Step four - pass under or over the opponent's leg

Note: The above formula will work with or without a gi!

Based upon the preceding principles and guidelines, I can show you sixty-five (65) different techniques on passing the guard. I'm sure there are more than sixty-five, but that's all I know. Once you understand these principles and guidelines, you can figure a lot of different ways to pass.

When you begin to put the basic ways of passing the guard together into two and three technique combinations, the amount of energy you spend to pass will begin to decrease. When you can put five and six techniques together into a solid combination, now you're flowing. And, when you can pass your opponent's guard and talk to another student about politics, mathematics or sports, while your in the process of passing their guard ... well, now you're really flowin'!

Another Ask A Ninja Video

2006-06-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ask A Ninja Video. These don't really have anything to do with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu BJJ but I find them quite funny so I thought I would share them.

Technique Class From Hell

2006-06-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

Well last night turned out to be a very long class. We did our normal warmup of 45 minutes then did armbar, triangle, and escape drills. We were supposed to do 20 of each, at least that was until someone was found to be doing them half-assed. Therefore we ended up doing 200 armbars from the guard and got a lecture about why we perform these drills once we are tired. I wont go into all the details but in short you will have to perform these techniques under stress and will be extremely tired therefore they need to be done with conviction and correctly even when tired. How you train in class is how you will respond in a real situation. Needless to say my stomach is extremely sore today. Hopefully that is the last time we have to do any technique 200 times.

Technique Class

2006-06-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

Well tonight at technique class I really got to see how much I have improved since I started. We had about 5 brand new students start tonight so you know what that means...I go to work on techniques I know but haven't been able to apply successfully against more experienced opponents. I got quite a few armbars in during the guard passing drill plus I got to actually help people in class. Its nice to be able to offer others in the class some information instead of always being on the receiving end of the information. It appears the classes will continue to grow in size also due to the fact that the school has been advertising on Spike TV during UFC and The Ultimate Fighter reality show. I view this as a good and bad thing. The good, more students means a larger variety of people to train with. The bad, less one on one coaching from Rodrigo which is very important as there are so many small details to each move that must all be executed perfectly for success and without him watching I may not learn the technique properly.

This is too funny not to post.

2006-06-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

Askaninja.com interview with the Ninja.

Analysis of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (Part 3) from BJJ.org

2006-06-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

When it comes to submissions, there are several different types: chokes and strangulations, joint lock and pressure/compression points. My favorite is joint locks. I've spent several years studying them. Here's my take on joint locks:

There are seven (7) reasons why joint locks appear to be ineffective at times:

1. bad mechanics
2. abnormal range of motion
3. high tolerance to pain
4. under the influence of a drug
5. mentally deranged
6. previous injury or surgery
7. any combination of the above

Poor mechanics is the number reason why joint locks seem ineffective at times. It is the number one problem I see at grappling tournaments.

Learning the mechanics of a joint locks should be the foundation of submission grappling. If a person doesn't know the correct mechanics of a specific joint lock, he/she must make up for this lack of knowledge by introducing speed, strength and power into the equation. This is why so many people struggle with grappling. If they knew the mechanics of the lock they were trying to employ, they would know where to precisely place their strength. They would know how to use the leverage that mechanics would give them. Instead, they struggle with poor mechanics and their opponent escapes the lock.

Good mechanics will give a person the ability to apply most of the body weight and all of their upper body strength onto one joint. If you weigh 150lbs., you should be able to apply at least 150lbs. of pressure onto one joint. Now with that kind of weight and pressure, how many people do you know that can support 150lbs. on one joint? Now if you change the angle of pressure on the joint, how many people do you think can do that?

Joint locks can also seem ineffective because the opponent or assailant has an abnormal range of motion in a specific joint. For example, I know of a few people whose elbows bend backwards, way beyond the normal, straight 180 degrees. I met a woman whose arm bent backwards to almost a 90 degree angle. It was impossible to arm lock her with the normal juji gatame. I met a guy who could sit on the ground with his legs straight out in front of him, his butt and the back of his knees were touching the ground, and he could touch the soles of his feet on the ground without bending his legs. I've met several people who could bend their wrists backward and touch the palms of their hands to the inside of their forearms.

These people require that you have not only have a working knowledge of good mechanics, but you also need to know how to change the angles on their joints. Otherwise, you will not make them tap on the joint that has the abnormal range of motion.

The number three reason why joint locks can seem ineffective is that the opponent or assailant has a high tolerance to pain. I have applied joint locks with correct mechanics to a few people who could withstand a lot of pain. Some simply refused to tap until they heard something pop. So when I encountered a new student or seminar attendee who wouldn't tap to an arm lock or wrist lock, I always resorted to the carotid restraint. I knew I wouldn't hurt them because they will go unconscious if they don't tap. Many have gone unconscious, but none have ever been hurt. High tolerance to pain is something you will encounter from time to time. So don't be alarmed. Some people are just kinda weird that way! (I am that way with biting. I have an extremely high tolerance to pain when it comes to someone biting my arms or legs. However, put me in a good arm or leg locks and I will tap like an experienced conga player! )

The number four reason why joint locks can seem ineffective is the opponent or assailant is under the influence of a drug. Certain drugs cause the nervous system to ignore the signals they receive from certain receptors. They don't feel pain. You crack their arm and they smile at you. You break their knee and they begin to sing the National Anthem. It's time to put your new Nike cross trainers into action and get the hell outta Dodge!

The number five reason why joint locks can seem ineffective is the opponent or assailant is mentally deranged. Same thing as those on drugs. Same response. I encountered a few people like this as a police officer and they were extremely difficult to deal with. There are a number of homeless people like this. They have lived on the streets for years and not much bothers them. Be careful.

The number six reason why joint locks can seem ineffective is the opponent or assailant has a previous injury or surgery. This is very common as well. I have known a few people that have had previous surgeries or injuries and had no, or very little feeling on one side of their body. so when you put them into an arm lock for the first time, they just look at you. When their arm cracks so loud that everyone in class hears it, you better get them some immediate medical attention, even if they say, "I'm OK."

The last reason why joint locks can seem ineffective is any combination of the above six reasons.

When applying joint locks, take the above information into consideration. Check your mechanics first. If your mechanics are OK, take a look at the opponent's joint. If it looks like it would normally hurt, you probably have someone on your hands that fit into one of the above descriptions.

As you can probably tell, I am very big proponent of developing proper mechanics. I stress mechanics a lot in my BJJ classes. Why? Because it makes accomplishing your objectives much easier. You won't have to mix speed, power, strength and explosiveness into the matrix as often.

A game of inches

2006-06-06T09:50:00.000-07:00

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a game of inches. Last night at our technique class I was struggling with a movement we were working on. I just couldnt seem to get it pulled off smoothly. The teacher watched me perform the movement and instantly saw my problem. It was simply a matter of my hip placement being off less than two inches. Those two inches meant the difference between failure and success against a resisting opponent. The whole movement felt effortless with the small correction. I was trying to use a lot of power to get through the move instead of technique and in BJJ its all about technique against a bigger stronger opponent.

Analysis of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (Part 2) from BJJ.org

2006-06-04T14:52:00.000-07:00

Physical Attributes for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Attributes are those qualities that fuel your techniques. They give meaning and substance to your techniques. Physical attributes like speed, power, strength, explosiveness, body mechanics, timing, sensitivity, awareness, accuracy, footwork, distancing, agility, line familiarization, flexibility, balance, coordination and endurance are what bring life and vibrancy to your techniques.

There are several physical attributes that play a major role in the development of your overall skill in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The first two that come to mind are sensitivity and timing. These are the two most important attributes to develop and maintain over the years.

Let's first talk about sensitivity. Sensitivity could best be described as having the ability to feel and read pressure. During a grappling match, there is a constant barrage of pushing and pulling motions every millisecond. If one were to repeatedly engage force against force, they would soon tire. The competitor with the most strength, power and endurance would more than likely win the match. (That is, taking into account that the two competitors are equally skilled.) However, if one person had the attribute of sensitivity working for them, they would immediately recognize a pushing motions on the part of their opponent and use this motion (pressure) against him by pulling him off balance. Sensitivity is a great attribute to develop. You can use and develop it you entire life.

Sensitivity has helped me so much in my own grappling experience. I have used it many times against much larger and stronger opponents. For example, I have a student who is a body builder. He stands 6'2" tall and weighs a hefty 325 lbs. (by comparison, I am 6'2" and weigh 205 lbs.) He bench presses 500 lbs and bicep curls 120 lbs with what appears to be the greatest of ease. Now, he has been a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu student of mine for a year. You know and I know that there is no way in hell that I am going to overpower him. So how is it that I man-handle him like a little baby? How is it that I toss him to and fro with an arm lock here and a leg lock there? Well, I'll tell you. It is a combination of technical skills mixed with the attribute of sensitivity. Now give him another year or two of training under me and he will become a nightmare.

Some may ask, "How did you develop such a high degree of sensitivity?" Well, I spent most of my grappling time (9 years) with my eyes closed. Whenever I grappled with someone who was not as experienced as I was, I used it as an opportunity to train sensitivity. This was a safe, fun and easy way to develop my sense of feel. I would grapple people my own skill level with my eyes closed as a barometer to feel how much energy I was using to control them or escape from certain positions. Plus, when I'd grapple my instructor, I would close my eyes to feel the subtlety of certain moves he would apply. Black belts have a different kind of pressure that is unique to them. As a result of this kind of training, I can now grapple with just about anyone and feel their intentions. (Please don't put any extra meanings into my words. I am not saying I am the world's best grappler, or anything like that. I am just making a point about the development of sensitivity in my own personal training.)

Now let's talk about timing. Timing can best be described as the ability to know when to perform a specific technique at the appropriate time. It goes way beyond just knowing a technique. Timing means you know when to employ a technique. It means you have the ability to see a very small, fast approaching window of opportunity to employ a specific technique and you confidently take that opportunity to boldly employ the technique like you were destined to take it. That is great timing.

Let me give you an example of poor timing. Most of us know the scissors sweep from the guard. However, we sometimes don't see the window of opportunity to employ it. And if we do see it, it seems to either be approaching so frickin' fast that it feels like we will never quite get the opportunity to perform the technique, or we see it after it has already past. Maybe we get it once in awhile, but it always seems so difficult to perform, and we end up expending so much energy doing it. Does this sound familiar? Well, it's not because we don't know how to perform the technique. It's because we don't know when to perform it, or we haven't taken the time necessary to develop the timing needed to employ the technique. Either way, poor timing is the culprit.

Usually, a lack of timing boils down to one of three things: One, your instructor has not taught you properly in the timing and use of a specific technique, or two, he did teach it to you and you didn't pay attention while he was teaching, or three, he did teach you and you haven't taken the time to properly train and develop the timing you need to employ the technique. Regardless of whose fault it is, you need to take the time to develop a sense of timing with that specific technique. You need to do the hundreds of repetitions necessary to make this technique your own. Doing so will make it an ace up your sleeve. One that you will employ again and again with the greatest of ease.

When you combine the attribute of sensitivity with the attribute of timing, you get an explosive combination. Sensitivity and timing will almost always beat speed, power and strength. (That is, unless you have a strong opponent who is knowledgeable, cautious and defensive, and doesn't want to fight, but rather, he wants to see how long he can last with you; you may not make him tap.) Now combine sensitivity, timing, speed, power, strength and endurance along with a good coach, good instruction in solid, fundamental skills, and what do you get? You get an animal!

Now keep this in mind, there are a lot of strong people out there. There are a lot of fast people out there. And, there are a lot of people who have very high levels of endurance. However, these attributes tend to be associated with youth. As you get older, you will find that more people are stronger than you, faster than you, and have a helluva lot more endurance than you have ever had. However, if you consistently develop and maintain a high level of sensitivity and timing, you will be able to compete with them for quite some time after your prime.

Sensitivity and timing are much easier to maintain than other attributes.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Video

2006-06-04T14:44:00.000-07:00

Gracie Jiu Jitsu Documentary

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Analysis (Part1) from BJJ.org

2006-06-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is built upon two pillars of truth: 1) Space and 2) Weight. Once you understand these two principles and learn how to use them to your advantage, they will turbo charge your defensive and offensive game. To your opponent, you will feel heavier when you are on top of them. To your opponent, you will feel slippery when you are underneath them.

Let's first address space. When you find yourself in a superior position, you need to be as close to your opponent as possible. Give them no space to perform any kind of escape! When I say no space, I mean no space with your entire body. Not just your upper body, but also your lower body. Not just with the left side of your body, but with both the left and right sides of your body. I want you to place your body on top of their body like a wet towel. You should be so close to your opponent that you should feel like one of his intercostal muscles.

To maintain an extreme tightness, you need to maintain a constant pulling motion with your arms. You also need to drive with your feet and apply downward pressure with your chest by arching your back.

When you find yourself in the inferior position, you need to create as much space as possible. When I say create space, I mean you should create space at the hips and the head. Move your hips away from their hips, then move your upper torso away from their upper torso. Remember this rule of thumb: He who controls the hips, controls the game.

To create space, you first need to push with your hands, forearms, knees and/or feet. Next, you need to move your hips away from the opponent's hips. The closer your hips are to him the more control he will have over them.

Now that we have briefly covered the concept of space, let's take a look at weight.

When you find yourself in a superior position, you need to keep your weight centered upon the opponent's upper torso. If you give your opponent the chance to dump your weight off to one side, he may escape. So keep your weight centered on his upper torso.

To keep your weight centered on his upper torso, maintain a constant pulling motion with your arms. Keep your head down and keep your chest pressing into his.

When you find yourself in an inferior position, you need to dump the opponent's weight off of the center of your chest. You have five directions in which you can dump his weight:

1. up (towards the ceiling)
2. down (towards your feet)
3. left
4. right
5. overhead (towards the top of your head)

To dump the weight off of your upper torso, you need to use your hands, forearms and/or biceps to push their weight in one of the five directions mentioned above.