BJJ Punch Choke: A Surprise Legal Submission From Hell

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Are you looking for a way that will help you finish takedowns? How about a guard pass that will get rid of the boring closed guard? Perhaps even a submission from the closed guard that people won’t expect? Well, how about if I told you that you can achieve all three, and then some, with just one move – the BJJ punch choke? Using this old-school BJJ move you’ll be able to surprise everyone with one of two things – either a submission finish or wrapping up whatever it is you were initially after (pass, sweep, or takedown).

The BJJ punch choke is a Gi based technique that will help you surprise lots of folks. that said, you can’t bet on it working every time from everywhere – it is simply not a high percentage submission. However, if you are experienced enough as a grappler, you’ll recognize all the options this choke opens up. If you’re not as experienced, just read the article, try it out, add it to your game and see what happens. I can promise you’ll love the results, one way or another.

What Is The BJJ Punch Choke?

The BJJ Punch Choke is a very simple way of getting a tap. There are plenty of variations of it, and the most effective one is actually one done from the mount and one that doesn’t necessarily require a Gi. I’ll mention it briefly because the other version of the BJJ punch choke are actually even more unexpected and unorthodox than this one.

Also known as the ‘grapefruit choke” when you find yourself in the mount, you’ll be looking to place the knuckles of both clenched fists on either side of the opponent’s neck. if you want to be all precise about it, you should aim to have the first two knuckles pressing on the arteries on each side, but that’s not mandatory. Net up, you can do the choke directly, but anchoring yourself by gripping the collars of the Gi, four fingers-in, on both sides will make it all tighter.

The choke works great from the mount because you’re weight is on top, and you can use your hips to further place pressure on both arteries. I’ve used this in competition at different belt levels several times so far, and it works. The question is how t take the punch choke further and make it even more useful, both as submission and as a setup for other moves? the answer is simple and old-school – look to punch just one side, while you manipulate the gi on the other. Read on.

Why Even Consider Such A Move?

Because it is easy to set up, perfectly legal, and will provide you with different opportunities to what you’re used to. The BJJ punch choke will get you plenty of taps, by using the same move when you’re in guard, trying to pass the guard or standing. There are very few moves in BJJ that actually work at all of those three different levels, regardless of how high or low percentage they might be.

With the BJJ punch choke, you’ll get taps or people sleeping against folks that have never experienced them. And yes, that includes black belts. People that know what is going on will provide you with something equally as rewarding as a tap – a reaction. It is of course, down to you to make the most out of that reaction, but wif and when you do, you’ll have a breeze of sweeping, throwing, or passing people of all levels.

Setting Up The BJJ Punch Choke From Everywhere

The version of the BJJ punch choke that you can set up from everywhere works slightly differently than the one from the mount. For it, you want to be holding the collar on one side, four fingers inside, and a pinky finger towards the head. The other arm will grip the collar on the other side, holding like for a basic collar grip. This second grip may vary depending on where you are setting the BJJ to choke up from, but the first one is the same for all variations.

Top Position

From a top position, the BJJ punch choke works best against a closed guard. In old-school BJJ they also call it Amassa Pao. What you need to do is get the four fingers-in grip when you’re in someone’s closed guard. You then pop up, pull on the other collar with the other arm, and project all your weight into the choking arm. As long as you maintain a straight arm and forward pressure the bottom person will only be able to open their guar,d but won’t be able to get armbars, Omoplatas, triangles, or anything else.

that said, you’ll rarely finish people from there (only stubborn ones) but you’ll find that the BJ Jpunch choke provides you with the easiest way of opening and passing the closed guard.

Bottom Position

From the bottom, it is once again the closed guard that opens up a BJJ punch choke option. The grip configuration is the same, four fingers in on one side, as deep and high up the collar as possible. The other arm just grips a regular collar grip. Usually, opponents are not too wary about the grips, which means you can simply punch in with your cooking arm for the finish. The choke is so sneaky, that people often fall asleep before they even realize they need to tap.

Standing

The moment people least expect a choke or submission is when they’re standing and looking to trade takedown. Well, the BJJ punch choke is one of the options that actually work when it comes to tapping out people on their feet. The grip setup is the same as before, you just need to change the angle in order to warp the choke up.

Simply do a step to the side, rotate your body for 45 degrees, and punch in with the choking arm. Easy!

Closing Arguments

The BJJ punch choke is something that you should consider experimenting with. It will get opponents to react and will surprise even seasoned grapples. Moreover, you can further adjust it to your need,s and let us know if you figure out other positions where this choke might work from.

The Curious Case Of The BJJ Stiff Arm Concept

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BJJ World

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The BJJ stiff arm concept is something that most people perceive as highly efficient. While it does work perfectly under certain circumstances, you have to understand that this concept also comes with several highly notable drawbacks. Only when you become aware of them, can you start using stiff arms in the way they were intended to?

The BJJ stiff arm is one of the base concepts behind framing as a defensive strategy in Jiu-Jitsu. However, that is only one dimension of the stiff arm. The concept can also be used offensively, as well as a means of countering. That makes this concept a lot deeper and more complicated than it first appears, and also explains why very often you end up having issues with making anything happen with stiff arms.

The BJJ Stiff Arm Concept

Before we discuss the BJJ stiff arm concept, let’s talk frames a little bit. In Jiu-Jitsu, every time we use our arms, legs, or a combination of them to build a structure that reminds us of a picture frame, we are framing. The goal of such a structure is to help us keep the weight of an opponent from falling upon us, while not having to use our muscles to achieve it. There are plenty of different frame configurations depending on the position you’re in and the escape or counter you’re looking for.

In that context, the BJJ stiff arm concept is a variation of framing. In most circumstances, people use that stiff arm to make a long frame, by using a grip on a specific body part as an attachment point, and their skeletal strength as the support behind it. Holding the sleeve of the bottom (over) arm against someone doing an over-under pass on you, with a stiff arm of your own is a great example.

The idea behind the concept is that an opponent can’t push in a certain direction if you’re using the BJJ stiff arm concept. Your arm acts as a rod, with the skeletal structure making it impossible to tire out, or bend. The grip attaches this rigid structure to the body, allowing that side of the “rod” to move along with the opponent. As you can see, it makes a lot of sense, especially in certain situations. But what happens if you try and use it outside of those situations?

When To Use A BJJ Stiff Arm

The BJJ stiff arm concept will do wonders for your if you use it to prevent people from occupying space. Since stiff arms mostly work from the bottom, they actually tend to create space, which is any guard passer’s worst enemy.

The collar guard is a great example. With a cross grip on the collar from the seated guard, you can actually prevent your opponent from coming forwards imply by stiffening your arm and placing your knuckles on their collarbone. However, you’ll need the support of your entire body, so your other arm needs to be in a stiff rm configuration as well, and propped behind you, similarly to a technical stand up. Finally, opening up your shoulder blades will connect the two arms, creating a really sturdy structure that’s next to impossible to break.

Side control is another situation where stiff arms really do make a difference. If you can set them up early under an armpit, for example, they’ll prevent even an Olympic level Judoka from holding you in Kesa Gatame. This also applies to plenty of other side control scrambles and plenty of attachment points. There are also some instances where the BJJ stiff arm comes in really handy from half guard bottom as well.

When Stiff Arms Will Get You In Trouble

Arguably the most important aspect of the BJJ stiff arm concept is knowing when not to use it, or even better when to abandon it. both of these aspects of the stiff arm are heavily underrated, which often result s in ale less than efficient use of stiff arms.

An obvious example would be the mount, where extending your elbows away from your body translates as trouble. You’ll basically be giving armbars away. The same is true for the closed guard. Gripping someone with a stiff arm will only allow them to control you better without actually having to hold you with grips.

One of the situations that people hardly realize unless others point it out is the relation between frames and levers. If an opponent can sufficiently change the angle of the body part you’re trying to stiff arm away from you, then the mechanical advantage of the farm,e will turn into a mechanical advantage for them, in the form of a lever.

From the top, stiff arms might help you pin people, but you’ll need to be really careful about it. Every time you use a BJJ stiff arm to pin a body part to the ground, it means you’re putting weight behind it. This can easily turn it into a pivot point for an opponent, or a limb that can be attacked with submission (think Kimura or straight armlocks).

The bottom line is, knowing when to bail on the stiff arm and go for something else is what will make it work for you.

Final Words

The BJJ stiff arm concept is an integral part of Jiu-Jitsu. It can’t be your only way of defending, but it does have an irreplaceable place in the overall game. Know when to use it, who to set it up, and most importantly, when you’re losing the advantage and need to bail. This will ensure your stiff arms work every time you decide to use them, from top or bottom.

Shin-On-Shin Guard – How To Play It Right

By

Dino Moskatelo

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Seated guard. It can be a guard none shall pass or a guard that you can’t keep a hold of. It all depends on how you position yourself. There are actually several different versions of the seated guard, one of which is the shin-on-shin guard. This seated guard has never gotten the recognition it deserves. Namely, people usually look at seated guards including the butterfly guard as inferior and not effective. Contrary to all the evidence, these guards are only used sparingly. The Shin-on-shin guard can be an extremely powerful weapon if you use it to its full potential.

Trying to figure outstanding opponents from the guard can be a very tricky business in Jiu-Jitsu. If you’d like to be on your back, you actually have a myriad of guards you can use. However, if you like to be a bit more offensive and look for attacks instead of retention, you’ll need posture. In other words, you’ll need a seated guard variation. The shin-on-shin guard can be an ultra-effective one for you and a highly annoying position for your opponents. You need to figure out three things, though, before you can take it for a test drive – how to hold it, how to attack, and how to get in and out of it. Preferably, in that particular order.

Holding the Shin On Shin Guard

The shin-on-shin guard looks like a koala bear hanging on a eucalyptus tree. Let me reiterate the point that this guard will be effective if the opponent stands up. Otherwise, there’s no point in attempting to go shin-on-shin. That’s why we have the butterfly guard. That said, the shin-on-shin should b your first reaction when you see a straight leg in front of you.

The guard position itself is not complicated. You are seated on the ground, with the shin of your leg on the shin of your opponent’s same side leg. Your arm on that side goes around the knee, hugging the leg, while you have the other arm free to post and move around. Easy right?

Hold your horses. If you set up in that position, you might just be able to hold that new girl/guy that has been training for a few months. Everyone else will literally smash you to the ground, face first. Holding the shin-on-shin guard works only if you set every little thing to perfection.

First of all, the shin. The area of the shin right above your ankle. is the only thing that should be in contact with the opponent’s shin. That allows your foot to act like a butterfly hook, meaning your fingers need to be pointing up. Next up, knee. The closer your knee is to the ground, the worse your guard shall be. The knee should actually be pointing up and slightly to the side.

Finally, the arms. The arm you have around the opponent’s leg should be positioned elbow deep, right behind the knee. This brings us to the crucial part that makes or breaks the shin-on-shin guard. Your elbow should be propped up against the inside of your knee, forming a tight and stable frame. This along with positioning your head to the inside of the thigh will make the guard solid all over. Moreover, the often-used defense of pushing your head to the ground does not work here. This brings us to attacks.

A Few Sneaky Attacks

As usual, sweeps and submission are the way to go from the shin-in-shin guard. To begin with, the easiest sweep you can do is actually a butterfly-like one. It works when an opponent goes down with one knee, which is a reaction you’ll get very often. The solution is, grabbing their free arm with your free arm. From there, put your elbow on the ground and think about extending your leg as much as possible. The combination of the shin-on-shin guard structure and the grip on the arm will completely take everyone out of balance for the easiest sweep you’ll get in BJJ.

Conversely, when they decide to stay up, you can opt for yet another sweeping attack. This time though, you’ll be using a lapel to make things even tighter. In essence, you’ll be doing the same sweep, just holding on to a lapel with the arm that’s around the leg. Or, even better, holding on to the far side arm with that same arm of yours, after you pass it off. This ends up being a skull crusher-type of sweep with the opponent having nothing to post with.

Finally, we can’t talk about the shin-on-shin guard without mentioning leg locks. The shin to shin actually opens up every possible Ashi Garami variation. You can go for a straight Ashi or outside Ashi on the leg you’re controlling, or hunt an Inside sankaku on the far leg. Whatever you do look for the Ashi Garami first rather than a lock straight away. The Shin-on-Shin guard lets you place the opponent’s weight on one leg or the other, meaning you always have a leg to hunt for.

Getting In And Out Of The Shin-On-Shin Guard

There’s another aspect to the shin-on-shin guard that makes it so attractive to people. That’s transitioning to other guards. You see, with most guards that you play with your back to the ground, you have limited transitioning options. The shin-on-sin, on the other hand, allows you to go where ever you want. You can go to other seated guards to choose a supine guard or even go for takedowns.

Any X-guard variation is readily available from the shin-on-shin guard. In fact, going to X-guard is the most common destination. Single leg X is the closes, but the full X and reverse X are not far away either. Whatever the case, there’s another caveat here – you can go to the X guards or come out of them back into the shin-on-shin. A magic circle of no escape for your opponent.

Whenever there’s a level change you can also opt for other options, like going for a de La Riva, or transitioning into deep half guard. Conversely, going to the closed guard or half guard are also options. Going back from them might be trickier though, so I’d stick with open guard variations that allow you to use the shin-on-shin as a checkpoint between bottom attacks the best part of it is that if you figure out how to hold it, you won’t need to work on retention or recovery at all.

Wrap Up

The Shin-on-shin guard is an awesome one to use. It allows you to just sit there and wait until an opponent tries to do something. Or, you could go about attacking them in various ways, with and without the Gi. The guard is extremely easy to figure out, and if you learn how to hold it first, you’ll have crazy amounts of success with it.

What Are The Best Jiu-Jitsu Exercises For Holiday Damage Control

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BJJ World

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Jiu-Jitsu Exercises For Holiday Damage Control

This period of the yea is never easy. November and December, in other words, are a period of the year where eating is a major activity during anyone’s days. Of course, this is why people later resort to New Year’s resolutions, which somehow, always get stretched to at least past the halfway point of January. Since we’re entering that stage of the year, where some will have resolutions and others will look to get (back) into fighting shape, there is a smart way to do it – specific Jiu-Jitsu exercises. It won’t be an easy one, at all, but it will most certainly be an efficient way of undoing some of that holiday damage you amassed during the last month and a half.

Training BJJ only is a perfect way to get into shape – until it isn’t. If you’ve been training for more than a couple of years, you already have a certain level of efficiency when it comes to grappling. Once or twice you might pull off training and roll at a higher intensity as a means to get your “beach body” back. However, after a while, all that you’ll notice is that you now have an extra layer preventing you from doing stuff like inversions or folds. At a certain point, you’ll have to complement your grappling with Jiu-Jitsu exercises to really get the most bang for your buck. Why just run on a treadmill and do bench presses when you can actually speed everything up, gain strength, a better gas tank, more mobility, and get into peak fighting shape? Here’s how.

Holiday Damage Control

Let’s face it, you’ll overeat during the holiday season. Not only that, but you’ll also stretch it way past its due date. For most, that means deep into January, when you can still enjoy a few days of New Year’s leave and no training. And you know what? It is perfectly okay, as long as you have a way back. I’ve tried being disciplined and eating clean, even cutting weight in January (for the Europeans). Suffice to say, that was the hardest weight cut I’ve ever done!

New Year’s resolutions actually come with perfect timing. You’re fat enough to need some Jiu-Jitsu exercises to help you get back in shape, and there’s not much you can do unless you live in a tropical paradise. So why don’t people just go and train like they decided they’ll do? Well, because it is still cold and nobody can see how they look under all the layers of clothing we usually wear this time of year. However, if you do Jiu-Jitsu, it is about much more than just looking good or reducing some holiday blubber.

You actually need to be able to move when you grapple, and trust me, I know, holiday excesses can really throw a wrench into those plans. Moreover, if you’re a competitor, you’ve not only got to get to your weight division, but also improve performance. It is easy, the lazier you get, the more your cardio will suffer. I’ve tried for years and years to break this cycle and never really got far. Until this year. I have now found the perfect combination of Jiu-Jitsu exercises, that along with regular BJJ training will get you in peak shape in no more than a month’s time.

What Are Your Best Options?

So, you’ve decided to strip some of that holiday blubber off. Congratulations. That said, with a lot more meals coming your way as Christmas time looms, it would be even better if you kept yourself in check with some carefully selected Jiu-Jitsu exercises.

To begin with, running is actually your best friend when it comes to preventing everything you eat from sticking to your body. However, unless you’re live in the Caribbean or an equally warm spot, you’ll probably hate running outside. That is where treadmills, ellipticals, jumping rope, and other alternatives come into play. Make it a habit of doing either longer stints of lower intensity or short but brutal high-intensity intervals and enjoy the festive season.

Strength training is another thing you can hardly go wrong with. Just Lift heavy objects and you will get stronger and in better overall shape. And keep it simple – the high powerlifting three, with several extra moves, is more than enough if you’re a grappler first and foremost.

Trying to do more BJJ is also a highly efficient way of sneaking in more intensity. By more BJJ her I mean roll more, and try to make rolls more intensive, rather than being overly technical and trying to learn too many new things.

Jiu-Jitsu Exercises To Get In Fighting Shape Fast

Let’s look more closely at actual jiu-jitsu exercises that will help you shed some weight, or at least remain at your desired one while you indulge a bit more than usual during the holiday season. Why are these Jiu-Jitsu exercises? Because they’ll both help you with your BJJ performance, as well as your fitness goals.

Chin-ups are the absolute first thing you should do, strength-wise. Do them as chin-ups, pull-ups, muscle-ups, do them with a Gi, keep your legs in an L-shape… The opportunities are plenty and you’ll get a great return!
Hollow Body Holds are another crazy effective exercise. This one is from gymnastics and has you using your core to keep your feet and your shoulders lifted off the ground while keeping your limbs as straight as possible. You can hold it, or you can rock your body while holding it for some crazy results in core strength!
Barbell Hip Thrusts are one of the Jiu-Jitsu exercises you have to do. Lying on the ground, you’ll need to prop your back against a bench, And place a barbell across your hips. The goal is to explode with your hips up, although that explosion will look really slow with big weights.
Kettlebell rows, done in an alternating fashion should also be high on your list. Whether you’ll do them bent over or supported over a bench is down to you. the motion is one we use constantly in BJJ, and it activates plenty of muscles in the back to really give you a good workout. Plus, you get to stabilize the weight of kettlebells while you’re doing it.
Crawls are the number one bodyweight and grappling-specific exercise you need to do. It will not only improve your BJJ movements, but also teach you plenty about coordination, and moving when in a fatigued state, while really challenging your heart, lungs, and muscles. Plenty of crawl variations are variable!
Sprinting intervals come last. since maintaining or losing weight is the focus, you’ll need some resistance here. If outdoor conditions allow it, go for hill sprints. The steeper the hill, the better. If not, sled pushes or drags are your best bet!

Conclusion

Do anything. Grasse the groove, do circuits, CrossFit style workouts, old-school roadwork… Organize the Jiu-Jitsu exercises above in any way you see fit as long as you’re off the couch and working all those thanksgiving turkeys and whatever else you’re going to cram during the holidays off.

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14 Biggest Mistakes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

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BJJ World

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If you’re hoping to learn BJJ in a way that you’ll be able to execute things flawlessly, you’re fooling yourself big time. Every single thing you do in Jiu-Jitsu is not going to be perfect – there will be mistakes, no matter how small and tiny. The pursuit of the flawless BJJ technique is a futile effort, but one that is very fun nonetheless. That said, you will be making mistakes in BJJ, some big and some small. Some will cost you, others will go by unnoticed. The one thing you can control is avoiding the biggest BJJ mistakes that really do interfere with your progress.

As I like to say to new students in my academy, there’s no right and wrong in BJJ, There’s just the easy way, the hard way, and the dumb way. The easy and hard ways of doing things are pretty self-explanatory, and it is often the dumb way that needs further elaboration. Put simply, whenever you make a mistake in BJJ and give your partner/opponent a gift, that’s when you’ve done a dumb thing. however, there’s a catch – the biggest BJJ mistakes are not only of a technical nature.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: A Game Of Mistakes

In the game of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, every exchange that’s a part of a roll or a match comes down to one thing – who makes fewer mistakes. If your opponent makes one mistake more than you, and you capitalize on it, you’ll end up winning, or at least in a better position. That said, not capitalizing on someone’s mistake is, in itself, a mistake. You get where this is going.

BJJ is a game of mistakes. Executing something perfectly simply means the other person made a mistake in executing the counter or defense to that particular move. In other words, they did not do it perfectly. During most exchanges, it comes down to exploiting our opponent’s mistakes. However, in the higher levels of the sport, it is more about learning how to force the opponent to make mistakes, rather than waiting for them to do it.

The keynote here is that you shouldn’t hope that an opponent will make mistakes, especially at the highest levels. It is not like they won’t make any mistakes, or that they avoid the biggest BJJ mistakes successfully. It is just that you’ll have to make people do them, instead of hoping to capitalize on their ignorance and the dumb way.

Finally, you’ll need to be aware of what you’re doing every time you roll or complete. That’s fairly easy, as long as you can keep your composure. first, avoid doing the biggest BJJ mistakes, and then, weed out any smaller ones you recognize. Or, in simple terms, do one less mistake than your opponent.

The 14 Biggest BJJ Mistakes Holding You Back

While the selection below might not be the ultimate list of the biggest BJJ mistakes, these are all certainly things you’ll want to avoid. As you will notice,. these aren’t just mistakes of technical nature. There are also tactical, hygienic, and even mental errors among them, which you should be able to recognize and avoid if you want to progress in Jiu-Jitsu.

Straight Arms

If there is one thing you don’t need in BJJ it is straightening your arms. Better said, you do not want to have your elbows leave your body whenever that is possible. Granted, at certain points, framing with a straight elbow (stiff arm) makes sense, but you’ll have to be very careful about timing t right. As a general rule though, no grip is worth holding on to, after your elbow is straight and away from your body. Try focusing on this for awhile and you’ll learn why I placed it at the top of our 14 biggest BJJ mistakes list.

Breaking Alignment

Another conceptual mistake many people make is using their body out of alignment. If you try and use different parts of your body on their own, you’ll have a hard time dealing with stronger or more athletic opponents. If, on the other hand, you use your entire body as a whole, you’ll be able to defend almost everything and make most attacks work.

From top positions, this alignment is often referred to as posture, but what’s important to know is that the same principles apply when you’re on the ground. It would e a massive mistake to compromise body alignment regardless of where the match is taking place.

Tensing Up

This is one of the biggest BJJ mistakes people make throughout all belt levels. It is a natural response of our bodies to tense up when something unexpected happens, i.e .spomeone starts bucking suddenly from the bottom mount. However, we’re only doing a disservice to ourselves by becoming tense.

A relaxed body is much heavier than a tense one. Conversely, it is much harder to move someone who is relaxed, be it top or bottom positions. The key here is simple – relax your jaw, and your body will follow. And, there’s a simple formula for relaxing the jaw – smile!

Going 100%

This is along the lines of tensing up and has to do mostly with training. It is a huge mistake to treat every roll like itis the finals of the Worlds and go all out. In fact, it is one of the absolute biggest BJJ mistakes to think you should go 100% in competition as well. While the intensity should be higher, you should always aim to have something left in the tank and force the other person to make mistakes.

If you want to be able to remember what you did wrong in rolls you’ll need to literally slow them down. Along with understanding, progress inevitably follows.

Coming In Sick

IF this was a mistake before, in today”s day and age it is definitely one of the biggest BJJ mistakes that should be punishable by law. In fact, in most places it probably is. Coming in with a cold is just a huge no-no and has always been one. That said, all health-related issues you might have, that would keep you from doing anything else, should also keep you off the mats. Just stay at home with a cold, a runny nose, a funky itch and rash, and other similar health issues.

Not Diversifying Your Game

One of the biggest BJJ mistakes blue and p[purple belts do, along with competitors of all levels is not introducing diversity to their game. Okay, you’ll figure out how to become a nuisance with back takes, chokes and Omoplatas, for example. But what’s next? A few years from now,w you’re still doing the same things, but now they don’t even work against white belts, let alone others. Even more importantly, they don’t work nearly as well in competitions either.

Simply put, for progress, you’ll have to open up your game. Experiment, do new things, fail at them, suffer, and learn from your mistakes.

Training Injured (Stubbornly)

Probably the most obvious thing on our list, and yet, a mistake that we all willingly and consciously do. Fooling ourselves about being fine and forcing training when we’re not recovered yet from an injury is one of the dumbest things that we can do as athletes. And yet, everyone does it, me included. There’s no way around the fact that every injury takes time and attention to heel, and there should be absolutely no BJJ during that period.

Not Listening To Your Instructors

HUgely important, once again obvious, and yet, one of the biggest BJJ mistakes people keep on repeating. From experience, these are mostly purple belts that think they’ve got everything they need from Jiu-Jitsu. Sadly, that’s not the case. There’s a reason why someone is your instructor – they are there to help show you the easy way of doing things. Listen to them, even if something doesn’t really make sense at the moment. Further down the road, it would be better to say “now I see it” and know it, rather than “now I see it” and having to start to learn it.

Inconsistent Training

This one is dependent on your goals. If you’re coming into training just for recreation and to blow off steam then you can use whatever schedule fits you. If you want to be a competitor, or simply learn Jiu-JItsu as much as you can, then you can’t be inconsistent about training. Every academy worth its while has a curriculum. That means that every time you come to train, instructors connect stuff from previous classes and introduce stuff for future ones. Skipping classes randomly will leave you with huge gaps in your knowledge which will definitely affect your progress and goals.

Not Tapping

Duh! Still, to this day, I am amazed at the stubbornness of people that have been in the game for long and refuse to tap on time. Why would you risk an injury? Ego is the hardest person to submit, I know, but you’ll have to figure out a way to accept that you’ll tap, and do it on time, if you don’t want to commit one of the biggest BJJ mistakes over and over again.

Burnout

Guilty of his one lately myself, training too much will have the same results as inconsistently training. There is only so much information that the mind can process and so much work the body can do. they both need rest and nurturing, and they need it on a daily basis. If you enter burnout, nothing you do will work, you’ll be unable to learn new things and you’ll start giving things away left and right, becoming a mistake machine yourself.

Flat On Your Back

UNless you’re resting in between rounds, there’s absolutely no reason for you to ever be flat with your back on the ground. Whether you’re in the bottom of side control, or playing guard, at least none of your shoulders, and preferably your shoulder blade with it should be off the ground. Give this one a try and you won’t believe the impact it will have on your BJJ game.

Focusing On Belts

As far as a mentality for training BJJ goes, you can have a whole host of individual goals and nobody can call them wrong. Except for one. Working only with the intention of getting the next belt means you’re not doing Jiu-Jitsu, but rather belt hunting. The trick is, the more you’re after a belt, the further away it is going to be. If you want to have a worry-free BJJ journey, stop focusing on the belts and avoid one of the biggest BJJ mistakes ever as early as p[possible.

Asking “How Did I Do?”

Along the lines of belt hunting, just way more annoying for everyone around you that you aks. It is okay to look for progress on daily basis, in everything you do, but it should be you that recognizes it, leans from it, and grow it. there’s no point in asking others how you did, especially if they have the right mindset and focus more on how they did, rather than you. LEt go of what others think and enjoy the journey.

Final Words

Learn to love mistakes. They will help you identify where you need to improve and even help you figure out how to improve. Since you’ll constantly make them, you should learn how to make the most out of them. That said, however, the 14 biggest BJJ mistakes above are ones that you should be avoided at all costs. There’s a reason why we laid them out for you – they’ll only hold you back. get them out of the way and keep learning from the small mistakes you’ll inevitably keep on making while you’re grappling.

15 Eddie Bravo Quotes To Make Your Day

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BJJ World

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You know who Eddie Bravo is. There’s no way you don’t if you’re a grappler, an MMA fighter, or simply a fan of combat sports. The man is a legend in combat sports circuits, and that’s for a good reason. He’s not just fun and completely off the hooks crazy, he is also brilliant when it comes to Jiu-Jitsu and innovating in a technical sense. Eddie is also one of the people that made professional Jiu-JItsu possible. A lot has been said about his technical and overall contribution to BJJ. Besides many Jiu-Jitsu quotes, today, let’s talk about his funny and philosophical contribution – let’s talk about Eddie Bravo quotes.

Eddie Bravo has had an impact on everyone’s game, whether you’ll admit it or not. So many of the things we’re doing on a daily basis in training are products of some of his original 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu ideas. Speaking of his original stuff, there’s hardly anyone in the entire sport that has named BJJ techniques more originally or wittingly than Eddie. That’ is exactly why you simply have to read these 15 Eddie Bravo quotes.

Eddie Bravo – The Man, The Conspiracy, The Legend

Eddie Bravo is the man behind one of the most widespread and popular BJJ associations in the world – 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu. They’re known for training exclusively No-Gi They also develop crazy moves that have people frowning before they realize that most of the stuff works and add it to their game. Eddie has been at the had of many different revolutionary things in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu over the years.

First of all, the Jean Jacques Machado black belt has created some staple positions of today, like the Rubber guard, the lockdown half guard, the Truck, refined an old wrestling move into the Twister and really took reverse Kesa Gatame into new heights with his twister side control. And those are only a few of the most important ones.

Eddie also helped propel professional Jiu-Jitsu with his EBI tournament. They not only featured quite a high cash reward for competing athletes but also revolutionized the ruleset for BJJ. to this day, it still remains the best possible set of rules for submission-only competition.

Bravo also brought to s a different concept of warming up with his crazy, yet extremely effective 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu warm-up sequences.

But, let’s be honest. His appearances in Joe Rogan’s Podcasts, his unique “Rubber Guard” online instructionals, all the conspiracy talks, and all the Eddie Bravo quotes out there are just as important, if not more, like everything else he has done for BJJ.

15 Eddie Bravo Quotes To Brighten Your Day

Check out these unique Eddie Bravo quotes that will surely make your day brighter. However, as crazy and funny as most of them are, do pay attention. Eddie’s philosophy of Jiu-Jitsu is a really deep one and there’s a lot to learn even from the things that don’t seem to be serious. And, if nothing else, you’ll have the stuff to say that makes everyone both laugh and think tonight when you hit the mats.

“I was diagnosed with paranoia for fear of never smoking weed again.”
“I’m selling evolution. You grow or you die.”
“The only guys that make it through are the guys that have complete control of their ego where they tap out in the beginning, all the time, you’re always losing in the beginning… Your ego can get bruised if you don’t have control of it. So what ends up happens is Jiu-Jitsu is the ultimate douchebag filter.”
“My main direction in Jiu-Jitsu has always been to make Jiu-Jitsu better in MMA.”
“Most of the Jiu-Jitsu community is still resistant, and I thought let me build an empire.”
“We’re seeing all these black belts, they come in fighter after fighter…all these guys, black belts. But when they’re on their back, they’re not used to offense from the defensive position.”
“I’m going to teach Jiu-Jitsu and be my own boss and not worry about s***. 10th Planet was born and little by little I’m adding schools and growing associations.”
“I hated Royce Gracie just beating Karate guys and Kung Fu guys, like who is this guy? I was sold. By this point I was like f*** Karate, I’ve got to find some of this Jiu Jitsu s***.”
“I went in there and got choked 37 times by a purple belt, he put a clinic on me. Most people run when that happens to them, most people’s DNA will activate their primal monkey DNA and say listen, you just got humiliated in here, you are the weakest one in the room. You want to get the f*** out of here and never be exposed like that again get out. When I got tapped out 37 times I didn’t run.”
“I appreciate everything that Jui Jitsu has gotten me. It’s got me off the grid, making my money off Jiu-Jitsu, I’m my own boss. I love that.”
“A lot of people were like, this guy turned his back on Jiu-Jitsu. I was like, actually 10th planet was designed to improve Jiu-Jitsu in MMA. I just tried to improve it.”
“Marcelo Garcia is one of those fighters who train with No-Gi and is also great with gi. When you train with no-gi you actually get better with gi too. I am spending all the time on no-gi, so it becomes a different animal.”
“The more affiliates I have the more I can sit back and let my brown belt and black belts do the work.”
“So, when you train no-gi all the time, the no-gi style evolves quicker, twice as fast. Especially, the way we do it at 10th Planet, I am not just the one conveying the knowledge. All my students are involved.”
“A lot of times I’ll show someone a technique I got really good with, but I didn’t put all the hours in. I didn’t do the research and development. I didn’t take it to the next level.”

Closing Thoughts

Eddie Bravo always has something to say. Whether you like Eddie Bravo’s quotes on Jiu-Jitsu, weed, flat earth, or chemtrails, one thing is for sure. There’s at least a couple of them out there that you agree with!

Cop Uses Jiu-jitsu to Stop the Fight, No arrest, Just a Hug at the End

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BJJ World

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Cop Uses Jiu-jitsu to Stop the Fight Between Two Guys, No arrest, Just a Hug at the End

The fight between two young guys was stopped by a humble Policeman.

Atlanta police officer was working the bars when a fight broke out between two young men. The officer intervened by grabbing one of the attackers from the back and took him to the ground. The civilian got up and fell on his back again crashing down on the pavement. Both officer and civilian tried to get up but the civilian was the first one on top. After ending on top civilian did a mistake of overcommitting pressure which the policeman used to sweep him into full mount and took full control of the fight. Most importantly, the policeman did not throw a single blow or harm the guy. After that, he started calming down the guy who probably didn’t even know the cop was on his back.

An interesting situation occurred when one of the passers-by tried to pull the policeman from the civilian. The policeman’s reaction is unbeatable. He just did a Death Stare which was enough for a passerby to leave him immediately. Soon after the policeman got up from the civilian and even helped him get up to his feet. He hugged him and let him go.

Is This The Best Americana Arm Lock Variation?

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BJJ World

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When was the last time you hit an Americana arm lock in BJJ? If you’re a white belt, your answer doesn’t count, unless you caught a higher belt with it. Jokes aside, the Americana arm lock is a submission that doesn’t often work in rolling, and even less in competitive matches. But the reason for that is not the lock itself, it is our execution of it. Well, that and secret little detail that will make all the difference in your finishing rate when the Americana is in question.

The Americana arm lock is one of those submissions people usually learn early on, they try it a few times, and then abandon it. As blue and purple belts, they might come back to it, but only opportunistically, mostly because a white belt presented it on a silver platter. However, when it comes to using it against skilled opponents, and particularly in a competition people usually never consider it as a submission, but more of a move that will open up other options. Well, it is time to think twice about the Americana.

The Submission That “Never Works”

After this article, you’ll never peg the Americana arm lock as the submissions that “never works” again. First of all, you have to understand that every submission hold in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu works, at the very least once. It is only a question of increasing a move’s percentage rate of success that makes it seem like it is working or not. And, there is a way to do this with the Americana arm lock.

First, though, let’s look at some of the misconceptions behind the Americana and the most often quoted reasons why this move doesn’t work. The very first thing is thinking about it as a strong man move. Oftentimes people say that bent arm locks, and the Americana, in particular, is a strong man move. What that means is that strong folks should be the only ones able to use it. It also means that it won’t work against people stronger than you. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Secondly, people get positioning completely wrong. The Americana is a submission you do from the top. Period. Top side control and mount are your go-to positions for an Americana arm lock. the top half guard might be an option as well, but not as often as the previous two. Forget about all the fancy bottom side control or open guard Americanas – now those are moves that won’t even work once. They also happen to be the reason why the Americana gets a bad reputation as being ineffective.

The Americana Arm Lock: Technical Basics

The Americana arm lock is a submission that attacks the shoulder joint. What that means is it abides by the same principle that makes all other armlocks work. In order for it to work, you’ll need to isolate the two neighboring joints, in relation to the one you’re attacking. Since you’re going for the shoulder, the two joints on each side would be the elbow and the neck. This neck part is what most people get wrong, and then they claim Americanas don’t work.

In terms of isolation of those joints, the wrist grip that pins the arm to the ground helps isolate the elbow, restricting its movement via a lever which is the forearm. And no, you don’t need a figure four grip at wrist level to hold, and definitely not to finish an Americana arm lock. As far as neck isolation goes, all it takes is pushing the head to the side with your elbow to take away most of the neck’s range of motion.

Finally, there’s the angle. While most people look for a 90-degree angle between the forearm and upper arm, it should actually be a lot less than that. The closer you can get the wrist of the arm you are attacking to the shoulder, the better your pressure on said shoulder will be. That, along with the grip variation that follows will transform the Americana in one of your most powerful attacks!

The Brauilo Estima Americana Arm Lock

To begin with, credits. this Americana arm lock variation is a product of Braulio Estima, and if you don’t know who he is, then you’re probably just an infant in BJJ terms and still can’t tell an Americana apart from a Kimura. While Braulio shows this move from side control, it does work equally as good form mount as well. I haven’t really tried it from top half guard, but you can be m guest and experiment.

The main idea here is that the figure four grip we lock at writ level, actually allows the shoulder to be on the ground, and hence, leaves space for it to move before the opponent feels the lock. Instead, Brauilo’s take on thing is to lift the shoulder off the ground, blocking it off completely before applying braking pressure in the familiar direction. in order to achieve that, you’ll need to do a different grip that allows for all of that to happen.

The goal is to place the forearm of your free arm underneath the shoulder, instead of placing it underneath the upper arm of the opponent. This also means you’ll be unable to grab a figure four Kimura-style grip. Instead, you’ll aim to grab your own triceps, above the opponent’s shoulder. This grip variation will bring on the tightest Americana arm lock submission you’ve ever set up. The pressure is there before you even start to move the arm, and there’s even more space to move it in because the shoulder is off the ground.

All In All

The Americana arm lock will work for anyone, under any circumstances, at all belt levels. All you need to remember is that it should be done from the top, you should follow the basic principles that make arm locks work, and you should definitely use Braulio Estima’s grip variation for the finish. Suddenly, this white belt move is going to make a comeback in your submission arsenal and you’ll be tapping people left and right with it!

DVD and DIGITAL Instructionals Related to Arm Attacks :

Arm Bars: Enter The System by John Danaher

Winning From Full Mount by Andre Galvao

Side Control Attacks & Submissions: Old School Evolution by Fabio Gurgel

Side Control Masterclass by Matheus Gonzaga

Do You Know These 4 Crucial Jiu-Jitsu Escapes?

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BJJ World

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How comfortable are you with your Jiu-Jitsu escapes? Do you panic when you get caught or do you have ways to calmly sneak out and launch counterattacks? Escaping is an absolute must in BJJ, but not all escapes are made queal. Of course, it is a matter of personal preference, body type, and character, but at the end of the day, there are simply some Jiu-Jitsu escapes you can’t do without. We have four of those lined up for you today.

Jiu-Jitsu escapes are the most underrated aspect of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We take them for granted and never think we’ll need one until we actually do. At that point, though, it will be hard to recall ti, and we end up tapping or ending up stuck. that, in turn, leads us to think the escape doesn’t work and we try and fish out flashy stuff on YouTube that seems like they’ll solve our problem. This loop then goes on until you recognize the fact that you have to train escapes pretty much like you train submissions – systematically and regularly.

The Art of Jiu-Jitsu Escapes

Getting out of dominant positions and BJJ submissions is really nothing short of an art within the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Escaping is probably the hardest thing you’ll have to learn in grappling. Yeah, holding side control is difficult to figure out, as are leg locks. However, when it comes to escaping the mount or getting out of a triangle, you’re in for a world of pain before you start figuring things out.

Getting out of bad spots is absolutely necessary,y though, and I’m amazed at why people don’t’ spend more time perfecting this aspect of the art. Think of it this way: one person is always on the defense in every exchange during every roll and most certainly, every match. So how come we focus so much on attacks all the time and leave escapes to be our muscle moves, when they’re the moves that are the most technical and precise?

Jiu-Jitsu escapes are what actually makes your attacks possible, and even better. If you’re able to get out of a back attack, for example, you’ll be able to launch a counter that can finish the match. Throughout it all, you didn’t spend energy escaping, because you have a system that works, and you know that at the end of the exchange it will be you getting the tap. This is how escaping in BJJ should look like as opposed to the spazzy, ill-timed stuff we often see people attempt and fail miserably.

The Jiu-Jitsu Escapes You Have To Know

Speaking of Jiu-Jitsu escapes, even if don’t like to train them, you have to know several ones that will allow you to actually play a BJJ game. In fact, there are four escapes that you simply can’t do without in grappling. Unless you possess the skills of getting out of the mount, beating a triangle choke, escaping an armbar, or slithering away from back control, you’ll have a very hard time in Jiu-Jitsu indeed. And it won’t get any easier until you manage to figure these four defensive aspects of it out.

Mount

Escaping the mount should be among your priorities not just among Jui-Jitsu escapes, but in grappling in general. the best way to think about it is that you’ll be doing it against technically better, bigger opponents. Moreover, you should be doing it by spending the least possible amount of energy in the process.

The mount escapes to swear by is when you use a frame with an elbow on the inside of the opponent’s thigh. You won’t be able to move opponents too much, but you can move. Use your knee to force the shin of that leg to the outside, so that it is more accessible and you can easily trap it with your other leg and pull it into half guard.

Triangle

The triangle choke is one of the submissions you really have to know how to beat in Jiu-Jitsu. That said, escaping the triangle can be done at several stages, but the Jiu-Jitsu escapes worth exploring are either really early ones or really late ones.

A late one that you simply have to have in your arsenal involves using the fact that your arm is across their body to help you escape, Place the palm of the hand that’s across on the inside of their thigh and use the elbow to push on their belly. This will allow you to set up a twist, eventually pinning the knee of the choking leg to the ground. Now you can pop on to your feet, rotate towards the choking leg, and try to extend your spine so that you look upwards.

Armbar

For the armbar, it is easy – escape when they have the arm extended. if you can master this skill, you can rest assured that you’ll give away far fewer armbars than you are used to. OF course, the Hitchhiker escape is the one to go for here,. although there are some interesting new theories emerging as well.

For the Hitchhiker escape, you want to rotate your body, using your arm as the pivot point. The goal is to first rotate your body so that your feet point in the same direction as the opponents. Then, you can use the arm as a pivot point to rotate all the way to your belly, and eventually end up on top while getting out of the armbar.

Back

Nobody is ever going to be able to choke you from the back if you know how to free up your hips. So, when it comes to JIu-Jitsu escapes from back control, you should think hips first and then shoulder, rather than the other way around.

To begin with, place grips on the choking arm so that you prevent it from sliding into a submission. Next, the bottom hook is always the one to beat. However, that might mean that you need to create space by pushing the top one off with your arm, before turning into the bottom hook and simply stepping over it. The moment you have it beat, you can easily get out of a choke and back control altogether.

Final Thoughts

Jiu-Jitsu escapes should be the foundation of your game. If you can escape from everywhere, you can then be confident about dominating positions or finishing with submissions. SImply spend time in bad spots and try to figure things out. However, if you don’t already have the four escapes above in your arsenal, focus on them first. If you can beat the back, the mount, the armbar, and the triangle all other escapes will be easy to learn.

Andre Galvao, Multiple ADCC and BJJ World Champ Announces Comeback in MMA

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BJJ World

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One of the biggest names and one of the most successful competitors of all-time Andre Galvao announced his comeback in the MMA. He decides to return to MMA and step again in the cage after 10 years of retirement.

Andre Galvao, certainly one of the most famous names in the BJJ world. He is one of the greatest BJJ competitors of all-time, he won 6 IBJJF World Tittles as a black belt, and also six ADCC World Championships. He finished his great GI career in 2018 at the Abu Dhabi King of Mats 2018. His last grappling match was on the ADCC 2019 Worlds, where he defeated Felipe Pena in the ADCC Super-Fight.

Galvao wrote on his Instagram profile:

“If you didn’t know about it…now you know it.
7 fights 5-2-0 in 2.5 years. Between 2008-2011 I did MMA. Yes. Lots of BJJ fighters were happy about that during those years. They had the chance to win my world titles.
I didn’t fight worlds 2009-2012. Yeah! They all super happy about it. I could win a couple more world titles in BJJ. Haha!
Back in the day, I had no wrestling and no ADCC World Titles. My no-gi game is different now.
I competed only against top fighters never thought about making my cartel…I was ready for anyone.
Much respect to all my opponents ✊?.
All of my opponents has way more experience than me.
I want to show the world I can do it!
I want to get back and show the world I can do it well.
God’s plan…not my plan ✍??.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Andre Galvao Official (@galvaobjj)

What most people did not know is that Galvao fights in the MMA as well, and has a record of 5-2-0. He began his pro career in 2008, and fight until 2010. Throughout his career, he fought in some of the best MMA promotions in the world, such as DREAM (Japan), and Strikeforce (USA).
He showed his superiority in Jiu-Jitsu already in his first matches, where he achieved three submission victories. All three of them were via an armbar.

Last MMA Fight

His last fight was on Strikeforce event: Diaz vs. Noons II, in 20010. Andre lost this fight against Tyron Woodley via TKO (punches). Tyron Woodley is one of the big names in the UFC, he is #6 in the UFC welterweight rankings, and he is also former UFC welterweight champion. In one interview for BJJ Heroes, from 2010, Galvao explained his plans to join The Ultimate Fighter TV show. However, that did not happen. But maybe that could be a plan for the near future, who knows …

galvao-woodley — Andre Galvao vs Tyron Woodley

Predictions

How would Galvao look today in the MMA world? Without a doubt, his grappling and his wrestling skills are at the highest level. His style of grappling, with pressure passing, as well as his wrestling, powerful takedowns can be very well translated to MMA. He has already shown that in his earlier career. His athleticism is also on the top level, honestly, at 38 he looks better than 90% of today’s fighters.

But there is an interesting question for sure, what is with his striking and punching? To be honest we can’t find or see much of his striking abilities. In his previous fights, he used punches to shorten the distance, and immediately looked for takedowns, or throws, where he gets the fight to the ground.
However, it remains to be seen whether we will see his comeback into the octagon and when.

What Is The BJJ Punch Choke?

Why Even Consider Such A Move?

Setting Up The BJJ Punch Choke From Everywhere

Top Position

Bottom Position

Standing

Closing Arguments

The BJJ Stiff Arm Concept

When To Use A BJJ Stiff Arm

When Stiff Arms Will Get You In Trouble

Final Words

Holding the Shin On Shin Guard

A Few Sneaky Attacks

Getting In And Out Of The Shin-On-Shin Guard

Wrap Up

Holiday Damage Control

What Are Your Best Options?

Jiu-Jitsu Exercises To Get In Fighting Shape Fast

Conclusion

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: A Game Of Mistakes

The 14 Biggest BJJ Mistakes Holding You Back

Straight Arms

Breaking Alignment

Tensing Up

Going 100%

Coming In Sick

Not Diversifying Your Game

Training Injured (Stubbornly)

Not Listening To Your Instructors

Inconsistent Training

Not Tapping

Burnout

Flat On Your Back

Focusing On Belts

Asking “How Did I Do?”

Final Words

Eddie Bravo – The Man, The Conspiracy, The Legend

15 Eddie Bravo Quotes To Brighten Your Day

Closing Thoughts

Related Articles:

The Submission That “Never Works”

The Americana Arm Lock: Technical Basics

The Brauilo Estima Americana Arm Lock

All In All

DVD and DIGITAL Instructionals Related to Arm Attacks :

The Art of Jiu-Jitsu Escapes

The Jiu-Jitsu Escapes You Have To Know

Mount

Triangle

Armbar

Back

Final Thoughts

Last MMA Fight

Predictions