Head And Arm Chokes In BJJ: Systematization

Head And Arm Choke Systematization in BJJ

Systematization Of Head And Arm Choke Options. In BJJ the Head and Arm Choke is not just one choke. It refers to a principle, which then gives birth to a vast array of different techniques. In fact, there are so many Head and Arm choke variations across grappling martial arts that it is best if we put them into different categories. However, for all of them to work, they have to adhere to the main principle, which, as the name suggests, would be including the opponent’s head and arm in a structure in order to achieve a strangle-induced submission.

BJJ is endless when it comes to different ways of executing grappling goals. It is a great thing to have so many moves and techniques available when you‘re rolling. However, it also brings about the “paradox of choice”, where you end up never truly mastering or completely understanding something, because of the sheer number of available options. This changes throughout the years, but for those that have still some way to go, the best way of bringing a bit more order to chaos is thinking of categories of moves that share the same principle. Head and arm choke options and variations are a great example.

History Of The Kata Gatame Position

Where exactly do the concept of a Head and Arm Choke come from? Who knows, really. Grappling has been around ever since people first came about. That means that pinpointing its precise origin is impossible. However, it is possible to pinpoint when it was first recorded, initially as a move, and later on as a principle behind a myriad of choke techniques.

The oldest records of the head and arm choke come in the form of the Kata Gatame in Judo. In essence, it is the Arm Triangle choke we know today. Kata Gatame is one of the seven mats holds of Judo and translates as “shoulder hold”. Initially, it was a way to improve someone’s pinning from a side position. While the Kesa Gatame is the most utilized one in Judo, the Kata Gatame was also a big part of the original Kodokan Judo. Along the way, it turned out that there is a submission in there too, which is probably how the first head and arm choke taps came about.

Other arts, like catch wrestling, have also included forms of the arm triangle choke since the early beginnings. However whether it was a Judo influence that prompted it, or they came about it on their own is a mystery. The fact of the matter is, there were not many head and arm choke options until BJJ came along. That is when the entire landscape of the Kata Gatame changed.

Head And Arm Choke Mechanics

The way the head and arm choke works is fairly simple. However, missing out on several minor details often makes people struggle a lot more than they need to in order to finish the submission. For the sake of explanation, I will focus on the Arm-Triangle choke done from side control to try and pinpoint how you can use mechanics to ensure you get more taps while getting tired a lot less.

The basic notion behind every successful strangle in Jiu-JItsu, or any grappling martial art for that matter is to put pressure on the carotid arteries of the neck. We use different parts of our bodies, or even clothing (the Gi) to achieve this goal in Jiu-Jitsu. In the case of a head and arm choke, though, we need to actually only use one part of our bodies to put direct pressure on a carotid artery. The pressure on the second carotid is via the opponent’s own shoulder. This is an aspect plenty of people don’t focus on, which results in more strength requirements to finish.

For the Arm Triangle choke, in particular, you have the biceps of your arm on one side, and the shoulder of an opponent on the other. Squeezing should be out of the question unless you absolutely have to. If you have to squeeze, you might end up only burning out your arms. So, instead of thinking about squeezing with your arms and shrugging your shoulder, focus on actually forcing the near side shoulder towards the opponent’s neck. Pushing with the collar bone is a great way of achieving this without any neck pain or muscle involvement. Moreover, for the finish, you just need to project weight into the neck and forward, and you should aim to finish without having to clasp your arms together.

Categories of Kata Gatame Strangles

The head and arm choke get its name from the structures it involves in the actual strangulation. As we saw, having the arm in the loop means you have a shoulder that you can push into the neck. This is the underlining principle that makes all head and arm choke variations work. That said, the positioning of your body, the limbs you use to achieve the strangle and a few other factors help determine which category of a head and arm choke a certain submission falls under.

Arm Triangle(s)

Kicking things off is the Arm Triangle choke or the Kata Gatame. The position for the choke is what makes it so powerful – side control. Actually, it is not even side control, but rather a position in which you’re parallel (almost) to the opponent’s body. However, while they’re on their back, you are facing the ground, with one of your arms going around their head, including the near side arm in the loop.

The Arm Triangle choke has a lot of nuances, and there are a few different ways of finishing. Position–wise, finishing from the side position is the best. There is an option for finishing from the mount, but the pressure is far from the same. Half guard is tough to set it up from, but if you already have it sunk in, going into half guard will actually make the choke tighter.

Front Chokes

Probably the most used versions of the head and arm choke in BJJ are the front chokes. This category includes the D’arce and Anaconda chokes, as well as the lesser-known, but just as effective Mizzou choke. We won’t factor in the guillotine choke here, because despite having an arm inside, it doesn’t really fall under the head and arm choke category due to finishing mechanics.

For the front chokes, you look to have a “loop” similar to the arm triangle, just done from the front, rather than the side of an opponent. For the D’arce choke, you go under an armpit with one arm, before threading your palm out on the opposite side of the neck. The Anaconda choke is the same, just has the arm going from the neck towards the armpit. In both cases, a Rear Naked Choke type of grip is what secures the choke in place. Finally, the Mizzou works like an Anaconda in terms of arm direction but doesn’t involve the Rear Naked Choke grip. Instead, it uses a grip with the same arm and the weight of the torso for a brutal finish.

Neckties

This I probably my favorite head and arm choke variation. In fact, this is a “Chank” or a combination of a choke and a crank. The technique of neckties is actually that of a clean choke, but it just so happens that on occasion (which is not that rare) they turn into cranks or combinations of both. Still, they’re very effective and legitimate submissions.

The difference between a necktie and the front head and arm chokes is that your arms are placed a lot more shallow on the neck. For neckties, you’re using your forearm(s) to place direct pressure on one artery, and the mandatory shoulder to compress the second one.

There are too many neckties (all of which you can find here) to look into this article. We’ll use the Peruvian and Japanese neckties as examples, though. The Peruvian is done from a front headlock against a turtled-up opponent. An S-grip or Gable grip will do the trick, as long as you include the arm of the opponent on one side. You then swing a leg over the head, and the other over the back, while sitting down.

The Japanese necktie works more like a D’arce choke. If you can’t get the arm deep enough for a D’arce from side control or half guard, simply go for a palm to palm or an S-grip. The aim is to place your belly behind the opponent’s head while having at least one of their legs trapped with yours. The finish is immediate and very painful.

Arm-in Ezekiel

The arm in Ezekiel Choke is an unusual choke, that is done from the back, with the help of a Gi, (works in No-Gi As well, just not as good) and is a Head and Arm choke. The idea is to use the seatbelt position from back control, which is what you should be after anytime you’re behind an opponent anyway. The seatbelt is actually a Head and Arm position, there’s just no direct choking option available. For the Arm-in Ezekiel Choke, your aim is to get the underhook arm all the way up to the opposite side shoulder. Once you’re there, you can grip the inside of your own sleeve on the other side and place the second arm behind the neck. This makes for an ultra-tight, head, and arm, Ezekiel-style strangle finish.

Final Words

Today’s focus was on using the upper body (arms and torso) to secure different head and arm choke variations from multiple positions. However, there’s another category of chokes that also involves the same head and arm principle – triangle chokes with the legs. The front, side, reverse, rear, and inverted triangle choke all involve the use of the head and arm choke principle to achieve a tap. Just food for thought as you go about trying to catch people in the “loop of hell”.

DVD and DIGITAL Instructionals Related to Head and Arm Chokes :

JAMES CLINGERMAN – PERUVIAN DOZEN 2.0

EDWIN NAJMI – DARCE THE WORLD

Darces From Everywhere by Kade & Tye Ruotolo

The Japanese Necktie and Unorthodox Front Chokes by Keith Krikorian

The BJJ X Pass – Loose Guard Passing At Its Best

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Getting past the legs of a supine opponent in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the most difficult things you’ll do. If you look at any BJJ match or roll, you’ll notice that here’s a pass vs. guard battle at some point, if not throughout the entire match/roll. The nature of the sport means that one person is on the bottom and the other on top, which all but guarantees that involvement of guards to a certain point. That’s why there are just as many passes as there are guards, If not more. Finding one that will help you get past more than one guard is usually a great idea. So, why not look into the BJJ X pass? It is simple, effective, and easy to combine with other movements.

The BJJ X pass is one of those guard passes that people don’t really like to use too much until they reach a more advanced level. The reason is, in my experiences, that the pass seems overly simplistic, and it seems like it won’t work. Evidence points to the contrary, from rolling to high-level competition matches between some of the greatest grapplers ever. The BJJ X Pass is straightforward but powerful. It is simple but gracious. And, it takes hours upon hours of drilling to get it right and manage to perform it against everyone. Once you have it, though, it will be smooth passing from thereon.

What Is The X Pass?

The X pass is a simple pass you’ve probably tried, or drilled even If you’re fairly new to Jiu-Jitsu. It is a loose pass, involving lots of footwork, which is probably why people tend to stay away from it, initially. Later on, it seems like it is too simple to work. It kind of creates an environment where people distrust the pass until they realize it actually does deliver on its promises and then some.

For the BJJ X pass, as with all another guard passes, you start off with grips. The most important one is at knee level, on the leg you’re about to pass. The other hand could grab different spots, like the belt, lapel, or the opposite leg, once again, at knee level. With the Gi, that would mean holding on to the pants, which does make this pass tighter than compared to No-Gi.

The starting position of the pass is with one leg in between yours. It is somewhat similar to Rafael Lovato’s “headquarters” position. You can be as low or high as you want, but the goal is to have both feet on the ground, which places the X pass in the “standing guards” category. Speaking of categories, apart from being a standing pass, and a loose pass, in terms of directions it is a pass that gets you past the legs by taking you around them.

The pass itself works when you take the leg that is in between the opponent’s legs (technically, the leg in guard) and kick it backward, forcefully. Staying on one leg, you then step right next to the butt of the opponent. While using that all-important grip on the knee of the near side leg to make sure their hips remain pinned. Side control, knee on belly, or even mount are available from that point on.

Using The X Pass From Beginner To Advanced

The pass seems simple, and it is, but it does have plenty of moving parts. First of all, there’s footwork involved which always translates to lots and lots of drills. More on that later. The key thing to remember is that you need to keep your balance. That means, that apart from drilling, you need to start at the bottom of the stairs and build your way up.

For example, the BJJ X pass is the perfect option for most open guards that place a leg in between yours, like the Reverse De la Riva, hook guards, sit-up guard, etc. Of course, without grips and the opponent being on their back, there’s absolutely no point in trying this pass. Alternatively, You could force people in the position when you become more confident in it. Just about any guard that you manage to force into a split stance situation will open up the possibility of setting up an X pass.

As you progress, you’ll be able to combine the X pass into your usual passing system and gain a lot more success with getting past the legs. What I personally love to do is use a knee slice pass, that by know most people defend quite successfully, to gain the split stance position. Using a knee slice against the De La Riva for example, or even if backing out of a particular nasty half guard can be a great launching platform for the BJJ X pass if you just stand back up and get into the X pass motion.

BJJ X Pass Drills

To be honest, I absolutely, utterly hated doing X pass drills when I was a blue and purple belt. Later on, it became apparent why my instructor insisted on them. Nowadays, I’m the one insisting people do the drills, and I can see it in their faces that not many people enjoy them. That said, drills are of the utmost importance, particularly in the case of the BJJ X pass. It is not just the footwork, but also figuring out the balance during the kick, the angle of blocking the hips, stiff-arming the leg, and a bunch of other details that take time. Conversely, you can shorten the learning curve of the X pass from years to months if you use the following drills, instead of just trying it out in rolls.

Right at the start are the absolutely mandatory, but extremely boring shin circles. Simply put, you need to figure out how to enter the split stance even against guards that have both feet inside your knees. Shin circles are easy – point the knee slightly inwards, push down, and try to touch your butt with your heel while rotating the shine (hence shin circles). The goal is to achieve a split stance, but for the purposes of dexterity, you train shin circles on both legs, one at a time, achieving a double inside position.

The next drill in the sequence is the kick out. This is arguably the toughest one to master, so start easy – place your toes on the ground after you kick out if you can’t leave the leg in the air. From there, step to the hips, aiming to place the foot as close to the butt as possible, even underneath, if you can. Not letting go of the grips, you then go back to the split stance position and repeat, repeat, repeat.

Next up would be connecting the two. In other words, once you’re comfortable with shin circles and the BJJ X pass kick back, you can do them in a sequence., Do a shin circle, go straight to the kick, come back, and reset so you start with a shin circle again. Only when you’re comfortable with these motions, should you add the final piece – going into side control or knee on belly from the finishing position of the kick back drills.

Conclusion

The BJJ X Pass really is a pass for any occasion. Backing out of half guard? X Pass. Just opened a closed guard? X pass. Broke out of Spider guard? X pass. You catch my drift. Settling two major questions about the X pass, the answers are yes. Yes, it will work at every belt level and under plenty of different circumstances. And, yes, it will take a lot of drilling to perfect the motions and footwork, not mentioning the balance component. It will be well worth it in the end, though.

Finding Your BJJ Style: How To Train Jiu-Jitsu For Life

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Finding your BJJ style To Train For A Lifetime

How long do you plan on training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? If you’ve spent at least a couple of years in the sport, you’re already bitten by the bug. It means you’re either pondering how to make BJJ a part of your life for years to come if you already haven’t figured a plan out. In that sense, there are plenty of different types of advice that you’ll get from people in regard to training BJJ for a lifetime. The thing with advice is that in a sport as individual as Jiu-Jitsu, it doesn’t quite work out the same for everyone. That just means that you need a more individualized approach to longevity training, like finding your BJJ style, for example.

Finding your BJJ style is a big part of the Jiu-Jitsu puzzle. However, there’s one thing many people fail to mention when they talk about styles: you won’t just have one throughout the years. The style you might have as a 23-year-old blue belt is going to be completely different for when you’re a 37-year-old black belt. Moreover, it won’t have as much to do with technique as it will with tactics. In any case, if you want to train deep into old age like Helio Gracie supposedly did, you’ll definitely need to figure out a style of BJJ that will allow you to achieve that goal. All other general longevity tips and tricks come after this.

BJJ Longevity: A Popular Subject

Longevity in BJJ is a subject that more and more people are addressing nowadays. I guess it comes with the territory, or better said time. We have more black belts in the world now than ever before. Not only that, but we also have black belts that are quite older, upwards of 70 years old. And they’re still training. Of course, most folks that train dream of being able to do the same down the road. However, if you take a look at how people in general roll, you probably wonder how could it work for senior grapplers?

Usually, people talk a lot about food and or supplemental training and training intensity when it comes to BJJ longevity. Those are all valid points, but they won’t be universally applicable to everyone. People might not be able or willing to eat or train in a certain fashion that will help them develop athletic abilities that last a lifetime (or close to it). The technical and tactical advice in terms of training on the mats is also useful, but not universally applicable. Sometimes, you just don’t’ have the luxury to do specifically limited rolls, or choose training partners as much as you’d want to.

A more general, but individual approach has to do with finding your BJJ style. It simply means that you need to know how you train with everyone, regardless if they’re young, old, male, female, higher or lower belt than you. There are plenty of variables to consider, but finding your BJJ style ultimately has to begin with what you want to achieve, and what your needs/abilities/limitations are.

Finding Your BJJ Style

Let’s talk more about finding your BJJ style. In fact, let’s just talk more about finding your style at every belt level, given that it will change. Even as a black belt, you’ll most likely change your style several times along the road. That is not just the necessary thing to do, but also the smart thing to do.

Figuring out a style of Jiu-Jitsu usually starts making sense to people somewhere in the middle of their blue belt days. Before that, trying to talk about a BJJ style would be as redundant as asking someone who is learning the alphabet what their essay writing style is going to be. After blue belt though, there’s space to think about a style. This usually has to do with athletic abilities, mostly revolving around strength, cardio, and or flexibility. At least at that period of your Jiu-Jitsu journey.

At purple belt, folks tend to develop grappling styles that are highly technical. This is the time people do a lot of guard work, meaning their style will be based on taking you for a trip through a spider’s web full of nasty traps in the form of sweeps and submissions.

Later on, at the brown belt, styles start to crystallize. They focus more on movement, pressure, fundamentals behind why techniques work. Once again, this is a big shift in style compared to the purple belt craziness, and is once again, absolutely essential for personal growth and progress. At black belt, though, is when finding your BJJ style really starts to matter. This is the time to figure out your individual needs and abilities and build a style around them, given that you have more than ample tools for achieving just that.

A Few Practical Pointers You Already Know

How do you go about finding your BJJ style? I just spoke about how individual it is, but still, I’ll share some pointers that you probably already know, but haven’t truly incorporated in your game. Before that, let me just say that people who start training at an older age, like for example in their 50s, don’t have to go through the athletic phases of BJJ styles. They should just try and do the things that make sense to them and don’t leave them battered at the end of the day.

Having fun. If it is not fun, there’s no point in doing it. When you’re working on finding your BJJ style, you have to know what is fun and entertaining for you. Only when you figure those things out, whether it is movements, techniques, concepts, or tactics, you can start thinking about what is efficient.

Lose. As easy as that. If you want to be able to do BJJ for a lifetime, you have to find a way to roll with an intention of losing a match. That doesn’t mean giving things away, but it does mean not trying to defend everything as your life depends on it. Go in there, and try to lose in the most technical way possible. That, you can do for a lifetime.

The simpler, the better. Do you know how many things your body has to do in order to perform a Berimbolo? At the same time, for the “idiot sweep”, you just have to push slightly with your arms. The point here is that the simple stuff will work way better than the overly complicated modern things that rely on athletic abilities. And yes, that includes lapel guards given the demand on grip work they require.

Training partners. If you choose the training partners that suit your style, you’ll be safe to train for a long time, but won’t always progress. At one point or another, you’ll have to shuffle the deck and roll with people who might seem like they’re too much. There are ways of rolling with aggressive or even more experienced partners safely. All you have to do is keep working on your own style, regardless of the outcome.

Supplemental training. While absolutely not necessary, supplemental trading outside of the gym might be helpful to your style. It doesn’t have to be modern-type training like UFC fighters use though. Simple bodyweight stuff, perhaps gymnastics, or some Yoga routines are more than enough to keep you on the mats for many, many years.

All In All

Finding your BJJ style is much more important than just your competitive success, or how good you fare in the gym. It has to do with how long you’ll be able to train Jiu-Jitsu and at what level. The important thing to remember is that it doesn’t matter if you’re banged up and have been going about things the hard way. It is never to alter to change your style and individualize it so that it fits your needs perfectly. Regardless of what happens on the mats, your number one goal is being able to be on the mats, rather than tapping everyone out, right?

BJJ Science: Laws Of Physics And Principles Of Nature In Grappling

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When we say Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, it doesn’t just mean it is an art form, and nothing else. It is obvious from the sport aspect of things that BJJ Is a lot different than stuff like Aikido, where the philosophy of energy and stuff like that is in the focus. Instead, BJJ is way more realistic, and highly affected by different laws of nature, be it the laws of physics or psychological theories. That brings us to BJJ science: what is it that makes Jiu-Jitsu tick, from the standpoint of science and logical thinking, rather than that of BJJ as an art form.

BJJ science might not sound like something you’d really use to explain aspects of the sport, but it does make a lot of sense, once you stop and think about it. From leverage to power, from figuring out solutions to trying to make the best out of unpredictable situations, we’re bound by laws and hypotheses that are deeply rooted in science. Factoring these laws into the equation of grappling, whether it is rolling or competing, will make a huge difference in anyone’s BJJ game.

BJJ Science Class

How do you go about figuring out BJJ science? You don’t have to be a scientist by trait to understand some of the most fundamental laws that are behind Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It does extend past just the concept of lever and fulcrum, which just about everyone knows is at the core of most martial arts. However, that does not mean you need to solve complex equations and do scientific breakthroughs. It just means that you need to recognize where science really helps you with your BJJ.

If you take a look at the scientific side of Jiu-Jitsu you’ll notice that there are all kinds of scientific braches you can apply to the sport. Form the obvious physics things (inertia, gravity, levers, etc.) through biological things like anatomical structures and their weaknesses, all the way to psychological mind games. Whatever it is you take for example has a lot of science behind why it works. An armbar, for example, is clearly effective because you push the elbow in a direction it doesn’t naturally bend in. However, understanding the concept of and fulcrum will help you further figure out why an armbar works. A look into human anatomy and biomechanics will only give you more ways of setting up, holding, and finishing the lock compared to just doing it based on the steps you use to train it in class.

I personally think science references should be a part of every BJJ class. They help us understand what is going on much better, and people do respond well if you use everyday examples to explain why things work. A BJJ science class doesn’t have to be boring like science in school (for those that didn’t love it). It is easy to tell people how to strangle others and break limbs when you can explain it in terms that are universally true for everything and everyone.

The Laws Of Jiu-Jitsu

BJJ science is bound by just about every possible law and theory that applies to every living thing. While everyone that trains are individually different, and adjustments are important, the underlying principles of the laws of Jiu-Jitsu apply across the board. That is why they are laws. In those terms, physics laws dominate Jiu-Jitsu, where all we do is manipulate people’s bodies against their will and against resistance. However, other aspects of science that go much deeper than just what we see help us make our grappling even better.

Inertia

Everyone knows the law of inertia. It has to do with Newton’s first law of motion – objects tend to “keep on doing what they’re doing.” This is a simplified version of events, though, but a very important one at that. If we take sweeps as examples, inertia plays a much bigger role than we think, especially with people that are larger than their opponent. For example, doing the sit-up sweep from closed guard means that a person has started moving their weight through the air before they met another persons’ body, which is in a static position. Since the mass of the object moving is bigger, when the two join, the static mass will head in the direction the dynamic one was already heading into.

The same concept of inertia explains why the person sweeping will end up on top – he is being pulled by the inertia of the falling person. This is before I even mention takedowns and how you can apply the concept there.

Gravity

All bodies are pulled towards the Earth. That is gravity in a nutshell. What happens in Jiu-Jitsu is that we can use this concept to improve how much we control our opponents. The fact that our bodies tend to be drawn to the Earth is also known as falling down. How can we use this in terms of BJJ science? Simple. We already saw how inertia influences takedowns and sweeps. Gravity clearly plays a huge role in where people will end up once the inertia is in play. More importantly, though, it plays a role in controlling top positions.

The reason you want to be on top is that you have gravity working for you both by making it difficult for the bottom person to get off the ground, and easy for you to be on top of them, as your body is trying to get to the ground anyway. In other words, you can forget about pressure passing without the help of gravity.

Murphy’s Law

The one law everyone knows, and nobody can explain. The premise is that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Although not one of the empirical laws of science, Murphy’s law emerged (most likely) when an aerospace engineer called Edward Murphy couldn’t make his devices work. In grappling, this usually has to do with injuries. You can go about rolling wild for months and nothing happens, and then, a couple of days before a really important tournament, light rolling with your partner, another coupe rolling will fall on you and injure you seriously. For me, it was breaking a toe two days before my wedding. Suffice to say, dancing at the wedding was no fun.

Occam’s Razor

Occam’s razor is a philosophical principle that is actually tailor-made for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, especially in modern times. As such, it is a big part of the BJJ science that makes things actually work. The idea is that the simplest solution to a given problem is usually the correct one. In a world where complicating things is becoming a given, trying to solve complex positions, escapes, attacks, transitions, etc. by applying this principle will provide you with a lot of success in grappling. Try solving a lapel guard, for example, or a very deep leg lock by defending in a way more complex than the attack itself. Now, try and do the most obvious thing that comes to mind. You’re welcome.

Theory Of Relativity

The theory of relativity states that time passes at different speeds relative to the person observing it. Let’s not go deeper than that in trying to decipher what exactly Einstein meant. In BJJ, this could go in one of two directions. When you’re the one being mauled, particularly on the ground, a victim of your partner and gravity tighter, minutes seem like hours. Everyone who has ever grappled knows the feeling. Conversely, when you’re flying around dominating everyone a 10-minute match can start feeling like it only lasted 15 seconds. I guess time really flies when you’re having fun!

Final Thoughts

BJJ science is a fun way of trying to figure out the puzzles Jiu-Jitsu has in store for us. While the principles are the same all over, there’s always something new to discover by using them, as we go deeper and deeper into the BJJ world. While some of the laws above are philosophical, or even slightly satiric in nature, they still apply perfectly to BJJ and are key in progressing through the ranks and becoming a better overall grappler.

The Mandatory 5 Phases Of White Belt BJJ Practitioners

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White belts really have their work cut out for them. No matter how much I try to introduce them to BJJ through intro classes, or a special couple of month-long groups where they learn ultra-fundamental stuff, they’re lost when the people that are even a bit more experienced than them. Then comes rolling and everything seems to go down the drain. Trying to analyze just what is happening, it turned out there are 5 phases of white belt BJJ training that every newbie has to go through they do so at their own pace, but those phases will repeat themselves in everyone that steps on the mats.

Knowing the phases of white belt BJJ practitioners is very important for coaches because they can help new students get through them faster and integrate into the academy better. If you’re a newbie yourself, knowing and recognizing these unavoidable phases is even more important. Everyone goes through them, and they all have something to teach you. The sooner you can get it over with, the sooner you can start really enjoying Jiu-Jitsu.

Those White Belt Days

I don’t know if I remember those white belt days fondly, or if they’ve left deep-seated traumas in my consciousness. We’ve all been there though (well, all of us that aren’t white belts at the moment). There’s a lot to be learned in those days and I have to say that the instructor’s role during those days is absolutely crucial! White belts, even if they have practiced other martial arts are clean slates in terms of Jiu-Jitsu, and this is the time where good habits and ways of thinking should be formed.

White belts might not realize, but they’re actually in one of the best periods of BJJ. They do get annoyed at not having the vaguest idea of what is going on, but don’t’ realize that they’ll miss those days. Well ok, maybe not the smashing part, but that doesn’t go away anyway. The point here is that beginners should enjoy the experience because they’ll never be white belts again.

The phases of white belt BJJ practitioners might not be too enjoyable, especially certain ones but they all have a big lesson to teach. When it comes to frustrations, rest assured that whit belt is not the only period when you’ll have them. Every belt level suffers from different types of frustrations, and they never go away. So, embrace your white belt days and try to enjoy them as much as you could.

The 5 Phases Of White Belt BJJ Practitioners

Let’s try and figure out what each of the 5 phases of white belt BJJ is all about, what you can learn, and how to recognize where you are at the moment. Some of them won’t be much fun, especially the first and fourth one, but they will build you into a grappler that can cope with what comes next. And what comes after the white belt is something you have to experience for yourselves, because nobody will be able to explain it to you.

1. Alice in Wonderland

Phase one is just like when Alice fell through the rabbit hole and first found herself in Wonderland. If you remember the book/movie, she did not have a pretty amazing time, particularly at first. So many options, and no guidance at all as to what is happening. It is the same with BJJ. Once you enter the academy, the first few weeks are Wonderland. You’ll be lost as to what is happening, and it doesn’t matter if your group is tailor-made to fit beginners, or you’re thrown right into it. Don’t sweat feeling lost, everyone does. With the myriad of techniques, crazy multi-language names and terms, and the fact you’re expected to be fighting people from close proximity, feeling lost is what is expected of you.

2. Baby Steps

After a few weeks, or months feeling like Alice, you’ll enter the second of the 5 phases of white belt BJJ. This is the time where you actually see the first glimmers of progress. It is the time when you start to get on board the moving train. Shrimping, bridging, technical stand-ups, break falls and the likes start to make a lot more sense. Suddenly the patterns of a movement start becoming logical and you’re able to do your first baby steps when doing position sparring or rolling. Trust me when I tell you, these are the sweetest victories you’ll get in your entire BJJ journey.

3. I Know BJJ!

Ever heard of the 10.000^th hour rule? I think it is something pilots started using, but it is applicable to just about anything. Around the 10.000 hours of doing something, you become confident that you know what is going on. That’s when the first big mistakes tend to happen because you’re far from being as proficient as you think. In BJJ, the 10.000-hour syndrome hits somewhere around a purple belt, but there is an overture to it during a white belt. The moment you start feeling like you’re not the new student anymore is the time when you start thinking you know enough to stand up to others even higher belts. A rude awakening follows, of course, but this is one of the most important phases of white belt BJJ, precisely because of that “awakening”.

**5. Oh, S*#t!**

Speaking of a rude awakening, the phase of “I Know BJJ” is followed by the “Oh S*#t” phase, when you realize you actually know nothing and are barely aware of how to move efficiently for grappling. This is the time when rolling is a big part of your time spent on the mats, and you start realizing that even of the whit bets can play around with you as you’ve never trained a minute in your life. And that’s before the higher belts get a hold of you., especially blue belt competitors or purple belt enforcers, and you start realizing you’re nothing more than that ant that somehow crawled all the way up to the top of the nest to peek at the world outside, which is filled with giants.

5. Light At The End Of The Tunnel

The fifth and final phase of white belt BJJ training is the phase when you actually start seeing the bigger picture. It is not that you have learned anything about Jiu-Jitsu because nobody can learn Jiu-Jitsu. You just become aware of the possibilities of the sport and realize how important the correct mindset and approach to things is.

In Conclusion

White belt days will be fun, and they will be challenging. You’ll surely wonder what you’re doing in the gym at a certain point. However, going through the 5 phases of white belt BJJ training is exactly what you need in order to understand the demands of the sport, as well as the endless possibilities. If I had known about them, my journey through the grappling world would’ve been a lot different. With that in mind, instructors should keep an eye out and try an gauge which phase a student is in so that they can help guide them better.

Chain Wrestling For BJJ: Real Takedowns That Work!

BJJ World

What is the number one problem with takedowns in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? People that train exclusively Jiu-Jitsu, suck at them! Even when they’re good, and they’re black belts and all that jazz, put them up against a white or blue belt D1 wrestler or at least a green belt Judoka and you’ll see more guard pulls than Brandon Schaub did butt scoots when he faced Cyborg in Metamoris. As usual, there’s an easy fix in the form of chain wrestling for BJJ. However, in order to apply the fix, we must first identify the problem.

Why do we have such a low rate of success with takedowns in BJJ? It is the way we train them. When I say low rate, I mean that if you compare everyone that you expect to do a takedown at their own level, from white to black belt, the percentage of those that will be able to take their peers down is quite low. IF the person standing opposite them has any wrestling/Judo/Sambo background, those chances are closer to zero. Turning towards other grappling martial arts in order to try and learn takedowns is always going to be a failure. Turing towards certain aspects of other arts, like chain wrestling for BJJ, makes a lot more sense.

The Issue With Takedowns In BJJ

First of all, I was a guard puller for most of my time spend in Jiu-Jitsu, which is a decade’s worth. And that is from someone that has a very long Judo background. Thankfully, at one point that focus shifted. However, it took me taking up full time teaching to understand that takedowns in BJJ, or at least the few ways in which I’ve been taught, are not really helping people retain knowledge, let alone execute the moves under pressure. A deeper look into the subject area just confirmed my doubts. We need to approach training takedowns in aver different manner. If we want them to work, that is.

First of all, we try too many things. Curriculums have white belts learning double legs, single legs, Uchi Matas, Sumi Gashei variations, and even rolling Sambo stuff. What’s the point>? First of all, the sheer number of takedowns simply means people will know they exist, but will not be able to execute one against a resisting opponent. And, if we can’t do them against resisting opponents we might as well training full time against grappling dummies.

On top of that, we spent too little time at every one of these takedowns. I’ll say again there’s no way of training Judo or wrestling full time, and drilling as they do in order to perfect the takedowns. Given that BJJ is our primary focus we need “quick fixes” but that doesn’t mean we need a hack. We need to spend more time, training stuff that translates like specific judo and or wrestling for BJJ sequences. Whatever is the highest percentage, not in wrestling, but in the context of BJJ exchanges, should be our top pick. After all, the point is taking someone down, not knowing 50 ways of theoretically taking people down. Chain wrestling, on the other hand, will work.

Capping it off, even when people do drill a lot and reduce the clutter, they then do almost no realistic training to figure out the kinks. It’s like training to go compete in BJJ without rolling.

Solving Engagement

What is the most important part of a takedown? Engagement. At least in BJJ. With Jiu-Jitsu the takedown is not such a deciding factor as in Judo and Wrestling. It is just a door to the ground fighting aspect we enjoy so much. As such, we need to consider the entries into takedowns in a different manner to those in other grappling arts. Since I’m going to talk mostly about chain wrestling for BJJ, I’ll give Judo a rest for now.

What is the first thing they learn in wrestling? It is not shooting or finishing a takedown. It is grip fighting. While wrestlers, who are No-Gi only, do have the luxury of using distance and power to set takedowns up. In BJJ, it would be less than effective to think we can simply glide across the mats with a penetration step and throw someone with a power double. How many times have you seen BJJ guys start to circle each other in a tournament without engaging? Instead, they crouch down, looking to get a grip on the head, arm, Gi, or some other spot in a frantic way. The goal here is just to grip someone, without any thought as to what that grip might open up for you next.

If we set up grips that we borrow from wrestling for BJJ, and use them with clear intent, we can greatly increase the efficiency of our takedown setups. Moreover, we need just a few combinations or even owe, that has been proven to work for wrestlers throughout the years. The bottom line – BJJ grips mean you start in close proximity. That translates to grips with clear intent, and not thinking about using some crazy explosive setups to get your takedowns, but rather the ones that even wrestlers swear by, and have nothing to do with crazy penetration steps or runs.

The Answer: Chain Wrestling For BJJ

So, how do we incorporate chain wrestling in Jiu-Jitsu? It is easy – never stop. The trick is to think of takedowns as you do submissions. When you’re hunting for subs, you’re looking to set up chains that provide you with another submission option if the first one fails and another one if the second fails, etc. Making submissions work as a loop, eventually returning to the first one is what makes a submission chain. Pretty much the same can be done with takedowns.

Solving grips means you’ll be using a collar tie variation, whether double, with an underhook or a writ grip. Solving proximity means you’ll be entering via the highest percentage entries that gain you the best angle for multiple takedowns. In wrestling, for BJJ those would be the duck under, armdrag, and Russian tie. The goal is to end up to the side of an opponent, given that they’ll be gripping you back, and you have to add the Gi into the equation.

The chain wrestling aspect comes after you get the first takedown position. How? Collar and wrist grip, for example, open up a direct duck under. That gets you to the side of an opponent, or even the back. If you arrive to the side, you simply sumo deadlift for a single leg. Once you set up your single-leg you try and take the opponent down, of course, If the single fails, though, you move on trying to take them down and never disengage. Gong to the back for a rear body lock is a quick option that offers more takedowns (and bonus back takes). If the body lock fails, you can transition to a single on the other leg, and from there through a double leg, all the way to the first leg you attacked.

As you can see it is a chain that makes sure that once you enter a takedown, you keep shuffling through options until you achieve your goal.

Wrapping Up

To be good at takedowns, you have to train them realistically. Fundamental and effective grips. Close proximity setups and a chain wrestling approach all but guarantee success with takedowns, regardless of your belt level. However, there’s still the part of training realistically. That’s where wrestling for BJJ comes through again. Position sparring, scrimmage rounds, grip battles that end up with takedowns at the signal of a coach. There are plenty of ways of ensuring people train takedowns the way they’ll need to use them when they fight.

Technique Vs. Strength In BJJ: Who Wins?

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A dumb question, if you ask me, but a question people often as kin Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Often people ask if it is really true that the smaller person can beat a larger one based purely on their technical prowess. While it is a question I somewhat expect from absolute beginners, it is sometimes mesmerizing to witness those more experienced grapplers, purple belt and above, see things black and white. Technique vs. strength in BJJ is a debate that should be settled once and for all, and not in a movie-like and romantic fashion, but rather in a realistic one.

The cold hard truth is that most people in BJJ, or martial arts for that matter, won’t like the answer to the technique vs. strength in the BJJ conundrum. I don’t care. If you want to really succeed in Jiu-Jitsu, there’s no place in fooling yourself, or worse, fooling others by selling movie-like quotes. Technique matters, but so does strength. That, we all know. When does one tip the scale though, and can we rely on one more than on the other while we roll or grapple in a match? These questions are not easy to answer, but I’ll do my best to paint a clear picture of my understanding of the subject matter.

Is Technique Enough?

As a smaller grappler (around 150 lbs.) in an Academy that at a moment in time had nothing but bigger guys (and I mean bigger), I’ve had to rely on technique for most of my initial years in Jiu-Jitsu. Even then, I knew something was not right with the motion of the smaller person being able to use the technique to beat bigger ones. It was clear, for example, that no matter how good I was technical, I’d never achieved anything against the huge blue belt who was clearly stronger and more experienced than me. That was acceptable. However, working against people that just showed up in the gym when I was close to, and eventually, a blue belt, got me to try and re-evaluate things.

For me, being exceptionally technical worked perfectly until I ran into a very strong, or a very big opponent. Even then, I could hold my own, but I couldn’t actually play my game. It turned into a survival battle, regardless of the belt level. Yeah, the technique would get me success, but only when combined with cunningness and other things I’ll mention later on.

Let me make one thing painfully obvious in the “technique vs. strength in BJJ” debate– technique, whether it is concepts or learning moves step by step, is absolutely crucial for any type of success and progress in BJJ. If it wasn’t for technique, we couldn’t hope to pull off half the things we do. In fact, Jiu-Jitsu is so technical, that this is the part that confuses people the most. This confusion is partly to “blame” for why techniques work so well against people that have never seen them before. However, let me ask you this. If you do Guillotine chokes all the time and on everyone in the gym for a couple of months, do you think it will become easier or harder for you to get them after that period passes?

When Strength And Physics Step In

How do we define strength? It is the ability to exert a force against external resistance. What is strength in BJJ? It is the same ability to exert force, but that exertion comes from the muscular action, and the resistance is a dynamic one, rather than static. While these two variables don’t seem like much, they make all the difference. Conversely, so does strength in terms of technique vs. strength in BJJ, but not in the way you’re probably imagining.

To figure out where strength factors in, let’s look at leverage first. Leverage is the action of using a lever (a rigid structure that is pivoted against a fixed hinge (AKA fulcrum). As Archimedes once said, “Give me a lever and fulcrum big enough, and I’ll move the Earth”. In other words, the lever multiplies the force you exert. It just so happens that exerting force is actually what strength is all about. Conversely, leverage, which is often touted to be the highest technical trait of grapplers, is actually a way to multiply your strength. You see where I’m going with this.

The bottom line is that technique will only work if you do. And, in order to do any meaningful work, you’ll need to engage your muscles so that they exert force against an external resistance. In other words, you need to use your strength to create a movement that is absolutely necessary for any technique in BJJ to work.

Technique Vs. Strength In BJJ: The Final Showdown

What the technique vs. strength in BJJ debate boils down to is not whether or not using strength can beat technique. It is how you use your strength that will determine who is the winner of a grappling exchange.

Can technique help you overcome strength? If you’re up against brute force, in most cases, yes. Why do I say most cases? Well, grappling a 250 lbs athlete is never going to work out for you, regardless of strength and/ / or technique. If you’re’ both at a similar level of Jiu-jitsu (I hate the term technically equal, because no two people are), the stronger person will win. Actually, even if they have no idea what BJJ or leverage is, they’ll once again most likely win if you just try to apply a technique. Even if you combine strength correctly to execute that technique, you’ll probably hit a brick wall. Pun intended.

If you, however, throw in that cunningness I mentioned earlier, now you have a system you can work with. The trio of cunningness, strength, and techniques makes for effectiveness. And if you ask me, effectiveness beats any of the three qualities that it consists of, faced head-on. Technique vs. strength in BJJ is just one aspect of the puzzle that is how to beat everyone you face, regardless of belt and size. The good news is that there is a way. The bad news is that it won’t be as black as white as you might hope.

All In All

Have you ever heard of the Japanese concept of “Seiryoku zenyo”? It translates (loosely) to maximum efficiency. That is what you want with your BJJ. Sometimes, you might hear it described as “lazy BJJ” too. IT is all about the same thing – an effective application of leverage. However, in order to achieve it, you’ll need to think more along the lines of technique vs. strengthen in BJJ, and more along the lines of strength + technique + cunningness in BJJ

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BJJ Frustrations According To BJJ Belt Levels

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How often have you been frustrated in BJJ? I’d say something that makes you angry, or discontent happens at least once a week. These frustrations are part of the sport, I guess, and they will be present throughout our journey in it. Something you can bet is that you won’t have the same BJJ frustrations all the time – the change along with BJJ belt levels. However, you can bet that something will bug you at every belt, and that includes the black belt. Still, without these frustrating spells, progress would surely be much slower. Let me elaborate.

I don’t often get frustrated by BJJ, and I’m doing it daily. However, it does happen more often than I’d want it to, and sometimes, it just drives me crazy. It is not easy to fight people under the best of circumstances, let alone when you get frustrated along the way. It’s a very important part of the puzzle of Jiu-Jitsu though, as I’ve come to see along the years and across all the BJJ belt levels. It is still neither fun or something I look forward to, but at least I know it will make me better if I channel it correctly.

BJJ Frustrations

What are some common BJJ frustrations? I guess there are as many different ones as there are people training in the gentle art. I see people get frustrated for literally any reason imaginable while on the mats. And, despite me telling them how to cope, or trying to guide them pas the frustrations. I know that I get frustrated too, and in the initial moments of feeling that frustration, I do not heed my own advice at all. But I guess that’s how things work in this crazy sport of ours.

I already mentioned that all BJJ belt levels are marred by frustrations. I’ll go into each and every belt separately, trying to map out the most common sources of frustration in Jiu-Jitsu. Speaking of belt levels, one that is common for all, and everyone, regardless of what they say feels at a certain point, is the frustration of going to the next belt. We’ve all been there, hoping to get that next belt and getting slightly (or completely) frustrated when it turns out it is not our time. If you haven’t felt this yet, you will. It will pass, and it won’t happen at every belt, but let’s be completely honest, we’re all impatient to get to the next level, and would accept a promotion at any point.

Another BJJ frustration that comes at every belt level regardless of experiences is getting annoyed with techniques. It may be that they work on you, or they won’t work for you, but you will be annoyed. The answer here is obvious, stick with them, modify them, experiment a lot, ask a lot. Just being frustrated at someone getting your back and choking you all the time won’t’ really solve the source of your frustrations.

What Annoys People At Different BJJ Belt Levels

At different BJJ belt levels, you’ll get different BJJ frustrations. While training is usually fun and rolling, win or lose, leave people feeling good, at a certain point in time, everyone gets frustrated in training. The thing with frustrations like this is that they sometimes lead people to give up on BJJ, especially if they appear at crucial junctures in their Jiu-Jitsu journeys. Coaches need to be careful about how they navigate people through them, in order to allow students to deal with their frustrations. These frustrations don’t last, but they might be just the thing that pushes people away from a sport they will later thrive at. I’ve seen plenty of examples of people that have fought through and became amazing grapplers and ambassadors of the sport.

White Belt

At white belt, surprisingly enough, there’s the least amount of BJJ frustrations. You’d think it would be the other way around, but no. White belts are usually aware that they know nothing, or very little and are driven by that fact (as they should be). At a certain point, especially as they near the blue belt, they’ll get annoyed at some things that they think they know don’t work as they expect them to. However, what is common for all of them is actually something really fundamental – nomenclature. I’ve rarely seen a white belt not get frustrated at all the names they hear. You have Japanese terms, English terms, Portuguese terms, plus any local language around the world. Along with the sheer number of techniques and concepts that is too much for any beginner to cope with and understandably, causes frustration at times.

Blue Belt

Blue belts are the folks that are strong contenders for the most frustrating category among all BJJ Belt levels. They do get a real run for their money by purple belts, though. Blue belts are where people’s Jiu-Jitsu game really starts to get forged. It is a belt of many frustrations, given that blue belts feel they’re not beginners and as such, should not be so easily submitted, passed, swept, or anything else that happens in BJJ on a regular basis. The truth is, they still have a lot to learn and that’s exactly what frustrates them.

At this point in time it is all about being better than fellow blue, and most definitely white belts. But that’s not always the case. The biggest frustration of blue belts is conceding anything, primarily to those close to their level. Also, this is the level where I’ve seen people fuss over stripes on their belts more e than any other. No wonder the dropout rate is so high among blue belts.

Purple Belt

This is an easy one. EGO! Yeah, I know, you’re a purple belt, that means you’re ego has been quashed a long time ago. Only it hasn’t. And I am as guilty of that as the rest. I did not realize it at the time though. Ego is what frustrates purple belts the most. By ego, I don’t just mean tapping out to folks. Ego is when you get stubborn and focus on doing a move that will obviously not work due to a myriad of reasons. It is also about the fact that you’re not as good at BJJ as you think you are and that is a really frustrating thing.

Moreover, purple belts get really frustrated because they don’t want to admit to themselves that there’s a lot more to learn. It is the natural progress of things, I guess, and a part of this is skipping warm-ups and often times slacking during technical training, only waiting to try out the latest fad while rolling. Out of all the BJJ frustrations, this can be the worst one, as that ego might get transferred to brown belt and above, which can really halt your progress. Embrace the ego, learn how to deal with it, and don’t let it get on your nerves.

Brown Belt

At brown belt, you’d’ think there aren’t too many things that can frustrate you. Guess again. Despite being around for quite some time, and being near to the coveted black belt, there are still BJJ frustrations to battle. As a brown belt, it is the understanding of Jiu-Jitsu that will cause most of your frustration-based headaches. Most brown belts are done with the fancy stuff and look back to fundamentals, trying to figure out why things work the way they do in BJJ. This is extremely hard, and it will bring about frustrations of a very different nature to the ones you knew before. Every new aspect of BJJ you’re’ trying to decipher will feel like starting off at white belt. The frustrations are the main driving force behind the success of brown belt shave, though, in every field: competition, rolling, teaching, personal progress, etc.

Black Belt

Just when you think that you’ve reached the top of the BJJ belt levels, and BJJ frustrations will play no more role in your grappling adventures, you’ll figure out that you’re probably more annoyed than ever before. What annoys black belts. All other belts, to begin with. They’re not really a source of frustration technically but are in terms of running/managing an academy. Most black belts out there, have a teaching role of some sort. Believe me, dealing with purple belts or trying to explain to blue belts that the position sparring is not the finals of the Mundials can be a challenging task… to say the least. BJJ wise, there’s not much that can really frustrate a black belt, apart from academy related-things that take up their time and interfere with being on the mats as long as possible. That, and purple belts, of course.

Conclusion

BJJ frustrations will appear at all BJJ belt levels, and everyone will have to deal with them. Usually, they come and go. However, they might really interfere with your progress, or how you perceive BJJ at times. As important as they are to your progress, they also shouldn’t be stumbling blocks. Plateaus and frustrations can drive people out of the sport, and neither of them is a good enough reason to quit.

Getting Tired During BJJ? Here’s What You’re Doing Wrong

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Not so long ago, a student asked me if I got tired during rolling. Given that at the time I was ready to do a 12-hour roll-a-thon, I could’ve just answered no. However, the truth is that I get tired during rolling mainly if I choose to roll in a way that will make me tired. It took 10 years to figure out a way to achieve that. And still, if I’m not really focused and turned on, a skilled opponent will make me tired, regardless of what shape I’m in, or how deep in a roll we are. Getting tired during BJJ is a normal thing, but it is something you can learn to control, up to a certain point.

For most, getting tired in BJJ training just means you need to do more conditioning. Some choose to run, others do crazy “functional” circuits, or they just focus on rolling as hard as they can, as many times during a training session as it is possible. They’re all viable ways of developing conditioning, but they’re far from enough form keeping you from getting tired during BJJ. The reason for this is simple – no two rolls are the same, and there’s no way to really prepare for rolling. There is a way, though to “manage” how tired you get.

BJJ And Cardio Are Not The Same Thing

There’s hardly a more important point for me to get across than this. Grappling training is far from cardio training. And that is true in more ways than one. First of all, cardio training for BJJ is not something you can easily set up. Cardio training is a broad description anyway, but it does only refer to training energy systems. In fact for the most part it refers to the aerobic energy system, which, despite playing a role in BJJ, is far from the most important one.

Furthermore, BJJ in itself is not cardio training. Jiu-Jitsu requires a bunch of different athletic abilities that have to work together under the most unorthodox circumstances. As such, BJJ will not help you improve your cardio. It will help you be better at BJJ, but only at a certain pace and in creating situations. For example, rolling a lot with your teammates will make you efficient at rolling with them in particular. Moreover, rolling with white, blue, purple, brown, and black belts, even within your own academy will be different. And that’s before we even mention rolling with people whose games you don’t know, or tournaments.

Getting tired in BJJ is one of the things that are as certain as the fact that you’ll get tapped. That doesn’t mean you should fear it, though, not try to avoid it. And no, rolling slower won’t help you go through the roll without getting tired. Getting tired is just another piece of the puzzle, like defending an armbar is. No amount of you trying to find a way around it is going to give you a result – at a certain point you’ll have to face it, and you better be prepared to do it.

Reasons Why You’re Getting Tired During BJJ

There are plenty of ways to get tired during BJJ. The most common one is what you see from people that are new to the gym – going all out. The more you struggle in Jiu-Jitsu, the more tired you’ll get. If you see things aren’t going your way, stop. What’s the point of struggling to pass a guard left, right, under, over if the partner has a well-structured defensive guard and appropriate grips? You’ll just get tired, which will then affect your tactical and technical game.

Speaking of getting tired during BJJ, breathing is the number one reason why people get tired. It goes something like this: you start to roll, you end up in a position you don’t want to be in, or try to get a move to work, you tense up, you stop breathing, you tense up even more and in a minute you’re’ done, without achieving anything meaningful. Sounds familiar? All you need to do is figure out how to relax, and breathe more, which is not hard to do. If you want to know why you’re getting tired during BJJ training and/or rolling, try to focus on your jaw. If your jaw is tense, so is your neck, and most likely, the rest of your body. It also means you’re not breathing, but rather holding your breath, which gets incrementally worse as time goes by. The fix is uber-simple: just smile.

One more thing to consider when you’re getting really tired is panic. This usually happens in so-called “bad spots” which I don’t agree exist. However, the fact t is that certain positions provide one person with better options. This usually has the other person panicking, trying to do anything they can to get out because, in their mind, they’re doomed if they stay there. This is an outdated approach to defensive BJJ, but more on that on another occasion. In terms of getting gassed out, nothing will drain you more than trying to buck someone from mount, or wiggle out of someone’s side control.

Getting In Real BJJ Shape

If you’re hoping I’ll give you a workout system that will get you in “top tournament shape in just 7 weeks” you’re mistaken. In fact, if you believe such a program exists, you’re delusional. No offense. Instead, I can tell you how to act and think, so that you can manage how tired you get. In that sense, the first thing is accepting that getting tired in BJJ is always going to be an option.

The second step is factoring it into your game. It is just like strength, or flexibility. If you have them as athletic abilities, you know you can rely on them. Moreover, if you know someone is stronger, or way more flexible than you, you can factor that into the roll, so that when they call upon those abilities, you’re not caught by surprise. Ad here’s the catch – if you get tired, so can the other person. When you’re factoring in fatigue in a roll or match, the goal is to focus on not getting as tired as your opponent or figuring a way to make them tired more than you are.

Which brings us to the final piece of the puzzle that will actually determine how you train for Jiu-Jitsu conditioning. That is figuring out your pace. You won’t be going at the same pace against everyone, but you do want to be the person that controls the pace in every exchange. And that doesn’t mean that you need to be faster than your opponent. On the contrary, it is way better if you slow them down, or break their tempo/rhythm. It just so happens that this tempo you’re looking to impose is a highly trainable athletic quality. Given the nature of BJJ, it falls mainly under the anaerobic lactic energy system, but it’s not as simple as only training that system. In any case, knowing your tempo will help you figure out the best way to get in shape for BJJ.

All In All

I guess getting tired in BJJ is not so hard to manage. Let’s recap: know why you’re’ getting tired. It can be panic, focusing too much on muscular power, tensing up, and/or not breathing properly. Managing how tired you get has to do with realizing it is always going to be an option, figuring out how to make your opponent more tired, and finding out the tempo that you want to impose on everyone you roll/fight with. A simple but highly specific extra-curricular condition program to help maintain this tempo will ensure that you’re able to choose whether or not you get tried during Jiu-Jitsu.

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John Danaher BJJ DVD Review – Strangles And Turtle Breakdowns

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Remember when we all got really excited about a John Danaher BJJ DVD? Well, that was back when we could not find a single video of the BJJ mastermind sharing his groundbreaking concepts. Fast forward a few years and we are now in the middle of an overflow of John Danaher DVD instructionals. Not that it is a bad thing, but we’re reaching a point now where you have to choose what to watch and what to leave for the future. Something you should probably watch as early as possible is his latest release “Strangles and Turtle Breakdowns”.

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John Danaher – Strangles and Turtle Breakdowns

John Danaher BJJ DVD Review – Strangles And Turtle Breakdowns 2 — Techniques List

In the latest installment of the ‘Go Further Faster” series, John Danaher goes over two very interesting subjects. He tackles the “mystery” of the turtle position in the Gi, from an offensive standpoint. He also allocates a lot of his time in this Danaher DVD to the subject of strangles with the Gi. As it is custom by now, the DVD lasts over 10 hours and focuses on systems based on strangles or turtle attacks that are the highest percentage ones. Strangles And Turtle Breakdowns might just be what the doctor ordered in a BJJ world where escaping via the turtle is becoming increasingly popular.

John Danaher BJJ DVD Number…

8 A John Danaher DVD is never a bad thing. It is not like you’ll return one if someone was to give it to you, right? The thing is, Danaher really has a lot to say and he doesn’t hold back. While this sounds like the perfect scenario, very often it is not. Most people (myself included) will get lost/confused hallway along his BJJ instructionals. It takes a really studious approach and a lot of time to really get into the material he has to share. Simply put, that means that you need to choose a DVD (or two at the most) and focus on them for a year. It’ll probably take much more than that, but if you’re going about it the right way, it’ll take you 6 months just to get through 8 volumes of a Danaher BJJ DVD.

At this point in time. I’ve stopped counting the DVDs. With the No-Gi collection dubbed “Enter the system” Danaher issued 6 DVDs which seemed to cover everything there was. But no. Danaher then went on to provide us with the key concept of his Gi systems as well, in a series called “Go Further Faster” which, after 8 volumes is now finally complete. With the 6 previous ones, we’re up to 14 John Danaher DVDs, which amasses to nearly 150 hours of material. That’s more than anyone can get master in an entire lifetime.

“Strangles and Turtle Breakdowns” is the instructional that brings the entire “Go Further Faster” series to a wrap. I have no idea if there’s anything more coming from John in the future, but I do know that so far, we have a lot more material than we could ever hope to understand.

Strangles And Turtle Breakdowns

So, what’s with the “Strangles and Turtle Breakdowns “John Danaher DVD? Well, it addresses two aspects of Jiu-Jitsu that really did require cleaning up. Have you ever tried dealing with an opponent that is turtled up? And I mean really turtled up? It may be next to impossible to get something out of the turtle. What makes it even more annoying is that the turtle is a pit stop for anyone that gets their guard passed. Just when you think you’ve passed a guard, the bottom person turtles up and you have nothing. If they have a good turtle game, you might even end up being on the defensive. Well, this Danaher BJJ DVD solves this particular puzzle, along with several other burning turtle questions.

Along with the turtle, the perfect companion are chokes, or as Danaher likes to call them, strangles. He has a unique 3×3 system that will teach you how to use and combine several different types of strangles based on using the Gi. In short, it is the ultimate problem-solving DVD in the entire Danaher collection so far. I highly suggest you get a hold of this one since you do not have to know everything that John shares in previous titles in order to learn from it.

Go Further Faster: Strangles And Turtle Breakdowns Danaher BJJ DVD Review

John set the tone for the longest possible instructionals in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was the first to recorded and release 8 part DVDs that last around the 10-hour mark. Not many have done it afterward, with his students Gordon Ryan and Garry Tonon, along ADCC star Lachlan Giles being the only three others capable of sharing as much innovative material in one DVD as John.

“Strangles And Turtle Breakdowns” is just like all the other Danaher BJJ DVD instructionals we’ve seen. It has 8 volumes, organized in a very specific and meticulous manner. The first 5 parts of this instructional focus on strangles, while the remaining three tackle the turtle position, offering a myriad of offensive options.

1. Strangle Fundamentals

First up, strangles. Why does John prefer the term “strangles” over the commonly used “chokes”? I’ll let you figure that out on your own when you start watching this DVD. The way John kicks things off is with a short introduction, followed immediately by his 3×3 approach to Gi strangles. What exactly is it? Consider it the magic formula that makes all the highest percentage Gi strangles work.

The sliding collar strangle, which is a big part of the system gets some initial attention in this portion of the Danaher BJJ DVD. AS expected, John starts off with the foundations of strangling, from how to use your wrists, to know when you’re too deep to actually be able to pull off a strangle.

Pay attention to the chapter about the advantages GI strangles have over No-Gi chokes, and the one on short and long strangles, as they really do put things into perspective when it comes to choking people out. OR strangling them, as Danaher prefers to say.

2. Sliding Collar Strangle And Clock Chokes

The sliding collar choke is really the centerpiece around which Danaher bases his GI strangles system. Basically, it is a four-step process that requires you to first establish a position, then establish a strangle hand, followed by a control hand, and finally, maximizing the mechanical power of the key ingredients. Of course, each of them gets their own chapter where John explains in-depth how everything works. He also shares several modifications to help you finish the strangle even when it seems like you’re stuck.

The clock choke also finds its way in this volume of the “Strangles And Turtle Breakdowns” DVD. Conversely, it is a strangle that also works perfectly against the turtle, completely encasing the entire theme of the instructional. In terms of the clock strangle, John coves literally everything, from footwork and weight distribution to optimal head positioning and nullifying any defensive options.

3. Juji Jime

The Juji Jime is the Japanese term for the cross collar strangle. It is a very fundamental move that we know from examples as Roger Gracie works at the highest levels of the sport. The third volume of this Danaher BJJ DVD demonstrates how to set the strangle up using the same 4 steps as in the sliding collar strangle.

After the fundamentals, though, John goes into some really interesting takes on the choke. He shares dilemma attack options, using Kuzushi to make the strangle stronger and dealing with the grips that usually make finishing the strangle notoriously hard. I particularly enjoyed the portion of finishing the Juji Jime from the mount. The level of detail is something even Roger Gracie would be envious of.

4. Kata Juji Jime

The Kata Juji Jime still refers to the cross collar strangle, but his time, one of the arms is facing in a different direction from the other. You’ve probably done it like this more times than the regular version, as it is easier to find a grip on the back of the collar. Well, the fourth part of the “Strangles And Turtle Breakdowns” instructional focuses on all the possible variations and uses of this versatile strangle.

What makes this DVD different from others is that Danaher modifies the choke to make it available from any position. Open guards, side control, top of the turtle, and even spinning setups of the choke make up the majority of material in this portion of the instructional.

5. Sode Guruma

Sode Guruma stands for the Ezekiel choke. This is one strangle that is really, really useful but heavily underrated in BJJ. I have a feeling that after this John Danaher DVD, it will make a resurgence. The ay Danaher lays it out is through a connection between the Ezekiel and the sliding collar strangle. He then covers several variations, from the combat to the front Sode Guruma, before tackling the single biggest problem associated with the Ezekiel strangle. He even offers a bonus version of a low lapel strangle to further widen the options for submission.

6. Turtle Overview

The final three portions of the “Strangles And Turtle Breakdowns” John Danaher BJJ DVD focus on the turtle position. Similarly to the strangles, it all starts with an introduction to the position, and a detailed overview of why the turtle is such a complicated puzzle to solve. In a typical Danaher fashion,. John shares 2 central problems to solve and three main targets to achieve. The moment you understand how these work, you’ll be able to break pretty much anyone’s turtle defenses down in different ways.

Some of the solutions include answers to common questions, like which hook should go in first and how to place your grips so that you control wrists, hips, and head properly.

7. Breaking The Turtle

Arguably, my favorite part of the entire Strangles And Turtle Breakdowns” John Danaher BJJ DVD. Even though I love playing turtle, I like breaking it down even more. I’ve dwelled deep into wrestling to understand how and from what I saw in this volume, so has Danaher. He bases his system on the clock theory, which really did revolutionize how I view the turtle position a couple of years ago. Moreover, he goes deeper, using his principle of breaking opponents down to their hip to make it even more efficient.

The key thing to remember, as John puts it, is to weaken your opponent before attacking. In other words, decrease all their athletic potential and mechanical advantages before actually trying to attack. The clock theory and hip breakdown man you can open up the turtle in ways that will allow you to score, regardless if you force them to a shoulder, hip, or their head.

8. Attacking The Turtle

Finally, “Strangles And Turtle Breakdowns” wraps things up with a blend of everything that was demonstrated thus far. When you can’t break the turtle position down at any cost, then why not attack it directly? Instead of going for direct attacks like the clock strangle only, though, John offers different methods to get you in a superior position without having to break the turtle down first.

The two-one method is definitely an interesting way of attacking the turtle. Stuff like the seatbelt roll and the crucifix method are things we’re somewhat used to doing. As usual, John has extreme details that completely change our approach to both of these methods. Moreover, he shares a few more wrestling tricks, like using the tight waist to attack, or setting up attacks off of a Kimura grip.

In A Nutshell

As the grand finale of the “Go Further Faster” series, this John Danaher BJJ DVD rally does bring something different to the table. Even by Danaher’s standards “Strangles And Turtle Breakdowns” is an exceptional instructional that will benefit literally everyone that is involved in BJJ, from a brand new beginner to a world champion black belts. It is that good, concise, and organized that you’ll be able to start implementing the concepts immediately, seeing massive improvements in your strangles and turtle breakdowns.

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John Danaher – Strangles and Turtle Breakdowns

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