On an instagram Q&A (@stephan_kesting) I was recently asked, “What is the most unlikely yet fortuitous place jiu-jitsu has come in handy for me?” You might think that the answer was using it to subdue an opponent in some crazy streetfight, but actually my antagonist was far more deadly than that; polycystic kidney disease… Here’s the video of me answering this question in full… I’ve been a firefighter for 25 years now, and have definitely had to use my grappling skills to physically restrain people a few times.  And there were many more situations, both on and off duty, where knowing ..read more

If you’ve got your opponent in side control then you’re definitely dominating the match, but if he’s being defensive then it can still be hard to finish from there. A smart opponent will keep his arms in and protect his neck with his hands, making it challenging to catch an armlock or force a choke. This is where deception comes in. You’ve got to lure your opponent into a trap by giving him something seemingly advantageous and then using that to submit him with a leglock. The kneebar from side control is one of my favorite submission setups and a great example of this kind of trap. Here’s a qu ..read more

The kneebar is the king of leg submissions: you are attacking one of the largest joints in the body and demonstrating mastery over your opponent. Unlike heelhooks and toeholds, which often have to be applied gently in training to avoid injury, a successful kneebar leaves no doubt or debate as to its effectiveness. The kneebar is a fairly safe submission when applied properly, but is also a potentially devastating lock. When I watch competitions, be they local Jiu-jitsu competitions or NHB fights at the highest level, I often see some glaring errors in the ways some competitors apply their knee ..read more

I really enjoyed talking with Rachel Honeyman about modifying BJJ for self defense, which techniques to focus on and which positions to avoid.  Rachel has trained in BJJ, the Filipino Martial Arts, Muay Thai, and many other martial arts and runs FearlessFemmes.com. BJJ for Women’s Self Defense – Audio Only This conversation was also published as episode 401 of The Strenuous Life Podcast. You can also listen to the audio-only format of the episode on your podcast player. It’s on all major podcast platforms, but here are some of the links to get you started… Apple Podcasts Spotify Podcast ..read more

I don’t think we can deny that jiu-jitsu is evolving really fast. Whether it’s the false reap, the buggy choke, the Aoki lock, the berimbolo, the roadhouse choke, or the upside-down-inside-out-caterpillar guard, new techniques and strategies are popping up all the time. Even if you don’t want (or can’t) learn the berimbolo (or whatever) shouldn’t you at least know how to counter it? So why are some instructors and many senior students stuck in a magical past when men were supposedly men and jiu-jitsu was supposedly much better? Did you know that, statistically speaking, MORE matches end in sub ..read more

You know that new choke you saw the other day and hope to use in class tonight? Yeah… about that. That shiny new choke probably isn’t going to work. The truth is that any signature moves you develop in your jiu-jitsu career will be the lone survivors standing on top of a mountain of discarded techniques that you just couldn’t get to click. Every time I try something new, I think, “This probably isn’t going to work,” but THIS ISN’T ME BEING NEGATIVE. Optimism and pessimism aren’t incompatible. The poet Adrienne Rich said, “It is important to possess a short-term pessimism and a long-t ..read more

 The best-selling BJJ Foundations instructional is finally available on your phone.  This ground-breaking instructional is the best training guide I’ve ever seen if you want to do extra training outside of class, structure your sparring to be more productive in class, or even teach a class of your own. In this app module you’ll get all the techniques, details, drills and combinations on the entire instructional!  The difference is that now you can now carry around all this great information in your pocket, on your phone, with or without an internet connection! Three quick p ..read more

The half granby movement is super important for guard retention in BJJ. However, it can be intimidating to learn, so here’s how to drill it against a wall in the privacy of your own home or on the mat before class. 0:00 How to do the half granby movement 0:58 How to drill the high leg movement 2:08 How to learn the full inversion on the wall The post How to Do the Half Granby Roll in BJJ (and Other Critical Guard Retention Movements) appeared first on Grapplearts ..read more

I’ve previously discussed breathing but have concentrated on unusual situations, like conscious hyperventilation and the Valsalva Maneuver. I should probably have started out by talking about something that is a bit more universally applicable. Let’s talk about this: no breathing equals no oxygen equals total exhaustion. Storytime: I once talked with a very frustrated and discouraged grappler. For the sake of this story, let’s call the grappler ‘Fred’. Anyway, ‘Fred’ was a fit guy who did lots of cardiovascular conditioning to help him with his endurance, but had an unusual problem with his g ..read more

From war-torn Africa to climbing remote peaks in Greenland with Alex Honnold, Matt Pycroft has built a very impressive career working as a journalist and filmmaker. In our conversation he goes into detail how he gradually acquired the skills to achieve his goals and the lessons he’s learned working with extreme athletes in inhospitable settings all over the globe. Follow Matt on Instagram @mattpycroft and check out his latest film, Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold, on Disney, Amazon, and National Geographic. Matt also runs Cold House Collective, a media company based in the UK with an outdoor ..read more