Working Out of Bad Positions

If you wish to develop skills in areas of defense, you simply need to place yourself in bad positions and then work your way out of them. However, most people do not do this because they have go concerns about losing (a disease of ego) or being overly concerned with being on the offense and attacking. Such an overly competitive attitude is negative. I am sorry. I don't care what people think in regards to being overly aggressive. In my book, it is not only counterproductive and downright rude.

Instead, it is better to let people climb on your back and let them partially sink in a choke (if it is in all the way you won't be able to escape) or to let them get half way into an armlock. Again, if the armlock is all the way sunk in attempting to escape may result in an injury.

Now, if you give a training partner (and I mean partner...not opponent)a huge edge and this means that you may end up tapping now and then. This is not a big deal because the ultimate goal is to develop the ability to scape and this will require quite a bit of trial and error.

Lowering Head Elevation in the Butterfly Guard

I cannot really take credit for this because it is not something that I figured out on my own. Instead, it was a gem I picked up off of Michael Jen's excellent DVD Analysis of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. (All have a detailed review when I finish it)

basically, in the DVD it is important to have your head lower than your opponent's head when using the butterfly guard. The DVD didn't explain why, but I tried it out and I discovered that it allowed you to maxmize tremendous leverage over an opponent. In fact, the amount of leverage you can deliver can be quite surprising.

Jen made a tape set/dvd on the butterfly guard many years ago, but I have never seen it. Perhaps it is best that I break out the checkbook and order a copy.

Clinch on the ground

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The Three Pronged Training Method

It a nutshell, there are three main areas in which one needs to focus his or her training: stand up, clinch and ground. Now, some of you may be saying since this is a grappling blog I am most concerned with the ground. Not so fast my friend.

First, when you watch a grappling tournament the participants start standing up. They have to take their opponent down to the ground either by shooting in which is a variant of the stand up game or they need to use a solid clinch to set up the takedown as well. Of course, the defenses require meeting the stand up/clinch game with a counter stand up clinch game as well.

As such, it would be a foolish notion to consider a grappling game a game that is exclusively a game designed for the ground

Note on the Rear Naked Choke

The year naked choke is one of the most effective submission moves in jiu jitsu/submission grappling and this is why the move is stressed so much on the beginner level. It is a super high percentage move and a practitioner could literally base an entire game around it. However, there is a slight secret to performing the rear naked choke effective and it involves not using pure arm strength.

The most common mistake that people make when they perform a rear naked choke is that they will often use mere arm strength. This can be effective, but it if arm strength in all that is being employed then you are doing it the proverbial hard way. The more effective way to perform a rear naked choke would be to "upa" while performing the choke. This puts a tremendous amount of strength behind the choke and forces a quick tap out.

piano chords blog

If you are a student of piano, then you probably realize that excellence comes from hard work and commitment and a great deal of practice. Of course, a little supplemental study and reading wouldn’t hurt either and this is why you should check out Piano Chords Blog which is an excellent resource for learning about piano chords and chord progressions. This is a fine blog so please check it out.
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A Very Off Topic Side Note

Hey all.

A while back I ran an ad on here for the movie SUPERBAD. Since my schedule has been somewhat hectic, I was not able to head out to the theaters to view any new releases. So...I missed out on a lot of stuff. I did get a chance to see SUPERBAD yesterday and it was a great film - albeit a vulgar one. Ok, it was a very funny and very vulgar outing that you might find enjoyable viewing.

Armbars and Control

When it comes to executing a proper armbar there is often a great deal of emphasis on (for lack of a better word) "cranking" the arm. This is only part of the equation and, usually, it is the last part of the equation. In reality, the major part of properly executing the armbar involves controlling the upper body of the opponent and holding it in place so that one can properly lock the arm.

This is a critical point because if there is not control of the torso, the person is able to move. If they are able to move, they can be able to escape. And if they can escape, it is bye-bye armbar.

This brings me to the side point which is when someone starts to slip away, the person xecuting the armbar will try and yank on the arm so as to bring the person. This is simply not a really effective method of controlling the person as adjusting oneself so as to regain contol of the upper body would be more effective

Clinch on the Ground

For many, the clinch is a series of techniques and controls within a close quarter stand up range. While this is definitely a definition of clinhing, there is a problem present in the definition and it is the notion that clinching only exists standing up. This is not an accurate notion as a significant amount of clinching exists on the ground. For example, if you have someone inside your guard you can use overhooks, underhooks, collar and elbow tie ups, etc to control the person within your guard. These are all common clinch controls and they work effectively in keeping your opponent from launching a solid offense. After all, if you have them caught in a solid tie up position of some sort they are going to need to eliminate the tie up prior to escaping.

Bas Rutten Panther DVD

While the DVDs that Bas Rutten made for Panther were produced several years ago, these tapes/dvds do stand the test of time as the material on the tapes are quite excellent and Bas is also very articulate an detailed in his approach to the material.

Now, I have to be honest, the EXTREME PANCRASE series is many, many volumes and I have only seen Vol 1 (which deals with stand up fighting which is a GREAT GREAT volume) and Vol 2 which deals with Heel Hooks and kneebars which is a very good dvd.

Keep in mind, some of the material that you see on the heel hook tape is familiar material that has previously been seen before, the way in which Rutten presents it here is in such a detailed manner that you will feel like you are being presented with the info for the first time. (Well, in a way, you are) My one complaint is that the Panther formula of a lot of techniques is present, but Rutten's explicit details make the proceedings of the DVD very much worth watching. This is good stuff. Rutten seems like an excellent coach and trainer as well as a hell of a nic guy.

Tutor Program

Making academic progress is not easy for some children. Now, if a child is not making the progress that he should be making there is no reason to panic or, worse, punish. In my case, it would be best to explore the excellent Innovative Tutor provided by the brilliant Score Learning Center. Score has significantly invested a great deal of time and effort in devising a system of tutoting that delivers the best possible means of maximizing a child's academic potential and for this Score should be commended.

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A Brief Note on the Clock Choke

The clock choke was made famous in 1998 when Wallid Ismael used the "new move" to catch Royce Gracie by surprise and put him to sleep. The move, of course, was hardly a new move and had been found in judo and for decades. And, by the way, I had learned it in a BJJ class a full 18 months prior to the Royce-Wallid match. Oh, and you could learn in on the Joe Moreira Blue Belt Panther VHS tapes which were released 2 years prior to the Royce-Wallid match. So, all those folks 9 years ago who raved about the new move were, well, johnny come latelies. Ok, I am complaining about the way things were discussed 9 years ago. But, I didnt have a blog 9 years ago so you have to bear with me folks. Anyway, the clock choke remains one of the cooler and SIMPLER moves that can be used on an opponent who turtles up.

Strangely, it would seem that the clock choke has been dropped down a black hole once again. That is, it is not taught as ofetn as you would think such an innovative move should be taught. In fairness, most people attack the back and go for the hooks (4 points) in a Gi match so this makes sense. However, as a secondary attack to be utilized when taking the back fails, the Clock Choke should be emphasized a great deal more.

Classic Television Blog

Hey all, here is a heads up and plug for my other top of the line blog that covers old television shows and their history. You can check it out at you folks may wish to check out my other blog as well. It covers the subject of TV and is a Classic Television Blog and trust me, you will dig it. It is a fun ride through the age old days of UHF and generation x culture. enjoy

Clinch on the Ground

One of the strongest misconceptions out there is that the techniqus of the clinch are exclusive to the stand up clinch range. This, to put it mildly, is moronic because it is clearly obvious that the vast majority of clinhing techniques can be employed on the graound as well as from a standing position. For example, the following techniques can all be used in the guard: overhook, underhook, neck tie, collar and elbow tie up, arm drag, etc.

In fact, the employment of these techniques in the guard create the impetus for controlling and manipulating the opponents body without exclusiv use of the legs or, in the case of the gi, relying exclusively on pulling the sleeves/collar of the opponent's gi

Often, we start to focus on an art or a series of techniques from a very closed bubble and from this a number of misconceptions occur. Often, thiese misconceptions derive from a limited perspective of the art. Cleary, this is not the best way to approach one's training