Ground Fighting Basics I - Master Your Foundation

A house built on a poor foundation…is bound to collapse and fall into ruin.

Our martial skills are no different.

• Gain core strength.

• Improve mobility and program your reflexes.

• Master the building blocks to win the day.

The problem with a subpar foundation in any martial art is that it leads to failed technique and a breakdown of applying our skills effectively and efficiently.

When we’re on the ground, this is exacerbated by the weight, strength, and will of larger opponents coupled with gravity keeping us stuck and unable to move. Even a smaller opponent with a higher skill level can prevent us from being able to escape.

Failure to adopt solid basics can cause our brain to stop in the middle of a bout, attack and have to think what to do next.

Take the Shortcut

The short path to a better ground fight game, is to master the basics of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Programming your body to know how to respond properly to external stimuli. How to react with fluid and natural movements.

Confused moments, or lack of knowledge costs us precious seconds that we need in order to gain position and win submission on an opponent.

As I began learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu I found many of my natural instincts from training other martial arts for over a decade, were wrong. Dead wrong.

The natural reactions and movements I had for striking, kicking, and throwing arts caused me to end up in worse positions on the ground, and to ultimately tap out. Even before getting my black belt in BJJ, I strove to make the process easier for my students. To remove some of the guesswork. To help them build a solid bedrock to grow their art.

Start off on the RIGHT foot

In this course, I’ve assembled the foundation you need to improve your ground fighting skills. The road to mastering your ground fighting game lies in these key movement patterns that will come to save you time and time again from devastating loss.

These drills and exercises are perfect for solo practice while building strength, conditioning, muscle memory, and solid kinesthetic movement patterns.

The training tools of champions. Building these into your training routines will provide large gains on the mats while giving you an incredible core workout.

Let's get started!

Course includes:

• Easy to follow video lessons breaking down each of your necessary skills.

• A pre-planned training mission to take the guesswork out of what to train and how to practice these necessary skills.

• FREE PDF doc Basics of BJJ - breaking down the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Making it easier than ever to understand what your goals are, and how to understand not only the overall objective, but the terminology to navigate the art.

Sweeps - Throws on the Ground - BJJ Training Course

Toss your opponent like a salad!

Pulling off a sweep in ground fighting is an exhilarating moment that fills us with monumental sense of victory. It’s second only to a submission.

You’re on the ground opponent in your guard. You learned how to sweep but when the moment comes to try it, they don’t budge. Why? Or, you get the sweep, and they quickly retake a position on you. Why?

These powerful moves are fundamental to our jiu-jitsu arsenal. Some of the best moves we have. Yet they are so often applied at the wrong time, wrong place, or with a lack of follow-up. In this course I’ll give you the tools to not only train your sweeps on your own, or with a partner, but how to successfully pull them off in live rolling, and to keep the opponent from coming back for more.

No experience necessary!

*course included with Legacy Boxer and Supreme Ultimate Boxer memberships

How to Defeat the BJJ Guard in 4 Easy Steps

The BJJ Guard is a Nightmare to Deal With.

End the frustration! Pass Guard. Dominate. Submit.

Have you ever wanted to try one of the amazing submissions or sweeps from Brazilian jiu-jitsu and instead, spent the entire class stuck in guard? Do you find it impossible to pass guard because you cannot even break the guard in the first place? Do you routinely break guard on people your own size, only to be shutdown and back to square one against a larger opponent?

I’ve been in your shoes.

I’m Randy Brown and I’m a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I’ve been teaching martial arts for almost 20 years. My primary art, mantis boxing, did not have a ground game so I undertook the mission of getting to know the ground fighting game to the best of my abilities, but I started this much later than my other training. This helped me to approach BJJ with a methodical mindset. Always looking for more efficient and effective ways to train, teach, and execute the skills I use, and share with my students.

In this course I will dissect the BJJ guard problem into 4 easy to learn steps to help you master this part of your ground skillset and break and pass your opponents guard so you can focus on the exciting aspects of sweeps and submissions. Match the correct breaking method to the right size opponent. Learn how to keep them from pulling you back into guard as you ready for the pass and win that dominant position.

Don’t Take My Word For It…

Here is testimony direct from high-level, professional martial artists on the effectiveness of my course:

“This course is an incredible time-saver for beginners and a solid tune-up for everyone else. There's no fluff in here-- just the info you need to start breaking and passing guard effectively. If you can't take a private lesson with Sifu Randy in-person, then take this course--it's a no-brainer. Recommended!” - Ando Mierzwa - Black Belt from multiple styles, and BJJ Brown Belt

“A brief, yet deep dive into the vital middle ground of newaza.  Recommended.” - Roy Dean - 3rd degree BJJ Black Belt

Put a method to the madness and start today!

This video includes:

A 32-minute detailed video instruction on how to simplify the break and pass of the guard in 4 easy to follow steps.

Includes managing the guard. Grip-fighting. Gi vs No-Gi. Breaking methods for smaller vs. taller. A variety of standing and ground passes that will stay with you throughout your jiu-jitsu journey.

*course included with Legacy Boxer and Supreme Ultimate Boxer memberships

Countering the Hip Toss

Ever been mistaken for a sack of potatoes? Do you dislike being dislodged from the earth you stand on, turned upside down and dropped on your head or back? Here’s a little tip to counter that nasty hip toss throw your opponent might try out of mistaken identity, or something more nefarious.

Size Matters in BJJ!!! - The Omaplata Submission

Here are a few tips if you are a smaller grappler trying to submit larger opponents with the omoplata submission from Brazilian jiu-jitsu. This can drastically alter our success rate for finishing, rather than struggling to combat height, strength, and counters.

"Don't Touch Me" - Why I Hated BJJ

photos by Max Kotchouro

The following dust-covered article I originally wrote for another blog back in 2012-13 as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) blue belt. My hopes/intent for this article are still the same — helping you, and others like you, who avoid training or even trying BJJ due to the lack of enthusiasm of other people touching you, Whether you are a beginner, or a veteran martial artist, I’d like to help you understand BJJ by sharing a bit of my reluctance to dive into it and my experience traversing the art, while having the same reservations at the start.

Randy - 2020. Thank you.

Let me get this out of the way from the start - I emphatically hate people touching me. I have issues with physical contact, space invaders, and touchy-feely nonsense. After many failed attempts at coping, I simply avoid large crowds, parties, grandmas, and priests. Chalk it up to a plethora of personal experiences early in life, or just laugh and call me strange. Getting my finger lobbed off in a table saw was a more a preferable experience than some weird inebriated schmuck trying to grope me at a party. (FYI - a good use for martial arts training)

Now that I’ve made it abundantly clear how much I dislike physical contact, perhaps no we can relate to one another. I imagine if you are still reading this for any other reason than to make fun of me then you have similar issues with physical contact, and this reason has been a primary deterrent to you experimenting with Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the first place. Or, you just really hate Brazilian jiu-jitsu and clicked on this artile in the hopes of reading a series of bad things I have to say about it. Spolier alert: it is not going to go your way so you can bail now and save yourself some time.

False Fears

The idea of having to work closely with someone else, especially on the ground, used to 'skeeve me out'. There is a stark differential between the modalities I was accustomed to - striking, kicking, and takedowns, when contrasted to rolling around on the ground with another human being while wearing pajamas or skin tight clothing.

Knowing what I know now, I probably would have loved high school wrestling, but that was never going to happen. Many foes would have fallen trying to force my fat, chubby, adolescent self into one of those onesie singlets.

Fast forward to later in life, having trained mantis boxing for ten plus years and running a school for five of those, and during this time I became distinctly aware of the giant deficiency in mantis boxing - the lack of a ground game.

I discussed this reality with one of my coaches at the time. Being practical and grounded in real-world experience he agreed with the problem and suggested that I take up BJJ, to at least a blue belt level. The blue belt being a significant achievement in the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, showing an individual has gone through the grist mill and survived to a base level of proficiency in self=defense on the ground.

The goal of reaching this belt in his assessment was that, I would have the experience and know-how to deal with an altercation on the ground; if a fight ever ended up there. Which, anecdotally speaking, they usually do.

I was reluctant at first (see aforementioned comments on personal space) but eventually I capitulated and decided to try it out. To say my first attempts did not go well is a mild understatement [insert sarcasm].

Unfortunately, my first couple of experiences went horribly awry. I unknowingly chose the wrong coaches/schools to train with and this produced catastrophic results. To include but not limited to, a ripped ear, tweaked elbow; broken toe, and a severe shoulder injury that costs thousands of dollars in rehab and will someday ultimately require a full shoulder replacement. I’m holding out for stem cells or cybernetic arms to become a mainstay.

On the third attempt to learn Brazilian jiu-jitsu I found a great instructor and the perfect atmosphere to train and learn the art. The coach was friendly, welcoming, and understanding of the fact that I was starting over in a new art. He was patient as well, and willing to help me enter this martial art without getting trashed before knowing which end is up. One of the ways this varied from prior attempts, was the premise of not having me roll the first class, or even the first weeks/months of training. His words - “I need to teach you how to roll before we start rolling.” - Dedeco. Wise words. Everywhere else I had been, it was sparring from day one, and people just trying to mop the floor with me.

Ignorance is Bliss

Holly smashing it at Boston Summer Open 2013

‘Traditional’ martial arts styles are mostly comprised of arts originating from east asia, but for our purposes we’ll include western boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, shuai jiao, and more. A vast majority of these styles strictly cover stand-up fighting - striking, kicking, throwing, and maybe joint locks.

With the exception of wrestling, how do any of these styles account for a larger, stronger, opponent that wants nothing more than to put us on the ground and pummel us? The all subsist around weight class rule structures.

A sound and well rounded martial artist in my opinion, wants solutions for these problems. Problems such as being stuck underneath someone that has 100lbs of body weight on us, is choking us, or is pummelling us with fists while sitting on our torso.

We want not only to survive, but to thrive in these situations. I have to be frank here - I have seen a variety of nonsensical comments from traditional martial artists when it comes to this very real threat. A belief in their minds that the threat of someone controlling us is not real, or that arts such as BJJ are useless. These statements include comments such as -

"I will use my eye gouges, groin strikes, and secret pressure point attacks." - anonymous

No. No you most likely won't. You will be too busy trying to figure out which way is up; panicking to get back to your feet, trying to breath as you gas yourself out (the ground is stressful), and performing silent math calculations on how much your opponent really weighs while they crush the soul out of your body with unrelenting pressure.

Another comment I see -

"I won't let them get me on the ground." - anonymous

Yes. Yes, you will. If the inherent nature of their style, the sole purpose of their modality of fighting is designed to get you on the ground, then you will be on the ground. No doubt about it. Especially if they have been training for years to accomplish said goals.

“But I train takedown defense.”

We live in the northeast where snow and ice are prevalent for a large portion of the year. Ending up on the ground is a common mishap for us even without someone violently assisting us in the process. Bottom line - as a traditional martial artist or someone with no experience in fighting, we benefit by recognizing the holes in our systems and learning to close these weaknesses. We gain nothing but darkness…and oxygen deprivation by hiding our head in the sand.

“Adapt and Overcome”

“Adapt and overcome.” A common phrase we heard consistently in boot camp. If we are experienced martial artists, adding Brazilian jiu-jitsu to our game only improves, not detracts, from our primary art. Depending on the style we practice, we may come from arts afflicted by transmission loss. Meaning some, or all, of the techniques have been lost through the annals of time. We’re left only with forms/kata, and best guesses as to the original method(s) of execution. Putting the pieces back together can be difficult to downright impossible. Finding crossover principles and techniques in other arts such as BJJ can help link things together in our brain, and improve our primary style of choice.

BJJ has decidedly helped me learn more about my own style of mantis boxing. From takedowns, to defense, to even just kinesthetically putting pieces together to flow. It has taken my knowledge, my game to a whole new level. This is especially relevant to an art such as mantis boxing, one of many Chinese boxing styles that is rooted in stand-up grappling, and riddled with principles that crossover to BJJ.

Perhaps you are fortunate and train with a school/coach team that has all the applications of your style already intact. Handed down to you in clear drills, and efficient training that turns you into a competent fighter. However, if that art still lacks a ground solution, as my art did, then this is the perfect reason to undertake BJJ, wrestling, or catch wrestling to shore up those weaknesses.

Donut, or Do Not?

Donut eating me - 2006

Here are a few more benefits of learning BJJ. Traditional martial arts teachers across America are known for being out of shape. I have seen it at countless tournaments since the early days of competing. A few years later, I myself was overweight while owning and running my school. I ballooned out, and knew deep down that I was setting a bad example to my students on how I personally believe a martial artist should live.

Another saying from the military - “fit to fight”. The truth to this is so base and fundamental. I’ve fought, sparred, won, and lost to some very good fighters over the years. Some of those individuals were grossly out of shape. After 30 to 90 seconds of maneuvering, or light tangling, they were huffing and puffing, buckled over and gassed beyond function. The amazing skills and techniques they had, were rendered useless by lack of stamina to stay operational long enough to use them.

Imagine for a moment, Special Forces operators dropped miles from their target behind enemy lines. They have to march to their battle positions before engaging the enemy. If they are unfit for duty, or out of shape, then any gear hauling, or arduous obstacles in their path, would render them inoperable by the time they reach their mission objective. What’s the point? Hand-to-hand combat is no different. If we’re out of shape, we’re ineffective, or less effective.

How can we stand with our heads high, selling, or marketing fitness, exercise, discipline, along with our self-defense, when we are stuffing donuts down our throat, or puffing cigarettes out behind our dojo? If we are out of shape ourselves, then we are nothing more than an exemplary display of hypocricy. “Do as I say, not as I do.”

How can BJJ change this? Brazilian jiu-jitsu is an incredible workout. It engages the full body. Exercising almost every muscle in our physical anatomy, including our brain. It takes serious conditioning to roll with another person for an entire class, or for a 5 minute bout at a competition. Just try and eat a jelly donut before walking out on the mats. Actually…don’t. Please don’t. Your partner doesn’t want to wear a Boston creme on their gi, and will likely give you a “vanilla nut tap” if you adorn them with an ‘already been chewed’ ball of dough and jam.

Before I ever reached my first BJJ tournament match, I had many stand-up sparring sessions and amateur bouts. I was no stranger to the exhaustion and fatigue that takes place shortly after an altercation ensues. Much of our training, and sparring in a dojo, is basic inoculation to the stress of what we are going to face for real. Even so, I had absolutely no idea what I was going to encounter in my first BJJ match.

An IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) tournament has more 6 packs than you'll find at a redneck BBQ.

When grappling is involved, it is a completely different world, and the intensity is magnified ten-fold. The proximity stress; gripping, tugging, and pushing; all when we’re still on our feet at the beginning of a match, drains our reserves. By the time we land on the ground, we’re seconds away from being face to face with the ‘adrenaline dump’ (all energy fades from our body). When this hits, there is nothing left in the tank; we’re completely gassed. Left only with our willingness to give up; or survive. This…is why an IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) tournament has more 6 packs than you'll find at a redneck BBQ. It’s an incredible workout.

What better way to exercise than to have fun, and learn while ‘getting into’, or ‘staying in’ shape? Enjoyment and mental engagement are a necessary function to stay committed to any type of physical activity we choose. BJJ will help us shred fat, build cardio, strength, and keep or return that weaponized body we once aspired to through joining martial arts in the first place. Of course, the nutrition aspect has to go along with it, but the mat time we put in, will incentivize us to eat better so we don’t gas out.

The ‘BEST’ Pie is ‘Humble’ Pie

Chin Na training - circa 2000

The saying is - "the mats don't lie." This means simply, that when we walk out on the mats, we can't say we are something we are not and get away with it for long. When we roll with another grappler, the truth becomes abundantly clear who is the higher hand.

"The mats don't lie."

Being a part of the ‘traditional martial arts world’ through the rise of the internet, from BBS's, to forums, to facebook, etc., I have seen more petty arguments and nonsensical statements about -

"My style is the greatest".

"I'm better than you."

"I know more forms than you."

“I’ve trained longer than you.”

"My lineage is pure, look who you studied with."

“I trained in {insert country of origin].”

"My teacher is better than your teacher.”

“My grandmother was better than your teacher"

It’s ‘ok’ to get a little mud on our face. Just smile and move on.

...and on, and on it goes. It is downright embarrassing and pathetic to see this behavior from (grown adults, usually males) martial artists. So-called warriors, or those aspiring to be. People who train their whole lives to be more than the average person, yet demean themselves beneath others on the internet for the world to see. The individual makes the art. No one else.

In contrast, I have met some of the nicest people in BJJ since I have been a part of this art. Sure, there are jerks (I met a few in the first couple attempts at starting out), but the majority of people, by and large, are polite, grounded, and pretty darn cool.

Why the difference? Simple really. We have to put our money where our mouth is. We can make claims to ourselves, or others about our prowess, and skill, but the truth comes out on the mats. Each roll, we’re face to face with our own strengths, and weaknesses; whether we’re ready to receive them or not. This is a humbling experience and not for the faint of heart. It requires complete honesty with the most important person listening to us - ourselves.

"In my experience, the more dangerous two people are, the more respectful they are to one another." - Dedeco

BJJ, along with any other contact based martial arts, keeps us humble and aware that we are all just students of the martial arts, even when coaching and helping others. We know in our hearts, and minds, that there are always bigger fish in the ocean. We all have progress to make in bettering ourselves inside and out. Even if we are king, or queen of our own little sandbox, getting tapped out by a smaller opponent or a BJJ white belt, gives us firsthand knowledge and experience in one of the most important martial arts principles to aspire to - humility.

Enjoyment of Challenge

Finally, what makes all the physical contact worth it? Honestly, the contact/space, is not that big of a deal a week or so after training. It is a far different experience rolling and grappling with someone, working with them to better ourselves, or having them try to choke us rather than grope us. Anyway, it's just downright fun, super challenging, mentally engaging, and packed with years of intrigue. There are not many sports that can produce that.

A plethora of the techniques (sweeps, submissions, escapes, takedowns) are extremely awesome and a thrill to learn. We mistake them for magic when we first see them, but the best part is when we succeed at working the magic ourselves after much trial and tribulation.

I know first hand as a student, and coach, that we have to keep the training fun in order to stay energized about teaching. So if you are already a teacher of another discipline, training BJJ gives us a newfound sense of excitement. The same we had when we were a novice student in our original martial art style, when everything was new and enchanting. Personally, I found it helped to keep the fires burning in myself, reigniting a dwindling flame in the art I had already dedicated years of practice and teaching to prior to entering BJJ.

Teaching others is rewarding and fun, but if we are not continuing to learn and grow we can become stagnant, bored, disenchanted, and even bitter. These are a few reasons I highly recommend trying out BJJ for martial artists from other modalities. Try adding it to your game and see for yourself.

Put on that ‘white belt’, box up the ego, and take the plunge into a fascinating world of new friends, sweet techniques, and years of humble learning. You won't regret it.

Size Matters in BJJ!!! - Part 3 - Breaking Closed Guard

Here's one of my favorite closed guard breaks, and why it is horrible for taller vs. smaller. If you do use this BJJ escape, here is the answer to 'why isn't my closed guard break working?' Enjoy this next installments in our Size Matters series. This is a must see if you are trying to break a smaller grapplers closed guard.

A Dark Start: My Disasterous Beginning Into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

One of the common reasons deterring people from learning this amazing, life changing art, is contact. Like some of you, I have an issue with personal space. The idea of getting on the ground and ‘rolling’ around with someone had never appealed to me primarily for this reason. I even wrote an article about it, to share how I relate to those who are looking at the art, but find the level of contact to be a barrier to entry.

What I am about to share with you not exactly a ringing endorsement of the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It a tale of my ealry journey into BJJ. If nothing else, it provides a cautionary tale, of how important it is to find a good coach/gym to train with.

A majority of my injuries in martial arts in the past 20+ years, and all of the most severe ones, have been from Brazilian jiu-jitsu. And yet, I would still recommend the art to anyone, under the right circumstances.

The Beginning

As I started to find truth in mantis boxing after years of training, the UFC was growing more popular than ever. The reality and efficacy of ground fighting and it’s necessity began to seep into my periphery. I would pontificate questions such as -

‘What would I do if someone took me to the ground in a fight?’

‘Would any of my skills, after years of martial arts training, help me?’

After all, someone that is even just incrementally larger than us, has an inherent advantage due to gravity, and the laws of physics. Couple this with a season or two of wrestling in high school/college, or a football tackler, and we have serious deficiencies in our combat capabilities; no matter how good our stand-up fighting is.

When involved in an altercation, once we’re on the ground, which could be from a slip, trip, or fall of our own accord, or after an opponent grabs us for dear life as we throw them to the ground - taking us with them - the game is quickly over if they land on top of us.

I am not the largest guy on the planet, even when I was 70 lbs heavier than I am now. Having the knowledge and technical ability to deal with an opponent in a ground situation was to me, becoming more and more evident, for obvious reasons.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu provides solutions to the problems we face in ground combat, better than any other martial art. Using timing, technique, and those same aforementioned pesky laws of physics, we can turn the laws to our advantage, overcoming larger, stronger, and heavier opponents, if we ever end up on the ground in a self-defense situation.

So, as we said in the Army - I ‘sucked it up and drove on’. Putting my ‘human contact’ issues aside, I undertook a search for a BJJ school to train in. And there the problems began…

ROUND 1

One of my early coaches in the martial arts had some training in BJJ. How much, I never found out. We were discussing my interests in learning a bit of ground fighting and he offered a trade. I would share one of the historical mantis boxing sets I learned while studying with another coach, and he would train me in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

My first lesson included a few rudimentary tips on what not to do on the ground while in the mount position. This was followed up by my first introduction to a rear naked choke.

I stood there in a compliant stance excitedly awaiting my lesson in one of the most powerful tools in BJJ - aka The Lion Killer. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my throat as the man I just entrusted with my life, put the choke on fast and hard; crushing my larynx. It took 6 weeks for my esophagus to pop back out. Thus ended my my first (and last) lesson with him.

ROUND 2

For my next attempt, I contacted an instructor a few towns away. We discussed my background, and I made it clear I knew nothing about ground fighting. I was starting over in this art and I would like to put on a white belt and be treated like any other beginner. Starting from the ground up (no pun intended).

The first class went relatively well. I had a few minor issues, but nothing to stop me from going back for another class. I was committed to doing this after all. Itching to learn.

I returned two days later for my second class. I left with a ripped ear, tweaked elbow, broken toe, and my knee out of whack. The instructor somehow deemed it acceptable in my first week, to throw me into a 40 minute ‘rolling’ (sparring) session with people who had been training for years. Seems as though there was a plan to try and wipe the floor with me.

Finding myself incapable of just giving up, I fought back…hard. It cost me, but ultimately it cost that instructor too - I never went back.

This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Said coach went to jail years later for assaulting a 14 year old female student.

ROUND 3

Trying to be smarter, my next experience was born by referral. I came across an MMA/BJJ coach teaching at an associates of mines school, halfway across the country. I was visiting for a weekend of seminars. In between I rolled with this skilled grappler for a couple hours. He shut down everything I had. He obviously knew his craft.

He was also approachable and seemed vested in teaching me how to succeed. I enjoyed it and wanted to learn more. Additionally, he was also ex-military like myself, so we understood one another on a training and practicality level.

At first it was a good fit. I flew him across the country to do a weekend of seminars at my gym, and get some one on one training in on the side. All went well with the seminars, and we had some good rolling/training afterwards. Until his PTSD kicked in.

He tore my shoulder out. Not once. Not twice. Three times in one hour. With two extreme americana shoulder locks, and a kimura shoulder lock. I barely escaped this encounter without a total shoulder replacement surgery.

This day cost me thousands of dollars in medical repairs/treatments, A year plus of treatment entailing hundreds of hours of physical therapy and recovery. Needless to say, I left him behind, and continued searching. I’m sure, if you are still reading this, you are wondering why the hell I would continue on? Good question.

Stubborn. To a fault.

ROUND 4

The Gracie family, considered by some to be the founders of the art in it’s more modern form, had a school in Los Angeles. They were running an instructor certification and training program that sounded enticing. I watched some interviews with them and they appeared upstanding individuals with an earnest and sincere approach to teaching BJJ, without breaking everyone that came through the door.

1st class with Dedeco - 8/2011

I began looking seriously at their Instructor Training Program. The downside was it was going to cost thousands of dollars, and a great deal of travel.

Additionally, thousands upon thousands of dollars (about $14,000 dollars by my calculations) to get this program underway in my academy - due to affiliation fees, rules, branding, and contractual agreements I will not bore you with here.

Instead, I pulled one of my instructors aside in the school. She was also interested in learning ground self-defense. I purchased some instructional videos and Holly and I started training BJJ basics a few times per week. This continued moving the ball forward, slowly.

With all the challenges I faced in the world of Chinese boxing, I was no stranger to having to teach myself. I was beginning to think this was once again going to be a reality I would have to accept.

ROUND 5

My contacts across the country came through once more (this time positively), and hooked me up with someone who would go on to become my final BJJ instructor/coach.

Andre ‘Dedeco’ Almeida was located south of Boston in Rockland, Massachusetts. A little less than 2 hours drive from me. He came highly recommended, and at the time, his Best Way Jiu-Jitsu was being used to train top UFC fighters.

For obvious reasons, I was a bit more gun shy about diving into another bad experience. So I asked to meet him for coffee first so we could discuss his approach to training. We met at his favorite coffee shop (Starbucks), and broke the ice, or beans.

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IBJJF Summer Open ‘12

Dedeco, as he prefers to be called, was super nice. He seemed like an upstanding person. After listening to my experiences with BJJ thus far, he was appalled. It insulted him that his livelihood and passion was being misrepresented. This was not way beginners were to be introduced to the art he had been studying since he was a child in Brazil.

Something he said stuck with me after that first conversation -

“Randy, I am not going to have you ‘roll’ (what we call sparring in BJJ), until I teach you how to roll.”

Well didn’t that make a boat load of sense!!! A principle I followed in my own teachings when starting someone out with striking and kicking in mantis boxing. I wondered what short straw in life I drew to go through all this nonsense in order to find a decent coach?

I started private training with Dedeco shortly thereafter (Aug 2011), He introduced me to what I would come to appreciate as the amazing art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and the myriad benefits it has to offer.

BJJ Ranks

BLUE ENOUGH

My plan when I started, was to simply get to a blue belt level. This was, at the time, a significant bench mark for this martial art (it still is depending on the school/coach). Fighters would brazenly step into the cage in UFC fights donning a blue belt, like a proud peacock. Unlike other styles of martial arts, that give out black belts like candy, the first belt you get in BJJ (a blue belt), is a monumental achievement in and of itself.

As I trained more and more with Dedeco, and began meeting his other students, and his friends who owned BJJ schools, and their students, I began to witness an amazing family of people that were pushing one another to get better and better, but without injuring one another all of the time.

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Left to right - Dedeco, myself, Ricardo Liborio

And juxtaposed vs the Traditional Martial Arts World’ I was accustomed too, instead of the stuffy, overly dogmatic experiences I witnessed in other styles of martial arts, what I experienced instead was a relaxed and friendly environment that fostered creativity, freedom of expression, and ingenuity. Embracing the personal expression of an individual’s artform, that we devote years of our lives to.

I later met Dedeco’s teachers (Ricardo Liborio, and Ricardo De La Riva), and witnessed firsthand, the sincerity and kindness in these men. REAL men, who were extremely accomplished fighters, and champions, yet expressed no ego, bravado, or malice. Just humility, and genuine care for the growth of others, and their art.

This was such a powerful experience. It changed my life, and my entire school/approach to martial arts. I mirrored these training approaches in my own mantis boxing program, and my team overall. It had a profound affect, improving my own skills, my team, and above all else, my abilities as a teacher to help others with their art.

One of the best moments in my BJJ journey. Receiving my black belt.

The skills inside Brazilain jiu-jitsu are some of the most powerful tools you can ever have in your arsenal. If you train the art with due diligence, it will reward you in spades. After training for a time, if someone is dumb enough to take you to the ground with ill intent - that attacker just stepped into the deep blue waters of the darkest ocean, and you are the shark!

That...is why this style is now part and parcel with my mantis boxing inside the halls of my academy, and within my heart.

If you are inspired to learn and embody all that BJJ has to offer, my advice is to take your time and find a coach, and team that are right for you. Do not settle! It is your money, and more importantly your time, and even MORE importantly - your body.

Randy Brown
BJJ Black Belt

Size Matters!!! - Part 2 - Spider Guard

Part 2 of our new series on how size affects your martial arts. This is another one for BJJ - Spider Guard. There are some important differences with leg/foot position that can matter if we are a smaller, or larger grappler. Thomas and Vincent assist me in demonstrating a good foot position for spider guard depending on your height.

Size Matters!!! - Part 1 - Turtle Position

New series we're releasing on size matters. When doing martial arts of any kind, size is a determining factor in what moves will work, and what won't for you and your size. We're going to highlight some common positions where this stands out.

In the first episode we tackle the turtle position in BJJ/MMA, and how to choose the right escape for you and your opponent.

6 Submission for 6 Positions - Side Control

Here’s a follow-up to our popular video on the 6 Positions of Side Control Drill. Now we can apply a submission in each of these positions to help train our offensive game.

Part of your journey in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the transition from surviving, to defending, to getting to a dominant position. Position before submission is crucial for getting a successful submission on our opponent. But what happens when we first go from surviving/defending, to continuously getting to a dominant position? Often times the brain shuts down, and we don’t have a clue what to do next. It’s important to have a gameplan.

Knowing a submission from each position, will give you a strategy to move from position to submission, or at least attempting one. Here is a companion video to go along with 6 Positions of Side Control video. Once you get that basic drill down, and you find yourself getting to side control frequently. Try this drill to learn a submission from each position and expand your game!

The CHAINS of CLOSED GUARD - An Attack Strategy for Resistant BJJ Opponents

The closed guard is considered a dominant position in BJJ. Unfortunately, for most of us as we progress in the art, it devolves into nothing more than holding someone in place. We try the basic attacks we learn, but someone with very little knowledge can shut them down through resistance alone.

I found this annoying, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Holly is going to help me show you a chain of attacks I use from 'closed guard' that may help you solve this. Check it out and maybe it can help you improve your success rate at submitting, or sweeping your opponent on the ground in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.