Joint Locks

Double Seal Hands

Double Seal Hands

It may not happen often, but when it does, it's good to have an answer for it. We're in the flank position, and our opponent is holding our wrists to shut down strikes. We're not in a good position for knees, elbows, or kicks. Many of the throws (Shuāi 摔) in our arsenal are shut down. What do we do?

Training Your Elbows and Joint Locks (Chin Na)

Training Your Elbows and Joint Locks (Chin Na)

Joint locks (Chin Na) are fun!!! If you are into pain that is. ;-) Seriously, standing submissions are very cool; unfortunately, they can be extremely difficult to pull off for real. 

Here is a more advanced drill to help you train ways to...

Why is BJJ Easier than Boxing/MMA?

Why is BJJ Easier than Boxing/MMA?

"Why is BJJ easier than Boxing?" This was a question proposed to me last year when we were taking submissions for the Swamp Talks videos. Truth be told, it was a question that made me uncomfortable at first, as I assumed it would be misconstrued. This question, out of all of them, really stood out to me and made me think.

It made me think about something I hadn't previously considered. Something that was clearly...

Size Matters - In Qín Ná (擒拿)

Size Matters - In Qín Ná (擒拿)

“Having spent years studying these locks, I found it awkward to pull some of them off in 'live' situations. A great many of them if attempted, would have landed the practitioner in a world of hurt from their opponent. Simply from the person reacting by punching them with their free hand/arm. This article attempts to clarify some of the misunderstanding of how and why Qín Ná does, or does not work.” - Excerpt from an article published in the Journal of 7 Star Mantis Volume 3, Issue 3 on the Chinese Joint Locking method known as Chin Na, or Qín Ná (Capture and Seize 擒拿).