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.

Wicked BJJ Clock Choke

‘Wicked’ is one of the keywords in Mantis Boxing. It has to do with trickery such as fakes, feints, distractions, or setting up the opponent to get what we want. It applies heavily to this clock choke setup and you'll see why.

I spent some time last year adding the clock choke into my game. It's an awesome submission and one I had never really used until early last year. It became quite useful when attacking people's turtle defense.

After using it repeatedly, I ended up in side control with Chris one day. Chris is pretty sensitive to when the armbar is coming from side mount, and good at escaping it.

Rather than risk giving up the dominant position, I kept pressure on his back and looked for the lapel. He now has nowhere to turn except to the turtle. Once he turns all-four, snag the wrist and the clock choke is setup. I enjoyed working this one and thought I'd share it with you guys.

Necktie Counter to Omoplata

This move could be a hit or miss. It's something I have been working on recently as I was shut down on my Peruvian Necktie with an odd counter. It caused me to think as it wasn't the 'expected' counter for this submission.

Now, I was able to pull this off on Thomas, as he has long arms and is fairly relaxed in his rolling. But...another guy did the same counter to me with a stiff arm. This made it impossible to move this way. It's definitely a situational with some 'IF's' involved, but play with it if you want and see if it works for you.

You know what they say about 'if's'... "If, if's and but's were candy and nuts, my what a fine Xmas we'd have."

3 Ways to Kill Spider Guard

Here are some tips on how to deal with that opponent with a nasty spider guard. I use three words to remember - Stuff, Stand, Step. Once we train them, we can bounce back and forth between them if the first one gets countered.

6 Positions of Side Control - How to Drill and Improve BJJ Side Mount

My Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teacher (Andre 'Dedeco' Almeida) showed me this awesome Side Control drill when I was a new White Belt. It is one of the best drills I've seen for training Side Control/Side Mount and really emphasizes the necessity for each position. I use this drill to this day as warm-ups in my classes, and pass it on to benefit my students.

The drill connects various positions by number which is a big help. We need each of these in order to control our opponent on the ground when we have side control/side mount.

The drill works not only a solid position, but also the transitions from one to the next. You can increase the complexity of the drill by having your training partner call out the number and you go to that position. Once you have the drill down, randomize those numbers to make it harder. 

Note: Position 6 is technically not Side Control, it is known as North/South, but it makes an excellent addition to the drill, and something we often need when trying to maintain side control and someone is getting out.

You can train this with a partner for best results, or with a throwing dummy, punching bag, or body pillow. Enjoy the drill!

Guest Appearance: Fight for a Happy Life with Sensei Ando

Fight for a Happy Life Podcast

hosted by none other than Sensei Ando of Happy Life Martial Arts

I had the honor of being invited onto Fight for a Happy Life martial arts podcast with host Sensei Ando. The episode just released today. 

Check out our conversation on topics like - freedom, defining success, barriers to students progress, living life, and weird questions about what I want on my deathbed/tombstone (is this guy planning to kill me???), and lots of laughter.

Click the photo above to visit his website for the podcast, or follow the links below for your favorite podcast location. Enjoy the show!

To Listen to the Interview: 

iTunes
Google Play 
Stitcher

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Many of you know Sensei Ando from our previous collaborations, as well as his visit to our school last summer. He's a positive influencer that's always reaching out to help other people. Admirable. 

Here are a couple of videos we did in case you missed them. I highly recommend following him on his YouTube channel, as well as his podcast.

Tips to Manage Distance in a Fight

Tips for Defending the Bear Hug

You can contact Sensei Ando - 

Sensei Ando

Sensei Ando YouTube Channel

Monkey Grips! How I Strengthen My Grips and Keep Them Healthy

Fingers hurt after training? Grips not strong enough to hold on when grappling? Check this out.

Grip strength and health can be a really important thing for martial artists. Grip intensive arts such as Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Shuai Jiao, and other Grappling Arts, all require/build grip strength, and put a great deal of wear and tear on the fingers. Today I'm going to show you the methods I use to keep my grips not only strong, but healthy.

For strengthening: exercises like rope climbs, battleropes, sledge hammer, pull-ups, all assist in strengthening the hands. If we're already doing a martial arts with lots of gripping, chances are we are getting plenty of strengthening from that, and we can move on to the section of the video highlighting grip/finger health, and taking proper care of our hands in martial arts.

Links for Items:

To buy Mung Beans: https://goo.gl/KPy9mE

To buy Bean Bag: https://goo.gl/ybjyme

To buy a Battlerope: https://goo.gl/gtHqNt

To buy a Rope: https://goo.gl/h1ftFc

To buy a Sledgehammer: https://goo.gl/qQ2Knp

To buy a Pull-Up Bar: https://goo.gl/GiqfGd

Bean bag - this bag is filled with Mung Beans. I have been using these bags since early in my Mantis Boxing training back in 1999. The beans release a powder that helps the skin, and the pliability of the beans allows for the fingers to sink in and work on the catch/relfex while massaging the hands. It's an excellent tool and I highly recommend getting one, or having one made.

Green Dragon Stretches Claws - this is an amazing drill that's easy to remember, and even easier to do almost anywhere, and anytime. This exercise is even good for strikers since our hands are balled up most of the time. As you stretch the fingers and hold, you are helping open up the fingers, joints, and tendons. 

Magic Bean Pot - this is my all time favorite. Get a pot from somewhere. I was fussy so I found a bronze pot on eBay with a cool design. Buy a bunch of Mung Beans and fill the pot up. Now use the bean pot to wash the hands. I use this after a heavy training session, or earlier in my BJJ training when I had a tendency to over-grip and not let go when I should have. 

Tools of the Trade - (1:21)
Bean Bag - (2:10)
Green Dragon Stretches Claws - (3:10)
Magic Bean Pot - (4:45)

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Leave your comments and questions below. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE and GET HOOKED!

Guest Appearance: The Strenuous Life Podcast w/ Stephen Kesting

The Strenuous Life Podcast

hosted by renowned BJJ Black Belt, and founder of GrappleArts.com - Stephen Kesting

Stephen was kind enough to invite me on to his podcast 'The Strenuous Life' last month. We finally got our schedules to mesh up last Monday and recorded this podcast for everyone. It was an awesome conversation and I had an amazing time. I think you are going to really enjoy this.

I know some of you are quite familiar with Stephen, and already watch his videos/listen to his podcast. If you haven't heard of Stephen, please check out his website GrappleArts.com and YouTube channel. I highly recommend you subscribe to his stuff. He is extremely humble, puts out top notch detailed content, is super nice, and is always trying to help others.

Click the photo above to visit his website, or follow the links below for your favorite podcast location. Enjoy!

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"Can Kung Fu, BJJ and MMA coexist?  Maybe they can, and maybe they can even learn from each other.

This is a conversation I had with with Kung Fu stylist (and BJJ brown belt) Randy Brown in which we touched on  the history of Chinese martial arts and what made them less effective over time, what traditional martial arts look like when you start training them with resistance, and much more.  I think you’ll like this one!

The best way to listen to this podcast is to go to your favourite podcasting platform, subscribe to ‘The Strenuous Life’ Podcast, and then look for episode 128. You can find it on most podcast platforms, including…"
 

iTunes

Google Play 

Soundcloud 

Stitcher

'Sneaky' Americana for No-Gi

Here is a No-Gi variation for the Sneaky Americana (Keylock) I've been using from under the head. Using the shoulder to crack open their frame, can help me pry my opponents arm up closer to their head, where I can snag ahold of it to go for the Sneaky Americana. 

Be sure to insert the hand palm up so you can use the fingers to ply along the muscles of their arm and help you get underneath when they are trying to block it. 

Again, this variation I've been using in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) in order to keep my position during the attack. If I launch my attack across the body, the more savvy practitioners will counter and push my arm away, or launch me over their body. 

A nice alternative to the keylock for more flexible opponents, is pushing the elbow vertical and then applying downward pressure to lock the wrist. 

The turn away: when they go on their side to defend the arm, we go for the arm closest to us to setup and armbar. If they begin to block that, it will create the opening we need for the Americana. If they block both, step the leg over the waist and roll them back into our guard to finish them from the back. 

Have fun with this technique. I've been enjoying it a lot!!!

Ezekiel Choke to Americana Lock (Keylock)

Here is another attack using the same sneaky Americana I've been using from under the head. In this example, we go from the Ezekiel Choke and our opponent defends it. Because my weight is side shifted, my savvy friend will feel my opposite leg go light, and try to push my knee into half guard to gain a better position. 

Rather than stay there and let them get half guard, we skip over to position 2 of Side Control. Now they defend the position by trying to build a frame. This presents the arm in a vulnerable position to grab it from under the neck. 

In order to finish them, we need to change our position however. Here is where the hip break comes into play. We hip break over to the opposite side and go to position 3 of Side Control. This gives us the position we need to finish the Keylock/Americana. 

Max asked, "what happens if they block our hip break?" Great question. By attempting the hip break, it lifts their arm off the ground, so we can simply return to position 2, and throw our arm under so we can finish the Keylock/Americana from there.

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Like the video? Hit subscribe and Get Hooked!
 

How and When to Stand Up in a Fight

Team Note: I know many of you who train with me will enjoy this video. Truth be told, I wish we had done it years ago because it is so fundamentally important. There isn't enough time in the day to practice everything, so feel free to take this and practice it whenever you can, and as much as you want.

Video Description: Whether we like it or not, sometimes we end up on the ground in a fight/altercation, or just a dangerous situation. When and how we stand up, can mean the difference between success and fail. Here are some tips for standing up when someone is waiting to pounce. 
 

Stop Your Opponents Crushing Side Control

Do you hate being crushed in your opponent's side control? Here's something I've been working on in my game that will hopefully help your game. Building a mountain under your opponents crushing side control can give you space and mobility for countering their attacks, and possibly bringing us to a better position.

I'm Not Ready For That.

"I'm not ready for that." is a healthy approach to training things that overwhelm us.

Here are a couple of counters to the standing guard pass to help your game. Years ago I learned the second of these moves at a workshop with Renan Borges. I was still a white belt at the time, and even though I really liked the move, it wasn't something I was ready for. 

I filed it away in the "I like this, but I'm not ready for it right now. I'll do my best today, and someday I'll come back to this." A few months ago, it started reappearing in my rolls and here's how I integrated it and hopefully you can too. When you are ready.

Sickle Sweep - place the feet in the hips as they stand up. As they push the leg down, rotate your foot inside to help with leverage. Not necessary, but it can give a good bite on the hip. 

Use your other arm to attack the ankle with an underhook. Push up with the foot in the hip, and slice the back of the ankle with your leg as you hold the other ankle. 

Deep Pass Defense - when they step through more aggressively, it is difficult to get the leverage to apply the sickle sweep. Here we shoot the arm through the leg following with our head and shoulder. Think of the hand as the tip of the arrow, and the head is the feather.

Place the back of the tricep on the back of the leg to help finish rotating through. No need to pull the leg all the way through, and it is faster to use the shin with the other leg. Grab the ankles and leverage up. 

You can then take the back, or attack the ankles. 

Mantis Captures Prey - How to Stop the Underhooks

The underhook is a powerful tool in the hands of an opponent who knows how to use it. They have leverage, control, and setups for numerous takedowns. So how do we stop our opponent from getting the underhooks? With this awesome move from Taijiquan called Fist Under Elbow, and what I like to call Mantis Captures Prey.

In this video, we'll walk you through 1. The dangers of the underhook. 2. How to shut it down. 3. Counters from our opponent to watch out for, such as the 2nd hand. 4. Spear Hands, Eagle Claws, and Reaping Legs. 5. Hook, don't Reap - how to vary the technique based on our opponents position.

Like the video? Don't forget to hit subscribe.

Martial Superiority: The Silent Assassin

View of Mt. Washington from 7000 feet - 2012

I had this amazing conversation the weekend before last, with two accomplished martial artists/teachers over lunch - Sensei Ando, and Sensei Dave Abraham.

During the discussion, we arrived on the topic of judging other schools, or the policing of other martial arts schools/styles because of what they are doing; whether said instruction, or the belt requirements not being up to standards.

I shared something that took me years to arrive at within myself, and what I believe is an important perspective to maintain for all of us as martial artists; especially, as teachers/mentors.

When we look at one school versus another, and determine that one of them is promoting people to Black Belt with far easier requirements than we ourselves went through, or they are expecting less of their students than what we expect of our students, we can climb on our rickety soap box and take a stand against them, railing at the injustice of it all, or we can look at it like this...

Harvard University does not concern itself with trashing lesser universities, community colleges, night schools. They do not publicly humiliate students of those institutions for taking classes there, nor for their effort they applied to achieve their goals under said curricula.

If you attend either school, an Ivy League, or a Community College, you will receive a bachelor's degree upon completion of the required courses/credits just the same. Both are Bachelor's degrees, both are opportunities to learn and grow. One of these holds more credibility, or esteem than the other, by outward appearances only. Yet the price tag attached along with it is far greater as well. 

The individual who studies is the one who truly defines the value of the degree. Going to an ivy league school is not a qualifier that we received a good education. The inverse is true as well; going to a community college, or night school, is not definitive proof someone received a sub par education.

This judgement happens in the martial arts world as well. People use lineage, and even race, as a testimonial to the value of their belt. I have witnessed this first hand. If we study a Japanese Art, is our teacher from Japan? Did we go to Japan to study? The implication in the question being, that an answer of 'No', somehow makes your achievement less significant.
 

If we practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is our teacher Brazilian? Did we sweat in the dojo's of Rio? If we follow Chinese Martial Arts, is our teacher Chinese? These are seemingly innocent questions from the uninitiated, but I have seen more times than I can count, this being used as a bully tactic from those in the martial arts world. A world where we are largely responsible for empowering others to stop bullies.

A Mantis Boxing coach I trained with for years, is Mexican-Filipino. He jokes with people that he is 'Paco the Gardener'. Why? Where he lives, people will see him as that, long before recognizing him as a highly effective, and battle tested warrior.

"Not all Black Belts are created equal." - unknown

The quality of a Black Belt is another mountain we stand upon to look down upon others from on high. I have seen this in Mantis Boxing, Eagle Claw, Tai Chi; and it will become more prevalent in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as the art becomes more proliferated and widely spread.

The Tibetan Monks did not populate temples in the mountains to look down upon others, but rather to peer closer to the heavens.

Someone who received their belt from a no name individual, but trained diligently for years, persevering numerous trials; could, and at times does, outmatch a person who has had access to, and trained in the best facilities, with a famous fighter/teacher that awarded them their Black Belt.

The person makes the belt. The teacher is only a guide. We should be careful judging others, as it is simply Narcissism disguised as justification, goodwill, or constructive criticism.

Focus on what we have, be the best we can be, and we will rise above the fray. Stay focused on what everyone else is doing, and we will drag ourselves down into the mire.

Defending the Worst Position Ever!!

The High Mount combined with striking is a deadly combination. This is by far, one of the worst positions you can get stuck in on the ground. The traditional BJJ escape for mount - bridge, trap, and roll doesn't work quite yet, and meanwhile our opponent is raining punches on us, and bringing the thunder like Poseidon.

All too often, we panic in this situation and end up flailing, or trying to grab arms. Here we show a technique we call - 'Shield Up / Shimmy Up' to help you deal with this problematic position. We have to work from where we are, not where we want to be.

Like the video? Don't forget to hit subscribe.

Martial Arts vs Self-Defense Training

Basic self-defense knowledge can mean the difference between life and death, or assault and avoidance, but is self-defense training necessary in suburban America? If so, what is the best type of training for you — a martial arts class (kung fu, karate, judo, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, boxing, etc), or a quick one-off self-defense class?

How do you find a good martial arts class, or self-defense course, or even know what to look for? How involved does the training need to be for it to be effective? Let’s start with what type of training best suits your needs.

What type of training - Martial Arts or Self-Defense?

Martial arts IS self-defense training, right? Not quite, and the difference between ‘Martial Arts vs Self-Defense Training’ can mean achieving your goals in the short-term, or delaying them for years to come. While a majority of martial arts styles do teach self-defense, there are just as many that do not. In addition, the pace to reach competency, to apply your training in real world scenarios, can be long and arduous and not always conducive to your body type, or strength capacity in that particular style of fighting.

Another trap is, some styles of martial arts focus predominantly on competition fighting which, due to rules, prevents you from training to hit targets you would normally want to hit in a real attack in order to quickly, and expediently disable an attacker that is trying to take your life, your virtue, or harm a loved one. Here’s an article you can read later on why simply knowing where to hit someone, is not enough. We have to train it - The Truth of the Effective Strike Principle

Martial Arts

Martial arts is phenomenal, but this approach is better if your self-defense goals are less ‘urgent’, and if they also include lifestyle improvement such as - confidence, self-esteem, fitness level, perfecting combat skills; while also enjoying the process of learning, camaraderie, training regimen and overall self-improvement. An amazing evolution takes place while studying martial arts, one unmatched in other sports and activities, and this is a powerful tool that has improved my own life, as well as hundreds of students who have joined me on this journey.

While I do highly recommend martial arts training to you if you are looking for self-defense training, if you ‘require’ this skillset with any sort of expediency, you are better off focusing on a concentrated course, rather than martial arts. For example, in Brazilian jiu-jitsu it can take 4 to 6 years of training to be competent at defending yourself against a wide range of attackers with varying size, shapes, and skills. This still does not address the lack of training in strike or kick defense, and will focus so much on the ground fight, that the stand-up grapple (shoves, trips, takedowns, throws) are minuscule.

In my experience, most BJJ gyms and coaches, focus so much on sport, they fail to address basic defense of someone striking you while on the ground. This can completely incapacitate a highly experienced BJJ grappler in seconds, as seen by countless MMA fights where high level jiu-jitsu grapplers entered the cage with little to no striking experience. This is no unique to BJJ gyms, and happens in any sport focused martial art. The time and energy is not spent on self-defense specific skills, as competition is the focus.

Self-Defense

The training methodology and techniques in a self-defense course are typically, and should definitely, be streamlined and focused. While it lacks the benefits of self-improvement, personal growth, teamwork, goal achievement, and fun, that one gets from training martial arts, it is replaced by short term, combat oriented training that produces effective results - i.e., quick, simple methods to get you out of a bad situation.

Self-Defense training is something I highly recommend if you are interested solely in protecting yourself and/or your loved ones. It is for men, women, adults and teens of any size, shape, and fitness level. It should not require you to be at a certain level of fitness in order to perform the techniques.

A self-defense course is especially relevant to you, if you are in a line of work that requires skills to protect you in the line of duty, e.g. soldiers, law enforcement, corrections officers, security guards, bodyguards. Or, those frequently by themselves in remote locations - gas station attendants, convenience store clerks, real estate agents, couriers, etc., or those who work after hours or close down a business alone or in small numbers.

Do you really need a course like this? 

There are many reasons we can find to spend our free time doing activities we enjoy, working around the house, or shuffling from one activity to the next, or just enjoying a breather from school/work. Here are a few things to consider when deciding whether or not to invest your time and money into a self-defense course.

1. Do you plan to travel?

2. Are you going to, or returning to college?

3. Do you work a high risk job?

4. Do you live alone?

5. Do you reside, or work in a high risk environment?

6. Do you experience anxiety, or fear over past*, or perceived threat situations?

There are many reasons to take a course like this. No one plans to be attacked and need something like this. Then again, no one plans on drowning either, but most of us still learn to swim. You never really need a self-defense course, until you REALLY need one.

Taking one at least once in your life can make a difference. Know a few basic ways to defend yourself without a firearm, spray, or other weapon in the event of a dire circumstance is sound logic.

*Warning - if you have experienced a traumatic attack in the past, a course like this can revisit these traumatic experiences. While it is possible it can help overcome fears and anxieties, and teach you how to solve a problem that still plagues you, it is advised to speak with a medical professional prior to taking a course.

How do you find a good self-defense course?

1. S.E.E. - Look for a course that promotes principles such as - simple, easy, highly effective. Courses that rely on multi-step responses to a bad guy's attack, or the over-reliance on ‘fine motor skills’ vs gross motor skills, will fail you when you need them most.
   
   Simple, clean techniques that use gross motor function, and are reinforced through repetition will be reliable under dire stress and an adrenaline dump.
   
   Martial Arts training uses repetition to reinforce fine motor skills in combat over a much longer period of time. A weekend warrior style self-defense course should rely heavily on gross movements, the type that your body uses under duress.
   

2. ZERO PUNCHING - This is so important. Your course of choice should address physical differences such as size, gender, strength, and not rely predominantly on punching. Punching, apart from being a refined skill that takes months, or years of practice in and of itself, will be harder for smaller and/or weaker opponents to produce enough stopping power to disable or slow down an aggressive attacker. Think 115 lbs woman versus 280 lbs male.
   
   Keep in mind: the human skull has evolved over millions of years to protect the brain inside of it. It's hard, and not meant to crumble at the first hint of danger. Quoting a bike-helmet study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics,
   
   "235 kg (520 pounds) or 2,300 newtons of force would be needed to crush a human skull, almost twice as much force as human hands could possibly muster."
   
   Punching the head can lead to breaking your hand. There are better ways to defend yourself.
   

3. Strength Not Required - (don’t read this if you are sensitive) there are great self-defense oriented training programs out there. Krav Maga, an Israeli armed forces program, is an example. For what it was designed for, it is amazing! Who was it designed for? Highly trained, physically fit, special force commandos caught in hand-to-hand combat situations against an untrained, unfit, and often surprised, indigenous combatant.
   
   Much to their chagrin, and this will likely get me in hot water - it is NOT, a suitable form of self-defense for college women, high school girls, suburban housewives, etc. I do not deem it fit for women in general, because that is NOT who it was designed for, and it’s success criteria will not work if you are smaller, weaker in stature than the opponent. Before you send me hateful comments - it is not fit for ME either. I’m a smaller male, and I found it problematic using the techniques against larger opponents.
   
   I don’t sugar coat things when it comes to defending people’s lives. There are obvious anatomical differences ‘in general’ between women, and men. Knowing this, and choosing a course that takes this into account, no matter what your gender, is important. Know your strength/condition before undertaking a specific style of training. While I respect the Krav Maga training methods, this style ‘requires’ strength, speed, and highly aggressive bursts in order for it to work. Smaller, out of shape - find something that uses solid techniques/principles to work, rather than 2 years of combat training.
   

4. Scenarios - Scenario training puts you in a stressful situation against a suited attacker so you can test the material you learned. Stress has an amazing ability to reinforce learned material in the brain. Having the opportunity to use what you learned, gives you the confidence to know that it works, and you can succeed. Make sure the course offers some type of stress testing.
   

5. Length - the length of the course should be relatively short. 40 hours of self-defense training is not a bad thing, but if 40 hours is required in order to get you through all the material, then see my previous statement on simplicity and efficacy under stress.
   
   Usually a two hour focused course is 'ok', but should not be all encompassing. 8 to 12 hours of training is substantial, and if reinforced every few years, can be extremely beneficial.
   

6. Types of Attacks - look for courses that cover defenses from common attacks such as: body/neck holds, grabs; while promoting the use of weapons you will have on you at all times (your limbs).
   
   Reaching in your purse, or pocket for a weapon when being caught off guard, takes away the use of your natural weapons that could be better used to defend yourself.
   

7. Weapons - some courses offer Kubotan training, or pepper spray/mace solutions in their arsenal. Weapons can be great tools, but do you have it on you at all times? Is it accessible? What happens if the attacker takes it away from you? Are you prepared for defending against your own weapon if it is taken away from you? Weapons can be excellent tools, but in civilized nations/environments, how likely are you to be able to access it when needed?
   

8. THE GROUND - I can’t stress this one enough. The course you take should absolutely address ground self-defense. Anyone can end up on the ground in an altercation, and many attacks end up here especially in sexual assault situations. Make sure the course offers extensive knowledge and training on how to deal with a larger, stronger, heavier attacker that has you pinned on the ground. Again, with simple, and effective techniques!
   

9. Verbal Boundaries - For some of us (specifically those that have trouble telling other people “no”), this can be the toughest type of training, but the most rewarding.
   
   Ideally a you take course offers scenario training with suited attackers, but depending on your goals, and situation, you may want to address 'verbal boundaries', and how to deal with obnoxious, what I like to call 'space invaders'. Think creepy family friend or relative that likes to touch you while no one is looking. Or the person on your commuter train that puts their hands where they don’t belong. These are subtler situations that much akin to ‘date rape’, do not always warrant a full on death dealing blow. Rather, a lower-key response that sends a strong message you are not a willing participant in their sick fantasy.
   

Weapon Disarmament Courses

Weapon disarm courses should be considered with extreme care. Gun disarms are a viable training course and highly useful knowledge to have. While knife defense training is a slippery slope.

Knives are very dangerous!!! Buyer beware. It is extremely difficult to teach knife defense to an untrained person, especially in a short course. Also, there are many knife defense techniques that will not work, and are based off of unrealistic attack styles (Jim Carey’s ‘In Living Color’ skit comes to mind - see below). Be careful, and skeptical when seeking out knife defense training. Ask around before signing up for one.

If taking a gun disarm course, a quick tell on whether or not the material you are learning will work is this: does the move account for someone pulling the gun away while you are trying to perform the technique?

How much should it cost?

What should a self-defense course cost? The field varies from free courses, to expensive courses, and anything in between. We’ve all heard the saying “You get what you pay for.”, but let’s add a little perspective.

Free Courses

Sometimes a person offering a free course is doing so because they believe strongly in helping others to avoid becoming a victim. It is not a direct indicator of low quality. Perhaps they were a victim themselves at one time, and decided to channel their horrible experience into something positive in an altruistic manner. 

We live in a monetary based society, and like it or not, we rate the value of something based on the price. This is good, and bad. Charging money for something does not automatically mean it is of higher quality. It is ultimately up to the consumer to research the courses, or try the free one first, and see if it is adequate by using some of the suggestions/criteria above. If you are satisfied and received a good service, then count yourself ahead.

Paid Courses

When dealing with paid courses, how much is too much? This becomes tricky. We’re not simply talking about life or death; the true ‘cost of living’ can mean surviving a sexual assault, mugging, or domestic violence, and avoiding the emotional trauma for years or decades to follow.

If these situations can be avoided altogether, the savings in monetary, emotional, psychological, and physical currency will be priceless.

Choosing a good course and instructor is priority one above all else. In the end, you will walk away feeling that you can rely on the material you learned, and hopefully never need it!

photos courtesy of Max Kotchouro

How to Escape the Bow and Arrow Choke

I absolutely love the Bow and Arrow choke, but it sucks to be on the receiving end. Here we demonstrate the choke, an escape from the choke, and then how to prepare yourself for your next move after you release the choke. 

Having an exit strategy can really help shut down the counters our opponent may throw at us.

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BJJ Mount Attacks For Smaller Fighters

Fighting bigger opponents can be frustrating when we try and control the mount position. I know I avoided the mount most of the time as a BJJ White Belt after getting tossed around repeatedly. After a while, I started using the high mount to setup some attacks. Here's are two videos highlighting some attacks from the mount. 

Moving closer to the head helps maintain the control needed, but many opponents will seal their arms up to try and stop arm bars, and americanas. Here's a tool to crack open that pesky shell and get the arms exposed for attack.

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5 Reasons Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is THE Best Martial Art for Kids

Striking arts, whether they be Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Boxing, Kickboxing, etc. - all require high degrees of focus on multiple facets of fighting, & self-defense (you can read more on this in my 2015 blog post).

I have spent the past 18 years practicing Mantis Boxing, and the past 5 of those also practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I also spent years teaching kids both Kung Fu, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. My first love will always be Mantis Boxing, but frankly speaking, it is not the best for kids. 

This is not only because of the recent knowledge we have into the dangers of concussions, CTE, and other brain injuries; which is extremely important. It also has to do with deeper reasons that go far beyond injuries. One such factor is - results.

However, where striking arts lead to more common injuries in the pursuit of 'real' skills, or are watered down to the point of boredom, BJJ can be a fun way to bring kids to a high level of competence; preparing them for dangers life may throw their way while giving them an opportunity to grow into more confident, physically fit individuals and enjoy their time doing so.

Here are the 5 main reasons Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the best martial art for your child - 

1. Natural Art

BJJ is much akin to our natural movements and innate self-defense skills. Like tiger cubs that practice sparring before leaving the safety of their mother, so to do we as humans practice fighting when we are young, pliable, and less likely to hurt one another, and ourselves.

Any parent with multiple children, or adults who grew up with siblings knows this to be true. Growing up in the 70's and 80's, we were always getting in tussles some playful, some not so much.

Watch untrained kids go at it with one another. What do you see? They have a natural predilection towards a rolling around, wrestling modality. If they had fur, a tail, and pink butts you'd think they were monkeys.

BJJ works within the natural instincts we are all born with. It operates predominantly on the ground where it shines above all other martial arts.
 

2. The Great Equalizer

The bare truth of self-defense is - size matters. In order to beat size and strength, you must have superior skill. The stronger they are, or the more skilled they become with strength, the better your technique must be.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu uses leverage and physics to equalize this disparity. Kids learn to flip and roll larger opponents, like a chef flipping pizza dough. Except after they flip the dough, they rip it up and choke it out. :-D

Nothing gives a child more confidence than watching their skills progress and being able to do things they never would imagine.

Watch this video with BJJ Black Belt Robson Moura battling a guy that walked into his school and challenged them to fight. Here you will see how size was neutralized with BJJ. 

3. Physical Fitness

With regular training in BJJ, you get unmatched core strengthening, and overall functional full body strength. With each movement you are engaging your entire body to perform an action.

Here are a few examples of how BJJ makes you stronger, faster, and in better shape.

• Upper body - using your arms to support your weight and maintain 3 points of contact at all times, activates the arms, shoulder, chest, back, and core. Over time, the upper body will gain muscle and tendon strength.

• Making grips on your partner's gi, will also increase hand and forearm muscle and tendon strength.

• Legs - when on your back, you are using hip flexors, glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, feet, and back/core muscles to maintain guard, and perform sweeps and submissions. This may all be jargon to many parents, but know this - it's an incredible muscle engagement platform that rolls over into other sports and activities that kids perform in their lives.

• Cardio - in BJJ we have something called rolling. Rolling is sparring, but we're mostly on the ground. When learning to roll, and move, the cardiovascular system is working hard to put our bodies through a range of movements, as well as activate muscles that don't normally get taxed in this manner. A typical match is 3 to 5 minutes for beginners.
  
  Early on in the training process, when a match ends, you will typically see people are breathing hard, and sweating like they were working out for an hour.

4. Bully Prevention

This is one area that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu shines above almost every other martial art for kids. There is much confusion with how to deal with the bullying problem in schools, and out. Even adults can have bully problems in the workplace.

The focus seems to always be on the bully, and how to stop them from doing what they do. This is like trying to stop the earth from spinning, or an avalanche from falling. You're pretty much wasting your time unless you can completely change the environment, background, parenting, siblings, or whatever other reason or reasons is causing the bully to be a jerk.

What we CAN change, is us. A bully targets a victim subconsciously based on visual cues they pick up. This can be an obvious physical trait that is difficult or impossible to change - height, skin complexion, deformities, etc. The other criteria a bully uses, is body language. 

Human communication is 93% non-verbal (why email and text messaging are such horrible mediums for trying to talk to one another). Most of our communication is through body language. How we stand, sit, walk, can send hidden messages to those around us about how we feel about ourselves.

Take someone who is shy and walks with their head down and their chest concave. This shows a bully we are insecure, lack self-esteem, confidence, and are easy prey to their wicked whims. 

Take a stance that exudes confidence, even when we don't feel it, and the secret cues are telling the bully - "Hey, maybe we shouldn't mess with that person." Bullies want easy victims, not those who are going to fight back verbally, mentally, or physically; making everyone around them aware of THEIR insecurities and weakness.

Where does Brazilian Jiu Jitsu come into play? Simple. By empowering people to be able to defend themselves, they walk around with more confidence and self-esteem. Just by believing in themselves, and their skills, they exude an aura of defense that shuns most predators from wanting to partake in a duel of any sort. 

This leads to the final reason in this article...

5. Results = Confidence (Belts)

Results are first and foremost in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. There are no forms (kata), or synchronized choreographed (A + B) from my partner = (C + D) response from me. There is no standing in weird postures for minutes at a time to prove some arbitrary goal of perseverance, or discipline.

Jiu Jitsu for kids is extremely tactile, fun, and engaging. Everything is done with partners, and stress tested to ensure you can make it work. When a child evolves in Jiu Jitsu, they are doing so through real feedback.

Belts in Jiu Jitsu are much harder to come by. Even though it is far easier for kids to move up ranks than adults, it is still far more difficult than many other styles of martial arts. If a child is ranking up in Jiu Jitsu, it is due their constant participation, and skill advancement. They don’t just wear the accolades, they feel the improvement.

There are no 'child Black Belts' in Jiu Jitsu. Period. You cannot even attain a Blue Belt (first rank after White for adults) until you are 16 years old. You cannot be a Black Belt under the age of 19. This makes a huge difference for kids. Kids are smart, and incredibly aware of status and real achievements. They know when they are getting participation trophies vs real rewards for hard work. 

When it is time for a promotion, the kids in Jiu-Jitsu are awarded their new belt. Then they go right back to training, and rolling, and learning with their friends. They submit others, get submitted themselves; staying humble.

Do they play games and have fun? Yes, they play games in class, but you won't stay to watch and find your son or daughter playing dodgeball, running around cones, playing tag, or some other unrelated martial art exercise to burn up a majority of the class time. The games are all built around fundamental Jiu Jitsu movements that reinforce their skills and build their physical form, and inner self.