August 31, 2005
The Anaconda Choke
There is a relatively unknown choke that has been making waves in MMA for a couple of years now: it is a rolling head and arm guillotine, otherwise known as the “Anaconda Choke”. This is the choke used by such fighters as Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira in Japanese Pride, Randy Couture in the UFC and Denis Kang in Russian M1.
I started using this choke in sparring about a year ago: occasionally it would work, but often my opponent would counter or escape. Then Denis and I filmed his soon-to-be released instructional video, called “My Mixed Martial Arts”. One of the many things he wanted to show was the Anaconda Choke – he had just choked out Alexei Veselovzorov with it.
I was directing the action from behind the camera, but even watching through the viewfinder I learned at least 3 details that I hadn’t previously been aware of:
1 – dipping my shoulder when initially sinking the arm across the throat
2 – getting my hand well past the bicep when locking your arms
3 – putting my head to the side of the body during the roll, NOT on the back
Adding these details made this a far more powerful and effective choke for me. If you already know this technique you might be able to learn 3 entirely different details just by watching Denis teach this technique, so check out the QuickTime movie at www.grapplearts.com/My-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Download.htm. If this is a new technique for you then your training partners might be in for a surprise the next time you hit the mats!
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I started using this choke in sparring about a year ago: occasionally it would work, but often my opponent would counter or escape. Then Denis and I filmed his soon-to-be released instructional video, called “My Mixed Martial Arts”. One of the many things he wanted to show was the Anaconda Choke – he had just choked out Alexei Veselovzorov with it.
I was directing the action from behind the camera, but even watching through the viewfinder I learned at least 3 details that I hadn’t previously been aware of:
1 – dipping my shoulder when initially sinking the arm across the throat
2 – getting my hand well past the bicep when locking your arms
3 – putting my head to the side of the body during the roll, NOT on the back
Adding these details made this a far more powerful and effective choke for me. If you already know this technique you might be able to learn 3 entirely different details just by watching Denis teach this technique, so check out the QuickTime movie at www.grapplearts.com/My-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Download.htm. If this is a new technique for you then your training partners might be in for a surprise the next time you hit the mats!
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August 21, 2005
Three Pin Escape Movements
Escaping pins is never easy: if you get pinned in a match, then chances are that your opponent is either pretty good (relative to you) or that you are tired. Either way, escaping pins is almost always difficult and tiring, but a few simple principles can make it a little easier.
What I want to talk about today is fact that most pin escapes rely on the same three motions, either alone or in combination. These motions are:
Usually you only see one of the three methods employed if both grapplers are beginner level, or if there is a big skill discrepancy between the two grapplers in question. At higher skill levels, however, escapes have to be set up, and it becomes important to use the three methods in combination. For example, you might create some space by bridging, then try to put your opponent back in your guard, and finally escape by turning onto your knees as he reacts to the previous motion(s).
Obviously there are other escape methods, but I bet that 80 to 90% of all pin escapes in sparring and competition fit into these three categories. For your 'homework' try thinking about the pin escapes you use most often and try to figure out if/how they fit into these categories.
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What I want to talk about today is fact that most pin escapes rely on the same three motions, either alone or in combination. These motions are:
- Lateral hip movement (shrimping)
- Bridging
- Turning onto one's knees
Usually you only see one of the three methods employed if both grapplers are beginner level, or if there is a big skill discrepancy between the two grapplers in question. At higher skill levels, however, escapes have to be set up, and it becomes important to use the three methods in combination. For example, you might create some space by bridging, then try to put your opponent back in your guard, and finally escape by turning onto your knees as he reacts to the previous motion(s).
Obviously there are other escape methods, but I bet that 80 to 90% of all pin escapes in sparring and competition fit into these three categories. For your 'homework' try thinking about the pin escapes you use most often and try to figure out if/how they fit into these categories.
Labels: positions
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August 14, 2005
A Workout Challenge for You
This week I added a new article to the Grapplearts library called The Drills of Shaolin. In this article renowned BJJ and MMA fighter Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro show four of his favorite drills that he uses for conditioning and sport-specific skill development.
Now 95% of people who read this article are going to look at it, think that this is sort of cool stuff, and then let the material fade from memory. I am urging readers of this newsletter to actually try doing a very specific workout and see how it feels.
Here is my challenge:
Get a willing partner and spend a couple of minutes fooling around with each drill, just so you have the body mechanics down. This will make it harder to cheat when you actually start training.
Now take the first drill (the swinging armbar) and do it AS FAST AS YOU CAN for 40 seconds. Your partner watches the clock so that you don't have think about anything else other than armbars and how tired you are. When you are done, switch top and bottom positions (no resting) and your partner does his 40 second sprint. Switch positions and repeat until you have each done the exercise three times
Now immediately go on to the other exercises (kneemount drill, top armbar drill and guard passing drill). You and your partner each do 3 sets of 40 seconds for each exercise. Try to keep your movements FAST AND LIGHT from beginning to end, and don't rest between techniques or between sets.
The whole workout is just over 16 minutes long, with 'only' about 8 minutes of work for each partner: sounds easy doesn't it? Give it a try and see!!
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Now 95% of people who read this article are going to look at it, think that this is sort of cool stuff, and then let the material fade from memory. I am urging readers of this newsletter to actually try doing a very specific workout and see how it feels.
Here is my challenge:
Get a willing partner and spend a couple of minutes fooling around with each drill, just so you have the body mechanics down. This will make it harder to cheat when you actually start training.
Now take the first drill (the swinging armbar) and do it AS FAST AS YOU CAN for 40 seconds. Your partner watches the clock so that you don't have think about anything else other than armbars and how tired you are. When you are done, switch top and bottom positions (no resting) and your partner does his 40 second sprint. Switch positions and repeat until you have each done the exercise three times
Now immediately go on to the other exercises (kneemount drill, top armbar drill and guard passing drill). You and your partner each do 3 sets of 40 seconds for each exercise. Try to keep your movements FAST AND LIGHT from beginning to end, and don't rest between techniques or between sets.
The whole workout is just over 16 minutes long, with 'only' about 8 minutes of work for each partner: sounds easy doesn't it? Give it a try and see!!
Labels: conditioning
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August 06, 2005
Half Guard Evolution
This week I’d like to talk about the half guard. This position is one where you are lying on your back or side with one of your opponent’s legs between your own. In the last 10 years an increasing number of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling matches feature one fighter aggressively trying to sweep or submit their opponent from the half guard position, which was basically unheard of previously.
The half guard may be hot now, but it had a humble beginning. Initially the half guard was just one step short of having your guard fully passed: your only real options were thought to be regaining full guard or to hanging on and stalling. In fact this position was often referred to as being caught in the “half mount”, a term which is much less common today.
A major player in reconfiguring the half guard into an offensive position was Roberto "Gordo" Correa, a jiu-jitsu black belt from Brazil. After a knee injury he found that regular guard work was too difficult and painful, and he started experimenting with the half guard instead. He discovered that by getting on his side, fighting for grips, and connecting a series of sweeps he could keep his opponents on the run. Significant competition victories soon followed for him.
It wasn’t very long until other grapplers realized that “Gordo” might be onto something, and a whole new game was born. Many other sweeps, submission setups and positional variations were developed, both in Brazil and elsewhere. Some specialists are so confident in their game that in competition they will jump into half guard rather than full guard. Modern half guard techniques are even occasionally seen in MMA competition, but this is still relatively rare.
An interesting development is the evolution of specialized anti-half-guard submissions, specifically designed to counter the offensive half guard. Marcio Feitosa shared four of his favorites in an interview I did with him, so you may want to check out www.grapplearts.com/Marcio-Feitosa.htm. As with all techniques, a lot depends on timing: if you try these submissions too late you are going to get swept.
This new role for an old position, and the development of counters to this new role, is fascinating. It’s all part of the evolution occurring on the mats of the world every day.
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The half guard may be hot now, but it had a humble beginning. Initially the half guard was just one step short of having your guard fully passed: your only real options were thought to be regaining full guard or to hanging on and stalling. In fact this position was often referred to as being caught in the “half mount”, a term which is much less common today.
A major player in reconfiguring the half guard into an offensive position was Roberto "Gordo" Correa, a jiu-jitsu black belt from Brazil. After a knee injury he found that regular guard work was too difficult and painful, and he started experimenting with the half guard instead. He discovered that by getting on his side, fighting for grips, and connecting a series of sweeps he could keep his opponents on the run. Significant competition victories soon followed for him.
It wasn’t very long until other grapplers realized that “Gordo” might be onto something, and a whole new game was born. Many other sweeps, submission setups and positional variations were developed, both in Brazil and elsewhere. Some specialists are so confident in their game that in competition they will jump into half guard rather than full guard. Modern half guard techniques are even occasionally seen in MMA competition, but this is still relatively rare.
An interesting development is the evolution of specialized anti-half-guard submissions, specifically designed to counter the offensive half guard. Marcio Feitosa shared four of his favorites in an interview I did with him, so you may want to check out www.grapplearts.com/Marcio-Feitosa.htm. As with all techniques, a lot depends on timing: if you try these submissions too late you are going to get swept.
This new role for an old position, and the development of counters to this new role, is fascinating. It’s all part of the evolution occurring on the mats of the world every day.
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