September 30, 2007
A "Hard" Bodyweight Workout
Someone asked me recently "if the bodyweight conditioning routine on your website is an easy workout, then what does your BJJ coach, Marcus Soares, consider a hard workout"?
With Marcus every warmup workout is different, although generally the sequence he uses goes something like this:
To give you an idea of what a typical tough workout is I've written down a routine that he made us do a few days ago. I'd be lying if I said I did every repetition - I've only seen a few people do an entire Marcus workout perfectly, and they were all 160 lbs or less.
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With Marcus every warmup workout is different, although generally the sequence he uses goes something like this:
- arm and chest exercises
- leg exercises
- neck strengthening
- abdominal conditioning.
To give you an idea of what a typical tough workout is I've written down a routine that he made us do a few days ago. I'd be lying if I said I did every repetition - I've only seen a few people do an entire Marcus workout perfectly, and they were all 160 lbs or less.
- Jumping Jacks c. 3 minutes
- 5 sets of 20 pushups and 20 "jumps", for 100 pushups and jumps in total. Jumps are basically partial squat thrusts: keep your hands on the floor and hop your feet from being close to your hands to a pushup position (i.e. photos 2, 3, and 4 of this exercise without standing up).
- 50 Chinese pushups (Exercise 3 in Marcus's 'easy' workout)
- 100 mountain climbers - start in a low sprinter's starting position, both hands on the ground, one leg bent and forward, the other straight and backwards. One count involves jumping and switching legs (forward leg goes back back leg goes forward) and then jumping and switching legs again.
- Standing stretching forward and back
- Bodyweight squats for 3 minutes (I did c. 130 squats) - go from standing straight-legged to a low squat position with your back upright. The picture below illustrates the final position:
- 15 sets of a compound exercise where you do 3 partial squats and one jump up into the air, feet clearing the ground. For the partial squats go to a low squat position (pictured above) and bob your but up and down by c. 6 inches, but never straighten your legs. Leap up from this position as well.
- Hold the low squat position 1 minute
- Stretching: stand and place your legs apart, bend at the waist to touch the left leg, and then the right leg
- Neck bridging: 30 front and 30 back. Neck bridging was discussed in this tip - I did other neck exercises instead).
- Seated butterfly stretch
- 50 x straight situps, feet on ground (I did crunches instead)
- 30 x modified V ups: lie on back and lift legs to 45 degrees off the ground. Now lift your torso towards your legs and simultaneously open your legs to form 'V' - at the top of this movement only your buttocks are on the ground.
- 30 x modified V ups. Similar to above: start lying on your back and start flutter kicking your legs up and down. Maintaining the fluttering motion bring your torso off the ground towards your legs and return it to the floor 30 times.
- 50 x modified leg lifts. Start in a V-up position with your hands on ground and your back and legs off the floor. Your legs move in a "V" (i.e. up to the left, down to the middle, up to the right), remaining straight for all 50 reps.
- 50 x modified leg lifts: sit as above (hands and butt on ground, legs and back off the ground). Now pump your legs in (bring feet towards butt) and then out (legs straight and in the air) 50 times.
- 15 x teeter totter stretch (the last exercise in Marcus's 'easy' workout)
Labels: conditioning
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September 16, 2007
How to Stand in the Guard
Last week I discussed the differences between standing and kneeling guard passes. One thing I pointed out was that some schools tend use only kneeling guard passes whereas other schools tend to mix up their guard passing and use both standing and kneeling passes.
My BJJ coach Marcus Soares tends to prefer standing guard passes. What makes his passes different is that when he stands up in the guard his legs are NOT STRAIGHT - he actually squats down into a deep crouch position which lowers his center of gravity and makes it much harder to sweep him.
His standing guard passing posture is very similar to the bottom position of the bodyweight squats that he loves to include in his legendary 'warmups' (the sixth exercise in this sequence). Obviously endurance in the leg muscles is an asset to standing guard passes - if you legs get tired you will begin to straighten them, your center of gravity will rise and you will become ever more vulnerable to sweeps.
Here are some other things to keep in mind if you want to develop your standing guard passes:
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My BJJ coach Marcus Soares tends to prefer standing guard passes. What makes his passes different is that when he stands up in the guard his legs are NOT STRAIGHT - he actually squats down into a deep crouch position which lowers his center of gravity and makes it much harder to sweep him.
His standing guard passing posture is very similar to the bottom position of the bodyweight squats that he loves to include in his legendary 'warmups' (the sixth exercise in this sequence). Obviously endurance in the leg muscles is an asset to standing guard passes - if you legs get tired you will begin to straighten them, your center of gravity will rise and you will become ever more vulnerable to sweeps.Here are some other things to keep in mind if you want to develop your standing guard passes:
- Do you know how to defend against the anklelocks and kneebars that your opponent might attack you with if you stand.
- How can you free your foot if your opponent cups your heel (one idea is discussed here).
- What are you going to do if your opponent underhooks your leg with his arm. One of my favorite responses is to drop that knee back down to the ground and attempt to apply the arm behind the back guard pass.
- How can you control your opponent's hips while standing (i.e. the principle of caging the hips)
Labels: conditioning, teachers, the guard
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Various Interviews
ERIK PAULSON INTERVIEW
On The Mat recently featured an interview with my teacher and friend Erik Paulson. Find out what Erik's been up to at in this written interview
STEPHAN KESTING INTERVIEW
On a related note, I was interviewed recently by Dan Wallen of the Fightworks Podcast (www.thefightworkspodcast.com). We discussed my martial arts background, how I first got into grappling, some of my training stories and how the sport has evolved over the last 10 years. I wish I'd been on a better phone, because the volume of my voice is quite variable, but maybe you'll enjoy the audio interview anyhow.
The audio interview is available for download for free by clicking here.
bookmark this! del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon
On The Mat recently featured an interview with my teacher and friend Erik Paulson. Find out what Erik's been up to at in this written interview
STEPHAN KESTING INTERVIEW
On a related note, I was interviewed recently by Dan Wallen of the Fightworks Podcast (www.thefightworkspodcast.com). We discussed my martial arts background, how I first got into grappling, some of my training stories and how the sport has evolved over the last 10 years. I wish I'd been on a better phone, because the volume of my voice is quite variable, but maybe you'll enjoy the audio interview anyhow.
The audio interview is available for download for free by clicking here.
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September 11, 2007
To Kneel Or Stand
A few weeks ago I was practicing technique with a big, strong rock climber who had a grip from hell and tenacious isometric strength. I noticed how much he liked controlling my gi, breaking my posture and attacking with collar chokes. Since I knew we were going to spar soon I formulated a simple sparring strategy: I told myself that as soon as I ended up in his guard I would stand up and not go back down onto my knees until I was past his guard.
Why did I do this? The answer should be obvious at the end of this article.
A coarse classification divides guard passes into either standing or kneeling guard passes. If you wanted to break it down a bit further you could say that there are standing and kneeling methods of opening a closed guard, and standing and kneeling methods of actually passing an opened guard. Both standing and kneeling methods have their strengths and weaknesses - I use them both, but I try to choose the appropriate approach for the situation.
Kneeling in your opponent's guard makes you a little harder to sweep because your center of gravity is closer to the ground. If you are kneeling in an opponent's guard your arms and neck are more easily available for him to attack, but it is quite difficult for him to leglock you.
If you choose to stand in order to pass the guard you make yourself a little more vulnerable to sweeps and leglocks. The advantage of standing passes is that you are more mobile and that it is harder for your opponent to attack you with chokes and armlocks.
How can you use this information?
If you have both standing and kneeling guard passes in your repertoire you can tailor your game to avoid your opponent's strengths. If your opponent specializes in chokes and/or armlocks then get to your feet whenever you end up in his guard and try to work your standing guard passes. If your opponent is a leg locking machine then consider engaging him on your knees.
Additionally, guard passing methods vary greatly from club to club. In some clubs kneeling guard passes predominate, whereas other schools tend to mix standing and kneeling guard passes. Schools that do a lot of MMA or no-gi grappling tend to use more standing passes, although few schools use standing methods exclusively.
If you know that your opponent is from a school that uses only kneeling guard passes then you could try only using standing passes against him: he is unlikely to be as skilled at defending against a standing opponent and you could soon find yourself past the guard.
Good luck with this concept!
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Why did I do this? The answer should be obvious at the end of this article.
A coarse classification divides guard passes into either standing or kneeling guard passes. If you wanted to break it down a bit further you could say that there are standing and kneeling methods of opening a closed guard, and standing and kneeling methods of actually passing an opened guard. Both standing and kneeling methods have their strengths and weaknesses - I use them both, but I try to choose the appropriate approach for the situation.
Kneeling in your opponent's guard makes you a little harder to sweep because your center of gravity is closer to the ground. If you are kneeling in an opponent's guard your arms and neck are more easily available for him to attack, but it is quite difficult for him to leglock you.
If you choose to stand in order to pass the guard you make yourself a little more vulnerable to sweeps and leglocks. The advantage of standing passes is that you are more mobile and that it is harder for your opponent to attack you with chokes and armlocks.
How can you use this information?
If you have both standing and kneeling guard passes in your repertoire you can tailor your game to avoid your opponent's strengths. If your opponent specializes in chokes and/or armlocks then get to your feet whenever you end up in his guard and try to work your standing guard passes. If your opponent is a leg locking machine then consider engaging him on your knees.
Additionally, guard passing methods vary greatly from club to club. In some clubs kneeling guard passes predominate, whereas other schools tend to mix standing and kneeling guard passes. Schools that do a lot of MMA or no-gi grappling tend to use more standing passes, although few schools use standing methods exclusively.
If you know that your opponent is from a school that uses only kneeling guard passes then you could try only using standing passes against him: he is unlikely to be as skilled at defending against a standing opponent and you could soon find yourself past the guard.
Good luck with this concept!
Labels: leglocks, positions, the guard
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