BjjSkills

When I was filming the BJJ Foundations instructional with Cal MacDonald he brought up a really interesting point…

He said that if you’re in a serious match – a competition or a deathroll at the club – then at a tactical level, jiu-jitsu becomes a zero-sum game.

That means every grip, every hook, and every adjustment of position becomes win-lose.

If you win that exchange, your opponent loses. If he wins, you lose.

Let’s say that you’re on your feet and things are 50-50. Now you secure a slightly better grip on your opponent; things might now be 55-45 in your favour.

Now you have a slightly better chance of getting a takedown or jumping into a submission, and his emphasis should be on getting back to neutral rather than attacking.

Let’s turn things around…

Say that you’re on the bottom of a loose side control.  That’s not great things, so let’s say that the situation is 60-40 in your opponent’s favor.

But now he gets an underhook on your far arm… now it’s 65-35.  His number is going up, yours is going down.

Now he secures a tight crossface and turns your head so you’re looking away from him and the situation is 70-30.

Ooops – you let him collapse your near side arm frame…. now it’s 75-25

He walks his legs towards your hips, folding your legs so they point away from him, making it that much harder for you to reguard… 85-15.

You get the idea!

(Incidentally, this is very similar to Rob Biernacki’s concept of “What’s the score,” where we assign each player one point each for proper base, posture and structure, with the best score you can hope for being 3-0 in your favor).

So if you’re flow rolling, or drilling, or playing certain games, then go ahead and take it easy. Give your opponent the grips he wants, let him progress to a better position, and try to fight your way out.

This can be fun and you’ll learn lots.

But when the chips are down and the rolling is serious, then don’t concede an inch.

Follow the advice of an old Luta Livre coach, Roberto Leitao, who once said, “If I don’t know, I won’t allow“.

Serious jiu-jitsu matches are zero-sum affairs.

Stephan

P.S. BJJ Foundations is without a doubt » Continue Reading.

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On today’s episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast, I’m joined by wrestler, jiu-jitsuka, and author Chris Jessulat (https://www.thewrongsideof35.com/) to discuss the best practices for staying relevant on the mats as you enter your fourth decade and beyond…

00:00 Training as an Older Grappler 02:48 The Transition from Competitive to Recreational Training 05:46 Physical Changes and Changing to a Mobility Focus 08:34 Quantifying Progress in Jiu-Jitsu 11:47 Breaking Through Training Plateaus 14:23 Comfort in Unfamiliar Positions 17:11 Training Strategies for Older Grapplers 29:35 Creating Positive Training Environments 31:12 The Impact of Focussing on Recovery and Positive Lifestyle Choices 33:41 Proactive Injury Management and Recovery Strategies 37:44 Navigating Injury Diagnosis and Treatment 40:51 Adapting Techniques and Mindset in Trainng 44:22 Reflections on Writing and Sharing Martial Arts Experiences 48:26 Lessons Learned from Martial Arts Training 51:20 The Importance of Community in Martial Arts

You can check this Episode 426 of The Strenuous Life Podcast anywhere you get your podcasts, including

Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast  Player FM Etc.

Or you can listen to it on the embedded player below…

Check out Chris’s great book on his site thewrongsideof35.com and/or follow him on instagram at @thewrongsideof35.

Cheers! Stephan Kesting

Related Resources BJJ For Old F***s, the 2-for-1 Deal!

The two BJJ for Old F***s volumes are two Grapplearts bestsellers featuring BJJ black belt instructors Rob Biernacki and Stephan Kesting.

These instructionals are your guide to surviving and thriving in BJJ after age 40. Every technique is chosen to work to be as low risk and high reward as possible because we know that if you get injured then you can’t train.

You’ll get our very best shortcuts gleaned from 55 years of jiu-jitsu training (and 70 years of martial arts training) by the two authors combined.

Click here to find out more about our best-selling program for older grapplers.

Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic, The Book by Stephan Kesting

Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic is my best-selling book covering the most difficult adventure in my life and the mindset hacks I used to develop grit, perseverance, and a never-quit attitude.  It’s set in the deep wilderness but has many lessons directly relevant to anyone pursuing difficult enterprises, including BJJ.

Click here to check the book on Amazon.

» Continue Reading.

The post BJJ After Age 35 appeared first on Grapplearts.

Rob Biernacki has some very impressive competition victories, including black belt masters gold at both No Gi Worlds and ADCC.

In this podcast episode he reveals…

Why people sometimes just don’t perform up to their potential and how to fix it, How to reframe tournament nerves, The optimal state of arousal for competition, Building and executing on gameplans, Why some people just shouldn’t compete, His best advice for first-time competitors And more.

If you compete (or are thinking about competing), then this is a must listen!

You can check this Episode 425 of The Strenuous Life Podcast anywhere you get your podcasts, including

Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast  Player FM Etc.

Or you can listen to it on the embedded player below…

Related Resources

Resources referred to in this video include:

Gripfighting and Kuzushi with Rob Biernacki

As we discussed in the podcast, gripfighting is the tool that allows you to control the pace of a match and force your opponent to play your game instead of imposing his.  This instructional will show you exactly how to add this great equaliser to your game!

Click here to take your gi and no gi gripfighting to the next level!

Omoplata 2.0 with Stephan Kesting

Omoplata 2.0 is my complete system for the most versatile submission in BJJ.  The entries, finishes, combinations and drills in this instructional will make you an omoplata master!

Click here to check out the most detailed breakdown of BJJ’s most versatile technique.

BJJ Games, with Rob Biernacki

Rob’s competition success against opponents much younger, stronger, and heavier than him are proof his training methods work.  People come from all over the world to learn the games and drills he uses at his academy, and now you can get them yourself in this amazing instructional!

Click here to check out BJJ Games!

Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic, The Book by Stephan Kesting

Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic is my best-selling book covering the most difficult adventure in my life and the mindset hacks I used to develop grit, perseverance, and a never-quit attitude.  It’s set in the deep wilderness but has many lessons directly relevant to anyone pursuing difficult enterprises, including BJJ.

Click here to check the book on Amazon.

BJJ Concepts by Rob Biernacki

» Continue Reading.

The post Optimal Competition Mindset for BJJ Competition appeared first on Grapplearts.

When I was coming up in jiu-jitsu, there was a guy in class who only went for kneebars.

He was only a whitebelt but in this one move he was a purple belt. In the closed guard he went for kneebars… In someone’s guard, he went for a kneebar… if he was in the turtle position, or on top, or in a scramble: kneebar, kneebar, kneebar.

The problem was, he soon became predictable. All you had to do was defend that one move and his entire game would fall apart.

Now, I’m all in favour of focusing on certain positions for an extended period, such as weeks or even months if necessary. The difference is that the goal here is improvement, NOT just going back to the same well again and again.

Even if Mister Kneebar wanted to build his entire game around the kneebar, he should still have been working on other skills to complement it.

For example, getting good at guard passing or a second submission to set up his main attack (some ‘jabs’ to set up his cross).

We all know someone like that. Someone who had an early success with one technique – a collar choke… the guillotine… one certain guard pass… – and never moved on from there. Years later, he’s still doing the same thing to white belts, but everyone else has figured out his game.

However, achieving a blue belt level of success with one tactic and then failing to move forward is a sign of laziness and stagnation.

I’ve never understood why people spending hundreds of hours on an activity (jiu-jitsu, golf, canoeing, tango dancing, or whatever) don’t make a more concerted effort to get better. I mean, they’re already out there sweating, bleeding and spending the money on the sport, so why don’t they use their brains and the resources available to them to improve?

Don’t just always get on the mat and grind it out, fun as that might be.

Instead, do just a little research, approach the sport just a bit scientifically, and be just a bit more focused in your training so you’re training to improve and NOT just doing the same thing over and over.

Sometimes this’ll result in you developing black belt levels of skill in areas you were already pretty good at, and sometimes you’ll surprise yourself with a whole new game.

The writer Marshall » Continue Reading.

The post Don’t Be a One Trick Jiu-Jitsu Pony appeared first on Grapplearts.

Exciting news!! Historically, Grapplearts instructionals were available in two main formats (online streaming and app), but never did the twain quite meet.

It took a TON of development, but as of right now, any online courses you’ve purchased are ALSO accessible on the Grapplearts BJJ Master App.

It’s seamless across the two platforms and very simple.

Just do this…

Download the app at the links below Log into the app using your same email and password combo that you use for the site.

Overall, this is going to be a huge improvement for everyone: you can still access the instructionals on the site, but now you can get them on your phone too!

(And yes, we are working on downloadable videos so you can watch when you’re not online, but rolling that out is going to take another few months)

Important: if you already have instructionals that you purchased on the app then please take a screenshot of them so that if they disappear we can get you sorted out right away!

Grab the Grapplearts BJJ Master App for free from the Apple Store for iPhone/iPad and from the Google Play Store for Android right now and get started.

Click Below to Download Now For Free

The post Grapplearts Instructionals on Grapplearts BJJ Master App Now appeared first on Grapplearts.