Check Out the New Site!!!

So you’re wondering why I haven’t posted anything since October 8th?

That’s because I have moved my site from this page to www.chubejitsu.com

If you’re looking for more killer online jiu jitsu content, check out my new revamped site, www.chubejitsu.com

That is where my content will be posted from now on, so make sure you check it out ASAP!

RI MMA: Bautista Makes His Debut

With Brock Lesnar creating the trend, more and more pro wrestling stars like “Batista” are trying their hand at MMA

I’m sure most of us have heard of Brock Lesnar….

If you haven’t, he is the big time WWE superstar who left pro wrestling to give MMA a shot, fighting in the most prestigious organization there is today, the UFC. Even though his career was short lived due to a long fought battle with diverticulitis, he was a very successful competitor and a force to be reckoned with in the octagon.

With that being said, another man from the WWE organization has recently decided to make the jump to mixed martial arts. His name is David Bautista, more popularly known as “Batista”.

CES Entertainment, a local organization that promotes and organizes boxing and mixed martial arts events put together the “Real Pain” event, featuring Bautista as one of their headliners. Like I said, this was Bautista’s MMA debut, so there was a lot of hype and a lot of speculation for this fight.

The fight card also featured some local favorites such as Todd “The Hulk” Chattelle, Mike “The Beast” Campbell, and our friend John “Doomsday” Howard. I have been to one of Johns’ seminars before and have written about him multiple times on this site, so I was definitely looking forward to the outcome of his fight. (you can check out more on John and the seminar here)

Bautista

Dave Bautista after his MMA debut win

If you watched the fight card, you will know that Bautista had a pretty successful MMA debut. He ended up winning the fight with a first round TKO.He had a very late replacement for his opponent, and he ended up fighting against the humongous Vince Lucero.

When the fight began, Lucero caught Bautista right off the bat with some nice punches, but Bautista hung in their and held his own against Vince.

He ended up hitting a takedown on Lucero and getting to a nice strong side control, and from there he proceeded to advance to the mount position. He began to rain down some seriously heavy punches on Lucero, and the ref had no choice but to stop the fight.

Bautista has shown that he can get in the cage and prove his skills, and I am definitely looking forward to his next fight. The only negative thing I might have to say about his performance is that his stand up skills need a bit of work, but hey, unless you’re Anderson Silva, then you’re probably in the same boat.

Bautista commented after the fight and said that his nerves definitely played a factor in his performance, which is completely understandable for someone who is getting in the cage to fight someone for the first time.

Bautista and the Future

So considering that Bautista is off to a great start, and Lesnar has created a legacy of his own, will we see more and more pro wrestlers start making the transition to mixed martial arts?

I myself am not a fan of the WWE, but  for me it is exciting to see some of these man-beasts make the switch to MMA, because a lot of these guys are very athletic and bring a lot of power to the cage.

I think it is also great for the sport of MMA, because a lot of WWE fans may now be interested in watching MMA, adding growth and popularity to this exciting sport.

As I said earlier, I am curious to see how Dave Bautista does in his next bout, and curious to see how this trend of WWE to MMA unfolds and plays out in the future.

DVD Review: Leg Locks of Doom

There is nothing like inflicting leg locks of impending doom on your opponent….

Coach Dan Faggella attempting to remove his opponents’ foot from his leg

No, but in all seriousness, who the heck doesn’t find leg locks intriguing? Iv’e seen plenty of matches go from hopeless to hopeful with the use of leg locks.

As some of you guys know, about a month ago I did a review of a Micro BJJ DVD I picked up from the one and only Coach Dan Faggella, 2011 No Gi Pan Am brown belt Champion.

This week, I am reviewing another DVD I was able to get my hands on , Dan’s Leg Locks of Doom DVD.

Ever since I knew what a straight achilles lock was, leg locks have always captured my attention. I absolutely love watching guys like Davi Ramos tear through tournament brackets with their evil and deceptive leg locks. Not only do I love leg locks, but my coach loves them as well.

Coach Dan posing for a leg lock with the one and only “Toquinho”

The Review:

First off, I am going to say right off that bat that you better have a few hours set aside to watch this DVD, because it is literally filled with HOURS of techniques and instructional. It even includes two completely separate leg lock seminars that Dan put together. So again, grab a comfortable seat, because you will be diving into the world of leg locks for hours on end.

Concepts:

If you have ever seen one of Dan’s DVDs, been to one of his seminars, or even know him as an instructor, you know that he is really big on concepts.

In the Leg Locks of Doom course, he has a whole section specifically designated to analyze the 3 main concepts of the four main leg locks. When I say the four main leg locks, I mean the achilles lock, the knee bar, the toe hold, and the heel hook.

He covers everything from which leg locks work in what positions to transitions to leg lock chains and other counter attacks. I was lucky enough to attend one of his advanced leg locks seminars that ended up on the DVD, and being able to watch the material whenever I want is great!

Advanced Leg Locks:

Like I said earlier, Dan includes two of his advanced leg lock seminars on the DVD. These seminars cover a bunch of stuff, including how to initiate a leg lock from the neutral standing position, which in my opinion is some game changing stuff.

One thing that I think is great about the advanced leg lock section of the course is that it is not just a bunch of cool leg lock setups and attacks that everyone already knows about. The advanced section includes leg lock techniques which Dan has actually hit in tournaments, on multiple occasions.

As a person who trains with Dan on a regular basis, I can safely and easily say that the techniques in this part of the DVD course are perfect for the competitor with prior leg lock experience who is trying to build their leg lock game and achieve leg lock mastery.

Muscle Memory Blueprint

Another great part about Dan’s Leg Lock of Doom course is the muscle memory blueprint section.

I believe that drilling and integrating muscle memory into one’s BJJ training is the foundation of one’s jiu jitsu, and this section is perfect for you BJJ nerds out there (like myself).

Dan shows multiple leg locks drills that include transitions, counter attacks and initial setups. I have even taken some of these muscle memory drills and incorporated them into my weekly quotas of technique drills.

Overall:

Overall, this DVD is a must have for any leg lock guy or someone who is looking to improve their leg lock game, and is totally worth the money.

It is an awesome DVD to have if you are planning on competing in a tournament where twisting leg locks are allowed, because Dan goes into great detail with the heel hook game and touches on some of the leg lock stuff that you see at most NAGA tournaments and Grappler’s Quests.

Also, if you are looking to be competing in tournaments where they have IBJJF style rules, this DVD goes into tons of IBJJF legal techniques that will help you achieve victory with leg locks.

I would definitely recommend this DVD, and you are looking to get your hands on it, it’s right here.

Enjoy!

Achieving the Rank of Blue Belt

Recently, I was awarded the rank of blue belt in BJJ

This was an awesome day to say the least.

After almost 2 and a half years of training in BJJ, I was able to graduate from my phase belt and wear the blue belt around my waist.

My Coach and I after he gave me my blue belt

It was your typical Monday night BJJ class, and we were all gearing up for our typical 8:00 pm-8:30 pm rolling session. This is my favorite part of the class, because we get to test and use everything we have learned in the class while at the same time getting a seriously killer workout in.

The philosophy that we have in our gym is that if we train harder and longer than any competition would require, than come competition time, we all are more than well prepared.

I have had many hard training sessions before in my life, but that Monday night was easily one of the hardest.

My coach and I battled against each other for minutes on end, with him showing no sign of letting up on me. He wasn’t just beating me, he was smashing me. It was to the point where I would be in bottom side control, and he would use constant head pressure to inflict pain and discomfort, drilling directly into my stomach. It was freakin’ brutal.

Some of the mastery guys and I snap a team photo after class

After getting destroyed by him and being utterly exhausted, I was now the victim of a game we like to call “vultures”. It involves one guy (me in this case) starting in bottom side control, and having to go from bottom to top position against an opponent. Once this has been done, a new and fresh opponent jumps on top of you in side control, and you must repeat the process again.

After a few minutes of that, I can easily say that I had surpassed my previous physical and mental limits, and I was fighting with pure adrenaline. I had nothing left in me, and my body felt five times heavier than normal.

When it was all done, I stood up with the help of my fellow students and tried to catch my breath for dear life. I also had the interrupting urge to vomit. I came very close to doing so, but I mustered the strength to hold it down (luckily!).

As my coach gave us all a wise talk on how training hard like we did will ensure that we will all improve, he mentioned my name. He elaborated on my efforts and the time that I put in on and off the mats, then pulled a blue belt out of nowhere and surprised the heck out of me with it.

Fellow blue belt Josh Colacone and I

Being extremely exhausted, yet elated, I was very proud to have done what I did. I thanked all of my team and my coaches, as they were the ones who helped push me through it all.

It was a great day for me and a huge goal had been reached. I cannot wait to see where I end up on  my journey as a blue belt.

Micro BJJ for Tall People

The Micro BJJ program was created for the smaller grappler, but smaller doesn’t necessarily mean shorter…

If you haven’t heard of Micro BJJ by now and you weight less than 160 pounds, you should definitely look into it. One of my good friends and instructors, Coach Dan Faggella,  has put together hours of instructional footage designed to help the smaller grappler be successful.

Ryan Hall is a good example of a taller but smaller grappler

One of the best parts of the Micro BJJ program is that Coach Dan will take reader requests from people in the Micro BJJ community. Smaller grapplers from all around the world can share thoughts, ask questions, and analyze the game while getting solid feedback.

Dan also runs a website called Science of Skill, where he writes articles, and posts the answers and feedback to some of the reader requests he gets from the Micro BJJ community.

Recently, Dan got a question from one of the Micro BJJ community members that I thought was a very interesting question. The guy who sent the question in was a lighter weight guy, but also very tall. In the article (click here to read full article), Dan goes on to show some Micro BJJ techniques for the taller grappler.

This now poses the question, how can a taller lightweight grappler use Micro BJJ to his or her advantage?

Closed Guard

A tall guy with spider-like limbs and a viscous closed guard. I’m sure most of you have seen this guy before. Maybe some of you know him. Maybe you are him.

It seems to me that a lot of taller guys prefer to use closed guard. There is nothing more frustrating than when you are trying to break a guys’ closed guard and he locks a body triangle on you. I personally think that closed guard is a great game to play if you have the length for it.

In the video, Dan explains that he has seen closed guard work very well for taller but lighter guys. He then shows a nice little technique on how to get to closed guard while avoiding getting squashed by the top guy.

Like I said, closed guard is awesome if you are taller than most. I know from experience that the guys that give me the most trouble are the lanky guys at my own weight. If I am rolling with someone who has long limbs, I try to avoid getting stuck in closed guard, for it can be a dangerous place if you are not careful.

Avoiding Getting Squashed

Another thing that the reader mentioned in his request is that guys were sometimes able to manipulate and pin his legs down because they were longer than most. Essentially, his legs were being eliminated from the picture and he was getting squashed by guys.

Rafael doing a great job bracing and framing off of Rodolfo

Dan addresses this by going into a bit of conceptual stuff. He explains that techniques like the de la riva guard are good for longer guys because they enable you to play and inside game without the threat of being squashed.

He also mentions that in order to not get squashed by your opponent, you have to constantly use your limbs to brace off of your opponent. This means always having a wall of some sort in between you and your opponent. Whether it be a knee across the torso, forearm against the neck, or foot against the hip, bracing and framing will always insure that your opponent will not have the opportunity to squash you.

I completely agree with this for a few reasons. The first being that this works well for any smaller grappler, tall or short. I play a bottom game that involves bracing and framing, and I am constantly trying not to end up flat on my back where I get squashed.

Secondly, being a shorter and smaller guy myself, I know that when I face a taller guy, my goal is to avoid his long limbs by removing them from my path and immediately closing the distance once they are no longer a threat.

So Remember:

If you are a taller but smaller grappler, the closed guard and de la riva guard may work well for you. Also, if you use your limbs as braces and avoid getting pressure applied to your torso, so will avoid getting smashed by guys trying to pass your guard.

Hope you enjoyed, make sure to check out www.MicroBJJ.com and www.ScienceofSkill.com for more on the lightweight grappling game and reader requests!

Who Ordered the Super Fight?

Honestly, who doesn’t enjoy watching a super fight?

A super fight is when two highly skilled grapplers clash head to head. It is the best grappling and jiu jitsu to watch in my opinion, because both fighters are usually very good competitors and both extremely well versed in their respective martial arts or fighting systems.

Metamoris

So here’s the deal guys, apparently with the help of Ralek Gracie, a tournament is being put together called Metamoris Pro. It’s a 14 man, 7 super fight tournament. The matches are 20 minutes in duration, but there are no points, no advantages, and the only way a fighter can win is by submission…Wow… The event is going to be on October 14 2012 and will be held in San Diego.

With that being said, here are the super fights that will be taking place:

Roger Gracie vs Marcus Buchecha Almeida

Andre Galvao vs Ryron Gracie

Kron Gracie vs Otavio Sousa

Jeff Glover vs Caio Terra

Jean Jacques Machado vs Nelson Monteiro

Kayron Gracie vs Rafael Lovato Jr

Dean Lister vs Kevin Casey

I can happily say that this event is going to be absolutely insane. I am excited for every fight on this card, but there are a few fights that I will especially be excited for.

The first of them being Roger Gracie vs Buchecha.

Roger Gracie is widely considered to be one of the best BJJ competitors in the world. He has been around for nearly a decade battling guys like Jacare, Terere, Andre Galvao, and a whole list of others. He is a strong positional fighter and uses very fundamental jiu jitsu to make his opponents look mediocre.

Buchecha is a fairly new black belt, but has been an unstoppable force in his recent years of competition. He won the worlds this year, and is showing no sign of slowing down.

Some people are saying that Rogers’ focus on MMA in the past few years has stifled his BJJ game, but we will see come October 14. It will be a killer match!

The second fight that I am especially looking forward to is Kron Gracie vs Otavio Sousa.

Kron Gracie is the son of Rickson Gracie, and has been on the competition scene for a few years now. He is extremely fun to watch, but i’ll get to that in a second. Otavio Sousa is a BJJ competitor from Gracie Barra, and has been on a tear lately since he won the worlds at middleweight black belt.

Like I said, Kron Gracie is fun to watch. The reason for this is because he is a total submission hunter. If you have ever watched him compete, he will sometimes lose a dominant position, but get the submission from it anyways. He has always trained this way, and with tournament rules like this, he is sure to display some seriously effective BJJ.

I think that this type of tournament could be a good thing for BJJ, because a lot of fighters and fans can sometimes have mixed feelings after a controversial referee decision. A submission is a definitive win, no ifs ands or buts about it. I am looking forward to watching this tournament, as I am sure you are too!

Rafael Mendes: Why He Wins

Rafael Mendes is one of the greatest lightweight BJJ competitors in the world….but why?

So a few years ago, one of my instructors, Dan Faggella, put a video together on why he thinks Rafael Mendes wins. Now Dan, being the super analytic jiu jitsu nerd and BJJ scientist that he is, made this video based on some of the overall observations that stand out to him when he watches Rafael Mendes compete.

This video was made in 2010, and as most of us know, Rafael Mendes was an unstoppable force when he continued to compete in 2011 and through 2012. He is an amazing and fighter to watch, and his wins on the mat prove that he trains harder than most. Here’s the breakdown:

So here are the 3 main trends that are explained in the video:

1. Entangled positions

2. Quick to the base

3. Sagittal back takes

So right off the bat Dan talks about how entangled positions are a very common theme at the lighter weights. I would have to definitely agree with this. We see a lot of de la riva guard and 50/50 guard nowadays in the lighter weights of BJJ. These are positions that are and can be very entangled and complex.

Not only does Rafael Mendes do an excellent job of navigating through these entangled positions, but he is so good at disentangling from these positions as well. If you ever watch him in a double guard pull scenario, he is always attacking by using these entangled positions to advance on his opponent.

I would also have to agree that Rafael Mendes‘ ability to get to his base quickly plays a decent role in his game. If you watch Rafael Compete against Justin Rader in the 2012 Pan Ams, he hits a sweep very early on in the match that involves him getting to his base quickly to score on Rader. He is skilled at both bringing his legs under his torso, and also bringing his torso over his legs to take top position.

The last observation of Sagittal back takes that Dan makes is the most important observation in my opinion. Rafael Mendes is currently taking the back in some of the most dynamic ways we have ever seen, and is doing so in the sagittal plane of motion. This means that he is coming from under his opponents base and taking the back through the middle from there. 

Most of us have seen Rafael using the berimbolo technique in competitions. He is great at going inverted to enter the sagittal plane of motion and attack the back. We are now seeing a lot of competitors at the lighter weights attacking the back in this fashion, and it is becoming more and more of a trend. This is even the case in some of the brown and purple belt divisions.

Overall, I think this analysis did a good job of highlighting some key trends and strategies that Rafael Mendes uses to win in competition. I agree with all 3 observations, because each one can be seen if you watch Rafael compete.

Cannot wait to see more great matches from Rafael in the future!

Progressing in BJJ

As we all know, progressing in BJJ takes time….Lots of time.

Rome wasn’t built in  a day people. The same goes for one’s jiu jitsu skills.

BJJ is a sport and martial art where hours of hard work and dedication are needed to progress and proceed. Most people don’t realize this. Many martial arts out there only require a few years from a student to attain the highly regarded level of black belt. In the martial art of BJJ, this is surely not the case.

Many BJJ students train and still do not receive the title of black belt for an average of 10 years. Most people who compare BJJ to other martial arts do not take this into account, and I feel that it is something that is under appreciated and under valued.

I’ll admit it, when I first started training in BJJ and submission grappling, I would look at the guys who were better than me, and say “I can’t wait until i’m on their level of skill” .  I would say this to myself, but I would also assume that if I just kept going to the gym to train and learn new techniques, then I would be where they are one day.

Boy was I wrong….

Improving your skills in anything, nonetheless BJJ, takes extra effort.

In the first 9 months of my BJJ career, I would come to class twice a week, train, and leave completely satisfied thinking that I trained really hard. It was a way for me to release stress, get a workout, and learn cool moves. This was great, but I never gave myself room for self reflection and self evaluation. I never even figured out why I liked BJJ.

As time went on over those 9 months, I saw myself getting better, but I was still getting smashed by some of the other more experienced guys. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get on their level of skill.

Sure, they started before I did, but I became okay with the idea that I would never be as good as them. This, among other external factors, led to me to take a break from the sport of BJJ for a while.

One day, I received a letter from an old friend of mine. He asked how I was doing, along with the common small talk stuff, you know what i’m talking about.

In the letter, he asked me to give BJJ one more shot.

This was after I fell into the college party scene, and had not given much thought to BJJ on a daily basis, never mind at all.

After receiving this letter and thinking a lot about where my life was headed in general, I decided to start training again. This time, however, I wasn’t going to train like I did previously.

I started making quotas for myself to meet each week, whether it was drilling techniques, situational rolling, or live rolling. I found weaknesses in my game and improved on them. I also found the strengths in my game, and improved them as well. With the help of my coaches and fellow students, I was able to make leaps and bounds in my BJJ skills.

Myself and a few others receiving our phase belts. For those of you who are not familiar, a phase belt is in between white and blue and serves as a halfway mark

I finally realized that if I wanted to be like the guys who were much better than me, I had to train like it and put a lot of effort into my development.

This doesn’t mean that I train 25 hours a day 8 days a week, but it means that I train smart. I analyze my game, find what I need to improve, and deliberately do so.

I also realized that improving in BJJ takes time and dedication, and without patience, mastery will never be attained. BJJ to me was now a way to center myself and a way to test my limits and push my personal potential, mentally and physically. It didn’t matter how good I was compared to other people anymore.

Returning back to BJJ after my absence was the best thing that could have happened.

For those of you on the path of BJJ, stay on the path, and keep progressing. It takes time, but it’s worth it in the end.

It pleases me to see my fellow students taking the same path as me, and finding success in it.

A lot of guys around me are deliberately improving, and that brings me great joy to see. One of my training partners who goes by the great name of “Dasani”, is on the path like myself, and he is progressing as well (check out his story here, along with many others)

Keep training hard!

-N

DVD Review: Micro BJJ Becoming a Giant Killer

Ever wondered how to slay a giant?

If you answered yes to this question, then look no further.

This week I will be reviewing the Latest BJJ DVD that I was able to get my hands on, Micro BJJ: Becoming a Giant Killer.

I myself am a lightweight BJJ guy, so when I got the chance to grab a DVD that’s strictly about beating larger opponents, I was all over it. Lucky for me my own instructor, light featherweight Brown Belt Dan Faggella, put this DVD together. That being said it wasn’t too difficult to obtain.

This DVD is part of the Micro BJJ series that Dan has recently released. Micro BJJ is a resource for smaller BJJ fighters and submission grapplers alike. He has this DVD, which focuses on defeating larger opponents, but also has other DVDs that involve defeating other smaller BJJ guys.

The DVD is broken down into 8 sections:

1. Escapes

2. The Guard

3. Guard Passing

4. Holding Top Position

5. From the Feet

6. Top Strategy

7. Leg Locks

8. Other Attacks

The DVD run time is about 110 minutes, so it’s a ton of content! Dan goes into great detail with the many techniques throughout the DVD, and gives many great examples of different situations.

After watching this DVD many times, I can easily say that it has been a tremendous tool for me in terms of developing my BJJ game. Rolling with larger opponents is difficult for anyone, and Dan really addressed a lot of the problems that I have experienced over the years grappling with larger people.

The sections that I got the most out of were Escapes, Guard, Holding Top Position, and Leg Locks, and this is for a few reasons.

During the Escapes section, I was able to pick up a few great techniques for escaping from inferior positions like bottom side control and bottom mount. If you have ever had someone much larger than you on top of you in side control and they know what they’re doing, then it can sometimes seem impossible to escape from bottom.

Iv’e been using some of the escape techniques with great success lately against larger opponents, and I am seeing myself ending up in those positions less and ending up more in the guard. This brings me to my next favorite section of the DVD: The Guard.

The Guard section of the Giant Killer DVD is great because Dan goes into a lot of concepts of the guard against a larger opponent. He talks about movement potential, and how that affects his range and strategy. You may night understand what all of that is, but if you watch the DVD, you most definitely will.

Holding Top Position was another one of my favorite sections because of the deeper concepts as well. I know from my own experience, that holding top position on a much larger opponent might not last that long. However, after watching this section of the DVD a few times, I have tweaked my top game a little bit and have seen improvements in my overall control from there.

Lastly, I REALLY enjoyed the Leg Lock section of this DVD.

Dan is known for defeating larger opponents in absolute divisions with his leg locks, and this section gives a good outline of the best “go-to” leg locks to use against bigger guys. He actually breaks it down in a way that shows higher percentage leg locks compared to some of the less likely leg locks that can be used against a larger opponent, giving a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t.

I must say, that the Micro BJJ Giant Killer DVD is a really smart choice if you weigh less than 160 lbs and are looking to improve against larger opponents. Like I mentioned a bunch of times, Dan goes into concepts a lot, and I have found that understanding overall concepts helps greatly in navigating through positions and submissions.

If you want to get your copy of it, click this link, I promise that you will not be disappointed. Like I said, all of Dan’s Micro BJJ DVDs have become some of my best tools and resources for improving my grappling game. You won’t find anything else like this out there, guaranteed.

-N

BJJ Drills for Top and Bottom

Drilling…We might love to hate it, or hate to love it.

Let’s be honest guys, drilling BJJ techniques is not easy. Most of the time, it’s much easier, not to mention more fun, to just roll live with our fellow students.

However, the reality is, we aren’t going to fine tune our BJJ skills with just rolling live all the time. We NEED drilling to be integrated into our training. Drilling our techniques is what sharpens our skills. It helps us make leaps and bounds and progress in our BJJ skills.

Drilling does not have to be boring though. Sure, live rolling is fun because of the spontaneity, the adrenaline rush, and the “off the books” wins and losses, but drilling can be augmented to be just as fulfilling and enjoyable as live rolling.

From what I have seen, most people do not spend enough time drilling. Heck, I am guilty of this myself. Although drilling may not be as fun as rolling live against someone, it’s arguably more beneficial for your BJJ game.

Here is an example of a great drill that we perform at our academy:

One thing to notice:

Notice how this drill is not beneficial for just one player. It is beneficial for both!

Not only does the top guy get to work his side control and his transitions from there, but the bottom guy also gets to work his side control escapes and guard retention abilities. When you bang this drill out for a solid five minutes, it’s not easy at all. (For more of these, check out our youtube channel)

The main idea here is that both the top and bottom players are getting the chance to build solid muscle memory. When it comes time to either transition from or escape from side control in a real tournament match, the muscle memory attained from this drill will instinctively kick in and more likely than not, you will have an advantage because of all the time you spent in either position.

Here is another sweet drill for both the top and bottom player:

This drill involves a little bit less movement, but is equally beneficial.

Most of us have experienced this situation, especially at the lower belts, where you achieve side control, but your opponent is able to drive his knee through the middle and recover the closed guard.

This “re-passing” drill offers a counter to the all too common shrimp to closed guard that we see all the time.

Again, not only is this drill great for the guy on top, but it’s also great for the guy on bottom. The bottom guy definitely takes a beating from this drill, and you would too if you were trying to shrimp and recover closed guard for a solid five minutes against a partner who continues to re-pass your guard.

These drills are just two simple examples of how drilling can drastically affect certain areas and aspects of your BJJ game. Remember that a good drill involves skill building for both players, and that there are many possibilities when it comes to formulating a specific drill.

Try using these drills during an open mat time or whenever you may get the chance. You will be pleased with the long term results, and you will find that drilling can be more exciting than you thought!

-N