Showing posts with label Saulo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saulo. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
Thursday, June 06, 2013
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Sunday Scripture: Jiu-Jitsu University
Back pain kept me away from my planned threshold training session today on Sunday. Doing some yardwork and review and reflection from one of my favorite jiu-jitsu "Good Books" instead.
More on this over the course of the week. For now, I'm trying to gear up for the homestretch into mid-August and the tournament I'm not competing in. My 4-week training average is back up to at least 3x/week, so I'm on good footing to try and step things up over the next month.
When it comes to passing my opponent's best guards, my goal always is to prevent him from ever getting where he wants to be. If I let him go too far, I will be in for a fight and I do not want this. My jiu-jitsu is based on anticipation. I don't have to solve a problem if I can keep it from materializing.
More on this over the course of the week. For now, I'm trying to gear up for the homestretch into mid-August and the tournament I'm not competing in. My 4-week training average is back up to at least 3x/week, so I'm on good footing to try and step things up over the next month.
Friday, February 04, 2011
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Training Day: Saturday
I got to training a little late, but more than made up for lost time by rolling with a lot of good guys - top of the list being a roll with Rodrigo. I've noticed that both Profs. Rodrigo and Carlos both like to attack the guard from standing from time to time, which on Saturday gave me a great opportunity to work the single X. I didn't get much farther than the cross guard before Rodrigo passed. But it was nice to feel myself almost instinctively flow into the positions I wanted to be in. That's what I need to do more of.
The most important detail of the day has to be keeping my balance during the first stage of my half guard pass series. Both Jeremiah and Clint were able to reverse me backwards as I put pressure on the lower leg of their 1/2 guard lock and wedged my free knee inside. I think a little more control over the upper body is what was missing and what led to getting reversed. I'll need to check back in with the Saulo DVD to see if this is the detail I'm missing.
Still working the 2 on 1. I need to make sure that I move in for the kill the second the guy becomes distracted by trying to free his wrist. That's an excellent ""take the lead" opportunity that I need to look for more often. I also need to look to bail out into deep half, not just half, when things are getting dicey. That's the kind of thing that will give me confidence to continue to train from the bottom against bigger guys and when I'm tired.
157.8 on the scale post-train. Sunday officially starts Pre-Week: 3 weeks out from the Seattle Open and 9 weeks out from the November Revolution.
The most important detail of the day has to be keeping my balance during the first stage of my half guard pass series. Both Jeremiah and Clint were able to reverse me backwards as I put pressure on the lower leg of their 1/2 guard lock and wedged my free knee inside. I think a little more control over the upper body is what was missing and what led to getting reversed. I'll need to check back in with the Saulo DVD to see if this is the detail I'm missing.
Still working the 2 on 1. I need to make sure that I move in for the kill the second the guy becomes distracted by trying to free his wrist. That's an excellent ""take the lead" opportunity that I need to look for more often. I also need to look to bail out into deep half, not just half, when things are getting dicey. That's the kind of thing that will give me confidence to continue to train from the bottom against bigger guys and when I'm tired.
157.8 on the scale post-train. Sunday officially starts Pre-Week: 3 weeks out from the Seattle Open and 9 weeks out from the November Revolution.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Return of the Son of Sick Again
Week One of camp was a pretty decent start. Week Two has been a little trickier.
I managed to train on Monday, during the Memorial Day Open Mat session. I got in a pair of good rolls with Chaim and Steve - bigger and stronger on the one hand, and smaller and quicker on the other. There were a couple of folks there: Glenn, Andrew from Everett, Pat, Elliott, Freddy and the one smallish woman blue belt who trains during the day and whose name I can't recall ...
Unfortunately, some of the other folks I'd hoped would make it didn't get there by the time I left. All that said, it was good to get a little time on the mat in on the holiday.
Especially since I've spent the next few days with a sore throat and other assorted cold symptoms. With any luck, I'll be back on the mat on Friday. I figure that it is probably better to miss a pair of trainings in Week Two than in Week Six or Seven, so I'm giving myself a break on the relatively modest mat time this week. If I can make it to train on Friday - and again on Saturday - that will give me a three-train week (including credit for 2 GB Fundamentals classes for the week). And, again, in Week Two, that's fine.
I've also missed out on one conditioning session. I did my tempo training Tuesday morning, but held off on the threshold work scheduled for today. Not great, but the goal is to be 100% in mid-July, not in early June. So I'm not going to fret about missing time now as long as I make up for it over the next few weeks.
My weight has remained at or just below 160, fortunately. I've been doing a lot of thinkng and rethinking about my jiu jitsu over the past few days: my match with Sauleh, my difficulties with the overhook half guard, passing both the full and half guard ... I want to think about trying to use the last few training days of Week Two to fix what I wasn't able to really put in place during Week One: specifically, the transition to knee block from half guard to set up the slingshot series.
The bow-out from the overhook half guard (see Saulo's Jiu Jitsu University, pages 179-180, to see one instance of what I'm talking about) needs to be much, much tighter. I've had a bad habit of trying to transition directly into Rap Star, which may or may not be viable. But the bigger issue is in creating more space to give me more room to work, more options (slingshot, regular half, deep half, Rap Star). That's the focus for the balance of the week.
I managed to train on Monday, during the Memorial Day Open Mat session. I got in a pair of good rolls with Chaim and Steve - bigger and stronger on the one hand, and smaller and quicker on the other. There were a couple of folks there: Glenn, Andrew from Everett, Pat, Elliott, Freddy and the one smallish woman blue belt who trains during the day and whose name I can't recall ...
Unfortunately, some of the other folks I'd hoped would make it didn't get there by the time I left. All that said, it was good to get a little time on the mat in on the holiday.
Especially since I've spent the next few days with a sore throat and other assorted cold symptoms. With any luck, I'll be back on the mat on Friday. I figure that it is probably better to miss a pair of trainings in Week Two than in Week Six or Seven, so I'm giving myself a break on the relatively modest mat time this week. If I can make it to train on Friday - and again on Saturday - that will give me a three-train week (including credit for 2 GB Fundamentals classes for the week). And, again, in Week Two, that's fine.
I've also missed out on one conditioning session. I did my tempo training Tuesday morning, but held off on the threshold work scheduled for today. Not great, but the goal is to be 100% in mid-July, not in early June. So I'm not going to fret about missing time now as long as I make up for it over the next few weeks.
My weight has remained at or just below 160, fortunately. I've been doing a lot of thinkng and rethinking about my jiu jitsu over the past few days: my match with Sauleh, my difficulties with the overhook half guard, passing both the full and half guard ... I want to think about trying to use the last few training days of Week Two to fix what I wasn't able to really put in place during Week One: specifically, the transition to knee block from half guard to set up the slingshot series.
The bow-out from the overhook half guard (see Saulo's Jiu Jitsu University, pages 179-180, to see one instance of what I'm talking about) needs to be much, much tighter. I've had a bad habit of trying to transition directly into Rap Star, which may or may not be viable. But the bigger issue is in creating more space to give me more room to work, more options (slingshot, regular half, deep half, Rap Star). That's the focus for the balance of the week.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
More Thoughts On BJ
It's funny. Both Demian Maia and BJ Penn lost in the most recent UFC fights. But at the same time, I couldn't be more interested in their jiu jitsu games than I am right now.
I've posted a little bit about Maia and his half guard game courtesy of a "Judo Chop" from the good people at Bloody Elbow in recent days. What I haven't posted about has been my re-reading of BJ Penn's Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge.
As far as I'm concerned, everything that Saulo Ribeiro's book, Jiu Jitsu University does for jiu jitsu people doing jiu jitsu, BJ's book does for jiu jitsu people doing MMA.
A part of what put me back in the BJ Penn section of my jiu jitsu library were Marc Laimon's comments in a recent interview with Jordan Breen of Sherdog.com. Laimon has always been a big protagonist of only remaining on the bottom for as long as is necessary to sweep, submit or stand. And it was fascinating to hear him talk about BJ Penn - BJ of the incredible natural flexibility - as having one of the best "stand up from guard" games in MMA.
And sure enough on page 185 of The Book of Knowledge is "Getting Up 101":
That's no fatwa on the guard. But to the degree this approach correlates with my own attributes (and lack thereof), it is worth keeping in mind. If BJ Penn, with some of the best hips in jiu jitsu AND mixed martial arts, has no problem standing out of the guard then, to steal a line, why oh why should I?
Even more to the point, the guards that BJ Penn shows in his Book of Knowledge: the Sit-Up Guard, the Damn Good Guard, in no way take advantage of BJ Penn's most apparent physical attribute (his hip flexibility). That is stunning to me - and potentially invaluable. Because BJ Penn, whose jiu jitsu skill is unquestioned, doesn't take on positions or approaches based on his physical advantages, the only explanation for his effectiveness lies in the techniques, the tactics and the strategies he chooses. The Sit-Up Guard, which is another version of my King Crimson suite. The Damn Good Guard, which is "just" Rap Star with a different way of controlling the far arm (BJ uses the inside shin, I use the sticky paw grip).
Rickson in the movie Choke makes the point that "the techniques are great", but what makes jiu jitsu special is the "sensibility". I've tried to access this sensibility, "the Force" a few times over the years and it is pretty clear that those "great techniques" are more or less a prerequisite to accessing any type of genuine jiu jitsu flow. But that said, the more I flesh out my jiu jitsu - especially the flow chart stuff I've been doing in my notebook on Rap Star - the more comfortable I feel about focusing on sensibility as much as technique.
That said, still far more the latter than the former, which is fine. I'm doing a halfway decent job of staying aerobic and thinking binary, trying to be as efficient as possible on the mat and remembering that if I feel any real, extended exertion, there's a good chance I'm doing something I shouldn't be doing (although "wrong" could include insufficient conditioning if I'm not careful).
Back on the mat tomorrow. Did a fairly intense LSD9 session earlier today. I'll spend May transitioning from standing only to mixed conditioning, and maybe even throw in some trial lactic capacity interval work to see if it will fit for the real 8 Week wind-up for the July Revolution.
I've posted a little bit about Maia and his half guard game courtesy of a "Judo Chop" from the good people at Bloody Elbow in recent days. What I haven't posted about has been my re-reading of BJ Penn's Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge.
As far as I'm concerned, everything that Saulo Ribeiro's book, Jiu Jitsu University does for jiu jitsu people doing jiu jitsu, BJ's book does for jiu jitsu people doing MMA.
A part of what put me back in the BJ Penn section of my jiu jitsu library were Marc Laimon's comments in a recent interview with Jordan Breen of Sherdog.com. Laimon has always been a big protagonist of only remaining on the bottom for as long as is necessary to sweep, submit or stand. And it was fascinating to hear him talk about BJ Penn - BJ of the incredible natural flexibility - as having one of the best "stand up from guard" games in MMA.
And sure enough on page 185 of The Book of Knowledge is "Getting Up 101":
A lot of people wonder how I get up from the bottom guard position when the fight goes to the ground. The answer is I utilize this technique. It's one of the first moves that you learn in jiu jitsu, but a lot of jiu jitsu practitioners don't practice it on a regular basis because they are content working off their backs, which often gets them into trouble in MMA.I want to add Or when grappling larger opponents. Or when grappling better skilled opponents. Or when grappling when fatigued ...
That's no fatwa on the guard. But to the degree this approach correlates with my own attributes (and lack thereof), it is worth keeping in mind. If BJ Penn, with some of the best hips in jiu jitsu AND mixed martial arts, has no problem standing out of the guard then, to steal a line, why oh why should I?
Even more to the point, the guards that BJ Penn shows in his Book of Knowledge: the Sit-Up Guard, the Damn Good Guard, in no way take advantage of BJ Penn's most apparent physical attribute (his hip flexibility). That is stunning to me - and potentially invaluable. Because BJ Penn, whose jiu jitsu skill is unquestioned, doesn't take on positions or approaches based on his physical advantages, the only explanation for his effectiveness lies in the techniques, the tactics and the strategies he chooses. The Sit-Up Guard, which is another version of my King Crimson suite. The Damn Good Guard, which is "just" Rap Star with a different way of controlling the far arm (BJ uses the inside shin, I use the sticky paw grip).
Rickson in the movie Choke makes the point that "the techniques are great", but what makes jiu jitsu special is the "sensibility". I've tried to access this sensibility, "the Force" a few times over the years and it is pretty clear that those "great techniques" are more or less a prerequisite to accessing any type of genuine jiu jitsu flow. But that said, the more I flesh out my jiu jitsu - especially the flow chart stuff I've been doing in my notebook on Rap Star - the more comfortable I feel about focusing on sensibility as much as technique.
That said, still far more the latter than the former, which is fine. I'm doing a halfway decent job of staying aerobic and thinking binary, trying to be as efficient as possible on the mat and remembering that if I feel any real, extended exertion, there's a good chance I'm doing something I shouldn't be doing (although "wrong" could include insufficient conditioning if I'm not careful).
Back on the mat tomorrow. Did a fairly intense LSD9 session earlier today. I'll spend May transitioning from standing only to mixed conditioning, and maybe even throw in some trial lactic capacity interval work to see if it will fit for the real 8 Week wind-up for the July Revolution.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Why I Read GracieMag
"35 tips on how to become a champion" April 2010 #156
#30
"A champion should ask himself: 'If I were to compete against myself, what would I practice to beat me?' It's a simple hint, but one that works in setting up your training program and fight strategy." --Leo Viera
#21
"It's not enough to be strategic. First comes being complete. If your Jiu-Jitsu is full of flaws, your strategy won't work in practice. The virtue of the champion is being able to apply his strategy; he has the versatility and knowledge to do so." --Marcio Pe de Pano
#12
"Understand that the competition starts the moment you open your eyes upon waking up in the morning." --Saulo Ribeiro
#30
"A champion should ask himself: 'If I were to compete against myself, what would I practice to beat me?' It's a simple hint, but one that works in setting up your training program and fight strategy." --Leo Viera
#21
"It's not enough to be strategic. First comes being complete. If your Jiu-Jitsu is full of flaws, your strategy won't work in practice. The virtue of the champion is being able to apply his strategy; he has the versatility and knowledge to do so." --Marcio Pe de Pano
#12
"Understand that the competition starts the moment you open your eyes upon waking up in the morning." --Saulo Ribeiro
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Training Day: Wednesday
I had told myself before the Saulo seminar that I could use some jiu jitsu wisdom. What I got, in addition to a couple of techniques that I'm looking forward to trying out in training, was not quite wisdom so much as attitude in the "frame of mind" Suzuki sense of the word (the Western sense of the word has connotations of obedience that I don't sympathize with). It was a calming down, a "remember to breathe," a think-in-short-elemental-movements kinds of wisdom Saulo imparted, something along the lines of presence, maybe, or what people are always saying after getting the opportunity to train with Rickson Gracie. You can definitely feel the Zen in it - an interesting sensation for a non-Zen Old Testament Buddhist like myself - and I think it's actually making it easier to do just about everything I've been doing at home at GB Seattle. Even in the midst of trying to get back my conditioning, I could find myself at peace in the luminous whirlwind of jiu jitsu.
There were a few good instances of this - though the best might have been with a relentless white belt who flew around my guard Connor-style. Getting back to guard and to sweep took awhile, and I felt myself processing at a pretty good pace, taking incremental step after incremental step to improve the situation until I was in a position to try and take the advantage. It was some good training.
Rodrigo has got us in competition mode, three weeks out from the Revolution (more like two and a half) and about eight or nine weeks out from the Interschool Tournament That Needs a Good Name. The pace is hard, but Rodrigo typically knows just how to bring us to the threshold. I'm doing better than I thought I would.
The instructional, by the way, was the double bicep side control escape. I was dragging through this drill late, but again, I wasn't alone in that regard (Charlie).
Some good work with the Twist Back tonight. With the tournaments coming up, I'm giving myself the "all clear" to work with my competition gameplan type moves from now until December 14th. I'd like to work in the slingshot and the armdrag from half - and the success I had with the Fowler Series 3 from the latest Gracie Magazine tonight means I'll likely be adding that to my top half game.
But the name of the game is still takedowns and guard passing. I'm feeling fine enough about the former, and the latter is coming rather than going. Clint is among the guys doing a really good job of testing my Flat Pass, and I'm starting to get the nerve to go left as well as right. Shield and Sword with Stephen turned out to be a stalemate (I should have gone for the Leozinho!), but I want to continue to work it as the opportunities arise. My suspicion, though, is that I'll either end up relying on the Flat Pass or the Leozinho if I find myself in guard at the Revolution (or if I get lucky off the Leozinho, the Butler or the Jack Pass).
There were a few good instances of this - though the best might have been with a relentless white belt who flew around my guard Connor-style. Getting back to guard and to sweep took awhile, and I felt myself processing at a pretty good pace, taking incremental step after incremental step to improve the situation until I was in a position to try and take the advantage. It was some good training.
Rodrigo has got us in competition mode, three weeks out from the Revolution (more like two and a half) and about eight or nine weeks out from the Interschool Tournament That Needs a Good Name. The pace is hard, but Rodrigo typically knows just how to bring us to the threshold. I'm doing better than I thought I would.
The instructional, by the way, was the double bicep side control escape. I was dragging through this drill late, but again, I wasn't alone in that regard (Charlie).
Some good work with the Twist Back tonight. With the tournaments coming up, I'm giving myself the "all clear" to work with my competition gameplan type moves from now until December 14th. I'd like to work in the slingshot and the armdrag from half - and the success I had with the Fowler Series 3 from the latest Gracie Magazine tonight means I'll likely be adding that to my top half game.
But the name of the game is still takedowns and guard passing. I'm feeling fine enough about the former, and the latter is coming rather than going. Clint is among the guys doing a really good job of testing my Flat Pass, and I'm starting to get the nerve to go left as well as right. Shield and Sword with Stephen turned out to be a stalemate (I should have gone for the Leozinho!), but I want to continue to work it as the opportunities arise. My suspicion, though, is that I'll either end up relying on the Flat Pass or the Leozinho if I find myself in guard at the Revolution (or if I get lucky off the Leozinho, the Butler or the Jack Pass).
Sunday, October 18, 2009
More Saulo
I didn't ask Saulo exactly how he crawled into the half guard as a way of getting the guy flat - the only way to properly pass the half guard. Saulo had made an interesting point about the brabo choke on Saturday, alluding to the fact that the development of the brabo choke from the top in half guard was an evolution based on persistent, and persistently failing, attempts to deal with someone in the half guard who is able to get to his side.
I also didn't ask him what his thoughts were about preparing for competition. Although his reputation as a great teacher will undoubtedly grow, he is also jiu jitsu's greatest competitor, being a six-time world champion. With two major local tournaments coming up in early November and mid-December, I thought it would be great to hear how he prepared for competition, how he developed a strategy, whether he did outside conditioning or focused mostly on skill-enhancement. But there never really seemed to be an opportunity for that kind of Q&A.
Which was too bad, generally and selfishly. Saulo is very good spokesman for jiu jitsu, and I suspect he would have been more than happy to answer a question or two - especially one that might relate to a lot of people there attending the seminar.
Sunday was no gi. As you might imagine, Saulo places a minimum on "training" no gi. He tends to see no gi the same way that I do: as a sort of recreation, a "day off" from regular jiu jitsu, like those days late in the summer back in elementary school when they let you have class outside. He made a lot of interesting points on no gi or submission wrestling, pointing out that the only one that has established submission wrestling as anything other than no gi jiu jitsu is the sheik who funds Abu Dhabi. Every other no gi / submission wrestling even merely borrows the point system from jiu jitsu - adding, of course, some wrinkles of its own.
Techniques. We started with a step back move off the clinch, pinching down on trapped elbow by leaning in with shoulder pressure, a sort of whizzer move. From here, swing around and get the front headlock with your free arm, reaching under to connect with a gable grip. Before cinching the grip, push the arm in as if going for the anaconda. If nothing else, it will set up a very tight guillotine as you drop back into half guard.. You would to use your inside leg to also help keep the pushed-in arm to the inside, instead of relying on your grip alone. If you have the grip, all you need to do is stretch the legs to get the submission.
Thai plum escape. Turn. Hug. Shoulder Pop. Dip. Single. Double.
General standup tips. Don't attack the head for the colllar tie. Instead, attack the bicepts, working for inside control. When he rotates to combat your inside control, pop his elbow in and attack. You can shoot, move for the back, whatever. The point is that by pushing his elbow in, you've got a clear shot to his side before he can react by bringing it back and putting it in front of you as some kind of block.
Saulo talked about an attack from the back from one of his Abu Dhabi fights. From the back standing, with a body lock, reach over and do a sort of inverted high crotch grab around the thigh. Insert hook behind his leg with the outermost leg, planting the inner leg for leverage, and take him backwards for the sweep.
Shin-pin sweep. Against standing opponent. Left hand around knee, left shin against lower shin. Rock to inside and lift with shin-pin. Underhook other leg and rock ALL THE WAY back the other way. Reset legs for Eddie Bravo style double-X guard and roll back in other direction.
Escape front headlock. Protect the neck. Reach behind back to butt with other hand. Step up with leg on protect/neck side . Sit back/Sit through. Turn into guy toward legs, reaching across body with protect/neck grip.
Guard pass: Crab pass and 1 on 1. Fight legs with legs and arms with arms. Get close with no gi. Crab pass = inside control: Block one side. Smash, Cut, Scoop or Skirt other leg. 1 on 1 = one leg in and one leg out. If knee goes wide, look to get to Crab pass. If knee comes in, pinch with outside knee just enough to cross center line, then use your body weight to press leg down and pancake the legs to the side. There's also a Cut option to the other direction.
I've been wanting to attack the guard more to guy's left side ever since hearing Saulo make the point that the fact that Demian Maia was left handed made his especially tricky to deal with. I still like my Flat Pass to the right. Even if it is most guy's stong side, it's my strong side, too, so it's iron against iron and I've got to always be willing to go with that. But the new guard pass approaches from this weekend are new enough - or feel new enough - that I can start trying them (Shield and Sword for gi; Crab Pass and 1 on 1 for no gi) to the left - or both - immediately. I'll take guard pass ambidexterity over guard pass hit-or-miss-riocrity any day.
Another thought on the half guad pass and leaning the legs toward you as you back out of the half guard. This one from Saturday works because you are in crossface watchdog and are forcing him to look away while bringing the knees toward you. Unable to face you, he can't turn.
An excellent weekend. I could have spent a week like this, especially that long session on Saturday. I was a little surprised at how few Gracie Barra folks there were - I think there were maybe three of us on Saturday and and only two of us on Sunday. In any event, it was an incredible experience. And I'm openly hoping that this experience has provided me with just the base camp I need to launch the next leg of the ascent.
I also didn't ask him what his thoughts were about preparing for competition. Although his reputation as a great teacher will undoubtedly grow, he is also jiu jitsu's greatest competitor, being a six-time world champion. With two major local tournaments coming up in early November and mid-December, I thought it would be great to hear how he prepared for competition, how he developed a strategy, whether he did outside conditioning or focused mostly on skill-enhancement. But there never really seemed to be an opportunity for that kind of Q&A.
Which was too bad, generally and selfishly. Saulo is very good spokesman for jiu jitsu, and I suspect he would have been more than happy to answer a question or two - especially one that might relate to a lot of people there attending the seminar.
Sunday was no gi. As you might imagine, Saulo places a minimum on "training" no gi. He tends to see no gi the same way that I do: as a sort of recreation, a "day off" from regular jiu jitsu, like those days late in the summer back in elementary school when they let you have class outside. He made a lot of interesting points on no gi or submission wrestling, pointing out that the only one that has established submission wrestling as anything other than no gi jiu jitsu is the sheik who funds Abu Dhabi. Every other no gi / submission wrestling even merely borrows the point system from jiu jitsu - adding, of course, some wrinkles of its own.
Techniques. We started with a step back move off the clinch, pinching down on trapped elbow by leaning in with shoulder pressure, a sort of whizzer move. From here, swing around and get the front headlock with your free arm, reaching under to connect with a gable grip. Before cinching the grip, push the arm in as if going for the anaconda. If nothing else, it will set up a very tight guillotine as you drop back into half guard.. You would to use your inside leg to also help keep the pushed-in arm to the inside, instead of relying on your grip alone. If you have the grip, all you need to do is stretch the legs to get the submission.
Thai plum escape. Turn. Hug. Shoulder Pop. Dip. Single. Double.
General standup tips. Don't attack the head for the colllar tie. Instead, attack the bicepts, working for inside control. When he rotates to combat your inside control, pop his elbow in and attack. You can shoot, move for the back, whatever. The point is that by pushing his elbow in, you've got a clear shot to his side before he can react by bringing it back and putting it in front of you as some kind of block.
Saulo talked about an attack from the back from one of his Abu Dhabi fights. From the back standing, with a body lock, reach over and do a sort of inverted high crotch grab around the thigh. Insert hook behind his leg with the outermost leg, planting the inner leg for leverage, and take him backwards for the sweep.
Shin-pin sweep. Against standing opponent. Left hand around knee, left shin against lower shin. Rock to inside and lift with shin-pin. Underhook other leg and rock ALL THE WAY back the other way. Reset legs for Eddie Bravo style double-X guard and roll back in other direction.
Escape front headlock. Protect the neck. Reach behind back to butt with other hand. Step up with leg on protect/neck side . Sit back/Sit through. Turn into guy toward legs, reaching across body with protect/neck grip.
Guard pass: Crab pass and 1 on 1. Fight legs with legs and arms with arms. Get close with no gi. Crab pass = inside control: Block one side. Smash, Cut, Scoop or Skirt other leg. 1 on 1 = one leg in and one leg out. If knee goes wide, look to get to Crab pass. If knee comes in, pinch with outside knee just enough to cross center line, then use your body weight to press leg down and pancake the legs to the side. There's also a Cut option to the other direction.
I've been wanting to attack the guard more to guy's left side ever since hearing Saulo make the point that the fact that Demian Maia was left handed made his especially tricky to deal with. I still like my Flat Pass to the right. Even if it is most guy's stong side, it's my strong side, too, so it's iron against iron and I've got to always be willing to go with that. But the new guard pass approaches from this weekend are new enough - or feel new enough - that I can start trying them (Shield and Sword for gi; Crab Pass and 1 on 1 for no gi) to the left - or both - immediately. I'll take guard pass ambidexterity over guard pass hit-or-miss-riocrity any day.
Another thought on the half guad pass and leaning the legs toward you as you back out of the half guard. This one from Saturday works because you are in crossface watchdog and are forcing him to look away while bringing the knees toward you. Unable to face you, he can't turn.
An excellent weekend. I could have spent a week like this, especially that long session on Saturday. I was a little surprised at how few Gracie Barra folks there were - I think there were maybe three of us on Saturday and and only two of us on Sunday. In any event, it was an incredible experience. And I'm openly hoping that this experience has provided me with just the base camp I need to launch the next leg of the ascent.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Saulo: Day One With the Champion
Rodrigo called Saulo Ribeiro one of the best teachers in jiu jitsu. After spending four hours at Saulo's seminar today in Fife, I see exactly what Rodrigo meant.
I've always been a fan of Saulo and his approach to jiu jitsu. His outlook, which I think was really forged during the months he spent with Rickson Gracie as a brown belt, is all about getting to the fundamentals of what jiu jitsu is about: survival, "blocking" rather than merely "defending", escapes that take true advantages of the weaknesses inherent in any attack and - perhaps more important for me - passes that force your opponent to defend with fewer tools and less room to use them.
It would be very easy to go on and on about today's session. Even the drive down I-5 to still yet another part of Western Washington that I've never really been to was an enjoyable ride. I got to train with Pat for the whole session, which was a nice bonus - not the least of which because he had a copy of Saulo's book also, and was noting which moves were in the book and which weren't (I was doing the same thing.).
Some of the details were priceless. I have a better understanding of how I want to escape the mount, turning more by a quarter than a half. I have a better understanding how to both be on top in half guard - driving the outside knee into the hip, and how to walk the guy over to get him flat before passing - as well as how to have greater mobility and agility on the bottom. Thanks to a question from Professor Alonso, I have a better idea of how to escape the legs when using the watchdog half guard pass with crossface (i.e., pull the knees toward you instead of away, and then hipscape back away from him).
And, dare I say it, I think I might have finally figured out a Unified Field Theory for passing the guard from standing. We'll have to see what comes of it in training next week. But Saulo's "Shield and Sword" concept of attacking the guard alone may end up being worth the cost of the seminar. That, and his consistent theme of locking your opponent's body and attacking him with your superior ability to move. When you think about it, it is classic military attack strategy: pin them down, then mow them down.
It was a long day (two two-hour sessions with about a 45 minute lunch break). But it ended up being a perfect length. It will almost be strange to only train for two hours tomorrow for the no gi session. That's the thing about jiu jitsu. When you start to really turn toward it, it becomes so easy to start to orient yourself around it - to the point where you wish you could be training twice a day every day. It's really something else.
A couple of things that stood out. Saulo made the same point about training partners that Rodrigo did a few weeks ago. Clearly, it's a big deal. Also I was impressed at how much time Saulo spent encouraging people to wear the "flag" of their school on their back. "You don't train with Vulcan or Koral or Atama," Saulo said, adding that he felt that he could tell a little about a person by the way he wore his "flag". "And not on the leg or on the sleeve or on the collar. On the back," he emphasized. "Because it says, 'this is where I come from. This who's got my back.'" It might have seemed old-fashioned, but I'll admit that I loved every bit of it.
Another interesting thing was Saulo's take on competition. On the one hand, he de-emphasized it greatly, saying it was 1% of jiu jitsu and that competition did not make him a better teacher, for example. But on the other hand, he said that when it came time to compete, he considered it an opportunity to put his "heart and soul" out there and see if someone "could push me back." Maybe he'll talk a little more about that tomorrow, but it was an interesting way of putting it. Obviously, Saulo is geared to win - you don't become a six-time world champion otherwise. But he doesn't describe it in terms of winning, Instead he describes the challenge in a much more general, primal way. For Saulo, it seemed that competition was an issue not of technique and not even of strategy, per se. But of desire. Of will. Moving forward and daring to be turned back.
A pretty awesome day on the mat. I'm looking forward to tomorrow for sure.
I've always been a fan of Saulo and his approach to jiu jitsu. His outlook, which I think was really forged during the months he spent with Rickson Gracie as a brown belt, is all about getting to the fundamentals of what jiu jitsu is about: survival, "blocking" rather than merely "defending", escapes that take true advantages of the weaknesses inherent in any attack and - perhaps more important for me - passes that force your opponent to defend with fewer tools and less room to use them.
It would be very easy to go on and on about today's session. Even the drive down I-5 to still yet another part of Western Washington that I've never really been to was an enjoyable ride. I got to train with Pat for the whole session, which was a nice bonus - not the least of which because he had a copy of Saulo's book also, and was noting which moves were in the book and which weren't (I was doing the same thing.).
Some of the details were priceless. I have a better understanding of how I want to escape the mount, turning more by a quarter than a half. I have a better understanding how to both be on top in half guard - driving the outside knee into the hip, and how to walk the guy over to get him flat before passing - as well as how to have greater mobility and agility on the bottom. Thanks to a question from Professor Alonso, I have a better idea of how to escape the legs when using the watchdog half guard pass with crossface (i.e., pull the knees toward you instead of away, and then hipscape back away from him).
And, dare I say it, I think I might have finally figured out a Unified Field Theory for passing the guard from standing. We'll have to see what comes of it in training next week. But Saulo's "Shield and Sword" concept of attacking the guard alone may end up being worth the cost of the seminar. That, and his consistent theme of locking your opponent's body and attacking him with your superior ability to move. When you think about it, it is classic military attack strategy: pin them down, then mow them down.
It was a long day (two two-hour sessions with about a 45 minute lunch break). But it ended up being a perfect length. It will almost be strange to only train for two hours tomorrow for the no gi session. That's the thing about jiu jitsu. When you start to really turn toward it, it becomes so easy to start to orient yourself around it - to the point where you wish you could be training twice a day every day. It's really something else.
A couple of things that stood out. Saulo made the same point about training partners that Rodrigo did a few weeks ago. Clearly, it's a big deal. Also I was impressed at how much time Saulo spent encouraging people to wear the "flag" of their school on their back. "You don't train with Vulcan or Koral or Atama," Saulo said, adding that he felt that he could tell a little about a person by the way he wore his "flag". "And not on the leg or on the sleeve or on the collar. On the back," he emphasized. "Because it says, 'this is where I come from. This who's got my back.'" It might have seemed old-fashioned, but I'll admit that I loved every bit of it.
Another interesting thing was Saulo's take on competition. On the one hand, he de-emphasized it greatly, saying it was 1% of jiu jitsu and that competition did not make him a better teacher, for example. But on the other hand, he said that when it came time to compete, he considered it an opportunity to put his "heart and soul" out there and see if someone "could push me back." Maybe he'll talk a little more about that tomorrow, but it was an interesting way of putting it. Obviously, Saulo is geared to win - you don't become a six-time world champion otherwise. But he doesn't describe it in terms of winning, Instead he describes the challenge in a much more general, primal way. For Saulo, it seemed that competition was an issue not of technique and not even of strategy, per se. But of desire. Of will. Moving forward and daring to be turned back.
A pretty awesome day on the mat. I'm looking forward to tomorrow for sure.
Saulo Interview
A little pre-funk hours before the Saulo seminar later today ...
Courtesy of Pure Fight.
Mixed Martial Arts Videos on Purefight
Interviewer: For you for example, you long did it take for you before the jiu jitsu really started?
Saulo: At first I was trying to avoid jiu jitsu. I was trying to win, to not get submitted. But then I was not getting the knowledge. And for every win, there was a loss. So I think, you know, I've got to understand why I am losing. I'm losing because I'm not getting, I'm not being a part of the jiu jitsu. I am avoiding that. And I think that the point that I get to there, I think things started to go really well.
A very curious thing is that I usually got beat until my brown belt. That was when I really started to win. All those previous belts, I was really bad. And I wasn't able to get (good) performance.
Interviewer: So you didn't make that true jump until you were a brown belt?
Saulo: Yes. Until brown belt, I was just a tough guy.
Interviewer: Your learning was just going on and going on until you reached brown belt when it took a spike upward?
Saulo: Oh yes, definitely. That's when I was when I was blessed with the opportunity to stay with Rickson for a couple of months who was the guy who in my opinion gave me a lot of direction in mental aspects that I hadn't heard before. And since I incorporated that in my attitude, in my training, my skills changed to a whole new direction.
Courtesy of Pure Fight.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Training Day: Friday
Ended up taking Thursday night off, as well. I figured that training today, and then all weekend at the Saulo seminar, I'd get in plenty of mat time - if not the conditioning.
Rodrigo is really turning up the temperature in the warmups. The Friday warmup - to which I arrived late - was a bruising circuit of pushups, situps, sitouts, sprawls, chokes, squats and high knees. You can tell it's tournament time.
I'm not convinced I would have made it all the way if I'd been there on time. If I have one goal between now and November, it's to get back in some halfway decent shape. I really feel as if I lost most of whatever I had been building on this score with my double dip cold. And I'm not likely to get all that back in what are now three weeks. But it will be interesting to see how far down the line I can get.
We started off with alternating takedowns. I worked with a new, 6-month white belt whose name I can't remember right now. I focused on breaking the collar grip more than anything, which will be key to any ability to attack with a single or double leg from a tie-up.
One thing I'm not practicing is much as I should is pulling half guard. I had great success with that in the spring - even more than my success with the Jacare in the summer. I don't know how much I want to go with it. But I should definitely make sure that it is sharp.
The first half of the instructional was the same side control escape we worked on back on Tuesday. It was very nice to work on the same technique again. Rodrigo emphasized avoiding "holding down" the guy when doing the double underhooks, and in getting maximum control of the arm in the "arm drag" portion of the escape.
The second half was the collar drag escape from rear mount. Some of the key details here were in rotating over to your side, planting the far knee as you step over, elevating your hips to create space to turn into the guy and, finally and most importantly, to turn your head into the guy. This last step is really critical in helping you drive yourself back into the guy's rear mount.
I got to roll with both Shawn and Bryan. I've pretty much abandoned standing guard passes against anyone my level or better for now, and instead of focused on both the Flat Pass as well as trying to bait the guy into attacking with a butterfly guard and then using the Wallid Ishmael pass. I don't know how much I will be able to make out of this over the next few weeks. I would like to incorporate the Leo Viera pass that resembles the one Rodrigo showed us the day (!) before the summer Revolution event - the pass that's half leg rope, half Jack pass. But I don't have all the time in the world ...
I'd love for Saulo to include the leg rope pass in his seminar tomorrow. There's going to be four hours of gi instruction, so there's plenty of room. In any event, I want to make sure that I'm well-nourished so as to make the most out of the day. Rodrigo said that there were only about 8 Gracie Barra guys going - which surprises me a little. But it will be interesting to see who shows up.
Rodrigo is really turning up the temperature in the warmups. The Friday warmup - to which I arrived late - was a bruising circuit of pushups, situps, sitouts, sprawls, chokes, squats and high knees. You can tell it's tournament time.
I'm not convinced I would have made it all the way if I'd been there on time. If I have one goal between now and November, it's to get back in some halfway decent shape. I really feel as if I lost most of whatever I had been building on this score with my double dip cold. And I'm not likely to get all that back in what are now three weeks. But it will be interesting to see how far down the line I can get.
We started off with alternating takedowns. I worked with a new, 6-month white belt whose name I can't remember right now. I focused on breaking the collar grip more than anything, which will be key to any ability to attack with a single or double leg from a tie-up.
One thing I'm not practicing is much as I should is pulling half guard. I had great success with that in the spring - even more than my success with the Jacare in the summer. I don't know how much I want to go with it. But I should definitely make sure that it is sharp.
The first half of the instructional was the same side control escape we worked on back on Tuesday. It was very nice to work on the same technique again. Rodrigo emphasized avoiding "holding down" the guy when doing the double underhooks, and in getting maximum control of the arm in the "arm drag" portion of the escape.
The second half was the collar drag escape from rear mount. Some of the key details here were in rotating over to your side, planting the far knee as you step over, elevating your hips to create space to turn into the guy and, finally and most importantly, to turn your head into the guy. This last step is really critical in helping you drive yourself back into the guy's rear mount.
I got to roll with both Shawn and Bryan. I've pretty much abandoned standing guard passes against anyone my level or better for now, and instead of focused on both the Flat Pass as well as trying to bait the guy into attacking with a butterfly guard and then using the Wallid Ishmael pass. I don't know how much I will be able to make out of this over the next few weeks. I would like to incorporate the Leo Viera pass that resembles the one Rodrigo showed us the day (!) before the summer Revolution event - the pass that's half leg rope, half Jack pass. But I don't have all the time in the world ...
I'd love for Saulo to include the leg rope pass in his seminar tomorrow. There's going to be four hours of gi instruction, so there's plenty of room. In any event, I want to make sure that I'm well-nourished so as to make the most out of the day. Rodrigo said that there were only about 8 Gracie Barra guys going - which surprises me a little. But it will be interesting to see who shows up.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Off the Mat, On the Wall
Decided to take Wednesday off. I've been really dragging myself across the finish line at the end of Monday's and Tuesday's trainings, which is probably a signal to slow down a bit.
I'm pretty much going to start my off-mat conditioning program from the top. No outside conditioning this week, then three weeks of LSD/cardiac capacity work, followed by three weeks of cardiac power/threshold training. Timing-wise, the Revolution event will pop up at the end of the first block. The Gi Only Tournament in December will actually fit in to this revised, 8-9 Weeks Out perfectly, given a two week "Fight Speed" period after the second block. It will be weird competing on a Sunday, but I'm expecting an interesting event, nonetheless. There is certainly room on the calendar for a few more tournaments in Western Washington.
I'd love to be able to take the exact same class twice. I feel as if I just got introduced to a few techniques this week, techniques that may or may not work for my game. But a part of me knows that there will always be new techniques to learn, or new variations on old techniques, to crowd out what I may have just been trying to sneak in to my jiu jitsu. The cross grip guard with spin is one example, but the Cobra guard slide to deep half may be an even better example. I can see both moves possibly helping me do some things I'd like to do (like taking the back from different guard situations). But the crucible is actually drilling and training those moves on my own. And the other moves. And the other moves. So much jiu jitsu, so little of me.
I was reading a very interesting report about a guy who went to the Gracie Barra jiu jitsu camp in Rio awhile back. One of the things he said was that, after awhile, it was hard to get the steam to train 2-3 times a day. I think this was when the guy was in the third and final week of his stay. I can't argue with the guy since he was there and I wasn't. But I'd like to believe that, health notwithstanding, training 2-3 times a day for three weeks is the kind of thing that every really dedicated jiu jitsu guy (or gal) would want to do once a year or so. Even twice a day, five days a week, for two weeks would probably provide a boost to your training that could last for months.
The plan is to train Thursday and Friday, and then spend the weekend with Saulo. The Saturday session runs from 11 am to 1 pm, and then from 2 pm to 4 pm. Then on Sunday from 11 to 1 again. On Saturday, I want to make sure I have a lunch plan put together or I'm sure I will be fading hard by 3. I also need to make sure I get my digital camera together. I missed getting a picture with Marcelo Garcia - though I did get him to autography my book. I'd like to see if I can get both with Professor Ribeiro.
I'm pretty much going to start my off-mat conditioning program from the top. No outside conditioning this week, then three weeks of LSD/cardiac capacity work, followed by three weeks of cardiac power/threshold training. Timing-wise, the Revolution event will pop up at the end of the first block. The Gi Only Tournament in December will actually fit in to this revised, 8-9 Weeks Out perfectly, given a two week "Fight Speed" period after the second block. It will be weird competing on a Sunday, but I'm expecting an interesting event, nonetheless. There is certainly room on the calendar for a few more tournaments in Western Washington.
I'd love to be able to take the exact same class twice. I feel as if I just got introduced to a few techniques this week, techniques that may or may not work for my game. But a part of me knows that there will always be new techniques to learn, or new variations on old techniques, to crowd out what I may have just been trying to sneak in to my jiu jitsu. The cross grip guard with spin is one example, but the Cobra guard slide to deep half may be an even better example. I can see both moves possibly helping me do some things I'd like to do (like taking the back from different guard situations). But the crucible is actually drilling and training those moves on my own. And the other moves. And the other moves. So much jiu jitsu, so little of me.
I was reading a very interesting report about a guy who went to the Gracie Barra jiu jitsu camp in Rio awhile back. One of the things he said was that, after awhile, it was hard to get the steam to train 2-3 times a day. I think this was when the guy was in the third and final week of his stay. I can't argue with the guy since he was there and I wasn't. But I'd like to believe that, health notwithstanding, training 2-3 times a day for three weeks is the kind of thing that every really dedicated jiu jitsu guy (or gal) would want to do once a year or so. Even twice a day, five days a week, for two weeks would probably provide a boost to your training that could last for months.
The plan is to train Thursday and Friday, and then spend the weekend with Saulo. The Saturday session runs from 11 am to 1 pm, and then from 2 pm to 4 pm. Then on Sunday from 11 to 1 again. On Saturday, I want to make sure I have a lunch plan put together or I'm sure I will be fading hard by 3. I also need to make sure I get my digital camera together. I missed getting a picture with Marcelo Garcia - though I did get him to autography my book. I'd like to see if I can get both with Professor Ribeiro.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Saulo in Seattle
Saulo Ribeiro - one of the greatest teachers and champions of jiu jitsu - is coming to Seattle to give a two-day seminar - courtesy of Marcelo Alonso Jiu Jitsu
October 17-18th. One day gi, one day no gi.
There aren't too many people higher on my list than Saulo. His book, Jiu Jitsu University has been my Bible ever since I got it. I still look at his DVDs when I'm stuck in a situation and need to be reminded quickly of what the fundamental details are.
Too bad it's not the weekend before - since my wife will be in Portland the weekend of the 10-11th. But, like I said, there's no way I can miss a Saulo Ribeiro seminar. It should be a blast!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The Helio Test
Saulo Ribeiro talks about how Helio Gracie's creed was not that he would always defeat his adversary, but that his adversary would never defeat him.
I found myself thinking about that having rewatched a little of the GSP v. BJ Penn rematch earlier today and now after training reading a Sherdog thread on Brock Lesnar victory over Frank Mir. Even for someone whose first introduction to grappling was Boys Club wrestling in 3rd grade, there is a part of me that still hates seeing jiu jitsu guys get finished by wrestlers. Fortunately it's a smaller and smaller part - it's completely irrational and in both cases wrong-headed. Those victories by GSP and Brock actually proved that all was right with the world - or at least the world of fighting.
But maybe most disappointing is the way that both BJ and Frank lost. Neither was at a great shortage of words before their respective rematches. And to see them both so summarily silenced was stunning in a way. But more painful was to see two talented - world class if you want - jiu jitsu fighters unable to use their jiu jitsu to defend themselves.
Compare that with Diego Sanchez's losing performance against Jon Fitch, which should probably win an award for the most effective jiu jitsu against a wrestler in a losing context. Diego does not win. But he doesn't lose either. And his jiu jitsu was the difference.
I'd argue that Florian's loss to Sean Sherk might be part of that group of fights, as well. Kenny never gains the advantage on the ground. But he never loses his capacity for defense against Sherk's relentless top game. I think Kenny wins that rematch - standing or on the ground.
I remember Rodrigo telling a teammate a few years back (a teammate who was a blue belt at the time and whom I haven't seen since), that "jiu jitsu doesn't make you Superman." That's true. But your jiu jitsu should at least enable you to pass the Helio Test against an otherwise "equally" matched opponent in a mixed martial arts contest. You have to be able to survive.
I found myself thinking about that having rewatched a little of the GSP v. BJ Penn rematch earlier today and now after training reading a Sherdog thread on Brock Lesnar victory over Frank Mir. Even for someone whose first introduction to grappling was Boys Club wrestling in 3rd grade, there is a part of me that still hates seeing jiu jitsu guys get finished by wrestlers. Fortunately it's a smaller and smaller part - it's completely irrational and in both cases wrong-headed. Those victories by GSP and Brock actually proved that all was right with the world - or at least the world of fighting.
But maybe most disappointing is the way that both BJ and Frank lost. Neither was at a great shortage of words before their respective rematches. And to see them both so summarily silenced was stunning in a way. But more painful was to see two talented - world class if you want - jiu jitsu fighters unable to use their jiu jitsu to defend themselves.
Compare that with Diego Sanchez's losing performance against Jon Fitch, which should probably win an award for the most effective jiu jitsu against a wrestler in a losing context. Diego does not win. But he doesn't lose either. And his jiu jitsu was the difference.
I'd argue that Florian's loss to Sean Sherk might be part of that group of fights, as well. Kenny never gains the advantage on the ground. But he never loses his capacity for defense against Sherk's relentless top game. I think Kenny wins that rematch - standing or on the ground.
I remember Rodrigo telling a teammate a few years back (a teammate who was a blue belt at the time and whom I haven't seen since), that "jiu jitsu doesn't make you Superman." That's true. But your jiu jitsu should at least enable you to pass the Helio Test against an otherwise "equally" matched opponent in a mixed martial arts contest. You have to be able to survive.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Diego Sanchez on BJ Penn's Cardio
With all respect to Kenny Florian, a Diego Sanchez v. BJ Penn lightweight fight is something I think a lot of us would love to see.
Here are some interesting remarks Sanchez made about B.J. Penn in the wake of Penn's loss to GSP:
"After seeing BJ's performance against St. Pierre, man, I'd say it's a bad time for him to fight anybody right now," Sanchez said. "Man, that guy has zero cardio”and he goes into the biggest fight of his life with that type of cardio and endurance? I've never gotten tired in a UFC fight. I've never gotten caught tired in a fight. And to see this guy be that exhausted after one round? I know GSP is tough, but c'mon. He burned himself out in the first round just defending those takedowns."
Read the rest of the article at MMA Weekly
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Ryan Hall and the FightWorks Podcast Interview
What is most interesting in this interview with Ryan Hall is how much his current thinking reflects a sort of "back to basics" movement, focusing on the essential jiu jitsu that has become somewhat obscured as the popularity of the art has exploded over the past five years or so.
I felt it when I read Saulo's book, Jiu Jitsu University. As Ryan does in his interview with the Fightworks Podcast, I've always said that the essential question for everyone who trains jiu jitsu is this: why is Rickson Gracie considered the best jiu jitsu artist of all time?
Father Helio said it was his "impeccable timing". Saulo answers that same question very early in his book, pointing to Rickson's fundamental understanding of the physics of the human body. I've long thought that if you could master those two elements - timing and leverage - your jiu jitsu would make surprising leaps and bounds.
So it is great to hear Ryan Hall - often criticized for his "special attributes" like exceptional flexibility and ability to master a single submission (arguably to the exclusion of other valuable techniques) - echo many of the things I have been thinking and feeling over the past few months.
I've always been a huge Ryan Hall fan - how could you not be? - and am looking forward to hearing and seeing his development in the art over the next several years.
Ryan Hall on the FightWorks Podcast
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Jiu Jitsu University by Saulo Ribeiro
"Rickson Gracie seeded and molded all my philosophy and thinking regarding jiu jitsu. I am thankful not only for his technique and competition strategy, but for all his knowledge. This is what I teach today. My jiu jitsu is based on his knowledge of leverage.
Everybody talks about leverage, but few people use it in their jiu jitsu. Everything I show in this book relates to the efficiency of the lever and the fulcrum. How can I lift a man twice as heavy as myself? How can I armlock someone who is three times as strong? The answer is always the same - leverage. Keep this in mind when grappling. Always look for positions that multiply your perceived strength while minimizing that of your opponent. These are the leverage points that must be sought."
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