Firas Zahabi "This is the thing Jiu-Jitsu players don't do but absolutely should"

Is conditioning the biggest differentiator between the success of jiu-jitsu athletes in MMA and other combat athletes, especially Russian wrestlers? Tristar's Firas Zahabi thinks so.

I recently read an Instagram post from a wrestling organization that encouraged wrestlers to make sure they got in their conditioning work. And if there was a choice between conditioning and strength work, conditioning came first. I've adjusted my off-mat training to emphasize conditioning and de-emphasize strength work. I've also gone back to doing a long, LSD cardio session (40+ minutes) after jiu-jitsu training.

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John Danaher's advice for grapplers | Lex Fridman Podcast Clips

Night Moves: Tuesday Edition

Notes on the evening's activities ...

And current film study.

Is Gordon Ryan the No Gi GOAT? | Morning Kombat Extra Credit Ep. 28

Mega Coral: IBJJF Recognizes Wellington Dias' Coral Belt Promotion

Once upon a time, I used to fantasize about competing in the Masters divisions of some of the IBJJF's biggest events in the U.S. My favorite vision involved winning the Masters 5 division at the Seattle Open and then defending my title against one of the greatest competitors of all time: Wellington "Megaton" Dias.

For a variety of reasons - some more obvious than others - there's little chance of that vision coming true. But I've always kept an eye on Megaton's performances, all the same. His accomplishments are truly inspiring.

Today with the IBJJF Masters underway and having received his Coral belt in March, Megaton was awarded his Coral belt certificate today by the IBJJF.

Take Down Tuesday: Mr. Smith's Low Single

One of the drills we did as part of the warmup during my first week back was alternating single/double leg shots and sprawls. Here's something for me to work on when those warmups come around again.

Maps and Territories: Half Guard Top Edition

Endgame: Pena v. Ryan 3

There have been plenty of great heavyweight jiu-jitsu contests in grappling's great history. And tomorrow's second rematch of Felipe Pena v. Gordon Ryan is easily among the most anticipated.

Flograppling has provided plenty in the way of preview. And I HIGHLY encourage you to partake in every minute of it. Here's one of the early set pieces.

But the best way to pre-funk for tomorrow's contest may be just to watch the first two encounters - both won by Pena.

Charles Oliveira & Aljamain Sterling Have Changed MMA Wrestling | Mornin...

Gracie Barra Washington Represents at Fight2Win 203

Easily some of the most fun I've had watching jiu-jitsu competition has been at Fight2Win events. I'd grab a burger and fries, beer and a shot (or two) downtown, and then walk over to the venue with enough buzz in my membrane and grub in my belly to last me all evening.

Missed this latest event. But am looking forward to catching every minute of the action courtesy of the good folks at FloGrappling.

FloGrappling Recaps the IBJJF World Championships

From the Meregali victory in the absolute to the immortal Leandro Lo to the incomparable performances of Mica Galvao and Tainan Dalpra, this year's IBJJF World Championships were among the most exciting in years. Victor Hugo's spectacular comeback win! The U.K.'s first female IBJJF world champion Ffion Davis! The dominance of Gabi Pessanha!

Be sure to catch up with FloGrappling for a great IBFFJ World championship review - as well as updates on the new faces coming to ADCC 2022 later this year.

Luke Thomas Talks with Jiu-Jitsu Legend Demian Maia

There are a lot of jiu-jitsu guys that I love. But there are few whose game and intelligence I admire more than Demian Maia. Very much enjoyed this conversation between Demian and one of my favorite MMA analysts Luke Thomas.

FloGrappling Previews the IBJJF World Championships

Aside from providing the best video coverage of grappling, FloGrappling's previews of major events are second to none. 

One of the best experiences in jiu-jitsu I've had off the mat was listening to their preview of the ADCC in 2019. I was stuck in a hotel room in New York on business and spent almost every free moment listening to the FloGrappling team talk up one of the biggest events on the calendar. I can't remember ever being so excited to watch a grappling event (aside from maybe EBI 1 which debuted the same weekend I just happened to be in L.A.).

With any luck, the Grappling Bulletin's breakdown of the IBJJF World Championships - which start in over than two weeks - will do the same.

Guard Passing with B.J. Penn

One of the greatest misconceptions about BJ Penn's jiu-jitsu is that, due to his exceptional lower body flexibility and control, Penn's bottom game is more advanced than his top game. 

If anything, Penn's top control - guard passing and finishes from dominant positions - better characterize his jiu-jitsu than submissions from the guard. 

Here's a sample of the former. A great insight into guard passing fundamentals.

Footsweep to Double Leg

 

Mike DeWitt of 10th Planet Springfield hits this takedown in a couple of these 10th Planet Qualifier competitions that I've watched. Nevertheless seeing it yesterday while doing cardio film study reminded me of how much I like the set-up. The footsweep attack incentivizes the opponent to lift his feet and remain as vertical as possible, opening up both the space and the timing for the double leg.

DeWitt has a nice double leg without it. But with the setup, it looks like an especially potent way to get the fight to the floor.

Otavio in Action: Pan 2020

Spent my cardio session today watching a couple of competition videos of Gracie Barra competitor Otavio Sousa. He's been one of my favorite guys to watch for awhile. I've been fortunate to attend one of his seminars at Gracie Barra Seattle years ago, and studying his sitting guard game (courtesy of BJJ Scout's excellent video on that position) led the way to one of the last Great Leaps Forward in my jiu-jitsu career.

He favors a closed guard attack more these days. But you can still see him working from the sitting guard a little from time to time. I've liked to watch his game because although he's a stockier guy than I am, we're both on the short side relative to our weight (especially in jiu-jitsu). He's also heavier - competing at medium heavyweight of late - which makes him less acrobatic, less reliant on extreme flexibility, etc.

People Get Ready

The deeper we get into October, the more likely the next big regional competition (I'm looking at you, Revolution) will be in 2022 rather than the fall of 2021.

In a normal year, February would be the earliest for an event to take place. The latest anti-COVID mandate, as it applies to gyms, runs through late March. Best case scenario is a successful spring event that paves the way for a summer event and, ideally, getting the whole show back on track.

So, with six months to go ...

Luke Thomas On the Physical Toll of Recreational Combat

I'm a huge fan of Luke Thomas' work as an analyst and commentator on mixed martial arts. I thought his reflection on whether or not he planned to return to jiu-jitsu training post-COVID was pretty heartfelt, honest, and resonant - one of the key reasons I've been a fan of his for years. Although I end up making a different decision, I think his perspective is worth considering if your time in and around the mat starts to feel less worthwhile. 

The conversation starts at 27:20 minutes and runs for about 11-12 minutes. Some valuable truth-telling.

MMA Submission Hero of the Week: Carlston Harris

 

Ryan on Rogan

 

A lot of good takeaways from an interview I've been looking forward to for awhile now. Not a ton of surprises for any one who's been following Ryan's career, but some interesting insights into the teaching approach of the Danaher Death Squad and, more importantly, what he thinks distinguishes the DDS approach to jiu-jitsu from everyone else's.