Category: BJJ

The Importance of Contact

Posted on by BJJ Caveman

Here’s a video of one of the greatest grapplers in the world, Rickson Gracie, playing with his son Kron Gracie who is now a formidable grappler himself.

Just read this article from Mark’s Daily Apple about the benefits of carrying your child rather than pushing them along in the stroller and I got to thinking about whether this relates to grappling and BJJ and wrote this comment:

“No babies yet… but when they do come around I’ll know what to do!

Funny thing though, not sure if it’s entirely related, in my bjj class, there’s an autistic kid and his dad who come around to train occasionally, and when they’re on the mats wrestling around and doing BJJ the kid really perks up and you can feel a tangible joy emanating from him…

After these articles, I’m now thinking it may have to do with the constant touch and close contact that normally happens in grappling sports that may be having the positive impact on him…

Sports played these days don’t have this kind of close contact now.

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Maui Jiu Jitsu

Posted on by BJJ Caveman

MauiJJAfter snorkeling and swimming this morning we had to run some errands, one of which was near a BJJ school I visited a while ago, so I figure I’d drop in again for a class.  Maui Jiu Jitsu is owned by Luis Heredia, a Rickson Gracie black belt (5th degree).  I had the privilege of training with him for a class before and really looked forward to working with him again, but unfortunately he wasn’t at the class today.

The warmup was a typical run around the mat doing various motions (side stepping, high knees, heel kicks etc), followed by front and back rolls and some ab work.  … Read More

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Side Control Series with Rigan Machado

Posted on by BJJ Caveman

Rigan MachadoRigan Machado is an expert in all things BJJ and especially side control.  He knows how to use his weight…. all 260 lbs and likes to illustrate this by saying, “Come here…. so you can feel.”  Then he shows you what all 260 lbs feels like and it gets hard to move and even harder to breathe.  When you try to hip escape or turn onto your side, techniques that occasionally work on people that aren’t 8th degree black belt masters, you go nowhere and lose even more air until you just want to tap out… and that’s before he’s even tried a submission.… Read More

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Feedback from black belt Chris Torres

Posted on by BJJ Caveman

Chris TorresHere are some great pearls I picked up form rolling with black belt Chris Torres today in Rigan Machado’s academy.

  • I’m athletic (first time in my life I’ve ever been called this) but rely too much on my athleticism and trying to muscle my way into and out of things.
  • I have a good base
  • I’m still not using my whole body together.  It’s sometimes there but most of the time I’m not using my upper and lower body in conjunction.
  • When in turtle, get the f—- out of there right away, don’t just settle there.
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Open Guard Pass

Posted on by BJJ Caveman

Back in California, so I got to revisit Babalu’s gym for another great training session.  I attended the class at 11 am (I prefer midday because it seems like there are less students and thus more individual attention) taught by Professor Pedro Munoz (black belt).

We went over an open guard pass, that involved using knee penetration as the primary tool.

Open Guard Pass Set Up

1. Start with opponent on his back in open guard.
2. Step right foot forward between his legs
3. Left hand underhand grips his right ankle (for better control as opposed to grabbing pant leg) and right hand grabs his left lapel (at a very low level, almost at belt line)
4.… Read More

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High Guard Sequence

Posted on by BJJ Caveman

Dave BoehmeGood to get back on the mats after taking 3 days off.  Worked with Dave again today on a sequence involving the high guard, and using it to set up an attack with the pendulum sweep to mount, armbar or triangle.

1. Start with my partner in my closed guard
2. Use my left hand to establish a cross collar grip on this left collar to threaten the choke and to break his posture.  The part I always forget and that it was good to review, is that when threatening this grip, to exaggerate the supination of my hand so that the blade of my radius is against his carotid….… Read More

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