Lifestyle

Why EVERY kid needs Jiu-Jitsu

Loved talking to jiu-jitsu pioneer Carlos Machado about all things BJJ. His love for the art and experience in the sport comes through at every second. I hope you get as much out of this interview as I did! Some of the highlights include 01:07 - Carlos on growing up in Jiu-Jitsu family 05:52 - BJJ comes into the mainstream 08:41 - Training with Rolls Gracie 11:07 - Style of the Machado game 13:03 - The continuing evolution of Jiu Jitsu 17:54 - Who are the most athletic Jiu Jitsu practitioners? 20:44 - Who has the deepest BJJ technical knowledge? 27:41 - What he thinks about the introduction of new techniques into Jiu-Jitsu 30:46 - Submission only competition formats ` 33:32 - Carlos's reflections on competing in Abu Dhabi Find out more about Carlos Machado at carlosmachado.net

You wouldn't think that something like stretching before a workout could be controversial, but it is. Some evidence and experts suggest that you should only do it *after*your workout, whereas most traditions say that you should do it *before.*Who's right and what should you do? In this episode I break it down for you (hint, it really, really depends on the sport you do)!

Sgt. 1st Class Matt Larsen is the man behind the US military's Modern Combatives Program. He explains why BJJ is the base style in the system, effects of adrenaline in a fight, self defense for civilians and how a bar fight opened his mind to new tactics

The other day I almost tore a partner's ACL off the bone, which would have required him to have surgery and many months of rehabilitation. What happened exactly? I was more experienced and a bit bigger than my training partner that day and we were doing some no gi sparring. Because of the experience discrepancy I was hyper-focusing on a couple of very specific positions, namely Ashi Garami and the 411. (This is a form of **Targeted Sparring** which is a great tool to use when you're going against less experienced training partners - by limiting myself to only a couple positions and one submission it makes the match more even and better training for both of us.) So we're rolling, carefully and respectfully... I've tapped my training partner out a few times with heel hooks, all applied in slow motion... He's beginning to defend the leglocks more intelligently and I'm having to work a little harder to get them... Everything is going the way it's supposed to. Then it almost ended very badly. I had the Ashi Garami firmly in place, and was just finishing the dig part of the heel hook (where you get your wrist under his heel in preparation for finishing the lock). And 99% of the time when I'm sparring that's as far as I'll go - no need to actually apply the heel hook. At that point my partner typically knows he's caught and will tap out. But this new training partner didn't know when to quit. He tried to escape by spinning. **And, to make matters MUCH worse, he spun the wrong way!** Spinning or rotating can be part of an effective heel hook defense, BUT NOT WHEN YOU GO IN THE WRONG DIRECTION!! Instead of relieving the pressure, spinning into the dig amplifies the power of the submission exponentially! If I had remained still, not moving, his wrong-way-spin would have slammed his heel into my forearm. He would have full power heel hooked himself, which can tear all sorts of ligaments in the knee, the foot and the ankle. Fortunately I saw what was about to happen and completely released my grips without a second to spare. The submission evaporated, he spun safely and 'escaped.' Then I sat him down and we had a good little chat about the dangers of spinning out of leglock if you don't know which way to spin. Now I'm not here to vilify leglocks, because I've managed to train them safely for years. And I've seen lots disasters and near misses on the mats with many other techniques and submissions over the years. So let's universalise a few take-home lessons from this incident… **LESSON #1 - IF YOU'RE CAUGHT AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, THEN DON'T DO SOMETHING DYNAMIC!!** This is certainly true of the heel hook example above, but this applies to any submission. Imagine an absolute beginner caught in an armbar from guard with no idea how to defend or escape technically. But he still doesn't want to tap out, and lacking a good plan, decides to try something dynamic and unorthodox. He turns 90 degrees to the side then does a flying belly flop onto the mat. Or maybe he launches himself into a full power backwards somersault. Or maybe into a breakdancing head spin. Do you think something could go wrong in those situations? Yes! Very seriously wrong. Snap, crackle, pop wrong! Introducing that much additional and unexpected momentum into a situation where you don't know *exactly*what you're doing is guaranteed to lead to disaster. At some point a limb will end up in a vulnerable position and the heavy body in motion will result in a sprain, tear, break or dislocation. Yes, there are times when momentum is your friend for escaping submissions, but it's a tool that you use rarely, in specific situations and with specific techniques. Don't get injured because your ego makes you unwilling to tap out. If you're caught in a position or submission and you don't know which way to turn then don't turn! Instead 1) accept that you're caught, 2) open your hand and 3) tap it on your opponent a few times. Your jiu-jitsu will improve SO much faster if you're on the mat rather than at the physiotherapist trying to put Humpty together again. **LESSON #2 - EXPLAIN THE DANGERS OF A TECHNIQUE TO YOUR STUDENTS, AND TEACH THEM THE CORRECT COUNTERS** A lot of this near miss heel hooking situation was my fault. I knew that I wouldn't crank my training partner's leg, but I had made an assumption that he understood the basics of defending the heel hook. **I should not have made this assumption.** (You know what they say about the word "Assume"? That it makes and "ass" out of "u" and "me".) I should have at least double checked with him prior to training that he understood the mechanism of the heel hook and the basic do's and don'ts. Teach the basic safety parameters around a submission you're going to be drilling. This as logical as teaching or teaching break falls before you teach throws, but I've seen newbies get concussions on day one because they were starting on their feet with zero idea how to land safely. I've also seen beginners put to sleep because nobody had told them that that was a way to stop a choke once it was applied. Easily preventable mistakes. Jiu-jitsu is a contact sport and injuries are inevitable, but let's minimise those injuries! As the teacher, senior belt, or more experienced rolling partner it's YOUR job to try and keep things as safe as they can be, and that includes not assuming that other people know what you know. Safety precautions that are totally obvious to you might be revelations to others,*so don't assume that a beginner knows anything, no matter how much internet research they seem to have done prior to coming to class.* **LESSON #3 - EXPECT PEOPLE TO DO STUPID THINGS, WITHOUT WARNING, FOR NO REASON** The most important rule in boxing is to *"protect yourself at all times."* In training, as opposed to actual fighting itself, I would extend this to be *"protect yourself **and your training partner** at all times."* Expect people, especially beginners, to do stupid things, without warning, for no reason at all. Do you have someone new in your closed guard? Maybe he's getting ready to try a superman dive forward with the idea of getting directly to mount. Unfortunately this results in him accidentally spearing you in the face with a head butt. I've seen it done… Protect yourself and your training partner at all times! Are people sitting on a crowded mat with their arms locked straight behind them with people rolling all around? That arm will shatter if someone falls, rolls or scrambles directly onto that locked elbow. Gently let those people know that they're putting their arms in danger. Protect yourself and your training partner at all times! Are you passing the open guard? Watch out for him accelerating to ludicrous speed, lashing out with his legs and inadvertently breaking your nose with a heel kick. This happened to me, which is exactly why I will never be a nose model…. Protect yourself and your training partner at all times! Are you rolling on the ground while other people are on their feet? Can you guarantee that their takedown gone wrong won't have them landing on your face, shattering your orbital bone? Again, this happened to me, and my face is still lopsided 30 years later. Protect yourself and your training partner at all times! Do you see your training partner about to do something really stupid that could get him injured? Don't let it happen. Release whatever you've got, even if it's a submission that you really, really wanted to tap him out with. Then explain to him what could have just happened. One more time… Say it with me… Protect yourself and your training partner at all times! Safety first! Injury is the enemy!! Stephan ## Related Articles and Videos on Grapplearts **HOW TO TRAIN THE MORE DANGEROUS LEGLOCKS** My best tips, tricks and training methods to get good at leglocks while not getting hurt or hurting your partner, with videos and input from two other experienced leg lockers. **THE TWELVE POSITIONS OF MODERN LEGLOCKING** Modern leg locking is really about the 12 major leglock positions. The game is to enter into the entanglement position of your choice, maintain it against opposition, and prevent your opponent from escaping. This **free PDF** is the best intro to the leglock positional game you can get. **MORE ARTICLES, TECHNIQUES AND VIDEOS** This is the home page of my blog, where I am forever adding new techniques, tips, tricks, podcasts, videos, and other information that'll help you get good at gi and no gi grappling faster!

Brian Jacks is an Olympic judo medalist and multiple time Superstars champion. Brian Jacks is a legendary British judo figure. Being the first brit to medal at a world championship. Put in the Olympic team age 17 and eventually taking a Olympic bronze medal. He then was invited onto hit BBC TV show Superstars where he dominated for years. Winning British and european championships. In this episode we talk about how Brian got into judo, going to Japan alone to train age just 15, his post judo life, his superstars career, his competition mentality, his physical training program, his autobiography, whats wrong with judo today and much more. For more info on Brian visit: www.brianjacks.co.uk Or email him: brianjacks129@gmail.com

Jon Hegan is a BJJ, Judo and Krav Maga black belt and former Marines Commando. In this episode we talk about Jon's time in the Marines, how he got into BJJ, training with the Gracie family in the 90's, the early days of UK BJJ, taking his black belt test with the Valente brothers, training with a blue belt Roger Gracie, training Krav Maga in Israel, working with violent young offenders for 14 years and much more. For more info on Jon visit his website: www.kravmagacombat.com

Today's episode comes from a Q&A session I did on Instagram live (@stephan_kesting) and gave the answers to a ton of BJJ and training topics including... 05:00 - When I started training BJJ 06:56 - Is BJJ ever going to make it into the Olympics 08:04 - Advice for remote learners without access to a school 12:33 - Teaching seminars? 13:19 - Grappling and submissions when there's a weapon involved 17:51 - Grapplearts leglock videos 19:01 - The leglock positional hierarchy 20:39 - Dealing with cauliflower ear 23:28 - What does my training look like? 24:51 - How powerful is the ankle lock, and what's the best leglock? 27:35 - Big man game vs small man jiu-jitsu 29:34 - Is it Ok to train at multiple schools? 31:38 - Is catch wrestling any good and do I use it? 33:39 - Custom rash gaurds 34:02 - What makes someone's game world class? 37:38 - Tips for facing larger opponents 39:55 - Strategies for people with bad knees 41:23 - Neck strengthening exercises 43:47 - Mapping out a training schedule Hope you enjoy this and also make sure to follow me on Instagram where I'm @stephan_kesting

UFC veteran and BJJ champion Eliot Marshall joins the show to talk about finding BJJ in 1997, cult mentalities that exist in BJJ, the UFC, his love for teaching and meditation. He also provides one of the funniest answers The Pummel has ever seen.

What would the boxer Vasyl Lomachenko do if he caught you macking on his girlfriend? Well, I don't think it would involve any elaborate footwork or strategies... It's fun to make things complicated in training, to use setups, fakes, and elaborate combinations to beat your training partners. But when it comes to street self defense you should keep things really, really simple. For more of my self defense material check out my second website at [selfdefensetutorials.com](http://www.selfdefensetutorials.com) and my second YouTube channel at YouTube.com/selfdefensetutorials

Officer Mormando runs the gauntlet after he gets his much deserved promotion to blue belt at Gracie Spring Hill

Dan Camarillo joins the show to talk about keeping kids interested in Jiu-Jitsu, structuring a curriculum, injury prevention, training take downs safely and taking breaks from training. He also tells stories from the old days of Ralph Gracie's Academy.

I think you'll really like this episode! In it I talk with Alex Kask who is a traditional Japanese Takeuchi-ryu Ju-Jutsu teacher but also no stranger to modern Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. We go deep into the techniques and history of traditional Japanese martial arts systems, including modern vs traditional training methods, the Japanese 'Warring States' period, historical challenge matches, the importance of wrestling in an environment with weapons and armour, and much more! Find out more about Alex at http://www.shofukan.ca/ Read the article we did together on Japanese Ju-Jutsu vs Submission Grappling here: http://www.grapplearts.com/submission-grappling-vs-classical-ju-jutsu-when-cultures-and-concepts-collide/ See Alex and I talk armbars vs knives here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUYWwutQrBE And check out how the Rear Naked Choke (RNC) might be applied differently in traditional Japanese Ju-Jujutsu vs BJJ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL8ywtIOtfY

Justin Flores joins the show to talk about learning online, universal truths in grappling, broadening your horizons and being the captain of your own ship. He also talks about coaching Ronda Rousey and opens up about his crippling fear of mustard.

The Eddie Fyvie Jiu-Jitsu Academy has been serving the Saratoga Springs, Malta, Ballston Spa, and Clifton Park regions for TEN YEARS! Jiu-Jitsu, Self-Defense, Anti-Bullying, Martial Art classes for every member of the family. Jiu-Jitsu is a Martial Art created by the Gracie Family. In 1993 they created the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It turned into a Billion Dollar industry and now Mixed Martial Arts or MMA is one of the most popular sports in the world. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, otherwise known as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is now practiced all of over the world and is taught to Law Enforcement-Police, Military, and other Government Agencies. We hope that you will join our team and take advantage of our HIGH LEVEL Jiu-Jitsu classes. We promise you that it will change you for the better! Try it now http://www.efjja.com/ http://www.efjja.com/about.html http://www.efjja.com/schedule.html http://www.efjja.com/kids.html http://www.efjja.com/news--events.html http://www.efjja.com/contact.html http://www.efjja.com/corporate-semina... http://www.efjja.com/instructors.html http://www.efjja.com/blog http://www.efjja.com/womens-self-defe... *** Make sure to like us on FACEBOOK *** https://www.facebook.com/EFJJA/ *** Make sure to like us on Instagram *** www.Instagram.com/eddiefyvie #YouCan #UpgradeYou For the community | For everyone | For you

When somebody walks through the door of our Jiu-Jitsu academy, their initial feelings and goals are nothing in comparison to the TRUE and MEANINGFUL transformation that occurs. Jiu-Jitsu stimulates the mind, body, and spirit of a person. It allows someone to perceive the world in a more clear and profound way. It gives you confidence, empowerment, and unlocks your full potential. After training you are forever UPGRADED. Things come easier. Things work easier. Life gets better with Jiu-Jitsu! Train with us in Malta, NY | www.EFJJA.com www.Facebook.com/EFJJA www.Instagram.com/eddiefyvie

Jiu-Jitu is a tool for life. In a chaotic world, where most are merely surviving; Gracie Jiu-Jitsu can and will give you the tools to thrive in this CHAOS. TAKE CONTROL of your life by practicing a Martial Art that magnifies your potential. The Eddie Fyvie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Malta, NY has offered Jiu-Jitsu classes and Jiu-Jitsu training to the Saratoga County for over a decade. www.EFJJA.com www.Facebook.com/EFJJA www.Instagram.com/eddiefyvie Jiu-Jitsu Classes in Ballston Spa Jiu-Jitsu Classes in Saratoga Springs Jiu-Jitsu Classes in Clifton Park Martial Arts for Children in Clifton park Self-Defense for women in Saratoga Springs Martial Arts for children in Saratoga Springs

Shintaro Higashi joins the show to talk about the pressures of being the son of a Judo legend, how rule sets impact grappling styles, his diverse grappling experience and pursuing the Olympics. He also covers improving take downs for any grappling style!

The Eddie Fyvie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Malta, NY is more excited than ever for 2018. This past year was a tremendous year, both in student growth and development. We are dedicated to providing the most effective Jiu-Jitsu classes around for the entire family. Try two weeks free and see how Jiu-Jitsu can transform you into the greatest version of your self. www.EFJJA.com www.facebook.com/efjja www.instagram.com/efjja

Mario Sperry talks about the early days of Carlson's academy and shares several epic stories including fighting Wallid Ismail on a bathroom floor, surfing brawls and his old rivalry with Royler Gracie. He also talks about the Pride days and his new school

Abmar Barbosa is a respected BJJ champion and instructor known for his exciting, fast-paced style. He talks about how bullying led him to BJJ, overcoming adrenaline dumps, money in Jiu-Jitsu and defeating Kron Gracie. He also talks about his time in Japan

The Christmas binge is over and it's time to take control of your diet again! In this short episode I give you my top five pieces of advice for cleaning up your diet and not sabotaging your training with crappy nutrition.

Matt Thornton is the founder of Straight Blast Gym, the organisation that produced Conor McGregor. He's also a skeptic with many harsh words for traditional martial arts and traditional training methods. Don't listen if you're easily offended! 00:51 - Matt's martial arts background 10:26 - The concept of "Aliveness" 20:41 - The "I" method of teaching and training martial arts 26:14 - John Kavanagh and Conor McGregor 32:37 - Where did fantasy martial arts come from? 42:55 - The evolution of martial arts 65:54 - False positives and negatives 73:26 - Skepticism

Joey Alvarado is a BJJ champion, retired MMA fighter and founder of KettleJitsu. He talks about the seedy early days of MMA, bullying in modern times and his exposure to influential black belts. He also gives great insight to kettlebell training for BJJ!