I've just released a KILLER new podcast episode with 5 x BJJ World Champion on my Strenuous Life Podcast. (This is episode 086 of the podcast for anyone keeping track.) In this episode we talk about Bernardo's 'kidnapping' in the Philippines two years ago His thoughts on the results of ADCC 2017 The toughest guys he has ever rolled with Whether you can get your BJJ black belt … [Read more...]
Competition
“If I don’t know, I will not allow.”
“If I don’t know, I will not allow.” That's a quote and a guiding principle from Roberto Leitao, a high ranking Luta Livre and Judo practitioner, that was shared with me by my friend Ed Beneville who trained with him. Regardless of whether it's a grip, a setup, a guard position, or an angle, if you don't fully understand what's going on then do everything you can to prevent it. Once you … [Read more...]
The Main Positions of Modern Leglocking
One of the biggest changes in the modern approach to leg locking is the emphasis on controlling the underlying leglock positions rather than going straight for the submission. In some ways this is an old approach; jiu-jitsu been preaching Position before Submission an this is exactly the same philosophy applied to leglocks. I've put together free PDF book for you with a checklist of the 12 … [Read more...]
Judo Throws for BJJ
For the most part, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is about fighting on the ground. But that raises a big question. Namely, how do you get an opponent down there in the first place? Whether it's in a sport competition, mixed martial arts or a street fight, that's an important question you need to answer and having no answer is bad. Very bad. One way to get around the issue entirely is to pull … [Read more...]
MMA Weight Cutting with UFC Fighter Alan Belcher (And More)
I just released a new interview with UFC star Alan Belcher who has had some of the most exciting, edge-of-your-seat fights in the UFC. In our chat Alan shares lessons learned from 26 MMA fights including… The details of cutting major amounts of weight before an MMA fight His mindset while fighting Rousimar Palhares, one of the dirtiest and scariest fighter in MMA Lifting … [Read more...]
2 Easy Guard Passing Strategies
Here's a brand new video I just shot... It covers two quick tweaks that'll make your guard passing game a LOT more powerful, both when you're sparring in class, and also when you're fighting in competition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sT533p1VHc Passing the guard of a good player is one of the hardest things to do in BJJ. But here are two strategies to help you... Guard … [Read more...]
Blood, Sweat and… Sparta!!!
This may sound a bit weird coming from a guy who runs a grappling site, but I want you to ask yourself a question: why on earth are you spending hours and hours rolling around on the ground with men wearing spandex and/or pajamas? Really… I mean it’s not the easiest of activities. And it’s sweaty and sometimes it’s even painful… Obviously there are self defense benefits to training, but if … [Read more...]
Training BJJ, Kicked out of Karate, Meeting Rick Flair, and the Movie ‘Logan’ with Masters World Champion James ‘300’ Foster
I think you'll like this Grapplearts Radio Podcast episode! In it I talk to 280 lb BJJ Masters World Champion James '300' Foster who was fresh back from a pre Pan-Ams California training trip. Some of the things we talk about include... Getting kicked our of Karate after starting BJJ, The process of finding the correct mix of training that works best for you, Cutting … [Read more...]
The Key to Getting Better and Tougher
BJJ makes you tougher because it’s a difficult activity that challenges you physically, mentally and emotionally. At first, when you’re getting slaughtered by a 2 stripe white belt, escaping from mount seems impossible. Yet a few years later, fighting your way out of the bottom of mount, passing the guard, and finishing with an armbar is just another day at the office. Over time … [Read more...]
The Training and Competition Strategies of Bernardo Faria
Bernardo Faria is a 5 x BJJ World Champion (and a good friend) so I was very excited to sit down with him and have an in-depth conversation about his competition, training and conditioning routine. The full transcript, audio and video are below on this page, but here's a quick preview of some of the things talked about: Exactly what a world champion's day to day training regimen … [Read more...]
Overtraining in the Martial Arts
How to Avoid Bringing Your Martial Arts Training to a Screeching Halt... Overtraining is a major problem for the serious martial artist, and especially for competitors who have to balance technical training sessions with sparring and additional conditioning, often in the course of a single day. All this hard training can result in the body breaking down faster than it can repair itself, which … [Read more...]
The Miyao Brothers’ 5 Step BJJ Competition Strategy
by Jeff Meszaros Every now and then, someone comes along who takes a sport by storm and revolutionizes the game by playing it differently... The Gracies famously changed the world of martial arts by showing the importance of ground work. Wayne Gretzky changed hockey with his "go around the net" trick. Mike Tyson dominated boxing by using a "peekaboo" style that hadn't been used like that … [Read more...]
A Strategy for Getting 15 Points in a BJJ Tournament Fast
The ultimate goal of BJJ competition is to tap your opponent out, not to win by points. That being said, the point system is still a very important part of the game and you have to understand how to use it! Here's why... First of all, the point system in BJJ tournaments generally reflects what would work in a real fight. For example, its better to be on top than on bottom in a fight, … [Read more...]
How To Find the High Percentage BJJ Techniques You Can Rely On
As a young martial artist I once debated whether a certain Kung Fu striking technique could actually work in a real fight. To prove my point I mentioned that a bouncer I knew had successfully used that technique on a drunk in the bar the other night. The guy I was arguing with shut me down with a devastatingly simple rebuttal, “Yeah Stephan, that doesn't prove anything, because ANYTHING will … [Read more...]
BJJ Competition Mindset Tips
Here's a video that I shot with Rob Biernacki and one of his visiting students in response to a question I'd received from an email newsletter subscriber about competing at your very best in BJJ tournaments. You can watch the video below or scroll down to see the main points that we covered... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0HTOI9qKkk I get a lot of questions asking for tips, tricks and … [Read more...]
Getting in Shape for a BJJ Tournament, FAST!
So I got this letter from a reader asking about how to get into shape for a BJJ tournament as fast as possible... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Stephan, I've just read your article on Tapering and Peaking for MMA and BJJ Competition and found it to be very informative and I have a question that relates to the topic. I have a grappling … [Read more...]
Should You Compete in BJJ Tournaments?
I often get asked whether competition is essential to BJJ, and if you need to have competed to get promoted to black belt. (If you prefer to watch or listen to me talk about this this topic then just scroll to the bottom of this blog post and look for the video called "Do you need to compete to get your black belt"). The quick answers are: no, you don't necessarily need to compete. And no, … [Read more...]
Kurt Osiander Interview – the Barbarian of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
I've just released the latest podcast (episode 35), featuring an interview with Mr Kurt Osiander. Kurt is an old-school BJJ black belt under Ralph Gracie. He's known for his no BS communication style, his informative Youtube instructional videos, and his swearing (this interview is definitely not for the ears of little children or the overly sensitive). The topics we cover include... … [Read more...]
Passing the Guard like Leandro Lo
If you’re passing the guard then the very first thing you need to worry about is avoiding getting swept or submitted. After all, it’s pretty hard to use your killer guard passing techniques if your opponent hits a sweep on you and takes you to the bottom right away… That’s why in our recent instructional on passing the guard the first thing Rob Biernacki and I teach is how NOT to get swept or … [Read more...]
10 Habits of Successful BJJ Competitors
by Jeff Meszaros, photo copyright James Sizemore For people who want to win at grappling tournaments, there's a ton of material available regarding what to do once a match has begun. But what should someone do on tournament day before their fights begin? What do the top BJJ players do to help themselves to perform at their very best? Here are a few ideas to consider... Have a "Competition … [Read more...]