BJJ Fundamentals:  8 week intro program is wrapping up in March.  We’ll be kicking off a new 8 week intro program for Muay Thai Kickboxing beginning on March 5th.  Reserve your spot now if you’re interested and if you’ve never trained with us before. The 8 week session is only $49!

If you train BJJ, then you will likely suffer from injury somewhere along your journey.  Due to the stress placed on the joints these areas can easily become injured through routine training and dealing with injury can be very frustrating as it usually means time away from the mats.  However, if you employ the right strategies it is possible to get some training accomplished even if you aren’t operating at 100%.

First, if you are unsure of the severity of the injury then you must see a doctor. It is always better to be informed about the source of your distress then to simply just hope to gut through it. Second, whatever the doctor says….LISTEN. If he tells you to take 2 weeks off to let something heal. Do it.  But what about after 2 weeks?  What if you still don’t feel like you can handle hard training even after you’ve taken some time off?  Here are some strategies that might help you stay connected with BJJ during these troubling times.

One tip is to simply skip the sparring. This may sound obvious but I have seen many grapplers continue to train, and train hard, regardless of the fact that they have an injury.  This will only serve to make the injury worse.  If you feel like you can train but only if it is highly controlled, then stick to drilling.  There is nothing wrong with working through some movements in a slow and controlled fashion in order to stay on the mats.  In truth, the additional repetitions of a technique, setup, or movement will only help to improve your game.   Also, make sure to choose movements that allow you to favor the injured area.  For example, if you have an ankle injury then it may be time to invest in some closed guard drills and time to skip the takedown drills.

Sometimes injuries will force you to discover new ways of accomplishing your movements or in finding new movements within an existing position.  For example, the half guard game developed by “Gordo” was developed while he suffered from a knee injury which made him unable to play the more popular closed guard game of his day.  At other times, the injuries you suffer may simply allow you to better challenge yourself.  An example of this kind of situation would be an elbow injury. If the injury is mild enough to allow you to spar, then tuck the injured arm into your belt and train with only 1 arm available for use.  If you do spar like this then be sure to mention to your training partners that you are injured and slow the pace way down.

If you have noticed that your fingers are aching due to gripping, then you may choose to drill/spar without using grips.  In this situation it would be smart to use no gi controls like underhooks and whizzers regardless of whether or not you’re in a gi class or no gi class.  Also, if you are facing this kind of difficulty in gripping try to focus more on armlocks, omoplatas, and triangles instead of lapel chokes. Another strategy for sore digits is to tape proactively.  If you have a history of finger injuries then proactively taping your fingers, even during times of health, will go a long way towards helping to stave off future injury.

One last tip is to continue to tape and/or use wraps or braces well beyond the point of the injured area feeling better. Quite often the injury will heal to the point that you no longer notice it throughout the day and you feel like you can return to the mats to train like you used to.  This time you leave the brace at home and head out to spar unprotected.  Then once you’re out there you twist in just the right way or put just the right pressure on that area and BOOM…..you’re injured again.  Now you have to take more time off to heal and you also run the risk of an acute injury becoming chronic. Continue to give the area some extra support even after it feels better and you will have an easier time transitioning back to hard training without running the risk of injuring that area again.

During 2011 I suffered a sprained knee while training.  There was some concern of a tear having occurred so off to the specialist I went.  Unfortunately it was hard to tell exactly how extensive the damage was so we decided to give it a bit of time to see if it got better.  As I could not bend my leg at all I had to lay off of training for a couple of weeks.  However, after that time interval passed I noticed that some of the flexibility returned.  This was enough to get a diagnosis of a sprain and not a tear, but not enough to get back on the mat.  Finally after 4 weeks or so went by I was going stir crazy and desperately wanted to train.  However, I couldn’t put any pressure on my leg at all as my knee felt horribly unstable. I finally decided that I would go train but that I would stick with drilling.  All I could do was lay on my back in closed guard (with the injured leg was on top) and do lapel chokes.  As long as I didn’t move to much and put a lot of pressure on my knee then I could get away with drilling 2 positions.  So, for the next 2-3 weeks my entire world of BJJ was reduced to those 2 positions.  With the instructor’s permission I went to class after the warm-up and drilled with the class until sparring began.  In time I found that my knee was getting better and that I could expand my drilling to positions such as the spider guard or half guard.  Little by little I was able to do more.  I then began to spar again but I only allowed myself to work off my back so that I would not be tempted to be up on the hurt knee.  Once my knee felt stable I began to play takedowns and pass the guard again.  By working very carefully and respecting my limitations I was still able to log some time in on the mat.

As always, you must respect what your body tells you. Do not push yourself too hard when you are injured.  Listen to your body and look for alternative ways of training so that you can protect the injured area.  This may help to keep you from having long absences on the mat while still allowing you
to heal in the event of injury.

Russ Helm is a Brown Belt and Competition Instructor at Revolution BJJ

Aaron with Richmond BJJ head instructor Eric Burdo

Aaron Lapointe, Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt

Recently I wrote an article titled “Overcoming your Limitations with Jiu-Jitsu.” In that article I discussed how it’s possible to succeed in jiu-jitsu despite having a physical disability, in my case one functioning arm. In this two-part article, I’ll talk specifically about the techniques, concepts, and strategies I’ve found to be most effective for me during my 16 years of training. Part 1 will focus on fundamentals, guard work, and sweeps, while Part 2 will focus on takedowns, submissions, and immobilizations. Fortunately, you don’t need to have an arm, shoulder, or wrist injury to get something out of these write-ups. In fact, much of what I’ll be talking about is probably similar to things that you’re already doing. Keep in mind that I don’t claim to know the best way to do something with one arm, nor do I believe that the moves I have incorporated into my game are the only feasible options. They are simply the product of my own personal experiences and training. Find another BJJ practitioner who can only use one arm and he or she will inevitably have a game that is different than mine. That’s the beauty of jiu-jitsu. One size rarely, if ever, fits all.

Fundamentals

As you can probably imagine, fundaments are imperative when you roll with one arm. Without a doubt the most important aspect of my game is lateral hip movement. Those hip escapes, shrimping, and snake movements you learned the first day of class are the crux of my jiu-jitsu.  Not only do these movements help keep people’s weight off of you, but they open the door for escapes, sweeps, and submissions. Sometimes a hip movement as small as an inch or two is all you need. Other times you want to create as much space as possible. Because it’s difficult, if not impossible, to have an effective guard without having skillful hip movement, I’ve made a conscious effort to practice my hip escapes almost every training session for as long as I can remember.

Guard work

You’ll quickly notice that in order to have a good guard with one arm you need to involve your legs and feet more than you’re probably accustomed to. Because my feet are so active, I rarely spend much time in the traditional closed guard with my ankles crossed unless I am trying to rest or slow down my opponent. Instead, I prefer to keep my guard open so I can use my hooks (i.e., insteps), heels, and knees to create space, prevent the person from passing my guard, and set up my sweeps and submissions. Against heavier people I often play an open guard with one foot on the hip of the arm I’m controlling and the other foot on the shoulder or bicep of that person’s free arm.  Not only does a foot on the hip prevent your partner from smashing you with his or her weight, but it creates ample space for you to stand up or get to your knees if necessary. Oftentimes, a person will try and close the gap you’ve created, and when he or she does, you can use that forward momentum to your advantage to sweep or submit. Another benefit of having a foot on the hip is that it makes it easier for you to move your own hips, similar as to how you use the ground to push off of when you lift your hips up or perform a shrimping motion.

Sweeps

The three sweeps I’ve had the most success with over the years are the scissor sweep, push-pull sweep, and elevator hook sweep. At the 2003 Gracie Nationals I used the first two sweeps to beat an opponent who outweighed me by close to100 pounds. When executing the scissor sweep I like to control my partner’s sleeve or elbow and position my right knee diagonally across my partner’s chest. Not only does the knee help keep my partner’s weight off of me, but it is perfectly positioned for the scissor sweep should I chose to use it. The moment I feel my partner is slightly off base I give the arm a quick jerk, drop the knee slightly, and scissor my legs.

I really like the push-pull sweep, sometimes called the tripod sweep, because it works very well against a much heavier opponent. Unlike some sweeps, the effectiveness of the push-pull sweep is much more dependent on the person’s base, or lack of base, than his or her weight. When somebody stands up in my guard I often look to place my left foot on the hip and grab the same side ankle. Being able to move your head and hips to the side is an important detail here since the ankle is not always within reach if you stay facing your partner. Once I’ve secured the ankle I start to push on my partner’s hip so he or she steps back with the other leg. When my partner steps back, I square up my hips, shrimp forward, and hook behind my partner’s knee with my right instep. If necessary, I give the hip an extra jolt. Since this is a backward sweep, I like to have my partner moving backward before inserting the hook so I can take advantage of his or her momentum.

For my elevator hook sweep, I generally control my partner’s right arm and sweep to my left, sometimes pulling my partner on top of me before falling to my side. Occasionally, I start to elevate my partner with my hook before I’ve controlled the arm. Not surprisingly, this is a great sweep to use when your partner moves forward recklessly and does not have a good base.

Another sweep that I use quite frequently is the omoplata sweep. You can see me demonstrate the setups to this sweep in the following video clip.

This concludes Part 1 of this article. Stay tuned for Part 2 where I talk about my favorite one-armed takedowns, submissions, and immobilizations.

A quote often attributed to Roger Gracie, easily one of the most accomplished no-gi grapplers in the world, goes something like this:  ”I train in the gi all the time, then take it off right before competing in Abu Dhabi.  And then I win.”    (Okay, Roger left off the “I win” part.)  Clearly, many of the best in the world believe the gi provides quality training tools for no-gi competition.

But what is it about training in the gi that can help your no-gi game?  If your goal is to become great at chess, why spend so much of your time learning to play Scrabble?

1.  You have to slow down when you roll in the gi.
Why is slowing down a good thing?  Simple:  you see the transitions much, much better.  You are quickly made aware of exactly what your opponent is doing to you, for better or worse.  Imagine trying to learn to drive a car at 120 miles per hour!  Instead, we (human beings) tend to learn things by going through them slowly at first, gradually picking up speed as we go along.  The gi helps us slow everything down to a point where we can more easily figure out what to do.

2.  Training in the gi keeps you honest.
Escaping from submissions is much harder in the gi.  Quite often, positional escapes are a lot more difficult as well- your opponent has material to grab onto, preventing you from slipping out of various holds.  If you’re an athlete, this is the most important reason to train in the gi.  You may well be able to slip out of triangles at your gym, but the time will come when you face an opponent with an excellent triangle who will finish you with it, especially if you only train escapes based on slipping away.  A great finisher will allow you no space to escape, so you have to rely on recognizing the patterns, not exploding out of things.

3.  The gi presents you with even more unique challenges, keeping your training fresh and interesting.  
Getting burned out on no-gi training?  Try putting the gi on for a few weeks.  If you don’t think training in the gi is fun, then you can disagree with this point, but you have to concede that there are a lot of techniques that are added when you put the gi on.  Explore them and exercise your grappling brain.

Whether or not you enjoy training in the gi, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.  The overwhelming majority of ADCC medalists every single year are BJJ practitioners who have spent considerable time in the gi.  Most of the elite grapplers in MMA also train in the gi on a regular basis, or have extensive training in the past.  Take the time to fully develop your gi game, and you will be amazed at how it helps your no-gi game.

There’s a lot to be said for being stubborn at the right time.  There is definitely a time to impose your will in jiu jitsu, to fight to stay on top, to struggle against what your opponent wants.  However, one of the most important lessons in your jiu jitsu journey is knowing when the battle is lost, conceding the loss, and moving on so that you can win the war.

A very common example of this is the aforementioned sweep scenario.  You’re on top, looking to pass the guard.  Your partner has some pretty solid grips, and you are keeping your balance pretty well.  Then it hits you:  you are off balance.  There’s a really good chance you’re going to be swept here.

In this moment, you have a decision to make.  The moment will seem like a split second at first, but after you develop this skill, it will seem like far longer.  The decision is, essentially:  do I fight to try and stay on top, or do I realize that my desire to remain on top is futile at this moment, and start working to recover my guard as I’m swept?

The benefit of fighting to stay on top is obvious:  you don’t want to be swept.  Being on top is terrific!  You can exert excellent pressure on your opponent, making him or her more tired than you are as a result.  However, when you are losing this battle, there is a tremendous opportunity in the transition to recover a preferred type of guard, perhaps returning the favor with a sweep of your own, or even managing to set up a submission in the scramble.  At the very least, you will have the golden opportunity to recover your guard while your partner is expending all of his or her mental and physical energy in simply coming up on top.

Another very common example of this, apparent to any white belt in BJJ who has been training for more than a few weeks, is the cross choke you’re going for from side control.  As your opponent recovers to guard, you have to concede that you have lost this small battle.  What if you don’t?  Well, you had better learn to enjoy tapping to armlocks, if that’s the case.

I’ll give you one more example:  suppose you’re fighting as hard as you can to maintain the person in your guard, but your opponent is working technically and diligently to pass.  At a point, it becomes evident that he will pull his foot free and finish the pass into side control.  You have a simple choice:  will you continue to clamp down on his foot with all your might, or will you start to work your defensive posture in order to start defending from side control, and (ultimately) work to escape?

What separates a great jiu jtisu practitioner from an average one isn’t necessarily a lot of great moves, but it definitely is an excellent understanding of these types of transitions.  Conceding the loss and moving on to the next position before your opponent is able to capitalize on your stubbornness is the very first type of transitional movement you can hope to learn in BJJ.  Learn when to appropriately salvage a lost position, and you will start learning how to add transitions to your arsenal.

Besides that, just because you’re bigger, sometimes way bigger, doesn’t mean you can be effective.  I assure you there are lots of folks at this gym that give me problems and the occasionally butt whipping even though I have 80 pounds or more on them.  I guess being “the big guy” is unavoidable most days so I try to be the most technical big guy I can.

This presents a couple of challenges.  First, there are some positions that I don’t train that often because, well, I don’t want to hurt anyone.  I’m not going to go to knee on belly with my training partner unless he’s about the same size as me or I know I present no real threat due to their ability to escape (thanks Vince!)  Second, I’m always second guessing myself when I do get a position, finish a submission, or escape.  “Did I get that because I’m bigger and stronger or did I get that because I executed great technique?”  Both of these things really matter to me.  When I do encounter a training partner or opponent that is my size I want to be confident that I’ve worked on my technique and strategy to a degree that the size becomes irrelevant.

The way I’ve dealt with this in my training is to really try and play a “little man’s game”.  I like to pull guard, play half guard, play with leg locks, and catch people with sneaky submissions that rely on technique.  That helps me focus more on my technique.  Of course, there are always times when I’ll get frustrated or even scared and use my size as an advantage, but I honestly try and keep that to a minimum.  I’m sure I do it more than I think.  Ultimately, though, I’m still learning and whether or not I got a technique because of size or efficacy I’m helping my training partner get better too.

For the record, when someone says, “you are so heavy or strong or big,” it’s not a compliment, just an oberservation of phyisics.  Hah!

—————————————

Mark Pushinksy is a purple belt at Revolution BJJ, a business owner, and a father of two.

The same thing happens in jiu jitsu: you tend to make broad generalizations about similar situations, and that helps you recognize patterns.  One simple example of this is when you first start training jiu jitsu, you will typically tend to try and memorize things you’re not supposed to do in certain situations.  Quite frequently, this is called posture.  One obvious example is that you don’t normally ever want to try to go for an Americana while inside the other person’s guard, especially their closed guard.  Another might be that you don’t ever want to have your hands on the mat.  Both of these are pretty specific in nature- things not to do while rolling- but if you are able to lump them together into a broader category of what to do- hands go in a specific region of the person’s torso while in the guard, elbows stay in- you can start to make progress toward a deeper understanding of the underlying principle of the position, not just memorization.

It will eventually click (if you keep doing BJJ for long enough) that you have to keep your elbows in close to your body (generally speaking) whenever you are in a dangerous position.

An even broader example of this might be the simple but elusive concept of base.  Taking away a person’s base allows you to sweep them easily, but at first, you must learn a specific set of sweeps that work.  Just as you have to learn the rules of any game you play by first examining the way specific actions happen (moves in chess, plays in a team sport, or techniques in BJJ), you must first learn a select handful of specific sweeps.  If you sit up into your partner and find them to be leaning backward, you can execute an easy hip sweep (hip bump sweep, as it is sometimes called).  If they defend that, you might find that a Kimura (shoulder lock) from that position makes more sense because they’re forced to base.  If they drive back into you from there, you might find that a guillotine choke works best.    All three of these positions are from “armpit on shoulder” position from closed guard, and there are hundreds of other positions like this, from which there are multiple high percentage attacks.

In every one of these techniques lies a fundamental concept you can discover.  If you start thinking deeply about it now, you might make these discoveries sooner rather than later.

However, jiu jitsu offers a great deal more than just flowing through complicated, advanced techniques.  Rolling with new guys on a regular basis is incredibly important to you.  Here’s why:

1.  Practicing the basics
This is an often-overlooked aspect of training- not simply because more advanced guys don’t think they need to work on their fundamentals, but rather because the brand new guy offers something the more advanced practitioner doesn’t:  the true beginner’s reaction.  When I roll with blue, purple, brown, and black belts, I enjoy playing all kinds of open guard, using intricate passing combinations, and chaining together submissions in order to try to finish the match.  However, with brand new guys, I get the opportunity to practice fundamental guillotine chokes, hip bump sweeps, and basic rear naked chokes on a regular basis.

2.  Unexpected reactions
Rolling with a new guy (or girl) is like a box of chocolates.  You really have no clue what kind of reaction you’re going to get when you try a technique.  Watching how beginners deal with your attacks can actually give you some great ideas as to how to adjust your game accordingly.  Ask yourself:  what did that guy do that frustrated me?  Why did it frustrate me?  Most importantly, how can I integrate this into my own game?

3.  Controlling the spazz factor
This might be my favorite thing about working with the jiu jitsu novice.  My style is a creeping, slow one that involves relatively little risk for injury for both me and my partner.  When you are faced with a brand new beginner, protecting yourself and them has to be paramount when you roll.  Learning to take care of your partner is extremely valuable in both the short and long term, and so is learning to slow down the spazz.  This attribute becomes reflexive after enough work with beginners.  When a blue belt suddenly flips out because you have caught him in a submission he hasn’t seen before, instead of injuring, you will have the familiarity with the position and be able to control the spazz factor.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has changed my life immeasurably over the last 15 years or so.  My story will sound familiar to anyone else who has been training for more than a year or two, and it is my hope with sharing this story that many will understand that the philosophy applies not only on the mats, but also in real life.

It took a while for me to learn the lessons and actually apply them with life.  Like most young adults (early 20s), I was pretty angry a lot of the time.  I was passionate about social issues, politics, personal interactions with my friends, and just about anything else that presented itself to me.  I shook my fist at the establishment, wrote songs about how angry I was, and envisioned things changing one day, without any kind of concrete idea of how to make it happen- just a lot of angst.

When I started jiu jitsu, I gradually began to see things in a new light.  There were certain things that, no matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t going to change in the immediate future.  One example is the rather childish approach I took to owing money to the city for parking tickets.  I viewed the city’s overly aggressive approach to ticketing ignorant citizens like myself as wrong, and I refused to pay tickets.  Well, guess what?  I ended up owing a lot more money and going through a lot more angst because of my attitude.

Before I go any further, I need to make a disclaimer here.  I’m not suggesting that wanting to enact change is a bad thing, or childish, or foolish.  It’s not.  What’s immature – futile, even- is the attitude that you’re not going to go with the flow when faced with insurmountable obstacles.

As I grew older, I was frequently faced with analogous examples in my personal and professional life where rolling with the punches (another term that aptly describes the BJJ philosophy, although I’m borrowing it from boxing here) would help me get through some tough times. The ability to shrug your shoulders and move forward when faced with a huge, unexpected bill, for example, is incalculably valuable. When a loved one betrays you, moving forward with life is made possible in many ways by realizing that life will move on with or without that person. Going with the flow lets you get on with your life, and even benefit from tough times in the long run. Retrospect is a powerful tool.

Bedroom ceiling

The best personal example that comes to mind is from about 2007 when I was living in a house that I loved.  The place was perfect for me at the time- spacious, historic (I love older houses), and close enough to everything in the city so that I could walk to a few places if I chose.  I had been at this house for about three years when a new owner purchased the place (I was renting).  Six uneventful months went by before the roof began to leak.  I reached out to the landlord on several occasions, and he said he would fix it, but (long story short) I got the runaround from him.  Things got bad enough so that it was essentially raining inside my house.  I eventually went to court, put my rent in escrow, and got it all back before moving out.  That rent money became part of a down payment on a house I would buy the following year.

Instead of bearing futile anger at the situation, I essentially allowed things to take their course.  Looking back, it was relatively easy to get my rent money back because I was patient, and I took the appropriate legal channels to accomplish what I needed.

The more time I spent on the mats, the better I understood that I had to get out of the way of certain things, both in life and on the mats.  The better I got at jiu jitsu, the better I understood that life’s waves are made to be ridden, not faced head on.  Enjoy your time on the mats, and take the lessons home with you.  It will make your life more enjoyable and productive.

Oh- and if you don’t understand the article’s title, please immediately watch the following video when you have an hour and a half to kill:

Aaron with his first BJJ teacher Julio "Foca" Fernandez

Author:  Aaron Lapointe, Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt

One of the best things about jiu-jitsu is that it can work for almost anyone as long as you put in the time and effort and make the proper adjustments. I’ll use myself as an example. Even though my right arm is fully paralyzed, I was still able to achieve my black belt in jiu-jitsu and compete in some of the world’s most prestigious tournaments. Sure I was fortunate to have learned from some of the biggest legends in the sport; I will talk about them in a separate write-up. Even so, a large part of my success was directly related to the fundamentals of jiu-jitsu and the inherent ability we all have to overcome physical and emotional roadblocks.

Sometimes an apparent limitation is a blessing in disguise because it pushes you to find the simplest and most efficient way of doing something. Whereas some people might perform a technique by following steps 1 through 5, someone who is unable to do steps 3 and 4 might discover that the same end result can be achieved in fewer or alternative movements.  Because the margin for error is much smaller when you have a disability, your movements need to be timely and precise. In addition, a significant limitation in one area can help promote a major strength in another. Because I was unable to use my right arm to stop people from passing my guard, I developed excellent hip movement, a strong grip, and proficient use of my hooks. I also had to develop a strong base and keen sense of balance so I would not be easily swept to my right. Most importantly, I acquired an advanced understanding of the basic principles that make jiu-jitsu work. For example, sweeps work because you disrupt a person’s base and prevent him or her from reestablishing it, not because you put your foot in a certain position or grab the collar in a specific way.

Aaron competing against Bibiano Fernandes at the 2004 Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Some people think my jiu-jitsu would be even better if I could use both arms. I’m not so sure about that. In fact I kind of doubt it. The only thing I do know is that my jiu-jitsu would be different, and most likely those areas that are essential to my game (e.g., hip movement) would be much less developed. Not only did my disability help shape my jiu-jitsu, but it also motivated me to train hard and establish a “never say die” attitude. Unfortunately, this drive and attitude was not always a good thing since the playful side of jiu-jitsu sometimes escaped me. Nowadays I train jiu-jitsu because it’s fun, not because I feel the need to prove myself on the mat.
If you train jiu-jitsu long enough you’re bound to roll with someone who has a physical disability. Heck, we all have physical limitations of one kind or another. Some are just more obvious than others. Regardless of what that limitation is, I offer these words of advice. Help that person work around his or her disability, but don’t feel the need to try and simulate it when you spar. If your partner only has one arm you don’t need to roll with one arm tucked in your belt. If your partner is blind you don’t need to roll with your eyes closed. If you outweigh your partner by 75 pounds, you don’t need to jump in the sauna. You get my point. Hopefully, many of you out there already adjust your games accordingly depending on who you are rolling with. Generally speaking, you don’t spar the same way with everyone, and if you do you may want to reconsider that strategy. If your partner has a physical limitation, refrain from making any special accommodations without asking first. Don’t worry, that person will be just fine. Jiu-jitsu will make sure of it!

Anyone with questions or comments for Aaron can reach him at aaronlapoi@yahoo.com.