Devolution Of My Game

So lately one of my purple belt training partners has been telling me that my game just keeps devolving. He is not saying that it's getting worse, just saying that I'm starting to resort to things that aren't considered real techniques. For example, it's common to place a forearm on the neck to pin your opponent, try and improve position, etc... I use it and attempt to get a tap from it or put as much pressure as I can to force my opponent to move otherwise he/she would HAVE to tap. I have always done uncomfortable things to my training partners to try and see what works and doesn't work in terms of setups. Just like in wrestling, setups are so important to the success of a technique. So while some of my training partners think I'm just being a jerk by doing things like putting the point of my elbow on their face, I'm actually using that to create an opportunity to attack.

It's funny, one of my friends went to a seminar with Marcelo Garcia a couple years ago and said that Marcelo was one of the roughest guys he has ever rolled against. That not only was he technically amazing (my friend at the time was a 1 or 2 stripe black belt, no slouch), but also he would do things that just hurt in order to improve his position, attack for submissions, etc... He was very astute on elbow on face, forearm in the throat, even a thumb in the armpit. He would use one of these various "dirty" techniques and within a second he would have a submission locked up. I believe there is a tremendous amount of untapped value in "dirty techniques" like this and it is only a matter of time before more people figure out the potential it carries.

I used to do all sorts of "mean" or "dirty" moves when I wrestled, and it wasn't until I had a buddy of mine do a seminar for my BJJ club at school where I began to see that there were a myriad of other "dirty" moves I could do and see how applicable they are for BJJ as well. David Jacobs showed that a little elbow to the ribs was a fantastic way of attacking a kimura. I loved it then, have used it in competition, and later found out that many people used that same move. People get so caught up on the idea of wanting to be extremely "technically sound", they want to mimic their "bjj heroes" and complain when they get tapped because their opponent did a "dirty" move like a chin to the temple to open their neck. I can guarantee that a lot of the top guys, multiple time world champs are guilty of using "dirty" moves regularly, it's just impossible to tell by watching a video, the art of these moves is about being subtle so the ref can't see what happened, do a move just hard enough, quick enough to accomplish your technical objective whether it's a pass, sweep, submission or whatnot.

Don't close your mind to things you possibly morally object to when it comes to training. I'm not the type of guy that's going to do knee on face to my training partners, I'm not that big of a jerk, but an extra tough forearm on the neck to get that pass is something I'm not opposed to. You need to at least expose yourself to this side of BJJ otherwise you are limiting your overall potential.

Technique is Alive

So I've been asked a few times why I don't do what most every other bjj blog does and post videos demonstrating technique. The simple answer is that by the time I finish a video, edit it, write an explanation, and post it online, I'll be doing the technique differently than what I demonstrated. BJJ remains stagnant when people are too stubborn to allow techniques to evolve. I believe that techniques are like living organisms, forever changing. The more you develop your game and understand when to use a technique the more ways you see to perform the technique and refine how you do it. There are very few if any techniques at all that I do the same way now as I did a year ago. If you are not doing things differently, then you are not evolving. If you hold onto every word that an instructor says and believe it to be written in stone, you inhibit your growth. So many schools that I have visited I have heard an instructor say "you must never do " when there are times when you can. I always tell my students about what works for me, I never try to use absolute words like "always" and "never" because there can be times that disprove the "always" or "never". Realize that your techniques are alive, the more attention you give to them the more you will cultivate them, refine them, and change them to make them more efficient. I'm not saying that a move will look different when you perform it, to somebody watching it might look like you didn't do anything differently, when in actuality, you found a new place to push off of, or a different angle of attack, something very subtle that makes vast improvements in the execution. Keep an open mind.

Don't Wait! Tournaments

So I was coaching some of my students this weekend and some things that need to be emphasized. When the referee stops the action and resets you, you have to be careful and be ready. First off, do not let the referee restart you with different grips than you had before. If you had a lapel grip and the referee tries to make you grab his sleeve, don't let him. Or if your opponent tries to get a grip he didn't have don't let him, do not engage until the proper grips are established. Get the grips you had, do not let the referee dictate. Second off, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, when the referee says "go" you need to GO. Don't wait like it's training at the school where you slap hands and just slowly go. When the referee says "go" you have a split second opportunity where your opponent may not be 100% ready for an explosive move, you need to take advantage of that. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a "controlled fight" and needs to be treated as such. If you want a good idea of what I mean, watch from NCAA wrestling videos, look how fast, hard, and explosive the wrestlers move when the referee blows the whistle (top and bottom position). That same mindset needs to be implemented in BJJ.

Keep An Open Mind

I have trained at so many places that I have heard it all (in a sense). A lot of instructors like to use absolutes, the most common one that people hear is "never cross your legs when doing an armbar." Statements like these are not only wrong but inhibit growth among students. I rarely tell my students that they should never do something. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is extremely open ended, people are constantly finding new ways to do things that shatter the old ideas. I encourage my students to continue to do techniques that they have success with (unless it could be detrimental to their development). Here is a list of techniques your instructor has probably told you to never or always do which you can actually go against the grain:

1. (stated earlier) Never cross your legs when doing an armbar - I found out it's almost always better to cross your legs doing an armbar.
2. Never try to sub your opponent from inside their closed guard - I was submitted from inside my closed guard when I was a purple belt by a black belt of my own size.
3. Never cross your ankles when you have somebody's back - It should be never cross your ankles low enough to get footlocked when you have somebody's back. I've been crossing my ankles a lot these days with a great amount of success.
4. Never have 1 arm in/1 arm out inside your opponent's guard - It can be seen as playing with fire, but if you have a lot of posture and really explode one of those legs over your body you can get away with that pass.
5. Always fight for the underhook when in half-guard for both top and bottom - There are quite a few ways to pass without the underhook that are highly successful, and there are also a lot of great sweeps you can do without the underhook, hell even with an overhook there are a lot of options.
6. Always break your opponent down when they are in your guard - I believe one of the most overlooked portions of a guard game is pushing your opponent away to off-balance them, to get back to your feet, or to even sweep.
7. Never fall to the side where the arm is over your shoulder when your opponent has taken your back - Not true, a lot of great competitors escape from that position. I know of one that is excellent and somewhat sneaky.


These are just a few to think about. Restricting your game just because somebody says so may not always be the best thing. Don't be afraid to be creative.

Break Some Bad Habits

When you first start rolling in BJJ, you quickly find moves that work against other novice guys like yourself and add them to your arsenal. While they may give you a sense of accomplishment, they are actual detrimental to your growth if you hold onto them and give them worth. Here are a few moves that should be removed from your library of moves if you wish to increase your rate of improvement.

#1. The run around. You learn the pass where your grab the pants of your opponent's at the knees then run around your opponent (it's what white belts and even some blue belts believe the Toreando pass to be). The only part you really remember is running around, sometimes you grab something, but the faster you run the more guards you pass. I see this all the time, even at the blue belt level. Unfortunately it's very effective against beginners, but advanced guys will easily follow and counter. Learn how to properly do the Toreando pass and remove the running out of your repertoire.

#2. The bench press escape. This is one that people who are strong and spend lots of time in the gym working their pecs have a lot of success with. It works great at lower levels because novices haven't developed the skills on where and how to put their weight down, or how to move against resistance. What it is is just a waste of energy. Trash it.

#3. On the knees dogfight. I see so many guys fighting so hard from the knees for position, both guys look like they want to be on top. The afterward, ask higher belts for techniques from the knees to get on top. That's just silly, you have to learn how to play guard. If you are DEADSET on working on top ask your training partner if you can work on your top game. Stop wasting time training in a deadlock on your knees.

#4. Submissions on top from inside the guard. I can't say there aren't submissions you can do, but in general they are low percentage, and new guys to the game are not going to be pulling them off. Going for key locks or collar chokes in your opponent's guard puts you in some very bad positions, when you get to purple or brown belt level, then you can start playing around with some.

#5. Tapping to exhaustion. Unless you're about to puke, don't tap from being tired. Roll until there's a tap, whether you get submitted or you submit your opponent. When you've got no gas left, all you have left to rely on is technique. When I used to teach a club class at my university, we would have days where we would roll until we all tapped out. I was the instructor, I had at least 2-3 years of experience on everybody, I would just roll and roll until I was dead tired and somebody was able to capitalize on that and catch me. Everybody gets submitted, get over it.

I hope you guys can take these few pieces of advice and break these awful habits and improve your game.

Best Gym Possible

Whether you're completely inexperienced or you're a seasoned veteran, when looking for a gym you should seek out the best gym possible. The first thing I look at is the instructor. I typically look for the highest ranking instructor in the area, reason being it's usually best to learn from somebody who is the most experienced. However, sometimes there are some very gifted instructors that may not have achieved the black belt level. I recommend trying each school out, especially since most schools offer at least a 1 day free class, sometimes a free week. See how the instructor teaches, see how the students in the class are. It's important to learn their demeanor, are they friendly, are they reserved, are they any good, etc... just some things to look for. For the most part, I've always felt welcome when visiting academies all over the US. People have been friendly, the instruction has been excellent, and the environment is great. Another thing to keep an eye out for is whether or not the said instructor of a school actually teaches there. More often than not, schools have senior students teach the white belts while the main instructor teaches the advanced. I find this situation very ideal in that the instructor doesn't burn himself out on teaching everybody, it also gives white belt students a goal to achieve the blue belt in order to be able to take the advanced class with the main instructor.

I have been to academies all over the US and can give anybody advice on places to train based on where I have visited, so if you are interested feel free to pm me and I will give you my input.

I currently live in Boston, MA and train at Florian Martial Arts Center. There are several great academies in the area, but my choice by far is FloMAC. I don't go to this academy simply because UFC fighter Kenny Florian is an instructor or that it's his academy, I go because his brother Keith Florian is the most gifted instructor I have ever come across. I have learned a mount escape from at least 20 other black belt instructors, some of which are world champions, ADCC champions, etc... and none of them have been as simple and effective as Keith's way of escaping. It's not only his attention to detail on how to perform a technique, it's also the efficiency and his way to convey how the technique is done. He make understanding a complex technique very easy. Not to discredit any other instructor I have had, especially if any read this blog, but it just is something to be said of how talented Keith is (Keith don't let your ego get too big). Aside from the instruction, the academy has accumulated some of the best people I know. It truly is like an extended family. So if you're in the Boston area and are looking to start BJJ, change academies, or are visiting I highly recommend coming by the academy to check it out.

Short BJJ Thoughts Outside of Class

From the casual practitioner to the seasoned veteran competitor, thinking about BJJ should not stop when you leave the academy. Mental practice is extremely beneficial and important for the development in your jiu-jitsu. Nobody goes to train for the sake of just training, everybody trains to get better in some aspect of their life, whether it be for physical health, confidence, self-defense, etc... It's important that the light bulb does not turn off when you leave the school. BJJ for me is many things, one important aspect for me is, if I'm stressed about my day to day life and I need to keep my mind occupied by something else, I just need to think about a position or technique I need work and right away my stresses begin to dissipate. It's a helpful technique, try it out.

I know I've touched on this before, but it seems to tie in here as well. It's the focus about getting belts over learning solid technique. I have seen a trend where people get so focused on obtaining belts that improving technique is no longer an important goal, the belt is. Thinking about the technique when you leave class rather than the belt will allow you to reach that promotion more quickly than worrying about the color of your belt. At the end of the day, the time you put in on the mat AND outside the academy will get you to obtain your goals.

My wrestling coach from high school always said "If you stay, you will be a champion" and I believe that is true for at least my academy and for many others. If you stick around long enough, put in the time and effort, things will pay off. I'm not saying that you will one day be a black belt mundial champion, but you will obtain benefits far beyond what you believed was possible, and that's the "championship" you will obtain.