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**Zankou** · 05-09-2008, 09:18 PM

13. What grappling skill level am I?

Imagine you had an unlicensed health worker who treated farmers in the fields for years. If he went to "the civilized world," would he immediately be given a medical degree, even if he knew more about first aid than those who had been out of med school a year? Probably not. If he went to school and studied, he might learn quicker, because of his experience, but he might also have to unlearn bad habits.

The point of the story? Grappling's the same. Each grappling art has its own philosophy and even if you are a good grappler, it doesn't mean you are automatically "such and such" belt at BJJ or judo. Typically, to get a ranking in a grappling art, you have to attend that school and learn their philosophies and techniques before you can say that you are at a particular level in that style of grappling.

14. How do I get out of side control?

A video is worth a billion words.

YouTube - BJJ: Sidemount Escapes

If you don't like videos, however, here are (nearly) a billion words:

This is possibly the most common question asked by new grapplers. The first thing to understand is that it is very hard to escape side control, and even experienced grapplers may have difficulty escaping against a skilled opponent. You are not likely to escape from an opponent who has more skill than you and/or is physically superior to you. The best way to escape is not to get caught in side control in the first place --- and that means developing a strong guard, which will take considerable time.

If your guard is passed, however, you need to do the following:

[1] Get on your side, facing your opponent. You do not want to be flat on your back.
[2] You must win the grip battle, and position your arms correctly. Best is if you can obtain an underhook with your far arm, and using your near hand as a "paw" to keep his other arm from hooking under your head or extending your near arm. Keep your elbows tight on your chest, acting as a barrier between you opponent and yourself.
[3] Do NOT allow your opponent to do one of three things: (a) underhook your far arm; (b) hook an arm under your head; (c) pull/push up on your near arm so that your near elbow is no longer serving as a barrier between your body and your opponent's body. If your opponent does any of these, you are basically screwed. If you are serious about escaping side control, you cannot let any of these happen, or your escapes are not likely to work.
[4] If you cannot get the underhook, then you will want to keep both of your arms folded on your chest, but placing the last third of your forearm, including the elbow, in (a) the armpit and (b) the hip of your opponent, so that both of your opponents arms are on the other side of your body, and your elbows are pressed up against his flank by your head. This is sometimes called "pin prevention posture." In order to get your far arm past your opponent's arms and under his armpit, try pushing on his elbow, as though you were trying to push him over you.

These first steps are CRUCIAL, and often not taught to beginners. If you lose the battle for positioning at the start, you are going to fail in your escape attempts.

[5] BRIDGE! Okay --- so your arms are in position. You are ready to escape. The first thing you must do is MAKE SPACE FOR YOUR HIPS. You do this by explosively bridging into your opponent. Make sure to bridge over one shoulder, towards your opponent, not straight up.
[6] Now SHRIMP your hips as far away as possible, rotating on your shoulder, using your arms to keep your opponent in place while your hips drive away. Repeat if necessary.
[7] At this point you will have your hands against your opponent, be on your side, and your hips will be far away. You have two choices here: Go to your knees or pull your near knee across his stomach, straighten out, and reestablish your guard. Work between them. If you insist on just doing one, you will not likely get it. Take what you can get.

That's it. Now, there are two additional "sweep" escapes that you can add after you master the basic shrimp escape dynamic --- sweeping your opponent over you (block his arm, grab a leg, and send him right over you), or driving into your opponent and flipping him over ("swim" your far arm into him as you switch base and drive). Both of these escapes require good timing, and for your opponent to be unbalanced. Even more important, both of these escapes require that your opponent be NEARLY PARALLEL to you, rather than perpendicular (as with normal side control). try to get your legs close to his legs, and distance your head/upper body, so that you are almost side by side. The "sweep" escapes will then become far easier. Usually these sweep escapes are good to do while your opponent is preoccupied with attacking (such as an Americana) or is busy trying to defeat a shrimping escape.

15. Should I train gi or no-gi?

Depends on the person and what you want to accomplish through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Opinion is split between three groups...the Gi-only group, the No-Gi only group, and (probably the largest) the train-both group.

No-gi only jiu jitsu proponents tend to focus on the fact that MMA and street-fighting do not involve the gi. They point out that if you want to compete in MMA, you are training to fight without a gi. They often argue that top wrestlers do not train with a gi on to improve their no-gi takedowns, and top greco-roman wrestlers do not train judo, so it makes no sense to train with a gi on as a means to improve your no-gi grappling.

Gi-only jiu jitsu proponents tend to argue that the most technical submission grapplers almost always favor training primarily in the gi. They argue that the gi forces you to be more technical and think through your actions, rather than using force and speed. In addition, they point out that the gi allows many more moves than no-gi, helps prevent transmission of skin diseases, and is more conducive to safe, slow rolling. Finally, they will note that almost any street fighting involves people who are clothed, rather than wearing MMA briefs, and will usually involve holding clothing.

What appears to be the largest opinion group at the moment, and which most top competitors themselves advocate, is that both gi and no-gi should be trained, regardless of what you are aiming for. This view usually advocates that gi should be trained at the beginning, to develop good habits and leverage. No-gi should also be trained, for self defense purposes, for fun, and in order to create a base for MMA. No-gi is often transitioned into after the student has trained in the gi enough to rely on technique more than force and speed, or is offered at a separate class time. Proponents of this view often point out that top no-gi competitors are usually also the top gi grapplers, and gained most of their experience with the gi on.

In truth, you should probably choose the school that is the best fit for you in terms of location, instruction quality, and overall "feel," rather than worrying about whether it is gi or no-gi. Most top BJJ instructors are highly adept at teaching both gi and no-gi.

16. What books can get me started on learning BJJ?

For BJJ: Saulo Ribeiro's "Encyclopedia of Jiu Jitsu" is probably the best general book. On specific topics, "The Guard," "Passing the Guard," and "Strategic Guard" by Ed Benneville are all excellent. So is Rodrigo Gracie's "The Path to Black Belt" and Kid Peligro's "Essential Guard."

17. What is the best video instructional for BJJ or nogi grappling?

For BJJ with a gi, Saulo Ribeiro's Revolution One is currently the best general BJJ instructional. For nogi grappling, Saulo Ribeiro's Freestyle Revolution set is probably the best general instructional. There are also many other fantastic instructionals on more specific grappling subjects and individual competitor styles ... use the search function.

18. I can't finish the triangle choke!

Pay attention:
YouTube - proper triangle choke

05-09-2008, 09:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
Zankou Cao Ni Ma Join Date: May 2004 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 16,174	13. What grappling skill level am I? Imagine you had an unlicensed health worker who treated farmers in the fields for years. If he went to "the civilized world," would he immediately be given a medical degree, even if he knew more about first aid than those who had been out of med school a year? Probably not. If he went to school and studied, he might learn quicker, because of his experience, but he might also have to unlearn bad habits. The point of the story? Grappling's the same. Each grappling art has its own philosophy and even if you are a good grappler, it doesn't mean you are automatically "such and such" belt at BJJ or judo. Typically, to get a ranking in a grappling art, you have to attend that school and learn their philosophies and techniques before you can say that you are at a particular level in that style of grappling. 14. How do I get out of side control? A video is worth a billion words. YouTube - BJJ: Sidemount Escapes If you don't like videos, however, here are (nearly) a billion words: This is possibly the most common question asked by new grapplers. The first thing to understand is that it is very hard to escape side control, and even experienced grapplers may have difficulty escaping against a skilled opponent. You are not likely to escape from an opponent who has more skill than you and/or is physically superior to you. The best way to escape is not to get caught in side control in the first place --- and that means developing a strong guard, which will take considerable time. If your guard is passed, however, you need to do the following: [1] Get on your side, facing your opponent. You do not want to be flat on your back. [2] You must win the grip battle, and position your arms correctly. Best is if you can obtain an underhook with your far arm, and using your near hand as a "paw" to keep his other arm from hooking under your head or extending your near arm. Keep your elbows tight on your chest, acting as a barrier between you opponent and yourself. [3] Do NOT allow your opponent to do one of three things: (a) underhook your far arm; (b) hook an arm under your head; (c) pull/push up on your near arm so that your near elbow is no longer serving as a barrier between your body and your opponent's body. If your opponent does any of these, you are basically screwed. If you are serious about escaping side control, you cannot let any of these happen, or your escapes are not likely to work. [4] If you cannot get the underhook, then you will want to keep both of your arms folded on your chest, but placing the last third of your forearm, including the elbow, in (a) the armpit and (b) the hip of your opponent, so that both of your opponents arms are on the other side of your body, and your elbows are pressed up against his flank by your head. This is sometimes called "pin prevention posture." In order to get your far arm past your opponent's arms and under his armpit, try pushing on his elbow, as though you were trying to push him over you. These first steps are CRUCIAL, and often not taught to beginners. If you lose the battle for positioning at the start, you are going to fail in your escape attempts. [5] BRIDGE! Okay --- so your arms are in position. You are ready to escape. The first thing you must do is MAKE SPACE FOR YOUR HIPS. You do this by explosively bridging into your opponent. Make sure to bridge over one shoulder, towards your opponent, not straight up. [6] Now SHRIMP your hips as far away as possible, rotating on your shoulder, using your arms to keep your opponent in place while your hips drive away. Repeat if necessary. [7] At this point you will have your hands against your opponent, be on your side, and your hips will be far away. You have two choices here: Go to your knees or pull your near knee across his stomach, straighten out, and reestablish your guard. Work between them. If you insist on just doing one, you will not likely get it. Take what you can get. That's it. Now, there are two additional "sweep" escapes that you can add after you master the basic shrimp escape dynamic --- sweeping your opponent over you (block his arm, grab a leg, and send him right over you), or driving into your opponent and flipping him over ("swim" your far arm into him as you switch base and drive). Both of these escapes require good timing, and for your opponent to be unbalanced. Even more important, both of these escapes require that your opponent be NEARLY PARALLEL to you, rather than perpendicular (as with normal side control). try to get your legs close to his legs, and distance your head/upper body, so that you are almost side by side. The "sweep" escapes will then become far easier. Usually these sweep escapes are good to do while your opponent is preoccupied with attacking (such as an Americana) or is busy trying to defeat a shrimping escape. 15. Should I train gi or no-gi? Depends on the person and what you want to accomplish through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Opinion is split between three groups...the Gi-only group, the No-Gi only group, and (probably the largest) the train-both group. No-gi only jiu jitsu proponents tend to focus on the fact that MMA and street-fighting do not involve the gi. They point out that if you want to compete in MMA, you are training to fight without a gi. They often argue that top wrestlers do not train with a gi on to improve their no-gi takedowns, and top greco-roman wrestlers do not train judo, so it makes no sense to train with a gi on as a means to improve your no-gi grappling. Gi-only jiu jitsu proponents tend to argue that the most technical submission grapplers almost always favor training primarily in the gi. They argue that the gi forces you to be more technical and think through your actions, rather than using force and speed. In addition, they point out that the gi allows many more moves than no-gi, helps prevent transmission of skin diseases, and is more conducive to safe, slow rolling. Finally, they will note that almost any street fighting involves people who are clothed, rather than wearing MMA briefs, and will usually involve holding clothing. What appears to be the largest opinion group at the moment, and which most top competitors themselves advocate, is that both gi and no-gi should be trained, regardless of what you are aiming for. This view usually advocates that gi should be trained at the beginning, to develop good habits and leverage. No-gi should also be trained, for self defense purposes, for fun, and in order to create a base for MMA. No-gi is often transitioned into after the student has trained in the gi enough to rely on technique more than force and speed, or is offered at a separate class time. Proponents of this view often point out that top no-gi competitors are usually also the top gi grapplers, and gained most of their experience with the gi on. In truth, you should probably choose the school that is the best fit for you in terms of location, instruction quality, and overall "feel," rather than worrying about whether it is gi or no-gi. Most top BJJ instructors are highly adept at teaching both gi and no-gi. 16. What books can get me started on learning BJJ? For BJJ: Saulo Ribeiro's "Encyclopedia of Jiu Jitsu" is probably the best general book. On specific topics, "The Guard," "Passing the Guard," and "Strategic Guard" by Ed Benneville are all excellent. So is Rodrigo Gracie's "The Path to Black Belt" and Kid Peligro's "Essential Guard." 17. What is the best video instructional for BJJ or nogi grappling? For BJJ with a gi, Saulo Ribeiro's Revolution One is currently the best general BJJ instructional. For nogi grappling, Saulo Ribeiro's Freestyle Revolution set is probably the best general instructional. There are also many other fantastic instructionals on more specific grappling subjects and individual competitor styles ... use the search function. 18. I can't finish the triangle choke! Pay attention: YouTube - proper triangle choke Last edited by Zankou; 02-18-2009 at 11:39 AM.