Tag: BJJ

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How To Do an Elbow Escape From Mount in BJJ

Being mounted in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu stinks. You’re stuck on the floor with someone who might be bigger, stronger, better at BJJ, or just lucky sitting on your stomach making every breath you take feel like it’s underwater. And then they start attacking you with submissions! The mount in BJJ is bad, but in MMA or a street fight, it is a very bad place to be.

That’s why having a good, reliable escape from mount is a basic self defense staple and essential to progress in Jiu Jitsu. The elbow escape is a standard escape from mount that anyone practicing BJJ should know and one that you can see used in the highest levels of grappling because it is effective at all levels of grappling. This technique is part of the requirements for how to get a blue belt in BJJ through the Gracie system.

Start: Mounted

Step 1: Frame one forearm against opponent’s hip and one against their thigh with one palm on opponent’s hip and the other on the back of that hand with arms at a 90 degree angle

Step 2: Turn 45 degrees to the side of your frame, maintaining the frame

Step 3: Keeping your leg flat to the mat, slide frame-side leg under his leg towards the outside, pushing on his thigh to help create space if necessary

End: Half-guard

This video also includes good method for removing your opponent’s hooks when they are mounted on you and a good transition from half-guard to full guard, which is one of the most powerful positions in BJJ.

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How To Do a D’Arce Choke in BJJ

The D’Arce choke or inverted arm triangle choke is named after American grappler Joe Darce, who made the choke famous in the early 2000’s thanks to its brutal and efficient effectiveness. 

The D’Arce choke, which like the arm triangle involves a figure four of your arms around your opponent’s neck and one of their arms, is a great submission from a common position in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The D’Arce choke is a great addition to any BJJ practitioner’s arsenal since it is simple and effective and is a great answer to a takedown attempt. Even if you are unable to finish the D’Arce choke, the position allows you to stop your opponent’s takedown, allows you to pour your weight onto them and force them to turtle, and threatens them enough that they may hesitate or even decide not to attempt a takedown. 

Not just limited to a single position, the D’Arce choke is effective from half-guard top, side control, mount, turtle, or even knee-on-belly. It is a truly utilitarian submission.

Here is great teacher Stephan Kesting’s guide to landing the D’Arce choke submission from half guard top.

Start: Half guard top

Step 1: Get whizzer overhook on far-side arm

Step 2: Reach arm with whizzer overhook through until hand reaches past opponent’s neck

Step 3: Hold behind opponent’s head with both hands and clinch their head forward and in towards you

Step 4: Keeping opponent’s head clinched, figure four arms and reach near-side hand towards far-side shoulder

Step 5: Drive weight forward towards opponent

Finish: Submission by D’Arce Choke

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How To Escape Any Side Control in BJJ – By Xande Ribiero

How to Escape Any Side Control in BJJ by Xande Ribiero

Xande Ribeiro is one of the best grapplers in the world. Having won the World Jiu Jitsu championship open weight division twice and the heavyweight division five times, he has rolled with the best grapplers in the world and come out on top. So when he says his diamond guard side control escape will show you how to pass any side control, you should listen to what he has to say. 

This diamond guard takes a lot of abdominal strength, and Xande talks for a while in the video about his workouts and how he keeps his abs in shape. He also mentions that his guard has not been passed in competition since 2005, so while this side control escape might be tough at first, it is proven. 

Start: Side control bottom

Step 1: Wrap outside arm around opponent’s back, holding tight and maintaining a constant pressure so that you move with any pressure and when opponent pushes into you, it creates space between opponent’s hips and you

Step 2: Bring inside knee and elbow together across opponent’s waist

Step 3: Push off opponent’s hip with inside arm to create enough space to move inside leg into half guard or full guard

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How to Do a Baseball Slide Pass in BJJ

Passing someone’s open guard is one of the essential parts of your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu game. If you can’t pass someone’s open guard, your best case scenario is to land in their closed guard, at which point you’d better have a good arm bar and triangle defense or a foolproof closed guard pass or you’ll be in big trouble. 

The baseball slide guard pass, sometimes called the knee slice guard pass or knee slide guard pass, is a tricky pass because if you make a mistake you run the risk of giving your back to your opponent. But if executed well, this pass can have a very high success rate. This is why it’s a part of the Gracie Jiu Jitsu Blue Belt test curriculum.

This video breakdown of the baseball bat slide includes the legendary Xande Ribiero, who is featured heavily in his brother Saulo Ribiero’s famous Jiu Jitsu University book (which should be in every BJJ practitioner’s library).  Xande’s video includes two different grip variations and a bunch of little details that will help you execute this guard pass perfectly

Start: Standing, opponent on back playing open guard

Step 1: Step one leg in between opponent’s a deep as possible

Step 2: Get cross-collar grip as deep as possible

Step 3: Post free hand as high and far from opponent’s head as possible

Step 4: Slice knee over opponent’s hip between their elbow and knee while stepping free leg outside

Step 5: Move outside posting hand to opponent’s sleeve and use both hands to push-oull opponent’s arm, straightening it and preventing him from using it to slow your pass

Step 6: Slide knee through until foot is past opponent’s hip and proceed to side control

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How To Execute a Trap and Roll Mount Escape in BJJ

In BJJ, the worst position to be in is fully mounted by your opponent. When fully mounted, your opponent has a full array of options to submit you while you are forced to carry their weight. It’s an unpleasant place to be, but there is a very simple escape from mount that will land you in your opponent’s guard. Being in someone’s guard is not ideal, they are still in control, but it is much better than being mounted.

In a fist fight or an MMA match, being fully mounted is even worse, and escaping is even more essential. In fact, in a fist fight this escape is more of a game changer. Unless your opponent is an MMA fighter or skilled in BJJ, being inside someone’s guard is a good place to be in a fist fight (because then you can create space easily, make them carry your weight, and have more of a chance to run away!)  

This is a simple BJJ mount escape that can save you when you find yourself mounted and is a part of the Gracie BJJ Blue Belt Requirements. 

This is a great video from Gracie NEPA that shows the simple escape and then goes into extensive detail of the nuances of the trap and roll escape.

Start: Full mount on bottom

Step 1: Grip opponent’s right wrist with your right hand 

Step 2: Grip opponent’s right elbow with your left hand

Step 3: Step both feet together to outside of opponent’s right leg

Step 4: Bridge up and turn into opponent

End: Inside Opponent’s full guard

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How To Get a BJJ Blue Belt – The Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Blue Belt Requirements

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), getting a blue belt is one of the first major milestone accomplishments in your grappling career. It’s a sign that you have really learned BJJ to the point that you’re not a beginner anymore. Of course, your road is still very long, but it is a great accomplishment and one that most white belts are focused on in their grappling training.

A major problem for white belts is a lack of information on what you need to know to get your blue belt. Luckily, Gracie University Jiu Jitsu has published the basic requirements needed to be eligible for a BJJ Blue Belt in their system. This isn’t a checklist that guarantees you a blue belt (if you’re that desperate, you can always just buy a blue belt but that’s not really the point) but it is a list of the basic knowledge expectations for someone looking to get a BJJ blue belt.

Mount Techniques

There are four sections to the Gracie BJJ Blue Belt test: Mount Techniques, Guard Techniques, Side Mount Techniques, and Standing Techniques.

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How To Do A Triangle Choke From Guard

how to do a bjj triangle choke from guard

The triangle choke is an essential and iconic part of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. If you’re describing BJJ to someone who has never grappled or watched MMA in their life, it’s the perfect place to start. You’re on your back with your opponent over you, a place where to the untrained eye you look like you’re losing the fight. From that position you can use your legs to choke your attacker unconscious, while still staying on your back! The BJJ triangle choke is a great example of the power of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu especially because a much smaller opponent can use it to incapacitate a stronger or larger one, just watch UFC 4 when Royce Gracie at 180 pounds used the triangle to submit the huge 260 pound Dan Severn.

While the BJJ triangle choke is one of the fundamental staples of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which is why it is a part of the Gracie BJJ Blue Belt Test. It’s a complicated move that can take hours to understand weeks to get comfortable with, months to feel good about, and years to master.

Rener Gracie, Ryron Gracie, and Reylan Gracie all got together to release this video detailing the finer points of the BJJ triangle choke from guard in this extensive video.

The video is awesome and filled with details that are worth watching over and over, but here are the steps:

Start: Closed guard with one of opponent’s arms inside of closed legs

Step 1: Control opponent’s wrist and pull it across your body

Step 2: Pull down on head

Step 3: Put outside foot on opponent’s hip

Step 4: Bite across person’s neck with top-side leg

Step 5: Grab ahold of your top-side shin to keep opponent in place

Step 6: Figure four bottom leg over top-side leg so that your knee is hooker over your ankle or shin

Step 7: Grip being head with both hands and pull opponent’s head down

Step 8: Squeeze thighs together and lift hips up to complete triangle choke

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How To Do An Inverse Buggy Choke From Half Guard Bottom Or Side Control Bottom

bjj instruction video buggy choke from half guard bottom side control bottom

Half Guard Bottom can be a frustrating position in BJJ. Unlike mount of side control, you have some options for sweeps from side control bottom, but that can make opponents nervous. Sometimes nervous opponents will insist on pinning you rather than trying to execute their own passes or submissions. Luckily for you, even if your opponent has decided they are just going to smash their weight into you and stall, there is an option for na very slick choke from side control bottom.

This is called the inverse buggy choke and it’s a very cool choke that involves wrapping yourself into a bizarre yoga pretzel and makes you look like a ninja.

Start: Half Guard Bottom

Step 1: Shrimp away from opponent

Step 2: Shoot top-side arm out between his head and shoulder

Step 3: Grab your top-side leg as high as possible with top-side hand

Step 4: Use your bottom-side hand ton secure leg and drive top-side arm as high as possible on your leg

Step 5: Push bottom-side hand against his hip with a straight arm to bring yourself higher on his body and his trapped arm away from his body

Step 6: Bring the inside of your elbow to the inside of your knee

Step 7: Turn away from opponent and squeeze arm for choke submission

BONUS: Completing the Inverse Buggy Choke from side control bottom

Sometimes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you don’t get a chance to use your favorite moves. if your opponent passes from half guard to side control, you can still execute the inverse buggy choke from side control bottom.

Start: Side control bottom

Step 1: Shrimp away from opponent and turn onto your inside hip to free your outside leg up

Step 2: Grab your outside leg with your outside hand and create a connection as high as possible on both with the goal of meeting your inside elbow to your inside knee

Step 3a: If opponent drives towards you, use your inside arm to post against his hip and squeeze your arm to complete the choke

Step 3b: If opponent does not push towards you, use your inside leg to push against your outside arm and leg and squeeze your arm to complete the choke

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How To Do A Far Side Armbar From Side Control – By Demian Maia

The armbar is one of the most iconic (and dramatic) Brazilian jiu jitsu techniques, and side control is one of the most common positions in BJJ. Because these two techniques are both so popular, you might be asking ‘how do I finish an armbar from side control?’

UFC legend and world-class BJJ grappler Demian Maia shows his technique for the far side arm bar from side control in this quick video.

Start: Side control top with opponent’s far side arm between your head and his legs

Step 1: Grip his elbow with your low-side hand and pull towards you while rolling his elbow to the sky

Step 2: Stand up on your top side foot and drive your weight towards his far side hip with your shoulder, straightening his arm out and weakening it

Step 3: Step your top-side foot around and under his arm pit with your knee up towards the sky

Step 4: Pivot and sit back, then extend your hips to complete the arm bar

End: Submission via armbar

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How To Do A Paper Cutter Choke From Side Control

Are you looking for a simple, effective choke from side control? Are you having trouble finding submissions from side control? The Paper Cutter Choke is a simple and high percentage choke from Side Control.

Side control is a very common position in BJJ, especially when you start rolling from your knees, but it can be frustrating if you don’t know side control submissions. The Side Control Paper Cutter Choke is one that every Brazilian Jiu Jitsu player should know.

In this video, Evolve MMA’s Eduardo Novaes shows how to complete the side control paper cutter choke by moving to north south, establishing a collar grip below your opponent’s neck, moving back to side control, and submitting your opponent with the choke.

Start: Side control top

Step 1: Wrap your opponent’s far side arm high on the tricep

Step 2: Grip your own collar with high side arm to secure arm wrap

Step 3: Block opponent’s hip with free hand

Step 4: Walk on toes to North South Position

Step 5: Wrap opponent’s other arm and grip their collar

Step 6: Give up far arm wrap and return to side control

Step 7: Grip opponent’s collar and slide wrist under their chin
(if opponent turns into you, use your knee to turn their head and neck into your wrist)

Step 8: Extend top-side leg and shift weight to that side

Step 9: Drop elbow to mat for choke submission

End: Submission via paper cutter choke