Dan Faggella is a BJJ Academy Owner, No Gi Pan Am Champion at 130 pounds, and recognized expert in the area of leg locks. Dan writes or Jiu Jitsu Magazine, Jiu Jitsu Style, MMA Sports Mag, and more - find more of his leg lock articles and resources at www.BJJLegLocks.com

There are few things in this world that make me cringe like seeing someone get hit with a perfectly timed heel hook.  I understand why some people hate leg locks of any sort—personally, I love them!—and it doesn’t take a seasoned vet to understand just how dangerous this type of submission attempts can be.

I’ve been grappling for some time now, and recently obtained my black belt.  The pinnacle of my rather young grappling career, earning that black belt was one of the best feelings I have ever experienced.  Through all the hours of hard work and dedication, it truly was rewarding.

Yet and still, with all the hours logged on the mat and all of the knowledge obtained, I never forgot my humble beginnings in grappling.

For those that know me, you probably know I have a slight obsession for leg locks and variations of the sorts.  From inverted to 50/50, if it’s complex and takes some serious studying, then it’s for me! I learned in an interview with Caio Terra that "fancy" is not always best, and in terms of "basics," the guillotine tops the list.

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Being able to defend the takedown in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an absolute must for any grappler looking to compete.  It’s a totally different thing if you’re looking to be a lethal submission artist.

Defending takedowns is important, as is being able to work out of the front head lock, which is the position most stuffed takedown’s start from.

There are countless options one can use from this position to take advantage of the match, but there is one submission in particular that can end the match in no time flat.

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Muscular power, just the sound of those two words together makes me think of muscle bound men deadlifting and bench pressing weight more than twice my weight! That doesn’t have to be the case, you can have great muscular power even if you are in the rooster division! Many of us little guys don’t hit the gym hard every day so we’re unsure of how strong we truly are. To get a good starting point we you should test yourself out!

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I’m sure that we’ve all been in the same situation before where we learn a new technique and something isn’t clicking, no matter how hard we try to focus on the details we often overlook.  With tons of mat time and research, there is still something that isn’t making sense.  At a stand-still, you’re ready to pass up on learning that technique and move forward.

However, times are changing thanks to the iGrapple Mobile app.

Recently released, the iGrapple is a fantastic tool that every single one of us Brazilian Jiu Jitsu players can use in order to take the next step forward in our skill development.

If you go back to the first paragraph and think to yourself, “Hey, that’s me!” when it comes to learning new techniques, then you’re in luck because the iGrapple is here to eliminate any issue that you may face in learning.

With a very classroom-like approach to grappling, the app does a fantastic job of breaking everything down so that even the most basic white belts out there can soak up the moves and implement them in a heartbeat!

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As we get older, the term “life happens” becomes a part of our day-to-day activities.  The sport we once loved so much, or the show we pined to watch at night slowly become nothing more than a time-filler as we proceed with our jobs, families, kids, etc.

However, there are some out there that choose to keep playing their desired sport as they grow older.  Basketball and baseball are two notorious sports for having “old men” leagues, where the participants seem to do just fine when balancing their time.

One sport that fits that mold is Brazilian Jiu  Jitsu.  While I try my hardest to jam-pack my day with BJJ, I can see where it would be difficult for the older crowd.  Recently, I sat down with Mark Hopkins to discuss how the 40+ year old grapplers out there can manage potential road blocks that could hinder their progress in the sport, or even keep them away completely! I also interviewed multiple other 40 plus year old black belts and you can check out what they had to say here!

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Dan Faggella is a BJJ Academy Owner, No Gi Pan Am Champion at 130 pounds, and recognized expert in the area of light weight Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Dan writes or Jiu Jitsu Magazine, Jiu Jitsu Style, MMA Sports Mag, and more - find more of his techniques by checking out his academy Black Diamond MMA.

Fighting Off Of Your Back In A Self Defense Scenario

Dan Faggella is a BJJ Academy Owner, No Gi Pan Am Champion at 130 pounds, and recognized expert in the area of light weight Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Dan writes or Jiu Jitsu Magazine, Jiu Jitsu Style, MMA Sports Mag, and more - find more of his techniques by checking out his academy Black Diamond MMA.

Let’s be honest, in a situation where someone is attacking you either in the streets or a social setting, chances are extremely high that you’ll end up going to the ground at some point.  There’s a chance your attack blind sides you, tackles you, trips you, etc., and now you’re stuck on your back.

As they jump into mount and begin to do their best schoolyard bully impersonation, it’s vital to know how you get out of this.

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Grappling 101: Escaping Mount

I recall my early days of Jiu Jitsu; learning to escape bottom mount was one of the first techniques ever taught to me by my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu RI instructor. This is exactly what I’ll be touching upon, but we aren’t just trying to get out of from under our opponent on a mat in a sanctioned event; this could be a life or death situation.

Knowing that they can cause some serious damage, the urgency to execute this move properly shoulder be a maximum level.

• Our opponent has taken us to the ground and is looking to pound away.
• The first thing we want to do is bring our knees up into their butt.
• As they go to strike us, try and control the wrist.  This will stifle any potential attack they can offer.
• You want him to place a hand on the ground; taking your knees, buck them over your head.  This will cause him to post on the ground.
• As you return your hips to the ground, isolate one of his arms.
• Lace your foot over the top of his, ending out the outside of his ankle.
• Bridge once more, this time roll over your shoulder.  The momentum will carry them with you, and you will end up in their closed guard.

Don’t Fight Fire With Fire

In this case, it’s best to stick to your grappling instincts!  The reason being, if you’re in bottom mount, you do NOT want to try and go punch-for-punch with your attacker.  It is not the same as the back mount, because gravity is NOT on your side. Simply because you have nowhere to go, if he hits you, the only way you absorb the impact is if your head snap backs onto the concrete. To learn more about escaping the back mount, check out an article that I just sent to my Rhode Island MMA students.

Seeing that he is also in your mount, they can posture up and really add extra force to their punches with a downward motion.  So not only can they land power shots, they can land more shots in general than you can.  Don’t try to be a hero, just do what you have to do in order to stay safe!

Again, this is a basic technique you learn early on in grappling.  However, when you frame it in a situation such as self defense, it becomes fare more than basic; it could become the most important technique you’ve ever learned.

-Dan Faggella

Dan Faggella is a BJJ Academy Owner, No Gi Pan Am Champion at 130 pounds, and recognized expert in the area of light weight BJJ. Dan writes or Jiu Jitsu Magazine, Jiu Jitsu Style, MMA Sports Mag, and more – make sure and grab your FREE copy of the 7 escapes book for smaller grapplers.

There are certain positions that hold little to no weight in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world.  Players can find themselves obtaining certain positions for the sake of just stalling and scoring points, and have no interest in advancing their position to do damage from here.

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Rafael Lovato Jr. vs. Nivaldo Oliveira

How "Good" are Rafael Lovato Jr.'s Pressure Passes?

Watch the Video and Read the Article Below To Find Out

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There is always one position that every grappler in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu universe has some difficulty with.  There are no exemptions; from white belts to black belts, from novice to absolute level talents, everybody has a flaw that they would like to hone and focus on.

Many young grapplers find difficulty in working from their spider guard.  Maybe it’s the angle, but it can be tough for some people to execute any offensive attack while seated on the mat as their opponent plans their next move.

Luckily for those people, I’m here to discuss a remedy to that problem!  The berimbolo is a wonderful transition that acts as a sweep in which the grappler begins in a seated position, but is able to float over and take back mount.  When done properly, you should be able to sink both hooks in and go for the finish rather easily!

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