“A black belt only covers two inches of your butt. You have to cover the rest.” Royce Gracie
I became a bit obsessed with finding a belt made out of gi material a few months ago. You’d think they’d be everywhere, right? Unfortunately that’s not the case. During my overly involved research I found the Ligustica belt by Killer Bee. This belt is made from the same gi material as their Mark II kimono and available for $19.00. I was familiar with Killer Bee from their recent focus on custom gis and also because several of my training partners wear their gis. Everyone I know had good things to say about Jesse and Killer Bee so I decided to take a closer look at their belts.
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.
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
Tom Barlow, Braulio Estima blackbelt, decided to work with a strength and conditioning coach to prepare for the 2012 British Open. Enter Will Badenoch of Plymouth Performance Gym. Will designed a strength and conditioning program specifically for Tom that took into account that Tom had other responsibilities outside of BJJ, didn’t want to sacrifice mat time and was coming off a long layoff due to injury. Tom went on to win his division in the British Open and said, “I can honestly say that I’ve never felt in such good shape during a competition.” Will decided to use his work with Tom to create an e-book outlining a 12 week strength and conditioning program for other grapplers. The manual, The Complete Strength and Conditioning Blueprint for Grappling Sports, is a succinct treatise on how to incorporate Will’s program into your training.
Platinum Jiu Jitsu has a small but deeply loyal following of jiu jiteiros that appreciate the flash of their designs and the quality of their craftsmanship. Each gi is produced in a very small batch, just 25 total gis divided among the 4 sizes, and features a fully sublimated rashguard liner. The rasghuards are based on artwork by Hawaiian artist Katch1. The exterior patching, embroidery and color schemes are all intended to compliment the interior artwork. Sean sent me the Grenada, #5 of 25, in A3 a few months ago and I’ve been putting it thru its paces ever since.
Intro:
OSS made its intro into the BJJ clothing scene about a year ago. In that short time they’ve developed a reputation for quality and exception customer service. Their initial line up consisted mostly of BJJ-themed tees but it wasn’t too long before they begun to add kimonos. OSS has two models to choose from, the Original (available in white, blue & black) and the limited edition Wolf. The Wolf, $150, is a beautiful grey gi with accents designed by Seymour Yang, aka Meerkatsu, and the subject of this review.
Ben Askren is a 2x NCAA champion and current Bellator fighting champion (undefeated in 10+ MMA bouts). I appreciate the interview with Ben, who is now for the first time offering a DVD course on Wrestling and Control for combat sports called "The Manhandling Manifesto," which is available only for a limited time. Check it out here, and thanks again to Ben!
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In every sport, there is always a sect of fans that will nitpick until they can’t see straight. For these fans, nothing is ever good enough and the glass is always half empty. For these version of MMA fans, if you aren’t going out knocking people out left-and-right, then you have no business being inside the cage.
One fighter that feels the wrath of many MMA pundits is Ben Askren. An elite wrestler who can exert dominant top control, Askren has been on the opposite end of MMA fans distain for some time.
Fans are quick to dub Askren as “boring” or “dull” due to his style of fighting. Willing to take you to the ground and make your life miserable, Ben Askren has perfected the polarizing style of “lay and pray,” a style that relies heavily on top control and ground strikes.
Despite all of this, these people will neglect to tell you that Askren is 11-0 in his MMA career, a world champion, and a truly elite fighter.
“At the moment of exhaustion, inspire yourself to take on last step and that is when you have reached the next level.
In Korean folktales, dokebi is a mythical being. Dokebi is considered to be harmless but nevertheless mischievous, playing pranks on people or challenging wayward travelers to a grappling match for the right to pass. The Dokebi’s free-spirited attitude reflects what we believe is the essence of the BJJ lifestyle.” Dokebi Bros
The Balance is Dokebi’s first in a line of BJJ gis that are made in Korea. This is the first Korean made gi that I’ve been able to review and to my knowledge one of the very few Korean made BJJ gis on the market.
Dan Faggella is a BJJ Academy Owner, No Gi Pan Am Champion at 130 pounds, and recognized expert in the area of Lightweight BJJ. Dan writes or Jiu Jitsu Magazine, Jiu Jitsu Style, MMA Sports Mag, and more - you can find his Free Berimbolo DVD along with other Videos, Articles and more at http://microbjj.com/berimbolo/
The Berimbolo sweep has taken the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu community by storm the past few years. Made famous by names such as the Mendes Brothers and Caio Terra, the Berimbolo is a fantastic move to have in the arsenal to help your defensive attacks.
While it calls for great attention to the detail, given the difficult nature of the move, there are many factors that go into this move and why it is such an effective approach to grappling.
Some of you may be familiar with Flow Kimonos from my previous review of their hemp gi earlier this year. Flow also has an ultra-light competition gi. The Pro Series 2.0 is made in China, available in black ($144.99) & white ($134.99), has long AND husky sizing and weighs just a little more than 2 iPads. Seriously, this thing weighs nothing. Before this gi my Manto X Pro was the lightest gi I’ve ever had at just under 4.5 pounds. The Pro Series 2.0 is a pound less and for anyone that cuts weight you know just how nice that can be.
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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