Here are some video of me teaching some techniques in some of my classes. Maybe they will help some and give some ideas.

Also before anyone asks or mentions it: I am a Purple Belt in BJJ. I wrestled for 5 years then after wrestling I started BJJ/Sub-Wrestling and have been training in BJJ/Sub-Wrestling for 7 years, During that time I have been training Judo for about 5 years. So about 12 years grappling experience total. Just for those who may be concerned with my rank and experience

Videos without the gi:

The Armbar (There are particular things that I do that I find makes the armbar much more effective for myself)

I know that theres a million videos posted of the basic armbar, but I figured I’d post another one. This is a video of me teaching a basic armbar. Some things that I like to point out when drilling a basic armbar is:

* controlling at the elbow with your opposite arm
* keeping your elbows tight
* establishing head control
* keeping your legs tight and knees together
* pushing at the face to make room to get your other leg over
* not moving your hand off of your opponent’s elbow as you push his face
* angling your leg that is across their neck to the back of their head so you can get more leverage.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Doous6xbm6c

The North/South Choke Without Using the Arm

Here is a video of me showing how I do this choke without the arm in and how I clear the arm.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XEYLpWacg0

X-Guard Kneebar and Sweep from Kneebar attempt

This video shows:

*Getting into the X-Guard from butterfly guard. This was also shown in the gi video I posted, but this one is a bit clearer.
*Going into a kneebar from x-guard
*Switching to a sweep from the kneebar from x-guard

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0swNi23P33Y

Basic No-Gi Flower Sweep

This video discusses the flower sweep without the gi on and covers the arm positioning I work to get for this sweep especially without the gi on.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp8l4SVgbuc

Butterfly Pass Defense into No-Gi Open Guard Attacks

This is a video of me showing a defense to a common way to set-up passes against the butterfly guard. Then it goes into attacks off of a no-gi open guard going into a kimura, triangle (two ways), and oma plata

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu…ideoID=8013012

Closed Guard BJJ Techniques

This video I posted about a year ago in reply to a post on MMA.tv

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_0G5AXAYnI

Videos with the gi:

Breaking Open the Closed Guard on Knees

Here is a video of me showing how I break open someones closed guard when I’m on my knees. This is something in the past that I used to have trouble with, but since I have experimented with it a lot I have found some really good details that has helped me to use this a lot with high percentage results to get my opponent’s guard open when I am on the ground.

While I do feel opening the guard from standing is very effective, there are times where it may be more effective to open someones guard on the ground.

Some points that I bring up in the video that I feel are important:

* Sitting low on my heels to make my base stronger
* Keeping the tops of my feet flat to keep may body and base from leaning forward
* Doing a shrugging motion so I can properly find and place my elbows in the pressure point areas in the inner part of my opponents knees.
* Leading more with one arm so I can use it to check my opponent back down or what people call use “floating hands”
* Placing my knee under directly under the butt check of the arm that is leading more. You’ll find that if you place your right knee under his left butt cheek that it lifts his hips off of the ground and he can not reach up effectively anymore with his right arm. Leaving him only to reach with his left arm in which I am aware of.
* Bringing your other knee up and stepping your leg back as you turn your hips into the groove that is made by his locked ankles.
* Sinking your hips back down as you place pressure down with your elbow to complete to opening of his guard

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeenCP1BOV0

Single Stack Pass to Knee Pin Pass

In this video I show the basic single sided stack pass and the basic knee pin pass. It also shows you how the two passes link very well together and how by using them together they make a great combination.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu…ideoID=7936830

X-Guard Techs (Cross Grip Sweep and Armbar)

Here is a video of me showing an X-Guard sweep and armbar with the gi on and a short explanation of how to get into the X-Guard from butterfly guard.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBZDIAqXJj4

Bullfighter Pass with Gi

This video shows the Bullfighter pass, and finish in two different ways. Finish into the knee on belly or finish into the reverse scarf hold. There is detail information on the mechanics of hip control with the reverse scarf hold and the importance of certain aspects such as standing up to break the guard and the motion of your legs when passing that I think are important in my opinion.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ93bI25Exc

Thanks for watching!
Jason

Here are some two move combinations I filmed:

From Guard - Hip Bump Sweep to Oma Plata

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXLYmFlXVHI

From Guard - Armbar to Crossed Leg Armbar on Other Arm

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6l4fpY8z9g

From Guard - Guillotine to Triangle Choke

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHMCKBvP4RY

Thank for watching!
Jason

This is a video commentary that I did on this match of Braulio Estima at the 2003 Pan Ams.

I recommend that you watch the regular video first to see what you notice in the match. Then watch the video with the commentary and slow motion to see if you noticed what I noticed then lets get some great technical conversations from there. I think it will help a lot more.

I hope you enjoy and thanks for watching!
Jason

Watch this First - Full Match without Commentary and Slow Motion

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoASMc0O0LM

Video Analysis of the Match with Commentary and Slow Motion

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2poD6hMiWOE

If you are really having a problem with a certain area and can’t figure it out for the life of you, one of the best things you can do is take a private lesson with a good instructor. Private lessons are usually much different then classes because you’re the only one there and you’re getting all of the attention. You have the ability to ask as many questions as you like during that time frame and get a response that is directed towards you alone.

Your instructor or whoever you are taking the private lesson with can closely evaluate your situation and help you solve any problems you may have. Every time I have taken a private lesson I have felt better as soon as it was over. Now that is big.

The biggest difference between a private lesson and a class setting is that in a class setting the instructor has to teach to a general audience and try to satisfy everyone’s needs to the best of his/her ability at the same time, while with a private lesson you are the only one in the class so your instructor can specifically help you pin point any problems you may be having.

There is one private that I took with a Jorge Gurgel black belt John Stutzman and that one private alone improved my game dramatically. To this day I still use pretty much every technique that he showed me that was geared specifically to my game. Now I’m not saying this will be the case for everyone, but you definitely can’t go wrong with taking a private with a good instructor.

Here are some tips when taking a private session.

• Be prepared.

• Make sure you know what your problem areas are. This will help you prepare specific questions to ask the instructor during the private lesson.

• Do not go into a private lesson without having any questions or not knowing what it is you want to improve or add to your game. Not having questions doesn’t make the situation better and it makes the session much more difficult for both you and your private lesson instructor. This is because you both then have to waste time trying to figure out what you should learn and the content may not be exactly what you needed because it was very general.

• Bring a notebook. This is because you want to make sure that you can remember everything that you learned during your private session so you can drill the movements and strategies in the future and try to implement them during your training sessions.

• Take reflection notes after your session.
  • Write down what you learned
  • Did what you learned make sense?
  • Do you think what you learned will work for you?
  • Write what your experience was like.
  • How the instructor was during your lesson, if the instructor was open in letting you ask questions.
  • Did the lesson help you fix your specific problem area?
  • Do you think you need to take another lesson to gain more information on your problem area?
  • And so on.

By doing this it will help you get the most out of your session. It will help you analyze your game more based on what you learned and will also help you decide on whether you may want to take another lesson with the person in the future again or not.

• Write down ideas on how you’re going to implement what you learned from the session in your regular training such as:
  • Finding a partner to drill the concepts you learned for at least 10 to 15 minutes before or after class.
  • Purposely put yourself in a situation while rolling related to what you learned so you can have the opportunity to drill the concepts in a live situation.
  • Come into class with the mindset that during open training you are just going to focus on what you learned.
  • If you have problems with the concepts you learned at your private session during your training you should make sure you ask your instructor or someone else for assistance.
  • And so on.

While many private lessons may be expensive in price, they are definitely one of the best ways to enhance your grappling game. All of the focus is on you and you alone and that could make a big difference. If you have the chance to take a private lesson with a good instructor it may be a good idea to do so, especially if you have a problem in your game you can’t quite figure out.

Use this worksheet to write down a strategy for your private sessions that you take with your instructor or outside instructors. It will help you develop a plan before you enter the session and also help you analyze the session afterwards, giving you the ability to better utilize what you learned during your private session.

Click the link below to view the document. You can also “right click” the link and choose “save file as” to save it to your computer:

Private Lesson Worksheet: http://tinyurl.com/2u52mq

In this video series you’ll see how to use the sprawl to obtain a front headlock and side turtle position in a no-gi situation. This is a good way to turn a defensive movement into an offensive opportunity. You’ll also see how you can set up a triangle choke from the front head lock position.

Defend Shot by Sprawling to Front Headlock to Side Turtle

• When you sprawl drop your hip down on the side of the leg your opponent is attacking. This keeps him from gaining leg and hip control on that side.
• Get you chest on their back right away.
• Keep your legs and hips out.
• Don’t put both of your arms around they back or waist because it’s easier for them to do sit outs and even pull guard.
• If his isn’t on all fours then walk your body backwards and pull him toward you.
• Get on are around his head and the other around his arm.
• Push his arm under his body by pushing near his elbow, not hear his tricep.
• Transfer his arm to your hand of the arm this is around his head. Grab his arm at the bottom of his tricep near his elbow.
• Keep your shoulder pressured down on his upper back

Moving to Side Turtle

• Turn to the side of the arm that is trapped.
• Bring your free arm around your opponent’s waist.
• Drive your knee under your opponent. Will be the one that ends up closed ot his legs.
• Get a strong harness grip on this back with your chest tight on his back and your head down.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WPkMIGpa-w

Triangle Choke from Front Head Lock Position

• Get tight front head lock position with your opponent’s arm trapped as explained above.
• Now instead of turning towards his trapped arm which would be the most common situation and what you would want to do most of the time. You’re going to spin towards his free arm.
• A lot of people will react by reaching their arm out and trying to stop you from getting to the side. This is just a simple reaction of them not wanting you to get their back and a lot of people will do it. There are also other ways of setting up this attaack, but this is the highest percentage insuring that you have his arm on the outside.
• Keep his arm trapped under him.
• You can also take your free hand and place it on top of your opponent’s head and push down. This will make it much harder for him to back out and you’ll have more control.
• Then step up with your leg that he is grabbing. Step up with your other leg and sit right down.
• His trapped arm should already be between your legs.
• You should fall right into a Triangle Choke attack position.
• Finish the triangle choke from there.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISzXbesBx_M

Thanks for checking it out,
Jason

In this video you’ll learn how to attack your opponent’s outside arm with an armbar when he defends his near arm. You’ll also learn how to keep him from redefending his other arm. Some points that are mentioned in the video:

• If the arm you are attacking is on top, then there isn’t a need to attack his outside arm. Just go for the near arm because he’s not defending well.
• If the arm that you are attacking is on the bottom then it’ll be harder to finish the near side arm and that’s when it’s a good option to switch the attack to the other arm.
• Pull his opposite arm elbow in with the forearm of your arm that is closer to his legs/hips.
• Then grab his wrist of his nearside arm with your hand and push it down into his face. This will help to prevent him from switching his grip and defending the other arm your about to attack.
• Keep your butt low and tight when you slide it over his body to the other side.
• The wrist of your arm that isn’t controlling his other arm should curl out and then go under the wrist of the outside arm you are now attacking.
• If your position is correct your opponent should have a hard time defending his other arm and the arm you are now attacking should be more exposed.

Thanks for watching,
Jason

Hello Everyone,

Courtesy of the Grapplers Guide, I would like to share with you this grappling outline. This one includes a visual map plus a written breakdown of common scenarios you may experience when having the butterfly guard on your opponent. While it says “No-Gi Butterfly Guard”, these situations are applicable both with and without the gi on. Check it out here:

http://tinyurl.com/ggabflyplan

If you have any questions about it and the concepts post here or shoot me an e-mail at thegrapplersguide@gmail.com

Hope you enjoy
Jason

Jason Scully is a teacher and competitor with 12 years of grappling experience. He is the owner of a very comprehensive grappling learning resource The Grapplers Guide - Dedicated 100% to the Improvement of Your Grappling Performance at (http://www.GrapplersGuide.com)

He is also the owner of The Grapplers Guide Academy which is Monmouth County New Jersey’s (NJ) premiere Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training center (http://www.CentralJerseyBJJ.com)

What’s up everyone, just wanted to share a new video that I put up. It’s an armbar from the mount when your opponent tries to stall you out by hugging around your body. This is very common when they are up on points in a tournament but ended up getting mounted and also very common in an MMA situation.

Some key points:

- Bring one of your elbows to your knee.
- Step up with the leg that has the elbow to the knee.
- Make sure you keep your arm tight to your opponent’s arm
- Push your hand on your opponent’s face and push down on it so you can break their grip.
- Use your other hand to block them from trying to defend the armbar. The key is to defend their defense.
- Switch to an s-mount type position.
- Lean your body towards your opponent’s legs because this will help you get your leg over his face easier.
- You can either tighten your elbow to your body to get the under arm armlock, or you can switch your grip to a regular armbar (I recommend grabbing your opponent’s leg with your arm so it’s harder for them to get out.)

Additional Points:

- The s-mount switch should be at most a 2 step process of turning your leg
- Also if end up falling backwards because you felt unbalanced and your opponent tries to sit up on you in and attempt to escape, make sure you push on their face with your hand so you can get them back down.

Hope you enjoy watching,
Jason

Jason Scully is a teacher and competitor with 12 years of grappling experience. He is the owner of a very comprehensive grappling learning resource The Grapplers Guide - Dedicated 100% to the Improvement of Your Grappling Performance at (http://www.GrapplersGuide.com)

He is also the owner of The Grapplers Guide Academy which is Monmouth County New Jersey’s (NJ) premiere Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training center (www.CentralJerseyBjj.com)

It’s very important that you make sure you check your ego at the door from your first day grappling. If you don’t control your ego, you may not realize it, but it’ll slow down your learning progress and improvement substantially.

Here are some things that you may experience if you don’t learn how to control your ego.

• You’ll get frustrated and angry. Many times this happens with people who feel they should “already” do well in grappling and not get submitted or controlled. If that were the case then you wouldn’t need to take any classes.

• You’ll think you’re not learning anything because every time your ego gets in the way you’ll get frustrated, lose focus, and not pick up what is being taught as well.

• You won’t enjoy your training. The more you get mad at yourself or your partners due to your ego, the less and less you’ll have fun training. This usually leads to individuals quitting something they may have really enjoyed and benefited from in the future.

• You’ll get injured. Having an ego is one of the most common ways to get injured. Why is that, you may ask? This is because you’re stubborn. You refuse to tap and you don’t want to accept a “loss” in training. This type of thinking is very chaotic and will lead to injuries very fast.

• You’ll injure you’re training partners. The same goes for you injuring your training partners. The worst-case scenario you can have, is two people grappling together who don’t have their egos in check. This is a disaster waiting to happen. One person may refuse to tap, while the other may refuse to release a submission that they know they have applied correctly. What’s the result? An injured training partner whether it’s you or the other person.

• You’re training partners may not want to train with you. People who have egos on the mat are usually the ones that most grappling members avoid. The reason for this is because they don’t want to get injured or deal with rolling in a competitive manner when they just want to get some good relaxed training in for the day.

There are many ways that you can control your ego and enjoy your training from the beginning. The sooner you do, the better off you’ll be.

Ways you can control your ego are:

• Accept that you will get submitted. It’s going to happen. If you don’t ever get submitted then you probably don’t need to train in grappling. You’re already good. The chances of this really happening are slim to none, but that would be the case. Know that you will get submitted eventually and do the best you can to learn from it and try to ensure that you will make it much harder for your training partner to get you again in the same thing. This way you’ll actually be learning.

• Make sure you tap to avoid injury. The other end of the spectrum is actually tapping when someone has a submission sunk in correctly. Not tapping only leads to you getting injured or you possibly looking silly because you are left unconscious in front of everyone. Just tap if they have it, and improve from there.

• Accept that there are people who are better then you. Once again if there aren’t people who are better then you when you first start grappling, you either need to find another gym to train at or you’re a special type of person who already is good at grappling (probably not going to happen though). The sooner you realize that many of your training partners have put the time in and have more technical knowledge then you, the quicker you’ll improve and will be able to feed off of the knowledge they can provide.

• Accept that if you are new you won’t know anything about grappling and the more you train, the more you’ll learn. Most new students start with a clean slate. The more you train and the less you have an ego the quicker you’ll fill up your database of techniques and your grappling will improve every training session.

• Don’t get mad or frustrated. This will only hold you back and decrease your learning rate. The more you get frustrated the less time you will actually spend on learning. You are focusing more on being upset that you “lost” then actually being excited that you have something to learn and improve upon. You have many more days to train in the future, so try not to spend any of those training session aggravated with yourself or your partner because it’ll only end up making that current training session a waste.

• Take every situation as a learning experience because that’s just what it is. When an instructor show’s you a move or concept, learn from it. When you get submitted learn from it. When you submit someone, learn from it. When you escape, learn from it. When you compete, learn from it.

• Don’t be vengeful. Just because someone got the best of you or tapped you doesn’t mean that you have to get revenge on them. Training isn’t a competition or a battle; it’s a learning tool.

• Don’t sulk. Don’t go home with your head down and upset that you didn’t do well or you got tapped out. Sulking isn’t a healthy attitude. It doesn’t lead to anything good or productive. There isn’t any need to feel down about your training and then bring it home with you. Training is supposed to be fun and a stress reliever. You shouldn’t feel any pressure when you train. You shouldn’t feel nervous when you train. You should be excited about going to class because you know you’re going to get a great workout, learn some great things, and have fun. Regardless of how you performed in class, know that you still did something and still got something out of it in some way.

• Don’t repeat your actions. If you keep doing the same thing over and over again, chances are you’re going to experience the same result. If you keep experiencing the same result then it’s going to lead to the ego kicking in and then frustration and anger begins. Try your best to change your actions. That way you can experience different things related to the same situation. By doing that, you’ll eventually figure out an answer to the problem and then you’re well on your way to improving your grappling.

The benefits of training in an ego-free manner are:

• It’ll keep you from getting injured.
• You’ll learn much faster.
• You’ll have training partners that will like training with you.
• You’ll ensure that you train in a safe and comfortable environment.
• People will be comfortable asking you questions and answering your questions.
• You’ll want to train more and you’re instructor will be even more willing to help you.

As you can see from reading this section, it doesn’t pay to have an ego in grappling. Having an ego will only lead to negative effects in the long run and will hinder both your learning and it will crush the positive experiences you can gain from participating in grappling. Remember to have fun, relax your shoulders, and be calm when training. Everyone including yourself will benefit from it.

Thanks for reading,
Jason

Jason Scully is a teacher and competitor with 12 years of grappling experience. He is the owner of a very comprehensive grappling learning resource The Grapplers Guide - Dedicated 100% to the Improvement of Your Grappling Performance at (http://www.GrapplersGuide.com)

He is also the owner of The Grapplers Guide Academy which is Monmouth County New Jersey’s (NJ) premiere Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training center (www.CentralJerseyBjj.com)