Category: BJJ Concepts


Rethinking Position

Filed Under: BJJ Concepts, Featured, How To Study Jiu-Jitsu, Jiu-jitsu Techniques
Oct.26, 2008

Rickson once said he admires Nino Schembri for “how he looks at positions in new ways”. (He also might not have said that. The quote is probably inaccurate since I read it years ago and can’t find the source any more.)

That idea stuck with me. As a beginner at the time it struck me, “How many ways can you think about a position? When is mount not just mount? When is guard not guard?” Those questions have become a kind of mind-clearing Zen koan. It opened me up to thinking about a lot of things in new ways and a lot of good has come from it.

What happens when I think of mount as “guard from the top?” I get omoplatas.

What happens if I think of leglocks as a part of open guard? I use them as sweeps and don’t sacrifice position to get them.

What if I look for the harness grip and not just rear mount and two hooks? I can attack the back from everywhere.

What if I see how long I can hold on to an armbar or triangle position without finishing the submission? I see how people will try to escape while learning how to control them and transition to other moves.

It is true about Nino, even if I got the Rickson quote wrong (or made it up in a fever dream). You see this in his DVD. Nino isn’t content to simply use the omoplata as a sweep or submission like the rest of us. He camps out there. He meets the locals and takes in the sights. He can maintain it and control them despite their efforts to escape. He’s got a array of alternative ways to finish them. Sometimes he treats it like the crucifix and attacks the neck. Other times he attacks the far arm, simply using omoplata as his basecamp to launch attacks. Hanging off them with his leg tangled around an arm is a desirable and perfectly normal spot for him.

Look at other innovators and you’ll see something similar. They found a position (or a few) that they liked. It could have been part of something we already know, something they invented, or something they stole from wrestling. It worked for them and so they kept at it and figured out the elements that made it tick. They reduced these down to concepts and principles (or at least absorbed an understanding of these into their head somewhere). They learned the control points, where to grip, how to adjust, the leverage, timing, momentum, etc. They found how to get to it from other positions and fit it into their game. And maybe this new positions leads them to more new ones and further innovation.

My personal pet project has been the reverse omoplata (seen here).

People complain that it’s too complicated and hard and has too many steps, that it only works no-gi (or gi, depending on who you ask), that you couldn’t get it on someone experienced, that it doesn’t work on someone bigger or stronger, that you have to rely on speed and surprise… Et cetera.

They’re all wrong.

But they are a little less wrong if they don’t really take the time to get good at it and learn how to deal with those potential issues, which is like saying the secret to success is success, but let me explain.

I learned the reverse omoplata on my first no-gi class ever. That was about 4 weeks into training. My instructor gave a little talk after people huffed and shook their heads while he was demonstrating it. “I know you’re all looking at this and thinking it’d never work,” he said. “But ask any of the brown belts and they’ll tell you I get this on them all the time.”

Being the naive and pure-hearted white belt I was, I took it on good faith and drilled it like any other technique. It wasn’t any more confusing than anything else at the time since I was still trying to wrap my head around the upa escape and scissors sweep. It was just another technique to learn and drill and try out.

While doing so, I ran into all of the complaints people had about it.

Is it really too hard? Well, each step makes sense by itself so it also makes sense that they stay good when you string them together.

It is complicated and has a lot of steps. How will I remember them all? If each step makes sense and I drill it enough to have them down smooth, it’s not an issue.

Does it work on a bigger, stronger guy? Yes, you just need to make sure you are doing everything right and know a few ways to deal with their attempts to power out.

Can they slip out no-gi? Yes, they’re always slippier no-gi, but there are ways to keep it tight.

Can they use the gi to defend it? Yes, but you can still deal with that.

Does it rely on speed? Can I do it slowly? Yes, I can break down each part of the technique, each moment in the roll, and pause there and know what to grip and how to control them. In fact, doing it slower is often the better way to do it, since you have more control and can force it on a big guy.

Can I keep getting someone with it even after they’ve seen it a few times and been taught how to avoid it? Yes, if my timing, position, strategy and technique are good.

Can I get it on experienced guys? After all that work, I’ve gotten it on people of every skill level that I’ve gone with. In fact, I often get it on experienced guys who know to defend the standard positions and submissions but don’t know how to deal with me somersaulting around one of their arms instead of taking their back.

What I did wasn’t any special process. I just drilled and trained and thought about it a lot. I went for it in sparring and experimented with good training partners who wanted to learn it too. I went to my instructor for advice and to ask questions when I had problems. I checked out how other people do it and tried to figure out why they changed parts. I looked for the concepts and principles that make it work. I simplified how I think and talk about it till I could teach it to a white belt and have him doing it in a minute or two.

And now it’s one of my best moves.

The morals here are nothing earth-shattering, but they’re good ones:

Look at old things in new ways. Look at novel things and see how they make sense.

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How Much Do You Really Need?

Filed Under: BJJ Concepts, Drills and Exercises, How To Study Jiu-Jitsu, Teaching and Coaching, Training Methods
May.08, 2007

The draw of this journal has been its constant tutorials and techniques. Some of you may have been disappointed lately, with the frequency of updates slowing down and fewer tutorials being put up.

As you may have figured out, this journal is largely a reflection of my personal interests. I only share techniques I use, and I only talk from my experience. So as my focuses change, so too does the direction of my journal.

Maybe I’m merely acting out the predestined mindset that befalls all purple belts, where I look back on my time as a blue belt and see how wrongheaded I was for collecting techniques instead of refining them. But lately, I’ve been returning to “old” techniques, working over all the details, and trying to increase their potency.

And it’s been one of the best things I’ve done in a long time.

Perhaps because of this, I’ve been worried about what people are actually doing with all of the information on this journal. My concern is that they’re getting lost in the euphoria of learning new techniques, or that they’re just collecting techniques for the sake of collecting them, but not putting in the work needed to improve their game or effectively incorporate new moves.

Because of this, I think it’s time to bring more attention to how to learn, not just what to learn.

I confess. I consume inordinately large amounts of BJJ information and techniques: dozens upon dozens of books, DVDs, magazines, blogs, forums, online tutorials and more. This is in addition to regular instruction. Its my nature to dig into a subject, compile research and compare data from different sources.

Do I recommend this for everyone? No.

For most, this is a sure way to suffer from information overload.

The only way I can handle this much intake is by balancing it against an equal amount of mat time. I train 5-7 days per week (including open mat), get to class early and often close up for the night. This isn’t to brag, but to give you a point of reference for comparison.

The average person with commitments like a full-time job, a family, bills, a social life, etc., gets in 2-3 classes per week. For them, sinking as much time, effort and thought into BJJ as I do isn’t possible (or advised). Should they also try to squeeze in watching and reading instructionals?

I’ll bet that if you’re going to regular classes under a qualified instructor (which, alas, not all of you are), you don’t really need much else. It’s nice and can be pretty helpful, but it’s not going to make or break you.

The best grapplers I know personally hardly study outside of normal classes (if they do at all). I suspect the vast majority of elite competitors don’t watch too many instructionals either. They all just put their heart into training and have superb teachers.

Even with all my extra mat time, I reach a point of “information saturation” where seeing more techniques won’t mean anything. There was a time when I could sit and watch an entire “BJJ A-to-Z” style instructional. These days I am only interested in ones on specific topics and techniques (lately the brabo choke).

The real value of instructionals to me is in troubleshooting and exploring certain aspects in depth. They can supplement your instructor but they cannot replace him.

I’ve talked with Eduardo, my instructor, about the abundance of BJJ media we have today. While he thinks it is for the best, he also feels something is now missing because of it. What he said stuck with me and I’ve given it a lot of thought.

When he first started, the instructor was only source of knowledge. This made you value each individual class and technique. You committed yourself to learning every move, since you couldn’t simply look it up again later; each lesson was invaluable since you couldn’t get it anywhere else.

Today, someone can go to class and be taught a move, and instead of taking ownership of it, he can think “Oh, I’ve seen this already” or “I’ll just watch this again later.” Their overexposure to techniques makes them mentally lazy. They see a fundamental move and find it mundane. Nevermind that they’re terrible at it—it’s just not as cool as the stuff they see online.

The point is not that instructionals are bad. Sometimes you honestly do need to review books and videos, and by being able to draw from multiple sources, students are less likely to have their instructor abuse his status. There may be topics that your instructor doesn’t address enough for your liking. The lesson is to be judicious in how you use these resources.

Let’s take a quick look at an ideal way to learn a new technique:

You are taught a technique and drill it. If you’re lucky enough to have a good teacher, you’re give a chance to isolate it with positional sparring. Or you may need to show initiative and try it in sparring.

What’s important is you go for it, regardless of whether or not you succeed. No matter how clumsy your attempt may have been, you thought of it and tried it. This plants the seed in your mind. The next time it comes up, you’ll think a little quicker and do it a little smoother. Repeat this enough times and suddenly you’ve got skill.

Now let’s see how misusing instructionals can pervert this process:

You find some interesting techniques in a book or online. You glance them over and make a note to try later. At class, you’ve got your attention split between what is being taught in front of you and the half-forgotten tutorials floating around in your head. When sparring comes, you drop whatever the day’s lesson was and fumble to piece together something else entirely.

Add to this the potential for the tutorial to be by an awful instructor, or to have been shot poorly, or it being a crumby gimmick. Why ruin your own learning process for it?

Again, don’t misinterpret this to mean that you shouldn’t try material from outside your school—I’m all for that. Some of my favorite moves are ones I picked up from the internet, magazines and DVDs (again, like the brabo).

What I am saying is you need to be smart about how you do it. Spoiling a class for yourself just so you can go for the clichéd “Newest Technique from Brazil” is a waste of time and money, to say the least. There are better ways to learn these moves.

Personally, I set aside the material I want to learn and wait until I have extra time, such as an open mat, to work it over. Then I try to approach it in an orderly fashion. I have to avoid indulging myself by testing out a ton of new moves. That can be a lot of fun, but it doesn’t actually improve my performance. I’ve got to have the self-discipline to properly drill each technique and limit myself to a reasonable number.

I’ll go into specifics of how I learn these techniques at a later date. For now, it’s enough that you’re thinking about this in a general sense. The topic of how to learn is an important one that deserves careful thought.

Ask yourself if your performance is improving by collecting instructionals and techniques or if you’re just gathering clutter.

Feel free to send me your answers.

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Inquiry Method

Filed Under: BJJ Concepts, How To Study Jiu-Jitsu, Teaching and Coaching, Training Methods
Nov.14, 2006

This is a subject that has held my interest for a while now, but I have been holding off discussing it since I haven’t yet been able to try it out extensively and form a solid opinion. But it is an interesting topic and shows enough potential that I’m willing to share it with you. You should be familiar with two concepts: Aliveness and the I-method.

Aliveness is a term coined by BJJ black belt Matt Thornton of the Straight Blast Gym. It is a quality of training which contains realistic timing, energy and motion. Alive training is what builds functional skills. You can read more about it here, or watch this video.

The I-method is the system SBG uses to instruct their classes. A quick review:


  • Introduce: Demonstrate and explain the material being taught, let them drill it to get a basic understanding and put it static reps.

  • Isolate: Work on the material in isolation, usually with drills or restricted sparring with progressively increasing resistance/difficulty.

  • Intregrate: Have the students incorporate the material into their whole game, usually in free rolling/sparring.


This is a pattern that functional arts have naturally developed and use simply because it is what works. For example, you can find many isolation drills in arts like BJJ, judo, wrestling, boxing, MT, etc.What I want to discuss here though is the application of the inquiry method to the I-method. What is the inquiry method? In short:
Inquiry education (sometimes known as the inquiry method) is a student-centered method of education focused on asking questions. Students are encouraged to ask questions which are meaningful to them, and which do not necessarily have easy answers; teachers are encouraged to avoid giving answers when this is possible, and in any case to avoid giving direct answers in favor of asking more questions.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquiry_education

(It is well worth searching Google for the inquiry method, inquiry education and the Socratic method for more about these.)

What I find very unique is how SBG has taken this and applied it to training martial arts such as BJJ. I was introduced to the inquiry method over on MMALibrary.com by Christian Graugart, admin of the site and BJJ instructor for Combat Sports Copenhagen. He was coming up with some great material and solutions to problems using what he called “inquiry based training”, so I asked him about it. Here’s what he said:

Aesopian asked me to make a post about this training method, so here we go I learned about this inquiry method from Matt Thornton (www.straightblastgym.com) who has in a very short time implemented it as the most used training method in the SBG combined with the I-method. Also it is a big part of the Coaching for Performance program which I plan to take at the fall camp in Florida this year.It’s quite simple. As an instructor, instead of giving all the answers and teaching in a one-direction manner, you create a framework for your students to explore and teach themselves.

I am not an expert in this, but have experimented a bit with it in my gym, and must say it has worked amazingly. People come up with new (good) moves every time and best of all, they really seem to remember things better when they have explored them by themselves.

Best way to explain how it is done is by this flowchart made by Cane from SBGi Portland:

(Aeso: Redone by me. Click to view at full size. )

Here are some examples of things we have come up with using the inquiry method:



What is really cool about this approach to training is, that I don’t act as an instructor in a traditional way. In fact, may of the questions that arise, I don’t even have an answer for them, but the people in the gym together can come up with some really good answers, so I learn a lot myself. I don’t teach, I just provide a framework for people to learn by themselves.

When discussing the use of inquiry education in BJJ, I’ve run into several main concerns and questions that people have (which I also had at first). I’m going to have to just relay the answers, since I cannot speak from firsthand experience, but here is how coaches have answered them.

What if students come up with bad techniques?

You’re surely tired of hearing this term by now, but the solution is… Aliveness. Once they start developing a solution (technique), they have to perform it against resistance and show that it really does work. If it doesn’t hold up under pressure, it’s dropped.

Another aspect to consider is that by allowing students to invent “bad techniques” without correcting them, but making them try it in an alive environment, the student should eventually learn an important lesson: not everything will work. This then leads them to thinking more critically about the functionality of future solutions.

Won’t this lead to poor fundamentals?

One of the most important rules of coaching at SBG is “Drill the fundamentals endlessly”, so they are not sacrificed. In fact, their instruction may be aided using the inquiry method so the students come to personally understand and appreciate them through actual testing and practice.

Maybe this would work for a blue belt or above, but not a white belt, right?

Obviously the more advanced a student is, the more experience they’ll have to draw from when figuring out solutions, but this is not to say that a white belt cannot benefit from this type of training. Often the best solutions come from white belts who have a completely fresh view of the problem, which gets fleshed out by the rest of the group. The next question and answer explains this further.

Isn’t it a waste of time for students to reinvent what their instructor could have just taught them?

Many people feel they would rather just be taught techniques by their instructor, which is understandable and expected. But another aspect to consider is that how one of the goals of inquiry education is the improvement of the students’ ability to think for themselves and solve their own problems. This philosophy is often summed up with the proverb, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.”

Matt Thornton wrote about something about coaching and learning that I’ve found to be very true, and I feel it is relevant here:

As a coach I feel it is just as important for me to help the students in my classes to understand both these things as it is for them to be able to perform them.I am often asked what defines great performers or fast learners. Why do some people get very good, very quickly, while others take years? And I have given that subject a lot of thought.

I have been coaching now for well over ten years, and in that time I have noticed some common points with athletes who excelled and gained a high level of performance very quickly. Most people think that athleticism, being stronger or faster then others, would be the common trait. Others might say work ethic. But in my experience it is neither.

It is true these athletes tend to put in their time on the mat, and it is also true they take care of their bodies. But they do not necessarily work harder than others, and they have not been, in my experience, more “athletic”. In fact, these athletes have often never played sports previously, don’t lift weights, etc.

So what is the common trait?

The fact that they think about the game as a whole. They think about their own game, they think about why things work a certain way, and they think about why things arise in a certain order. And in that process they gain an understanding of the game, BJJ, MMA, whatever, that others just don’t have.

There is absolutely no doubt that this introspective trait is the one thing I have seen as a common factor amongst all the athletes who have rapidly gained a high level of technical skill. In fact, I would say it is the only common trait I have so far been able to identify.


I usually end the quote here, but what he goes on to says after this offers some insight into why he would find the inquiry method so important in instructing:
Having said that you can see why I place an emphasis on asking the students questions in my classes, on encouraging critical thinking and questioning. I don’t just want the athletes in my class to perform the skill sets well; I also want them to understand why these skill sets are the core fundamentals, and why they happen in a certain order when working against resisting opponents.I know that gaining that understanding will rapidly increase their own level of performance, and also it will help them be better coaches when it comes time for them to pass along what they have learned.

By removing the instructor as the sole source of all knowledge, the students and the group also become more self-sufficient. For example, when Matt Thornton used to leave his gym for seminars, attendance would drop since he wasn’t there to teach. But once the inquiry method was implemented, he could leave and just as many people would show up to train since they knew they could learn and improve together, and not just get fed all their answers by the instructor.

That ends the Q&A.

In closing, I wanted to share one more aspect I found intriguing about inquiry education in martial arts and BJJ: it can be used to create techniques where none existed before. For example, a SBG coach has been having success using the inquiry method to help someone with cerebral palsy develop techniques they can do with their disabilities. I believe another is working with someone who has multiple sclerosis. Due to the personalized nature of the training, it allows them to find and create techniques that suite them better than ones developed for people of greater physical ability.

Food for thought.

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