I’ve been on a guard passing streak lately with video but any good grappler wouldn’t argue against the fact that guard passing is an extremely critical part of the game that you should have a good grasp of.

So in this video you will find:

- How I approach my stance to the x-pas
- What speed I like to hit the x-pass
- Ideal ares to hit on your opponent during the pass
- How to deal with an opponent that tries to grab your leg
- Repetition drills and timing drills that I use and that you
can use to help you develop the “muscle memory” and familiarity
of the sweep so you can make it smooth and fast.

So I hope this video helps your passing game and it might be something that you can add, or even gives you some ideas to make your x-pass even better.

And on a side note: Something you should ALWAYS think about is that even if you don’t do certain moves, it’s always good to know how someone may approach it because your opponent may try to hit the technique on you. You don’t need to do everything but you should be familiar.

Thanks for watching,

Jason Scully

ttp://www.connectionrio.com – BJJ black belt Dennis Asche of Connection Rio shows a reversal from underneath side control.

Connection Rio is a specialist company that provides accommodation for jiu-jitsu enthusiasts and travellers visiting Rio de Janeiro.

For information on training and accommodation in Brazil, go to http://www.connectionrio.com

Filmed and edited by Hywel Teague
http://www.bjjhacks.com

This escape is not a conventional method but works well. Remember the importance of trapping your opponent’s arm by pinning your elbow down and keep driving with your lower body as you push your shoulder into your opponent’s chest on the side of his trapped arm. Good training!

Subscribe to Connection Rio YouTube

I’ve also been getting a lot of messages asking me some “what if” questions.* The #1 “what if” was, “What if the person attacks your arm for a kimura”. The other was “What if they post on your body”.

I decided I would take a moment and film something for you guys that may help you deal with some common situations that happen that can increase the percentage of you hitting the Over/Under pass and stay safe at the same time.

These situations are usually only an issue when your opponent is familiar with your move, which DOES happen.* So it is important that you have some options. Check out the video here:

Hopefully it answers some questions for you and helps clear some things up as well.

The Over/Pass has been my go to pass for a very long time now and I think it works well for all types of players.

Thanks for watching,

Jason Scully

P.S. Yesterday I told everyone how there was only 93 spots left
for the Grapplers Guide out of 300 total.  As of today, there is
now only 76 spots left.  Make sure you get in while it’s open at
http://www.grapplersguide.com.  If you have any questions or
concerns let me know.

Here is the original pass video:

 – Vinicius ‘Draculino’ Magalhaes is a 4th degree Gracie Barra black belt. Part of the GB team since the 1980s, he shared a mat with many of the most famous names in jiu-jitsu, including the Gracies, the Machados and more.
With Gracie Barra academies of his own in the USA, Europe and Brazil, Draculino explains how the organisation was the perfect environment for him and his peers to grow, and why the team was (and still is, in his opinion) number one.

He also explains how jiu-jitsu isn’t just a sport or form of self-defence, but has the potential to truly change lives.

Filmed entirely at the Gracie Barra academy in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro.

Our videos are supported by the good people at:
‪http://www.mantofight.com‬ — ‪http://www.scramblestuff‬ — ‪http://www.connectionrio.com‬
Please visit their sites, they’re the best people we could hope to work with in the jiu-jitsu community.

In the midst of the rising popularity of Mixed Martial Arts with mainstream viewers has come a surge in a new kind of martial artist: the self-taught via television screen and computer monitor.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) began to rise in popularity during the early 1990’s, but due to lack of regulations including weight classes and rules in the cage, it was less popular with average viewer and considered by many to be human cock fighting. That image began to evolve over the next decade or so with implantation of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, creating less of the violent blood-bath many would-be viewers avoided.

Today MMA widely accepted as a sport made up of numerous components extracted from a plethora of disciplines. Most practitioners of the game undergo training in a gym or dojo either specific to a single disciple or combined as an “MMA gym.” Either way, typical training across the board consists of cardio, strength, conditioning and of course technique. But today gyms are beginning to see an increasing number of students coming in to the sport with a background in “video martial arts.”

The increase in MMA’s popularity has triggered a boost in interest for many specific disciplines with some of the major players being Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai and Karate, but instead of heading straight to the dojo some students are finding technique in the comfort of their own homes.

Youtube

Richard Bown Jr. trains at The Arena MMA in San Diego, California where he is endearingly referred to by his teammates as “Chavez” a nickname he was given by a teammate. His interest in training was sparked like that of many others. “I would watch it on T.V. and record anything U.F.C., W.E.C. or MMA related,” said Chavez. “In the beginning, for the first six months to a year the only training I got was on my own. I got started because I use to play a lot of sports, but I was too small to play in college. With combat sports it’s different because you can find people your size.”

Being from the small town of Calexico, California Chavez did not have many options for training, so he resorted to other methods. “I watched a lot of Youtube,” said Chavez. “I would type in G.S.P. training and would watch how G.S.P. trains, or what someone like Freddie Roach is teaching. I would find out what the best people were doing for workout and I would do what they were doing.”

To practice the moves Chavez would borrow workout mats from the school where his father was a teacher. “They were the little yoga workout mats and I would have to tape them together on the bottom so they wouldn’t come apart. Then I would invite friends over and whoever wanted to come would come.”

Two years into training Chavez (shirtless in the photo) has competed in two Jiu Jitsu competitions and one amateur MMA bout. One of his favorite moves learned from Youtube is the Peruvian Necktie, which most Jiu Jitsu practitioners will contend is a difficult move to master from a hands-on instructor, let alone a computer screen.

Jai Troche trains at No Remorse in Honolulu, Hawaii. Despite being only 17, Jai has a wealth of martial arts knowledge well beyond his years, most of which has come from hands-on instruction, but has been complemented by external sources. He has nearly 20 fights/matches already under his belt.

“The Eddie Bravo stuff is pretty slick,” said Jai. “But if you have him as a coach you I’m pretty sure you would be able to do it a lot more successfully. There are certain techniques that work and certain techniques that don’t work for your own personal body type.”

So yes, fighters can and do supplement their training with techniques learned from Youtube, and so can you. But now let’s look at an even more unlikely source of technical instruction…

Video Games

In addition to Youtube, student are also tightening up their skills via Xbox and Playstation. The UFC and E.A. Sports both have well-developed MMA video games which encompass virtually all the details you would find in a real bout. Players who have never touched foot a mat learn how to take down and past the guard to set up for the submission.

“One of the best things I learned from the UFC video game (UFC Undisputed) was the importance of distance,” said Chavez. “Throwing some punches and circling out.”

E.A. Sports Game Designer Victor Lugo shared the same sentiment in an exclusive interview with GrappleArts.com, “One of the things that is really stressed is the importance of circling.” said Lugo. “In the game if you circle into the opponent’s strong side you are going to be significantly more damaged than if you had circled away.”

Lugo explained that he and a number of the other designers for the game were brought on the team because of their background in specific martial arts disciplines. “We are able to capture how a fighter actually trains,” said Lugo, “Because so many of us train we can take the player through that process. There are real drills and real combinations that players have to work on to prepare for the fight in the game. It gives anyone starting in the sport a good idea of what to really expect when they get to the gym.”

Even though the work is being done through the push of a button, those buttons still force players to have knowledge of what will work situational. If one player shoots in, the other has to know how to sprawl. If a player gets mounted on the ground he needs to know the escape. To be successful in the game, players have to have a general knowledge of the techniques. They may not be developing muscle memory, but they are developing a mind set.

After the release of the UFC game Undisputed 2010 Producer Neven Dravinski stated in an interview with Game Focus, “Each match has this inherent tension to it. When you watch two really skilled jiu-jitsu fighters go at it, you can always see that attempt to gain position. . . When you see two people playing who really know the game, it’s scary how much like a real fight it looks like. There’s a really cool cat and mouse game going on that is really indicative of the tension and strategy in a real fight.”

Jai considers the best move he picked up from a game to be the rolling arm bar from back mount. “I thought it was a cool move.”

“The video games are really realistic these days,” said Jai. “So it teaches you decent technique. Not really great, but it’s a way to get knowledge of a position.”

About the Author: Grapplearts.com correspondent Bryanna Fissori is the 135lb belt title holder for Fight Girls, Hawaii and also has a successful track record in BJJ and submission grappling competition. She trains at South Oahu MMA and Relson Gracie Waterfront Jiu Jitsu in Honolulu, Hawaii, and has been known to supplement her training with techniques she’s learned online.

IF YOU LIKED THIS ARTICLE YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE STEPHAN KESTING’S INTERVIEW WITH MARSHALL CARPENTER FROM LOCKFLOW.COM: “LEARNING BJJ IN A DIGITAL AGE“

About a months ago I made a Short But Sweet Guard Passing video where I do 57 guard passing techniques in just 8 min.

Well I got a lot of people asking about what I call the  “Low Level X-Pass”.  It’s basically a mix of the X-Pass and the Over/Under pass.

This is high up there with being one of my favorite passes and for me this is because it’s so closely related to the Over/Under Pass which is my #1 go to low level pass.

I honestly first came across this pass by watching a YouTube video of Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza drilling this pass.  He wasn’t even explaining it, he was just drilling it with a partner.

I decided to try it out a few years ago when I saw the video and it was quickly added into my passing arsenal. It really makes a good gi variation for those who like to do the Over/Under pass no-gi.

Hope you enjoy it!

Please like the video on YouTube if you do, I would really
appreciate it.

Jason Scully

P.S. Sorry if the audio might have a little echo, if not don’t worry about it haha

If you haven’t already liked my facebook page for regular updates as well as free articles then go check it out now, hit the LIKE button on the page to join.
Or alternatively, you can sign up to my newsletter at www.gymlessbody.com

The pistol squat is one of the most valuable exercises an athlete can have in his or her little black book of tricks when training for strength, power and building muscle.
That is if the athlete can actually perform Pistols. The truth is that most can’t and won’t without a lot of work and after trying a few times and failing, most give up and never try again.

The pistol squat requires balance and strength. It is a unique exercise, easy for some and incredibly difficult for others. Going straight into performing a Pistol without any prior one legged training will probably end up with you falling on your ass, that is where the exercise progressions come in. To ease you into the swing of things and get you squatting on one leg.
There are many athletes who are extremely powerful with weighted squats well over 500lbs, who attempt Pistol squats over and over again and fail every single time. Then there are those who have an unusual talent for making them look easy. Many gymnasts are able to pump out rep after rep of this exercise.
These one legged squats strengthen the hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes and hips but one of the most valuable benefits from providing them is injury prevention by significantly strengthening the knee structure over time. They can also even out strength imbalances, as you perform them on just one leg. Single leg squats when compared to barbell squats, greatly reduce the stress placed on the lower back and spine making it a more ‘back friendly’ exercise option for those with back problems.

No other bodyweight exercise builds lower body strength like Pistols do but they can take time to master, so on the following pages I’m going to show you the best exercises to use to build up to them. If you attempt them and fall down, don’t frown. Just get back up and start working on the progressions. These are a very advanced exercise and it takes time to become proficient with them. However, the benefits and strength gains they produce are more than worth the work.

- They improve strength and flexibility
- They can be performed anywhere, anytime, with no equipment
- They even out strength imbalances, bringing the weaker leg up to speed
- The improve mobility in the knee, ankle and hip joints
- They promote good barbell squat technique, as they force you to sit back and keep good posture and the whole body tight
- They don’t load the lower back like Barbell squats, making them great for those with back problems.
- Cool party trick, it is funny busting out reps of pistols with ease at a party while your friends try and fall on their asses

Standard Pistol Squat
Start standing on one leg, with foot on the floor flat and other leg outstretched straight in front of you, ideally at hip level. Some trainees may struggle slightly to do so if hamstring flexibility is poor. Do not allow your heel to lift off of the floor and come onto your toes, this is a knee injury waiting to happen. Aim to keep this leg straight throughout the entire exercise. You will squat down descending slowly, getting as low as possible, pause briefly then pressing back up while keeping upright posture.
You want to sit back to with your bum to be able to press up using the full strength of your leg on the way up, and keep good balance throughout. You should aim to sit back so that the hamstring rests on the calf at the bottom, on your supporting leg that is touching the ground.
Stretching your arms out in front of you is recommended as it helps stay balanced. With so much of your bodyweight shifting back onto one leg, you can equal it out and lean forward with your upper body and arms to keep the weight spread out.
To stay balanced you may lean slightly forward with the top of your torso, but aim to stay upright as possible so that you can still sit back on to your calf and press up powerfully.
Holding a weight plate in your hands or a very light dumbbell in each hand to serve as a counter balance can help tremendously when first beginning training with Pistols. I cannot recommend this enough. Keeping your arms straight the whole time, start the exercise with the dumbbells by your sides and raises them up to shoulder level as you descend, then the reverse on the way back up. This also serves to help you stay balanced.
Try to keep your abdominals tight, lean slightly forward with the top of your body, and slightly back with the bottom half of your body to keep good balance. Too much either way will cause you to fall over.
Definitely do not rush the descent, as rushing and dropping too fast could injure your knee, keep the movement slow and controlled on the way down. You can however, bounce a little at the bottom to take advantage of the stretch reflex and power your way back to standing position a little easier. This is kind of like stretching an elastic band and then pinging it.
Pistol squats can take time to develop, they require tremendous hip flexor strength, which many male athletes lack.

Lamppost/Doorframe Assisted Pistol Squats
To help ease you into One Legged Squats, you may peform the Pistol while holding onto a Doorframe or Lamppost in front of you. Try to use your arms to assist you as little as possible during this exercise, attempting to let the legs do most of the work. As you become stronger, you will use your arms less and less.

Uneven Basketball Pistol Squat
This movement is exactly the same as the Traditional Pistol, except that the heel of your outstretched leg is resting on a basketball, soccer ball or medicine ball or maybe a chair or stack of phone books. This is a great stepping stone for athletes who are not yet strong enough to do full pistol squats and offers a way to ease into unilateral one leg training, that is if you perform them on a stable surface. If you choose the take the route of performing them with the outstretched foot on a ball, it can be a lot more challenging due to the instability and also due to the fact that you can reach a much deeper squat. Experiment with different surfaces and see which lends better to your current level of training.
If you have trouble with stability because the basketball keeps moving around then use a more stable object such as several phone books stacked on top of each other at roughly the same height as the ball was.

½ Range of Motion Pistol Squats
For the complete Pistol novice, Pistol Squats using only half of the range of motion can be an excellent way to ease into the other variations as the lower down one squats when performing pistols, the more challenging it becomes and the more difficult it can be to press back up from the bottom of the movement.
Squat down half way, try to at least break parallel so that your legs create a 90 degree right angle, then press back up by driving your feet into the floor, most of the power coming from the heel pressing into the floor.
Lamppost/Doorframe Assisted Pistol Squats
To help ease you into One Legged Squats, you may peform the Pistol while holding onto a Doorframe or Lamppost in front of you.

Basketball Assisted Pistol Squats
In this Pistol Squat assistance exercise we will use a basket ball or similar sized soccer ball to create a bounce at the bottom of the squat to make the movement easier for those who struggle to get back up once they hit full depth. The bottom position of all types of squat is always the most difficult, this is especially true for Pistols. The Basketball Assisted Pistol Squat will allow you to start getting full depth and pressing back up, so that you can make faster progress toward the more difficult Traditional Pistol Squat.

Rolling Pistol Squats
At the bottom of the squat, roll onto your back, tucking your chin in and use the momentum to roll back up and stand up out of the squat.

Box/Chair Sitting Pistol Squats
The box pistol is much like the reduced range of motion squat, in that the more shallow depth allows newer trainees to ease into Standard Pistols, using the box as a measure of progress. Simply perform a Pistol squat, lowering yourself until your bottom sits on to the box. Pause for a second letting the box take your weight, then press back up. The box height can be lowered as the athlete becomes stronger and more confident with the exercise. Slowly keep lowering the box until you are comfortable at full ass the ground depth. You may add weight to Box Pistols by holding them in your hands as a way to measure progress and increase difficulty without increasing depth.

Box/Bench Standing Pistol Squats
This variation allows you to reach full depth without having your non-supporting leg at hip level, but instead down by the side of the box/bench/wall completely straight. Raising the leg at hip level makes the Pistol much more difficult, so this variation allows you to get practice squatting full depth and maybe even doing so while holding dumbbells or extra weights for added resistance to build you up to the Standard Pistol.

Paused reps
Here you will descend into the squat and hold the bottom position for 3 to 5 seconds, then press back up to standing position. This eliminates the stretch reflex mentioned earlier and makes the upward movement much more difficult.

Slow Eccentrics
Here you will be descending extremely slowly, then pressing back up to standing fast and explosively.

Weighted Pistol Squats
As with almost any exercise used for strength training, progress can be made by adding resistance, most of the time this is done in the form of weights. You can choose to hold two dumbbells by your side or hold a single weight plate out in front as mentioned earlier. Another option involves wearing a backpack while doing Pistols, with weight plates in the back pack. One legged squats become a whole different ball game when you start adding weights to them.

Overhead Weighted Pistol Squats
The most challenging of all the variations, holding a weight overhead stretches out the core and forces you into a weakened position where it becomes extremely difficult to get up from the bottom of the Pistol Squat. Hold either one weight plate or two dummbells over head keeping arms locked out and elbows completely straight throughout. Not for the faint of heart, this very difficult to master. If you are feeling extremely brave, try performing the Overhead Weighted Pistol Squat with a Barbell overhead.

Plyometric Pistols
Now here is the ultimate party trick Pistol. Squat down into a One Legged Squat, bounce using the stretch reflex at the bottom and explode up straight away to jump onto a box, table, chair or wall. Whatever surface you are jumping onto. Start small at first, perhaps a 1 foot high surface to begin with. Only try these when Standard Pistol Squats become very easy.

So there you have it. Pump your Pistol. It has so many benefits, will make you strong and keep your knees healthy and injury free when done properly.
Yours in Fitness,
Simon Boulter

So I made a short video explaining why I do what I do when I open the guard from the knees and little details I try to pay attention to when I do it.

There are SO many different ways to open the guard and many people will have their own variations.  Try this way out, ask questions, and let me know how it works out.

The key thing that I make sure I do when I attempt to open the guard from my knees is I DO NOT put my knee under their but from the beginning.  This is extremely common for people to do and a  very common way for them to learn it. I do not do it this way. My order is a bit different.

Fundamentals are key when it comes to building a strong game, so always focus on keeping your basics clean and efficient.

Thank you for watching

Jason Scully

I came up with a special interviewing process where I get talk to a a black belt and get them to ask another black belt 3 questions, followed by something interesting they know about the person.

This weeks interview is Samuel Braga with Draculino

Interviewing Black Belt:
Samuel Braga

Website:

SamuelBragaBjj.com

 Main Competition Achievements: 

• 6x World Champion (2002 purple, 2004 brown, 2005, 2006, 2008 & 2010* black)
• 5x Brazilian Champion (2001 blue, 2002 & 2003 purple, 2004 & 2005 brown)
• World Nogi Champion (2007 black)
• Pan American Champion (2004 brown)
• Brazilian Teams Champion (2003 purple)
• 2x World Silver Medallist (2003 purple, 2007, 2009** black)
• Pan American Silver Medallist (2008 black)
• 3x World Bronze Medallist (2001 blue, 2006 & 2011black)

Biography:

Samuel started with martial arts young at seven years old , practicing Taekwondo.  Ever since he was young, he always loved to compete, winning a couple tournaments as a Taekwondo  fighter . He practiced Taekwondo for several years until he got his black belt  and took a break from martial arts when he was a teenager.

Samuel  was planning to come back to his training in Taekwondo  but his gym also offered a Jiu-Jitsu  class that took Samuel’s attention. He was already watching UFC and a fan of Royce Gracie (one of Helio Gracie sons who spread jiu-jitsu to the world using the MMA fights and dominating the biggest events in that time), as well as a big fan Rickson Gracie (Royce’s older brother fighting in Japan’s Pride MMA, which became some the most watched MMA events during 21 Century until purchased by UFC).

After he watched this class his mind changed and he began his BJJ training. His parents supported from beginning until today, something Samuel is very thankful for, especially his father who gave all support he needed to compete in tournaments. After winning multiple World Championships, Samuel is still practicing this beautiful art that changed his life, giving him more discipline, confidence, and respect in all areas of his life—inside and outside the ring.

Interviewed Black Belt: 

Vinicius “Draculino:

Website:

GracieBarraTX.com

DraculinoBJJTraining.com

Main Competitive Achievements: 

• 4x Pan American Champion (once in the master division)
• Pan American No-Gi Champion in master division
• 2x Brazilian National Champion
• 2x Silver Medalist of World BJJ Championships
• No-Gi International Master and Senior Champion
• Abu-Dhabi Contender

Hopefully they can help with some ideas and concepts to improve your grappling in some way.  Especially with takedowns many people are going to have their own variations and the way they do things as this particular topic is extremely diverse.

One of the great things about making these videos as well is I expose my own technique and I get the chance to learn as well from others.  So far with the technique I have been using in this video, these movements have been working extremely well for me. I know there are a lot of wrestlers and judo players out there so I’m open to criticism.

Jason Scully

P.S. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube Channel (http://www.youtube.com/jasculs) if you haven’t yet. I’m  hoping to reach 7,500 by mid February.  Also please share this video with every grappler you know and if they haven’t seen my others please share those too Oh, and please press the like button at the end of the video if you liked it. Thanks