Fabricio Werdum did it! He beat Fedor Emelianenko, the man many people believed was unbeatable and he did it with one of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s most effective attacks, the triangle choke position. He ended up finishing by applying pressure to Fedor’s elbow with an armlock but it all started with the threat of the triangle choke.
Well more accurately, I believe it was because Fedor punched himself into the triangle choke position which Werdum did a great job of taking advantage of. With little respect for Werdum’s guard, Fedor tried to finish his Brazilian opponent with some intense ground and pound after dropping him to the canvas with a solid shot to the head moments earlier. The only problem was that his repeated one arm bombardment placed himself within the triangle choke several times in a row. He shook out of the first few fairly easily but then found himself in one of the most threatening positions in the game of MMA, trapped within a fully locked triangle choke which left his neck and arm in some serious danger. Even worse was the fact that it was a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion that was applying the submission hold on him.
Escaping that type of situation would be like trying to run from an attacker that is holding a gun to you head. Chances are ultra slim that you’ll be able to do but there’s always a chance.
In this video I show you the escape that I use when I am completely stuck inside a fully locked triangle choke position. A final shot at avoiding this excellent submission hold. It must be done as soon as you feel your trapped arm passed across the opponent’s stomach and before he is able to start attacking that arm by straightening it out.
It’s one of over 20 videos from my Submisson Escape workshop that is available in the PREMIUM SHOP.
I really don’t believe that becoming the perfect mixed martial artist is ever possible. Well at least not in the average life span that we as human beings can expect. I’ve been training close to thirty years and sometimes there are some days I still feel like a beginner at some things.
In the beginning mixed martial arts can be a little overwhelming for many students. New students are constantly asking me how long it will take them to become good. I always tell them that there is no easy route or quick shortcut to mastery, that they should focus on attending class as often as possible and always do their best to be a good student. If they are expecting to become a professional fighter overnight, they have no clue how much dedication an accomplishment it actually takes to do so. Mind you they could just jump in and fight pro but they better have some good health insurance.
In terms of your own training, be patient. It will take some time but with some dedication and hard work you’re guaranteed to improve. In a few shorts months you will possess the skills and confidence necessary to defend yourself against the average person in the street. That is a very empowering feeling. I call this time stage one and at this is the point where things really become fun.
Like watching your own child grow, you don’t notice the technical changes and growth you are making daily but before you know it you’ve matured into an experience mixed martial artist. So be patient, have fun and remember that the enjoyment isn’t in achieving the goal, it’s in the journey along the way.
After watching a few videos of guys getting knocked out when their cowardly opponents threw cheap shots while they were touching gloves, I decided to make this video.
Remember to protect yourself at all times once the referee starts the fight but if you do want to touch gloves with your opponent, following the 3 simple tips in this video will keep you from getting knocked unconscious in seconds.
With my laptop (which has all my best stuff on it) still down and out of commission, after somebody stepped on it and shattered the screen, I found this technique video on my main computer and decided to throw it up.
The video shows a very simple way to counter a jab and fire back with your own attack. A benefit of doing this type of defense is that it will bring your opponent closer to you since they are trying to hit you. This is helpful at times when you are finding it difficult to reach your opponent with your jab on its own.
Back to the laptop issue…I ordered a new screen on Ebay but have no idea how long things take to ship since it’s my first order from that site. Anyone know how long it takes?
If you haven’t got a chance to check out my Learn-MMA section…there’s like 75+ free videos showing some of my best mma fundamentals to get you started ==> CLICK TO CHECK IT OUT!
Shadowboxing can be difficult, frustrating and awkward for new students to perform. It can be very tough for a beginner to fire their punches in the right places or stay in a strong fighting stance because their lack of experience makes it very difficult for them to properly visualize an opponent in front of them.
Shadowboxing –or shadowfighting which I sometimes call it because of the kicks, take down entries, sprawls that I execute in addition to the punching– is one of the most useful training drills in a fighters –for both beginners and advanced students– workout routine. It promotes technical proficiency, is excellent for conditioning and is an efficient way for a fighter to perfect their attacks before entering the heat of battle that sparring or actual competition is.
One way that I find will help you feel more comfortable shadowboxing is by doing the exercise with a partner. In this article I’ll show you how to do this and I’ll also share a few drill variations for any advanced martial artists that are looking to add more challenge, effectiveness and excitement to their workouts.
Here we go!
1) Stand facing one another in your fighting stances with a decent amount of distance between each of you. Ideally you and your partner should be able to punch, knee and kick with no chance of connecting with any part of the others body. This is very important! A collision of fists or legs could cause serious injury to one or both of you so be sure to maintain around an eight foot separation between you both at all times.
2) Set the timer –usually for 2,3,4 or 5 minutes depending on your skill and endurance levels- and start the round. At first remain in place and work your techniques from one spot on the floor using your partner’s position to help you visualize your targets. Avoid the urge to move forward as you strike and make sure your partner does the same. Simply run through the variety of techniques you know well or any new ones that you have been working on. Repeat the drill for a minimum of three rounds using the same duration for each and give yourself a 30 seconds to 1 minute rest between each round.
3) Once your comfortable with #2, do the exact same drill except add some footwork this time. Each of you should move from left to right or vice versa as you fire off punches, kicks and knee strikes. Continue to avoid moving forward because that will only put you in danger of colliding with your partner’s fist, foot or knee. As your partner moves around be sure to maintain a solid fighting stance that’s angled as if you were actually fighting against them.
4) Alright, so now you’ve gotten comfortable with the drill both while standing still and with some footwork added in. Next, incorporate some defensive techniques in reaction to your partner’s attacks. If they jab, pick it. If they low kick, check it and so on. Remember that it’s never a real block because your partner should still be standing more than 8 feet away from you. It’s really just you timing your shadow fighting defensive move with their shadow fighting offensive attack. Be sure to throw a follow up combination after your defensive maneuver so that your chances of doing so in actual sparring will be much greater over time as you continue to practice this drill.
5) Lastly, lets make this drill a little more MMA styled. Anytime you or your partner touches the ground with you back knee –and holds it there– the other person must perform a sprawl motion as if someone had just shot in for a take down on them. If it’s you that dropped the knee, wait until your partners sprawl is complete before standing up again to resume your shadow fighting. Be sure that you have your partner sprawl regularly throughout the rounds, often at times when they are in the midst of an striking combination so that they can hone their reaction skills in a very realistic way.
Okay, so now you have it, the partner shadow boxing drill. It’s up to you to get in the gym and put it into action. I wouldn’t do it all the time because it’s still very important to develop your solo shadow boxing ability but it’s a great way to change things up whenever you feel like it. Be sure to share to share the drill with others you think might benefit and enjoy it.
When I was reading one of the many mixed martial arts forums today I came across a question regarding striking sparring. The person asking was completely new to sparring and like many beginners found his first rounds versus a moving, striking opponent extremely challenging.
Off the top of my head I quickly came up with a few things that I thought might help him in his quest to get hit less while doing more hitting himself inside the ring.
I’ll share them, and a few more, to help you make your sparring experience more enjoyable and…less painful. Here we go!:
1. Throw your punches with speed, relaxation and technique, never try for power.
2. You don’t have to always see the opening for a specific punch. Just throw you combo sharply and quick and often the opening comes in the middle of your combo.
3. After your done punching, move away to either side. Your even better to stand your ground than backing straight up.
4. When you think you’re jabbing a lot, jab twice as much.
5. If you get into trouble, place both gloves on your temples, covering your face and jaw with the forearms and move, move, move.
6. When blocking strikes try not to tense your arms. Simply raise your arms up to protect yourself. This is easier said then done.
7. Keep you chin down at all times.
8. Mix up your attacks, try to be as unpredictable as you can with your combinations.
9. Pace yourself. Use your defensive and offensive techniques instead of just attacking the entire time.
10. Focus on keeping yourself in a good balanced stance before attacking, while attacking, and after your attack. This is very important!
11. Never give up. Taking a bit of a beating in the beginning is all part of the learning process. Stick with it and you will slowly become more like a hammer instead of the nail.
Bonus Tip:
Forum poster Zedlepln on mma.tv reminded me of this important one that beginners often forget to do.
Breathe!
Never hold your breath during your sparring round. Some fighters exhale hard with ever punch they throw. Instead I simply breathe regularly –with my mouth closed- making short but not overly strong exhalations through my nose when I throw each punch. The more well conditioned you are, the better you will be able to control your breath.
Here’s a few ways to counter the right hand body shot taken from my recent “Counter Attacks” Workshop.
It’s 1 of 38 different videos in the training series that will help you strike fear into your sparring partners and opponents with the counters for their common attacks.
Over the years I’ve done a lot of shadow boxing. Actually I think I’ve done a little too much of it. I recall a time when I would set the oven timer for 30 minutes every morning and every night so that I could work on all of my newest techniques over and over again while shadowboxing. Needless to say after a while I could no longer lift my arms up and out to my sides without feeling excruciating pain pulse through my shoulders and biceps. That was a painful lesson about over doing things.
Anyways, I want to share my one of my favourite shadowboxing drills. Before I do, let’s look at how you will benefit from doing it regularly.
First off it will help you get hit in the head way less!
If that’s not enough of a reason to start implementing this drill, then I say it will also help you land more strikes on your opponent and majorly increase the damage you inflict because the poor guy won’t even see the strikes coming.
Lastly this drill will make you frustrating to face in training or competition. You’ll look slicker, smoother and more experienced inside the cage or ring which is a nice bonus that may even draw you a few extra fans over the years.
What’s the drill you ask?
It’s a shadowboxing drill that incorporates the use of a set of mirrors –which many kickboxing and boxing gyms have– to improve your head movement skills.
Here’s how it works.
Plant yourself directly in front of the mirrors, body facing them, at a distance of two to three feet. Assume a fighting stance and adjust your position so that from your perspective your nose is directly in line with one of the cracks or seams that marks where one mirror ends and the next mirror starts. Be sure that you’re in your full fighting stance when you line everything up.
Next, begin shadowboxing as your normally would but keep your lower body completely still. Instead of moving your feet focusing on moving your upper body so that your nose moves on and off of the line you marked using the mirrors in front of you. Slip to the left, slip to the right, roll under a punch or two and after every evasive manoeuvre allow your nose to return to the place in which it started. Once there, move your head again…and again…and again.
I suggest doing a few rounds without any punching, strictly focusing on moving your head. Once you feel comfortable in doing that begin to add some simple punches. If your nose is off to the right side of your mark, fire back with a straight right hand. If it’s off to the left, counter attack with a killer left hook. Remember to maintain your high rate of head movement as it’s easy to get so wrapped up in punching again that you head movement starts to lessen.
Now you’re ready for the full drill. Start the timer to begin a round. Begin moving your head often, keeping your motion fluid and relaxed. Start unleashing punching combinations into your imaginary opponent’s face and body, each set of punches originating from the position that your evasive movements brought you too. Be sure to throw some punches from the normal vertical standing position but always move your head immediately after ending a flurry and then continue on with the drill. In the midst of all this action, maintain solid technical striking detail in your movements by keeping your hands up high, and by turning your hips when you punch plus all of the other things your instructor has taught you in training.
Do this drill often and you’ll find yourself moving your head more while working the heavy bag, while hitting the hand mitts and most importantly while sparring. What’s the end result? You’ll get hit less, land more solid shots of your own and look pretty slick in the process.
Have fun with it!
Here’s an example of how not to move your head!
and here’s a technique from a Head Movement workshop that I taught:
To pick up the Full 31 Video Head Movement video workshop which covers proper slipping, rolling, counter punching and more visit HERE.
Live BJJ, MMA, Boxing, Kickboxing and Submission Wrestling Technique plus a lot more!
It’ll all be available on a new page I’ve just added to the site and I’m really excited about it. The page is called Jeff Joslin MMA live! and can be accessed through the Learn-MMA menu tab.
Look for future live streams from my home and workplace at Joslin’s Mixed Martial Arts. Content will include live group classes, private lessons, live special events, a weekly MMA show and anything else that will help provide MMA technique, info and entertainment for those in search of it.
Great Classes tonight. Felt good to be back on the mats after a week holiday. Big grading and seminar coming up In August.about 3 days agofrom TweetDeck
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Fabricio Werdum did it! He beat Fedor Emelianenko, the man many people believed was unbeatable and he did it with one of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s most effective attacks, the triangle choke position. He ended up finishing by applying pressure to Fedor’s elbow with an armlock but it all started with the threat of the triangle choke.
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