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Here’s a quick tip on defending against the Brabo Choke.

Although there’s a lot that could be said about defending against the Brabo Choke, understanding how your posture affects your opponent’s ability to cinch the choke is a good place to start.

You want to have your head up, chest out and back straight. This allows you to become larger through that area, as your chest expands, and it prevents your opponent from being able to cinch up the technique.

Conversely, if you are curled over, your opponent has more room to cinch the choke.

Watch the video above to see this in action and post your comments below.

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When you fight, you’re (generally) trying to process what your
opponent is doing and react based on that.

However, when you watch a fight on TV, you’re trying to process and
analyze what 2 people are doing… at the same time!  Guess what?

That’s too much info!  It’s enough of a job just analyzing just one
opponent.

When you fight, you’re fighting one (or more) opponent… but not 2
opponents who are fighting each other!

So instead, try focusing on just one of the fighters at a time. If
you were facing him, how would you respond to his tactics? Can you
spot weaknesses? Opportunities?

If you haven’t done this before, I guarantee you’ll get much more
useful information just by watching from this perspective.

Try it out and let me know how it works for you.

The post How To Get More Out of Watching a Fight appeared first on Grappling Dummy Training.

However, here’s my advice (watch the video below for a better explanation)

• Start by learning the rubber guard basics yourself. If you know what you opponent’s trying to do BEFORE he does it, things become much harder for him. (Sort of common sense, right?) Not to mention… rubber guard’s a great position… you should learn it anyways.

• Rubber guard is tough to escape, so it’s easier to avoid it in the first place than to have to escape it. Learn to avoid being caught with your head down OR being pulled forward… that’s when your opponent can put on the rubber guard. Which leads you to…

• Ways to avoid being pulled forward OR having your head down:

• Your opponent can’t pull you forward or put on rubber guard when your hands are to his biceps. So:

• Pass guard with your hands to biceps (see video)

• Put your knee to his butt (to open his legs) while your hands are to his biceps, then posture hands at belt line and pass (see video)

• Proper posture – keep you head behind your hands (“tripod position” ) while passing or standing to avoid being pulled forward (see video)

• Post off on your opponent when he tries to sit up to pull you down (see video)

ALTERNATELY, If you’re getting trapped in the basic rubber guard grip, there’s a few possible options that may work IF DONE EARLY ENOUGH. I’m not going into those here. The point I’m trying to get across is, it’s MUCH easier to avoid the rubber guard position than it is to escape it. If you spend time learning how to not get caught in it, you won’t have to defend against it nearly as often.

Keep training!

Bob

How do YOU defend against rubber guard? Post your ideas below!

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Seriously… if you’re not doing this already, it’s going to help you pass the guard much more aggressively and confidently than you ever have before.

And, I predict you’ll see IMMEDIATE results with this one.  Try it, then post and let me know how it works for you.

Bob

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Here’s a quick grappling strategy for you.

Have a “plan B” or alternate move in mind in case the grappling move you’re using fails. Without an alternate plan, you could exhaust yourself trying to get the tap. Or, you have to just let go and basically start all over.

Let’s take the guillotine choke for example. Ever find yourself  unable to complete them?

If it seems like your opponents are often able to just hold on until you fatigue, read on…

First, keep in mind a basic principle in fighting… you CAN’T afford to get fatigued before your opponent. It’s a HUGE disadvantage if you tire out first.

So, rather than just squeezing until you’re out of gas, have a couple “Plan B’s” ready to go.

Here are some simple ones to use once you realize you’re not going to get the tap…

#1 – throw your leg over the opponent’s arm he’s using to defend against the guillotine. Voilà, the triangle choke’s right there.

Even easier is…

#2 – go right from the guillotine to a kimura. You’ll find his arm is pretty unprotected and available for you.

Watch the video above to see these demonstrated.

There are plenty more tactics available, but the idea here is to have your “alternatives” beforehand, so you can hit that plan b without missing a beat.

Have suggestions? Post them below. And don’t forget to share this with your friends.

The post Grappling Strategies – Have a Plan B? appeared first on Grappling Dummy Training.

“Do you have any ideas on how to get motivated after a long day and just no desire to train?”

It’s a great question, and having a good solution is a MUST if you want to maintain your skills for a lifetime, and not become someone who “used to train.”

In 37 years of training, I’ve never had that problem, so it’s safe to say my methods for staying motivated work pretty well. But, rather than give you my motivation strategies right up front…

… I’d like you to share YOUR ideas first, so everybody can benefit (including me!)

So, PLEASE post your ideas and tell us how you stay motivated.

Once I have at least 10 posts, I’ll post my best motivation strategies as well.

I look forward to hearing your ideas!

Keep training,

Bob Dorris

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Lots of people write and tell me that a big problem for them is… they JUST CAN’T REMEMBER THEIR GRAPPLING MOVES. If that sounds like you, there’s nothing wrong with you…

…but there’s probably something wrong with your approach to learning. The better you understand about the “process of learning”, the better you’ll be at learning your grappling moves. I’ve recorded this video to try and help you (viewing time is about 10 minutes).

After watching it, if you have anything to add to help others, please post!

Bob

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Here are a couple of drills to turn your grappling moves into street-fight readiness:

First, lets take a look at preparing for a fight against multiple opponents.

Bearing in mind that it’s ALWAYS hard to deal with more than one opponent, it’s something you want to prepare for the best you can.

One of my students had a situation where a “free for all” brawl broke out at the pool hall where he was bartending. He only had a bit of grappling experience, but here’s how his grappling moves came in handy.

He ended up on his back, with one of the brawlers in the “back mount” (he had his back). He managed to get into a corner, and he essentially used his opponent as a “human shield,” avoiding getting kicked and beaten himself long enough to survive the brawl.

Here’s a grappling drill to prepare you to deal with more than one opponent:

1. Tell your grappling partner NOT to defend the way a trained grappler would. The guy on the street isn’t likely to be a trained submission fighter and if he is, then you’re pretty much screwed in a multi-man situation anyway and need to get to your feet.

2. Have a 3rd person move around you and your partner, attempting to (lightly) strike only you. Your goal is to shield yourself as much as possible with your grappling partner, even if only temporarily until you can get to your feet.

Next, let’s take a look what to do if your opponent has a knife.

If you find yourself in a street fight, there’s a good chance your opponent may have a knife, gun or club.

Here’s a grappling drill for dealing with a knife:

Have your partner use a rubber knife while you’re working your grappling moves. At first, you’re going to get “cut” quite a bit and you’ll realize you need to modify your grappling.

But after 2 or 3 sessions, you’re going to find yourself controlling the weapon more and more while STILL controlling your opponent with your grappling.

I’ve trained police this way, and they’ve always felt their “real world” skills improved quickly.

What drills do you use to turn your grappling moves into street fighting moves?

Share your suggestions below:

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