Here, from the mighty mighty Aesopian, is a great variation on taking the back from north/south. I like it much better than the traditional version that Aesopian refers to in here.

My coaches always tell me how important it is to have a push-pull concept in BJJ. Here is Cobrinha showing his version of spider guard, demonstrating the concept in his subtle way.

Important things often happen suddenly.
Most people tend to think that things happen gradually – things like skill acquisition for example – but this, in my experience, is not the case at all. I think that when conditions are right, we undergo experiences that I like to call ‘emergent events’. Think of it like this …
Say we think of numbers – small numbers – they do logical things, they follow rules, and it’s all pretty simple and fairly predictable. We know that two times two is four, six plus four equals ten, etc. So it seems perfectly logical that huge numbers should pretty much just do the same thing as small numbers but on a larger scale – right – wrong!
Let’s apply this idea to say, brain cells. To paraphrase Dan Gilbert (excellent author and psychologist) – if we take a couple of brain cells – neurons – and we connect them via an electro-chemical circuit, we get something not any more powerful or remarkable than say a pair of walkie talkies. In fact it can be easily argued that the walkie talkie’s are more powerful. But what happens when we wire trillions of these neurons together (a very large number) we get something rather unique – we call this thing – CONCIOUSNESS – self awareness. That’s a pretty amazing thing. So obviously, when we got enough of these connections, some kind of critical event occurred and something new EMERGED – namely, we did! So two or three neurological connections cannot be deemed as ‘conciousness’ – not even two or three hundred connections – but something (or things) happened between those small numbers and the astronomically huge numbers that we actually have that causes us to BE! And be aware they we – BE!
So what is the point of this blog – well, it is my view that a similar thing happens when we undergo a learning process. People start out on the mat, in the world of BJJ, wrestling, boxing, etc – and they learn a bunch of independent techniques and theorems and they gather and collect as they steadily increase their experience and understanding – and if enough of this happens, something remarkable occurs – something that seems larger than the combined sum of that which they have learned – and they experience an EMERGENT EVENT. That is to say, suddenly, they are markedly better!
So, for any beginners that are reading this – or anyone else for that matter – never despair – steady practice, more and more connections and you can expect your own emergent events to take place. The interesting and uplifting thing is that this can also occur in all other areas of our lives.
I enjoy thinking and developing these types of ideas – they help me with my teaching process. So please let me know via the comments facility of you want to hear more or less of this sort of brain-food. When I weave these sorts of thoughts into the training during my seminars, most seem to enjoy it – but every now and then I see a pair of eyes glaze over – over to you …
Best wishes
JBW

This past Sunday, EMAC‘s Tum was not only awarded the ‘MOST TECHNICAL FIGHTER’ award for submitting all his opponents in both gi and no-gi but was promoted to blue-belt by Adam Kayoom. Congratulations to Tum and to all that competed this past weekend at the ‘white-belt festival‘. -Luke

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman reports from the season opener of the WFTDA national champion Gotham Girls Roller Derby, whose all-star team defeated the Boston Massacre 188-44 in Brooklyn, New York.

After the game, we spoke with Polly Gone, one of the newer members of Gotham Girls Roller Derby, about this bout and her own attraction to the fastest-growing sport in America, roller derby. To highlight the growth of this new sport’s media, we spoke with Bone Crawford of Derby News Network, who was there covering this event.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called “The Heist”, by musician Ian Carpenter.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

Click here to view… Want to edit this? Edit this entry Edit this entry
See the non-wiki version of this technique here.
[In case the images and text do not show after clicking on "Click here to view…", please use this link to view the wiki]
Bookmark and share this post: [...]

Post from: my BJJ blog

Wiki: Triangle and Options

Courtesy of Gracie Magazine.Pam Ams 2009 Black Belt Results

It’s been almost a month, but ATM (Always Train Mondays) is back on track.We’ll see how far we make it down the rails. The last Monday training I did was on March 2nd, at the beginning of the week leading into the Revolution tournament. As I’ve said …

Ladies and Gentlemen, dear readers, I present to you the pictures from the OJJ Komlock seminar. こんな写真を見てください！

fellow grappling dummies, matt and sam, with matt performing one of our unwritten rules where if we get tired of doing conditioning one of us immediately grabs a camera and takes shots while the others pose for the picture [...]

No class today.

It’s important to be dynamic in BJJ. Check out this interview Roger Gracie did with Gracie Magazine. His answers make me think about how I can change up my game.

GRACIEMAG.com: Roger, Is pulling guard your first choice in a fight?

ROGER GRACIE: The option of pulling guard depends on the fight, it varies according to the strategy laid out.

GRACIEMAG.com: What’s your favorite style of guard (spider, half, open, closed)?

ROGER: To tell you the truth I don’t have a preferred style of guard, I think if you limit yourself to one style your adversaries will quickly find a way to dominate you.

GRACIEMAG.com: From the guard, what’s your favorite attack?

ROGER: My favorite attack is whichever one my opponent offers me. Any attack at the right moment will always be the ideal attack and not the one you go looking for the whole time making it obvious and allowing your opponent to prevent it.

GRACIEMAG.com: What makes a great guard?

ROGER: A great guard is one that makes your adversary uncomfortable the whole time, not letting him adjust himself and not giving him room to pass your guard.

GRACIEMAG.com: Do you have any secret or detail that makes your guard special?

ROGER: There’s no secret to my guard, for anyone wanting to have an effective guard the secret is called training and not getting stuck in any specific style. The more variations you have the better your chances of surprising your adversary.

GRACIEMAG.com: Who taught you the guard and how did you perfect it?

ROGER: The one to teach me most was training, the more you train the more mistakes that become apparent, thus making it easier to work on them. Your best teacher will always be you. Of course no one learns by himself. If it weren’t for my teachers I’d never have made it to where I am, but everything you learn has to be adapted to your body type. A single position can be performed in several different ways.

GRACIEMAG.com: Who has the best guard you’ve ever seen?

ROGER: The best guard I’ve seen was Roleta’s. He’s super flexible and has really strong legs.

GRACIEMAG.com: Who’s given your guard the hardest time?

ROGER: I don’t think any one person gave me a harder time than any other. I’ve had several fights where I found myself in complicated positions but with a bit of time and concentration I recovered bit by bit.

GRACIEMAG.com: Do you feel comfortable when under pressure from someone trying to pass your guard?

ROGER: Whenever someone is on top that person is trying to pass your guard. There will always be pressure from them, the important think is to never let anyone get comfortable and control you to the point where it’s too late to prevent him from passing. Always maintain a position that works in your favor.