The next episode of the Cageside ConcussionCast, the jiujitsu and MMA podcast I co-host, is out now — and it features an interview with Andrew Smith. Andrew is a second degree black belt in jiujitsu, a judo black belt, and a co-owner of both US Grappling and Revolution BJJ in Richmond, Virginia (where you should train if you’re in town). He’s a thoughtful and unique guy, and I enjoyed the interview a lot. I hope you do as well.
Triangle From Closed Guard With Strikes
On the most recent podcast, we interviewed CJ Murdock, who is a black belt currently training in Brazil with Fernando Terere.
When we do this, we’re usually going to ask the guest to demonstrate one of her or his favorite techniques: with CJ, that’s not possible, since he’s in another country. In a situation like that, I’ll demonstrate the grappling technique and Trevor Hayes will demonstrate the striking.
Here’s a classic, core technique that never stops working and never diminishes in importance: the triangle from the vale tudo guard.
Trevor knows this punchy-kicky business far better than I do. He runs the Muay Thai program at Forged Fitness Cary, and here he shows the teep kick and the roundhouse kick.
Interview With CJ Murdock, Live From Brazil
The second episode of the Cageside ConcussionCast, the radio show and podcast I host with Trevor Hayes, is up now, and I think you’ll really want to check this one out. Here’s a link you can listen at until Nov. 8, and I’ll post a permalink later.
We talk to one of the most beloved and accomplished current competitors on the local scene, CJ Murdock. CJ is currently living and training in Brazil with Connection Rio. If you’ve ever wondered what it’d be like to train with Terere every day, listen in. CJ also shares some technical advice, how he got hooked up with the trip to Brazil, why he was vegan but isn’t now, and much more.
We also do a segment we call The Parting Shot, where we share offbeat items from the martial arts world. Mine is about Harold Hubbard, a friend and training partner of mine who fought in Peru. You might remember Harold from such GIFs as this:
Harold cut some … memorable fight promos in Peru. I’ve already had some people request I post the sound files that I played on the show. Listen to the podcast first, but if you want them for future reference, here are all four in order.
First Podcast Out Now
The maiden voyage of the martial arts radio show I’m co-hosting is out now!
The show airs live every Sunday at 10 a.m. Eastern time on WHUP 104.7 FM in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and you can livestream it at WHUPfm.org from anywhere fine Internet connections are available.
It’s called The Cageside ConcussionCast, and while the name implies face-punching, I’m on the show to talk about jiujitsu primarily. We have some pretty amazing BJJ-related interviews planned, so stay tuned for that.
If you miss it, it automatically archives as a podcast, and is usually available within 5 minutes of us going off the air at 11 a.m. You can download that from our show page on the WHUP website. We’re going to get it listed on iTunes soon as well.
Download the first show here! We interview Laurie Porsch from Grapplethon DC, recap the Toro Cup grappling benefit card, fumble with audio files for 45 seconds of riveting low-volume near-silence (sorry about that!), and try but fail to play an awesome interview with Andrew Smith of Revolution BJJ that will air next week.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Chat with us using the hashtag #CagesideWHUP or email us at cagesideWHUP at gmail dot com.
New Radio Show this Weekend
When I was a child, all I wanted was my own rap theme song. Like John Slade said, every hero needs some theme music.
Turns out all I had to do to realize this dream was host a community radio show. Starting this Sunday, I’ll be hosting the Cageside ConcussionCast on WHUP FM 104.7 in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
The name is a little tongue-in-cheek, but me and my co-host Trevor Hayes will be talking about jiujitsu, MMA and the martial arts in the Carolinas and beyond. You can check it out live on Sundays from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Eastern time if you’re local, or you can listen to the livestream at WHUPfm.org. The shows will automatically become podcasts an hour after airing, so you can download them for free. We’ll have them up on iTunes soon.
Beyond any question, the ConcussionCast will the best combat sports show hosted by a vegan pajama wrestler. Come listen to us preview local tournaments and fights and interview the best martial arts personalities you’ll ever want to hear from. We’ll let these experts explain how North Carolina became a jiu-jitsu hotbed, what fights to watch and when, how to execute techniques and what walkout music you should pick for your fight. Occasionally we’ll talk to our expert guests about Dungeons & Dragons and heel hooks:
Some interviews we already have scheduled:
Andrew Smith
Caio Terra
D’Juan Owens
CJ Murdock, live from Brazil
Laurie Porsch from Grapplethon
Guy Pendergrass
Mark Hunt
... and so, so many more.
We also promise fun and vegan recipes with a minimum of blunt trauma, but a maximum of entertainment. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Chat with us using the hashtag #CagesideWHUP or email us at cagesideWHUP at gmail dot com. And let me know who you want us to interview.
Oh, and about that theme music: how awesome is this track created for the show by Toon & The Real Laww?
Intro to the Berimbolo
For a move that — to me — is just another powerful sweep from De La Riva guard, the berimbolo sure has become a lightning rod. To some, it’s emblematic of creative jiu-jitsu evolution. To others, it’s an invitation to soccer kick you in the head.
Spin on some cardboard to beats in the street, and everyone calls you Ozone or Turbo; spin underneath a guy to take his back, and everybody loses their minds.
Every job has a perfect tool. The berimbolo is a great tactic in many situations, and when you strip away the loaded connotations some people put on the word, I think that becomes apparent. It’s a terrific move for people who have trouble keeping their grips, since the belt grip is a tough one to break. For people fond of De La Riva guard, it’s a good chance to either get to the most powerful finishing position in jiujitsu — the back. Besides that, it’s fun, and fun has value.
I just did a series of two Berimbolo introduction videos for the Roy Marsh Jiu-Jitsu YouTube channel. Please check these out and let me know what you think! As you’ll see, I often use berimbolo to take the back, but just as often I’ll come up to pass the guard — or use it to take mount, which I didn’t show here, but I will if people are interested.
Have fun with these and let me know if you have any questions in the comments. Feel free to request future videos — or future silly Photoshops — too. I thought about making Kool-Aid Man shirts for Toro, but no plans are in the works for that, at least now.
Leglocks and Jiujitsu
Editor’s Note: Like a gentleman, the only time I ever touch feet is when I’m giving Marcellus Wallace a foot massage. But my good friend Lt. Col. Toehold goes for your feet like a submission-focused Rex Ryan. (Actually, maybe Rex Ryan is submission focused. Let’s not think about that too closely). Anyway, enjoy this guest post, and thanks to Lt. Col. Toehold for writing it.
ADCC 2015. Thirty-three matches ended in submission. Nine of those were lower body submissions including six heel hooks, two toeholds, and one kneebar. Polaris 2 this weekend saw two incredible battles in Tonon vs. Imanari and Cummings vs. Bodycomb. Both matches ended in heel hook. Ryan Hall just won his way onto the Ultimate Fighter house by an Imanari roll to inverted 50/50, followed by a heel hook. Eddie Cummings won the Eddie Bravo 3 tournament, submitting the entire field with heel hooks.
Without a doubt, leg locks are the fastest growing set of submissions in the sport. They can also be the most dangerous because they are often misunderstood and hence not immediately respected.
I wanted to take the time to share some thoughts on leg locks. First off, let me clarify something. I’m a purple belt. Which means a couple things. Most importantly I’m early on in the learning process. This is important to understand because I’m not preaching years of advice. Rather, I’m explaining the path that I’m on in my education of leg locks. Second, I’m not even allowed to do leg locks in competition. This means my sage advice hasn’t even been tested in IBJJF competitions.
So why should you read further? Because I’ve made many mistakes. I hope you don’t make the same. Continue reading “Leglocks and Jiujitsu”
Margarida, the Forgotten Champion
Have you ever seen the amusing video of a black belt explaining how jiujitsu movements equate to taking off tight clubbing jeans? Don’t worry, I won’t make you use Mr. Google:
Funny video, right? But today I was having a conversation with Jake Whitfield, who is a Royce Gracie black belt with a passion for jiujitsu history, and Jake mused that if you know the name Fernando “Margarida” Pontes these days, it might be because of this hilarious snippet. And that’s a crime.
(Full disclosure: a lot of the information in this post I got straight from Jake. So if you’re near Goldsboro, NC, go train with him, OK?)
Generations change. Some names remain prominent while others fade, and not always based on merit or accomplishment. On the basis of accomplishments alone, Margarida’s record speaks for itself. He was the first black belt to earn double gold at the worlds, and at that time was also the youngest absolute champion in history. BJJ Heroes calls him “one of the most accomplished and exciting fighters to have walked the Earth.”
Besides the gold medals, consider what Margarida’s aggressive, attacking style earned him. For one thing — and think about how many times you’ll read the following words in this order — he submitted the legendary Fabio Gurgel:
He also tapped Marcio “Pe de pano” Cruz and Saulo Ribeiro, both in their respective primes.
If you’re part of the crowd that just wants to see highlights, don’t you worry: Margarida had an exciting and flashy game. Watch him stick his hand in the collar and make it a constant threat:
If technique’s more your thing, watch him teach the baseball choke here:
You can search YouTube and find full matches with Terere, Saulo, Xande, Roger and more that I haven’t linked here. It’s up to you to decide how to use your time.
But however you use it: don’t watch one amusing minute and think that’s all you need to see from one of the best ever.
Leg Lasso Sweep From Open Guard
The leg lasso is one of my favorite open guard positions. With the lasso in, we can defend the guard and transition back to closed guard if we want to. We can also set up powerful and safe attacks.
It’s very frustrating for our opponent to pass the lasso guard, and frustrated people make mistakes. This sweep is one we can hit when our opponent makes a very common mistake: trying to pass without clearing the lasso first.
Thanks again to Roy Marsh for letting me show some techniques at his school and helping me film these videos. If you enjoyed them, you’ll definitely like the other videos on his YouTube channel by Roy himself and guys like Drew Culbreth, so check them out and subscribe if you like.
Leg lasso sweep from open guard
The leg lasso is one of my favorite open guard positions. With the lasso in, we can defend the guard and transition back to closed guard if we want to. We can also set up powerful and safe attacks.
It’s very frustrating for our opponent to pass the lasso guard, and frustrated people make mistakes. This sweep is one we can hit when our opponent makes a very common mistake: trying to pass without clearing the lasso first.