The Transitional Guard...

This week I would like to discuss a concept that many beginners and intermediate players will find very useful, IF they are open to it.

This post is inspired by a recent discussion I've had on a forum concerning the guard that I've had in person with many grapplers in the past and it's only cemented my belief more and more based both on what I've personally experienced and seen.

Some of you might see my take on the guard as controversial, many other people do.
For a long time now, I have seen the guard as a TRANSITIONAL POSITION.
What I mean by this is that on a basic level I think it's a bad habit to hang out in the guard, instead it's best thought of as a position to transition to something else out of.

Now this doesn't mean that I don't believe in the guard as an effective position.
It is DEFINITELY critical to solidify your basics from all positions and build a guard you can be confident with.
This is especially true for beginners but applies to everyone, the guard is an important position for defense when you are on the bottom.
It's use from the bottom for attacking is what I feel is overestimated, especially at higher levels of practice and competition.
Too many people train themselves to go to guard as their bread and butter as well as get too comfortable going there and rely way too much on it.

Once you're there it helps to focus on keeping your opponent off balance to prevent their attack but always have in mind that you should attack or transition to something where you can attack. The latter being most effective.

This is especially true for self defense AND for competition.

For any beginners or intermediate competitors, build this habit early and you'll be ahead of the pack.

Think of the guard as a transitioning position and do your best not to go there on purpose.
Read this AGAIN. It's so important I'm going to repeat it.
Think of the guard as a transitioning position and do your best not to go there on purpose.
This is even more important in self defense and MMA application, where strikes come into play, (and various other factors in self defense).

Most experienced BJJ and MMA guys will be able to negate most attacks from the guard, (I can comfortably attack while in my opponents guard with the only exception being top level guys) this is true for both BJJ and MMA.
Even guys who are more experienced than me avoid getting guard on me.

This is the further evolution of BJJ.

My point being, yes develop your guard, just make sure you aren't inadvertently focusing on taking your game there.

Watch the best top level guys for clues on their strategy.
You'll see positional control, cross side and mount to be their primary arsenal for setting up submissions.
Obviously the difference between the top level guys is the subtleties in their game, but as I've said before focusing on their winning strategies early in your training will set you ahead of the pack.

Let's Try Something New...

I would like to thank all the subscribers who write in to let me know how they have improved over the months and years because of my DVDs and blog posts.
As many subscribers to my blog are actively involved in competition, I'd like to invite everyone to write me with questions or comments about their matches as well as their training and sparring.

I'd like to help more people to improve their skills and as I do get questions that I answer through my blog posts I'd like to encourage more participation so we can help more subscribers with their training.

So whether it's a training question you have or you would like to share some ideas, feel free to send them in.

What Can We learn From Jake Shields The New Strikeforce Champion?

I just finished watching the latest Strikeforce event and although it was a good MMA event as well as a great step forward for MMA being featured on prime time TV again.
(Remember EliteXC?)

There was one thing that bothered me.

Jake Shields' match against Jason Miller.

Although the match was at times exciting and Shields did demonstrate some great skill and earn his win, the problem was that his approach to applying his skills was "too safe" and shed a lame light on grappling.

I say this in light of Shields' incredible grappling abilities not despite them.

It's safe to say that he earned his victory over Miller by controlling him for the majority of the match.
The problematic part comes in that although controlling him and taking a few chances, he rarely did much else and did not display finishing skills. Especially when it comes to ground and pound or setting up submissions, two critical aspects of grappling and Jiujitsu in MMA.

I think this demonstrates an important lesson that needs to be learned from MMA, that is that superior grappling skills are only a part of the equation.
Without the essential set ups for submissions as well as powerful ground and pound, what you're left with is an incomplete fighter that I find very hard to call a champion in MMA.

Now everyone knows that I am primarily a grappler, but this is also why I find it important to point out the limitations involved in our approach especially when it comes to being a complete fighter.

If Jake Shields hopes to defend his title successfully and keep being a champion for the long haul, then rounding out his game in necessary.
If he doesn't do this, then I predict that he will lose his title within his next 2-3 fights.

Now although this depends on your goals as a grappler, ask yourself how "complete" your game is especialy if your goals include MMA.