An integral part of martial arts such as Brazilian Jiu-Jtsu and Sambo, ground fighting (also referred to as ground work or grappling) is a form of hand-to-hand combat that focuses on both offense in a top grapple position and defense in the guard position. While each art focuses on specific elements of ground fighting in varying degrees, ground work has several commonalities across forms and techniques.

Principles of these in grappling, or the technique of maneuvers and counters which, when applied to a combatant, reverses the physical advantage of the encounter. Improving the relative position, escaping, and causing submission of the opponent are all principle focuses of the art of grappling, and can be broken down into several distinct categories.

The first of these categories is the concept of “clinching”. Clinching is a pre-ground work technique that intends on setting up a defense against throws or takedowns, but can be used to set up long-term offensive patterns as well, resulting in the opponent moving into a better perceived position, while being set up for an effective takedown and being moved into an inferior position.

Another category is that of takedowns and throws. While the concept of a takedown is simple enough, the methodology of how it is carried out can change the entire flow of combat for both the defense and offense positions. The entire aim remains the same, however – if a takedown is carried through properly, it should result with the grappler in a physically superior position on top of the opponent, with an increased amount of relative control.

Throws are a less physical form of takedown, focusing on using the balance or weight of the opponent against themselves. By shifting the weight of the opponent and forcing them off balance, throws intends on moving the opponent forcefully through the air into a ground position. By temporarily throwing the enemy off balance, a certain amount of control is forcibly removed from the opponent, allowing the creation of avenues of weakness in the opponent’s defense.

Another category of ground work is the submission hold. Submissions can be broken into two broad categories, each with different focuses – the first, chokes, intend on disabling the air flow of the opponent, resulting in either complete suffocation or temporary strangulation as a method of ending the conflict. The second, locks, intends on causing damage to a specific joint or muscle group. While chokes are often used to calm and opponent or reduce their effectiveness, locks can be used to disable an opponent during a confrontation, ensuring the safety of the defender.

The final category of groundwork falls into the broad term of reversals. This includes securing and controlling techniques such as a pin, which is designed to limit the movement of the opponent by controlling their movement and securing their position into a stationary location. By pinning their position and preventing escapes or attacks, the defender can move into the position of attacker, controlling the situation and the original attacker with ease and precision. Additionally, escapes and sweeps intend on merely reversing the position of the attacker into defender, moving the defender into a better position of attack.

Come down to Arashi Do and try out one of our great Brazilian programs like Fundamental BJJ, Women’s Only BJJ or Children’s BJJ for ages 4-7 and 8-14.  All those and you get a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL!  What are you waiting for?  Call or text us at 780-220-5425 or email us at myackulic@ArashiDo.com

P.S.  Check the DVD on the side for a FREE VIDEO on how to Base and other great BJJ moves or CLICK HERE!

If you are a complete beginner and want to get into the combative arts, there are probably a number of reasons why you would choose something like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) in order to kick-start that journey, one of which is possibly starting your BJJ journey for a better life.

If starting your BJJ journey for a better life is something you have been contemplating for a while now and you are ready to take that all-important next step, you are already on the right path since something like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu serves as the perfect tool through which to improve your life, with the embedded benefits to come probably going to exceed your expectations.

Some of the benefits of taking up something like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are not as obvious as some of the common ones you may already be familiar with, with these familiar benefits of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and indeed the combative arts in general, taking the form of turning your body into a very effective tool which can be deployed in self defense, a much fitter and subsequently healthier body as well as the opportunity to interact with other like-minded people on a different level to what normal environments offer.

Those are some of the common and obvious effects and benefits of taking up something like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, with some of the uncommonly known ones proving to be revelations which will probably only beg to solidify the credibility of your choice to start your BJJ journey for a better life.

The truth is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu does a lot to improve the overall quality of your entire life, even in some areas you may not be familiar with, like building up mental strength and accounting for a fitter mind, improving your concentration levels and your ability to plan and make decisions quickly, synchronizing your mind with your body, which is a relationship that is only known about once the process is actually completed, as well as developing your social skills.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu entails a lot of rhythmic elements to it, which is why it is proving to be a little bit more popular than the traditional form of Jiu Jitsu, so that in itself makes for a very powerful integration of the process of being able to reset your bearings at will and ensure you bring your body up to speed with how your mind functions and vice versa.

The complete Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, even one who is only in it to amass the benefits that come with BJJ, is someone who generally enjoys a high quality of life in that they know exactly how their body functions and they know how to put their efficient body to good use.

This goes beyond situations such as those which induce self defense and go all the way up to deployment of the effectiveness of the BJJ-trained body in other sporting codes, academics even and general life stages which require a higher level of engagement to get through successfully and efficiently.

Come down to Arashi Do and try out one of our great Brazilian programs like Fundamental BJJ, Women’s Only BJJ or Children’s BJJ for ages 4-7 and 8-14.  All those and you get a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL!  What are you waiting for?  Call or text us at 780-220-5425 or email us at myackulic@ArashiDo.com

P.S.  Check the DVD on the side for a FREE VIDEO on how to Base and other great BJJ moves or CLICK HERE!

With a new UFC show on almost weekly, many people now recognize the true benefits of BJJ for sport and for Self Defense.  Entertaining striking, spectacular takedowns and some wildly awesome submissions make it easy to overlook some of the more basic moves that set up the exciting finishes.

Now I say the MOST Important Technique in BJJ, but it goes for any Martial Art.  It is often the first thing your learn when you go to any class and is a skill everyone will be able to accomplish by the middle to end of class.  And that technique is…

BASE aka How to Stand

Everyone needs it, we learn it as children and then eventually we stop challenging ourselves and then of course we lose it.  The nice thing is it is simple to dust off and make effective again.

As children we are constantly challenging our base through physical activities or sometimes our own siblings shoving us around.  We quickly find a way to stay standing because picking yourself off the ground gets old real fast.  But as we get older, and more civilized, we don;t partake in such rough housing any more and “leave that to the children”.

We watch Combative shows like UFC and are amazed by Anderson Silva’s ability to throw pin point strikes and George St. Pierre defend yet another takedown without giving much thought about how important it is to be able to stand on our own feet.

Very few people that walk into one of my BJJ or Muay Thai classes are able to stand effectively (which isn’t surprising if we are teaching people to be offensive with it, after all, how often do you really need to throw a punch or take someone down?), but I am very surprised how easy it is to catch someone off guard with a gentle shove or a pull on their wrist.

Now as a disclaimer, I should say you should come to a class and learn techniques from a professional Instructor, but I think I can let this one slide.

To be able to stand in your base properly, place your feet slightly wider than shoulder width and adjust for comfort.  Bend your knees slightly and slowly shift your weight from one foot to the other by moving your hips side to side (kind of like a snowboarder).  Now of course it is really simple but the fun part comes from having someone check your base.  That’s where we come in.  Our Instructors will give you the proper resistance to build your Base and your Confidence without going too fast and injuring you.

Come down to Arashi Do and try out one of our great Brazilian programs like Fundamental BJJ, Women’s Only BJJ or Children’s BJJ for ages 4-7 and 8-14.  All those and you get a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL!  What are you waiting for?  Call or text us at 780-220-5425 or email us at myackulic@ArashiDo.com

P.S.  Check the DVD on the side for a FREE VIDEO on how to Base and other great BJJ moves or CLICK HERE!

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is fast growing into one of the most preferred fighting styles to be practiced within the various combative arts circles and, if you are a beginner who is just starting out in the world of the combative arts, or you are considering getting into the combative arts, BJJ should be very high up on your list of considerations, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the best forms of the combative arts, not just because it is one of the most effective fighting styles, but also because it has a lot of tradition and culture embedded into it, as the name suggests, so you will always be sure to be getting more than just another fighting style.

Secondly, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is not as widely spread as some of the other combative art forms, even though it is very popular and many people would love to be a part of it, so the level of specialization attained through those few and far-between establishments, that offer Brazilian Jiu Jitu, ensures that you will be learning BJJ the correct way — the way in which it was meant to be learnt.

This ensures an element of quality control which you probably won’t get in any other combative art form, except maybe Muay Thai, which also has a lot of tradition and culture embedded into it, but the difference between Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu then puts BJJ in a better position since through BJJ the playing field is leveled, which brings us to the next reason why BJJ should be at the very top of your list of considerations, if you are looking at getting into the world of the combative arts as a novice.

Thirdly, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu levels out the playing field completely, simply because of the way in which the rules of the combative sport are formulated. With Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, smaller, weaker opponents can take on bigger opponents, who are naturally stronger, because of the rules which govern the combative parameters, where the focus is more inclined towards ground-fighting and grappling, as opposed to making use of pure strength in combative striking.

For this reason alone, amongst others too of course, learning BJJ the correct way is of vital importance so, when one makes their choice of an establishment through which to learn their craft of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, they need to consider this little vital element.

As mentioned a little earlier on in this article, the relatively limited number of establishments offering BJJ ensures that those that do offer BJJ are of the highest quality, otherwise they would very quickly get exposed.

Learning BJJ the correct way ensures that the beginner combative artist enjoys a number of benefits to their craft, going beyond the ring and spilling over into other areas of life, such as improved mental functionality, spiritual grounding, synchronization of the body with the mind and that all-important issue of having a very powerful self-defense mechanism which stays with you wherever you go.

Come down to Arashi Do and try out one of our great Brazilian programs like Fundamental BJJ, Women’s Only BJJ or Children’s BJJ for ages 4-7 and 8-14.  All those and you get a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL!  What are you waiting for?  Call or text us at 780-220-5425 or email us at myackulic@ArashiDo.com

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU should obviously be viewed as new to you when you begin, so respect the fact that there is a lot to it, otherwise everyone would be at the top instead of a few that are separated from the pack.

Most top-notch BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU champions have a certain technical skillset that allows them to achieve their greatness on the mat. They just did not wake up one day and become black belts. A new white belt does not just start tapping or dominating a legitimate black belt the first day of class. Jiu-jitsu is one of the hardest martial arts to become a black belt in. In BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU you have to demonstrate your skill while sparring on a daily basis. A lot of people make the mistake of going through the motions when they are learning techniques, just thinking, “When can we spar?” Well, learning the techniques properly will allow you to spar more efficiently.

Having another martial arts background similar to BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU such as wrestling or judo will also help. Any discipline learned that has any physically coordinated type of learning should help you become more at ease when it comes to learning BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU techniques.

On the other end of the spectrum, some of you may not be strong, athletic, or have had any prior martial arts experience. You may be frail, you may be fragile, you may even be disabled. Have no fear. The one thing that is so great about BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU is that it is for everybody and anyone can learn it.

Similarly, if you are heavy and out of shape, you are still in the right sport. If done safely and correctly, BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU will whip you into shape. You will likely start living a healthier life for the rest of your life. Remember, Helio Gracie lived to the age of ninety-five and trained the same week he passed away.

Come down to Arashi Do and try out one of our great Brazilian programs like Fundamental BJJ, Women’s Only BJJ or Children’s BJJ for ages 4-7 and 8-14.  All those and you get a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL!  What are you waiting for?  Call or text us at 780-220-5425 or email us at myackulic@ArashiDo.com

The clothing you wear on the street will differ from what you wear in the martial arts training hall. Be aware of the limitations of blue jeans or a heavy winter coat. If you are wearing a scarf, it can be used against you in a choke, tie-up, or unbalancing move. Shoes or boots are good for kicking, since you don’t have to worry about getting your toes or ankles busted. However, they also slow you down, particularly if they are bulky. It is a good idea to train in street clothes once in a while, at least enough to make you aware of the limitations.

Your clothing and the way you stand can also restrict the use of your hands. For example, a verbal argument, if handled appropriately, will buy you time. But you must still be ready for the physical attack. If you cross your arms over your chest in an attempt to assume a non-threatening stance, don’t interlace your arms. Cross them straight, so that you can quickly come off with a strike, grab, or defensive move, without running the risk of your hands getting entangled in your own arms. It is not recommended for you to keep your hands in your pockets, it’s unlikely you will be able to withdraw them fast enough before your opponent makes contact.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu offers specialized training in dealing with Standing and Ground Self Defense situations where someone may be trying to use your clothing against you.  By consistant training in BJJ you will be able to not only use your Attackers atire against them, but your own clothing as well.

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