With the gi one of my favorite things is to set up arm locks using chokes but it’s a bit more difficult (limited) when you roll no gi. Here’s a slick choke which uses the rubber guard to build a kind of scaffolding around the head so you can lock up a choke.
Via David Thomas’ BJJ technique catalog.
An interesting modification of the armbar from mount. Georges gets up high to weaken the target arm, then leans forward to isolate the arm. Seems much less prone to escape than rolling back.
Half guard is one of my favorite positions to work from these days, so I’m always on the look out for new moves. Here’s a sweet arm drag from half guard to take the back.
Well, big news in that I got married the week before last on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Besides having a great time with friends and family, I managed to squeeze in some time to visit BJ Penn’s school in Hilo. I thought I’d share the experience with you guys in case you were ever interested in stopping by.
The school is located in Hilo, which is the eastern side of the Big Island. Hilo is where more of the locals live, while the Kona on the west side is where the resorts and tourists are. We were staying in Kona and drove to Hilo, which takes about 2 hours.
BJ Penn's Hilo Gym
I came across this article on strength training by Ross Enamait discussing strength training and theories on fast/slow twitch muscle development. Ross teaches training methods appropriate for fighters as opposed to the type of weight training that bodybuilders practice.
The gist of it is that strength training is the development of strength with the use of resistance. It’s a myth that lifting weights is an incorrect way to develop strength for combat athletes. Rather, it’s the way you train that can affect your results regardless whether you lift weights or use body weight.
Ross defines four types of strength:
This video shows Georges St-Pierre, Denis Kang, and David Louiseau doing strength training in a balanced way. Notice that the coach in the video emphasizes that muscle contractions are always done as quickly as possible in an explosive manner, then he slows them down on the negative.
Also, check this video out for some training ideas to develop explosive power and speed:
