Kenneth Brown BJJ – Grappling Tips, Tricks and Instructionals

The Real Reason That I Love Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

February 2, 2013

I recently read a book called Start with Why by Simon Sinek. It made me think about why I love Jiu-jitsu, and the answer I came up with surprised me because the reason has existed before I even knew what Jiu-jitsu was.

Through the Wormhole

Before I just spell it out, let’s go back in time. When I was really young, I received my first computer. It was a 386 or a 486. I forget which, but suffice to say that it was a dinosaur. I remember going out and getting games. Then I would try to load them, and often they wouldn’t work right away.

The reason for that lies in the fact that back in the stone ages memory was logically split into categories like conventional, extended, and expanded. Different games required certain amounts of memory in the different layers.

That’s where applications like memmaker came into the picture. It allowed you to play with the distribution of memory.

Sometimes, it got quite tricky, but I often had to engage in a little problem solving before I could even play games. I enjoyed the process almost as much as the reward though.

Figuring it all out was just fascinating.

Innovative Engineering

Another example happened recently. In fact, it was only a few weeks ago.

I went down to Virginia to support some teammates at their MMA fights. While there, I spent most of my time in the back with the team.

Between the fights there were significant periods of dead time, and during the wait my coach, Mike Moses, challenged us to figure out how his knife works.

It was a switchblade but it had a concealed mechanism for bringing the blade out. Even when he demonstrated, it wasn’t clear what was being pressed.

We all tried our hand at it. Most tried for a few minutes then decided to focus on something else. Even I took a little break after trying for like ten minutes.

I walked away and got something to eat, but then I came back and picked up the knife again. I looked at it from every angle that I could think of, but I still couldn’t figure it out.

That process continued throughout the night. I would walk away and then come back and pick up the knife. Every time, I was in the room, my thoughts tended to drift toward figuring out the solution, and I was actually disappointed when it was revealed.

How it all Relates to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

From those two examples, hopefully you now understand one of my underlying passions. My focus on coming up with unique solutions to common problems and understanding how things work and how to make them work better both stem from the desire to solve problems.

What Brazilian Jiu-jitsu gave me was the perfect outlet.

It’s an ever-changing puzzle with so many different pieces. It forces you to bring everything you have to bear. You have to use your mind, body and spirit to excel at this art, and all are strengthened in the process.

It’s simply problem solving in its finest form.

Every concept and movement is a piece of the puzzle, but learning the individual pieces simply isn’t enough. You have to learn how they interact with each other.

What makes it challenging and fascinating is that the puzzle isn’t two-dimensional. There is no one true solution. Each piece doesn’t have a clearly defined space that it must fit into.

Instead, the puzzle is multidimensional.

For example, one concept can be linked to many different movements to create a diverse range of techniques. The same can be said about linking movements to concepts.

Then on the next level, there is how techniques interact with each other. You have to figure out how to use them in combination to form effective attack sequences and loops.

You can’t forget to add resistance to the equation either. So there are counters, re-counters, reversals, and escapes.

It can all get quite complex, but there is a certain simplicity to it as well.

Mastering this art will be a lifelong pursuit. Even now at brown belt, I believe that there is still so much to learn. I’ve only figured out bits and pieces so far.

It’s a good thing that I love the process.

What about you? Why do you love the art?

Troubleshooting the Half Guard I

February 1, 2013

One of my ongoing projects is related to half guard, and today I want to look at one of the questions that I’ve received as a result of that project. The question was:

My Half Guard question is about the cross face. I have gotten very comfortable with being able to control the bicep of the person on top, when it is coming straight for my chin and being able to rest in this position. However when my opponent skips the cross face and stops looking to scoop my head and squish my chin, and instead puts his elbow over my head, and then I get trapped between his elbow and his free leg. Any answers on how I can regulate this? I manage half guard pretty well til this happens and then they pass. Thanks

Some time has passed since this question was asked but even now I find it interesting. Intuitively, I feel that the transition to deep half is really easy once they pull you in with their elbow, but someone else is perceiving a problem in that same situation.

I wonder why that’s so, and I don’t want to assume that it’s because of a skill difference. I look at the question again, and I wonder what details aren’t included. For example, what form of half guard is being played? Who has the underhook on the far side?

Those are just simple questions, but there are all kinds of variables that could be in play that aren’t being highlighted. So what we have is a situation that isn’t completely defined.

Let’s assume that I won’t be able to get more information about the situation from the person who asked me the question initially. What would be best way to find a resolution?

Now generally prevention is often the best policy, but in this case, I’m not sure if we want to prevent it. So the first step would be to answer that question. Is this a situation that should be prevented?

The only way to answer that is to test. Small variances within the situation have to be tested until you find a situation that is very disadvantageous for the person on the bottom. If it can’t be found, it means that there is no need to prevent the elbow coming over.

One day, I did a quick video after class to test two simple variances and prove that they weren’t threats. You can see it below:

Those were just two possibilities. More exist, and I want to test them. Also help would be appreciated. If you had issues in any situation like this, let me know why.

What Are Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Gyms Really Selling

January 9, 2013

One thing that I really enjoy is taking ideas from diverse sources and applying them to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. If you read enough posts here, you probably already noticed that trend.

This post will be another example of that because I was recently exposed to a very interesting concept about business. It’s all about a simple five word question that every business should ask themselves.

The question is:

What are we really selling?

The goal of that question is to shift the focus from the product to how customers perceive the value of the product. For example, if you sold trash bags, are you really selling trash bags? No, because no one buys a trash bag just to have them.

You’re selling a cleaner house. You’re selling a cleaner car. You’re selling a cleaner environment. You’re selling the desired result, and the trash bag is just a tool used to achieve it.

Now it doesn’t end there. There’s also the reason why a certain result is desired, and you can go deeper and deeper there until the reason is very specific.

Here’s a quick example.

Product: Trash bag

Basic desired result: Clean house

Possible reason why: To attain peace of mind.

Possible reason why: To avoid criticism of visiting relatives or friends.

Possible reason why: To find lost possessions.

The closer you get to articulating a customer’s specific reason why and proving that your product can help them achieve the result they desire, the more likely they will be to see the value in your product.

It’s a simple concept, and we’re going to look at Brazilian Jiu-jitsu through those lens.

What’s Really Being Highlighted

This will be a comparison of the homepages of three different gym websites.

I chose them by just going on Google and typing in BJJ. Then I picked three from the local results.

Also this analysis will not be about which gym has the best program. It’s just about the messages they present to their potential customers at that first level of contact.

If I were to compare the programs, it wouldn’t be fair. I’ve trained at two of the gyms, and I’m biased.

Team Maryland BJJ

This gym has a explicit list of benefits with a clear association to new years resolutions. So it can be assumed that it is a seasonal message, but let’s look at it.

Lose weight
Bullyproof your child
Learn Self Defense
Increase my self confidence
Increase my mental and physical health

Then there’s a offer to assist with all those resolutions.

These are all basic desired results. In this list, I couldn’t see any reasons why any of these results would be desired.

Check out the page yourself.

Crazy 88 BJJ

Every month, 60+ people sign up at Crazy 88 to learn how to protect themselves, get the physique they always wanted, and master Mixed Martial Arts.

Let’s break that down.

To learn how to protect themselves: This is a reason why someone would want to learn self-defense.

Get the physique they always wanted: This is another reason why. This time the focus is on weight loss and fitness.

Master Mixed Martial Arts: This is a desired result with niche appeal.

Every month, 60+ people sign up: This is a proof element. The intent is to say that many people have already found value in the program.

After that a training highlight video is shown, and that’s another proof element. It’s a visual demonstration of what you can learn if you sign up.

Check out the page yourself.

Baltimore Martial Arts Academy

At the Baltimore Martial Arts Academy™ we want to give you the confidence and inner strength that only a dedicated martial artist can earn. This confidence will guide you through tough times and support virtually every aspect of your life outside the gym. At the same time your martial arts training will forge new friendships and a new physique — all in a safe, friendly, fun atmosphere.

On that whole first page, this is the most compelling paragraph. It’s a shame that it’s hidden in the middle of the page.

Let’s break it down.

Give you the confidence and inner strength: This is a desired result.

That only a dedicated martial artist can earn: This is a general proof element.

Guide you through tough times and support every aspect of your life: Here’s a reason why gaining confidence will help you.

Forge new friendships and a new physique: Here’s both a desired result and a basic reason why.

There’s a video on this page too, and it includes training footage as well.

Check out the page yourself.

The Reason Why

Ultimately, when you focus on the reason why certain results are desired, you are in fact focusing on relevancy. So when you look at these websites, the question is how relevant are they making their product right away.

Which one would compel you to look deeper for more information if you had no idea what Brazilian Jiu-jitsu was?

If you’re passionate about expanding and spreading the art of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, these are the type of questions that should be thought about. BJJ isn’t an easy sell, but that’s not because it doesn’t have value.

It has a lot of value.

We just have to make it absolutely clear.

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Teaching Experiment III

January 3, 2013

After I finished that last post on training acceleration, I couldn’t wait to apply the idea. The first opportunity I had to do so was a No-Gi Advanced class I taught at Crazy 88.

Beforehand, I decided that I was going to give them one of the most developed tools in my arsenal. It was a basic attack from half guard, but it has so many layers of complexity. My goal was to demonstrate that by focusing on the entries and the execution.

I even took some time to write out a conceptual blueprint for the class, and I’ll share that with you.

Class Structure

Warmup – 10 minutes
Technical Instruction and Practice – 45 minutes
Situational Rolling – 35 Minutes

Conceptual Blueprints

I’m going to share two blueprints with you. One I wrote real quick shortly before class, and the other I wrote afterward for a future class down the road. Let’s see if you can tell the which one was written first.

Who is listening?

Advanced Students at Crazy 88 (Mostly blue belts)

Step I – Outcome: By the end of this class, they will….

Understand that basic attacks can be made more effective by improving entries and developing set reactions for your opponent’s counters.

In order to achieve this they need to know:

How it can be done by seeing a clear example of entries, initiation, and execution

In order to achieve this they need to feel:

Excited about looking at their own skill set in the same framework.

Step II – Relevance: Why should they care?

Because if you make your basic attacks more effective, it will create more opportunities to use more advanced techniques as well.
Because thinking about your technique in this way may inspire innovation.
Because figuring out how to make basic attacks work will increase your conceptual understanding of why they work.

Step III – Point: What’s your message in one sentence?

Even the most basic of attacks can have layers of complexity.

Who is listening?

Advanced Students at Crazy 88 (Mostly blue belts)

Step I – Outcome: By the end of this class, they will….

Use underhook half guard because it’s effective.

In order to achieve this they need to know:

Entries into the positions from bad situations
The concepts and movements that define the technique
Common reactions and how to counter them.

In order to achieve this they need to feel:

Excited about trying out the technique during rolling.

Step II – Relevance: Why should they care?

Because half guard is the bridge between many positions
Because focusing on the entries and execution will give them a far more effective technique
Because the technique I’m teaching has been battle tested.

Step III – Point: What’s your message in one sentence?

Even the most basic of attacks can have layers of complexity.

Technical Instruction and Practice

The first thing I taught was the technique itself. After drilling that, I started adding entries from similar situations. Kept it simple though and only showed three.

After that, we moved on to dealing with common reactions. Again, I kept it to only three, but I included a bonus trick.

Now the advantage to using this format is that they got many reps in on the basic technique. So even if they only pick up one or two of the entries or tricks, the basic form is still being reinforced.

Situational Rolling

The rest of the class was all situational.

The position was set to a neutral half guard position. The goal on top was to pass or submit, while the person on bottom had to focus on sweep or submit. There was no time limit, and they went until a person “won.”

After that another person would come in, and it was back to it.

Overview

It’s simple. I like this class structure, and I’m going to improve on it.

Use This Method to Innovate Any Technique

January 2, 2013

Let’s start off with a question. What are the components of an effective technique?

As you think about that question, focus on one word. It’s the one that makes all the difference. If we took it out, the number of possible techniques would increase by leaps and bounds. Including it though, allows us to focus all our attention on what works.

When it comes to evaluating techniques, all that matters is if it works or not. Is it effective? To answer that question, we must first bridge the gap between theory and application.

Training Acceleration Theory

We’ll start off with outlining the components of effective techniques:

Entries – Moving the match into a situation where it’s possible to perform a technique.
Initiation – Moving through the bulk of the steps required to increase the possibility of performing a technique.
Execution – Smashing through resistance in order to successfully perform a technique.

If you notice, there’s a beginning, medium and end there. Often though, instruction focuses on the middle. To help you visualize that, I’m just going to make up some numbers. We’ll say that it generally rolls out to be about a 25/50/25 distribution. It’s almost like a wave that starts low rises high and then drops back down.

If you don’t see it that way right now, I’ll explain. Take a moment to think about a technique that you do. After that, ask yourself a question. How many different paths exist to get you to the situation where that technique can be performed? It’s countless, isn’t it?

It’s because it depends on when you decide to create that situation or when you recognize the possibility. So the start point can vary a lot and the path isn’t always a straight line.

On the other end of the scale is the execution, and that’s where your opponent’s reactions matter a great deal. No one is going to let you choke them unless you’re drilling. They’re going to focus on taking away the things you need to do what you want to do.

We can focus on all those reactions and prepare responses for dealing with them. Focusing in this area is the true dividing line between basic and advanced technique. It’s why Roger Gracie’s cross choke is so much more effective than anyone else’s..

The lesson here is that there exists three different areas of innovation for technique. You can improve the entries, the initiation and the execution.

Application

The theory of training acceleration is really simple. It’s about making a decision to focus on depth over breadth. An example would be if you took one technique that you want to develop to a high level. You start off by drilling it how you learned it, and then you focus on the entries.

Find multiple paths into situations where the technique can be performed. Work them and streamline the process, and then focus on the execution. Figure out the common defenses. Figure out how they work and then work on obliterating them.

It’s not a complex idea at all. It’s just another way to think about learning technique.

The Genesis

The inspiration behind this thought process is based on some unrelated research I was doing. I once saw tape from a series of seminars that Nick Delpopolo did at Crazy 88. I studied them and I noticed a disconnect between the focus on grip fighting and the focus on throws.

When he taught grip fighting, he would really focus on it and briefly mention throw possibilities. Then when he taught throws, he would really focus on that and briefly mention grip fighting entries. I think that’s very common in technique instruction, but I wondered. What if it wasn’t?

For example, in the framework of judo instruction, what if this training acceleration theory was applied? Let’s say that one throw was taught, then the focus shifted to multiple entries to that throw, and after that recounters to your opponent’s common reactions were worked on.

Time would be a factor, but the lesson could be stretched out over time or it could be done in a long seminar.

One benefit is that that one technique would be reinforced over and over again, so there would be a high probability that the lesson would sink in. Also there would less chance of it becoming boring since small variables would be changing and relevancy would increase with the addition of multiple entries.

Let me know if you see the possibilities that could come from applying this theory. Also if you have a different idea, feel free to share it. It might help someone.