Call us at 778-836-7473
Email us at don@westcoastmartialarts.ca
Visit us at 22760 Lougheed Hwy, Maple Ridge, BC (Across from London Drugs)
Stand-up Strategies For BJJ Fighters
Many BJJ fighters have only one thought when it comes to their stand-up: how to get on the mat as fast as possible.
While this may work in competition, I consider it a very narrow approach since you are not giving up a large advantage by trying to take down your opponent by getting on top of him but also take away from the realistic part of Jiu-Jitsu.
After all, how can you teach BJJ to your students and tell them how realistic it is, yet the first thing you do when things turn serious outside the gym is to lay on the floor?
I think this Simpson sketch says it all:
The good news is that we do not have to become wrestlers or Judokas to stand and fight, but we have to be able to integrate 2-3 simple go-to takedown combinations that give us the chance to set up our favourite ground game.
Focusing on the basic throws and takedowns and developing a stand-up strategy that fits us will allow us to stand up if we ever find ourselves in a self-defence situation and on the mat to play the Jiu-Jitsu game we want to play.
In my view, every BJJ practitioner should also seriously study BJJ-specific takedowns that consider a realistic scenario while allowing us to work on our strengths.
To start, we need to figure out how not to be taken down ourselves if we ever want to have a chance to take down our opponent. While I respect wrestling and Judo as awesome Martial Arts, BJJ poses different challenges and needs different answers.
So, in the next video, I am talking about the challenges BJJ fighters face and how to overcome them:
The start off, we have to work on our ability to defend the Takedown first. Often BJJ fighters are way too willing to give up the takedown in the hope of a quick submission like the Guillotine or Kimura, but unless you planned these submissions way in advance you will simply get rushed and end up down on points when the fight has hardly started.
So make sure you spend the time and develop a solid takedown defence by paying close attention to your stance, hand position and the basic take-down defences shown above, and you will be able to implement your game with the confidence that you will not be taken down easily.
See you on the mat!
Don Whitefield
West Coast Martial Arts
West Coast Martial Arts
Call us at 778-836-7473
Email us at don@westcoastmartialarts.ca
Visit us at 22760 Lougheed Hwy, Maple Ridge, BC (Across from London Drugs)
The 5 Most Frequently Asked Questions And What To Know Before Signing Up At A Martial Arts Gym
1. How Much Does The Training Cost?
2. Why should my Kids train in Martial Arts if they already doing other sports?
3. Why should I train in Martial Arts?
4. Are there people like me in the class?
5. Will I get injured training real Martial Arts?
1. How Much Does The Training Cost?
Thank you for visiting West Coast Martial Arts.
My name is Don Whitefield, and if you are like most people visiting a Martial Arts website, you will have some common questions or you may not even be sure what a good question would be to help you find the Martial Arts school that’s right for you.
In this short video, I will try to help you by coming up with great questions based on my Martial Arts experience so that you can find the school that fits your needs.
The #1 question on your mind probably is: “How much does the training cost?”
There are many Martial Arts schools out there delivering vastly differing services for your money.
So, based on my experience, better questions to ask may be: “Can you teach my child or myself realistic self-defence skills that actually work? Can you help improve my child’s confidence and concentration while teaching a functional Martial Art that will protect them? In short: What do I actually get for my money?
You see, as a Martial Arts enthusiast I respect all Martial Arts, and I think that they all have value. I cannot say the same about some Martial Arts clubs I observed over the years. For example, there are still some traditional Martial Arts schools that pretend to teach you realistic self-defence skills when they are really not.
If you or your child are spending years of training in a school like this with little or no realistic sparring while punching holes in the air, and then one day you or your child get attacked and easily overwhelmed by someone who simply watches the UFC then no matter what your monthly membership is it simply isn’t worth it.
It simply doesn’t serve you to train at a school that pretends to teach deadly Martial Arts with stationary Katas while you believe that you are learning a functional Martial Art. You might think it is hard to figure out the difference between good and bad schools, but it is really easy:
First, ask if the school offers weapons training. Unless you plan to leave the house carrying a long staff or nunchucks, this training has little to do with realistic self-defence.
Secondly, observe the classes and see if the Martial Art training includes regular sparring against a fully resisting opponent. If the opponent simply stands there letting you punch or kick them, you know right away that this is not actual self-defence they are learning.
Let me explain: Let’s say you try to learn how to ride a bike. No matter how many years you spend peddling on a stationary bike, you can only learn how to ride a real bike by actually practicing on one. Yes, you probably will fall off sometimes, but at least you are learning a functional skill.
Martial Arts are no different, and if you are not practicing them regularly against a fully resisting opponent, you are surely not learning how to defend yourself against a fully attacking opponent.
On the other side, Realistic Martial Arts schools can teach you how to defend yourself well, but they lack the programs and structure to do so safely and professionally.
They also allow anyone who pays them to train in their club, attracting drug and steroid users, criminals, and gang members. Getting injured is no fun and may be very expensive when you miss work. It is also very discouraging to you and your child when you are getting beaten up just trying to learn hands-on Martial Arts.
West Coast Martial Arts have well-defined programs with a very firm structure, and safety is our highest priority. We are screening all our new members to prevent the wrong people from joining. With us, you train in a safe and friendly environment. Also, we offer eight realistic Martial Arts programs, so when you ask us:” What do I get for my money?” we can tell you exactly.
We are offering 22 memberships to fit most budgets while charging, in many cases, less than those schools that do not even teach you realistic Martial Arts or those that are sparring way too hard.
So, I hope that you can tell now the difference between the Martial Arts training out there and that this short video will help you spend your money smartly regardless if you choose us or not.
If you want to know more about our programs, please just complete the box to the right to reserve your spot for a free private class.
West Coast Martial Arts
Call us at 778-836-7473
Email us at don@westcoastmartialarts.ca
Visit us at 22760 Lougheed Hwy, Maple Ridge, BC (Across from London Drugs)