Escape the Omoplata

More BJJ Basics 101 with this great little video from Ricardo Cavalcanti...

Rumble on the Rock - Jersey 2010

As we continue to languish in this period of lockdown, there's quite an amount of free time given to us, so we can use this time wisely and catch up on things we don't usually have time for, such as reading for example.

In addition to reading, I've been going through lots of old discs looking at photos from my travels and adventures and came across a few photographs of myself reffing at the Rumble at the Rock event in St Helier, Jersey, way back in 2010.

The event was organised by Rob Staples and his team; it was out in Jersey back in 2003 that I was awarded my blue belt from Mauricao Gomes and since then Rob and I have become great friends and I've been out to Jersey many times training with Rob's students in Jersey and with Chris Goldsbrough over in Guernsey.

Old school guard passing with Fabio Gurgel

Here's some more old school guard passing gold from the legend that is Fabio Gurgel...

Opening the closed guard - Kurt Osiander

What better way to kick start another week of Lockdown, than with a video from the legendary Kurt Osiander...basics 101!

The Northern Monkey Kettlebell 101 Challenge

I've decided to kick start a new week in Lockdown with a new Kettlebell Challenge over on Instagram...hope to see a lot of my friends on there take up the challenge, especially the young guns...

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_M_4WLppZZ/?igshid=1b4qjb3y412ni

The Northern Monkey Book Review

Answering another question from one of my students, I made a short video on recommenced books on Self Protection, as we have plenty of spare time on our hands, might as well do something productive with it...

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_KwpRVJchb/?igshid=npi488sfoep9

Is closed guard useful for self defence and if so, what's the best way to use it?

During this Lockdown period, I have started a Q&A session with my students, asking me questions on self protection and any problems they are having with their grappling.  This has led to some very interesting questions, one of which I'd like to share here on the Blog with the PSP readers.

This is a topic that gets a lot of discussion on the grappling and BJJ forums, usually under the banner of 'does BJJ work in the street' and sends the forums into meltdown! 

The answer I'm about to give is not about the above mentioned debate, it's based on my experiences working in the security sector for the last twenty two years.

I've been to many seminars and expos and you'll hear guest instructors saying in their system, 'we never go to the ground' or 'don't ever go the floor in a fight'...in truth it's extremely hard NOT to end up on the ground in a live situation, the vast majority of fights I've witnessed both assailants have ended up on the ground and carried on fighting.  Telling students we don't ever go to the floor is a very dangerous statement to make, if these people don't train to get up off the floor as soon as possible they are going to be in a lot of trouble.

I have seen fights ended quickly and decisively with one strike and that's great, train for that for sure, but many fights last longer that a one hit KO, people will throw punches and clinch and then end up on the ground, some will have a head lock on the other and that's when the trouble starts for that person.

If you end up in that kind of scenario above, you need to disengage and get back to your feet as quickly as possible, just in case he has a few mates with him who arrive late to the fight and decide to join in and start kicking and stamping on you. 

You can be rushed rugby style tackle and end up on your back, either in a closed guard position, or with your opponent in between your legs, feet flat on the floor. This has happened to me many times on the doors, it's a very common attack coming head on and if you're unable to thwart the attack you will find yourself on your back.

From this position, you have to get back to your feet as quickly as possible and in my experience, my two main go to moves then and still are the technical get up and scissor sweep, but no hanging about for the four points for mount! 

I covered these two techniques in detail at the PSP seminar in February, explaining that in a live situation, the attacker won't be thinking about his posture, as in a competition setting.  More so, they'll be swinging like crazy to knock you out, leaning in to do so, leaving them off balance, which gives you time to cover the punches and hit the sweep, then you're back on the feet. Don't even think of arm bars, triangles, omoplata's, just hit the sweep and get back to your feet, there are no rules and referee's, you're in a fight for your life.

If you can hit the technical get up, then go for it, the quicker you can get back on your feet the better.

As with the two techniques, both have to be practiced correctly and with the correct form, before moving on to be used under pressure, starting slowly at first, only increasing in intensity when each person is confident to do so.  Practice having your training partner take you down rugby tackle style and work to get up or sweep, then increase the intensity by being taken down and hit.  Again and again. No variations, just the same technique over and over until it becomes second nature.  

Combatives training doesn't need five variations of a technique, because under extreme pressure, you'll be choosing which one to use, by that time you'll have been seriously injured or killed. 

Please let me know if this was of any help to you and if you have any questions of your own, please email me at wimbledonbjj@yahoo.com and I'll do my best to answer them.

Thanks for reading and stay safe!

More 'Self Defence' BS!!!

Self protection instructors bust their balls trying to teach proven shit that works under extreme stress in a bid to help prepare ppl for the worst and idiots like this guy come along and make a mockery of a very serious business. 

The fawning comments alone make me cringe and I have left him comments on two videos he’s posted on his account. 

Self protection training is NOT a joke folks...ppl like these are hoodwinking their students and basically stealing their money peddling garbage that will end up getting you seriously hurt or killed....

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Bm-8-pSeB/…

Northern Monkey Mega Mixed Vegetable Soup!

During this lockdown period, it's important to stay strong, fit and healthy, whilst maintaining a healthy diet; one of our neighbours kindly left us their fruit and veg delivery as they have gone back home and it was filled with all kinds of healthiness, so much so that there was quite a lot of surplus vegetables left that were destined for the bin, which is a real crime!

With lots of time on my hands, I decided I'll try and make a soup from scratch, so I looked into a recipe book in the kitchen and found an easy to make soup and tried to use up as much surplus veg as possible.

From start to finish it took no more half an hour to prep, cook and blend and it's now in the fridge where it will provide some really tasty dinners until the end of the week.

Stay healthy and make the most of your vegetables!

Arm bar set up from Roger Gracie

Here's an awesome video from the GOAT Roger Gracie, showing a new set up for the closed guard arm bar that Roger has been using the last two years...can't beat the old school!

Precision Self Protection website is LIVE!

I'm very pleased to announce that the PSP website is now LIVE :)

https://www.pspcombatives.com

Please subscribe to the PSP website and lookout for future courses and video content.

Precision Self Protection Reality Based Self Protection System A street combatives system designed by self-protection experts Gary Hilton and Carl Fisher, who have decades of combative and front-line security experience.

Six drills for hip movement and guard passing

An excellent video from Chewjitsu that can be practised in your own during the lockdown period...

Lasso guard with Keenan Cornelius

Here's a monster offering of the lasso guard from Keenan Cornelius, something to really to get your teeth into whilst stuck on lockdown...

BJJ Digest

Northern Monkey Kettlebell Challenge

With all the online videos across social media showing people working out and staying fit and healthy, I've decided to join in the fun and have filmed myself at home with my kettle bells.  The minimum number of reps per exercise is fifty, so here's my video below, I'll add more as and when possible...to all my grappling and striking friends around the world, stay healthy and safe!

Ooossss

Solo drills with Cobrinha