I just had the pleasure of watching Grapplearts.com Stephan Kesting's "High Percentage Leg Locks".
I've said this before, but it bears saying again, Kesting, much like his Jeet Kune Do brethren is an analytical master.
It's guys like Kesting that while I may never meet in person, let alone train with, take my game to a new level with each professionally produced instructional.
So, enough hero worship, let's get down to business.
Much like every DVD from Grapplearts.com the production quality is top notch, menus are clean and well laid out, content is organized and very easy to navigate, and the video is clearly filmed with professional grade equipment.
The content? Consider this a tour-de-force on Leg Locks broken down as follows:
Introduction and Principles
Just like it sounds, a very well laid out introduction to leg locks. Kesting outlines the mechanics, positions, mistakes, and even spells out some of the potential dangers inherent to Leg Locks (in particular Heel Hooks).
Interestingly, one of the knocks on Stephan is his often times monotone voice and methodical delivery, in this section he shows a bit of his humorous side while covering some very serious topics. It's clear to me he's become very comfortable teaching to the camera.
Lastly, Kesting covers a common argument in the submission grappling and BJJ world, Leg Locks vs Guard Passing. While I won't spoil the experience by filling you in on his opinion, I think he sums it up very well.
Anklelock and Heel Hook Entries
Very interesting section, most of the Anklelock and Heel Hook entries I've ever seen have come from Guard Passing, however, Kesting puts together a more varied collection of entries here, including Side Mount, Escape from Mount, and Standing Clinch. 
While I will mention it again later, this section truly matches up with the content in "Dynamic Kneebars" perfectly. You could build a very effective leg lock game by blending and using entries from both DVDs.
Anklelock and Heel Hook Counters
This section is full of counters and re-counters. Let's take the most basic Anklelock escape, the hip hop. Kesting breaks down the hip hop counter, then provides three nice re-counters to the hip hop. It's material like this that really makes the DVD shine. If you've ever watched some of the old school Roy Harris VHS BJJ tapes (Hint: BJJ 101 Vol 3 - Leg Locks is coming up next), you'll notice how Kesting continues Harris's tradition of teaching in lock flows. This is something I wish more instructors would do, while techniques are nice, watching them in semi-live flows is extremely valuable.
I recommend watching this section a few times, you'll appreciate it.
Bonus Section: ToeHolds
Wow! This is a bonus section? I'd guess it's practically 1/4 of the DVD! That's a lot of material for a bonus section, and frankly worth every "bonus" penny. The Toehold seems to be gaining momentum in last few years in submission grappling circles and Kesting breaks down the ToeHold mechanics, then gives you 11 Entries and 5 Counters. 
Most of the entries are based off the ever useful rolling Toehold. I can attest to effectiveness of the rolling style entry, I've personally won more than a few sparing matches with that submission.
Overall
After watching this DVD I felt an immense need to go straight out to the gym, grab Harvey (The Grappling Dummy) and get to work. Good thing Harv's knees, ankles, and legs are made of heavy padding!
So, we've officially started the "Week of Leg Locks" with a bang, Kesting's DVD is just that good, perhaps he'll offer a package deal and sell "High Percentage LegLocks" with "Dynamic Kneebars", the two go together like peanut butter and jelly.
With those two DVDs under your belt you'll have an impressive array of lower body submission options.
Next up, we'll dust off the VHS Player for an oldie but goodie..
Until then, Train Smart and learn some leg locks!
-hz
Beginning the Week of Leg Locks with a Bang!
No one expects the....Kneebar?
We interrupt this segment to talk about UFC 81, in particular The Kneebar.
You see, I like to think of Kneebar's like the classic Monty Python sketch..
Because nobody expects the kneebar!
In particular Mir's setup was nice, simple, and quite effective. If you haven't seen it yet I recommend you do, it will really make you stop and think about the Kneebar and well executed leg locks in particular.
Frank Mir sets in for a tight Knee bar.
Myself, up until a few weeks/months ago all things leg lock oriented were foreign to me. Like most classic BJJ practitioners, I'd only heard of "heel hooks" as dreaded ultra dangerous submissions, something never to be used unless everyone involved knew the risks. In looking back on it that is a very sound argument, as a leg lock newbie who is a tad agressive can hurt themselves very easily when caught in a heel hook.
However the kneebar, that's a different animal.
Much like the arm bar there are numerous setups, it creates a slight pain response when it's being applied properly (makes knowing to tap easier), and as evidenced in UFC 81 it can be a fight finisher.
So how do you go about learning the knee bar? Frankly, there is only one truly well recognized and respected source of "kneebarology", Dynamic Kneebars from GrappleArts.com.
I know I've told you about Stephan's stuff before, but this is worth repeating, Plain and simple if you want to learn kneebars inside and out then you owe it yourself to watch this DVD.
Stephan breaks down the kneebar into manageable portions.
First he covers the basics of positioning, there are more than a few ways to get your body in position to apply the kneebar properly. We all know that the difference between a good submission and a weak one is more often than not body positioning. This is first section is key to getting it right when you are knee hunting.
Next he covers many different setups, from open guard, half guard, etc. In fact, the same exact setup Mir used on Lesnar is shown, and we know that one works.
Lastly he covers different flows and escapes, because quite frankly what sort of kneebar expert would you be if you constantly got stuck in other's kneebars? In addition for those exercise enthusiasts, he's got a few traditional lifts to build the lower back and squeezing power to make the kneebar work.
Over the last few weeks I've spent a good bit of time exploring the kneebar (Thanks to this DVD) and I think you might be well served to consider it as well because..
NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquis... er Knee Bar!
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
-hz
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The Doctor(s) will see you now...Expert Advice
Yes, the constant struggle to improve your grappling game.
If you are anything like me it comes in spurts. There are weeks when you are on top of the world, and weeks when everyone has an answer to your offensive game plan.
During one of those "down weeks" I was doing a bit of Internet searching and found "The Grappler's Guide". As quoted on their website "Dedicated 100% to the improvement of your grappling performance"..
Hmm, tempting, but truth be told it looked to me to be yet another forum full of submission grapplers, except this one wanted $47 to get access to the "premium content".
$47 for a forum? Not sure I'm ready to commit my dollars, so I created a free account and started perusing the free materials. Not bad, looked like they had a pretty decent group of members, most importantly they seemed to have a nice contingent of black belt BJJ practitioners that posted quality responses to questions.
But was it really work $47 a year? I still wasn't sure, but I decided the $47 wasn't much different than the price of most BJJ instructionals so I made the jump and went "premium". In the end I got my money back out of the site within 30 days of signing up!
You see, The Grappler's Guide has very nice contests each month.
It just so happened that they were running a contest during my first month of membership for some MMA Gloves and shorts from Scientific Street Fighting, total value of the prizes was well above the $47 I paid for membership.
Guess what...
Hahah, yep, I won. So right there the membership paid for itself.
However that wasn't the end of the value I've received, frankly far from it.
I've come to treat the guide much like a group of valuable game coaches. If I get stuck on something, am looking for an option from a given position, or would just like commentary on my most recent sparring session, I go straight to the guide and make a post.
Chances are I'll get responses from 1-2 black belt instructors within 24hrs! Now that's some seriously valuable content, where else are you going to get multiple experienced coaches and teachers looking at your problems and providing solid recommendations?
Seriously, if you find somewhere else let me know.
In the mean time you can find old Hazmat posting away on The Grappler's Guide.
So, go ahead, sign up for a free account and make a post or two, I think you'll see the value.
"The doctors will see you now."
Whoops, got to go, time for my BJJ game checkup.
Until next time,
-hz
Blogged with Flock
Yoga for Martial Arts - GrappleArts.com
With the tremendous increase in interest regarding the Rubber Guard and Twister game a lot of BJJ enthusiasts are becoming more interested in improving their flexibility. Yoga immediately comes to mind, however as John Foster mentioned in his prior post, Yoga is more than just stretching. There's a lot more to it, but where do we start? There are hundreds if not thousands of Yoga DVDs on the market, many of them provide "flows" or sequences of Yoga postures designed around a particular goal. The problem is these goals often just don't match up with the needs of a BJJ practitioner or Mixed Martial Artist. Thankfully Stephen Kesting, Josephine Krizovensky, and the rest of the team at GrappleArts.com have put together a professional, well conceived, and useful Yoga for Martial Arts DVD. So, let's get on to the review.
Production Quality
Top notch, the DVD has been designed with the beginner in mind. Each section (with the exception of the Introduction) shows both Stephen and Josephine. Essentially Stephen shows the easier or beginner variation while Josephine shows the more complex or advanced variation. Here's where I think Stephen really thought things through, I believe he purposely downplays his flexibility throughout the DVD. I'm convinced after watching the introduction Stephen could easily perform the advanced variations Josephine does, however he doesn't, he dutifully performs the beginner variation. This sort of humility is refreshing in the fitness/martial arts industry.
It honestly appears that he wants any martial artist to feel like Yoga will work for them.
All of the voice-overs are done by Josephine, let's be honest, it's always nice on the ears to hear a woman's voice. Her commentary is excellent, however like all movement based DVDs (Yoga, Martial Arts, etc) you are going to want to watch it a minimum of 2-3 times. The first time you'll be watching the movements closely and most likely missing most of the instruction. With each subsequent viewing you'll be less focused on the visuals and pick up more of the instructions. In fact one of my only concerns with the DVD is here, the background music can overwhelm her voice on occasion. However with good speakers or a head set it's not a real issue.
Lastly, the title of each pose taught in the video is displayed on the screen. For those interested it's very easy to write these down and look them up on Google. This is a nice option for someone looking to get more information on a particular movement.
So, let's talk about the content.
Introduction
A very nice overview of Yoga movements and why they matter for a martial artist. Stephen talks about more than just flexibility (some will note his rather impressive wide angle forward bend). He talks about controlling the body through extreme range of motion and the power of breath control. Here's where I think he's on to something. As a grappler understanding and controlling your breath, maintaining a calm, relaxed posture throughout sparing and competition is very important. Roll with enough advanced guys/girls and you'll see they can maintain a placid, relaxed demeanor throughout.
Stephen has posted the Introduction on his website in QuickTime format, I've linked to it here.
Breath Work
Much more difficult than it looks. Your lungs are powerful organs, they can work like a pneumatic pump bringing large amounts of oxygen into your system. Here Stephen and Josephine go over a few different forms of Yoga breathing exercises. I'm quite pleased with this section as they go through a very well conceived progression. They start with a very basic form of abdominal breathing, asking you to focus on your lower abdomen using your hands. By putting you in the mind set of breathing using your belly or lower abdomen they are getting you in the right frame of mind for Bellows Breathing, which they cover next.
The Anatomy of Hatha Yoga has this to say about Bellows Breath (Bhastrika)
...highly energizing abdominal breathing exercises. In their mild form they are excellent for beginners, because they require only that students be acquainted with even abdominal breathing. The bellows breath imitates the movement of the blacksmith's bellows...the additional oxygen pulled into the lungs by the bellows exercise increase the potential for combustion throughout the body.
Overall, a well conceived portion of the DVD, for those interested, I believe Rickson Gracie in the CHOKE documentary performs a variation of Bellows Breathing.
Cat Series
It all starts in the core. If you are a grappler or Jiu-Jitsu fighter you know this. Closed guard, open guard, half, butterfly, and anything else in the guard game (yes even De La Riva) depends on a strong and flexible core. Stephen and Josephine's Cat Series is a great warm-up for that core, done properly it's a great way to get the submission grappling core ready for more intense training.
Sun Salutations
What's a Sun Salutation? No it doesn't mean praising the Sun God and getting your summer tan. It's a very simple series of stretches aimed squarely at what John was speaking about the other day. Expand and Contract. Here Stephen and Josephine provide three different Sun Salutation series. Each one is slightly more difficult than the one before it. Here again Stephen provides the beginner variation while Josephine impresses us with more complex variations.
Seated Flow & Supine Flow
Ok all you Rubber Guard Eddie Bravo fans these are the sections you want to focus on. Stephen and Josephine go through a very straight forward series of seated and supine hip openers, core stretches, back bridges, etc. Want to get additional flexibility for the Rubber Guard? This is where you need to pay close attention. In addition the multiple core twisting and rotating stretches in this section are perfect for those of you reading up on the "twister". Just like in all the series before, Stephen sandbags to show you what a less than perfect Yogi should shoot for first. Once you've mastered his movements pay close attention to Josephine for the next level of difficulty.
Bottom Line
Yoga can help your game if you practice it diligently. Could Rickson Gracie, Murilo Bustamante, Wallid Ismael, Dan Inosanto, and Ricardo Liborio be wrong? There is a strong bond between the movements of Yoga and those of the martial arts. So give Yoga for Martial Arts a try and enjoy the journey, I'm convinced your BJJ game will appreciate it.
Stretch Smart!
-hz
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