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Guest post by Evolve MMA, Asia’s premier championship brand for martial arts. It has the most number of World Champions on the planet. Named as the #1 ranked martial arts organization in Asia by CNN, Yahoo! Sports, FOX Sports, Evolve MMA is the top rated BJJ gym in Singapore.

The triangle choke is one of BJJ’s signature submissions. One of the reasons why the triangle choke is so effective is its versatility. The triangle choke has multiple variations, and there are many ways to achieve it. Although the triangle choke can be applied from virtually any position, it is most commonly applied from the closed guard.When applied from the closed guard position, the triangle choke serves several purposes, including:

• In MMA or in a self-defense situation, triangle choke attempts force the person on top to stop throwing strikes or trying to open the closed guard. This presents the bottom person with sweep, escape, and submission opportunities. 

• Even when the triangle is only partially locked, it can act as a powerful and safe restraint position, leaving an opponent’s face and head open to strike attempts while eliminating his or her chances to attack.
• Finally, the triangle choke is a powerful submission that can force an opponent to tap out or lose consciousness.

How To Perform A Triangle Choke 

The triangle choke is a powerful technique for both competition and self-defense. Below are some concepts to help you develop a great triangle choke. 

1) Establish Wrist Control:

The first step in most triangle choke variations is to gain control of your opponent’s wrists. From closed guard, for example, controlling your opponent’s wrists has several purposes. First, it prevents your opponent from securing grips, which is usually his or her first step in opening and passing your guard. Second, in MMA or a self-defense situation, wrist control prevents your opponent from throwing strikes. If your opponent’s arms are secured, there isn’t much he or she can do. Finally, controlling your opponent’s wrists allows you to correctly position his or her arms to apply the triangle choke.

2) Place One Arm In And One Arm Out:

To execute the triangle choke it is necessary to isolate one of your opponent’s arms. The reason for this is that the triangle choke requires you to apply pressure to your opponent’s neck using your legs and one of his or her shoulders. Therefore, once you achieve wrist control, press one of your opponent’s arms into his or her torso as you pull the other arm forward. This will place your opponent in the one arm in/one arm out position, which is the ideal position for attacking the triangle choke.

3) Thrust Your Hips Upward And Lock The Triangle

Once you’ve placed your opponent in the one arm in/one arm out position, you must open your closed guard momentarily and explode your hips upward. This explosive movement has two purposes: a) it catches your opponent off guard, and b) it limits the amount of space between your hips and your opponent’s neck. At the top of this movement, place one leg over the shoulder of the arm that is pressed against your opponent’s torso and the other leg under your opponent’s opposite shoulder. However, keep in mind that although certain triangle submissions, such as the mounted triangle, don’t require this explosive, upward movement, the other principles discussed in this article generally remain the same.

4) Control Your Opponent’s Head

Nearly all closed guard submissions require you to break your opponent’s posture. Therefore, when attempting a triangle choke from the closed guard, it is imperative that you control your opponent’s posture. You can achieve this by both pulling forward with the legs and using both of your hands to pull down on your opponent’s head. Remember, if you fail to maintain control, and your opponent regains an upright posture, his or her chances of escaping your triangle choke attempt are greatly increased.

5) Achieve A 90-degree Angle

As with most submissions, you must achieve a proper angle to successfully complete a triangle choke. When performing a triangle choke from closed guard, you should try to achieve an angle perpendicular to your opponent. One way to achieve this angle is to push off of your opponent’s opposite hip with your foot in order to shift your body into the correct position. However, since you must unlock your legs to perform this movement, it is necessary to grasp your shin behind your opponent’s neck and pull down in order to maintain control of your opponent’s posture. After you complete this movement, one side of your opponent’s face should be directly in your line of sight. However, when performing a mounted triangle, achieving an angle is usually unnecessary due to the pressure created by your body weight.

6) Complete The Submission

After completing the above steps, you can finally complete the submission. Several actions are necessary to successfully complete a triangle choke. First, if you temporarily opened your legs to achieve a proper angle, you must relock them. In order to relock your legs, place the top side of the ankle of the leg that is behind your opponent’s neck under the knee of the opposite leg. After you have relocked your legs, you should make sure that your opponent’s trapped arm is positioned across his or her body. While you can finish the triangle choke without placing your opponent’s arm in this position, allowing your opponent to keep the trapped arm by his side gives him or her escape opportunities and makes the submission more difficult to finish. Therefore, it’s generally a good idea to position your opponent’s arm across his or her torso. If your opponent resists by squeezing his or her elbow against the side of his or her body, a slight hip bridge is generally all that is required to dislodge and expose your opponent’s arm. With your opponent’s arm in position and your legs locked, you should then squeeze your legs together and pull down on your opponent’s head. This will create an immense amount of pressure on your opponent’s neck, and it will almost certainly force him or her to tap out.

Practice Makes Perfect

If you incorporate these concepts into your training, your triangle choke is certain to improve by leaps and bounds! Whether you’re an experienced grappler or a brand-new white belt, there is always room for improvement!

Guest post by Evolve MMA, Asia’s premier championship brand for martial arts. It has the most number of World Champions on the planet. Named as the #1 ranked martial arts organization in Asia by CNN, Yahoo! Sports, FOX Sports, Evolve MMA is the top rated MMA gym in Singapore.

Mixed martial arts have come a long way in the past two decades. Gone are the days where MMA was a fringe sport most people had never heard of. Thanks to promotions like the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride FC, and ONE Championship, MMA now has mainstream status, and it’s the fastest-growing combat sport in the world. It’s only a matter of time before it surpasses boxing as the most popular combat sport.

One of the reasons why MMA has grown so much is the exciting nature of the fights. You never know if you’re going to get a knockout, submission, or grappling clinic. Fights can end in so many ways; you might miss a finish if you blink while watching. 

Mixed martial arts has also been blessed with colorful personalities that entertain crowds with their antics and fighting skills. 

Ten most exciting MMA fighters today

Ready for some excitement? Here are the ten most entertaining active MMA fighters:

1) Christian Lee

Lee made himself a part of MMA history in 2019, defeating MMA legend Shinya Aoki to win the ONE Lightweight World Championship, becoming the promotion’s youngest men’s champion ever. Expect fireworks whenever Lee walks inside the cage, with 14 of his 15 wins coming via stoppage. 

During his last outing against Ok Rae Yoon, Lee lost the lightweight title, getting the short end of a controversial decision. Without a doubt, Lee will be looking to send a strong message when these two collide again. 

2) Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier has paid his dues over the years. He finally established himself as a contender a few years ago via securing the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s interim lightweight title. He lost the unification match against Khabib Nurmagomedov, but he did manage to avenge his loss to Conor McGregor, defeating the Irishman twice in 2021. 

Poirier had another chance to secure the title at the end of 2021, but he ended up getting submitted by Charles Oliviera after dominating the first round. 

3) Demetrious Johnson 

The “Mighty Mouse” dominated the UFC’s flyweight division as the champion for over six years before losing a controversial decision to Henry Cejudo. He ended up with ONE Championship via a trade for Ben Askren. 

Johnson won his first few fights in ONE Championship, securing the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Championship. However, he lost his contest with Adriano Moraes while challenging for the ONE Flyweight World Title, getting finished for the first time in his career. DJ’s well-rounded approach to MMA is a thing of beauty when he’s firing on all cylinders.

4) Reinier de Ridder

Ridder isn’t a fan of letting judges decide the outcomes of fights. Currently sporting a 14-0 professional MMA record, 12 of his victories coming via stoppages. The Dutchman won the ONE Middleweight Championship in 2020 by submitting Aung La Nsang, then he moved up a weight class on short notice in 2021 and defeated Nsang once again for the promotion’s light-heavyweight title. All eyes are now on the double champion. 

5) John Lineker

Appropriately nicknamed “Hands of Stone,” Lineker is arguably the closest thing to the legendary Mike Tyson in MMA. 16 of his 34 wins came by knockout, and he’s defeated several of the biggest names in the bantamweight and flyweight divisions. 

Linekar is currently on a three-fight win streak since signing with ONE Championship, with two knockouts already under his belt. Linekar is set to fight for the bantamweight belt in his next outing. 

6) Charles Oliveira

Charles Oliveira is the most entertaining Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist in mixed martial arts right now. Unlike other BJJ aces that have come before him, Oliveira is equally as comfortable getting into striking exchanges, with a well-rounded Muay Thai game and a chin that has saved him multiple times in his career. 

His chin helped him to survive a rough first round against Michael Chandler before coming back and winning via TKO in the second round. During his first title defense against Dustin Poirier, his chin saved him again, surviving a brutal first round and forcing a tap in the third round. 

7) Justin Gaethje

Gaethje is one of those fighters who always bring their best for every opponent. His aggressive, constantly moving forward style has earned him wins against contenders like Michael Chandler, and there’s never a dull moment during his fights. Gaethje finished seven of his last eight opponents, and he’s next in line for a shot at the UFC’s lightweight title. 

8) Francis Ngannou

Francis has one of the most inspiring stories in MMA. Aptly nicknamed “The Predator,” Ngannou quickly made a name for himself in the UFC and built up a lot of hype around him. All that came to an end when he came up short during his first chance for the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic. 

Everyone was convinced he was all hype at that point. Francis made things worse by following up that performance with what ended up being the worst performance of his career against Derrick Lewis. The UFC contemplated cutting him from their roster at that point.

Since then, Francis has been on a tear, and he avenged his loss to Stipe during their UFC 260 rematch, claiming the promotion’s heavyweight title. All 16 of Ngannou’s wins came via stoppage. 

9) Jiri Prochazka

Prochazka has quickly established himself as a top contender in the UFC’s light-heavyweight division, securing impressive knockout victories over big names like Dominick Reyes and Volkan Oezdemir. He’s a consummate finisher, and 27 of his 28 victories came via stoppage. 

At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before Prochazka gets a shot at the promotion’s light-heavyweight belt, and you wouldn’t want to miss that fight. 

10) Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya is the biggest star to hit the MMA scene since Conor McGregor. He has an entertaining kickboxing style that reminds many fans of Anderson Silva during his prime. 

Adesanya isn’t just a technically gifted fighter; he has an outgoing, fun personality that makes fans gravitate towards him. From cool dance moves to impressive knockout finishes against fighters like Robert Whitaker and Paulo Costa, Adesanya has it all.

Guest post by Evolve MMA, Asia’s premier championship brand for martial arts. It has the most number of World Champions on the planet. Named as the #1 ranked martial arts organization in Asia by CNN, Yahoo! Sports, FOX Sports, Evolve MMA is the top rated Muay Thai gym in Singapore.

Developed over hundreds of years, the ancient martial art of Muay Thai is known for its tremendous power, maximum efficiency, and raw simplicity. Often referred to as the “Art of Eight Limbs”, Muay Thai utilizes a beautiful symphony of kicks, punches, knees, and elbows with fluidity and grace.

Muay Thai is now one of the most well-known and practiced martial arts in the world. It has proven to be effective, which is why it is most common striking base in the vastly popular, fast-growing sport of mixed martial arts.

Today, Evolve Daily gives you 9 reasons why Muay Thai is the perfect martial art:

1) It Is Widely Recognized As The Most Effective Striking Art In The World.

Muay Thai is by far the most effective striking art in the world and has a lot of history. Muay Thai has been tested in competition and real-life situations for hundreds of years, refining the art to be as fast, efficient, and powerful as it can be. On top of that, its consistent testing in combat between highly skilled practitioners has developed every aspect of the art to an extremely high level.

So if you’re looking for a martial art that has practical uses in the real world, then Muay Thai is your answer.

2) It Is Effective In All Ranges Of Standup Fighting.

Muay Thai is a martial art and combat sport unlike any other. The art incorporates the use of knees, elbows, shins, and hands. This allows the practitioner to use all the weapons available to the human body in kicking range, punching range, and the clinch, making it effective in all ranges of standup fighting unlike most other striking based martial arts.

3) It Is Simple And Easy To Learn.

While there are hundreds of different techniques in Muay Thai, it is also a martial art known for its raw simplicity. That’s why Muay Thai is for everyone: men, women and children alike. In Thailand, it is actually more common for practitioners to start as young as five or six years old. So no matter your age or fitness level, there’s a Muay Thai class that will work for you.

4) It Is Highly Effective For Self-Defense.

Muay Thai is also one of the few martial arts in the world that has been undeniably battle-tested and street certified for real-life encounters. Although widely regarded as a striking based martial art, Muay Thai also contains throwing techniques, locks, the using of an opponent’s own momentum, and even submissions.

The conditioning of mind, body, and spirit involved in Muay Thai also gives practitioners the confidence needed for real-life self-defense situations.

5) It is Both An Aerobic And Anaerobic Workout.

Muay Thai is specifically designed to promote the level of fitness and toughness required for ring competition even for recreational practitioners. With running, jumping rope and shadowboxing it provides an aerobic workout to prepare you for more intense workouts. Muay Thai also builds great anaerobic endurance with exercises like punching and kicking on the pads or bags, and clinching to work your body to its limits.

This makes Muay Thai, not just a perfect martial art, but also a very effective form of exercise. With continued training, Muay Thai will vastly improve your strength, dexterity, and cardiovascular performance.

6) It Burns Over 1,000 Calories An Hour.

Nothing spells perfect more than a martial art with the ability to help you burn 1,000 calories an hour. Muay Thai is the standard of a perfect total body workout. It is a fun and efficient way to burn fat and lose weight that also builds your core, flexibility, and overall strength. The full-body workout that Muay Thai gives you can take your health to the next level.

7) It Toughens Your Mind, Body, And Spirit. 

The art of Muay Thai toughens your mind, body, and spirit. As the late great Muay Thai Grandmaster Kru Yodtong Senanan once said, “Muay Thai is good for your confidence and inner strength.” On top of enhancing your physical conditioning, Muay Thai builds confidence and promotes discipline of the mind through the control of emotions and feelings.

8) It Is One Of The Key Foundations For The Sport Of MMA.

As the most effective striking martial art in the world, it is no wonder why Muay Thai has become one of the key foundations of the vastly popular, fast-growing sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). Some of MMA’s greatest fighters and champions use the art of Muay Thai as their main striking base. Muay Thai’s vast range of techniques allows an MMA fighter to have many tools to use during a fight.

9) It Will Unleash Your Human Potential In All Areas Of Life

One of the biggest misinterpretations of Muay Thai is that it is just a sport of violence. But like many martial arts, Muay Thai also cultivates important values that are rooted in rich tradition. It has the power to humble, discipline, and also inspire, which is arguably the most important aspect of any martial art. Muay Thai instills in its practitioners many great qualities including courage, humility and warrior spirit. These qualities will no doubt help you unleash your greatest potential in all areas of life.

To sum it all up, Muay Thai is beneficial for just about anyone. But remember, it is also up to the practitioner to make learning this perfect martial art even more enjoyable and enriching.

Guest post by Evolve MMA, Asia’s premier championship brand for martial arts. It has the most number of World Champions on the planet. Named as the #1 ranked martial arts organization in Asia by CNN, Yahoo! Sports, FOX Sports, Evolve MMA is the top rated BJJ gym in Singapore.

Experienced practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) often describe it as a journey—an extended adventure with peaks, valleys, triumphs, and defeats. This is both an accurate description and a reminder to students that BJJ is a marathon, not a sprint. After all, it is often said that a black belt is simply a white belt who never quit. To understand what does each BJJ belt mean, we will first list down the BJJ belt ranking system:Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Belt Ranking System

• White Belt
• Blue Belt
• Purple Belt
• Brown Belt
• Black Belt

What Do These Belts Signify?

The BJJ belt system means different things to different people. Some students are unconcerned about belt rank, while others place a high degree of importance on it. In addition, instructors often disagree on what students should focus on at each belt level. That being said, there are several broad, general principles that can be safely attributed to each belt level.

White Belt – Building a foundation

The white belt is in many ways the most exciting belt. For the beginning student, every movement, technique, and concept are brand new. Every class brings new revelations, and it isn’t uncommon for new students to become quickly enamored with the art of BJJ. That being said, white belt can best be described as a period in which new students build a foundation for future learning. At white belt, students are introduced to fundamental movements that they will use throughout their BJJ careers, including:

• The bridge
• The hip escape
• Break falls

In addition, white belt is a time for students to develop a general feel for BJJ. This is not necessarily something that can be taught but can only be gained through drilling and rolling.

Physical attributes that are developed by new students are strength, balance, and endurance. And while students at the white belt level are taught a number of basic BJJ techniques, they generally aren’t refined and perfected until later belts.

Blue Belt – Technical proficiency

By blue belt, students should have a good grasp of BJJ’s fundamental movements and will have achieved an adequate overall level of physical fitness.

It is at this stage that students should begin to expand their technical repertoires. Blue belt is a time for practitioners to begin building upon the foundation they established at white belt. And while students will learn a number of submission techniques during their time at the blue belt level, emphasis should be placed on defense and escapes. Because as new blue belts will have discovered during their time as white belts, it’s difficult to mount an offense without a solid defense!

So, while basic submissions such as the triangle choke and guillotine should be drilled and practiced, students at the blue belt level should spend a majority of their time learning and drilling escapes and defensive postures, as these will be of the most utility during live sparring with higher ranking students.

However, as students accumulate time at the blue belt level, their improved defense should result in more opportunities to successfully apply submissions in sparring.

Purple Belt – Game development, submissions, and experimentation

Purple belt is the stage at which one’s game really begins to come together. Possessing a solid knowledge of escapes, basic submissions, and proper defensive postures, purple belt students often begin to develop their own personal styles of BJJ.

Purple belt is a good time to do this, as the average student by this time understands which submissions and strategies best compliment his or her body type, athletic ability, age, and other personal attributes.

In addition, after having focused extensively on defense at the blue belt level, purple belts should begin spending time developing their offensive options. And this isn’t just limited to single submissions—purple belt is a great time to begin chaining submissions together, i.e., having a series of submission options available for those times in which an initial attack is successfully defended.

An example of this is the armbar-omoplata-triangle sequence from closed guard. Finally, armed with a solid foundation and understanding of BJJ, students at the purple belt level should feel free to begin experimenting more with interesting techniques and positions such as the berimbolo, X-guard, and deep half guard.

Brown Belt – Setting traps, thinking conceptually, and strengthening weaknesses

By the time a student reaches the brown belt level, he should be an expert on basic BJJ techniques and concepts, have a deep understanding of the art, and have an established game in place.

In addition, due to experimentation at the purple belt level, the brown belt should be familiar with some of the more esoteric techniques and positions of BJJ. At this point in the BJJ journey, it is time for the student to begin focusing on the mental aspect of the art.

While submissions at the white, blue, and purple belt levels are typically a result of forcing one’s will upon his or her opponent, the brown belt’s submission attempts should often come as a result of setting traps. In other words, the brown belt should begin honing the art of guiding opponents into progressively weaker positions until submission is achieved.

A part of becoming adept at this skill is a commitment to conceptual thinking. The brown belt, rather than focusing on specific techniques, should begin approaching BJJ from a conceptual standpoint. Concepts are the foundations upon which techniques are built.

For example, a standard closed guard hip bump sweep, which requires the trapping of an opponent’s arm, is a technique. The concept underlying this technique, however, is that an opponent’s ability to post his hand on the mat must be removed in order to sweep him. It is through conceptual thinking that the brown belt begins to understand the art of BJJ at a deep level.

In addition, students who reach the brown belt level should begin strengthening their weak points in order to ensure competency in all areas prior to achieving the rank of black belt.

Black Belt – Starting anew, teaching, and reflection

Upon reaching the black belt level, practitioners possess a high degree of technical, conceptual, and philosophical BJJ knowledge. Therefore, it’s understandable that some people would view the attainment of one’s black belt as the last stop on the BJJ journey. This isn’t the case, however. As many high-level BJJ practitioners have noted, the attainment of one’s black belt is not the end of the BJJ journey, but a new beginning.

The black belt is the level at which the practitioner should re-evaluate his entire BJJ game, fine-tuning both fundamental and advanced techniques in a quest for deeper understanding and greater efficiency.

An excellent way to engage in this kind of deep reflection is through teaching. A BJJ black belt, even if not an official instructor, should be eager to share his hard-earned knowledge with less experienced students.

Finally, black belts should apply the lessons and concepts learned in the martial arts to their daily lives, setting a good example for other practitioners and representing BJJ with dignity and respect.

While belts are a great way to measure your progress, don’t become so focused on your rank that you lose focus of what’s important in BJJ: learning, getting in shape, and having fun! Remember, if you stick with BJJ long enough, the promotions will come. Until then—enjoy the journey!

Guest post by Evolve MMA, Asia’s premier championship brand for martial arts. It has the most number of World Champions on the planet. Named as the #1 ranked martial arts organization in Asia by CNN, Yahoo! Sports, FOX Sports, Evolve MMA is the top rated BJJ gym in Singapore.

Experienced practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) often describe it as a journey—an extended adventure with peaks, valleys, triumphs, and defeats. This is both an accurate description and a reminder to students that BJJ is a marathon, not a sprint. After all, it is often said that a black belt is simply a white belt who never quit. To understand what does each BJJ belt mean, we will first list down the BJJ belt ranking system:Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Belt Ranking System

• White Belt
• Blue Belt
• Purple Belt
• Brown Belt
• Black Belt

What Do These Belts Signify?

The BJJ belt system means different things to different people. Some students are unconcerned about belt rank, while others place a high degree of importance on it. In addition, instructors often disagree on what students should focus on at each belt level. That being said, there are several broad, general principles that can be safely attributed to each belt level.

White Belt – Building a foundation

The white belt is in many ways the most exciting belt. For the beginning student, every movement, technique, and concept are brand new. Every class brings new revelations, and it isn’t uncommon for new students to become quickly enamored with the art of BJJ. That being said, white belt can best be described as a period in which new students build a foundation for future learning. At white belt, students are introduced to fundamental movements that they will use throughout their BJJ careers, including:

• The bridge
• The hip escape
• Break falls

In addition, white belt is a time for students to develop a general feel for BJJ. This is not necessarily something that can be taught but can only be gained through drilling and rolling.

Physical attributes that are developed by new students are strength, balance, and endurance. And while students at the white belt level are taught a number of basic BJJ techniques, they generally aren’t refined and perfected until later belts.

Blue Belt – Technical proficiency

By blue belt, students should have a good grasp of BJJ’s fundamental movements and will have achieved an adequate overall level of physical fitness.

It is at this stage that students should begin to expand their technical repertoires. Blue belt is a time for practitioners to begin building upon the foundation they established at white belt. And while students will learn a number of submission techniques during their time at the blue belt level, emphasis should be placed on defense and escapes. Because as new blue belts will have discovered during their time as white belts, it’s difficult to mount an offense without a solid defense!

So, while basic submissions such as the triangle choke and guillotine should be drilled and practiced, students at the blue belt level should spend a majority of their time learning and drilling escapes and defensive postures, as these will be of the most utility during live sparring with higher ranking students.

However, as students accumulate time at the blue belt level, their improved defense should result in more opportunities to successfully apply submissions in sparring.

Purple Belt – Game development, submissions, and experimentation

Purple belt is the stage at which one’s game really begins to come together. Possessing a solid knowledge of escapes, basic submissions, and proper defensive postures, purple belt students often begin to develop their own personal styles of BJJ.

Purple belt is a good time to do this, as the average student by this time understands which submissions and strategies best compliment his or her body type, athletic ability, age, and other personal attributes.

In addition, after having focused extensively on defense at the blue belt level, purple belts should begin spending time developing their offensive options. And this isn’t just limited to single submissions—purple belt is a great time to begin chaining submissions together, i.e., having a series of submission options available for those times in which an initial attack is successfully defended.

An example of this is the armbar-omoplata-triangle sequence from closed guard. Finally, armed with a solid foundation and understanding of BJJ, students at the purple belt level should feel free to begin experimenting more with interesting techniques and positions such as the berimbolo, X-guard, and deep half guard.

Brown Belt – Setting traps, thinking conceptually, and strengthening weaknesses

By the time a student reaches the brown belt level, he should be an expert on basic BJJ techniques and concepts, have a deep understanding of the art, and have an established game in place.

In addition, due to experimentation at the purple belt level, the brown belt should be familiar with some of the more esoteric techniques and positions of BJJ. At this point in the BJJ journey, it is time for the student to begin focusing on the mental aspect of the art.

While submissions at the white, blue, and purple belt levels are typically a result of forcing one’s will upon his or her opponent, the brown belt’s submission attempts should often come as a result of setting traps. In other words, the brown belt should begin honing the art of guiding opponents into progressively weaker positions until submission is achieved.

A part of becoming adept at this skill is a commitment to conceptual thinking. The brown belt, rather than focusing on specific techniques, should begin approaching BJJ from a conceptual standpoint. Concepts are the foundations upon which techniques are built.

For example, a standard closed guard hip bump sweep, which requires the trapping of an opponent’s arm, is a technique. The concept underlying this technique, however, is that an opponent’s ability to post his hand on the mat must be removed in order to sweep him. It is through conceptual thinking that the brown belt begins to understand the art of BJJ at a deep level.

In addition, students who reach the brown belt level should begin strengthening their weak points in order to ensure competency in all areas prior to achieving the rank of black belt.

Black Belt – Starting anew, teaching, and reflection

Upon reaching the black belt level, practitioners possess a high degree of technical, conceptual, and philosophical BJJ knowledge. Therefore, it’s understandable that some people would view the attainment of one’s black belt as the last stop on the BJJ journey. This isn’t the case, however. As many high-level BJJ practitioners have noted, the attainment of one’s black belt is not the end of the BJJ journey, but a new beginning.

The black belt is the level at which the practitioner should re-evaluate his entire BJJ game, fine-tuning both fundamental and advanced techniques in a quest for deeper understanding and greater efficiency.

An excellent way to engage in this kind of deep reflection is through teaching. A BJJ black belt, even if not an official instructor, should be eager to share his hard-earned knowledge with less experienced students.

Finally, black belts should apply the lessons and concepts learned in the martial arts to their daily lives, setting a good example for other practitioners and representing BJJ with dignity and respect.

While belts are a great way to measure your progress, don’t become so focused on your rank that you lose focus of what’s important in BJJ: learning, getting in shape, and having fun! Remember, if you stick with BJJ long enough, the promotions will come. Until then—enjoy the journey!

Guest post by Evolve MMA, Asia’s premier championship brand for martial arts. It has the most number of World Champions on the planet. Named as the #1 ranked martial arts organization in Asia by CNN, Yahoo! Sports, FOX Sports, Evolve MMA is the top rated BJJ gym in Singapore.

Although BJJ competitions are a lot of fun, many of the techniques that modern BJJ practitioners use in competitions aren’t useful for the street. For example, the berimbolo and other inverted techniques could get you seriously hurt in a self-defense situation. Some old-school BJJ practitioners, such as the legendary Royce Gracie, have publicly voiced their disapproval of modern BJJ’s preoccupation with sport-based techniques.

When the Gracie family originally developed BJJ, it was intended to be a self-defense system—not a way to win point-based competitions. In fact, BJJ was originally devised as a way for a small, weak person to defeat a big, strong opponent. However, this doesn’t mean that BJJ students shouldn’t compete or focus on sport-oriented BJJ techniques. Competition and sport-oriented techniques are part of what makes BJJ such a fun martial art! What it does mean, however, is that all BJJ students should dedicate at least a portion of their training to the practice of street self-defense techniques. In this article, we examine 8 must-know BJJ techniques for the street. 

1. Technical Standup

Although it isn’t very flashy or exciting, knowing how to efficiently get up off the ground is an important self-defense skill. This is why all BJJ students should master the technical standup. The technical standup is a technique used to move from a seated position to a standing position in a manner that protects from strikes. Often, people who are knocked to the ground in a fight have no safe way to get back up. The technical standup solves this problem, giving the person on the ground the option of either retreating or attacking. Either way, understanding how to get back up once you’ve been knocked down is key to surviving a self-defense situation. 

2. Takedowns

Sitting directly down to the mat, or “pulling guard,” is allowed in BJJ competitions, so many practitioners rarely, if ever, practice takedowns. Although some takedowns are better than others for the street, we simply want to emphasize the importance of incorporating takedowns into your training to prepare you for self-defense situations. If you are ever involved in a one-on-one self-defense situation, most of your BJJ will be useless unless you can safely take your opponent to the ground. Whether you practice wrestling takedowns, such as the double-leg takedown, or judo throws, such as the hip toss, isn’t super important. What is important, however, is that you learn to put your opponent on the ground. 

3. The Mount (Top And Bottom)

If you take your opponent down in a self-defense situation, you need to make sure you can maintain top position. And if your opponent takes you down and ends up sitting on your chest, you need a reliable way to get him or her off of you. Therefore, to ensure that you are prepared for the street, you need to practice maintaining and escaping the mount. 

Maintaining The Mount

Here are a few tips for maintaining the mount in a self-defense situation: 

• Focus on staying balanced.
• If necessary, use your hands to post on the ground when your opponent attempts to buck you off.
• Tuck your feet under the opponent’s sides. 
• Sink your hips low. 

4. Escaping The Mount

Understanding how to escape the mount is just as important as knowing how to maintain the mount. If you end up with someone on top of you in a street fight, you must know how to escape. One of the first mount escapes BJJ students learn is the bridge and roll escape. This escape allows the bottom person to sweep his or her opponent and end up in the top position. 

5. Back Control

Back control is the strongest position in BJJ. When you secure back control, you can see your opponent, but your opponent can’t see you. This puts you in a great position to apply chokes and submissions. In addition, taking an opponent’s back allows you to stay safe until help arrives. 

6. Rear Naked Choke

The rear naked choke is an excellent technique for the street. In fact, chokes are widely considered to be more effective in self-defense situations than joint locks. For example, if you successfully apply an armbar to an attacker on the street, he or she may still be able to attack you, especially if he or she is intoxicated and unable to feel pain. However, if you apply a choke to the point of completion, the attacker will lose consciousness, providing you with an opportunity to escape to safety. 

7. Guillotine Choke

Another excellent choke for the street is the guillotine choke. The great thing about this choke is that it can be performed from a standing position. Thus, if you cannot take your attacker down to the ground or don’t want to take your opponent to the ground, the guillotine is a great option to end the fight quickly.

8. The Clinch

Studies have shown that most real fights result in a clinch. The clinch is a standing position in which two people have grabbed ahold of each other. Therefore, if you study BJJ for self-defense purposes, it’s important to have a good understanding of the clinch. Not only can the clinch allow you to take down an attacker on the street, but it also protects you from punches and kicks. By tying your opponent up and controlling him or her in the clinch, it becomes much easier to launch your attacks while remaining safe. 

Stay Safe

Fortunately, most people who practice BJJ will never have to use it on the street. However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t incorporate self-defense techniques into your training. By incorporating these self-defense techniques into your BJJ training, you’ll be well prepared for anything that comes your way. Remember, when it comes to self-defense, preparation is everything. So, even if you mainly focus on sport-oriented BJJ, you should never forget the reason BJJ was developed in the first place—to keep you safe on the street.