BJJ Sweep Technique

Check out this reliable and high percentage set up for the hook sweep. You can hit this sweep from the sitting up guard or hooks guard (butterfly guard). The key is to just go for it with no hesitation.

Note: You can't go wrong with Marcelo Garcia, the world's best grappler. :-)

End of Raya Break, Hard Work Begins...

After a lengthy break, PJ Jiujitsu Club members have returned to the mats for more fun rolls and great workouts! Check out the pics below of members training hard.

Training some stand up

Rolling session

Yawei in action

Lots of mat space to practice your moves

Our guest from Sitiawan, Charles (black gi) taking part in the sparring session

Benny "the Jet" Ding training with Yawei

Let's Roll!

Training on a hot, balmy Thursday night.

Mandeng and Aizat

Group shot of the boys in action

Reveik and Danial

Aizat's Wedding Reception 4/6/11

Congrats, Aizat, on your happy day!

Some of the team members at the party

Team PJ Jiujitsu with Aizat the happy groom

4 Benefits of Practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

By Jason Gee

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6179170

In addition to being a very effective combat sport and self defense method Brazilian Jiu Jitsu also offers its disciplined practitioners a variety of health benefits. This art is extremely rigorous and difficult to master, and through this arduous process martial artists can expect to gain physical and mental benefits that may be unavailable through other means.

1) Increased Fitness & Stamina

The first health benefit a Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner can expect to gain is increased stamina. This is because of the long duration of the physical demands of practice. The average class length ranges anywhere from one to two hours. This is not idle time, this is time spent in motion, going through calisthenics, technique and sparring. Even the most fit individuals can expect to feel deplete by the end of a session. Over time though and with consistent attendance to regular classes you will gain the ability to complete these grueling sessions feeling more composed and prepared.

2) Improved Strength

The second health benefit you can expect to receive from practicing Brazilian jiu jitsu is to see greatly increased strength. Almost every class will incorporate some type of strength training or sparring. Sparring is when two students go over the live application of techniques in free motion. Strength is essential in order to apply techniques live. Gripping the kimono or gi which is the traditional uniform requires a lot of hand strength. Even more so because your training partner will by doing everything in their power to make break your grip on their kimono. This means that you will have to grip and re-grip over and over again.

3) Better Memory.

There are literally an infinite amount of techniques and positions in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Expect to have your memory worked to its very limits. An arm bar for example is just one way to attack your opponent but while this is just one movement there are hundreds of ways and angles with which to apply this attack.

4) Patience

Patience is perhaps the most important benefits of practicing this art. This sport takes a lifetime to master, even for those who are diligent. Even those who have mastered this art to a certain level are sure to face defeat in competition or in the academy. No matter what your level of skill or ability there is always someone or something that can be learned from or overcome. Only those who are truly committed will be able to gain this benefit.

Are you are interested in learning more about Brazilian jiu jitsu techniques or techniques I have used to win a number of competitions? If so, you may want to check out http://www.completeleglocks.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Gee

You might also like:

What BJJ Gi Should I Buy?

PJ Jiujitsu Club at the 2012 WPJJC Trials Kuala Lumpur

Just Another Typical Saturday Open Mat Session

A very short video of a Saturday Open Mat session. The club members are having fun working out and sweating on the mats!

Check out my modified BJJ back pack...

Beginning BJJ: What Kind of Gi Should I Get?

Beginning BJJ: What Kind of Gi Should I Get?

When you embark on your journey to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Malaysia, one of the first things that you would need to buy is a BJJ gi (or kimono).

Some beginners use their old judo gi. However, a judo gi has a looser fit; and the sleeves and collar will be much easier for your opponent to grab and use against you. The gi skirt of a judo gi is also very long, enabling your opponent to easily unwrap it to coil around your neck for  modified brabo gi choke. Then there is the tae kwon do or karate gi. I find these to be too flimsy to last in grappling. They usually rip apart after a few hard rolling sessions, and sometimes your training partner’s fingers might get caught when it rips, thereby injuring the fingers...

Venum gi

It would be advisable to buy an actual BJJ gi. After all, you doing BJJ right? Just as if you play badminton you would need a badminton racquet, and not a tennis racquet!

So what kind of gi should I get?

Bull terrier gi

Nowadays there are so many types of BJJ gi in the market. Most gis are not cheap. For example, the Atama Mundial gis are around US$200. Bull Terrier gis are from US$150 to US$300. Venum Gi is between US$150 to US$200. And that's not including shipping charges! Granted, these gis look really good and the quality of course, cannot be disputed. But if you convert these to Malaysian Ringgit (based on current exchange rates), spending RM800 for a gi is simply out of the question for most people.

However, for some just starting out in BJJ, they may not wish to spend that much money on gi.  You might be looking for a good, cheap gi. So what are the options?

Atama Gi

If you are on a budget, you can’t go wrong with Fuji. Their single weave gis are not too light and not too heavy It is suited for hot weather use. The jacket is durable, the pants are strong with excellent reinforcements. The great thing is, the single weaves gis are all below US$100! (Less than RM500, inclusive  of shipping) And they have many colours to choose from.



Here are some great (and cheaper, more reasonable priced) gis to consider. Note- they are all priced below US$100:

1. Fuji Single Weave BJJ Gi

More info here.


2. Fuji Single Weave (Black)

More info here.

3. Fuji Single Weave (White)

 More info here.

4. Adidas Jiu-Jitsu Gi

Get the Adidas gi here.

5. Fuji BJJ  Gi for Ladies

Order the Pink gi here.

So there you go. Many choices for the beginning BJJ student, and quite reasonable in pricing. The quality of the gis displayed above are good, and should last you for many years.

Note: From previous dealings with the company, expedited shipping is fast, and the gi takes only about 7 days to arrive. If you go for normal shipping, the items are expected to arrive within 21 days.

More Tips On Improving your BJJ Guard Game

I managed to find another great article about how you can improve your guard game. Check out the article below. As you may have concluded, we here at PJ Jiujitsu Club Malaysia always emphasize improving your BJJ guard game . It's a "must know" position for BJJ. Otherwise we might as well be doing some other martial art, right?

How to Improve Your Guard in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

When training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu it is important to understand the guard game. Not that you must always go for the guard and work on guard strategies, but it is an essential part of you Jiu jitsu game.   Having a good guard in your Brazilian Jiu jitsu training will give you an edge when playing with bigger stronger opponents. If your opponent is a well versed Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner then weight and strength will play a big role in the outcome of the match. In this scenario a good guard may be the only thing that can work for you.

  Steps

1. To improve your guard it is important to not only work directly on your guard game, but also focus on your guard passing and defense abilities. This will give you the opportunity to see firsthand the things your opponent will be working on you while in your guard.   One good strategy while developing your Jiu Jitsu guard is to learn how to reverse the situation by using what your opponent needs to pass your guard and changing the position so he has to follow you.   This will enable you to lead your opponent into submissions and sweeps or at least make it very difficult for him to pass. You need to analyze what tools you are best at pulling off, what grips work good and where your position and body weight should be. This will help you to see the openings your opponent will be looking for and close the gaps or change the position before he is successful.
2.  Your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guard game will vary from person to person.   Some people are very flexible and will have very different strategy than someone who is slow or has long legs versus short legs.  All of these things will play a factor in the kind of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guard game you will develop.  Learn the position, understand the basic strategy and adjust to it with your physical capabilities. Practicing and drilling the position over and over will help you begin to move naturally in the guard.  This is important with any martial art. You need to have it in your muscle memory and be able to respond, not think first then react. This is already too late.
3. Being flexible in this Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guard position will open up many possibilities for you. If you are a smaller athlete learning the game, work hard on your flexibility it is important for you to be solid in the position. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has many different strategies to explore when developing your guard game: open guard, closed guard, butterfly guard, half guard, spider guard, rubber guard and the combinations go on.   A tall person with long legs may prefer to work from the closed guard where it is easy for him to lock his legs around the opponent where a short person may prefer the open guard where they will focus on developing there hip movement and setting up angles of attack. The open guard is also good for someone who moves fast making it easier to change angles setting up sweeps, submissions and giving him the opportunity to reverse the situation quickly.
4. By moving your hips to different positions in your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guard, you will open up new opportunities giving you different and more efficient angles and enabling you to respond when the opening is there. A smart opponent will try to pin your hips not giving you the opportunity to move making it easier for him to pass your guard and reducing your options for submissions or sweeps.  If your opponent is good at controlling your hips you will also have a difficult time using your legs to defend against his pass attempts.
5. It is important while cultivating your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guard game that you play with many different partners this will get you used to dealing with different sizes, styles and skill levels. If you get to the point where your training partner is easily submitted you can give yourself a challenge by only trying to work a few areas you are struggling with or letting him get a step ahead and trying to move back to the advantageous position. If you get stuck and are having a difficult time making things come together ask your instructor what your next step should be or what strategy will work best for you.   A basic rule to play by is you need to do the technique three to four thousand times to pull it off under pressure, so don’t get frustrated if you have only done the move fifty or a hundred times.   Remember, you can become successful if you put in the time. This will lead to many years of good Brazilian jiu jitsu training.

  Sources and Citations

• http://www.nwfighting.com

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. 

Here are two great books for the guard that you may like:

For gi game, check out Joe Moreira's Strategic Guard book

For no gi, Eddie Bravo's Mastering the Rubber Guard is second to none.

Guard Game - Critical Concept

This is a great tip from Stephan Kesting. He shows an important concept when you are playing guard, especially sitting guard. The tip is never allow your opponent to secure any grip on you. Your objective is to remove the grip and go to an armdrag immediately, followed by an attacking move - such s a back take or a sweep. Check out Kesting's video below:

Check out Stephan Kesting's Butterfly/X-Guard Sweeps DVD here.

PJ Jiujitsu Club Members Training in Full Force

Welcome back to a couple of our members who returned to the mats this week. Great training session, good rolling and nice workout overall!

Spacious training area in the gym

Mandeng and Alan

Benny and Peter

Reveik and Tin Wai

Aizat and Danial

Muscle Fiber Types and MMA, BJJ Training By Jim Troth

There are three primary types of muscle fibers. Each type has different abilities. For mixed martial arts, MMA for short certain muscle fibers are more predominately used. By the use of proper training a person will condition those muscle fibers best geared towards BJJ and MMA fights.

MMA is a sport that relies on explosive power for punching, kicking and for going for take downs and submissions. The methods in which a person trains can go a long way towards a person achieving goals in this type of event. Even if a person is not a fighter or has desire to train in any martial art the ability to train correctly will enhance ones ability to do well.

Your muscle are made up of three types of muscle fibers; slow twitch (Type I), fast twitch (Type II), and there is a type that is a fast twitch type but has some limited endurance capability (Type IIb). Each muscle fiber type is trained differently than the other types.

The slow twitch fibers have little overall strength, however they have excellent endurance capabilities. These are the fibers that are mainly trained while doing high repetitions of exercises at slow speeds such as running for two miles.

The fast twitch fibers have almost no endurance capability, but they are strong and quick, and therefore important in speed and power. These are the types of muscle cells that are trained when lifting heavy weights for low reps (4-6 reps). Power-lifters when they train are training this muscle fiber type. Power-lifters can move tremendous amount of weight but they would likely have a difficult time exerting themselves continuously for several minutes due to fatigue setting in.

The Type IIb has strength and speed but also has a better endurance capability than the Type II. They do not have the endurance ability to the extent of the Type I, however. The Type IIb muscle fibers are the ones most important in a fight. If trained properly and enough they give the individual the ability to move and strike hard and fast repeatedly without fatiguing too rapidly. Having poorly conditioned Type IIb muscle fibers will leave a person depending upon the Type I fibers which are too slow and weak, and depending upon the Type II muscle fibers which will tire out far too quickly.

When training for an event that relies on a mixture of speed, power and endurance it is important to train each type of muscle fiber. This is done by a carefully planned conditioning program designed for bjj mma exercises geared towards competition.

About The Author
Jim Troth is a former National Champion in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and has been involved in exercise much of his life. He has trained others in martial arts and in general health and fitness. He has also developed a DVD which features the routine he did to increase his fitness for tournaments. This same routine is used by him to stay healthy. Find out how this DVD is changing people's lives and how you too can live a longer, healthier life... beginning today. Go to http://www.homeworkouts.info/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Troth

Basic Kimura from the Guard, plus a sneaky counter Armbar

Very good tips on the kimura from closed guard as shown by Brandon Quick. Pay attention to the hip switch.

Basic Attacks from Side Control

Here's a high percentage attack sequence from the side control position. Very high percentage and reliable, and should be learned and memorized by all beginners.

GONG XI FA CAI 2011!

We will be closed for the Chinese New Year celebrations from the 3rd of February 2011.

Training resumes on 17th February 2011.

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous new year!!!

Training session 13/1/11