3 High Level Techniques From 5 Time World Champion Bernardo Faria
These High Level Techniques From Bernardo Faria Will Make You The King Grappler On The Mats!
If you have been around the grappling scene you will likely already know who Bernardo Faria is. Not only is Bernardo the co founder of BJJFanatics.com, Bernardo is also a 5 Time World Champion Black Belt in Brazilain Jiu Jitsu with many accolades. Bernardo has been training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu since the age of 14 in the year 2001 while living in Juiz de Fora in Brazil. In 2013, Bernardo moved to New York City to teach at Marcelo Garcia’s Academy. In 2015, Bernardo achieved his dream of becoming the IBJJF World Champion in both the open division and his weight division. He was also chosen as the best athlete that same year.
At any belt level, the fundamentals of jiu jitsu are vital, but when you are a blue belt, that is when these fundamentals principles of jiu jitsu should be starting to make sense.
Today we are going to check out 3 high level techniques from Bernardo Faria. If you go back and watch any of his old matches you are likely to see these techniques used against a variety of top level competitors. So without any further delay, let us get started!
#1: 2 on 1 from Knee Shield
Bernardo loves half guard. He also loves the 2 on 1 position. Why does he love it? He uses it to set up his single leg half guard. It is always important to be playing the knee shield anytime you are in half guard, especially in no gi. The details for the knee shield are critical. You want to keep your opponent tightly connected to you. Make sure your knee is all the way across your opponent’s chest, right next to his arm pit. Bernardo also prefers to make a hook with his foot on the leg that is doing the knee shield. Then he controls his opponent neck and bicep.
When Bernardo is competing in no gi he prefers to cross his legs in half guard which prevents his opponent from an easy pass. This gives Bernardo the ability to switch his opponent’s arm to the inside. Pay attention to how he grips the arm. Bernardo gets his grips behind his training partner’s elbow and at the wrist. Now he can follow his opponent’s arm wherever it may move. All you have to do from here is push his arm to get for the single leg. Simply push away and then come up to the single leg, toppling your opponent to the side, finishing the sweep.
#2: Double Leg Take Down
The double leg take down is a must have in any well rounded BJJ game. It can be very hard to counter. A very experienced grappler will see it coming and know how to sprawl, keeping their legs out of distance. There are a couple reasons why the double leg take down is so great for BJJ. If you are a smaller guy you can use speed and agility to shoot in on a bigger guy. Also, the double leg take down puts you in a situational advantage when you reach the ground. By controlling your opponent’s legs you can easily pass into side control and start attacking submissions.
The double leg take down happens when you and your training partner are grip fighting from a standing position. Normally both you and your training partner will have the same front leg. Distance plays a big roll in whether or not you shoot in well for a take down. Bernardo gives us a crucial tip on determining the right distance – you should be at arm’s length from your opponent. If you are in too close you will not have enough momentum in order for this take down to work. If you are too far away you will not connect with your training partner risk getting stuffed pretty hard.
To shoot for the double leg simply step forward with your front leg and drive into your training partner. You should be looking to grab him behind the back of his knees on both legs. When Bernardo shoots he changes his level, his head is level at the waist of his opponent. Once he drives in he pulls his opponent forward, which sends his training partner flying. What is great about this is that when done correctly you end up standing and retaining control over your opponent’s legs, making it easy to pass.
#3: Knee Capture Sweep
This is a rather interesting sweep from closed guard. Bernardo Faria uses this sweep whenever his opponent stands to pass his closed guard. This is an effective sweep for every belt level, so give it a shot! In a situation where your training partner stands to pass your guard, you should open your guard and closing it against around your opponent’s knees. This will off balance your opponent and weaken his base. Notice that when Bernardo shows the technique it makes his training partner wobble. Your next step is to come up and secure both legs with one arm. Now you can place your hand on the mat, hip escape, and drive forward, making your opponent fall over.
As you can probably tell, these are very simple yet effective techniques that you can start using today to improve your game. No matter what level of experience you have, it is always good to explore new approaches to age old techniques. Even if you have your techniques that “just work” every time you are on the mats, you never know what else you can add to your arsenal that will make you a truly high level competitor. So keep these techniques from Bernardo Faria in mind the next time you are on the mats in a live roll or competition. And if you are looking for more great techniques from Bernardo Faria then be sure to check out all of his amazing instructional series that are available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com!
It is no secret having good fundamentals in jiu jitsu is the secret to winning on the mat or in competition regardless of your belt level, experience or the reason you train Jiu Jitsu. One of the best competitors and BJJ instructors in the world is Bernardo Faria. His DVD called the Foundations of Jiu Jitsu gives you those secrets and the techniques to drill and execute on the mat that will make your jiu jitsu better for the reason you train BJJ.
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