3 Russian "Cheats" To Improve Your Grappling

By Fanatics Authors, November 08, 2018

Learn to "Cheat" With These Russian Grappling Techniques

The Russians are known as some of the fiercest grapplers in the world... Sambo is arguably one of the toughest grappling arts / competitions out there. Wrestling takedowns, throws similar to judo and vicious leg locks. Add some punches and kicks and you've got Combat Sambo.

If you've never seen Combat Sambo then just watch old school Fedor Emelianenko beat the crap out of people!

Implementing some "Russian Style" Grappling techniques into your game will not only surprise your opponents, but will also make you "think" differently on how you grapple overall.

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Here are 3 Russian Grappling "Cheats" to up your level of grappling.

The Russian Head and Arm Smother by Rustam Chsiev

Kesa Gatame (or Scarf Hold) is a position often neglected in the Brazilan Jiu Jitsu community.

There are several reasons for this, including getting away from judo type throws that would land you right in Kesa and because Kesa can be easy path to your back if you are not strong and a little mean with it.

It however can be an extremely powerful position that can literary suck the will out of your opponent, Hell Josh Barnett ended Dean Lister’s 13 year un submitted streak with a choke from Kesa after smothering him for several minutes.

Here Rustam Chsiev is showing a similar attack from Kesa Gatame that will leave your opponent breathless. Sambo and Russian fighters are very quickly showing that adding smothering and cranking techniques to your game are super effective options that should no longer be neglected.

Pinch Headlock Control for Grappling and Wrestling

Are you struggling to work your throw game in BJJ? Are you losing control of your opponent as soon as you enter the clinch?

If you are like many jiu jitsu players, myself included, chances are you will have struggled with this at some point or may still be struggling to be as dangerous on your feet as you are on the ground.

But fear not, all is not lost, we have some grappling techniques and tips that may help your takedown game get to that next level.

Vlad Koulikov is a Master of Sports in Sambo, a Judo black belt and a BJJ black belt who has seamlessly integrated these systems into a very menacing combination.

In this clip Vlad is showing the Pinch Headlock Control and a few throws from this position. The Pinch Headlock offers excellent control while breaking down your opponent’s structure, making ideal for any standing grappling exchange. If you are looking to add to your grappling arsenal, Vlad is an amazing resource that every grappler should look into.

Leg Lock Attacks for: BJJ, MMA, Submission Grappling

After decades of being basically ignored by jiu jitsu / grappling, leg locks are starting to finally be recognized as a vital part of the grappling game.

Dean Lister, Rousimar Palhares, Masakazu Imanari, and more recently The Danaher Death Squad have been showing the effectiveness of leg locks in BJJ and grappling.

These people often get much of the credit for bringing leg locks into the light, and rightfully so, but we often overlook that Sambo guys have been doing very innovative leg locks since the 1920’s.

Many techniques these high level leg lockers are doing are derived from Sambo leg attacks (which are derived from Japanese Jujutsu), and in this clip our man Vlad (Koulikov) is showing some amazing setups for the straight ankle lock that can be used by anyone from a white belt in an IBJJF tournament to a Champion UFC fighter.

Leg Locks are finally getting the credit they deserve, and the time is now to learn to be effective with them or you’ll be left behind.

Ready to Grapple Like Russian Bear?

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One of the best Russian Grapplers is Rustam Chsiev. He's competed in just about every type of grappling competition, including ADCC (Bronze), EPI and more. He's faced and BEATEN many top level grapplers including: Roberto Cyborg Abreu, Joao Assis, Orlando Sanchez, Romulo Barral, Rafael Lovato, Alexandre Ceconi, Gary Tonon, DJ Jackson and UFC Champ Luke Rockhold.

His DVD / On Demand Series: Russian Hacks will... without a doubt... take your grappling skills to levels only a pissed off Russian Bear would dream of.

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