Dynamic Fundamentals For BJJ With Raphael Carneiro

Any black belt will tell you that focusing on the fundamentals is one of the best things you can do for your grappling game

All too often, the guys at lower belts are eager to improve as fast as they can, thinking that they need to learn as many high level techniques as possible. But that could not be further from the truth! It is a mastery of the fundamentals that makes some of the greatest World Champion grapplers win time and time again.

Though simple in thought, gi chokes are really tough to finish. It's all about the grip. Judo players are known for their grips and chokes. Travis Stevens (Judo Olympian and BJJ Black Belt) is one of the leading experts on how to attack and submit your opponents with ease using gi chokes.

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If there is one pro who understands this it is Raphael Carneiro. Raphael is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Marco Antonio Barbosa and has been training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for over 17 years. Raphael has competed and still competes in most of the main IBJJF tournaments such as Worlds, Europeans and International Opens, and is a remarkable coach that has produced high level athletes that have medaled at Worlds and Pan Ams as well. He is IBJJF Certified and is also ranked among the top 50 black belts in the world by IBJJF. Raphael’s list of accolades is long. Some of his notable achievements are: IBJJF Atlanta Open Champion (Weight and Open Class), 2x IBJJF Toronto Open Champion (Weight and Open Class), 4x IBJJF Boston Open Champion, IBJJF New York Open Champion and more.

Raphael has a great instructional series called “Dynamic Fundamentals” available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com! Raphael Carneiro has over 10 years of experience competing at the highest levels of the sport’s international circuit. He knows that fundamentals are what win matches, and he has compiled some of his best techniques into this one series. Raphael’s clear and concise instructions make these moves easy to learn, no matter what level of experience you have. So let’s check out some of the techniques you can learn from Rahpael!

Back Take From Closed Guard

This is a great way to take anyone’s back from bottom closed guard. Raphael starts off with a cross grip on his opponent’s gi sleeve. He slides his hand under his opponent’s wrist, grabbing his own wrist. From here he pulls up to break his training partner’s grip. Then he pushes his opponent’s hand underneath his own. From here Raphael uses his legs to break down his opponent’s posture so he can pull him in closer in order to secure the back. Carneiro uses this position to opens his guard and scoot out. Once his hip is escaped he swings his leg like a pendulum to get up. Raphael pulls his elbow back, using it to base as he reaches for his opponent’s lapel. When Carneiro secures his lapel grip he plants his foot on the ground and escapes his other foot. To finish the transition, Raphael gets his second hook inside, and now has established good back control. Using a seat belt grip, he keeps his ear against his opponent’s ear. Now he is in a great position to start working submissions.

Back Take From X Guard

Here is another back take, this time from the X guard. Raphael starts with a basic open guard setup, trying with the under hook, trying to sweep his opponent with his hooks. When the sweep fails Raphael moves into X guard. To transition to the back from here, Raphael opens up his opponent’s lapel and feeds it to his other hand behind his opponent’s leg. With the lapel secured, Raphael can pass his opponent’s leg over his head. Why does Raphel go through the entire struggle to secure the lapel when he could just take the back from here? Well, because it keeps his opponent from easily escaping. With a lapel grip and a gi pants grip, Raphael can swing his body around his opponent to get behind him. Now Raphael can use his feet to kick his opponent forward. Once he gets here he secures his seatbelt grip and his hooks, completing the transition.

Omoplata Set Up

The omoplata is a common submission, but many people fail to hit it because they do not set it up properly. Typically what Raphael does first is isolate the arm he wants to attack by grabbing the gi sleeve and placing that arm next to his hips. Then Raphael puts his opposite foot on his training partner’s hip. He does this so he can have something to post on which allows him to shift his hip. From here he hips up and secures his training partner’s arm using a kimura grip. Carneiro points out that an omoplata is basically a kimura in the way you bend the arm. With his leg and arm controlling the kimura grip, Raphael uses a triangle lock to secure the omoplata and sit up. To prevent his opponent from rolling out of the omoplata, Raphael reaches his arm over his opponent’s back. From here the tap is imminent.

Let’s be honest, we could all spend a little more time practicing the fundamentals. What better way to do it than with Raphael Carneiro, a man who has mastered the fundamentals? If you liked these techniques then be sure to give them a try the next time you are on the mats. And if you are looking for more great ways to improve your fundamentals then check out Raphael Carneiro’s great instructional series “Dynamic Fundamentals” available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com!

2x US Olympian in Judo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt under John Danager and one of the top "chokers" in the world. What makes his choking game so unique is the setups and grips he uses. Judo martial artists have the best grips for throws and chokes... because that's all they do. Take one of the best judo fighters in the world and combine it with his extensive BJJ experiene and knowledge and you get one of the best Jiu Jitsu DVD / On Demand Series out there: Chokes by Travis Stevens

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