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Upgrade Your Kimura With These Details From Travis Stevens!

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 Kimura From Side Control Top Position by Travis Stevens

Who is Travis Stevens? He made history by being the third male judoka from the USA to win a silver medal at the Olympic Games.  Travis also holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the legendary John Danaher and Renzo Gracie. It is an understatement to say that he is accomplished in both Judo and Jiu Jitsu.

Travis was born February 28, 1986 and is a lifelong grappler. He began training Judo at the age of 6.  He competed in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics in the men's half-middleweight (-81 kg) division. On August 9, 2016, Stevens made history by being the third American male judoka to win a silver medal in the Olympics. His other grappling accomplishments include the following: 2nd place at the 2016: Grand Prix Havana. 3rd place at the 2015: Pan American Senior Championships , 1st place at the 2015: Pan American Games Toronto, 3rd place at the 2015: Pan American Senior Championships, 7th place at the 2015: Grand Prix Dusseldorf, 2nd place at the 2014: Grand Prix Zagreb, 1rst place at the Pan American Open Miami, 5th place at the  Grand Slam Tyumen, 2nd place at the  Grand Prix Havana,  3rd place at the Pan American Championships Guayaquil, 2nd place at the  Grand Prix Tbilisi, 1rst place at the Grand Prix Dusseldorf,  5th place at the 2013: Grand Slam Tokyo, 7th place at the  Grand Prix Abu Dhabi, 1rst place at the Grand Prix Tashkent, 3rd place at the Pan American Championships San Jose , 1rst place at the Pan American Open Montevideo, 2nd place in Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro ,3rd place in  Grand Prix Abu Dhabi, 1rst place in World Cup Tashkent, 2nd place in  Grand Slam Moscow , 2nd place in Pan American Championships Guadalajara, 1rst place Grand Prix Dusseldorf,5th place in World Cup Budapest and 5th place in Masters Baku.

Travis Stevens has simple concepts that he applies to his throws, take downs and guard passing. His approach is simple, and makes him one of the best grapplers ever.

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Stevens is an excellent teacher. On January 12, 2013 he opened FUJI Gym in Wakefield, Massachusetts.  He spends the majority of his time teaching there. He also teaches at Renzo Gracie Fort Lee in New Jersey. When he is not teaching, he regularly trains at Renzo Gracie Academy in New York City. Another testament to his ability as an instructor is the fact that his instructional videos for BJJ Fanatics are hugely successful.

In this video Travis Stevens explores some key details on the Kimura from side control. He starts off with his lower hand blocking his opponent’s hip and his top side hand around his opponent’s head. Steven’s training partner is framing against him in an effort to create the space necessary for escape.  To defeat the frame Stevens uses his chin to roll over the wrist of his training partner. Notice how he is punching his shoulder forward to get the arm placement he wants on his opponent.  Now he places his thumb in his training partners arm pit and posts with his other hand on his training partner’s hip. This placement allows him to move into north south position.  Next he grinds his knuckles toward the heart of his opponent. This movement will put your training partner on their side. Stevens states that you can switch your grip here to a palm up position to add additional discomfort. It is a fundamental rule of grappling to always have your opponent uncomfortable. If they are thinking about the pain then they are not thinking about escaping.  From this position it is a simple matter for Travis to lock in the Kimura grip and secure a tap.

This video is a wonderful example of Travis’s ability to communicate technique to even novice grapplers.  Like all of Stevens’ instructional videos, there is a lot of detail. I know that I often gain new insights every time I re-watch one of his videos. Travis Stevens’ instructional videos have a powerful impact on anyone who makes a careful study of them. Certainly, the Jiu Jitsu community is lucky to have him.

If you enjoyed this video by Travis Stevens, check out his new series Magic Guard Passing.  You can get it here at BJJ Fanatics!

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