Escapes

ESCAPES IN BJJ OVERVIEW

Have you ever rolled with that guy who no matter what you do, he always finds a way to escape your jiu jitsu attack, and find his way back to a good position, or even counter for submission? And the whole time during the roll, he looks like he's barely even trying?

This is the power of having the ability to escape everything in Jiu Jitsu. Yet why are BJJ Escapes often overlooked or not even taught during class? Don't you think that would be something your BJJ students or yourself should know?

Escapes in Jiu Jitsu = Power. If you know that no matter what your opponent does to you, either it be getting side control, or hitting an arm bar, that you can escape and defend all of his attacks, how confident would you be in your Jiu Jitsu game. You have the ultimate defense!

Escapes in BJJ are definitely one of the most overlooked "BJJ Moves" yet are on the most important skills to learn in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Having confidence in your escapes will allow you to have the freedom to attack and be confident in your ability to always find your way back to a good position.

There are a few fundamental movements that are required to escape almost all positions and submission attacks. When training these movements during your warm up in BJJ class. Be aware of why you are doing these movements, and when rolling, try to see how these movements plug into your game and can help you defend and escape.

The main BJJ moves for escapes are: Shrimp, Technical Stand Up, Break Falls, Forward / Backward Roll, Sprawl and Bridge. Having these 6 fundamental movements in Jiu Jitsu will get you down the path of learning how to escape in BJJ, the challenge is where to apply them.... that's where drilling and rolling comes in :)

With no gi, since the game is faster and tends to be more aggressive, the concepts of taking space, creating space, and framing will be vital to your success with Jiu Jitsu escapes.

When trying to decide what escapes to focus on first, you have to start being very aware of your rolls during class and start seeing trends where you are getting caught in bad positions, or the same submission over and over again.

ESCAPE FROM BJJ POSITIONS

Positional escapes are some of the most challenging and most important escapes. Escaping side control itself, against a tough opponent, like a wrestling;is quite a challenging task.

Being under someone that has really tight and strong side control, mount or knee on belly can be a demoralizing and uncomfortable (to say the least) experience. Besides having a ton of pressure and weight on you which can wear you down, you always have to worry about all of the submissions and chokes that your opponent will undoubtedly go after. There are preventative methods such as shrimping and framing, but when those fail, you will need a couple of go to escapes. When it comes to escaping bad positions, the more simple the method, the better escape. It should be quick, and get you back up, or to your guard, depending on where you want to go.

Each escape from positions in BJJ have some fundamental movements such as shrimping, bridge, technical stand-up, framing, etc. Below you'll see information on how to escape specific positions in Jiu Jitsu, using the essential BJJ escape movements.

Side Control Escapes

Escaping Side Control in Jiu Jitsu is one of the most frustrating and challenging tasks for all levels of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners. When your opponent has established a tight and locked down side control, not only is a frustrating experience having your opponent's weight driving you down while he hunts for submissions, but you can spend a lot of energy going no where.

This is why it's imperative when escaping side control in BJJ to use simple movements and principles that give you the opportunity to escape. One of the key details of side control escapes in BJJ is framing and creating space (shrimping). Once you've created space, that doesn't mean that your escape is finished, you have to continue to keep fighting and progressing back to your guard or get back to your feet. This is one of the biggest mistakes new students make when attempting to escape side control;they think that their first attempt at an escape is going to give them the result. When in fact, the first movement, creates more movement, which allows you to finally escape the dreaded side control position.

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BJJ Mount Escapes

The mount escape of bridge and roll is still one of the tried and true methods of escaping the mount position. But if you've ever had an opponent on top of you who is dominant in the mount position, it can be quite difficult to find the best way to escape the mount position. Yes, the bridge and roll will work;but you're also going to need to have variations and paths to go once you create the initial bump.

Many students again make the mistake of thinking that their first move will allow them to escape the mount position. The reality of it is that movement creates movement. Once you start your mount escape, and you are able to create space, which allows you to move, keep moving and chaining your mount escape movements together.

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Kesa Gatame / Scarf Hold Escapes

The Kesa Gatame (Judo / Japanese Jujitsu) or Scarf Hold (wrestling) is a very tight pinning position that can also be used as a submission (Josh Barnett VS Dean Lister (image above)). When you have a tough opponent in kesa gatame, especially experienced wrestlers or Judoka;the scarf hold sucks the life out of you and makes it very tough to find any space to escape.

The good thing about escaping kesa gatame, is that when you do create space to hit your scarf hold escape, you'll find that it's easy to take your opponent's back or come up on top. This is why many BJJ practitioners don't spend a lot of time on learning the kesa gatame position - which is good for you when it comes to escaping kesa gatame;but again, when you have a really strong wrestler, who is good at pinning his opponents, you need to have your simple methods and concepts of escaping or you're in for a world of suffering :)

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Back Control Escapes

Back Control is arguably the most dominant submission attacking position in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In Gi based BJJ, the gi becomes a big problem from you when you have to defend against a variety of chokes and setups for arm bars and other back control submissions. In No Gi, the rear naked choke is the major submission attempt you need to deal with. In no gi submission grappling and MMA, you'll also see a lot more use of the body triangle from back control. This back control positions is one of the hardest to escape from. Yet, there are simple methods and movements that you can use to escape the back mount in BJJ.

One of the first major principles of Jiu Jitsu back control escapes is protecting your neck. Many beginner and intermediate students neglect the importance of hand fighting in back control. If you can't clear your opponent's hands off your neck, there is no way that you are going to ever escape back control.

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North South BJJ Escapes

The north south position in BJJ can be a quite a difficult positions to escape. It is a strong attacking position for the kimura submission, anaconda chokes, and other north south chokes. What makes the north south escape in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu so challenging is that all their weight and pressure is directly over your chest, when your arms trapped. Using the legs to escape the north south position can be difficult because they are so far away from your opponent, and it's challenging to use them to recover into guard.

The worst thing you can do is stall or wait in the north south position. Your opponent is able to freely go to work attacking submission after submission while you essentially just wait to get tapped. There are a few solid principles and concepts that will help you escape the north south position. Our favorite go to Jiu Jitsu Escape Artist is Bernardo Faria who has some great tips and jiu jitsu techniques on how to escape the north south positions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

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Knee of Belly Escapes

There are few positions in jiu jitsu that are truly intimidating to be in - one of those positions is being on the bottom on a good knee on belly. If you've ever faced an opponent is who is an expert at the knee on belly position in BJJ, you know that it just f_cking sucks. When your opponent uses a good knee on belly, not only can it be quite "uncomfortable"... and might make you poop (seen it happen 2x LOL);but the knee on belly opens up a world of submissions and transitions into other dominate positions such as a the mount or side control or even back control.

The first instinct to escape knee on belly in BJJ is typically to put your hand on your opponent's knee and essentially try to push them off. It's a common mistake, because what it ultimately does is open up a variety of submissions for your opponent;especially arm bars and kimura attacks.

Don't worry though, there are a few tricks and vital tips for escaping the knee on belly position in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

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BJJ SUBMISSION ESCAPES

The ability to escape submission is BJJ is often an overlooked and under trained skill.  Most coaches when asked "how to escape __ submission" will answer you "don't get caught".  

Well we don't think that answer is good enough.  If you're not getting tapped in BJJ, you're not learning.  So avoiding or not getting caught in submissions is just not reasonable.  

The ability to escape any submission attempt that your opponent throws at you will also give you the confidence to attack relentlessly for your own BJJ submissions

Arm Bar / Arm Lock Escapes

The arm bar and arm lock variations are arguably the most common submissions you see in Jiu Jitsu. Once the arm bar is "set" there is little you can do about it, unless you've got gumby arms. But most students make the mistake of giving up to early, or not even knowing the simplest of arm bar submission escapes.

What's worse is when you see a purple or brown belt making the same simple mistakes that gets them caught in the arm bar over and over again.

Tom DeBlass and his DVD Submission Escapes are one of the best resources for learning how to escape the arm bar and other jiu jitsu submission. Gain that "Tom DeBlass Confidence" and never fear getting submitted by an arm bar again.

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Gi Choke Escapes

The amount of gi choke variations in Jiu Jitsu is staggering, in fact we could / should do a whole other breakdown on just the types of gi chokes there are in BJJ.

Gi chokes are very powerful and known to put opponent's to sleep very quickly. The cross collar choke is one of the first submissions most students learn using the gi. It's simple in nature, but if you've ever rolled with an "Old School" grappler who has been practicing the same simple gi chokes for 10+ years, you know that the cross collar choke and all gi chokes can be very challenging to deal with.

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No Gi Choke Escapes

Escaping BJJ No Gi Chokes such as the guillotine choke, head and arm choke (kata gatame), triangle choke, anaconda chokes, and of course the rear naked choke, are some of the most highest percentage submission finishes in submission fighting and MMA history.

So the chances of you facing a no gi style choke, even if you're wearing the gi, is very high. Some of the toughest chokes to get out of are no gi chokes in BJJ. For example, escaping the guillotine choke can be quite difficult against someone who even has the basic concepts of jiu jitsu. Don't worry my friend! Our team of BJJ experts are here to share with you some of their best secrets on how to escape no gi chokes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and No Gi Submission Grappling.

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Shoulder Lock / Omoplata / Kimura Escapes

The kimura and omoplata are two of the most powerful shoulder lock submissions. Their principles of defense are similar, yet the way you escape the kimura vs the way you would escape the omoplata are different.

Both of these submissions can also be looked at as control positions in Jiu Jitsu as well. Many top competitors use the kimura attacks or the omoplata as the base of their who Jiu Jitsu competition game.

Learning how to defend and escape both the omoplata and kimura are going to be essential for your continued growth in Jiu Jitsu.

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Leg Lock Escapes

With leg locks becoming all the rage in modern Jiu Jitsu, especially no gi BJJ;in order to "keep up" you're going to need to learn the ins and outs of defending against leg lock attacks. It's not as simple as you think, and many beginners to the leg lock game get injured because they make stupid mistakes that end up destroying knees and ankles.

Defending against leg locks follows some simple principles, but definitely have their complexities as well. One of our favorite BJJ escape artists is Dean Lister;who also happens to be a master of the leg lock submission game. His DVD Submission Escapes goes into detail on how to escape leg locks and other grappling submissions.

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Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Guard Retention

While guard retention may not be the a true escape in Jiu Jitsu, its definitely something that you will need to work on as you develop a competent BJJ guard game. Some of the best guard players in the world are known for their ability to easily defend against guard pass attempts, and easily "escape" back to guard when their opponent almost finishes the guard pass.

A BJJ student who has good guard retention and recovery is known to be quite a challenge on the mat. You're always forced to play his style of jiu jitsu, which makes you always on the defensive.

To enhance your Jiu Jitsu guard skills, as well as develop the skills to escape and recover when your opponent passes your guard, we highly suggest studying Bernardo Faria's Escapes From Everywhere DVD. His principles of escaping from everywhere are simple, and effective for all levels of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners.

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BJJ ESCAPES DVDS

The kimura shouldn't be looked as jump a submission. The kimura is a system that needs to be studied in order to find true success with it. There are many different paths to discovering the secrets of the kimura from some of the best submission grapplers in the world.

Our suggestion for learning the kimura lock and all it's applications is to find a grappling expert who's built like you, or shares a similar style to you, and study how they attack the kimura. From there, explore other athletes and learn their approach to pick up the golden nuggets of grappling tips that will make you a kimura master!

THE PILLARS ESCAPES BY STEPHEN WHITTIER

f you want to develop highly effective and efficient escapes, this is for you. These techniques and escaping principles taught by Stephen Whittier are the fundamental Jiu Jitsu concepts that will you the power to effectively escape almost any position. If you want to develop more powerful jiu jitsu game for yourself, then your escapes should be part of your offense according to Whittier.

The Pillars: Escapes Course makes it easy for you to: Relax when you're working on your guard, knowing that if you do get passed you will be able to stay just as relaxed as you defend and escape. No longer feel gassed out all the time or having instructors tell you you're using too much energy when trying to escape. Take far less abuse on your joints and spend less time recovering from training or sitting out due to injury. Find solutions to situations you struggled with for weeks or even months, allowing you to have more fun and satisfaction in your daily training.

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SUBMISSION ESCAPES BY TOM DEBLASS

Learn The Techniques That Will Keep You Safe On The Mat - When You Know How To Escape Any Submission You Will Train Looser, Have More Fun and Your Mind Will Be Free To Concentrate On Offense Tom DeBlass Has Never Given Up A Point At The ADCC Trials In 6 Years: Learn The Methods That Allow Him To Always Be Safe: He Frustrates Some Of Toughest Submission Hunters In the Game Daily In Training &In His Active Competition Schedule &His Methods Will Work For you Imagine what it would feel like if you rolled loose. You'd have no fear of any submission because now you know how to get out, you've practiced it and you aren't worried at all. Wouldn't you start to see things better? You wouldn't be tired... Well, this can happen for you. ...

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ESCAPES! DVD BY BILL COOPER

Bill "the grill" Cooper - one of the best American BJJ black belts is the master of the escape and he's here to help you with your game. Cooper shows not just how to get out a bad situation but how to escape to a dominant position where you can submit your opponent. These are tournament tested and Paragon approved escapes!

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ESCAPES FROM EVERYWHERE BY BERNARDO FARIA

Bernardo's escapes have been battle tested and battle proven in wars with the best competitors This is your opportunity to feel comfortable in any position Become competent with your escapes and fear nothing

BJJ is like any other sport… “Offense Scores Points, But DEFENSE Wins Championships” “Escapes From Everywhere” A 4 DVD Set by 2015 Super Heavyweight and Open Class Black Belt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Champion Bernardo Faria. Bernardo is a 5 time Black Belt World Champion - think about that for a second.. He’s won five.. - America has only ever won two. So it is safe to say that his escapes are very solid. He knows how to get out of anything and pretty much always does.

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WORRY FREE ESCAPES BY DEAN LISTER

Revealed: The Never Before Seen Techniques A Battle Worn 41 Year Old Grappler Uses To Fend Off The Best Fighters On The Planet – He Even Dares Them To Try Submissions On Him! Dean Lister's Worry Free Escapes Will Skyrocket Your Confidence On The Mat After Seeing This You’ll Know How To Escape ANY Submission Deans strategy in many of his matches was to let his opponent have a submission and use it to advance his position He gives his opponent the check so that he can move to check mate Learning these escapes will increase your game everywhere and give you confidence to roll freely

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ESCAPES IN BJJ EXPERTS

There are not a lot of experts or those who we praise for their escaping ability in Jiu Jitsu. There are guys like Dean Lister who have spoken many times about how his Jiu Jitsu game is built around the confidence that he can escape any submission or attack that his opponent throws at him - maybe not Josh Barnett :)

But, there are a few BJJ Black Belt experts who have solid understanding and simple approaches on how to escape the worst positons or submissions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Below are our favorite BJJ escape artists.

BERNARDO FARIA

Bernardo Faria is / was one of the most dominant competitors in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (gi and no gi). He is known for his simple approach to jiu jitsu, whether it's sweeping someone in his lethal half guard, or simply escaping bad positions. Bernardo is a multiple time Black Belt World Champion and has even won the most prestigious title in all of Jiu Jitsu, that being, the Open Class World Title at Black Belt. Commonly known for his trademark over-under passing position, his deep half guard and his single leg half guard, Bernardo has always used these techniques, although his opponent’s know his game, very few have ever been able to stop him from implementing his will. Bernardo is an excellent example of an incredible black belt on and off of the mat. He is known for being one of the kindest human beings in the Jiu Jitsu community;he is extremely open-minded and always learning. Bernardo always wears a big smile because he is truly enthusiastic and passionate about Jiu Jitsu, he is happiest whenever he is on the mat, not only is he one of the best people, and competitors, he is also an excellent instructor.

He also has one of the most authoritative subjects on how to escape everything in jiu jitsu, whether its learning how to escape side control in BJJ, or how to escape BJJ submissions, Bernardo gives you tried and true, combat tested, simple answers for Jiu Jitsu Escapes.

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TOM DEBLASS

Tom DeBlass relies heavily on his defensive approach to BJJ and Submission Grappling and his confidence in his ability to ESCAPE everything. Tom is one of the best grapplers in the world today.  He is multiple time ADCC veteran, multiple time North American ADCC trials winner, NoGi Black Belt World Champion, Pan Am Champion, UFC veteran, and the list goes on and on.  If you don't know who Tom DeBlass is.. you have probably been living under a rock. Tom has a particularly offensive game and is always the aggressor, what allows him to be aggressive with anybody and everybody is the fact that he knows he can ESCAPE anything.  Tom has trained with the best in the world for years and has been put in every bad position you can imagine.  He can turn a bad position into a great position and has confidence in his escapes.  This confidence is what allows Tom to do what he does, he knows that nobody can submit him so he has no fear when he grapples!

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DEAN LISTER

Dean Lister is one of the pioneers of both jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts, having been one of the earliest leg attack experts who could arguably have been responsible for the rise of the current crop of leg attack gunslingers like the team known as the Danaher Death Squad. He's now considered one of the best grapplers in the world.  His ability to combine and use all his experience from all his grappling arts - including wrestling, Sambo, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is quite unique and makes him an absolute terror on the mat... hence the nickname "Boogey man"

Dean Lister's Worry Free Escapes will give the confidence on that mat to defend and escape everything.  After checking out his DVD set you'll know how to escape any variety of submissions... yes... even foot locks.

Dean's grappling strategy in many of his matches was to let his opponent have a submission and use it to advance his position, He gives his opponent the check so that he can move to check mate.

EXPERT BIO

BILL COOPER

Bill "the grill" Cooper - one of the best American BJJ black belts is the master of the escape! Cooper is not only known for getting out of bad submissions;but how to escape to a dominant position where you can submit your opponent.

Bill's matches are always exciting and full of elusive counters, escapes and always going for the submission. If you're a submission hunter like Bill The Grill, and want to confidence to be in any position or submission, and escape that position, then check out Bill's DVD on Escapes.

EXPERT BIO

STEPHEN WHITTIER

Stephen Whittier is a 3rd degree BJJ black belt and owner of Nexus Martial Arts &Fitness in Massachusetts. He is the founder of 40 Plus BJJ, and is known for his ability to slow the game down, and teach simple approaches to jiu jitsu defense, attacks and how to escape in BJJ.

In addition, he has earned black belts and instructor ranks in a number of martial arts disciplines over decades of study, and has trained a broad range of students and athletes – from local, state, and federal law enforcement to multiple UFC competitors.

His teaching style is very clear and just makes sense. This comes from years of experience teaching seminars and training camps across the country and internationally, and training everyone Jiu Jitsu life-stylists to top level BJJ and MMA competitors.

If you're an "Old Guy" or are looking to slow down and make sense out of Jiu Jitsu, Stephen Whittier is definitely one BJJ Escapes Expert you need to be listening to.

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BJJ ESCAPES VIDEOS

You could get lost in searching on how to escape in BJJ. Most seasoned Jiu Jitsu black belts on YouTube can offer you some solid advice on how to escape submissions and bad positions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu;but below are some of our favorite tips and BJJ techniques for escapes from our resident experts on Escapes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

How to Escape Knee on Belly Position by Bernardo Faria

Learn the simple concepts and techniques to escape knee on belly with 5x IBJJF World Champion: Bernardo Faria. You will be surprised by how well this knee on belly escape works;it works against big guys and high level guys well. What you need to watch out for when bridging is a knee on belly side switch, so be prepared to catch the legs if the top player attempts this. This escape is also useful because it can take you directly to deep half guard, a position that is easy to sweep from.

How to Escape the Heel Hook With Dean Lister's

Learn the best way to escape the leg lock attack heel hook from one of the best leg lock submission and BJJ escape artists in the world: Dean Lister. The incredible Dean Lister is back to teach us how to escape from a nasty heel hook. If you have been caught in one before you know how painful they can be. Having a defense to amount against one is vital for any Brazilian Jiu Jitsu player. Dean Lister has a grappling strategy where he will give his opponent a submission attempt and use this to advance his own position. Because of this play style, Lister is one of the best when it comes to escaping submits.

Escape The Knee Bar Attack In No Gi With Tom DeBlass

The knee bar can be deadly, especially against someone who is very good at leg locks. Tom DeBlass visits the BJJ Fanatics Head Quarters in Massachusetts to show you an effective way to escape the knee bar. One of the most accomplished grappling competitors and instructors in the world: Tom DeBlass share with you his secrets for escaping the knee bar in no gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

How to Escape the Guillotine Choke With Bernardo Faria

he guillotine choke is one of the oldest and easiest jiu jitsu submissions in the book and should be so, it is an extremely powerful strangle that works well at every level in Jiu Jitsu. The guillotine choke also has many different variants, each with its on benefits and consequences. The guillotine is also very versatile because it can be attacked from nearly any position in Jiu Jitsu, including scrambles, and that’s why we are told to always keep our head up and have good posture.

In this BJJ Fanatics Video, Bernardo Faria shares with you the important details on how to escape the guillotine choke in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Defend and Escape the Omoplata With Bernardo Faria

The omoplata submission in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a shoulder lock in which an attacker isolates the shoulder with the legs and triangles them to put maximum torque on the opponents arm and shoulder joint similar to that experienced when caught in a kimura. One of the more recent masters of the the omoplata is 5 time IBJJF world champion Bernardo Faria who has been known to land an omoplata relentlessly in training and in competition.

It's safe to say that Bernardo Faria likes his omoplata attacks. Like any good submission hunter, once you learn and understand the mechanics of the submission, you also understand how to defend and escape the submission as well... That is why in this video we turn to the master himself to show us our to escape the omoplata submission in BJJ.

How To Escape The Armbar (From Mount) With Kurt Osiander

Old School Renegade Grappler Kurt Osiander shows his favorite BJJ technique to defend and escape the arm bar when your opponent attacks the arm bar from the mount position. This arm bar escape highlights some of the biggest mistakes Brazilian Jiu Jitsu students make when trying to defend and escape the arm bar in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or any grappling sport.

How To Escape &Defend Against The Rear Naked Choke in Self Defense With Dean Lister.

The Rear Naked Choke is one of the most dangerous submissions in all of grappling. Yes there's some technique to it, but the concept of simply wrapping your arms around your opponent's neck just makes sense regardless of how much training you have. In this video, Dean Lister addresses how to defend and escape the rear naked choke from a standing position as if you were surprised by an attacker in a self defense situation.

How To Use The "Steam Roller" Side Control Escape With Eduardo Telles

As you know, escaping side control against a dominant opponent can be quite the difficult task. Eduardo Telles has built a solid and powerful jiu jitsu game from learning how to escape bad positions and use the turtle position as an offensive position. In this side control escape video, Telles shows you one of his favorite ways to escape side control that almost looks like you're giving your opponent back control... but don't worry, check out the details on escaping side control with Eduardo Telles to easily escape the dreaded side control position.

Learn The Basics On The Back Control Escape

Escaping Back Control in BJJ is one of the most challenging tasks. It's virtually impossible to reach your opponent to escape, especially when they have a very tight grip or seat belt control. In this short back control escapes video, you'll learn the essential movements and path ways to escape back control in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Defend and Escape The Arm Bar With Dean Lister

Dean Lister's game is built upon his confidence to escape submissions in Jiu Jitsu, and counter to attack a stronger position or submission. He shares with you the way he escapes the arm bar that is so simple, yet so effective, you're going to wonder why you haven't learned more submission escapes from Dean Lister.

The Essential Concepts Of Defense With Travis Stevens

Many times in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, we look at it our skills as a combination of techniques. Yet when you break down those techniques you start to see similarities in movements and attacks. One concept can give you answers to countless of situations, including escapes in jiu jitsu. One of the best grapplers of our time is Judo Olympian Silver Medalist Travis Stevens. He shares with you his concepts for defense in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and all grappling arts. This is a must see for any grappler, at any level.

Defend The Double Leg Takedown - Finish In Reverse Triangle Choke With Travis Stevens

The Double leg is a powerful takedown coming from wrestling, but is one of the most common and highest percentage takedowns in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Judo expert and all around grappling bad ass shows you how to finish your opponent with the reverse triangle choke when he tries to take you down via a double leg.

How To Recover Half Guard, When You Half Guard Is Smashed By Tom DeBlass

The smash pass is one of the best tools to use against a good half guard player. Quickly half guard becomes "half passed". One of our resident half guard wizards is Tom DeBlass. He is known for never having his guard passed in competition, and tends to favor the half guard or knee shield half guard (z guard) position. Tom shares with you how to recover your knee shield half guard when your opponent is trying to use the half guard smash pass.

Recover Guard From Double Under Guard Pass With Romulo Barrral

The Double under guard pass is a really tough pass to defend, especially when your opponents establish a good grip on your belt or pants, and you are essentially folded over. Romulo shares with you his BJJ Guard secrets on how to defend against the double under guard pass that might surprise you in it's simplicity.

Guard Retention: How To Stop Your Guard From Getting Passed by Bernardo Faria

5X Black Belt Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Bernardo Faria shows his favorite techniques and concepts for retaining his half guard (applies to all guard) and stop the guard pass. This is a must see guard retention video for all half guard players. Bernardo also goes into great detail on how to use these BJJ techniques and concepts to defend and recover guard from other BJJ guard systems as well.

How To Escape North South Position in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu With Bernardo Faria

In the world of frustrating positions in BJJ, being caught in the North South position against a strong, tough opponent or training partner can be one of the most deadly positions you can find yourself in.  It's bad in so many ways.  First off you're flat on the back.  Secondly, your opponent may or may not be controlling one or more of your arms.  Lastly, with minimal effort the opponent will be able to wrap their arms around your neck which at the bare minimum just plain sucks whether they have a good choke arsenal or not.

But don't worry, BJJ Fanatics got your back and Bernardo Faria shows you how to escape the dreaded north south position.