Categories
"It's Science" Videos

Jiu Jitsu Science: Braulio Estima

bishopbjj shirt patches

Braulio Estima Statistics

It’s Science is back feat. the controversial Braulio Estima. To read this full artcle be sure to pick up of the upcoming issue of Jiu Jitsu Style Magazine. Here’s a taste along with some of the raw data.

—-

Notable Study Stats:

  • 60% of passes were from spider guard or X-guard
  • 93% win percentage
  • Scored first in 13 out of 14 winning matches
  • Submitted his opponent in 50% of wins
  • Highest sweep total in any study ever conducted* (“23”; *15 matches or less) – 1.53 sweeps per match average
  • His average match length was 7 minutes and 48 seconds
  • 71% of his submissions were chokes from the back
  • Had a 23/7 “sweep/pass ratio”

Abstract: All matches observed of Braulio Estima, used in this small sample occurred at IBJJF events, inside his weight division, and in the years 2011-2014. Only techniques, occurrences, and outcomes that were recorded are displayed in the data below (i.e. if no butterfly sweeps occurred, there will not be a representation of that in the sample data charts). Matches were selected at random based on freely available matches. This is a limited sample – but given the estimated amount of matches in this time period – it is well above the percentage necessary to create a scientifically validated trend sampling.
The Breakdown: There may not currently be a more controversial figure in competition jiu jitsu than, Braulio Estima. The multi-time world champion recently tested positive for DMAA, a banned substance; according to the World Anti-Doping Association, and has since been catapulted to the center of many discussions regarding jiu jitsu competition reform. It’s appropriate that someone like Estima is embroiled in this type of controversy; as he should be well recognized as one of today’s most accomplished competitors. Known for stunning technique and a sporty showmanship, Estima has a style that is completely his own.
While Estima’s style is unique, you will ultimately see some patterns in his game just like most of our other subjects. The primary difference in this is the variation in which he executes specific techniques. We recorded more positional variation in Estima than in any past studies of other competitors.
Estima had a 93% win percentage in our sample. Additionally, he scored first in 13 of 14 of those wins. He also recorded a high-mark for total sweeps among studies we have conducted of 15 matches or less (23 total). That’s an average of 1.53 sweeps per match. The highest we’ve ever recorded. You see this occurrence a lot with Braulio because he pushes the action. He’ll take an unstable sweep, come to the top position to capitalize – and with noting to take advantage of – ultimately concede the bottom position again to try his hand again.
There is a lot of spider guard and X-guard sprinkled into Estima’s notorious guard game. Approximately 60% of his sweeps and attacks came from a spider or X-guard variation. And while there are a lot of moving parts to Braulio’s bottom game, his top game is slightly less complex; something we’ve seen often among top competitors. Braulio prefers a heavy and compact style of passing; favoring a knee over or double-unders style of pass nearly 71% of the time. He recorded a measly 7 passes in the sample; however it’s important to note that Braulio beautifully uses the guard pass as an immediate transition to his opponents back. It’s common to see him use a double-unders pass to secure his opponents back.
::: TO KEEP READING SUBSCRIBE TO LATEST ISSUE OF JJS MAGAZINE:::

Top Competitor Braulio Estima
Successes Spider Guard, Back Chokes
Avoided… Standing Passes, The Mount
Top Technique 1 X-Guard Sweep
Top Technique 2 Back Take from Guard Pass
Number of Matches Observed 15
Submits Opponent 7
Wins by Points 7
Minutes of footage watched 118 minutes (avg. length = 7:48)
Scores First 13
Total Wins 14
Total Loses 1
Sweeps (Position)
De la Riva Sweeps 2
Spider Sweeps 9
Closed Guard 1
Half-Guard 3
50/50 2
X-Guard 5
Sit-up Guard 1
Sweeps (Type)
Ankle Pick sweep 1
Deep Half 1
X-Guard (or single X) style sweep 7
Tomanagi 5
Hook sweeps 1
Trips/Offbalancing 3
Sit-up and overtake opponent 2
Berimbolo 1
Collar Drag/Arm Drag 2
Total Sweeps 23
Passes (Position)
On Knees 3
Half-Guard 3
Standing 1
Passes (Type)
leg drag 1
knee over 3
leg-weave pass 2
Under the legs pass pass 1
Total Passes 7
Taking the Back
half guard (top) 3
from passing the guard 3
guard 1
Total Back-Takes 7
Submissions (Position)
Back 5
 Spider 2
Submissions (Type)
choke from back 5
leg lock 1
triangle 1
Total Subs 7
Categories
BishopBjj News

FUJI Sekai Review

By: Tyler Bishop
We haven’t had the chance to do many gi reviews recently, but one that is always searched on our site is for the FUJI Kassen. recently FUJI launched their new Sekai, and several readers have asked me about my opinion on it.
I personally think the Sekai is the best gi FUJI has produced. It certainly is my favorite in terms of style and material, but I think the fit is what makes it really come in to it’s own. It’s my favorite in the FUJI line. I’ll also mention that the new women’s model comes in a W0/A0 model that is perfect for girls in the lighter weight classes. This is important as many of the previous gi’s only came in A1  or larger.
Instead of giving an in-depth analysis of the gi, I have attached a video from Travis Stevens that I think give a good overview of the gi itself. I’ll let you be the end judge from there.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VpNqPYWGuE&w=560&h=315]
 

Categories
BJJ Study and Statistics Articles

3 Tips To Improve Tournament Jiu Jitsu Performance

Jiu jitsu is so much more than just a sport, or a form of competition, but there is no denying that this competitive desire is the focus of many jiu jitsu practitioners. So when it comes to competition, study and analysis can become useful tools that can assist in
So when it comes to competition, study and analysis can become useful tools that can assist in tournament and physical performance. If you haven’t read or observed our study of the 2012 World Championships, I highly recommend starting your research there. However, there are a few tips that you can start implementing now to improve tournament performance…

1:) Build a gameplan

improve jiu jitsu performance
Guess what, the best in the world don’t just “see what happens”. The best in the world make it happen! You should do the same thing. If you haven’t checked out our series “It’s Science”, you should study up. One theme that comes across rather quickly is that the must successful competitors have a few things they are really good at, and then they put themselves in position to implement those strategies.
Building a gameplan is no easy task. In our book we will go into detail about how this can be done, but until then focus on a few important elements. Write down what you are best at (top 3), determine how you can get into these positions/scenarios, and figure out how you can go from your feet at the start of a match to one of these pre-determined positions. Once you have gone through this process, practice it religiously. If certain problems keep arising, make adjustments and move forward. A good gameplan is a series of events that you can put into place and seemingly fight above your normal ability level at.

2:) Focus on scoring (preferably, score first)

scoreboard
If one thing sticks out from the 2012 World’s study, its that people that score first win. Regardless of the circumstances that lead to this anomaly, scoring first should be a high priority.  Make this a strong element of your gameplan if you want to be successful in tournament jiu jitsu. This means fighting or approaching your opponent differently than what you might typically do in the academy. It means fighting with your brain as much as your brawn.
It makes sense that scoring is directly proportionate to winning, but this concept seems to be a hard lesson for many. Many fight conservatively and leave points on the table throughout the match only to become tired and unable to score late in the match. Take points whenever they are available, you can never guarantee another opportunity. You will never look back on a tournament and say, “I shouldn’t have scored all those dang points!!!”.

3:) Diversify your training partners

diversity
Why leave anything to chance? There is a time and place for everything, and while working with training partners of relative skill and size is best for building a gameplan, part of developing a complete gameplan is determining the multiple types of reactions to your strategy. Once you have developed a comfort with your style and gameplan, try testing it against training partners of all sizes, strengths, and abilities. Try to
Once you have developed a comfort with your style and gameplan, try testing it against training partners of all sizes, strengths, and abilities. Try to fully-understand the options your opponent has available them. What made our study of Rafael Mendes so amazing was how well he knew the options of his opponents. This lead to him dominating the competitive scene for a very long time. You won’t know all of the reactions until you have to account for the multiple body types and skill levels that are out there.
 

Categories
BishopBjj News

Reduce Injury, Increase Flexibility At Jiu Jitsu

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmpqm9otPS0?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
I am an advocate of improving  personal performance to get better at things – especially in jiu jitsu. This doesn’t mean that physical development is the end-all-be-all of improving jiu jitsu, but it can be a very dynamic tool in streamlining your improvement. I hate the idea of a limited range of motion, or existing injury limiting the weapons at my disposal. Along with taking NeoCell Collagen Sport, NeoCell Collagen Joint Formula, these recent exercises have helped me prevent injuries, increase flexibility, and improve my jiu jitsu. I wanted share them with the community, as we have seen a strong influx of visitors since our last article on injuries in bjj. I hope you enjoy the video. I will have more up soon, what did you think so far?

Categories
BishopBjj News

BishopBjj.com Podcast #6: Worlds, Metamoris, and Jena Bishop

podcast 6 image
Check out the latest edition of the BishopBjj.com podcast. We share untold stories of the Worlds and Metamoris, and interview World Champion Jena Bishop. She talks about training in the middle of the U.S, why she wondered if it was ever possible if she could be a World Champion, and how her training has changed over the last few years.

Listen:

 

Categories
Uncategorized

10 Things Learned At The 2013 Jiu Jitsu World Championship

By: Tyler Bishop
The 2013 Jiu Jitsu World Championship is in the books. History was made once again, and we want to congratulate everyone who stood atop the podium at the event. For everyone that competed and suffered defeat, keep your head up and keep striving towards your goals. The competition is fierce, and the stakes are high. The World Championship is the most prestigious event in jiu jtsu history, and will likely maintain that title for a long while – due to the incredibly high level of competitors that attend the event.
Just like every year, there is a lot that we can learn from this event. The BishopBjj.com team was in attendance every day of the event, and we did not miss a beat. We wanted to share with you a few of the important pieces of material that we learned at the championship, and hopefully you can share with us some of the things you may have learned watching at home.

  1. Buchecha is the new king, and it is now unquestionable. Prior to this event, there was little doubt that Marcus Almaeda was the champ, but now he is “the man”. After last years epic battle and a close match earlier this year, the Buchecha/Rodolfo rivalry still seemed close. We watched the absolute final match intensely. We wanted to see if today would be the day that Rodolfo took back the crown. Unfortunately for Rodolfo, June 2nd served as the exact date that Buchecha became the far-and-away better competitor. Buchecha simply dominated the match from start to finish. I  honestly wonder what Rodolfo was thinking. I can’t imagine anyone has done the things Buchecha  did to him in a very long time. It’s always a little off-putting when you recieve an unexpected beating in BJJ. I’m sure that goes double for Rodolfo. Welcome to the Buchecha dynasty.
  2. Blue belts take it seriously! The level of competition at the blue belt level this year was the best I have ever seen it. I remember being a blue belt 6 years ago, and the competition was not at this same level. Many of the competitors are training with the same enthusiasm and commitment that the brown and black belt competitors are. In fact, the other blue belts all know who the other top guys are… at blue belt. What does this hold for the sport in the future, and how should the average jiu jitsu competitor feel about this? It is the World Championships after all, and everyone has to start somewhere.
  3. You don’t win until you win. We saw it twice in the finals this year. You can’t win the match until your hand is raised. Ary Farias cost himself a World Championship by carelessly walking off the mats. I feel for the guy ( I really do), but when the stakes are that high – and your match was as close as that one was – wait to get your hand raised before you celebrate. The rules are the rules, and you simply cannot pick and choose objectively when they will be followed (they are hard enough to enforce as is). Another example of this was Augusto Taquinho’s tenacity in finishing his match with Rafa Mendes. It looked from my perspective like Rafa was looking to coast out at the end. Augusto simply had more fight him at the end, and with seconds left he stole the match. The meal goes to the dog who is hungriest.
  4. Acai is delicious but should not be eaten in a cage. I love acai, and ate exactly two bowls at the Worlds. I enjoyed neither of them. When you force me to stand in a cage to eat it you might as well punch me in the groin while you’re at it. This is CSULB’s thing, not the IBJJF’s, but regardless it is a travesty. #freetheacai
  5. Points are hard to get. I’ll never forget a conversation I overheard at the 2011 World Championship, it went something like this…
    – Competitor (to referee): Why did you not give me points for passing the guard?
    – Referee: **Dead lifeless stare**
    – Competitor: I passed the guard and it should have been 3 points, I should have won the match!
    – Referee: No, you lose…. it fair
    – Competitor: (intensely)… But I should have won! Those points would have put me in the lead!
    – Referee: (long pause… smiling now) Points are hard to get …. (pats the kid on the shoulder and walks away)
    It had to be one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. The competitor was losing his mind, and the referee was on a totally different page. The point of the story is this – points are indeed hard to get. You have to earn them, and sometimes they are easier to get than others. Sometimes you might feel screwed, other times you might get lucky. When you are a top competitor you find a way to rise above it all. That’s why you consistently see the top names in every division.
  6. Gabi is busy getting stronger. Gabi Garcia wore a shirt on day 1 that read “I’m Busy Getting Stronger”. Meanwhile, all of the women in the black belt absolute grew even more fearful of what that might mean. How could she be any stronger! In all seriousness, Gabi simply is too much for any other woman currently competing in BJJ. She plows through her division just as easily as she does the absolute. She will be the champ of the absolute so long as she signs up. Fair, unfair, or any where in between, it’s the fact of the situation. She is a woman without any true competition.
  7. Atos has a bad day. The team that was stocking up on top talent, and seemed poised to showcase themselves this year fell flat. Galvao, the Mendes Bros., Calassans, and Keenan all fell short this past weekend. It could just been a fluke, but it seemed almost too much of a coincidence that the team performed to far below expectations. Again, it’s the World Championships, and everyone is good, but it was surprising to say the least that a team with so much fanfare underachieved to this degree. Maybe it really was as simple as a bad day.
  8. Braulio Estima is a bad man. Estima showed up on the competitor roster at the last minute on a whim, and dominated the competition – closing out the bracket with teammate Romulo Barral. He is truly a character as well. As Galvao attempted a footlock at the end of their match, Estima certainly hammed it up for the enjoyment of the crowd. Hopefully we will see more of him in the gi in the future.
  9. The gi-checkers took the day off. Remember how just about 50% of the gi’s were illegal at the 2013 Pan? For some reason the IBJJF did a 180 on this procedure. I witnessed very very few competitors being turned away for gi disqualifications. I even witnessed several gii’s in action at all levels that were noticeably outside of normal perimeters. I’m not sure if the IBJJF specifically lightened up or if it was simply some new employees, but this change was noticeable. I even thought about wearing a bath robe to test this policy, but alas I had no bath robe to wear.
  10. (Personal Note) It was an incredibly special day for me and my family. My wife, Jena Bishop, and close friend, Nick “Moose” Schrock, both added “world champion” to their resume. Jena took 1st in her brown belt division and 3rd in the absolute, while Nick took first at purple belt medium-heavy. It is an incredibly emotional experience to witness first hand all of the blood, sweat, and tears pay off. It’s easy to see why jiu jitsu is such a passionate experience for so many. This past weekend was one of my most memorable and enjoyable of my entire life. Part of jiu jitsu is living through the sacrifices and training with your teammates, and when they experience success you share in their victory.

That’s what I learned at the 2013 World Championship.
God bless.
 

Categories
BishopBjj News

BishopBjj.com Podcast #4 – David From The Jiu Jitsu Lab

podcast 4 image
Our 4th podcast has made in improvements in sound quality, sound FX, continuity, and fun! We hope you enjoy our show, and the stimulating interview with David from the Jiu Jitsu Lab.
The show will be up on iTunes very soon, but until then enjoy it by clicking the image or by using the link below.

Listen to: Podcast #4

Categories
Uncategorized

3 Ways to Improve Your Jiu Jitsu Outside of the Academy

improve bjj
By: Tyler Bishop
Have you ever said to yourself, “there are only so many hours in the day”? I’m sure we all have. The same sentiment is true when it comes to jiu jitsu. The academy may only be open certain hours, you may have to work, your training partners may have to work, teammates could be hurt, you may be hurt, the list goes on and on. To develop quickly in jiu jitsu, time is of the essence. As it’s often said, it’s not how much time you have, it’s how you use it. To improve your training practices, it is vitally important to dedicate time outside of the academy towards developing your technique, physical condition, and mindset.
If you were in school and wanted to get an “A” in class it would take extra effort outside of class, right? The same is true with jiu jitsu. These three methods for improving jiu jitsu outside of the academy (listed below) can help you begin developing an “A” level game today.
1:)Improve your body mechanics: David Adiv talked about this at length in our most recent podcast, and for good reason. Body mechanics make up the basis for all of jiu jitsu. If you cannot perform the movements necessary for a half guard sweep, side control escape, or armlock defense on their own, how do expect to perform those techniques against a live opponent? Many of these body mechanics can be found online, and many academies do movements like this as a part of the class warm-ups already. So why only do them in class? You don’t need a partner for any of these, and can practice them at night before bed, in the morning before work, or when you are chilling and watching TV. I cannot stress enough how important it is to develop solid fundamental body mechanics. Without these movements it will be incredibly difficult to perfect any jiu jitsu techniques. We will post some more body mechanic movements in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
2:)Use online resources to perfect techniques you are already good at: There have never been more online training resources available than there are today. You can learn directly from Marcelo Garcia, The Mendes Bros., Saulo and Xande Ribeiro, Andre Galvao, Draculinho, and more – all by making a few mouse clicks. Short on cash? Browse YouTube for a bit and find some quality videos from top-level instructors. However, there is one-catch. If you could learn jiu jitsu solely by watching videos on the internet there would be 3x as many black belts in the world than there are today. Jiu jitsu is largely based on feeling, accepting, and applying techniques in live training or drilling  scenarios. That’s why one of the most efficient way to use online resources is to use them to develop techniques you already understand.
Are you good at the deep half guard? How about triangles from mount? Try finding good video and supplementary material from qualified instructors that highlight the techniques you feel you are already pretty good at. You will learn to see new details that will further improve these techniques, and you may also learn some new transitions and grips that help you improve in other areas as well. This method of learning is much easier to apply because you already have a strong mechanical understanding of the techniques explained. If you can already understand what the technique feels like you will find it easier to appreciate and understand the new concepts the instructor explains in the technique. If you can efficiently use these resources to improve the things you are already good at it will make you an even stronger competitor as well, because you will have more tools that allow you to drag your opponent into “your fight”.
3:) Set goals: My instructor, JW Wright, has always been a huge proponent of his students writing down their goals. It gives them a way of outlining and thinking about where they want to go in jiu jitsu, and provides him a way of understanding how to prepare them and develop them through their jiu jitsu joruney. This seems very simple, but is very effective. In fact, research tells us that this is true in almost everything. By clearly defining our goals,we – as humans -typically do a better job of accomplishing things. In jiu jitsu it’s good to set yearly goals like: compete at the Mundials, win a local tournament, get a blue belt, or even win an IBJJF medal. But, you can take this one step further and begin defining your development towards these goals with weekly goals. By developing this into a micro-strategy you can measure and control your development on an even greater level.
So what does that look like? Start by determining your goals for the year, then work backwords. If you are preparing for some type of competition you will have to be in shape, have a gameplan, perfected techniques you plan to use, and prepared properly for the event. How can you move closer to those things on a weekly basis? Maybe you need to ensure some extra time at the gym each week, perhaps you need to drill your best techniques a few more times after class, or maybe you need to sit down with your instructor to define a gameplan. No matter the long term goal, sit down and figure out what weekly goals will lead you closer to the ultimate one. No matter your long-term goal there is always some defined efforts that you can start this week that will move you closer. Doing techniques in class, then rolling is not specifc to your goals – those things are specific to anyone who generally wants to get better at jiu jitsu. Take some extra time, and put forth that extra effort.
We will have some more information about body mechanics up next week. Until then, let us know if any of these practices work for you by commenting below.

Categories
BishopBjj News

Podcast #3 Featuring David Adiv

david adiv podcast banner

Check out our latest podcast with special guest Master David Adiv!

Either listen to it on this page  or download using the link below!

(Chirbit will play in browsers, smartphone browsers, and can be downloaded in MP3 format)

Listen: podcast #3

Listen on Chirbit: http://chirb.it/mCkqqM

We will have iTunes and Google Play versions of the podcast up as soon as we can figure it out, haha.

Categories
BishopBjj News

2012: A Jiu Jitsu Year In Review

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzIOlzVrhyQ&w=853&h=480]
2012 was a great year for BishopBjj.com because it was our first year in existence, and it would be hard to imagine that it could have gone much better. We’ve had over 100,000 unique visitors since March, and our YouTube account is nearly double that. We can’t wait to see what the New Year brings. Make sure to watch our buddy Phil’s deep thoughts after the video above!
Our studies, research, and unique perspective on jiu jitsu has attracted the attention of some of the people we respect the most in this industry, and for that we are truly humbled. We want to make sure to thank the people that have helped make this site so great this year. Everyone listed below deserves your attention if you love jiu jitsu.
Neocell Sport
– The only reason we can train twice a day everyday is because of NeoCell Sport. We genuinely believe that.
BudoVideos (Budo Jake and Budo Dane)
Science Of Skill
The Jiu Jitsu Lab
BJJ Eastern Europe
Jiu Jitsu Mag
Gracie Humaita St. Louis
Royler Gracie
GracieMag
DSTRYR
Subculture USA