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Common Jiu Jitsu Injuries and How To Deal With Them (Part II)

bjj injuries part 2
 

By: Tyler Bishop

Since we opened the site several years ago, we’ve experienced a lot of traffic. Over a million visitors to be precise. We’ve released groundbreaking studies, published unique content, and shared rich media that has received incredibly positive feedback (btw… thank you, readers). But, there is one piece of content that we published almosta  year ago that gets more average hits a day than any other. It’s probably not hard to guess what that is; given the title of this post and the graphic at the top. That’s right. Our article on common jiu jitsu injuries is one of the most popular that we’ve done, and we have received a lot of requests to publish another. Welp, straight from your keyboards to God’s ears. Here we go…

Hip Injuries

Hip injuries are the worst. Remember when Chubs said, “it’s all in the hips”. Yeah, he was talking about jiu jitsu … or golf… or hockey. It doesn’t matter. He was right! Whether you’ve actually torn something in your hips, built in imbalances due to overuse/underuse with certain movements, or simply have stinging tightness from sitting all day, fixing your hips is paramount to performing on the mats. Here are a couple of good tips for hip injuries…

  1. “Roll out…” Ludacris (2001). Ole Luda was right. You have to roll your hips out. A lot of tightness and existing injury lies bound up in the myofacial tissue in the muscle surrounding your hips. Step #1 to any form of hip injury treatment should start with rolling out your hips (Spine-Health). This creates the ideal conditions to any of the things we will execute to try to rehabilitate and improve performance. Perform 3-5 times per week (here’s a good reference).
  2. Perform hip mobility exercises. These have personally helped me more than just about anything else. Bird-dogs, fire-hydrants, back bridges, and hurdler exercises have done a world of good for my often injured hips (use Google Images if you don’t know what some of these are). I looked into the types of exercises most recommended by physical therapists for rehabilitating injured or imbalanced hips and these four were most commonly prescribed. Perform them 3-5 times per week.
  3. Stretch. I’ve heard some experts say to avoid stretching or yoga all together. Those people suck and definitely don’t do jiu jitsu. Yoga and specific stretching helps me to ensure proper mobility when I’m on the mats. Below is my favorite yoga series for stretching. I did this everyday for a month and improved my flexibility significantly. It also greatly improved how my hips and shoulders felt. Try performing it no less than twice a week (don’t worry if you can’t do it perfect, neither can I)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLqnfny6QeM&w=560&h=315]
 
Hope that helps. What injury should we focus on next?

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BishopBjj News

Podcast: Tony Pacenski and Travis Stevens

pan jiu jitsu 2016

Listen/Stream on Stitcher:

Our latest podcast breaks down Metamoris 4, talks JJGF with the co-founder, Tony Pacenski. We we talk about BJJ in the Olympics, BJJ sponsorship, and more w/ guest Travis Stevens (2x Judo Olympian).  It’s nearly 3 hours of awesome, unique bjj talk.

Tony Pacenski –  JJGF co-founder, BJJ black belt

Tony talks about the JJFG, how it was founded, what it was like to get to know Rickson personally, and what he has technically learned from Rickson. Tony also tells us about some of the recent confusion around the Vulkan Open rules and the JJGF. He also lays out the vision for the JJGF long term, and tells us what other organization the endeavor is modeled after. A lot of great new information about a subject that has many hopeful for the future of sport BJJ

Travis Stevens –  2x Judo Olympian, BJJ black belt

Travis discusses the main difference between sport BJJ and sport Judo, what the different communities are like, and the differences in professionalism in both sports. Travis also candidly shares his sponsorship arrangements in Judo, and compares them to what is offered in BJJ. This dovetails off a comment he also made about competing in IBJJF tournaments as well. The result is a very sobering outlook on the current state of modern BJJ, especially as it relates to the $$$ that is involved with the sport.

Listen Now:

 

 

 

 

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BishopBjj News

Podcast #13: Jimmy Pedro

Check out the latest edition of our podcast featuring special guest Jimmy Pedro. We also discuss the 2014 IBJJF European Championship, the forthcoming Pan Ams, steroids in jiu jitsu, read some fan mail, and more…

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"It's Science" Videos Live Technique and Perspective Videos

The Open Guard Ecosystem For Jiu Jitsu

It is often said that the guard is the secret to jiu jitsu. Well, often secrets are hard to keep. In the case of the open guard, many of the techniques have extrapolated out over time into incredibly complex systems due to the collective improvement of jiu jitsu over the same span. So where does it end? What has the open guard become, and how should someone navigate it in light of these new evolutions?
Paulo-Miyao
Imagine every jiu jitsu player as a unique jungle. Each jungle has it’s own climate, flora and fauna, and treacherous ends. The open guard has evolved well beyond a set of specific techniques, and is now a lot like the jungle. It is a full-fledged ecosystem consisting of a blend of multiple singular positions. We are all built differently; however, certain elements of the open guard are present in all of us. It is up to each guard player to build their jungle accordingly.
The key is making sure that your ecosystem does not lack a critical component for life. For example, you may have trees, beasts, and a warm climate, but if you don’t have fresh water nothing will survive.  Open guard is a lot like this. If you have developed a strong understanding of spider guard and lasso guard, yet lack competency in de la riva and x-guard you may find your ecosystem insufficient at times. Although it is not required that you be perfect at all forms of open guard, it is necessary to understand the basic components of all positions so that your system can fully-develop.
guardpass6
In fact, the key is not to fully-develop every open guard position; rather it’s most important to understand how to properly return to the positions you are most comfortable with. For example 80% of your open guard may consist of setting up single leg x-guard; however, it may be necessary to use spider guard to set it up, or use de la riva to defend against certain passes. Without this extra 20% your tailor made guard may have difficulty gaining momentum. So what are these key positions to understand (these are the bases – obviously there are a lot variations)?

  • Spider Guard
  • Lasso Guard
  • X-Guard
  • De La Riva Guard
  • Reverse De La Riva
  • Sleeve and Collar Control Guard
  • Situp Guard

The best open guard players typically select one or two of these guards and build close to 80-90% of their open guard game around those specific positions. However, as mentioned above without a full understanding of each position there will likely be some form of deficiency. So which is right for you? What should you build your open guard ecosystem around? Let’s start with a few examples that may help you.

Players with a strong Spider guard ecosystem base:

Michael Langhi
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3UgRERk66c&w=560&h=315]
 

Players with a strong Lasso guard ecosystem base:

Keenan Cornelius
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkTtoCe7Fgk&w=420&h=315]
 

Players with a strong X-Guard  ecosystem base:

Marcelo Garcia (duh)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLQh2aEP93Y&w=560&h=315]
 

Players with a strong De La Riva guard  ecosystem base:

Rafael Mendes
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81rn5hu7asA&w=560&h=315]
 

Players with a strong Reverse De La Riva guard  ecosystem base:

Caio Terra
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCSx1FJFMHk&w=420&h=315]
 

Players with a strong Collar and Sleeve guard  ecosystem base:

Kron Gracie
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-mbhx_Auks&w=560&h=315]
 

Players with a strong Situp guard  ecosystem base:

Ruben “Conbrinha” Charles
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u32CfxW63mE&w=560&h=315]
 

… But as mentioned above, the ecosystem is continuing to evolve. New guard players like Leandro Lo are forcing the community to re-evaluate some of these open guard positions.

Leandro Lo
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzDHkoZeO8A&w=560&h=315]

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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:

 

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BishopBjj News

Common Jiu Jitsu Injuries And How To Deal With Them (Part 1)

common jiu jitsu injuries
By: Tyler Bishop
A few nights ago I was sitting on the mats talking with a few of my teammates from our competition team, and then I realized we had all actually been talking about our current injuries for the majority of the conversation. No, we certainly weren’t all sitting around throwing ourselves a pity party. We were sharing valuable information with each-other on how to get healthy again. Chances are, the injuries you experience in BJJ are not new. You likely know someone who has experienced the same injury. So it makes sense that you would take advantage of that social capital around you.
When you work out with intensity a lot – or simply train long enough – you are bound to develop some physical injuries. When you’re a jiu jitsu “junkie”, one day away from the mats can become an eternity. You begin to find ways to overcome injuries just to make it into class, and start making your body compensate for movements that are restricted due to soreness or injury. Unfortunately, some injuries can leave you out of commission. Many top competitors go crazy waiting to return to the martial arts mats. The good news is that some other obsessed individual has likely already experienced the same thing and figured out the fastest road to recovery. So it’s very important to tap into some of the collective knowledge around you in regards to common injuries. You can leverage others experiences about a speedy recovery, find out their treatment methods, and better understand the road to recovery. By utilizing the intellectual capital of training partners you will be back out on the mats in no time!
Note: We are not doctors, so don’t kid yourself. The information below is for educational purposes, and is not designed to diagnose or treat any conditions.

Outside Knee Sprain:

knees
As someone that has experienced a fair amount of knee injuries and surgeries, I can say that without a doubt that ice is your best friend. Other things that have made  a big difference for myself when dealing with this particular type of knee injury is the inclusion of collagen and hyaluronic acid supplements. Making sure that your legs are strong and balanced can help prevent future injuries, and when recovering from an injury, nothing helps more than improving flexibility and dexterity. Yoga poses have provided a tremendous benefit to myself. You may also want to look at methodologies like “Ginastica” as well. Loosening up your hips and IT bands can provide a way to address a common root problem. Foam rolling and stretching can be some of the best ways to address this issue.

Jacked Up Fingers!

jacked up fingersMy close friend and podcast co-host, Jon “the Queen” Perrine, recently shared some valuable knowledge with me about keeping my hands healthy. Jon often tapes his fingers (here) to save his grips and fingers from unnecessary damage. By taping your fingers correctly you can reduce your ability to squeeze, thus saving your hands and fingers from “over-gripping”. If you are the kind of guy that squeezes every grip as hard as you can, and then leaves class writhing in pain. You might wan to give taping a try. Again, ice is your friend when recovering from almost any injury. Finally, by improving grip strength by performing exercises like: farmers walks, dead hangs, and gi pullup’s, you can build a strong grip that will protect your hands in-of-itself.

Sore Neck

neck injuriesHave you ever heard anyone say, “I really messed up my neck at BJJ practice, but then “popped” it by twisting it with my hands and it felt 100% better after that!!!!!”? Yeah, me neither, so don’t mess with your neck when it feels sore and injured. It is injured, so treat it with respect. Roll out the muscles against a wall by using a lacrosse ball (available cheap online), and then use ice to help the muscles recover more quickly. Using menthol creams to warm up the muscles prior to exercise or training can also help when you are easing back into activity. Ultimately, you need to make your neck stronger as soon as it’s healthy again. Practicing bridges on the mat before class can help you build and strengthen these muscles.
What other injuries do you struggle with? Let us know, and we will tap into our network of peers and see if we can’t address them in Part II of this segment.

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"It's Science" Videos

It's Science: Guilherme Mendes

its science guilherme mendes photo
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZtTRrBPDOA?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
Welcome to another episode of “It’s Science”. We  continue our 2013 season with a quick look at Guilherme Mendes (2011-2013). Now on to the fun stuff…
Abstract: All matches observed of Guilherme Mendes used in this small sample occurred at IBJJF events, inside his weight division, and between 2011-2013. 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). Matches were selected at random based on available matches  – selected using a random generator from 18 total available IBJJF matches matches between 2011-2013. 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.
So what did we learn?: Guilherme Mendes is an impressive competitor. Much like his brother, he is quite good at avoiding defeat. Inside this study – which took place between 2011 and 2013  – there was only one loss on his record. The best way to describe his style is, “insistent”. He insisted upon a handful of techniques, and was able to put himself in the exact position to execute these moves with absolute precision. Approximately 81% of his passes were executed in a very similar fashion – Half-Guard, knee slide, and nearly 88% of his sweep came from a  De La Riva to berimbolo-style of attack. His game was very effective. It saw him finish almost 60% of his matches by submission, and it him in position to be the first to score in 100% of the matches in that he was the victor. In observing his style and performance, I believe this is a very important metric for Guilherme. By being the first to score in his matches, he immediately put his opponent on defense, and was able to stay ahead and inside his own comfort zone. In his sole loss he did not score first, and was unable to build his normal momentum through out the match.
There is a lot that the average competitor can learn from Guilherme Mendes style and approach. While the techniques are far from “simple”, his approach and execution is very basic. He kept his attacks to a handful of techniques, and insisted upon them from the beginning. One thing to learn from his competitive approach, is that by building a match around your strengths from the start, you can put yourself in a consistently offensive game. This can help reduce hesitation and can ensure that techniques are executed properly under pressure.

Notable Stats:

    • 7:15 was his average match length
    • Won 58% of his matches by submission
    • Scored first in 100% of his wins (91% total)
    • Passed from the half-guard 81.5% of the time
    • 88% of sweeps occured from the De La Riva guard
    • He preferred knee-cut passes to leg drag passes 13/2
    • Approximately 77% of his submissions were from the side control position
    • When on the feet he preferred pulling guard – as he did so 85% of the time
Top Competitor Guilherme Mendes
Successes Side Control Submissions
Avoided… Mount
Top Technique 1 Knee Through Pass From Half-Guard
Top Technique 2 Berimbolo
Number of Matches Observed 12
Submits Opponent 7
Wins by Points 4
Minutes of footage watched 87
Scores First 11
Total Wins 11
Total Loses 1
Sweeps (Position)
De la Riva Sweeps 7
50/50 1
Sweeps (Type)
Ankle Pick sweep 1
Berimbolo-style (kiss of the dragon, etc.) 7
Total Sweeps 8
Passes (Position)
On Knees 1
Half-Guard 13
Standing 2
Passes (Type)
leg drag 2
knee through 13
x-pass 1
Total Passes 16
Taking the Back
side control 4
Total Back-Takes 4
Submissions (Position)
Back 2
Side Control 5
Submissions (Type)
choke from back 2
gi choke (Guilitine, Brabo, Basball Bat) 5
Total Subs: 7
Takedown/ Ground Establishment
Double-Guard Pull 3
Guard Pull 9
ankle pick 2
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BishopBjj News

10 Things Learned At The Pan Jiu Jitsu Championship (13')

pan jiu jitsu

pan jiu jitsu
Pan Jiu Jitsu 2013

By: Tyler Bishop
The 2013 Pan Jiu Jitsu Championship is in the books. We are starting our extensive study of the event this week, and the results of the study will be up in about a month. It will piggy-back off of our 2012 studies of the Worlds and 2012 Pan. We hope to include elements of comparative analysis from year-to-year, and will attempt to see how the game may be changing this year compared to last.
Until science can tell us what really happened, we will have to rely on our objective observations. So, what are 10 things that we learned at the 2013 Pan Jiu Jitsu Championship?

  1. Buchecha is the world’s best. He proved it last year, and gives us no reason to believe this year will be any different. Galvao made that last match exciting, but Buchecha had it well in hand.
  2. The rules are too complicated for the referees. Throughout the entire event you could see the same transitions and movements scored differently on every mat. The new penalties for stalling come quick, and often penalize the wrong competitor. And finally, advantages are often awarded carelessly and do not meet rulebook criteria. Ask a referee about any of these things and expect sightly different answers from most of them. The rules are in desperate need of clarification and simplification. The referees cannot keep up, and it’s not their fault. This is a major issue. To maintain the events professionalism, things will have to get better.
  3. Hard work pays off. Caio Terra has been competing more than ever, and finally overcame Bruno Malficine. Malficine has had his number as of late, but Terra was able to capitalize on Malficines recent injury and close the gap between them. The Worlds may be the stage for another epic rematch.
  4. Your gi is probably not legal. No seriously, this is not a joke. There is a strong chance that over 50% of the gi’s you own would fail IBJJF inspection. It had to be a record number of people sent away to buy gi’s and belts this weekend. I literally watched a checker walk through the warmup area and point at 8-9 people in a row and tell them that none of them would pass inspection. Those same 8-9 people simultaneously exploded. The rulebook criteria does not go over all the new specifications. This did not effect Jena or myself, but I watched hundreds of others turned away in a panic to find a new gi. This harkens back to #2 – the IBJJF has to communicate with the competitors better – and this starts with simplicity.
  5. Chokes from the crucifx/omoplata come on quick. If you missed Clark Gracie’s come from behind, last second victory over Lapela do yourself a favor and get on YouTube. Rarely can someone tap and pass out at the same time, that choke must have been tight!
  6. Berimbolo may be losing it’s appeal, maybe. The Budovideo’s crew tells me that there was less berimbolo incidents this year. Wait, what? Is that even possible? Was this popular new technique really used less this year than last? Our study will discover the true story, but these guys watch more matches than anybody else, so I trust their professional opinion. It will be interesting to see if this is really the case.
  7. While everyone slowly converts to Atos, Alliance quietly dominated the competition again. Atos is certainly in the presses for their individual accomplishments and rapid big name additions, but it is Alliance who continues to reign supreme.
  8. This is still a fringe sport. While thousands watched the stream online with careful attention, little did they know that in many cases only 10 people may have been watching the same thing live. Jiu Jitsu will continue to grow but there is very much a cap on it’s true popular potential.
  9. Gabi is big. Gabi Garcia was born to be larger than your average female. In fact, she was genetically gifted to be a lot larger. Unfortunately for her, there are very few others her size on planet earth, much less doing jiu jitsu. Her weight class is all but empty now, and the absolute – while entertaining to watch – has become empty to watch with her in it. All other females are outweighed by over a hundred pounds and give up almost a  foot in height. How long will victories against these opponents be fulfilling for her?
  10. The last 2 minutes of black belt adult matches are when you should start watching. 10 minutes is a long time to fight for points. Oncea competitor gets up on points, many times this signals the end of the action. This is because the competitor down on points saves their energy to score at the end, and the competitor that is ahead bides his time and has no sense of urgency. This is why so many finals matches are boring to watch, and often all the excitement is in the end. Could there be a clean way to fix this?

We hope you have enjoyed these observations. Post your recent observations of the 2013 Pan below.

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"It's Science" Videos

Romulo Barral Jiu Jitsu Stats, Info, & Matches

romulo barral

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGPvcT0NjNA&w=560&h=315]

Romulo Barral Breakdown

Welcome to our second season of “It’s Science”. We are going to kick off  with a quick look at Romulo Barral. The recently “retired” Barral is one of the most accomplished competitors of all time. Let’s dive deep into what makes him so successful.

Abstract of Romulo Barral Jiu Jitsu Study:

All matches observed of Romulo Barral, used in this small sample, occurred at IBJJF events, in his weight division, and between 2011-2013. 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). Matches were selected at random based on available matches via YouTube – selected using a random generator from 20 total available IBJJF matches between 2011-2013. 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.

So what did we learn?

Romulo Barral has a very defined game. My initial impressions of him were in many cases correct, but there were a few surprises. You will immediately notice in the 13 total matches observed that Romulo Barral limits his arsenal to just a few defined techniques. I have always perceived him as a spider guard player – and perhaps that is true – but one thing that is overwhelmingly obvious is how this game has evolved into a sit-up guard style system from the bottom.
In fact, 70% of Romulo’s sweeps came from the sit-up guard position. From there his passing style of choice is a very heavy half guard style of passing with 66% of his passes coming from half-guard. It was also very obvious that Barral’s end-game involved the mount.
All but one submission occurred from the mount position. So is this style of game successful? In short, yes! In the random matches we observed, he won 12 out of the 13. That’s pretty good.

Notable Stats:

  • Sit-up guard accounts for 70% of sweeps
  • Half guard passes account for 2/3 of all passes
  • 4/5 submissions were cross collar chokes from the top
  • 4/5 submission also occurred from mount
  • Barral scored first in 10/13 matches, and 10/12 that he won
  • His average match length was 7.23 minutes
  • He pulled open guard in over 50% of his matches

The Data

Top Competitor **Romulo Barral**
Successes Sit-up Guard, Half Guard Passes, Mount Chokes
Avoided… De La Riva, ButterFly Guard
Top Submission Utilized Cross Collar Choke
Number of Matches Observed 13
Submits Opponent 5
Wins by Points 7
Minutes of footage watched 94
Scores First 10
Total Wins 12
Total Loses 1
Sweeps (Position)
Spider Sweeps 2
X-Guard 1
Sit-up Guard 7
Sweeps (Type)
Scissor 1
Trips/Off-balancing 3
Sit-up and overtake opponent 3
Collar Drag/Arm Drag 3
Total Sweeps 10
Passes (Position)
On Knees 2
Half-Guard 10
Standing 3
Passes (Type)
leg drag 3
knee through 1
x-pass 1
Knee cut from HG 4
Reverse Sitting HG Pass 4
knee up, from half-guard to mount 2
Total Passes 15
Taking the Back
Guard 2
Standing 1
Total Back-Takes 3
Submissions (Position)
Mount 4
Half-Guard Top 1
Submissions (Type)
Armbar 1
Cross collar top 4
Total Subs 5
Start of Match
Open Guard Pull 7
Tight Guard Pull 1
Opponent Pulled Guard 4
Took Opponents Back 1
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BishopBjj News

BishopBjj.com Podcast #1

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/58993830 w=500&h=281]
Our first podcast was recorded at the World Pro Trials in San Antonio this past weekend. It is not up to snuff in comparison to the quality of material we normally produce, but since this is the first one we expect significant improvement each time we create a podcast. Rather than scrapping this one we choose to release it. The content of the conversations is really funny and interesting good. Also, check out some of the funny stories about crazy training partners at the end!
We mention an interview with David Adiv in the podcast. Unfortunately, we are saving that for episode #2. We are purchasing some new podcast software so that we can improve the quality and production of the podcast, and wanted to save that material until the new stuff was in place. This podcast features Royler Gracie black belt, JW Wright, Abu Dhabi Pro absolute champion, Nick Scrock, 6x World Medalist, Jena Bishop, and Jon Perrine.
We appreciate any feedback, and are looking forward to this process as it improves.
-Tyler