Caio Almeida (red gi) next to Abmar Barbosa after training in São Paulo (publicity photo)

If 50/50 guard is a disease, as so many are harping about these days, the study of Jiu-Jitsu is the cure.

That’s what the black belt Caio Almeida teaches us today as he and his brother Diogo lay out how to unravel one of the most modern and, perhaps for being so, mysterious guards in the sport.

To get free of 50/50 guard, first pay attention to how the Ryan Gracie Academy black belt grabs his brother’s heel and pushes it forward, undoing the triangle with the help of his hip, as you can see at minute 0.54 of the video.

Next, the Celso Venícius student finds space to spin past guard. With the 360 degree turn he ends up past guard and with knee-on-belly (minute 1:07).

When the opponent tries replacing guard, the trick is to spin over him to land in side-control on the other side (minute 1:19).

So does the position deliver? Let us know your favorite way to get free of 50/50 guard in training.

The choke from side-control / Photo by Junior Samurai/GRACIEMAG

When you’ve made it past guard and are chest to chest with your opponent, you’ve reached side-control. What now?

The key to stabilizing the position is to latch on to the collar behind the neck and get a solid grip on the back of the pants. From there the next step is to go to the classic knee-on-belly and then on to mount.

But you can cut straight to the chase with an attack. Tom Oberhue, a GMA of ours in Portland, Oregon and Saulo Ribeiro black belt , teaches us the following choke from side-control:

João Miyao tapped out two purple belt opponents at the Abu Dhabi Trials in Natal. Today marks the purple belt absolute contest, with an all-expenses-paid trip to the UAE on the line. Photo by Junior Samurai/GRACIEMAG.

João Miyao tapped two purple belt adversaries out in winning the Abu Dhabis tryouts yesterday in Natal, Brazil. Today he’ll be competing in the purple belt absolute for a chance to compete in the Emirates with all expenses paid.

There was no lack of excitement on the first day of Natal chapter of the WPJJC Trials, and more than 600 competitors took to the mats in competition.

Of the adult black belts in the running, only the girls saw action, as the men are competing today (Sunday).

At lightweight, Jessica Cristina (Gracie Miquinho) caught Luiza Monteiro by surprise and snapped up the gold, while Michelle Nicolini (CheckMat) won the featherweight division.

In the veterans mix, Bruno Ramos (Gracie Barra) came out on top in the under-83 kg brown/black belt master division, while Caio Magalhães’s teacher Guilherme Santos of Nova União tapped out Eduardo Lima of Gracie Barra with a choke to win the under-92kg division.

At purple belt, João Miyao (Cícero Costha) used a choke of his own to send off two opponents and take gold in the light featherweight division. Now Rio de Janeiro native Matheus Guilherme of Gracie Humaitá had four matches in winning the lightweight division. Rodrigo Mendes of Gracie Barra PE took top spot at super heavyweight. It’s worth noting that no one has assured an all-expenses-paid trip to the Emirates yet: the berth will be determined today, in the absolute blue and purple division.

Check out João Miyao in action in the light featherweight final. Keep your eye peeled for the knee-on-belly and neck attack.

Today the competition carries on with the contest for 13 berths in the main event, which takes place in April 2013 in the United Arab Emirates. The winners of the black belt-men weight divisions, the colored-belts absolutes and the female lightweight (under 63 kg) and heavyweight (over 63 kg) opens classes will earn their way to the Middle East to compete.

Carlson Gracie Jr. at 2010 seminar at team headquarters in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro / Photo by Carlos Ozório/GRACIEMAG

Your knee-on-belly isn’t causing pressure the way it ought to? As Carlson Gracie Junior teaches it, the trick may be located a bit higher up from where you’d think—at the neck.

“As my father taught me, you have to block your opponent. If he’s really slick and good at sliding out his hip, you have to apply pressure on his neck, which keeps him from escaping,” says the Chicago-based black belt.

Like the tip? Is there another one you know of that’s equally efficient? Tell us about it.

Carlson Gracie Jr. during seminar in Recife—always tuned in to GRACIEMAG / Photo by Junior Samurai/GRACIEMAG.com

The son of the late Grandmaster Carlson Gracie (1933-2006), Junior was in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco last weekend to teach a highly sought-after seminar at team Gutenberg Melo, the Carlson Gracie team branch in those parts. The black belt taught control techniques, side-control escapes, choke attacks, the traditional americana, knee-on-belly and sweeps, not to mention lettting GRACIEMAG.com in one the greatest teachings he received from his grandmaster father: “The lesson is to never think you’re the best, and most of all to never think you know everything. There’s always something left to learn in Jiu-Jitsu,” said “Juninho”, as he is known. “I hope that wherever my father is today he is happy with the work I’m doing. I want to always honor my father’s name through my work in Jiu-Jitsu.”

Carlson Jr. took the opportunity to teach the following escape from north-south position. Take note of the importance of breaking the grip through hip movement, to then grab the belt and get out from underneath. And once you’ve got that down pat, rush to your local bookstore to get GRACIEMAG #185, with all the tips on how to turbo charge your hip, the pivot on which your Jiu-Jitsu rides.

Vitor Belfort and Gilbert Durinho / Photo posted on Twitter

If Jiu-Jitsu black belt Gilbert Durinho was aiming to catch attention at WOCS 20 last Friday, he did a fine job of it. The Gi and No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu world champion showed he’s joined the MMA fray for keeps. In his fight against Vinicius Bohrer, the tranquil Vitor Belfort student waited for the right moment to pounce and take the action to the ground. “It was my intention to fight in whatever position comes up, using tight Jiu-Jitsu. I was really calm and managed to execute the takedown. I’ve done so many repetitions of that takedown that in the fight it came out automatically. The footwork is from judo; you have to take a step and turn your hip, getting the opponent to walk with you,” he explained.

Following up, the fighter put his Jiu-Jitsu skills to practice. From side control, Durinho got knee-on-belly, dropped some strikes, and later moved to back control to wrap up the fight in grand style with a snug rear-naked choke. “Back mount is the position I feel most comfortable in. It’s what I practiced most in life; it too comes automatically. I get to the back and presto. When I’m on the back I’m in complete control; all the guy can do is defend. When I got the knee on belly I made Vinicius turn on all fours. I took his back, stuck in my hand and squeezed,” he said in closing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqmpB0P45y8

Check out the rest of the results from WOCS 20:

WOCS 20
AABB, LAGOA, RIO DE JANEIRO
JULY 27, 2012

Cylderlan “Porco Loco” defeated Rogério “Paraíba” via split decision;
Gilbert Durinho tapped out Vinicius Bohrer via rear-naked choke in R1;
Giovanni Diniz defeated Daniel Abelha via TKO in R2;
Guilherme Bomba defeated Wendel Negão via rear-naked choke in R2;
Alexandre Baixinho defeated Ederson Moreira via TKO in R2;
Lucas “Bob Esponja” defated Antonouce Conceição via unanimous decision;
Gustavo Coelho tapped out Magno Magoo via arm-and-neck choke in R1;
Gersinho Conceição defeated Paulo Vitor via TKO in R2;
Thiago Marreta defeated Denis da Silva via TKO in R1;
Rodrigo Delegado tapped out Leandro Lele with a reverse arm triangle in R3.

Dudu Dantas at Bellator 65 weigh-ins / Photo: Bellator.com

This Friday in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Dudu Dantas captured the Bellator bantamweight belt while showing the skills that earned him his black belt in Jiu-Jitsu. Facing Zach Makovsky, he landed an omoplata, took back mount, got knee on belly and mounted, following up with a fight-ending arm triangle choke 3:26 minutes into the second round.

Watch the Nova União ace putting on a Jiu-Jitsu clinic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uE4SrknF94

Bellator 65
Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
April 13, 2012

Dudu Dantas subbed Zach Makovsky via arm triangle in R2;
Daniel Straus defeated Mike Corey via unanimous decision;
Marcos Loro defeated Ed West via unanimous decision;
Luis Betão defeated Alexis Vilapor via unanimous decision;
E.J. Brooks defeated Mikhail Malyutin via unanimous decision;
Lyman Good defeated LeVon Maynard via KO in R1;
Kris McCray defeated Ailton Barbosa via split decision;
Will Martinez subbed Terrell Hobbs via rear-naked choke in R1;
Scott Heckman submitted Lester Caslow via rear-naked choke in R1;
Duane Bastress defeated Plinio Cruz via TKO in R2;
Kenny Foster submitted Jay Haasvia guillotine in R1.

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