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In another special week of Renzo Gracie Online Academy, Leo Tunico offers several tips for you to fight with the open guard, from both a defensive and an offensive standpoint, with multiple sweeps and one submission.

With firm grips, loose hips, lots of creativity and the entire repertoire of positions taught by Leonardo Tunico, you will be qualified to best even the strongest passers at your gym.

In your lifestyle lesson, catch a powerful motivational speech by judo champion Jimmy Pedro.

This week of Renzo Gracie Online Academy is organized as follows:

• Five open guard techniques.
• One lifestyle lesson.

Day 1: Monday

Lesson 1: Open guard concepts

Learn general notions of positioning and adjustments to safely fight with your guard open. Pay attention to how Tunico breaks his opponent’s posture with the hand on the collar, and also to the way he controls the distance with one foot propped on the passer’s hips, while his other leg makes circular motions to break eventual grips on his pants.

Day 2: Tuesday

Lesson 2: Sweep from spider guard

One way to fight with the open guard, without losing control over your opponent’s movements, is by controlling both their sleeves, using your feet on their biceps. It’s what we call the spider guard. Leo Tunico reveals positioning details for you to accurately execute one of the most basic sweeps from the spider guard.

Day 3: Wednesday

Lesson 3: Triangle from spider guard

Combine two or three attacks in a sequence — that is one of the secrets to making your spider guard truly efficient. In this lesson, Leo Tunico analyzes a common scenario. The guard player tries to sweep the passer, who momentarily gets unbalanced but does not fall. That does not mean the attack was useless, though. Tunico shows that in the middle of the movement, the passer made himself vulnerable to the triangle.

Day 4: Thursday

Lesson 4: Sweep from the sit-up guard

The adjustments of the sit-up guard require you to hug one of the passer’s legs and, if possible, control the sleeve on the opposite side. Pay attention to the stress Leo Tunico places on the need to break your opponent’s posture to be able to sweep them.

Day 5: Friday

Lesson 4: Lifestyle / The art of challenging oneself

Jimmy Pedro says that nothing can stop us but ourselves. In this lesson, he instigates you to leave your comfort zone and strive to realize your dreams. A true push of confidence and positivity to help you pierce the blockade of fear and laziness and go get what’s yours.

Lesson 6: Variation on the sweep from sit-up guard

Tunico shows that when we play the sit-up guard, our opponent tends to use their knee to press our body against the ground. Knowing this, he adds an effective counter-move and ends up on top.

Renzo Gracie Online Academy

In week 8 of Renzo Gracie Online Academy, André Monteiro teaches sweeps and finishes starting from the half-guard, a position many people only work on from a defensive point of view, doing transitions and recoveries. This is a strategic mistake, because the half-guard offers numerous support points, grips and levers for you to surprise passers with unstoppable attacks.

It’s worth noting that many competitors have risen to the top of the IBJJF World Championships with games based on attacks from the half-guard — as is the case of Roberto Gordo, Bernardo Faria and Celsinho Venicius. So get inspired by these great idols of the gentle art and take full advantage of this week-long training plan.

Week 8 of Renzo Gracie Online Academy is put together thusly:

• Five attack techniques starting from the half-guard.
• Kata guruma: Many think that the kata guruma requires power. But Garry St. Leger is here to show you that this mechanic is based on technical refinement and agility.
• Lifestyle: Hobbies can renew your energy and keep you motivated to train jiu-jitsu.

Day 1: Monday

Lesson 1: Sweep from the half-guard with the bridge mechanic

On top on half-guard, your opponent manages to hug your head and impose pressure. It’s an advantageous situation for them, as they can attempt a finish or move to side control. But with a subtle, surprising maneuver, you have a chance to invert the position and get on top.

Day 2: Tuesday

Lesson 2: Back-take from the pummel

Even if your opponent manages to foil the inversion attempt shown in the previous lesson, they will tend to open up space for you to apply the pummel and move to their back.

Day 3: Wednesday

Lesson 3: Use your lapel to go to your opponent’s back

When you’re working with your guard open, it’s recommended to use your flexed leg as a shield controlling the distance in relation to your opponent’s body. With this shield, you can push their torso in order to find space to pummel them and, with the help of the lapel, move to their back.

Lesson 4: Lifestyle – Hobbies

Relaxing activities can renew your energy and motivate you to train. Bruno Fernandes recommends hobbies that are completely unrelated to jiu-jitsu.

Day 4: Thursday

Lesson 5: Sweep when your opponent wraps your pummel with their arm

You pummel your opponent to try and move to their back, but they wrap your pummel with their arm, blocking the path. Understand how you can capitalize on this situation to unbalance them and land on top.

Day 5: Friday

Lesson 6: Choke from the half-guard

On top, your opponent gains the pummel with their right arm and tries to pass your half-guard by progressively spreading their weight. Learn a sneaky, efficient choke to surprise them along the way.

Lesson 7: Kata guruma

Many think that the kata guruma requires power. But Garry St. Leger is here to show you that this mechanic is based on technical refinement and agility.

Renzo Gracie Online Academy: Each week a new topic.

Plus: Takedowns, Self-Defense, Lifestyle tips, Documentaries, Interviews, etc.

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This week, Renzo Gracie Online Academy functions as a powerful flashlight against the darkness that afflicts thousands of BJJ practitioners when they are on the bottom, getting squeezed under side control. Frightened, they can’t see safe paths to escape the pressure imposed by their opponents’ side control. But this week marks the end of that.

RGOA students will be learning extremely technical, efficient defenses, increasing their range of blocks, thinking rationally about each defensive mechanic and also about the opportunities for counter-attacks.

Week 4 of the RGOA program is organized thusly:

• Eleven techniques of defense against side control.
• Ouchi gari: the mechanic of taking down, attacking with one’s leg between the opponent’s legs.
• Lifestyle: How to harmonize your life as a BJJ fighter with your life outside the gym and all the responsibilities that come with it.

Day 1: Monday

Lesson 1: Side control escape with a diagonal bridge

Your opponent has passed your guard and reached side control. Renzo Gracie teaches a way for you to escape from this situation by resorting to an extremely simple move — one you must practice whenever possible during warm-up.

Lesson 2: Errors to avoid while defending against side control

Gregor Gracie teaches a basic way to restore guard when your opponent reaches side control and hugs your head, applying pressure. Gregor warns of multiple positioning mistakes you must avoid.

Lesson 3: Defense against side control with a swapped base

Gregor follows a similar dynamic to last video, but this time his opponent’s base is swapped, which requires some different adjustments to make the recovery possible. The logic, however, remains the same: opening up space between the fighters’ torsos and getting a knee in there.

Day 2: Tuesday

Lesson 4: Using the pummel to defend against the side control

Gregor Gracie tries to pummel his opponent with his left arm. This allows him to find space to move laterally and spin his body. Gregor gets out from under his opponent, controls his legs and inverts the position, landing on top.

Lesson 5: Defense against side control moving to the back

In case your opponent defends against the counter-attack shown by Gregor last video, here’s a very efficient variation that ends with you controlling their back.

Day 3: Wednesday

Lesson 6: Defense against side control moving to half-guard

Gregor Gracie again seeks the pummel with his left arm, but this time his opponent hugs him very tight, stopping him from opening up enough space to spin. But there is room to fish his opponent’s leg with the foot in the shape of a hook and close the half-guard.

Lesson 7: A variation on the defense against side control moving to half-guard

You follow the defensive moves shown last video, but, when it’s time to fish your opponent’s leg, they move away and avoid having their leg controlled. Gregor shows a pretty simple way to solve this problem, by capturing the leg with the hand that is free.

Lesson 8: Lifestyle — Seeking balance

How to harmonize your life as a BJJ fighter with your life outside the gym and all the responsibilities that come with it? Black-belt Bruno Fernandes has some good tips.

Day 4: Thursday

Lesson 9: Defense against the north-south moving to the single-leg

Today, Gregor Gracie considers the possibility of your opponent moving from side control to the north-south position. Gregor teaches how you must pre-empt their moves, and how you can counter-attack.

Lesson 10: Defense against the north-south with guard recovery

In case your opponent distributes their weight, blocking the counter-attack taught last video, Gregor shows a simple, safe way to spin your body and restore your guard.

Day 5: Friday

Lesson 11: Defense against side control turning one’s back

In case all options studied here reveal themselves useless in the situation you are facing in combat, Gregor demonstrates a more daring plan — one that sees you swiftly turning your back to your opponent, bending your body (legs over your head). That is how you’re going to find room to restore your guard with a sudden hip escape.

Lesson 12: Variation on the defense against side control turning one’s back

If his opponent distributes his weight effectively and manages to block the move shown last video, Gregor Gracie still succeeds in escaping from side control, pummeling one of his opponent’s arms and moving to the back.

Lesson 13: Ouchi gari

Like the osoto gari, the ouchi gari is an ashi waza technique. But, this time, you will attack with your leg between your opponent’s legs. Pay attention to an important detail that makes the takedown more potent.

Bonus – Documentary “Roger Gracie Legacy”.

Available to all students of the Renzo Gracie Online Academy (RGOA) starting Dec. 10, the documentary “Roger Gracie Legacy” unveils never-before-seen moments of preparation by Roger Gracie and Marcus Buchecha for the “fight of the century.”

Check out episodes of tension backstage at the Gracie Pro event, the concentration work alongside the coaches in the locker room, the refining of strategies, the words of motivation.

Narrated in first person by Roger Gracie, this documentary helps you understand what goes on inside the mind of an elite competitor before, during and after a big BJJ challenge.

And that’s it for week 04.

Keep it up!

Develop an aggressive, finishing game without losing sight of the positions you’ve acquired throughout your matches. The math is simple: if you pass your opponent’s guard, stabilize side control and move to the finish or to an even better position. Never retreat. Your opponent cannot be allowed to restore their guard. Moreover, you should not stall the fight in side control and stay there, like we see too often. Fight forward.

It was with this intent that the Renzo Gracie Online Academy set up the course’s third week. You will have access to a complete dossier on attacks starting from side control, discovering efficient ways to distribute your weight over your opponent, and move to the north-south and to the knee-on-belly, always looking for a finish.

Week 3 of the Renzo Gracie Online Academy program is organized as follows:

Ten submission techniques starting from side control

• Ippon seoi nage: the mechanic of one of the most common takedowns in BJJ competitions
• Lifestyle: how to define how many times you should go to the gym per week

Lesson 1: Triple attack with Renzo Gracie

Renzo Gracie proved the efficiency of this technique as he defeated former UFC champion Maurice Smith in Rings in 1999. After reaching side control, Renzo traps the head and one of the arms with the triangle. Then he shifts the attack to the other arm, with a kimura, americana or a straight armlock.

Lesson 2: Americana from side control

After reaching side control, Tunico teaches adjustment details for you to stabilize the position. When his opponent accepts the side control, Tunico moves on the attack with the americana, keeping his torso low at all times, without offering space for his opponent to escape.

Lesson 3: Armbar from side control

In case your opponent slips their arm out at the moment you try to employ the attack taught in the previous lesson, here’s a very efficient variation redoing the control over your opponent’s arm, spinning your body 180 degrees and finishing via armbar.

Lesson 4: North-south choke

Léo Tunico effectively distributes his weight over his opponent’s torso in order to move without losing control. During these movements, the instructor makes the necessary adjustments to apply a cross-grip choke ending in the north-south.

Lesson 5: Kimura from the north-south

If your opponent defends their neck when you apply the choke taught in the previous lesson, take advantage of the progression towards the north-south and surprise them with a kimura.

Lesson 6: Collar choke with knee on belly

What if your opponent closes up efficiently, making any attack from side control harder? Respond by placing a knee on their stomach, which should force them to open up. Then take advantage of the spaces to finish through a choke with hands crossed.

Lesson 7: Double attack with knee on belly

Léo Tunico again places his knee on his opponent’s stomach and tries to finish with the same choke as last video. But his opponent manages to defend against it. Tunico then surprises him with an armbar.

Lesson 8: Lifestyle — Training frequency

How often do you wish to practice BJJ? Try not to shoot too high.

If your goal isn’t met, you may become disappointed an unmotivated. Check out Bruno Fernandes’s tips to protect and consolidate the consistency of your training.

Lesson 9: Lapel choke with knee on belly

Again with a knee on his opponent’s belly, Tunico weighs the possibility of that opponent turning sideways to escape. This enables Tunico to control the lapel and make the adjustments for an unstoppable choke.

Lesson 10: Variation on the lapel choke from knee-on-belly

If your opponent uses their arm to try and block the choke, take advantage by controlling that arm and trapping it with your torso. Distribute your weight over your opponent, finishing them with a choke similar to tightening a triangle.

Lesson 11: Armbar with arm trapped by lapel

An armbar variation. He traps his opponent’s right arm, using his leg and an arm. Then he nullifies his opponent’s left arm with that opponent’s own lapel. Tunico pretends to seek a mount, but chooses to immediately attack the arm with a sweet armbar variation.

Lesson 12: Ippon seoi nage

We wrap up the week with a lesson on stand-up, wherein you will refine your ippon seoi nage. This takedown requires you to turn your back to your opponent, flexing your legs and throwing that opponent over your shoulder. Learn details and a tip to avoid getting caught in a rear naked choke.

And that’s it for week 3, keeping in mind our goals of:

• maintaining your motivation;
• increasing your knowledge;
• getting you to go practice.

Keep it up!

Esta semana a Renzo Gracie Online Academy funciona como uma poderosa lanterna contra a escuridão que aflige milhares de praticantes de Jiu-Jitsu quando estão por baixo numa luta, sofrendo o amasso do cem-quilos do oponente. Apavorados, não conseguem enxergar caminhos seguros para escapar da pressão imposta pelo domínio lateral do adversário. A partir desta semana, no entanto, todo esse sofrimento vai passar. Os alunos vão aprender defesas extremamente técnicas e eficientes, ampliando o leque de bloqueios, raciocinando a respeito de cada mecânica defensiva e também sobre o oportunismo para aplicar contra-golpes.

A semana 4 do programa RGOA está organizada da seguinte forma:

• Onze técnicas de defesa contra o domínio lateral.
• Ouchi gari: a mecânica de derrubar, atacando com a perna por entre as pernas do oponente.
• Qualidade de vida: Como harmonizar a sua vida de lutador de Jiu-Jitsu com a vida fora da academia, cheia de cobranças profissionais, pessoais e familiares?

Dia 1: Segunda-feira

Aula 1: Saída do cem-quilos com ponte diagonal

O adversário passou a sua guarda e chegou ao domínio lateral? O Mestre Renzo Gracie ensina uma forma para você escapar do sufoco, recorrendo a uma movimentação extremamente simples, a qual você deve praticar sempre que puder, no aquecimento das aulas na academia.

Aula 2: Erros a serem evitados durante a defesa do cem-quilos

Gregor Gracie ensina uma forma básica de repor a guarda quando o adversário alcança o domínio lateral e abraça a sua cabeça impondo pressão. Gregor alerta para diversos equívocos de posicionamento que você deve evitar.

Aula 3: Defesa para o cem-quilos com base trocada

Gregor segue uma dinâmica semelhante à do vídeo anterior, porém, desta vez, o adversário está de base trocada, o que requer alguns ajustes diferentes para viabilizar a reposição de guarda. A lógica no entanto continua a mesma: abrir espaço entre o tronco dos lutadores e infiltrar um joelho por entre esse espaço.

Dia 2: Terça-feira

Aula 4: O uso da esgrima para defender o cem-quilos

Gregor Gracie tenta esgrimar o adversário com o braço esquerdo. Isso possibilita que ele encontre espaço para se movimentar lateralmente e girar o corpo. Gregor sai de baixo do oponente, domina suas pernas e inverte o posicionamento caindo por cima.

Aula 5: Defesa do cem-quilos com ida para as costas

Caso o adversário se defenda do contra-ataque, veja uma variação muito eficiente, a qual leva ao domínio das costas do oponente.

Dia 3: Quarta-feira

Aula 6: Defesa do cem-quilos com ida para meia-guarda

Quando você busca a esgrima com o braço esquerdo, porém, o adversário o abraça com muito força e não permite que abra espaço para girar o corpo. Veja como você conseguirá espaço para “pescar” a perna do oponente com o pé em forma de gancho e fechar a meia-guarda.

Aula 7:  Variação para a defesa do cem-quilos com ida para a meia-guarda

Você segue a movimentação defensiva ensinada no vídeo anterior, porém, na hora de “pescar” a perna do adversário, ele se afasta e evita o domínio da perna. Gregor mostra uma maneira bastante simples de resolver esse problema, capturando a perna com a mão que está livre.

Aula 8: Lifestyle – Em busca de equilíbrio

Como harmonizar a sua vida de lutador de Jiu-Jitsu com a vida fora da academia, cheia de cobranças profissionais, pessoais e familiares? O faixa-preta Bruno Fernandes tem ótimas dicas. Confira!   

Dia 4: Quinta-feira

Aula 9: Defesa da norte-sul indo para o single-leg

Hoje o professor Gregor Gracie considera a possibilidade de o adversário progredir do cem-quilos para a posição norte-sul. Gregor ensina como você deve se antecipar à movimentação do oponente e, na sequência, como você pode contra-atacar.

Aula 10:  Defesa da norte-sul com reposição de guarda

Se o adversário esparramar o peso, bloqueando o contra-ataque ensinado no vídeo anterior, Gregor demonstra uma maneira simples e segura de girar o corpo e repor a guarda.

Dia 5: Sexta-feira

Aula 11: Defesa do cem-quilos virando de costas

Caso todas as alternativas estudadas até aqui se revelem inviáveis para a situação que você está vivendo no combate, Gregor Gracie demonstra um plano mais ousado, o qual induz você a se virar rapidamente de costas para o adversário, chegando a ficar com o corpo dobrado (pernas por sobre a cabeça). É assim que você vai encontrar espaço para, com uma brusca fuga dos quadris, repor a guarda.

Aula 12: Variação para a defesa do cem-quilos virando de costas

Se o adversário distribuir bem o peso e conseguir bloquear a movimentação demonstrada no vídeo anterior, Gregor Gracie ainda escapa do domínio lateral, esgrimando um dos braços do oponente e progredindo para as suas costas.

Aula 13: Ouchi gari

Assim como o osoto gari, o ouchi gari também é uma técnica de ashi waza. Porém, desta vez, você vai atacar com a perna por entre as pernas do oponente. Preste atenção num detalhe importante para amplificar a potência da queda.

Veja o trabalho de concentração junto aos técnicos no vestiário da arena, o refino das estratégias e as palavras de incentivo motivacional.

Bônus: Documentário da última luta entre Roger Gracie e Marcus Buchecha

Disponível a todos os alunos da Renzo Gracie Online Academy (RGOA) a partir de 10 de dezembro, o documentário “Roger Gracie Legacy” revela momentos inéditos da preparação de Roger Gracie e Marcus Buchecha para “a luta do século”.

Confira lances de tensão nos bastidores do evento Gracie Pro, o trabalho de concentração junto aos técnicos no vestiário da arena, o refino das estratégias, as palavras de incentivo motivacional.

Narrado em primeira pessoa por Roger Gracie, o curta-metragem ajuda você a entender o que se passa na cabeça de um competidor de elite, antes, durante e depois de um grande desafio de Jiu-Jitsu.

E a semana 04 se encerra por aqui.

Bons treinos!

“The best BJJ fighter of them all is the one who has the most fun on a mat,” teaches Renzo Gracie. Indeed, if you don’t feel pleasure in wearing the gi, you may be the strongest, most skilled of them all, but it’s unlikely you will be the best. A lesson as simple as it is powerful: only love of the job can bring perfection. And that is evident right at the start of the video we’re looking at today. In a good mood, Renzo captures his students’ attention before explaining the secrets of the perfect grip when trying to choke an opponent.

Renzo draws attention to the correct way to control the first hand that advances against his opponent’s collar. If the fit isn’t right and deep enough, it’s not even worth it to keep going; after all, the opponent will be able to posture and easily resist the squeeze, while you waste energy and strength — not to mention the wear on your grips.

“Many fighters have the habit of pulling the lapel, thinking that way the other hand will go in easily and deep, next to the neck,” he says. “I recommend the opposite. Instead of pulling the lapel, I push it to the side, opening up plenty of room for the other hand to go in.”

That is how Renzo achieves the perfect grip. With that powerful control as a starting point, he assures: “It doesn’t matter where the second hand will grab the opponent’s gi. No matter how bad the grip from the second hand may be, the choke will be efficient. What really matters is the perfection of the initial control.”

From now on, resort to this nugget of knowledge when it’s time to risk a choke in your training, thus refining the adjustments on your tourniquet. “Seek the perfect grip with the first hand whenever you’re going to choke, whether you’re on the mount, the half-guard, the knee-on-belly,” he advises. “You will quickly notice that your finishing ability will be much greater.”

Demian teaches the minutiae of his specialty: controlling opponents’ backs. Once he reaches that position, the student under Fabio Gurgel rarely ever loses control over his foe. Even when that foe manages to rid himself of one hook, Demian finds room to move without expending energy, make some adjustments and — with impressive calm — regain control of the back.

Note that what Demian teaches here is extremely simple and to the point. None of it hinges on gi grips. You can use it all in classical BJJ as well as in no-gi matches, MMA bouts and self-defense scenarios.

“Control of the back is based on an essential concept,” he explains. “The fighter who is attacking needs to keep an alignment between their own hips and their opponent’s hips. If this alignment is undone and the opponent manages to slip the back and touch it to the ground, it gets much harder for there to be control. It’s at this time that the attacker must move in the way I show in the video, and redo the control.”

It was based on this logic that Demian clung to the back of tough opponents like Carlos Condit, Matt Brown and Neil Magny, proceeding to achieving spectacular submissions in the Octagon.

It’s worth your while to practice what is taught here, honing the way you handle back control. After doing so, give it a shot in sparring sessions, and later in tournaments. Even if at first you lose the position and fail to reach the finish, keep it up. That is, after all, how you evolve in BJJ. “I like using basketball as an example,” Maia says. “Even in the NBA, at the highest level, every day the players practice the layup, right? In BJJ it has to be the same way. Constant repetition of the techniques — even the simple, basic techniques — is key to shaping and maintaining the great players.”